Software for new processor designs is critical to enabling application deployment and optimizing performance. UK-based startup Graphcore, a provider of silicon for application acceleration, places significant emphasis on software. Graphcore’s Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU) utilizes the expression of an algorithm as a directed graph, and the Poplar software stack translates models and algorithms into those graphs for execution. The software simplifies adoption of the chip for AI and parallel computing, making it vital to the company’s success. This paper explores the benefits provided by the company’s software and discusses how these capabilities could speed development and deployment of applications that run on Graphcore IPUs.
By Karl Freund/Patrick Moorhead