In just a few short years, artificial intelligence (AI) has completely re-shaped technology and, in turn, the world.
The next important step is broadening its accessibility, according to the Taiwanese computer manufacturer Gigabyte, who laid out its ambitious vision for democratising AI at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.
“We believe that AI will be good for everyone when it’s more accessible to more people,” Jack Chou, a brand marketing specialist at Gigabyte, told Euronews Next.
“We are providing AI solutions from rack scale, infrastructure scale, all the way down to end users in an effort to bring AI computing to different users so that we can all fulfil and realise the AI vision together,” Chou added of their mission to make AI computing more ubiquitous.
Gigabyte was founded in 1986 and quickly went on to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of computer motherboards.
They have since expanded their portfolio vastly, launching full-stack AI infrastructure and, more recently, AI-driven telecom networks and specialised AI supercomputers.
From entertainment to empowerment
Core to the company’s new strategy is a shift towards computing that’s no longer just for entertainment, but primarily widespread empowerment.
“In the past, we provided computing solutions for end users [consumers] that might be used more for entertainment and gaming, but now we believe we’re empowering more people with AI computing, so people can develop their own AI models in their own homes, they can create their own AI inventions,” Chou explained.
Gigabyte have also been experimenting with physical AI, which involves robots that can help enhance productivity and efficiency for manufacturers.
“We develop the big brain and the small brain for physical AI in the data centre, and then train the robots’ intelligence on clusters (data groupings in a machine learning algorithm), racks and servers. Then, when the robots are out on the field, our embedded industrial systems allow the robot brain to see and interact with the real world,” said Chou.
Responsible AI innovation
At a time of growing concerns over the huge environmental strain caused by water-guzzling AI data centres, Chou also noted that sustainability remains a priority for Gigabyte’s high powered-innovations.
“Gigabyte pursues green sustainable AI computing by incorporating advanced cooling technologies, such as direct liquid cooling and immersion cooling. These technologies allow us to conduct thermal management with less power, which offsets the power consumption of AI computing,” he said.
“The AI data centre actually uses less power overall, so we can have better performance, but a greener, more sustainable operation.”