AMD Acquires Europe’s Largest AI Lab for $665m

AMD has announced its plans to acquire Silo.ai, Europe’s largest private AI lab, in a $665 million cash deal. This move is aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of AMD-powered AI models and software. The acquisition of Silo.ai in Helsinki, Finland, comes after AMD's previous acquisitions of French AI FPGA compiler maker Mipsology and US open source AI software developer Nod.ai last year. Over the past year, AMD has invested $125 million in a dozen AI companies to expand the ecosystem of software and tools compatible with its CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs in data centers.

The purchase of Silo.ai marks a significant milestone in AMD's strategy to provide end-to-end AI solutions, offering tailored AI models, platforms, and solutions across cloud, embedded, and endpoint computing markets. Silo AI CEO and co-founder Peter Sarlin will continue to lead the Silo AI team as part of the AMD Artificial Intelligence Group, reporting to AMD senior vice president Vamsi Boppana. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2024.

"Silo AI has been at the forefront of scaling large language model training on LUMI, Europe’s fastest supercomputer, powered by over 12,000 AMD Instinct MI250X GPUs," said Dr. Pekka Manninen, Director of Science and Technology at CSC-IT Center for Science, Finland. "Together with university collaborators, they have developed cutting-edge open-source models for EU languages, such as the Nordic Poro and Viking models. We have worked closely with the team to optimize the software layer, enabling efficient training of AI models on LUMI."

Silo.ai boasts an impressive client roster that includes industry giants like Nokia, Philips, Rolls-Royce, and Unilever. The company is known for creating state-of-the-art open-source multilingual LLMs, such as Poro and Viking, on AMD platforms, in addition to its SiloGen model platform.

"Enterprises across all sectors are seeking rapid and efficient ways to create and implement AI solutions tailored to their specific business requirements," stated Vamsi Boppana, senior vice president of the Artificial Intelligence Group at AMD. "Silo AI's team of seasoned AI experts and their track record in developing cutting-edge AI models and solutions, including state-of-the-art LLMs on AMD platforms, will further drive our AI strategy and expedite the deployment of AI solutions for our global clientele."