An AI accelerator is a processor or hardware system optimized for the highly parallel mathematical operations used by machine learning models. GPUs, tensor processing units, neural processing units, and purpose-built inference chips are common examples. Compared with general-purpose processors, accelerators can increase throughput, reduce latency, or lower the energy required to train and run models. Their design may emphasize matrix multiplication, low-precision arithmetic, fast memory access, or communication between many chips. Choosing an accelerator depends on the model architecture, batch size, software support, deployment environment, power budget, and whether the workload involves training, real-time inference, or both.
Meta plans to begin manufacturing its in-house Iris AI chip in September as it aims to double computing capacity to 14 gigawatts next year and cut its reliance on Nvidia.
Apple expanded its partnership with Broadcom in a multi-year deal worth more than $30 billion, its largest US manufacturing commitment, to produce over 15 billion American-made chips.
Nvidia’s Kyber rack for its 2027 Rubin Ultra chips has slipped more than a year to 2028 over a hard-to-manufacture circuit board, SemiAnalysis says, with no proven fallback.
OpenAI teased its first branded hardware, Codex Micro, a programmable macro pad built with Work Louder to give developers physical shortcuts for its Codex coding agent, launching July 15.
A record European heatwave is highlighting a growing threat to the AI boom: extreme weather that stresses data centers and the power grids they depend on at once.
SK Hynix filed to raise about $29 billion through a Nasdaq ADR listing set for July 10, roughly double earlier estimates, to fund its AI memory expansion.
Qualcomm agreed to acquire Modular, the AI software startup led by Chris Lattner, to build a hardware-agnostic software layer and challenge Nvidia in data center AI.
Nvidia has unveiled its first Arm-based PC processor, the RTX Spark superchip, which will power a new generation of Windows laptops and desktops.
Google and Blackstone have formed a new AI infrastructure company focused on offering cloud access to Google’s TPU chips. The venture aims to expand alternatives to Nvidia-powered AI infrastructure with $5 billion in initial funding.
OpenAI’s rumored AI-focused smartphone could enter mass production in 2027, earlier than previously expected, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.