FILE PHOTO: IBM announced a new line of data center chips and servers that it says will be more power-efficient than rivals and will simplify the process of rolling out AI.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
International Business Machines on Tuesday announced a new line of data center chips and servers that it says will be more power-efficient than rivals and will simplify the process of rolling out artificial intelligence in business operations.
IBM introduced its new Power11 chips on Tuesday, marking its first major update to its “Power” line of chips since 2020.
These chips have traditionally vied against offerings from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices in data centers, particularly in specialized sectors such as financial services, manufacturing and healthcare.
Like Nvidia’s AI servers, IBM’s Power systems are an integrated package of chips and software.
Tom McPherson, general manager of Power systems at IBM, said the Armonk, New York-based company used that tight coupling to focus on reliability and security.
The Power11 systems, available from July 25, will not need any planned downtime for software updates, and their unplanned downtime each year averages just over 30 seconds.
They are also designed to detect and respond within a minute to a ransomware attack – where hackers encrypt data and then try to extract a ransom in exchange for the keys, IBM said.
In the fourth quarter of this year, IBM plans to integrate Power11 with Spyre, its AI chip introduced last year.
McPherson said IBM does not aim to compete with Nvidia in helping create and train AI systems, but is instead focused on simplifying AI deployment for inference, the process of putting an AI system to work in speeding up a business task.
“We can integrate AI capabilities seamlessly into this for inference acceleration and help their business process improvements,” McPherson said in an interview last week referring to work with early customers.
“It’s not going to have all the horsepower for training or anything, but it’s going to have really good inferencing capabilities that are simple to integrate.”
🚀 Elon Musk unveils Colossus, the world’s most powerful AI supercomputer, as part of xAI’s ambitious expansion.
🤝 Strategic partnerships with Dell Technologies and Super Micro Computer, along with $6 billion funding, fuel xAI’s growth.
🔥 Colossus sparks environmental concerns in Memphis over its gas-powered turbines and regulatory compliance issues.
🔧 Nvidia’s H100 and H200 chips power Colossus, marking a significant milestone in AI technology and industry advancement.
Elon Musk’s relentless pursuit of AI supremacy has taken a monumental step forward with the introduction of Colossus, a groundbreaking supercomputer. Boasting an astounding 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, this AI powerhouse promises to redefine the landscape of artificial intelligence. As xAI, Musk’s brainchild, plans to enhance Colossus with an additional 100,000 GPUs, including the cutting-edge H200 chips, the stakes in the AI race have never been higher. This bold move is not merely a technological feat but a statement of intent, as Musk aims to outpace rivals such as OpenAI and Meta, cementing his place at the forefront of AI innovation.
The Birth of Colossus: A Supercomputer Like No Other
Launched in a mere four months, Colossus stands as a testament to the rapid advancements in AI technology spearheaded by Elon Musk and his team at xAI. Unlike other AI clusters, Colossus integrates its vast number of GPUs into a singular, cohesive system, allowing for unparalleled performance and efficiency. This supercomputer will serve as the training ground for xAI’s next-generation large language models (LLMs), including the upcoming Grok-3, which is poised to challenge OpenAI’s GPT-4 by December.
Elon Musk, ever the visionary, took to his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), to laud the efforts of his team and partners. “Excellent work by the team, Nvidia, and our many partners/suppliers,” Musk declared, highlighting the collaborative nature of this monumental achievement. The creation of Colossus is not just a milestone for xAI but a significant leap for the entire AI industry, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Partnerships and Power: Behind the Scenes of Colossus
Colossus’s creation was made possible through strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Dell Technologies and Super Micro Computer. Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies, expressed immense pride in contributing to this groundbreaking project. Furthermore, xAI’s financial prowess was bolstered by a substantial $6 billion Series B funding round, led by top investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, elevating its valuation to an impressive $24 billion.
However, the supercomputer’s immense power requirements have sparked controversy. Environmental advocates in Memphis, Tennessee, where Colossus is housed, have voiced concerns over the use of gas-powered turbines to meet its energy demands. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has accused xAI of operating without the necessary air permits, potentially exacerbating local air pollution. These allegations underscore the delicate balance between technological advancement and environmental responsibility.
The Technical Edge: Nvidia’s Role in Colossus’s Supremacy
Nvidia’s cutting-edge technology is at the heart of Colossus’s impressive capabilities. The H100 and H200 chips, known for their exceptional memory and bandwidth performance, are instrumental in powering this AI behemoth. While Nvidia has recently unveiled its Blackwell chip, which surpasses the H200’s specifications, the H200 remains integral to Colossus’s architecture.
The AI community has reacted with enthusiasm to the launch of Colossus, viewing it as a pivotal moment in the industry’s evolution. Nvidia and industry luminaries like Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, have praised xAI’s groundbreaking achievement, recognizing Colossus as a significant milestone in AI development. This collaboration between xAI and Nvidia exemplifies the synergy between visionary leadership and cutting-edge technology, propelling the AI industry to new heights.
