redshirt

We don’t really care about ML. If just so happens ML and AI are easy compared to what HPC normally deals with. ML is just statistics and learning functions which is in turn really dominated by the linear algebra. It’s hard to hear that when you like buzzwords, but it’s just algebra and pretty simple at that. That’s why things like grad student built systolic array processors (popular in he 60’s) dominate here. It’s also why SC is showing lots of ML...because the community knows how to do that better than anybody.

Architecture license means you can use the ISA (provided by Arm). Micro arch means you can license the core implementations form Arm. Apple is an ISA license, meaning they have full control of the micro arch as long as it passes verification by Arm. That’s the beauty of Arm, you get rid of the problem of creating the whole software ecosystem...it’s already there, and companies like Cavium, Apple, Qualcomm are free to add their secret sauce and benefit from the mature software environment. At least, that’s the hope.

They don’t have full control. Apple can’t add instructions, only Arm can. If they want something new they have to go back to Arm, sure hey probably have lots of pull, but that’s the way it is. And one reason ppl like RiscV.

Sort of. That kind of died given lack of funding. Others have invested far more: Fujitsu, Qualcomm, Cavium, Cray, HPE,etc.

It’s already happened. Just wait till Fujitsu has their post-K chip out.

Really? Only Apple?? What about Qualcomm or Cavium? Arm cores are now in the premier systems offered by Cray and HPE. See here for comparison to Skylake for Crays system: https://twitter.com/simonmcs/status/930425114922958848 Here for HPE’s: https://twitter.com/hpc_guru/status/930194415787888642 there’s also the Centriq from Qualcomm, I think there were some numbers posted at the goingarm HPC users group. Bottom line, there are plenty of super fast Arm processors that match or beat the best Intel can put out.