Key takeaways:
- AMD is acquiring Silo AI, Europe’s largest private AI lab, to beef up its AI expertise as the AI race intensifies.
- Silo AI specializes in developing end-to-end solutions that help customers integrate AI “quickly and easily” into their products, services and operations.
- AMD has invested more than $125 million in a dozen AI companies in the past 12 months as part of its AI strategy.
Semiconductor giant AMD is acquiring Silo AI, Europe’s largest private AI lab, for about $665 million in cash as the company scrambles to strengthen its AI expertise.
The company said the acquisition is another step in its strategy to “deliver end-to-end AI solutions based on open standards and in strong partnership with the global AI ecosystem.”
Silo AI specializes in developing end-to-end AI-driven solutions to help customers integrate AI “quickly and easily into their products, services and operations,” according to both companies. Clients come from diverse markets and include Allianz, Philips, Rolls-Royce and Unilever.
Silo AI also develops state-of-the-art open-source multilingual LLMs, such as Poro and Viking, on AMD platforms in addition to its SiloGen model platform.
Silo AI’s workforce includes top AI scientists and engineers who have deep expertise in developing tailored AI models, platforms and solutions for enterprises in the cloud, embedded and endpoint computing markets.
Artificial Intelligence Group
Silo AI will become part of AMD’s Artificial Intelligence Group and its co-founder and CEO Peter Sarlin will stay as the head. He will report to Vamsi Boppana, senior vice president of AMD’s AI Group.
Silo AI has been a pioneer in scaling large language models training on LUMI, Europe’s fastest supercomputer powered by over 12,000 AMD Instinct MI250X GPUs, according to Pekka Manninen, director of science and technology at CSC-IT Center for Science, Finland.
The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of the year. Silo AI is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland with operations in Europe and North America.
“Across every industry, enterprises are looking for fast and effective ways to develop and deploy AI solutions for their unique business needs,” said Boppana, in a statement. The Silo AI team “will further accelerate our AI strategy and advance the build-out and rapid implementation of AI solutions for our global customers.”
Sarlin added that the acquisition by AMD is a “logical next step … to shape the future of AI computing.”
Silo AI is the latest investment by AMD in support of its AI strategy. In the past 12 months, AMD has invested more than $125 million in a dozen AI companies. It also acquired Mipsology and Nod.ai to further expand its AI ecosystem, support partners and advance AMD computing platforms.