Despite its technological marvel, Colossus has ignited environmental and regulatory concerns. The SELC’s allegations regarding the turbines’ operation without proper permits cast a spotlight on the environmental impact of such massive computing infrastructure. Elon Musk’s vision of AI dominance comes with a considerable environmental cost, emphasizing the need for sustainable energy solutions as AI systems scale.
Musk, an advocate for responsible AI development, supports legislative efforts like California’s Senate Bill 1047, which aims to regulate AI technologies. This stance, however, has sparked debates within the tech community, with some fearing that it could stifle innovation. As xAI navigates these challenges, the balance between technological progress and ethical responsibility continues to be a focal point in the AI discourse.
As xAI continues to expand Colossus, the potential for groundbreaking advancements in AI research and development is immense. This supercomputer is not just a technological marvel; it embodies Musk’s ambition to redefine AI capabilities and secure a leading position in the AI sector. However, navigating complex regulatory landscapes and addressing environmental concerns will be crucial in fully realizing Colossus’s potential. What role will ethical and sustainable practices play in the future of AI development?
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Dive Brief:
Kroger will continue investing in AI as tools enable better product visibility and productivity, leading to reduced inventory loss or shrink and improved talent retention, executives said during the grocer’s Q1 earnings call in June.
“We’ve seen good progress [around shrink],” SVP and CFO David Kennerley said during the call. “What we really attribute this to is we’ve made some investments in some AI-enabled technology and deployed new processes around that technology.”
The company also launched a virtual AI assistant for its associates, which it partly credited for record levels of store and company retention during the quarter. “When our associates stay longer, they learn more, take on additional responsibilities and deliver a better customer experience, which leads to better sales,” said interim CEO Ron Sargent.
The grocer will close60 underperforming stores by the end of next year as it reassesses capital allocation and “aggressively” finds ways to reduce costs throughout the company, according to the earnings call.
Kroger sees AI and other technologies as part of the solution, too.
“The other thing that will also contribute towards better cost performance is what I call ways of working and process improvement,” Kennerley said. “There’s a lot of opportunity here to work smarter, more efficiently, more tech-enabled, and we’ve already got some good proof points on that.”
Excluding fuel, identical-store sales ticked up 3.2% during Q1 2025, which ended May 24, compared with the same period last year. Kroger characterizes a store as identical if it operates without expansion or relocation for five full quarters.
Kroger’s once-sought-after merger partner, Albertsons, has similarly sharpened its technology focus while eyeing cost-saving measures.
“Our North Star is to use technology in everything that we do,” Albertsons CEO Susan Morris said during the company’s Q4 2024 earnings report in April.
As part of the strategy, the Idaho-headquartered grocer plans to increase AI use to enhance product quality and monitoring for freshness as it looks to drive higher sales and better customer experiences.
The efforts also align with Albertsons’ three-year plan to cut $1.5 billion in costs that rolled out after the merger failed.
Scientists leverage artificial intelligence to overcome a major hurdle in zinc-ion battery development, paving the way for cheaper, greener, and more efficient energy storage.
In a significant leap forward for battery innovation, scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and China’s Huaiyin Normal University have teamed up to create an AI-powered system that could drastically improve how rechargeable batteries are made.
Led by Dr. Edison Huixiang Ang from the NIE/NTU, the team has harnessed artificial intelligence (AI) to solve one of the biggest challenges in zinc-ion battery technology, preventing dendrite growth.
Zinc-ion batteries are a promising alternative to today’s lithium batteries. They are cheaper, safer, and better for the environment. But they have one big problem-tiny spikes called dendrites can grow inside the battery when it charges. These spikes can cause the battery to stop working or even short-circuit.
To solve this, Dr. Ang’s team turned to AI. Instead of testing materials one by one, the AI quickly checked over 168,000 different combinations. This smart approach led them to a special material made from cerium and iron, called a metal-organic framework (MOF), that helps stop the dangerous spikes from forming.
The team also created a thin protective layer using this material. In tests, the new battery design worked for over 4,300 hours and stayed almost 100% efficient after 1,400 charge cycles-much better than regular batteries.
This discovery could be useful for electric cars, phones, and storing solar or wind energy. As we move toward a greener world, having strong and reliable batteries is more important than ever.
“AI is helping scientists everywhere work smarter,” said Dr. Ang. “It’s opening the door to new ideas that can change the world.”
Journal Reference
Jianbo Dong, Guolang Zhou, Wenhao Ding, Jiayi Ji, Qing Wang, Tianshi Wang, Lili Zhang, Xiuyang Zou, Jingzhou Yin and Edison Huixiang Ang. Machine learning-assisted benign transformation of three zinc states in zinc ion batteries. Energy & Environmental Science, 2025,18, 4872-4882. DOI: 10.1039/D5EE00650C
