Intel and Lenovo partner on HPC and AI initiatives

Intel and Lenovo this week announced a new partnership aimed at accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) products by bringing together their respective technologies.

The collaboration will integrate Lenovo’s TruScale Infrastructure and Lenovo Neptune liquid cooling technology with a variety of Intel technologies, including its Optane DC persistent memory, Intel oneAPI programming framework, and current and future generations of its Xeon Scalable processors.

TruScale is a consumption-based offering that allows customers to use on-premises data center hardware and services without having to purchase the equipment outright; enterprises pay for the use, and Lenovo monitors their activity. It’s a model all of the major OEMs have adopted in response to the cloud.

The collaboration will focus on three areas:

1) Systems and solutions. As described above, this aspect brings together Lenovo’s portfolio and Intel’s technologies.

2) Software optimization for HPC and AI convergence. This will include optimizing Lenovo’s LiCO HPC/AI software stack for Intel’s next-generation technologies, and alignment with the Intel oneAPI programming framework.

3) Ecosystem enablement. Additionally, Intel and Lenovo want to help create an ecosystem for the convergence of HPC and AI. The companies plan to build research facilities at colleges around the world for genomics and cancer research, for example.

“Intel is laser-focused on helping our customers spur innovation and discovery through the convergence of AI with HPC,” said Navin Shenoy, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the data center group, in a statement. “Our extended collaboration with Lenovo combines the best of both companies’ innovations to drive our customers’ progress forward even faster.”

“Our goal is to further accelerate innovation into the Exascale era, aggressively waterfalling these solutions to scientists and businesses of all sizes to speed discovery and outcomes. We are passionate in helping researchers solve humanity’s greatest challenges,” said Kirk Skaugen, executive vice president of Lenovo and president of Lenovo’s data center group, in a statement.