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Meta spends billions on AGI
Spotlight: Altman aims to build AI chip factory network
Jack Shields
January 22, 2024
Welcome back!
Meta is spending billions on Nvidia GPUs as it aims to build industry-leading AI models in 2024. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also getting busy with a new AI chip venture.
Let’s dive in.
In today’s Daily Update:
🗞️ Meta spends billions on Nvidia chips in pursuit of AGI
🤖 How to conduct research with GPT-4
📸 Altman hopes to raise billions for AI chip factory network
🚨 AI Roundup: Four quick hits
Read time: 2 minutes
TOP STORY
🗞️ Meta spends billions on Nvidia chips in pursuit of AGI
DALL-E 3
Meta plans to spend billions of dollars on Nvidia’s AI chips as it pursues the creation of artificial general intelligence (AGI).
What you should know:
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company’s computing infrastructure will include 350,000 Nvidia H100 graphics cards by the end of 2024.
This would raise Meta’s GPU stockpile to 600,000.
Zuckerberg says these heavy-duty chips are necessary to pursue research in AGI.
Meta remains committed to making its most advanced models (even AGI) open source.
Crunching the numbers: Raymond James analysts estimate Nvidia is selling the H100 for $25,000 to $30,000. At the low end of that price range, this move would cost Meta almost $9 billion. Meta projects computing investments will drive its total expenses for 2024 past $90 billion.
AI TOOL OF THE DAY
🤖 How to conduct research with GPT-4
Web Browser is a custom GPT created by the ChatGPT team that can help you gather information and conduct research. It essentially equips OpenAI’s most capable model with web browsing capabilities.
How to use Web Browser:
Visit the GPT Store at chat.openai.com/gpts.
Find and click ‘Web Browser’ under the ‘By ChatGPT’ section.
Prompt Web Browser to find information (ex. “write a 1000-word summary about the history of AI research”).
Dive deeper into a topic with follow-up prompts.
50-word review: This GPT was slightly underwhelming because it can’t cite the sources of its information (which is pretty standard for other LLMs with internet access). Not sure if web browsing really adds any measurable benefits to GPT-4, but Web Browser is an effective research tool as advertised.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
📸 Altman hopes to raise billions for AI chip factory network
Source: Reuters / Carlos Barria
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seeking billions from investors to set up a global network of factories focused on producing AI chips.
The details:
Altman wants to work with leading chipmakers to help meet the rising global demand for computing power.
The chip venture aims to decrease reliance on Nvidia. It was briefly halted after Altman’s fleeting removal as OpenAI CEO.
Altman is in talks with wealthy Middle Eastern investors and Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC.
The relevance: Nvidia’s market cap has surged to almost $1.5 trillion as it continues to dominate the AI chip market. Altman’s venture aims to ensure that chip shortages won’t halt AI progress, but the OpenAI CEO’s involvement with foreign investors will continue to attract scrutiny.
MORE TRENDING NEWS
🚨 AI Roundup: Four quick hits
DALL-E 3
OpenAI suspends the developer of Dean Bot, a chatbot mimicking Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips.
ElevenLabs raises $80 million for its voice cloning projects.
OpenAI announces Arizona State University as its first higher education customer.
MIT study suggests AI won’t replace as many jobs as expected.
THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY