Nvidia Corporation, the world’s leading chip company, announced its plans to construct Israel’s most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputer in response to the escalating customer demand for AI applications. With the rapid advancements in AI technology, Nvidia recognizes the need for robust computational infrastructure to support the growing requirements of AI-driven solutions.
Israel-1, a cloud-based supercomputer, is poised to become one of the world’s fastest AI computing systems. Estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the system will be partially operational by the end of 2023. With its remarkable performance of up to eight exaflops, this cloud-based supercomputer will empower researchers and innovators to tackle complex problems and process large datasets with unprecedented efficiency, accelerating AI development.
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Recognizing the Importance of AI
Nvidia has been actively engaged with the vibrant Israeli tech ecosystem, collaborating with around 800 startups and numerous software engineers in the country. The company recognizes the significance of AI as a transformative technology and the need for large-scale graphics processing units (GPUs) to facilitate the development of AI and generative AI applications.
According to Gilad Shainer, a senior vice president at Nvidia, AI is considered the “most important technology in our lifetime.” He emphasized the necessity of running training on large datasets to drive the proliferation of generative AI across various industries. The Israel-1 supercomputer aims to provide companies in Israel with access to unprecedented computing power, enabling faster training, the creation of advanced frameworks, and the solution of complex problems.
Experts expect the system to deliver an impressive performance of up to eight exaflops of AI computing, positioning it among the world’s fastest AI supercomputers. To put this into perspective, one exaflop is equivalent to performing one quintillion calculations per second. The former Mellanox team, acquired by Nvidia in 2019 for nearly $7 billion, has played a significant role in the development of this supercomputer.
Potential for Future Collaboration
Initially, Nvidia plans to prioritize its Israeli partners in utilizing the supercomputer’s capabilities. However, the company expressed its openness to collaborating with partners outside of Israel in the future. Nvidia’s recent collaboration with the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom to develop a competing supercomputer further demonstrates the company’s commitment to advancing AI capabilities.
As AI demand continues to soar, Nvidia remains at the forefront of providing cutting-edge computing solutions that empower businesses and researchers to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence.
Source: usnews.com
