Daniel D. Gutierrez, Editor-in-Chief & Resident Knowledge Scientist, insideAI Information, is a working towards information scientist who’s been working with information lengthy earlier than the sector got here in vogue. He’s particularly enthusiastic about carefully following the Generative AI revolution that’s happening. As a expertise journalist, he enjoys maintaining a pulse on this fast-paced trade.
All the time wanting ahead to an opportunity to return to my dwelling away from dwelling of Silicon Valley, I jumped on the alternative to attend my first-ever {hardware} targeted convention, the 2024 AI Hardware and Edge AI placed on by Kisaco Research (#AIHardware2024). The occasion befell Sept. 9-12, 2024 in lovely San Jose, Calif., the center of Silicon Valley. I used to be wanting to be taught what improvements had been happening on the {hardware} facet of AI. Boy, I wasn’t disillusioned! You largely hear about all the brand new advances in GenAI mannequin growth, however I see now that we’ll be listening to much more concerning the quick-paced evolution of AI accelerated {hardware} to help these rising fashions at scale. AI {hardware} is advancing rapidly and I’m not speaking about NVIDIA Blackwell!
After selecting up my badge, I checked my schedule of chosen periods to attend, after which instinctively headed into the expo corridor containing all the businesses exhibiting new applied sciences. I knew kibitzing with the seller people available would yield the perfect use of my time on the present. I realized SO a lot after talking to many of the firms current.
Possibly a very powerful factor I realized, and one thing I stored listening to time and again, is that “{hardware} is cool once more.” It is because GenAI coaching and inference have hit considerably of a brick wall. In spite of everything, what number of GPUs can you purchase? The great factor is I spoke to many firms which are pondering outdoors of the field by growing options to the GPU, every with a major functionality vector and expertise density – assume Cerebras, Furiosa, SambaNova, Groq, NeuReality, Etched, plus many others. NVIDIA has a present stranglehold over coaching (90%) and inference (40%), so the trade is ripe for change. Lots of the new accelerated AI {hardware} options cater to inferencing – as they are saying, coaching is the way you make AI and inferencing is how you employ AI. The primary factor I gathered from attending this convention is that change is within the wind. NVIDIA higher begin wanting over its shoulder as a result of very quickly now the corporate can have critical competitors (to not point out the corporate’s antitrust worries).
Taking part in my position as member of the Press, I make some extent of constructing observations. One factor I seen was the variety of job interviews happening throughout the present. I noticed a variety of stand-up interviews happening proper outdoors the assembly rooms. Moreover, I witnessed a variety of strategic conferences happening between firm principals, companions, and traders. In darkish corners of the lodge foyer bar space, I overheard plans involving new merchandise, integrations, collaborations, and funding rounds. It was fairly invigorating to witness all the joy, with reminiscences of the heady days of the previous, and it led me to the view for a way vibrant the AI {hardware} house has turn out to be these days.
You will discover a variety of recorded speaker displays from the AI {Hardware} & Edge AI Summit HERE.
Location and Venue
Silicon Valley was the suitable location for the convention as many of the firms with their new AI {hardware} options had been native to the realm.
The 1,300+ attendees had been housed in a single venue, the Signia by Hilton Hotel on Market Road. Your entire 2nd flooring of the lodge’s assembly space was dedicated to the present. This house appeared nicely sized for all involved. Plus, this lodge was significantly high-tech – I by no means needed to work together with any human throughout my complete keep as my reserving was 100% managed by the lodge’s app (I didn’t even want a key for my room, the app unlocked my door when wanted!).
The Exhibition Corridor
The exhibition corridor was the point of interest of the convention. It was routinely filled with firms of their cubicles together with attendees. As well as, there have been overflow cubicles outdoors the corridor within the adjoining hallways. Strolling by means of the convention space it all the time appeared jammed with folks which to me simply elevated the joy.
Here’s a hand-selected short list of firms from the convention that I previewed earlier.
The countless espresso and snacks within the expo corridor had been vastly appreciated. One of many few criticisms I had for the occasion was the entire lack of seating to satisfy with firms, colleagues, new associates, and even to eat lunch. I seen that many attendees needed to sneak downstairs with their lunch plates/drinks to the lodge foyer to discover a place to sit down down.
Interviews
My important objective in attending the AI {Hardware} & Edge AI Summit was to conduct a variety of video interviews with representatives from these firms: Intel Labs, Nscale, MinIO, Hitachi Ventures, Ericsson, and Unilever. Every interview will floor right here on insideAI Information as an upcoming characteristic article. The entire interviewees had been wonderful and such good representatives for his or her respective firms. All of them exhibited huge information of their specialised material. I realized quite a bit by interviewing them (and I hope you’ll too!).
The Street House
I had a good time at this convention. I believe the timeliness of the {hardware} focus for AI was the largest attraction. I totally intend to do a deep dive on most of the firms I met with. I got here away with a brand new and improved perspective for a way the sector of AI is advancing.
Ready for my flight dwelling at San Jose Mineta Worldwide Airport (SJC), I felt like I’ll miss “The Valley” as soon as once more till my subsequent journey up north (I’m primarily based in Los Angeles). I’m by no means disillusioned with what I take with me when visiting the singular place on Earth the place a lot of AI originates.
I’d extremely advocate this occasion to anybody within the AI house, or wanting to enter it. Getting a {hardware} perspective is essential now that {hardware} is cool once more! I imagine I’ll have so as to add this occasion to my record of annual conferences for certain!
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