At the Microsoft Ignite conference, the company launched two new data center infrastructure processors furthering AI and increasing data protection. These chips are among a set of homegrown silicon to optimize fast and secure data processing in the company’s extensive cloud system.
Microsoft Unveils New Chips to Boost AI Performance
The new chips are aimed at enhancing the performance of AI workloads providing enhanced performance for AI workloads such as machine learning and deep learning. This move is in line with Microsoft’s stepped up focus on dedicated elements to enable handling of burgeoning AI requirements.
Apart from the enhancement of the firm’s performance, these chips are also meant for the enhancement of security of data in Microsoft’s data centers. In targeting its own infrastructure, it enables Microsoft to tightly develop controls over its security aspects and carrying out of data processes on chips.
Like many of its competitors such as Amazon and Google, Microsoft too believes that there is long-term revenue in creating these unique chips. The company seeks to design more efficient solutions that are within its kingdom and iconic to its cloudy and rationality by minimizing on third party hardware.
They show that Microsoft is interested in remaining relevant in the AI market, as can be seen below. Thus the company aims both at keeping up with performance and security as it continues to innovate on the hardware front with AI as the game changer for the next generation devices.
Microsoft Chips Aim to Reduce Dependency on Intel and Nvidia
New custom chips designed by Microsoft are part of a new strategy company plans to bring its dependence on Intel and Nvidia processors down. Through the development of these chips, the company seeks to improve the efficiency of its data centres, and improve how its cloud services handle artificial intelligence related tasks.
Of the two chips one is on security to enhance protection of information that Microsoft data centers store. The other chip that is works or targeted at data processing is meant for the elaborative computational force that is Artificial Intelligence and the rest of it.
This effort is well in line with Microsoft’s broader effort to fully round tighten every layer of infrastructure. The custom-designed chips will open the possibility to adjust the performance and offer more efficient solutions that will meet the corresponding requirements of the company.
According to Rani Borkar, the corporate vice president of Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure, Microsoft’s data centers must be capable of handling the information processing speed that AI needs, and these chips are part of it. Today’s company structures also have to change as new advancements lies in the field of AI emerges.
Microsoft also gets to control form factor is a bonus by designing its own chips needed for its operation and the success of its hardware ecosystem. This could help in the long term and with flexibility which could help the company to be competitive in the market of cloud and AI;s.
Microsoft Enhances Data Centers with New Security Chip and Advanced Cooling
Next year, Microsoft plans to integrate a new Azure Integrated HSM security chip into every new server in its data centers. This chip has a function of storing important values like encryption and security data safely within the module just in case there will be a breach or attack.
However, in addition to the security chip, for cloud storage performance Microsoft is launching a fully new data processing unit called DPU. Through implementation of the integration of several server components onto a single chip, the DPU has the ability to handle several tasks with much higher efficiency than otherwise possible, all while using only one third of the power that could be used before and providing four times the performance of current hardware.
The launch of the DPU is also one of the constant improvements in Microsoft’s data endeavours in readiness for efficiencies of cloud solutions in data centers. The chip will also facilitate data processing demanding task, especially those requiring the application of artificial intelligence, through the achievement of enhanced processing speed and efficiency in the consumption of energy.
Microsoft also presented a new technology to cool the servers of data centers. This new approach to cooling is a liquid-based system that will help maintain the surrounding components at low temperatures in order to satisfy the computational demands needed for designing extensive AI structures, among others.
These are well relieving stakes that show that Microsoft has hone tremendous efforts to enhance the performance and the energy efficiency of data centers. By including custom chip and advanced coolings systems the firm is setting its structures for the up coming demands in the field of AI and CS.
