Elon Musk announced that Dell Technologies and Super Micro Computer will supply server racks for the supercomputer being built by his AI startup xAI, with Dell assembling half of the racks and Super Micro providing the rest, while Nvidia’s GPUs will power the AI models for the project. (Source: Image by RR)

Dell, Super Micro to Play Crucial Role in xAI’s Ambitious Supercomputer Project Led by Musk

Dell Technologies and Super Micro Computer will provide server racks for the supercomputer that Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI is building, the U.S. businessman said on social media platform X on Wednesday. Dell is assembling half of the racks for xAI’s supercomputer, Musk said on X. In a reply to another post enquiring about the second partner, the billionaire said “SMC”—referring to server maker Super Micro. San Francisco-based Super Micro, known for its close ties with chip firms like Nvidia and its liquid-cooling technology, confirmed the partnership with xAI to Reuters.

Dell CEO Michael Dell also said in a separate post on X that the company was building an “AI factory” with AI heavyweight Nvidia that would power the next version of xAI’s chatbot Grok. This collaboration, as reported in fastcompany.com, emphasizes Dell’s commitment to advancing AI infrastructure, leveraging Nvidia’s cutting-edge technology to deliver unprecedented computational power. The AI factory aims to set new standards in AI processing, supporting the ambitious goals of xAI and its groundbreaking projects.

Musk has told investors that his artificial intelligence startup xAI is planning to build a supercomputer to power the next version of its AI chatbot Grok, according to a report by the Information in May. Training of AI models such as xAI’s Grok requires tens of thousands of power-hungry chips that are in short supply. Earlier this year, Musk said training the Grok 2 model took about 20,000 Nvidia H100 graphic processing units (GPUs), adding that the Grok 3 model and beyond will require 100,000 Nvidia H100 chips. The immense scale of these computational requirements underscores the necessity for powerful and efficient hardware solutions.

Musk has said he wants to get the proposed supercomputer running by the fall of 2025, according to the Information. This ambitious timeline reflects Musk’s urgency to position xAI at the forefront of AI innovation. The collaboration with Dell and Super Micro is pivotal, as it combines expertise in server manufacturing and AI technology to meet the demanding specifications of the supercomputer. By integrating advanced liquid-cooling techniques and high-performance GPUs, the project aims to achieve superior processing capabilities while managing energy consumption efficiently. The partnership is not just a technical endeavor but a strategic move to accelerate AI advancements and maintain competitive edge in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.

read more at fastcompany.com