The growing ubiquity is fueling demand for AI chips, revolutionizing UI, o user interface technology - the way that users interact with machines.
Typically, AI chips are coming in three major computing architectures – general-purpose CPU, GPU and NPU (neural processing units).
As natural language UIs like voices and images as well as image-based Block Chain technologies are rapidly penetrating across a wide range of services and devices, chip makers are turning to AI chips for a new stream of revenues
According to market intelligence and advisory firm Compass Intelligence, there are about 15 chipmakers that get involved into AI chip design and fabrication to cash in on booming demand.
GPU chip architecture designer Nvidia is the biggest beneficiary of the demand boom.
Based on AI chip makers’ market position and influence, ecosystem, SCM, and so on, Compass Intelligence has indexed their performances and listed Nividia as No. 1 AI chip in the world.
Nvidia is now aggressively pushing for a full set of GPU-based ‘Volta’ AI chip solutions including AI developers kit ‘drive PX’, automotive AI chipset ‘Xavier’ zeroing in on data centers and automotive applications .
Intel has been chosen as the world’s second performer in the AI chip maker. The PC microprocessor chip giant is promoting an integrated chip solution of general-purpose CPU (central processing unit) and FPGA (field-programmable gate array) for its AI customers.
The chip giant also recently has introduced server processor solution that can be used as both FPGA and AI accelerator. AI accelerator is a class of microprocessor or computer system designed to accelerate artificial neural networks, machine vision and other machine learning algorithms for robotics, internet of things and other data-intensive or sensor-driven tasks.
NXP was listed as the third performer with its technology assets and competency in automotive and IoT technologpies.
IBM, AMD, Google, AMD, ARM (Softbank), Apple, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Samsung Electronics, Huawei, Imagination, Synopsis, and MediaTek have followed the list in consecutive order.