The Circuit Episode 105: Sanity Check on Custom ASICS?
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Feb 17, 2025 Ben and Jay dive into the fascinating clash between ASICs and GPUs in AI computing. They discuss how custom silicon could disrupt the market, impacting giants like NVIDIA and AMD. The vital role of analog semiconductors is unveiled, revealing their significance in sectors like automotive and robotics. With humor, they explore the promise of home robots and the latest tech innovations, while also addressing rising inventory levels in the analog market. It's a lively mix of tech insights and future predictions!
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The Mix of ASICs and GPUs
- The AI compute market will likely involve a mix of GPUs and ASICs.
- Hyperscalers with internal workloads favor ASICs, while public cloud providers face an economic question.
Maturity of ASICs
- Google's TPU is a successful product, while Amazon's Tranium and Inferentia are still maturing.
- Public cloud customers prefer NVIDIA due to the significant software lift with ASICs.
Meta's ASIC Journey
- Meta's custom silicon efforts have been hampered by team departures and are further behind.
- They are now reportedly acquiring a Korean accelerator startup to bolster their efforts.