Google and a group of IT hardware companies have joined forces to develop the open coherent accelerator processor interface (OpenCAPI) specification, providing a foundation for high-speed microprocessor interconnect systems to devices. The open interface architecture is based on IBM's CAPI for POWER8 processors. OpenCAPI will however be processor design-agnostic. The idea is to allow fast, direct connections between applications and user-level hardware accelerators and advanced memory systems for cloud servers and big data and analytics. OpenCAPI does away with the need to run device drivers and communication with accelerators over a bus like PCIe, which adds latency and slows performance.

The group, officially named the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society, or just Partnership on AI, is dedicated to address potential problems the rapid development of machine intelligence can raise, before those problems appear. The group encourages the sharing of ideas and research related to AI, as each multinational tech giant has its own AI prototype. The group states that it is dedicated to working with the public, to both educate about the benefits of the technology and to hear concerns, varying from job loss to -- potentially -- robot uprisings. The group will have corporate and non-corporate members in its projects and discussions, with research organizations, including the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, included. Funds and logistical support will be provided by the tech giants.