IBM unveils Power8 Linux servers for deep learning

IBM has launched three Power8 Linux servers designed to accelerate artificial intelligence, deep learning, and advanced analytics applications. The new systems tap the Nvidia NVLink technology to move data five times faster than any competing platform, said Stefanie Chiras, an IBM vice president, in an interview with VentureBeat. These systems and their operating systems are part of a larger business group that generates about 2 billion a quarter for IBM. And the A.I. markets they're going after have exploded in the past couple of years. IBM claims that the combination of Power8 processors and Linux software results in systems that deliver 80 percent more performance per dollar than the latest x86-based (Intel or AMD) servers.