Cerebras Unveils Custom Silicon with Record-Breaking Compute Power

Cerebras, an AI hardware vendor, is turning to custom silicon as Microsoft reverses its stance on Windows 11. The company's latest chip, CS-4, boasts three times more compute power than its predecessor and uses a rack-scale system with modular architecture.

This shift towards custom silicon is not unique to Cerebras. Other AI vendors are also moving away from traditional GPUs and exploring alternative options like Marvell and Cerebras' own hardware. Waymo, the autonomous driving company, has even designed its own custom chips for robotaxis rather than relying on off-the-shelf silicon from Intel.

Cerebras' CS-4 chip is a significant upgrade over its previous generation. With improved power delivery and a turbo variant that can push twice as much power through the chip, Cerebras claims to have doubled the performance, bandwidth of memory, and I/O speed.

The new rack-scale system also allows for modular architecture, making it easier for customers to swap out compute units without having to replace the entire system. This is a significant advantage over traditional GPUs, which can be power-hungry and require complex cooling systems.