From AI to Bitcoin Mining: NVIDIA unveils its newest, B100 Blackwell GPU

0
277

NVIDIA’s groundbreaking new next-generation B100 Blackwell GPU from NVIDIA marks a paradigm shift in artificial intelligence and Bitcoin mining technology, promising a remarkable 4-fold increase in GPT-3 175B inference performance. 

With 178 billion transistors and a chiplet design, the Blackwell GPU heralds a new era of computational prowess and continuous innovation in the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.

NVIDIA unveils the new: B100 Blackwell GPU,a quantum leap in performance for AI inference and Bitcoin mining

In a groundbreaking revelation at the recent SuperComputing 2023 Special Address, NVIDIA offered a tantalizing glimpse into the future of AI with its upcoming B100 Blackwell GPU. 

This departure from the norm revelation came directly from NVIDIA and showed a formidable 4-fold increase in AI inference performance over its industry-leading H100 Hopper AI GPU.

The presentation delved into a comparative analysis of the A100 Ampere AI GPU, the H100 and H200 Hopper AI GPUs, and the upcoming B100 Blackwell AI GPU. The focus was on GPT-3 175B inference performance, where the A100 set the benchmark at 1x, leading to an 11x increase with the H100 and a staggering 18x jump with the H200. 

The pièce de résistance, however, was the promise of a colossal jump with the B100 in 2024, as suggested by the data presented by NVIDIA.

A meticulously edited image showing an 11-fold performance increase with the H100 suggests at least a 3-fold improvement in GPT-3 175B inference performance with the B100 Blackwell GPU. 

This revelation positions NVIDIA at the forefront of continued innovation, affirming its commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI technology.

Under the hood, the B100 Blackwell GPU boasts an impressive 178 billion transistors, doubling the number of its predecessor. By aligning with Micron’s state-of-the-art HBM3e memory, a technology also found in the recently announced Hopper AI H200 GPU, the B100 promises an unprecedented computing experience. 

Scheduled for launch in 2024

The H200, scheduled for launch in 2024, supports up to 141 GB of HBM3e memory and boasts an extraordinary memory bandwidth of 4.8 TB/sec.

In a significant departure from NVIDIA’s traditional design, the B100 Blackwell GPU incorporates a chiplet design, marking a significant breakthrough and a direct challenge to AMD’s upcoming Instinct MI300 accelerator. 

With its 178 billion transistors, the B100 Blackwell GPU is poised to push the limits of the silicon architecture, ushering in a new era of computing capability.

The “Blackwell” nomenclature pays tribute to David Harold Blackwell, an esteemed American statistician and mathematician celebrated for his contributions to game theory, probability, and information theories. 

This choice reflects NVIDIA’s commitment to paying tribute to industry pioneers as it pushes technology into the future.

As part of NVIDIA’s overall strategy, the B100 Blackwell GPU was unveiled along with the H200 Hopper GPU, which is scheduled to debut in 2024. 

The H200 introduces Micron’s latest HBM3e memory, with capacities of up to 141 GB per GPU and an incredible 4.8 TB/sec of bandwidth. These figures represent a 1.8-fold increase in memory capacity over the H100, along with up to 1.4 times more HBM memory bandwidth.

In addition, NVIDIA ensures seamless compatibility between the new H200 AI GPUs and existing HGX H100 systems, allowing customers to upgrade their systems effortlessly. 

Partnerships with industry giants such as ASUS, ASRock Rack, Dell, Eviden, GIGABYTE, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ingrasys, Lenovo, QCT, Wiwynn, Supermicro, and Wistron underscore the broad ecosystem cultivated by NVIDIA.

Conclusions

In conclusion, NVIDIA’s B100 Blackwell GPU is a testament to the company’s ongoing commitment to advancing the frontiers of AI technology. 

With unmatched performance, cutting-edge design, and a nod to the pioneers of mathematics, the B100 Blackwell GPU paves the way for the next era of computational excellence.