Cisco launches new AI network chips to compete with Broadcom and Marvell
Cisco Systems on Tuesday launched networking chips for AI supercomputers that would compete with offerings from Broadcom and Marvell Technology.
According to Cisco, the chips are being tested by five of the top six cloud service providers, without naming the companies. These include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, which together dominate the cloud computing market, according to Bofa Global Research.
The growing popularity of AI applications such as ChatGPT, which runs on a network of specialized chips called graphics processing units (GPUs), has made the speed at which these individual chips communicate extremely important.
Cisco is a leading supplier of networking equipment, including Ethernet switches, which connect devices such as computers, laptops, routers, servers and printers to a local area network.
The latest generation of its Ethernet switches, called the G200 and G202, offer twice the performance of the previous generation and can connect up to 32,000 GPUs together.
“G200 and G202 are going to be the most powerful networking chips on the market to power AI/ML workloads and enable the most power-efficient network,” said Rakesh Chopra, former principal engineer at Cisco.
According to Cisco, the chips could help perform AI and machine learning tasks with 40% fewer switches and lower delay, as well as being more energy efficient.
In April, Broadcom announced the Jericho3-AI chip, capable of connecting up to 32,000 GPU chips together.