Intel is investing in an AI chip that will transfer data 1000 times faster

Intel is investing 13 million dollars inUntether AI, a startup that is working on a new type of chip for artificial intelligence, which promises to perform neural network computing with increased speed. Untether - originally from Toronto, Canada - has already developed a prototype device that transmits data between different parts of a chip 1000 times faster than a regular AI chip.

This is an impressive accomplishment, howeverCare should be taken because the prototype is much larger than the chip itself and since other factors will affect the overall performance of the end device.

Intel buys Untether for $ 13 million

One of the key problems of modern chipsis the transfer of data from memory to devices that perform logical operations. This is especially problematic due to the fact that the amount of data to be processed by the chips tends to increase, for example, when it comes to AI applications for voice processing or face recognition. Untether uses what is called near-memory computing, reducing the physical distance between memory and processing tasks, which speeds up data transfer and reduces power consumption.

Untether develops inference chip, or chiplogical inference. It differs from the type of chips used to train large neural networks in a data center that are difficult to design and build. Instead, the output chip is more like a chip that works in a smartphone or camera. The boom of deep learning has led to a lot of commercial activity around such chips.

Since Moore's law seems to have almost reached itsthe limit — the law that microchips improve as the size of transistors on them decreases — new approaches are needed. Untether is not the only company that develops in-memory computing for neural networks.

Untether chip design can beexperimental, however, it is quite clear why Intel wants to invest in it. In recent years, the company's dominant position has been undermined by the proliferation of mobile devices that use alternative chip designs. Now the company is desperately trying not to miss the AI ​​boom. A few years ago, Intel bought Nervana, a chip development startup for deep learning.

What do you think, will the company stay afloat or not? Tell us in our chat in Telegram.