The world of chips is on the cusp of a huge transformation due to the boom in artificial intelligence. There is growing demand for chips that can train AI models faster and ping them from devices such as smartphones or satellites to use those models without revealing personal data. Governments, big tech companies, and startups are all competing for a piece of the growing semiconductor pie.
AI reporter James O'Donnell takes a closer look at four trends to look for in the year ahead that will define what the chips of the future will look like, who will make them, and what new technologies they will introduce. Read on to find out what he found out.
Eric Schmidt: Why America Needs the Apollo Program in the Age of AI
—Eric Schmidt was CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011. He is currently the co-founder of Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative.
Thanks to the global artificial intelligence boom, competition for computing performance is in full swing around the world. OpenAI's Sam Altman is seeking up to $7 trillion in funding for his chip manufacturing venture. Tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon are making their own AI chips.
The need for more computing power to train and use AI models that fuel exploration of everything from cutting-edge chips to huge data sets is not just a source of current geopolitical leverage (suppressing U.S. chip exports to China as well). And as governments from India to the United Kingdom develop national strategies and stockpile Nvidia graphics processing units, they are shaping how their countries will grow and compete in the future.
I believe it is time for the United States to have its own national computing strategy, the Apollo Program for the AI Era. Read the full story.