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What is an AI Factory?
Just as electricity has spread everywhere and sparked a revolution in society and industry, artificial intelligence (AI) is now everywhere, from industrial automation to smartphones. This invisible hand shapes our world, silently guiding our choices — from video recommendations and the algorithms that drive vehicles and robots — to the important role it plays in drug discovery, diagnoses, and scientific breakthroughs.
Driven by generative AI and its products like ChatGPT, more people are interacting directly with AI. To meet this growing demand, we need specialized computer centers capable of handling the growing needs of both individuals and industries.
AI Factories
Similar to data centers, AI factories comprise a vast network of servers, network devices, and cabling housed in a secure, controlled environment and equipped with an efficient cooling system. However, their function and basic components may vary significantly.
That’s why Nvidia CEO Johnson Huang, speaking at GTC 2024, prefers not to call them data centers. He views them as factories into which raw materials go in, and valuable finished products come out. For example, in power plants, the water goes in, and the electricity comes out.
