Intel has consistently been a key name in artificial intelligence innovation. However, the company has employed a scattergun approach to its AI, with several divisions working on projects. Now, the chipmaker has unified its efforts into a single business that will oversee all artificial intelligence development.
Aptly named the Artificial Intelligence Products Group, the division will be oriented to creating chips and software. These new products will be tied directly to AI avenues such as deep learning, algorithms, and machine learning.
While Intel has recently made a strategic shift to make data-center its chief business, the company says it is focusing on AI. By developing intelligence, the company can create products the impact both its datacenter and consumer businesses.
“This organization is about aligning our focus,” says Intel’s Naveen Rao. “The new organization will align resources from across the company to include engineering, labs, software and more as we build on our current leading AI portfolio: the Intel Nervana platform, a full-stack of hardware and software AI offerings that our customers are looking for from us.”
The company is already setting up chips to handle workloads and automation. Furthermore, new software will manage image recognition tasks and offer improved analytic capabilities. Intel’s new Xeon Phi chip will be developed with a focus on machine learning.
Additionally, the processor company will also create an AI research lab that will look for new computing innovations:
“We will be exploring novel architectural and algorithmic approaches to inform future generations of AI. This includes a range of solutions from the data center to edge devices, and from training to inference – all designed to enable Intel and its customers to innovate faster. This will be the home for AI innovation at Intel.”
Demotion of PCs
As we reported last month, Intel has decided to demote its PC business and focus on datacenters. This means new technology developed by the company will go to its datacenter business first. While the PC division is performing well, the market continues to decline and it is no longer Intel’s chief revenue stream.
“Each of the functional groups inside of Intel look at their business and their investments and their strategies, in the context of making the data center a priority,” said Intel’s data center chief, Diane Bryant. “And that includes being first to launch on a next-generation process technology node, and that’s a big deal.”
