Competition in AI platform market to heat up in 2017

Intel's Nervana platform is a $400 million investment in AI Back in November, Intel announced what it claims is a comprehensive AI platform for data center and compute applications called Nervana, with its focus aimed directly at taking on Nvidia's GPU solutions for enterprise users. The platform is the result of the chipmaker's acquisition of 48-person startup Nervana Systems back in August for $400 million that was led by former Qualcomm researcher Naveen Rao. Built using FPGA technology and designed for highly-optimized AI solutions, Intel claims Nervana will deliver up to a 100-fold reduction in the time it takes to train a deep learning model within the next three years. The company intends to integrate Nervana technology into Xeon and Xeon Phi processor lineups. During Q1, it will test the Nervana Engine chip, codenamed'Lake Crest,' and make it available to key customers later within the year.