
Google's TPU Chip Helped It Avoid Building Dozens of New Data Centers - dsr12
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/building-ai-chip-saved-google-building-dozen-new-data-centers
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bitexploder
I am on one hand impressed watching what an org like Google can do with its
vast resources, but on the other hand deeply concerned. Computing is moving to
a place where this deep specialization will be a requirement to set foot in
the door in many areas.

The technical achievement is of course cool, but nothing unprecedented or
unexpected for an org like Google. Almost natural: when ASIC implementation
cost < new general purpose resources do the obvious thing.

This also happens for obvious reasons with commodity crypto accelerator chips,
phone music codec chips, etc, etc. It just means at Google's scale the dollar
savings are huge.

The cool thing is Intel and chip makers can level the playing field but they
are so far behind.

