Key Points
- Broadcom has released a new networking chip, the Tomahawk Ultra, to improve AI processing speeds.
- The chip directly competes with Nvidia’s NVLink Switch, a similar product for connecting AI processors.
- Broadcom’s chip can link four times more processors together than Nvidia’s current offering.
- It uses a boosted version of standard Ethernet, unlike Nvidia’s proprietary system. The chip, manufactured by TSMC, is now available for purchase.
Broadcom’s chip division has launched a new networking processor designed to speed up the massive data processing required for artificial intelligence. The new chip, named the Tomahawk Ultra, aims to address a key challenge in AI: integrating hundreds of individual chips to work together seamlessly as a single, powerful unit.
This launch positions Broadcom as a serious competitor to AI market leader Nvidia. While Nvidia dominates the AI space with its powerful graphics processors (GPUs), Broadcom has been making strategic moves, including helping Google produce its own AI chips, which are seen as a strong alternative.
The Tomahawk Ultra acts like a traffic controller for data, directing information between the many chips packed inside a server rack. Ram Velaga, a senior vice president at Broadcom, explained that the new chip is a direct rival to Nvidia’s NVLink Switch.
However, he noted that the Tomahawk Ultra has a significant advantage: it can connect four times as many chips. Instead of using a closed, proprietary system, it relies on a supercharged version of standard Ethernet technology, making it more flexible and adaptable.
This technology is crucial for what the industry refers to as “scale-up” computing, where developers combine the power of multiple nearby chips to handle complex AI tasks.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) will produce the new processor using its advanced five-nanometer process. Broadcom spent about three years developing the chip, originally for high-performance computing, but quickly adapted it for the booming AI industry. The company confirmed that the Tomahawk Ultra is now shipping to customers.
