Apple has recently become a member of a group that’s working on advanced technology to connect computer chips in data centers that handle artificial intelligence (AI). This group is called the Ultra Accelerator Link Consortium, and they are developing a new standard called UALink. The purpose of UALink is to improve how different AI-related chips communicate with each other in server farms, which are large facilities that host lots of powerful computers.
As of now, the consortium’s board includes not just Apple but also major companies like Alibaba and Synopsys, a well-known semiconductor business that makes computer chips. Becky Loop, who is the director of platform architecture at Apple, mentioned that UALink has a lot of potential for solving challenges related to connecting these chips. She believes it will help create new opportunities for expanding what AI can do.
The UALink standard is designed to connect various types of chips, including graphics processing units (GPUs) and those uniquely designed for specific tasks. This improved connection aims to make it faster and easier to train, refine, and run AI models, which are basically the brains behind AI applications. The consortium is building UALink on established technologies like AMD’s Infinity Fabric, and they expect to release the first products that use UALink within the next couple of years.
The group also includes other tech giants like Intel, AMD, Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and Meta (formerly known as Facebook). Interestingly, Nvidia, the company that makes the most AI accelerator chips, is not part of this group. This might be because Nvidia has its own technology for connecting chips called NVLink.
Apple’s involvement in UALink is part of a larger strategy to boost its AI capabilities. The company is reportedly working on new server chips aimed at enhancing the efficiency of its data centers that support AI features. While some of Apple’s AI functionalities have received mixed feedback—some users finding them unexciting or overly practical—the company is committed to improving its offerings. For example, after users pointed out inaccuracies in AI-generated news summaries, Apple announced plans to update this feature.
In summary, Apple is joining forces with other big names in tech to enhance how chips work together in AI data centers, striving to advance their AI capabilities and ensure a smoother experience for users.
