Amazon's new cloud AI chip intensifies Microsoft rivalry
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The news: Amazon has unveiled a new artificial intelligence chip for its cloud computing unit, weeks after Microsoft announced its inaugural custom chip.
The numbers: Speaking at the re:Invent conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Adam Selipsky announced Trainium2, the company's second generation of chip for training AI models. AWS says the new version is four times as fast and twice as energy efficient as its predecessor, and it will be released next year. AWS also announced its fourth generation custom central processor chip, Graviton4, which it said is 30% faster than its predecessor.
The context: Amazon's announcement comes just weeks after Microsoft announced its own AI chip, Maia 100, earlier this month. The race to produce custom AI chips follows burgeoning demand to support new technologies including AI chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT and its competitors. Both AWS and Microsoft are using architecture from Arm, which consumes less energy than chips from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices.
