WHY IT MATTERS: Digital Transformation

Cerebras unveiled the world’s first multi-million core AI cluster architecture! Our unique technology handles neural networks with up to an astonishing 120 trillion parameters. That’s approximately the number of synapses in the human brain! Today, to run models at only a fraction of that size, clusters of graphics processors consume acres of space, megawatts of power, and require dedicated teams to operate. We can fix that.

To unlock the potential of extreme-scale models, we realized a new approach is needed. One that addresses the challenge of scaling massive memory, compute, and communication all at once. Such a solution must be able to support the largest models of today, and scale to empower the models of tomorrow.

Called Illusion, it uses processors built with resistive RAM memory in a 3D stack built above the silicon logic, so it costs little energy or time to fetch data. By itself, even this isn’t enough, because neural networks are increasingly too large to fit in one chip. So the scheme also requires multiple such hybrid processors and an algorithm that both intelligently slices up the network among the processors and also knows when to rapidly turn processors off when they’re idle.

Superlatives abound at Cerebras, the until-today stealthy next-generation silicon chip company looking to make training a deep learning model as quick as buying toothpaste from Amazon. Launching after almost three years of quiet development, Cerebras introduced its new chip today — and it is a doozy.