Chinese companies seeking to train AI systems often prefer Nvidia products for their vast requirements of AI chips. However, US restrictions on AI chip sales as part of their efforts to suppress China's high-tech industries have opened the door for Intel.
Intel has seized the opportunity and recently introduced the Gaudi2 AI chip in China. The chip is not subject to current US export restrictions, making it available for the Chinese market. According to Intel's annual report, they anticipate approximately 22% of their total revenue in 2022 will come from China. This highlights the undeniable importance of the Chinese market for US semiconductor companies, even as Washington seeks to tighten controls.
In response to US regulatory requirements, Nvidia released modified, scaled-down versions of its A100 and H100 GPUs earlier this year, specifically for the Chinese market. The US government prohibits Nvidia and AMD from selling advanced chips to China, including the A100 and H100 GPUs and the AMD M1250 chips.
Intel's Gaudi2 aims to help Chinese customers overcome barriers to AI integration and support China in building an AI-driven future. Intel plans to collaborate with Inspur to develop Gaudi2-based hardware for the Chinese mainland market.
Despite American companies' efforts to cater to the Chinese market, the US government takes a contrary stance. Reports indicate the US plans to further restrict access to AWS and Microsoft cloud computing services that utilize advanced AI chips for mainland Chinese customers. They may also place Nvidia's modified A800 GPU on the restricted list.
Although Intel's Gaudi2 shows promising performance, it has not gained significant traction in the European and US markets, with no major customers purchasing the chips in large quantities. Nonetheless, partnering with dominant AI server market players such as Inspur and H3C in China could prove beneficial for Intel.
Intel's Gaudi2 was developed by Israeli startup Habana, which entered the Chinese market in 2016. Before Intel acquired Habana for $2 billion in December 2019, Chinese internet and cloud service providers had purchased Gaudi processors. In tests, Intel's AI chips performed well, but the company still lags behind Nvidia in software capabilities.
Intel is already preparing new products, with plans to launch the next-generation Gaudi3 accelerator and GPU AI solutions by 2025.
Recommended related articles：
Intel related product recommendation:
- Audio Special Purpose
- Camera Modules
- Embedded - CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Devices)
- Embedded - FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array)
- Embedded - FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) with Microcontrollers
- Embedded - Microcontrollers
- Embedded - Microprocessors
- Embedded - System On Chip (SoC)
- Interface - Controllers
- Interface - Modems - ICs and Modules
- Interface - Telecom
- Linear - Video Processing
- Memory
- Memory - Configuration Proms for FPGAs