Intel Software has announced another string to its AI bow with the acquisition of AI optimisation specialist SigOpt.
According to Intel, the technologies of San Francisco-based SigOpt will help it improve productivity and performance across its portfolio of applications and hardware targeting deep learning, machine learning and data analytics use cases.
Raja Koduri, senior VP, chief architect and general manager of the architecture, graphics and software (IAGS) group at Intel, said in the announcement: “AI is driving the compute needs of the future. It is even more important for software to automatically extract the best compute performance while scaling AI models.”
The acquisition of SigOpt will help data scientists and developers who are working with the Intel AI portfolio. SigOpt’s co-founders, CEO Scott Clark and CTO Patrick Hayes, will join the machine learning performance team at Intel as a result, helping to solve some of Intel customers’ “biggest challenges”, the company said.
“By combining our AI optimisation software with Intel’s decades-long leadership in AI computing and machine learning performance, we will be able to unlock entirely new AI capabilities for modellers,” SigOpt CEO Scott Clark said in the official Intel announcement.
Intel says it reaped some $3.8 billion in revenue driven by AI in 2019 and expects a total addressable market for “AI silicon” to be worth $25 billion by 2024.
Intel also expects the combination of SigOpt’s software technologies and Intel hardware to increase the adoption of AI, with the vendor’s software strategy aimed at optimising Intel’s hardware performance as well as speeding up AI workflows and building a “consistent experience” for developers using Intel oneAPI.
Intel AI is currently incorporated into many applications, including satellite communications at Tyvak International in Turin, Italy [pictured above].
(Photo credit: Tim Herman/Intel Corporation)
