Intel’s Pledge to Bring AI to Every Corner
Intel has embarked on a mission to expand the accessibility of AI technology, and as part of its initiative, the company has introduced a range of products designed to boost on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML and AI) workloads. This move includes the launch of the Intel Core Ultra, a mobile-centric processor heralded as the company’s “largest architectural shift in 40 years,” as well as an upcoming high-performance accelerator.
Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, believes that AI innovation has the potential to significantly impact the global economy, projecting that it could contribute to as much as one-third of the world’s gross domestic product. As a response to this anticipated transformation, Intel aims to develop the necessary technologies and solutions for clients to seamlessly integrate and effectively utilize AI across their applications – not only in the cloud, but also increasingly on local PCs and the edge, where data is both generated and used.
Driving Innovation: Intel’s Vision for AI PCs
Gelsinger has emphasized that Intel is dedicated to its mission of making AI available everywhere by offering robust platforms, secure solutions, and support for open ecosystems. Further, the company’s AI strategy is further augmented through the launch of the Intel Core Ultra, introduced as a hallmark of the AI PC era. This cutting-edge processor family boasts Intel’s first on-chip neural processing unit (NPU) coprocessor, named Intel AI Boost, which brings substantial energy efficiency improvements over the previous generation of Intel parts.
The company’s vision for client computing involves a forecast that AI PCs will dominate 80 percent of the PC market by the year 2028. Additionally, Intel’s executive vice president and general manager, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, expressed optimism that these AI-powered systems will be predominantly underpinned by Intel processors, owing in part to their innovative capabilities.
Xeon Processor: Transforming the Data Center Landscape
In conjunction with advancements in client computing, Intel has introduced a new Xeon processor tailored for the data center. This robust chip aims to bolster both the cloud and edge aspects of the AI revolution, bringing about a substantial performance increase over its predecessors. Notably, this new Xeon processor is equipped with on-board acceleration for ML and AI workloads, driving a remarkable 42% boost in performance for large models comprising up to 20 billion parameters.
Gaudi3 Preview & Intel’s Plans for Core Ultra
The company has also previewed the upcoming Intel Gaudi3, a specialized deep-learning accelerator designed for “large-scale generative AI models” and other demanding workloads. Set to be launched in 2024, Gaudi3 is part of Intel’s larger suite of AI accelerators and will position the company as a formidable competitor against established GPU-based accelerators from NVIDIA and AMD.
As part of its current release schedule, the Intel Core Ultra processors are already available from select US retailers with the possibility of holiday shipping. Additionally, Intel has plans to introduce these processors to over 230 designs from laptop and desktop manufacturers over the course of 2024.
