Embracing open standards was the key to Intel’s dominance in the PC and server platforms years ago. And now, it appears, Nvidia is following in Intel’s footsteps in the machine learning and AI industry with its Volta architecture.
A NetworkWorld article calls out the similarities this way: “Intel won its dominance in PC and server platforms by working on open standards for interfacing with other comment makers, such as memory and hard drives, and publishing reference specifications to guide systems makers such as Dell, Lenovo, and many smaller manufacturers to design systems optimized for price and performance for PC and server use cases. Looking at the Volta Architecture white paper, this is exactly Nvidia’s approach but a different use case: neural networks.” The article then goes into further details around the definition of neural networks and their use within the machine learning and AI realms.
Using open standards will encourage the development of use cases that are not siloed. Currently, use cases are “often open source and available to an enterprise, but they may not apply to an enterprise’s use case. Enterprise machine learning experts and data scientists will have to start from scratch with research and iterate to build new high-accuracy models.”
Through the principles of open standards, market-driven standards can be developed that are global and open. They will enable standards that will drive innovation for the benefit of humanity.
With the continued growth in AI and machine learning, these types of borderless standards are critical to continue that growth for the benefit of all. With that idea in mind, Nvidia can likely see the same level of industry leadership Intel has enjoyed.
What are your thoughts on Nvidia and the use of open standards in AI and machine learning?