We previously reported that Meta Platforms, Facebook's parent company, plans to deploy its own custom-designed AI chips, codenamed Artemis, in its data centers this year, but would continue to use Nvidia H100 GPUs alongside them, in the future. foreseeable future at least.
However, Register now claims that job advertisements for ASIC engineers with architecture, design and testing experience have been seen in Bengaluru, India and Sunnyvale, California, indicating Meta's intentions to develop its own AI hardware.
Job descriptions suggest that Meta is looking for professionals to “help design next-generation machine learning accelerators” and design complex SoCs and IPs for data center applications. Some of these positions were initially posted on LinkedIn in late December 2023 and reposted two weeks ago, with the Sunnyvale positions offering salaries close to $200,000.
General artificial intelligence
While the exact nature of Meta's project is yet to be specified, it is likely tied to the company's previously announced “Meta Training Inference Accelerators,” which will launch later this year.
Meta's ambitions also extend to artificial general intelligence, an enterprise that could require specialized silicon.
With demand for AI growing and Nvidia struggling to meet this demand, Meta's decision to develop its own technology is a strategic step to ensure it does not have to compete with rivals for hardware in a very hot market.
The Register reports that the Indian government will likely welcome Meta's decision to announce itself in Bengaluru as the nation seeks to become a major player in the global semiconductor industry.
Additionally, rumors suggest that Microsoft is also reducing its dependence on Nvidia by developing a server network card to optimize machine learning workload performance. This trend suggests that Nvidia's most formidable rivals are looking for ways to become less reliant on their high-demand hardware.
