05/07/2023
Artificial intelligence is stretching the human limits of computer design, with a new Al model now creating a complete CPU (Central Processing Unit) in just under five hours, compared to the four years it takes Intel to build one.
Their CPU, which runs on an Al instruction set named RISC-V 321A, can successfully run the Linux operating system (kernel 5.15). According to the researchers, it can "perform comparably" against the 1991 human-designed Intel 80486SX CPU.
Their goal is to beat the latest human-designed CPU, while shaping the future of computing. "Our approach reduces the design cycle by about 1,000x (times] because the manual programming and verification process of traditional CPU design, which consume more than 60%-80% of the design time and resources, is completely eliminated," the paper reads. It claims that humans take 4560 hours (190 days) to complete the entire design of a traditional CPU, such as the Intel K486.
The new CPU, the paper states, achieves an accuracy of 99.99% for validation tests, while the physical design of the chip uses scripts at 65nm technology to generate the layout for fabrication. Its design decomposes the AI CPU's control and arithmetic units into smaller functional modules.
Intelligence
