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Google Announces Chip for Machine Learning and IoT on the Edge
Google recently announced a new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC): Edge TPU, a chip designed for artificial intelligence and Internet of things (IoT) processing taking place "on the edge."
Time-sensitiveIot) projects.and large machine learning and training projects often need the beneifts that real-time edge coputing cam provide: increased performance and the ability bypass bottlenecks by having the processing take place as close to where the data is stored as possible, instead of first moving the data to, for example, a centralized cloud location. Edge computing is often seen as an ideal solution for high-data projects with intense and time-sensitive processing.
According to Google, the Edge TPU's open nature complements a number of uses and architectures: "It augments Google's Cloud TPU and Cloud IoT to provide an end-to-end (cloud-to-edge, hardware + software) infrastructure."
"With the explosive growth of connected devices, combined with a demand for privacy/confidentiality, low latency and bandwidth constraints, AI models trained in the cloud increasingly need to be run at the edge," Google commented on the chip's announcement Web site. "It delivers high performance in a small physical and power footprint, enabling the deployment of high-accuracy AI at the edge."
Google noted that when Edge TPU is released (no date was given), it will be designed to work with the company's open source TensorFlow Lite and will be supported by its Cloud IoT Edge product.
Interested parties can request early access (currently underway) here.
About the Author
Becky Nagel is vice president of AI for 1105 Media, where she specializes in training internal and external customers on maximizing their business potential via a wide variety of generative AI technologies as well as developing cutting-edge AI content and events. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Uses," regularly leads research studies on generative AI business usage, and serves as the director of AI Boardroom, a new resource for C-level executives looking to excel in the AI era. Prior to her current position she was a technical leader for 1105 Media's Web, advertising and production teams as well as editorial director for a suite of enterprise technology publications, including serving as founding editor of PureAI.com. She has 20 years of enterprise technology journalism experience, and regularly speaks and writes about generative AI, AI, edge computing and other cutting-edge technologies. She can be reached at bnagel@1105media.com.