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Microsoft on Tuesday revealed newfangled custom chip purpose at powering workload on its Azure cloud and bolstering security , specially a new computer hardware accelerator that can care information processing , networking , and storage - related chore .
The Azure Boost DPU is Microsoft ’s first information processing social unit , project for “ data - centric workload with high efficiency and humble world power , ” the company said . Microsoft expects succeeding DPU - equipped Azure servers to run reposition workloads at four time the performance of existing servers while waste three prison term less index .
“ project for scurf - out , composable workload on Azure , the Azure Boost DPU fork up efficiency across storage , networking , acceleration , and more for its cloud infrastructure , ” Microsoft wrote in a web log post shared with TechCrunch .
Of naturally , those benchmark do n’t narrate us much . On which work load is the Azure Boost DPU more power efficient , and compare to which existing hardware is it faster , exactly ? Microsoft did n’t say , nor did it mention when Azure client can look to see these gains .
The Azure Boost DPU likely has its origins in Fungible , a DPU fabricator that Microsoftacquiredlast December . Microsoft reportedly paid around $ 190 million for the company , which was establish by former Apple and Juniper Networks engineers . The Fungible team joined Microsoft ’s substructure engineering part following the acquisition .
A DPU is a consecrated piece of hardware designed to address sure information processing tasks that may include security department and internet routing for data point traffic . They are intended to help reduce the load on central processor and other chips for essence computing tasks related to a given workload , include AI workloads .
The DPU market has come into prominence over the past few years . Nvidia began offering its BlueField line of DPUs in 2019 , while AMD has been selling itsPensandoDPUs since 2022 . Amazon Web Services ’ ( AWS ) Nitro cards cater DPU - corresponding functionality , and Google hasworkedwith Intel to build up chips that perform many of the same functions as DPUs .
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The efficiency gains DPUs could deliver are attractive to hyperscalers , which , driven by the need for AI to expand their cloud base , are building ever larger and more power - thirsty data point centers . Microsoftsaidin 2022 that it would pay $ 800 million more in datum kernel push costs as a result of its acquire uptake .
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has debate that central processor , GPUs , and DPUs will take form the origination of information centers . Under his vision , CPUs will handle general processing , GPUs will power accelerated computer science , and DPUs will deal data flow .
Should the interest in DPUs persist regular , the market for DPU chipscould be worth $ 5.5 billion by 2031 .
Custom security chip
Microsoft also let on the Azure Integrated Hardware Security Module ( HSM ) . A Modern in - house cloud security chip , the Azure Integrated HSM lets signing keys ( digital cryptographic signatures , basically ) and encryption keys ( strings of bits used to encrypt data ) be bear in a secure module “ without compromising performance or increase latency , ” Microsoft said .
“ Azure Integrated HSM will be install in every new host in Microsoft ’s data centers take off next yr to increase protection across Azure ’s computer hardware fleet for both secret and general - purpose workloads , ” Microsoft allege .
The Azure Integrated HSM is Microsoft ’s second security chip afterPluton , a consumer - focus silicon chip build into Intel , AMD , and Qualcomm central processor . It ’s also the company ’s solution to its cloud competitor ’ proprietary solutions : AWS ’ Nitro handles certain security labor , while Google has a security chip built into Google Cloud servers called Titan .
Custom silicon can meliorate security , but it is n’t a panacea . In 2020 , researchersfound an “ unfixable ” flawin Apple ’s T2 security chip that could open up Macs up to the very threats the chip was design to keep . Microsoft did n’t provide details about exposure testing on the Azure Integrated HSM , but it hopefully will as the chip nears launch .
“ In today ’s apace exchange scourge landscape , influenced by global events and AI advancements , security must be top of judgement , ” Vasu Jakkal , Microsoft ’s CVP of security department , write in a post shared with TechCrunch . “ New attack methods gainsay our security posture , pushing us to reimagine how the global security community support organization . ”
