A new supercomputer with hardware to significantly increase the speed of AI research is on its way. Thanks goes to the National Science Foundation that awarded $5 million to the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center that is a joint research organization of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. The build of the new supercomputer will be done in partnership with Cerebras Systems and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).
The high-performance artificial intelligence (AI) system called Neocortex will surpass AI advancement from 2012 by exploring a revolutionary combination of Cerebras Wafer Scale Engine (WSE) processors designed specifically to accelerate AI and the large-memory HPE Superdome Flex system for massive data handling capability. It is expected to be available to researchers later in 2020.
While graphics processing units (GPUs) have dominated AI since 2012 due to how they accelerated deep learning, time consuming training remained as the next big challenge of optimizing AI. The Neocortex project upon completion is expected to making training dramatically faster, enabling scientists and engineers in a new way to more quickly develop and refine their ideas, bringing high-impact solutions sooner to the most pressing and complex issues.
Paola Buitrago, Principal Investigator and PSC Director of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, will lead the project that will accelerate AI innovation and contribute significantly to keeping America in its AI leadership position.
“Neocortex is a first of its kind in many ways,” Buitrago said. “With Neocortex, we will be closer to achieving our vision of interactive AI development by offering capabilities that are truly revolutionary. It’s our privilege to offer this outstanding resource at no cost to the research community.”
The Neocortex project offers great promise to the research community, spurring collaborations with other leading national institutions while promoting inclusion and diversity. Training and internships will be used to nurture STEM talent, developing a more skilled U.S. workforce and one that is more competitive internationally.
