Apple Joins UALink Consortium for Developing Next-Generation AI Data Center Connectivity Standards

Apple has joined a consortium developing next-generation technology to link together chips in AI data centers. The Ultra Accelerator Link Consortium (UALink) aims to create a standard called UALink that connects the AI accelerator chips found within growing server farms.

As of Tuesday, Apple is now a member of the consortium’s board, alongside Alibaba and semiconductor company Synopsys. In a statement, Apple’s director of platform architecture Becky Loop emphasized the potential of UALink in addressing connectivity challenges and creating new opportunities for expanding AI capabilities and demands.

“Apple has a long history of pioneering and collaborating on innovations that drive our industry forward,” Loop said, “and we’re excited to join the UALink board of directors.”

UALink is focused on developing an open standard that can connect chips ranging from GPUs to custom-designed solutions. This will allegedly speed up the training, fine-tuning, and running of AI models.

The consortium boasts a diverse range of members, including Intel, AMD, Google, AWS, Microsoft, and Meta. However, Nvidia, which is responsible for producing the largest number of AI accelerators, has opted out of the initiative. This may be due to the fact that Nvidia offers its own proprietary interconnect tech, NVLink, for linking chips within a data center cluster.

It’s worth noting that Apple’s involvement in UALink comes as the company increases investments in infrastructure to support Apple Intelligence, its suite of AI-powered product features. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is reportedly developing a new server chip designed to enhance the efficiency of its AI data centers.

Some of Apple Intelligence’s capabilities have received mixed reviews.

Source: techcrunch.com