Big Tech, Startups Tackling AI Hardware with New Chips

AI eats data for breakfast. To manage a growing appetite, it's gonna need a bigger plate.

Elite shops like OpenAI are partnering with giants like Microsoft for extra silicon muscle to manage AI's massive computational demands. On the hardware side, over 50 companies are racing to create specialized AI chips.

You can't have just one

Building off recent investments in startups like Habana Labs and Neuroblade, Intel rolled out its first AI chip this week, specially designed for large computing centers. Intel said Facebook is one early user.

Cerebus, another semiconductor startup, recently unveiled the world's biggest chip to help train AI. It's larger than a tablet and 56 times the size of the next biggest processor. Here's a size comparison from the FT:

Nvidia, a graphics and AI chips incumbent, is paying attention to new competitors, but it's already taking advantage of some network effects. CEO Jensen Huang recently said Nvidia's working with almost 4,500 AI startups.