Google Unveils Next-Generation AI Chips and Arm-Based CPU for Data Centers

Google revealed details of its latest iteration of data center artificial intelligence chips and introduced an Arm-based central processor on Tuesday. The announcement marks a significant development in the realm of AI hardware and cloud computing infrastructure.

Why It’s Important: Google’s tensor processing units (TPUs) represent a formidable alternative to Nvidia’s advanced AI chips, albeit only accessible through Google’s Cloud Platform. The introduction of an Arm-based central processing unit (CPU), named Axion, expands Google’s offerings, providing superior performance compared to x86 chips and general-purpose Arm chips in the cloud.

Key Quote: Mark Lohmeyer, Google Cloud’s vice president and general manager of compute and machine learning infrastructure, emphasized the ease of transition for customers to adopt Axion: “We’re making it easy for customers to bring their existing workloads to Arm…customers using Arm anywhere can easily adopt Axion without re-architecting or re-writing their apps.”

Context: Google joins rival cloud operators such as Amazon.com and Microsoft in offering Arm CPUs as a means of enhancing their computing services. While Google has previously developed custom chips for various purposes, including YouTube and AI, the introduction of Axion marks its foray into CPU development.

Broadcom has collaborated with Google on previous generations of TPU chips, although Google did not confirm whether Axion involved a design partner. The new TPU v5p chip, designed to operate in pods of 8,960 chips, boasts twice the raw performance of its predecessor, with Google employing liquid cooling to optimize performance.

By the Numbers: Google’s TPU v5p chip offers twice the raw performance compared to the previous generation, running in pods of 8,960 chips with liquid cooling. The Axion chip delivers 30% better performance than general-purpose Arm chips and 50% better performance than current-generation x86 chips produced by Intel and Advanced Micro Devices.

This unveiling underscores Google’s commitment to advancing AI hardware and enhancing its cloud computing capabilities, offering customers access to cutting-edge technology for their workloads and applications.