Microsoft and Nvidia are two of the leading technology companies in the world, and they have recently announced a multi-year collaboration to build one of the most powerful AI supercomputers in the world.
The partnership aims to help enterprises train, deploy and scale AI applications, including large, state-of-the-art models, using Microsoft Azure’s advanced supercomputing infrastructure combined with Nvidia GPUs, networking and a full stack of AI software.
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What is AI and Why Does It Matter?
AI, or artificial intelligence, is the field of computer science that deals with creating machines and systems that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, generating realistic images and videos, and optimizing complex systems.
AI is transforming every industry and sector, enabling new levels of innovation, efficiency and productivity. AI applications can perform tasks that are beyond human capabilities, or augment human abilities and enhance human experiences.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang appears on stage at Microsoft Ignite to discuss the AI partnership between Microsoft and Nvidia:
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang appears on stage at Microsoft Ignite to discuss the AI partnership between Microsoft and Nvidia pic.twitter.com/T9ibpB7QmI
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) November 15, 2023
How Do Microsoft and Nvidia Collaborate on AI Development?
Microsoft and Nvidia have a long history of collaboration on AI development, and their latest partnership is a testament to their shared vision and commitment. The collaboration involves several aspects, such as:
- Azure’s AI-optimized virtual machine instances, which are architected with Nvidia’s most advanced data centre GPUs and are the first public cloud instances to incorporate Nvidia Quantum-2 400Gb/s InfiniBand networking. Customers can deploy thousands of GPUs in a single cluster to train even the most massive large language models, build the most complex recommender systems at scale, and enable generative AI at scale.
- Nvidia’s full stack of AI workflows and software development kits, optimized for Azure, will be made available to Azure enterprise customers. These include over 100 frameworks, pre-trained models and development tools, such as Nvidia RAPIDS for accelerating data science workloads, Nvidia Metropolis for vision AI model development, and Nvidia Triton Inference Server for standardizing model deployment and execution.
- Nvidia’s integration of its Nvidia AI Enterprise software into Microsoft’s Azure Machine Learning will create a secure, enterprise-ready platform that enables Azure customers worldwide to quickly build, deploy and manage customized applications using the more than 100 Nvidia AI frameworks and tools that come fully supported in Nvidia AI Enterprise, the software layer of Nvidia’s AI platform.
- Nvidia’s utilization of Azure’s scalable virtual machine instances to research and further accelerate advances in generative AI, a rapidly emerging area of AI in which foundational models like Megatron Turing NLG 530B are the basis for unsupervised, self-learning algorithms to create new text, code, digital images, video or audio.
- Microsoft and Nvidia’s collaboration to optimize Microsoft’s DeepSpeed deep learning optimization software, which can reduce the training time and cost of large language models by up to 10x.
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What are the Benefits of Microsoft and Nvidia’s Partnership on AI Development?
Microsoft and Nvidia’s partnership on AI development will provide several benefits for enterprises and developers, such as:
- Access to the world’s most scalable supercomputer platform, which delivers state-of-the-art AI capabilities for every enterprise on Microsoft Azure.
- Ability to leverage the latest AI innovations and best practices from both Microsoft and Nvidia, which are leaders in AI research and development.
- Flexibility to choose from a wide range of AI frameworks and tools, which are compatible and interoperable with each other, and can be customized to suit different use cases and domains.
- Security and compliance with organizational policies and regulations, which are ensured by Azure Machine Learning’s data encryption, access control and compliance certifications, as well as Nvidia AI Enterprise’s support and updates.
- Cost-effectiveness and efficiency, are achieved by Azure Machine Learning’s pay-as-you-go pricing model, as well as Nvidia and Microsoft’s optimization of the AI hardware and software stack.
How to Get Started with Microsoft and Nvidia’s AI Development Platform?
If you are interested in using Microsoft and Nvidia’s AI development platform, you can get started by following these steps:
- Sign up for a Microsoft Azure account, if you don’t have one already, and choose a subscription plan that suits your needs and budget.
- Explore the Azure Marketplace, where you can find and deploy various AI solutions and services powered by Microsoft and Nvidia, such as Azure Machine Learning, Azure Databricks, Azure Synapse Analytics, and more.
- Visit the Nvidia AI Enterprise website, where you can learn more about the Nvidia AI frameworks and tools that are available for Azure customers, and how to install and use them.
- Check out the Microsoft AI Blog and the Nvidia Developer Blog, where you can find the latest news, updates, tutorials, and case studies on AI development using Microsoft and Nvidia’s platform.
- Join the Microsoft AI Community and the Nvidia Developer Program, where you can connect with other AI enthusiasts, experts, and partners, and get access to exclusive resources, events, and support.
Conclusion
Microsoft and Nvidia’s partnership on AI development is a game-changing collaboration that will enable enterprises and developers to harness the power of AI and transform their businesses and industries.
By combining Microsoft Azure’s advanced supercomputing infrastructure with Nvidia GPUs, networking and the full stack of AI software, the partnership will provide a secure, scalable and easy-to-use platform that will help enterprises train, deploy and scale AI applications, including large, state-of-the-art models.
The partnership will also foster new research and innovation in generative AI, a promising area of AI that can create new content and value. Microsoft and Nvidia’s partnership on AI development is a win-win situation for both companies, as well as for their customers and the AI community.