Microsoft unveils first AI chip, Maia 100, and Cobalt CPU

At Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the Azure Cobalt processor.

Screenshot by Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

At its annual developer conference, Ignite, Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled the long-anticipated custom cloud computing chip for its Azure cloud service, called Azure Maia 100, which it said is optimized for tasks such as generative AI.

The Maia 100 is the first in a series of Maia accelerators for AI, the company said. With 105 billion transistors, it is "one of the largest chips on 5-nanometer process technology," said Microsoft, referring to the size of the smallest features of the chip, five billionths of a meter.

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