Groq, and the Hardware of AI — Intuitively and Exhaustively Explained | by Daniel Warfield

Machine Learning | Accelerated Computation | Artificial Intelligence

An analysis of the major pieces of computer hardware used to run AI, along with a new heavy hitter.

“Coordination Deconstructed” By Daniel Warfield using MidJourney. All images by the author unless otherwise specified. All generated images made with MidJourney.

This article discusses Groq, a new approach to computer hardware that’s revolutionizing the way AI is applied to real world problems.

Before we talk about Groq, we’ll break down what AI fundamentally is, and explore some of the key components of computer hardware used to run AI models. Namely; CPUs, GPUs, and TPUs. We’ll explore these critical pieces of hardware by starting in 1975 with the Z80 CPU, then we’ll build up our understanding to modern systems by exploring some of the critical evolutions in computer hardware.

Armed with an understanding of some of the fundamental concepts and tradeoffs in computer hardware, we’ll use that understanding to explore what Groq is, how it’s revolutionizing the way AI computation is done, and why that matters.

Naturally there’s a lot to cover between early CPUs and a cutting edge billion dollar AI startup. Thus, this is a pretty long article. Buckle up, it’ll be worth it.

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