Microsoft Unveils Its First Custom-Designed AI, Cloud Chips (bloomberg.com) 21
Microsoft unveiled its first homegrown AI chip and cloud-computing processor in an attempt to take more control of its technology and ramp up its offerings in the increasingly competitive market for AI computing. The company also announced new software that lets clients design their own AI assistants. From a report: The Maia 100 chip, announced at the company's annual Ignite conference in Seattle on Wednesday, will provide Microsoft Azure cloud customers with a new way run AI programs that generate content. Microsoft is already testing the chip with its Bing and Office AI products, said Rani Borkar, a vice president who oversees Azure's chip unit. Microsoft's main AI partner, ChatGPT maker OpenAI, is also testing the processor. Both Maia and the server chip, Cobalt, will debut in some Microsoft data centers early next year.
Microsoft's multi-year investment shows how critical chips have become to gaining an edge in both AI and the cloud. Making them in-house lets companies wring performance and price benefits from the hardware. The initiative also could insulate Microsoft from becoming overly dependent on any one supplier, a vulnerability currently underscored by the industrywide scramble for Nvidia's AI chips. Microsoft's push into processors follows similar moves by cloud rivals. Amazon.com Inc. acquired a chip maker in 2015 and sells services built on several kinds of cloud and AI chips. Google began letting customers use its AI accelerator processors in 2018.
Microsoft's multi-year investment shows how critical chips have become to gaining an edge in both AI and the cloud. Making them in-house lets companies wring performance and price benefits from the hardware. The initiative also could insulate Microsoft from becoming overly dependent on any one supplier, a vulnerability currently underscored by the industrywide scramble for Nvidia's AI chips. Microsoft's push into processors follows similar moves by cloud rivals. Amazon.com Inc. acquired a chip maker in 2015 and sells services built on several kinds of cloud and AI chips. Google began letting customers use its AI accelerator processors in 2018.
Kinda curious... (Score:1)
Will this fail be even on par with the failure of Microsoft to get into the mobile OS market?
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Great news.
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They have had some high profile failures, for sure.
But their high profile successes have altered the face of computing, for better or worse.
ML TPUs are huge right now. MS' cloud business is huge.
This will almost certainly be wildly successful.
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Good news for you, too, prophet, as you can nowadays make quick cash on your prophesies.
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Though one can do a lot better than them, if they're less risk-averse.
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Oh, another multimillionaire investor on the Internet boasting about his performance! How unexpected!
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Top end of middle class? Probably.
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I'd say if you're not making 6 figures, and you're browsing slashdot, you're doing it wrong.
Quit your current job, and go find a better one.
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no this will be more like zune
Re: Kinda curious... (Score:2)
Brown and able to squirt?
Curious who will make this (Score:3)
Nvidia has a backlog for months despite using every fab that has the capability to make their high-end chips. In addition, AMD, Google, Amazon and Meta are making high-end AI chips also. So where will Microsoft find a fab that has the capability to produce their stuff in anything like a significant quantity?
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Don't. Post. Bloomberg. Articles. (Score:4, Informative)
Paywall
Re:Don't. Post. Bloomberg. Articles. (Score:4, Interesting)
Alternate story [theverge.com].
Um. (Score:2)