’10 key takeaways from Microsoft Ignite 2023‘ Microsoft Ignite 2023, which took place on November 15-16, was full of AI-related news that was typical of Microsoft’s recent AI efforts, especially during CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote session. Here are 10 key takeaways from the keynote
1. Azure Cobalt CPU series: Microsoft is introducing a series of customizable CPUs called Azure Cobalt, designed specifically for the Microsoft Cloud. Starting with the Cobalt 100, these 64-bit, 128-core ARM-based chips are claimed to be the fastest of any cloud provider and are already being used in parts of Microsoft Teams, Azure Communication Services, and Azure SQL.
2. Azure Confidential GPU VMs: A preview of Azure Confidential GPU VMs, co-designed with Nvidia to run AI models on sensitive data sets within the Microsoft Cloud, was announced. This feature ensures end-to-end protection.
3. Azure Maya AI Accelerator: Azure Maya, a fully customizable AI accelerator designed for cloud AI workloads, was introduced. Manufactured in a 5-nanometer process, the Maya 100 chip has 105 billion transistors, making it the largest chip available today.
4. Infrastructure innovation: The unique infrastructure requirements of AI were emphasized, particularly cooling and networking. Microsoft designed a cooling device called Sidekick and implemented rack-level closed-loop liquid cooling for higher efficiency.
5. GP4 Turbo Azure AI version connectivity: This development provides new ways to interact and process data by prompting users with video, images, and text.
6. Model 52: Upgraded from the previous version, Model 52 shows improvements in benchmarks, especially in mathematical reasoning.
7. Azure AI Studio: This tool provides a full lifecycle toolchain for building, customizing, training, evaluating, and deploying next-generation AI models. It also includes built-in safety tools for detecting and filtering harmful content.
8. Microsoft Mesh: Mesh will be generally available in January and offers new ways for employees to connect using avatars in 2D and 3D spaces. It includes features like spatial audio and customizable spaces.
9. Bing Chat co-pilot: Standalone Bing Chat now functions as a co-pilot, compatible with multiple browsers and mobile apps. An enterprise version with commercial data protection was also announced.
10. Co-Pilot Studio: This platform allows you to create customized GPTs, tweak workflows, monitor performance, and integrate with business data and applications. It aims to extend the capabilities of co-pilots across different roles and functions.
With this keynote session, Microsoft laid out a comprehensive strategy and direction for its current and future AI, cloud, and infrastructure initiatives. It’s been a tumultuous weekend with the firing of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, but we’re seeing Microsoft’s influence in the market as a side note.
The keynote session is available in full on YouTube, so if you need to catch up, here’s the link.