IBM shows a new processor architecture: NorthPole. Chips based on this architecture are said to be faster and more efficient than equivalent GPUs when processing AI workloads.

IBM shows NorthPole to the world. This is a chip architecture tailored to AI. You shouldn’t expect processors based on this architecture to hit the market yet, as the manufacturer is only now bringing the chip to market through research published in the journal Science.

The NorthPole architecture removes some of the conventions that govern x86 and Arm, for example. For example, memory is no longer separated from computing power and NorthPole only works with on-chip memory. The processors would look more like an active memory chip than a classic GPU. The first NorthPole chips combine 256 cores with a memory pool.

Additionally, the architecture is designed for massive parallel workloads with low precision (read: AI). The architecture is said to be inspired by the way the human brain works, with a multitude of tightly connected circuits.

Great results

IBM built NorthPole chips using the 12nm process and pitted them against similarly built GPUs. So these are slightly older copies. IBM claims that NorthPole is about 25 times more efficient than a GPU in the ResNet50 benchmark.

The results are promising. IBM essentially claims that it has developed a chip with an architecture that is superior in terms of AI compared to what Nvidia has today. However, there are some concerns. For example, the 12nm process is outdated, but it’s not just the baking process of high-end GPUs that has improved in recent years. New chips also have better and more efficient architecture. Such GPUs do not exist on a 12 nm process and are therefore not included in IBM’s comparison study.

On the other hand, it is very likely that NorthPole will also become significantly more efficient as IBM further develops the chips and eventually introduces a more modern baking process. Furthermore, IBM needs more than a good chip to compete with Nvidia (and Intel and AMD). A new architecture implies that new software is required to support workloads. To be successful, NorthPole will ultimately need a very supportive ecosystem.