AMD Aims to Boost AI Progress with EPYC CPUs and Instinct GPUs

Cloud: The New Frontier for AI Innovation

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the tech landscape, you know that the cloud is where the magic happens when it comes to AI technology. According to Gartner, a whopping 73% of respondents in their 2024 CIO and Tech Executive Survey have upped their funding for AI initiatives. And IDC isn’t pulling any punches either, predicting that AI will contribute a staggering $19.9 trillion to the global economy by 2030. But here’s the kicker—most of that AI power isn’t coming from on-premises hardware. Instead, organizations are turning to cloud service providers and tech giants to fuel their AI ambitions.

Why the cloud? For starters, it’s where the majority of businesses are already operating. O’Reilly reports that over 90% of companies are utilizing public cloud services, and they’re not just dipping their toes in—they’re diving in headfirst. The same report highlights a 175% surge in interest for cloud-native solutions, which speaks volumes about the commitment companies are making to cloud infrastructure.

The Race for AI Infrastructure

With this heightened demand for AI capabilities, cloud service providers are scrambling to expand their data centers. IDC forecasts a significant uptick in data center capacity, energy consumption, and yes, even carbon emissions, with AI data center capacity expected to grow at a staggering compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.5% through 2027. While this boom presents incredible opportunities for service providers, it also brings a host of challenges. Delivering the computing power necessary to support extensive AI workloads in a reliable and cost-effective manner is no small feat.

To tackle these hurdles, many providers are turning to AMD’s EPYC CPUs and Instinct GPUs. Let’s take a closer look at how three major players are leveraging AMD technology to drive AI forward.

Flexible, Cost-Effective Performance at Microsoft Azure

Microsoft is making waves with its extensive lineup of AMD-powered Azure Virtual Machines (VMs). These VMs are designed to cater to a wide range of use cases—from general-purpose tasks to memory-intensive applications and everything in between. Customers are particularly drawn to the cost-effectiveness of these products.

Take it from Henrik Klemola, Director of Cloud COE at Epicor: “We’ve been using Azure Virtual Machines featuring the AMD EPYC processor for the past two years to run critical applications. The consistent performance and compelling price-performance have been a game-changer for us.”

Microsoft is also rolling out new innovations that include accelerators specifically designed for AI and other demanding workloads. Traditional CPU-only VMs often struggle to keep pace with the needs of modern applications, leading to frustration and decreased productivity. By making the latest AMD technology available in the cloud, Microsoft is ensuring that its customers get the performance they need without breaking the bank.

Scalable Growth at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Oracle is another heavy hitter that’s leveraging AMD to redefine the possibilities of AI. In September, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) announced that it would be using AMD Instinct accelerators for its latest OCI Compute Supercluster instance. This upgrade allows customers to tackle some of the most demanding AI workloads—think generative AI, computer vision, and predictive analytics—at an impressive scale.

Uber is one of the companies that has jumped on board with OCI. Kamran Zargahi, Senior Director of Tech Strategy and Cloud Engineering at Uber, notes, “As we continue to grow and enter new markets, we need the flexibility to leverage a wide range of cloud services to provide the best customer experience.” Collaborating with Oracle has enabled Uber to innovate faster while keeping infrastructure costs in check.

Next-Generation Deep Learning at Meta

Meta is also all-in when it comes to cloud data centers to support its AI services. With over three billion people engaging with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp daily, the need for robust AI capabilities is more pressing than ever. To meet this demand, Meta has invested heavily in AMD technology, deploying over 1.5 million AMD EPYC CPUs globally.

Kevin Salvadori, VP of Infrastructure and Engineering at Meta, shares, “All Meta live traffic has been served using MI300X exclusively due to its large memory capacity and TCO advantage.” This commitment to AMD chips is integral to Meta’s Open Hardware vision, as they believe that scaling AI efficiently requires open solutions.

Grand Teton, Meta’s next-gen open AI platform, supports the AMD Instinct MI300X and is designed to handle deep learning recommendation models and other memory-intensive tasks.

Expand the Limits of What’s Possible

If your team is ready to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve, consider exploring an AMD Instinct-based cloud instance from one of the public cloud vendors. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, think about integrating AMD Instinct GPUs into your own infrastructure. They offer the performance, low total cost of ownership, and ease of adoption that can supercharge your AI initiatives. The future of AI is bright, and the cloud is where it’s all happening. Are you ready to join the revolution?

Background Information

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About AMD:

AMD, a large player in the semiconductor industry is known for its powerful processors and graphic solutions, AMD has consistently pushed the boundaries of performance, efficiency, and user experience. With a customer-centric approach, the company has cultivated a reputation for delivering high-performance solutions that cater to the needs of gamers, professionals, and general users. AMD's Ryzen series of processors have redefined the landscape of desktop and laptop computing, offering impressive multi-core performance and competitive pricing that has challenged the dominance of its competitors. Complementing its processor expertise, AMD's Radeon graphics cards have also earned accolades for their efficiency and exceptional graphical capabilities, making them a favored choice among gamers and content creators. The company's commitment to innovation and technology continues to shape the client computing landscape, providing users with powerful tools to fuel their digital endeavors.

  

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About IDC:

IDC, or International Data Corporation, is a global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. Established in 1964, IDC offers valuable insights into industry trends, market forecasts, and technology adoption through its research and analysis. Their expertise aids businesses, governments, and IT professionals in making informed decisions and strategies.

  

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About Microsoft:

Microsoft, founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 in Redmond, Washington, USA, is a technology giant known for its wide range of software products, including the Windows operating system, Office productivity suite, and cloud services like Azure. Microsoft also manufactures hardware, such as the Surface line of laptops and tablets, Xbox gaming consoles, and accessories.

  

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About Oracle:

Oracle Corporation is a important American multinational technology company founded in 1977 and headquartered in Redwood City, California. It's one of the world's largest software and cloud computing companies, known for its enterprise software products and services. Oracle specializes in developing and providing database management systems, cloud solutions, software applications, and hardware infrastructure. Their flagship product, the Oracle Database, is widely used in businesses and organizations worldwide. Oracle also offers a range of cloud services, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

  

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Technology Explained

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CPU: The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of a computer, responsible for executing instructions and performing calculations. It is the most important component of a computer system, as it is responsible for controlling all other components. CPUs are used in a wide range of applications, from desktop computers to mobile devices, gaming consoles, and even supercomputers. CPUs are used to process data, execute instructions, and control the flow of information within a computer system. They are also used to control the input and output of data, as well as to store and retrieve data from memory. CPUs are essential for the functioning of any computer system, and their applications in the computer industry are vast.

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EPYC: EPYC is a technology designed by computer chip manufacturer AMD for use in the server and data center industry. It was introduced in June 2017 and features an innovative design to improve performance and power efficiency. EPYC processor technology is based on an innovative 14nm processor architecture, allowing up to 32 high-performance cores in a single socket. This allows for more efficient processing power, increased memory bandwidth, and greater compute density. EPYC is now widely used in the data center and cloud computing industry and provides benefits such as greater scalability, increased resource efficiency, and advanced virtualization capabilities. Additionally, EPYC technology is used in data intensive servers like server farms, gaming, and virtualization platforms. EPYC ensures that even with large deployments in multi-processor environments, power consumption and performance levels are optimized to ensure maximum efficiency.

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