Intel acquires AI chipmaker, Habana Labs

Intel Corporation recently overtook the Habana Labs, an Israel-based developer company responsible for programming deep-learning accelerators for a data centre costing worth $2 billion. The teaming of Intel with Habana Labs enriches the former’s AI portfolio and speeds up its efforts in the rapidly-expanding, nascent AI silicon market. Intel expects the worth of this market to cross $25 billion by the year 2024.

Avigdor Willenz, Habana’s Chairperson

The basic strategy of Intel takes root in the tradition of harnessing the potential of AI and push up the overall gains from business demanding a broad mix of software and technology-hardware along with support from a full ecosystem. At present, the AI solutions from Intel are helping customers transform data into business value as well as drive up the total revenues for the company.

“This acquisition advances our AI strategy, which is to provide customers with solutions to fit every performance need — from the intelligent edge to the data centre,” said Navin Shenoy, the executive VP and GM of Intel’s Data Platforms Group. “More specifically, Habana turbo-charges our AI offerings for the data centre with a high-performance training processor family and a standards-based programming environment to address evolving AI workloads.”

By end of this year, the tech giant expects to push up the annual AI returns by $3.5 billion, a solid 20 percent growth on a year on year basis. Intel teaming up with Habana will accelerate Intel’s edge-leading AI products delivery addressing the evolving needs of customers and data centers. Habana will stay a completely independent business unit controlled by its present management team. No changes will be made in its setup.

The company will report to Intel’s Data Platform group that houses the broad portfolio of Intel’s data centre class AI technologies. Habana Labs, on the other hand, gets its hand on limitless capabilities of Intel’s AI along with all world-class resources created in the last few years with excellence in AI algorithms, research, and software.

Avigdor Willenz, Habana’s chairman, will be serving as a senior advisor to both Intel and Habana. Habana’s will stay based in Israel where it has a long history of investment.

“We know that customers are looking for ease of programmability with purpose-built AI solutions, as well as superior, scalable performance on a wide variety of workloads and neural network topologies,” added Shenoy. “That’s why we’re thrilled to have an AI team of Habana’s calibre with a proven track record of execution computing performance and efficiency for AI workloads in the data centre.”

Habana’s CEO, David Dahan, said: “We have been fortunate to get to know and collaborate with Intel given its investment in Habana, and we’re thrilled to be officially joining the team. Intel has created a world-class AI team and capability. We are excited to partner with Intel to accelerate and scale our business. Together, we will deliver our customers more AI innovation, faster.”