Graphcore, the British maker of the Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU), a new type of microprocessor specifically designed to support artificial intelligence workloads, and SiPearl, the Franco-German company that designs the high computing power and low consumption microprocessor for supercomputers, have entered into a strategic partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, the two European companies will develop integrated hardware and software solutions that will combine the power, speed and energy efficiency of their respective technologies.
Combining innovative technologies of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing will accelerate the evolution of simulation and prediction models. Indispensable for strategic applications such as epidemiology, medical research, meteorology, climatology or energy management, these models are often based either on artificial intelligence or on high performance computing.
The solutions co-developed by Graphcore and SiPearl will open up the possibility for developers and users to design new generations of data flows and application tasks that are both more efficient and easier to program and use.
“Graphcore and SiPearl share a vision of enabling innovators across a broad range of industries from medicine to automotive to finance, and beyond. We both understand that new types of computation are essential if we are to realise the full potential of new technologies, like AI. This is a great opportunity for Europe to define the shape of that next-generation compute,” said Fabrice Moizan, General Manager and SVP Sales EMEAI and APAC at Graphcore.
“We welcome this partnership with a European leader of Graphcore’s caliber, whose IPU is revolutionizing artificial intelligence. In the microprocessor segment, which represents half of the global semiconductor market, our respective technologies are perfectly complementary. Combining them will allow system manufacturers to develop a turnkey product that brings our end customers more performance, speed and energy efficiency”, concludes Philippe Notton, CEO and founder of SiPearl.