Top technology companies including Meta, Microsoft, Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Intel announced Thursday that they have developed a new industry standard called “Ultra Accelerator Link,” which is an attempt to establish communication between artificial intelligence accelerators, systems that help process the vast amounts of data used in AI-related tasks.
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In a statement, the companies said the purpose of the new effort is “industry specifications will be key to standardizing interfaces for AI and machine learning, HPC and cloud applications for next-generation AI data centers and deployments.”
“By building interconnects based on open standards, UALink enables system OEMs, IT professionals and system integrators to create a path to easier integration, greater flexibility and scalability for AI-connected data centers,” the statement further read.
Why are top AI companies creating new standards?
The move is seen as an attempt to challenge Nvidia's dominance in the AI chip market, where the Jensen Huang-led company holds roughly 80% of the market share, which is a concern for major AI companies such as Microsoft and Meta.
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Notably, a Bloomberg report earlier this year also suggested that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was in talks with multiple potential investors to create a chip manufacturing company capable of running the company's AI products, including ChatGPT and DALL-E.
OpenAI has reportedly not yet finalized its move and is discussing various options to solve the AI chip shortage. OpenAI is also reportedly focusing on diversifying its suppliers beyond Nvidia and collaborating with other chipmakers.
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