Habana Labs Launches New AI Processors for Training and Inferencing

Intel announced that Habana Labs, its data center team focused on AI deep learning processor technologies, launched its second-generation deep learning processors for training and inference. Habana Gaudi2 and Habana Greco processors address an industry gap by providing customers with high-performance, high-efficiency deep learning compute choices for both training workloads and inference deployments in the data center while lowering the AI barrier to entry for companies of all sizes.

“The launch of Habana’s new deep learning processors is a prime example of Intel executing on its AI strategy to give customers a wide array of solution choices - from cloud to edge - addressing the growing number and complex nature of AI workloads. Gaudi2 can help Intel customers train increasingly large and complex deep learning workloads with speed and efficiency, and we’re anticipating the inference efficiencies that Greco will bring,“ said Sandra Rivera, Intel executive vice president, and general manager of the Datacenter and AI Group

The new Gaudi2 and Greco processors are purpose-built for AI deep learning applications, implemented in 7-nanometer technology, and manufactured on Habana’s high-efficiency architecture. At Intel Vision, Habana Labs revealed Gaudi2’s training throughput performance for the ResNet-50 computer vision model, and the BERT natural language processing model delivers twice the training throughput over the Nvidia A100-80GB GPU.

“Compared with the A100 GPU, implemented in the same process node and roughly the same die size, Gaudi2 delivers clear leadership training performance as demonstrated with apples-to-apples comparison on key workloads,“ said Eitan Medina, chief operating officer at Habana Labs. “This deep-learning acceleration architecture is fundamentally more efficient and backed with a strong roadmap.“