Companies are jostling to claim a spot in AI before the industry steadies Credit: Magdalena Petrova/IDGNS Research into artificial intelligence is going gangbusters, and the frenetic pace won’t let up for about five years — after which the industry will concentrate around a handful of core technologies and leaders, the head of Intel’s new AI division predicts. Intel is keen to be among them. In March, it formed an Artificial Intelligence Products Group headed by Naveen Rao. He previously was CEO of Nervana Systems, a deep-learning startup Intel acquired in 2016. Rao sees the industry moving at breakneck speed. “It’s incredible,” he said. “You go three weeks without reading a paper and you’re behind. It’s just amazing.” It wasn’t so long ago that artificial intelligence research was solely the domain of university research labs, but tech companies have stormed into the space in the last couple of years and sent technical hurdles tumbling. “We’ve hit upon a set of fundamental principles, and now we can really get to that point where we can innovate and iterate quickly on them and build really new cool things,” he said. Rao likened it to the development of concrete. It took a while for humans to invent and perfect concrete, but once that happened, all sorts of things suddenly became possible. “That’s why I think the next five or six years are going to be really, really fast moving. It will stabilize at that point after we figure out what the stack looks like and who the players are in the stack,” he said. Intel’s new AI group represents its biggest step yet toward being one of those leaders. The group brings together all of the company’s hardware and software research tied to machine learning, algorithms and deep learning. While Intel is best known as a chip maker, its AI research also includes software packages that help developers add AI capabilities to Intel-based hardware. By doing some of the software work, Intel aims to make it easier for its customers to build AI-based systems. That, in turn, will help it sell hardware. The company does something similar in other areas of its business. One of the areas it’s already focused on is self-driving cars. The vehicles use artificial intelligence to make split-second decisions about how to navigate roads and are a good example of a research area that’s seen rapid progress. Martyn Williams A car used by Intel to test the company’s autonomous driving technology as seen on May 3, 2017 in San Jose, California. A lot of Intel’s competition comes from the big tech companies of Silicon Valley. The U.S. is one of the biggest players in AI, thanks to companies like Google and Facebook, and Rao also credits Canada and the U.K. as pioneers. But China is beginning to make its presence felt. “I was in China a few months ago. It’s really taking off,” he said. “The folks there are very hungry to build these kinds of things, and the skill sets are building up really quick, so I think in the next couple of years you’ll start seeing China be a major player.” Related content how-to Enterprise buyer's guide: Remote IT support software Buying for the first time? Know what your options are. Considering replacing what you have? You might just save 25% or more on licensing costs. Here's what to look for and 12 leading remote support tools to consider. By Robert Mitchell Aug 19, 2024 20 mins Small and Medium Business Tech Support Collaboration Software feature Office 365: A guide to the updates Get the latest info on new features, bug fixes, and security updates for Office 365/Microsoft 365 for Windows as they roll out from Microsoft. Now updated for Version 2407 (Build 17830.20166), released on Aug. 13, 2024. By Preston Gralla Aug 14, 2024 114 mins Microsoft 365 Microsoft Office Office Suites news Adobe’s AI-powered customer journey tool helps ID enterprise buyers The new enterprise-focused version of the Journey Optimizer app, built on the Adobe Experience Platform, features AI assistance to help target teams of buyers. By Matthew Finnegan Aug 07, 2024 4 mins Generative AI Collaboration Software Enterprise Applications how-to Download our desk-booking software enterprise buyer’s guide Having fewer office workspaces due to remote work has created a musical chairs situation in offices. Employees need a way to reserve workspaces and associated resources they need to do their jobs. That's where desk booking software comes in. By Keith Shaw and Robert Mitchell Jul 19, 2024 1 min Business Services Remote Work Enterprise Buyer’s Guides Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe