IBM and Intel have announced a collaboration to offer Intel Gaudi 3 AI accelerators as a service on IBM Cloud. This new service, expected to launch in early 2025, aims to provide a more cost-effective way for enterprises to scale their AI workloads while driving innovation with a focus on security and resilience. As part of this collaboration, IBM will also integrate Gaudi 3 support into its watsonx AI and data platform. IBM Cloud will be the first cloud service provider (CSP) to adopt Gaudi 3, making it available for hybrid and on-premise environments.

“Unlocking AI’s full potential requires an open and collaborative ecosystem that offers customers choice and accessible solutions,” said Justin Hotard, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Intel Data Center and AI. “By integrating Gaudi 3 AI Accelerators and Xeon CPUs with IBM Cloud, we are introducing new AI capabilities that meet the growing demand for cost-effective, secure, and innovative AI computing solutions.”

While generative AI holds promise for accelerating digital transformation, it also requires significant compute power, emphasizing the need for availability, performance, cost-efficiency, energy efficiency, and security. Through this partnership, Intel and IBM aim to reduce the total cost of ownership for AI deployment while boosting performance. Gaudi 3, when combined with 5th Gen Xeon, is designed to support enterprise AI workloads both in the cloud and in data centers, giving customers greater visibility and control over their software stack and simplifying workload and application management. The integration of IBM Cloud with Gaudi 3 will help customers more effectively scale their AI workloads, focusing on performance, security, and resilience.

For generative AI inferencing workloads, IBM plans to support Gaudi 3 within the watsonx AI and data platform, providing watsonx users with additional infrastructure options to scale AI workloads across hybrid cloud environments and optimize the cost-performance ratio of model inferencing.

“IBM is committed to helping our clients drive AI and hybrid cloud innovation by providing solutions that meet their business needs. Our focus on security and resilience with IBM Cloud has been a key driver of our hybrid cloud and AI strategy for enterprise clients,” said Alan Peacock, GM of IBM Cloud. “Using Intel’s Gaudi 3 accelerators on IBM Cloud will offer our clients a flexible AI solution that optimizes cost performance, unlocking new opportunities to test, innovate, and deploy AI inferencing solutions more affordably.” The partnership between IBM and Intel aims to help clients across industries, including those that are heavily regulated, leverage IBM Cloud’s robust security and compliance features to make Gaudi 3 services accessible to enterprises.

Scalability and Flexibility: IBM Cloud and Intel provide scalable and flexible solutions that allow clients to adjust computing resources as needed, leading to potential cost savings and improved operational efficiency.

Enhanced Performance and Security: By integrating Gaudi 3 into IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC, x86-based enterprises can run applications faster and more securely than before, improving user experiences. Intel and IBM have a long history of collaboration, from the development of the IBM PC to the creation of enterprise AI solutions with Gaudi 3. The IBM Cloud with Gaudi 3 offerings is expected to be generally available in early 2025. Stay tuned for more updates from Intel and IBM in the coming months.