Wafer Scale

Every once in a while, a startup comes along with something out of left field. In the AI hardware generation, Cerebras holds that title, with their Wafer Scale Engine. The second generation product, built on TSMC 7nm, is a full wafer packed to the brim with cores, memory, and performance. By using patented manufacturing and packaging techniques, a Cerebras CS-2 features a single chip, bigger than your head, with 2.6 trillion transistors. The cost for a CS-2, with appropriate cooling, power, and connectivity, is ‘a few million’ we are told, and Cerebras has customers that include research, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and defense – all after the unique proposition that a wafer scale AI engine provides. Today’s news is that Cerebras is still in...