Microsoft offers AMD alternative to Nvidia AI processors for cloud customers
- With MI300X AI chips from AMD onboard, Microsoft can provide an alternative to Nvidia's GPUs which are used in Azure.
- Microsoft reports Cobalt 100 processor debuted with 40% better performance at the Build conference.
Microsoft disclosed that it is aiming to help its cloud customers with new possibilities offered by the new Nvidia AI processors, as it is integrating the artificial intelligence chip provided by AMD into its Azure cloud services.
This strategy provides businesses with an alternative to search for the high-performing specifications of AI among the growing demand for Nvidia's GPUs.
AMD MI300X Chips made by Azure AI
Microsoft's Azure cloud platform with MI300X of AMD's family of heavy-hitting AI chips, will challenge Nvidia's H100 series of GPUs. Nvidia’s chip is now thought of as the market leader in the data markets. However, the demand is extremely high, and they tend to run in short supply because of the high demand.
The AI enthusiast Microsoft translates the situation by presenting the operation of MI300X chips that are responsive to AI models building and running. This mostly involves the collection of massive data sets and subsequent calculations.
AMD anticipates that it will get $4 billion in profits from the AI chips only this year, indicating that AI technology is becoming a really important field in many sectors.
These MI300X chips feature both training and inference of massive AI models hence providing an excellent solution to the AI issues faced by the corporate clients of Microsoft Cloud.
Cobalt 100 Custom CPU Preview
Alongside AMD chips, Microsoft will pre-announce Cobalt, its next line of 100 custom processors at the upcoming Build for Developers conference. These processors claim 40% advancement higher other processors based on Arm Holdings’ technology.
Cobalt Chips, despite being announced in November, are still undergoing testing for powering Microsoft Teams, while all along they are strategically competing with Amazon's custom-made Graviton processors.
Competing with In-House Solutions
Through its cloud unit, Microsoft provides access to its in-house AI chips called Maia, thus widening its customer’s choices even more. By introducing Cobalt 100 processors and AMD MI300X chips, the tech giant, Microsoft, ensures its competitiveness in AI and offers differentiated and powerful solutions for AI and cloud.