Intel sees glass as vital material in race to power AI

INTELIS BETTING on an unexpected material to help the world's computers handle ever-growing artificial intelligence (AI) workloads: glass. As processors become larger and more complex, their ability to communicate with the rest of the computer is going to become a chokepoint, according to Intel researchers.

- IAN KING

Glass-based substrates, which sit between the chip and connecting components, are the answer to this challenge, the company says.

For Intel, a chip pioneer that's now chasing Nvidia for the limelight, the new approach is a chance to show off its ability to innovate for an Al world and win new customers in the process. The company has ramped up R&D spending to nearly $18 billion a year, well more than peers.

Intel's glass push is coming from its packaging research and production facilities, a little-known part of its technology lineup. The Santa Clara, California-based company is trying to raise the profile of the business, part of a broader effort to attract customers to its manufacturing operations.