'Building an Anti-NVIDIA Alliance' Intel and Naver Create AI Ecosystem Based on Gaudi

Intel Collaborates with Naver to Reduce Dependence on Nvidia
Activating Infrastructure Based on AI Semiconductor 'Gaudi2'

Naver Partners with Leading Korean Universities and Startups
Conducting Various Software Development and Industry-Academic Research

U.S. semiconductor company Intel is concretizing an anti-NVIDIA alliance to expand its influence in the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. It has decided to build a new AI semiconductor software ecosystem by opening an AI research center in collaboration with its key partner Naver.

(From left) Lee Dongsu, Director of Hyperscale AI at Naver Cloud, Ha Jungwoo, Head of Naver Cloud AI Innovation Center, Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, and Justin Hotard, Senior Vice President of Intel and Head of Data Center & AI Group, are taking a commemorative photo at the 'Intel-Naver Agreement Ceremony.' / Photo by Intel

On the 11th, Intel held a media briefing for 'Intel Vision 2024' at the FKI Tower in Yeouido, Seoul, announcing these plans. This briefing was arranged to provide detailed information on the Naver collaboration revealed at the Intel Vision event held in Arizona, U.S., on the 8th and 9th (local time). Dr. Dongsoo Lee and Leader Sejung Kwon from Naver Cloud attended the event via video conference.

Dr. Lee said, "We plan to test Intel Gaudi2 domestically," adding, "We will attach and evaluate various software to decide to what extent it will be applied internally." He also explained, "We intend to focus on exploring the applicability in the large language model (LLM) field," and "The goal is very high as this collaboration aims to see whether we can observe several unique features or performances that have not emerged from existing AI semiconductors."

Naver Cloud will establish an AI joint research center (NICL) with Intel for this purpose. Centered on the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), it will collaborate with about 20 domestic research labs and startups, including Seoul National University, to explore ways to enhance Gaudi utilization. Through NICL, startups and universities will be provided with Gaudi-based IT infrastructure to conduct AI research. Various software development and industry-academia research projects based on Gaudi will also be operated.

Dr. Lee said, "Gaudi is attractive because it offers good performance per watt," and added, "Since Intel has extensive experience operating data centers, we expect there to be differentiation from the perspective of stable data center operation." The company also projected that after conducting evaluations centered on Gaudi2, if the results are favorable, the possibility of introducing Intel’s new product, the Gaudi3 accelerator, could increase in the future.

Ha Jung-woo, Head of Naver Cloud AI Innovation Center (right), and Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, presenting at the Intel Vision 2024 event / Photo by Intel

Naver Cloud proposed a joint research approach to Intel to activate domestic AI research and strengthen the diversity of the AI chip ecosystem. Since NVIDIA chips have a high market share and dependency in the AI market, it has become difficult to receive products on time, and the burden of chip purchases has increased, worsening the AI resource environment for domestic startups and schools. This initiative aims to improve that situation.

Leader Kwon said, "Domestic startups and universities will directly use Gaudi2 and continue to create collaborations that share the results as open source," adding, "The goal is to produce outcomes that are publicly available so that new users can enter the Gaudi2 ecosystem without fear by seeing those results."

Naver Cloud also announced plans to expand its ecosystem centered on its generative AI ‘HyperCLOVA X’ while leading this research. Naver Cloud CEO Yuwon Kim emphasized, "For 25 years, Naver has provided users with alternative choices in a market dominated by global big tech, and diversity has been an important value pursued by Naver," adding, "In this context, securing diversity in the current AI chip ecosystem is very meaningful."

Earlier, at Vision 2024 held in Phoenix, U.S., Intel unveiled its latest AI semiconductor, Gaudi3. After showcasing a Gaudi3 prototype at a product launch event in New York last December, it was officially introduced this time. Pat Gelsinger, Intel’s CEO, stated, "Gaudi3 was designed from the start to optimize the operation of large-scale AI models," and expressed, "It demonstrated superior performance in benchmarks compared to the H100 (NVIDIA AI semiconductor)."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.