What you missed in Big Data: AI-generated insights

As more and more organizations start harnessing artificial intelligence in their analytics projects, the vendor community is stepping up its efforts to address the trend. IBM led the charge last week by adding a new model to its Power LC server line that is specifically geared towards running machine learning algorithms. The two-socket server is marketed under the name S822LC and can be equipped with up to four of Nvidia Corp.'s Pascal P100 accelerators, which supposedly provide as much as three times better throughput than its previous-generation chips. The GPUs are linked to the machine's main processors using a technology called NVLink that allows for data to travel 5-12 faster than the PCIe interfaces included in traditional machines. As a result, Big Blue says that the server is able to provide 80 percent more performance per dollar in certain situations.