Intel Corp. signaled it wants a bigger role in artificial intelligence, revealing plans to modify a line of chips to target a fast-growing market turning into a battleground for technology suppliers.

The company told technology developers Wednesday that it plans next year to deliver a new version of the Xeon Phi processor—a product line previously targeted at scientific applications—with added features designed to accelerate tasks associated with what Silicon Valley calls artificial intelligence.

Intel said the technology will help accelerate a technique called deep learning, increasingly used for tasks such as interpreting speech, identifying objects in photos and piloting autonomous vehicles.

Intel's Xeon processors already are a fixture in data centers, and have a role in nearly all deep-learning tasks carried out there. But some users also install auxiliary processors for artificial-intelligence tasks, notably chips called GPUs that rival Nvidia Corp. has long sold for videogames.

Intel has said the Xeon Phi line, which has more processors than standard Xeon chips, is already being used for some deep-learning applications. Diane Bryant, executive vice president in charge of Intel's data center group, said Wednesday at an Intel event that the model coming out next year will handle additional instructions designed specifically for such computing jobs.

Intel says Xeon Phi can run most analytic software without tapping external processors that can slow analytical tasks, something it bills as a key advantage over other approaches. Executives added that it can also make use of more memory than GPU-based approaches.

"When it comes to AI, Intel's Xeon Phi is a great fit," said Jing Wang, a senior vice president at the Chinese search-engine company Baidu Inc., who joined Ms. Bryant on stage at Intel's annual developer forum in San Francisco.

Baidu has been a prominent user of Nvidia chips for deep-learning tasks. A spokesman for Baidu declined to comment on whether it will continue to use that technology.

Nvidia, whose chief executive has been highlighting deep-learning applications for years, this week disputed recent Intel claims about performance advantages of Xeon Phi. Nvidia says its latest chips remain much faster than Intel's technology.

"It's great that Intel is now working on deep learning," Nvidia said in a blog post Tuesday. "But they should get their facts straight."

Besides Xeon Phi, Intel signaled a strong interest in artificial intelligence with a deal last week to buy Nervana Systems, a startup working on specialized chips and software aimed at deep learning.

In another announcement at its annual forum, Intel disclosed that is delivering the first optical-networking components that have resulted from a 16-year effort to use silicon in place of other materials to reduce manufacturing costs. The company said components designed to deliver 100 gigabits of data a second are now on sale.

Write to Don Clark at don.clark@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 17, 2016 15:55 ET (19:55 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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