Microsoft is expected to reveal its first artificial intelligence processor next month, reducing its reliance on Nvidia's graphics processing unit, according to industry website The Information. Nvidia GPUs are presently used in Microsoft's data center servers to run cutting-edge LLMs for cloud companies such as OpenAI and Intuit, as well as AI capabilities in Microsoft's productivity programs.

 

The AI processor, called Athena, was initially reported on by The Information in April of this year. Microsoft's annual 'Ignite' conference is slated for November 14-17.

 

OpenAI, the inventor of the AI chatbot ChatGPT and sponsored by Microsoft, is trying to build its own AI processors and has even contemplated acquiring another business for this reason.

 

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who has made acquiring more AI processors a primary priority for the company, is one of the main driving forces behind developing its own chips. He has reportedly raised concerns about the restricted availability and expensive costs of the hardware required to power OpenAI's software, as per economic times.

 

OpenAI has been working on generative AI capabilities on a Microsoft-built supercomputer with thousands of Nvidia GPUs.

 

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company based in Redmond, Washington. The Windows operating system, the Microsoft 365 suite of office programs, and the Edge web browser are among Microsoft's most well-known software products.