The US conglomerate Intel has formally launched its new generative artificial intelligence processor, putting it in direct competition with Nvidia and other chip manufacturers on the front lines of the latest battleground in technology.
The Gaudi 3 chip – first teased at Intel's AI Everywhere event in December – was unveiled at the company's Vision 2024 conference in Phoenix on Tuesday, and is being positioned as critical to Intel's future road map, defined by an AI-for-all strategy.
“What aspect of your life … is becoming more digital? Everything – and everything digital runs on semiconductors,” Pat Gelsinger, chief executive of Intel, said in his keynote address. That means the work of AI chip companies is increasingly important to the world, companies and families, he added.
“We're just seeing this accelerate as this era of AI is driving this huge momentum.”
California-based Intel's plans are also in line with the US Chips Act, the landmark 2022 legislation that provides nearly $53 billion for research and development in America's semiconductor sector to boost its competitiveness.
The act is “the most important industrial policy since World War Two”, Mr Gelsinger said.
What is Gaudi 3?
Intel's Gaudi 3 is an AI accelerator that can power AI systems “with up to tens of thousands of accelerators” with a 50 per cent boost in memory bandwidth over its predecessor, 2023's Gaudi 2.
This, Intel says, would deliver a “significant leap” in AI training and inference for global enterprises looking to deploy generative AI at scale.
The chip was designed to be an open and community-based software, allowing enterprises to “scale flexibly” even at the largest scale.
How does the Gaudi 3 stack up against Nvidia's chips?
At the time of its launch in 2022, Intel claimed that the Gaudi 2 was the “only” benchmarked alternative to Nvidia's Hopper H100 in terms of performance.
The Gaudi 3 is now the direct challenger to the Hopper, with Intel claiming it will be able to train certain AI models about 1.7 times faster and 1.5 times better at running software, aside from being more power-efficient.
Compared to the Hopper H200, Intel said the Gaudi 3 is practically at par.
The Gaudi 3 is also expected to deliver 50 per cent faster time to train on average across certain Meta Platforms' Llama2 and OpenAI's GPT-3 parameter models.
In terms of high-bandwidth memory, Gaudi 3 has more HBM than Nvidia's H100, but less than the H200, the latest B200 and AMD's MI300, according to data from IEEE Spectrum, the publication of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
HBM, introduced in 2015, is a computer memory interface developed with lower power consumption and specifically designed for high-performance applications and faster data speeds.
In addition, Gaudi 3's inference throughput – a measurement for speed and efficiency in machine learning – is said to outperform the H100 by 50 per cent on average across certain parameters from Llama and Falcon, which was developed by Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute.
How much is the Gaudi 3 and when will it be released?
Here's another interesting bit: Intel did not provide any pricing guidance for the Gaudi 3. But there's context to this.
The Gaudi 3 is primarily aimed at Nvidia's Hopper chips and Intel did not make any comparisons to Nvidia's newest chip, the Blackwell B200.
While Intel claims that the Gaudi 3 will be more affordable compared especially to Nvidia's products, its pricing will presumably be in line with the Hopper's, which is between $25,000 and $40,000 each, with entire systems priced at as much as $200,000, industry estimates have shown.
The B200 chip, meanwhile, would cost between $30,000 and $40,000, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang told CNBC on March 19, one day after it was unveiled. The B200 is expected to start shipping later in 2024.
The Gaudi 3 will be made available by the third quarter of 2024, with a select group of companies – Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lenovo and Supermicro – getting first crack at it in the second quarter of 2024, Intel said.
A step behind?
Given that the Gaudi 3 is being matched against Nvidia's soon-to-be-older Hopper chips, it is interesting to note why the company did not choose to go directly against the newer Blackwell series. Effectively, it's a generation behind Nvidia.
However, it does make sense if you consider Intel's strategy of making generative AI available to a wider user base, and it could be a step to reel in more users as it prepares – while observing the market and competition – for its next big move.
Intel, however, may face a challenge when it comes to pricing, considering the older Hopper and newer Blackwell have similar ceilings at this point. It's unclear how much Intel is willing to reduce its price.
The fact that Hopper chips are so popular that it's getting harder to find them, with consumers looking for alternatives like those from AMD, is one advantage that might work in Intel's favour. This is in keeping with Intel's other strategy of closing the gap in the market, which it hinted at with the launch of the Gaudi 3.
Presumably, the Gaudi 3 will cost a great deal less than Nvidia's top model. If Intel plays its chips well, this might pave the way for an even greater threat to the leading player in the generative AI chip market down the road.
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Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Naga
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South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
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The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
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James Mustich, Workman
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
