Stability AI has announced the public preview of its next text-to-image model, Stable Diffusion 3, starting June 12. The reveal occurred during Computex 2024 in Taiwan, where Stability AI's CTO and co-interim CEO, Christian Laforte, took the stage with AMD CEO Lisa Su. Laforte highlighted the development's concentration on AI safety to prepare it for extensive user testing.
Improvements in Image Creation
Laforte demonstrated the refinements in Stable Diffusion by showcasing new black-and-white images of a human hand on an intricate acoustic guitar. These were compared to outputs from the earlier SD XL 1.0 version, with SD3 offering “more realistic details such as the shape of the guitar and hands.” He indicated that imagery involving hands and repeating patterns poses significant challenges, which SD3 navigates more proficiently.
The enhanced performance of SD3 is partly attributed to a multimodal diffusion transformer, which boosts the model's comprehension of user prompts. Performance upgrades are also linked to the use of hardware featuring increased high-bandwidth memory. “Ninety-two gigabytes of HBM significantly enhances performance,” Laforte mentioned, expressing aspirations for even more robust hardware to further enhance the model's capabilities. AMD's Lisa Su noted that SD3 would operate seamlessly on the recently introduced Ryzen 300 AI CPUs.
User Accessibility and Forward-Looking Statements
Stability AI is maintaining a “weights list” for future users, which includes a section for a Discord ID, highlighting its appeal among game developers. Laforte indicated that making these models openly available enables users to find novel applications, framing it as a new direction in AI model development. The public preview of SD3 exemplifies not only advancements in AI but also a commitment to broader user engagement and collaboration.
Stability AI has faced various difficulties, like workforce reductions and financial strains. Despite these issues, it continues to push forward in AI technology. The announcement at Computex underscores the company's dedication to progress and collaboration with leading industry organizations such as AMD.
