Intel pitches the ‘AI PC’ at a software developer event. A generative artificial intelligence chatbot will be able to run on a laptop using a new Intel (INTC.O) chip in December instead of using cloud data centers, the company announced on Tuesday.
The technology, demonstrated by Intel at a conference for software developers in Silicon Valley, might allow companies and consumers to test ChatGPT-style services without sending private information from their computers. It is made feasible by updated AI data-crunching capabilities included in Intel’s next “Meteor Lake” laptop CPU and by new software the company is providing.
At the presentation, Intel showed off computers that could create a Taylor Swift-inspired song and respond to inquiries in a conversational manner even when they weren’t connected to the Internet. According to Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger, the “Copilot” AI assistant from Microsoft (MSFT.O) will be compatible with Intel-based PCs.
Gelsinger states, “We view the AI PC as a sea change moment in technological innovation.”
Following the company presentation, shares of Intel fell 1.5%.
Executives from Intel also stated that the company is on schedule to produce the “Arrow Lake” successor chip next year and that, as promised, Intel’s production technology will be on par with Taiwan Semiconductor production Co (2330. TW). Formerly the best chip maker, Intel fell behind but now claims it is on course to catch up.
In the market for the potent CPUs needed in data centers to “train” AI systems like ChatGPT, Intel has failed to overtake Nvidia (NVDA.O).
On Tuesday, Intel said it was constructing a new supercomputer for Stability AI, which creates image-generating software. According to Intel, Alibaba Group Holdings in China (9988. HK) uses its most recent core processors to deliver chatbot technology.
However, the market for processors that will handle AI tasks outside data centers is much less developed, and Intel sought to make progress there on Tuesday.
Developers can run a version of a large language model, the type of technology powering products like ChatGPT created by Meta Platforms (META.O), on laptops thanks to a new version of the software called OpenVINO, according to Intel. As a result, data won’t leave the device, allowing chatbots to respond more quickly.
“You can get a better performance, a lower cost, and more private AI,” Sachin Katti, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s network and edge group, told Reuters in an interview.
TechInsights analyst Dan Hutcheson told Reuters that business users wary of entrusting private company information to outside AI companies would be intrigued by Intel’s strategy.
If Intel CEO Gelsinger can build AI “so that anyone can use it, that creates a much bigger market for chips – the chips he makes,” Hutcheson added.
