Cerebras Updates Wafer Scale Engine on 7 nm - 2.6 Trillion Transistors, 40 GB Onboard SRAM, 850,000 Cores, 12" Wafer

[Raevenlord]

Cerebras has announced the successor to their record-breaking Wafer Scale Engine. The newly re-engineered Wafer Scale Engine 2 has been redesigned for TSMC's 7 nm manufacturing process - a severe improvement over the original's 16 nm. That Cerebras has moved on to TSMC's 7 nm for this giant, wafer-sized accelerator is telling of the confidence and state of yields on TSMC's 7 nm - if the process wasn't considered to be stable and guaranteeing incredibly good yields, I doubt such an effort would have been undertaken.






The updated Wafer Scale Engine 2 now packs a staggering 850,000 cores (compared to the original's 400,000); offers 40 GB of on-chip SRAM (up from 18 GB); 20 PetaBytes/s memory bandwidth (up from 9 PB/s), and 220 PB/s interconnect fabric speed (up from 100 PB/s). These improvements and increases have been achieved with the same power envelope as the original, set at a staggering 20 kW (system) and 15 kW (chip) power consumption. These are enabled by the much higher transistor density of 7 nm vs 16 nm, which enables 2.6 Trillion transistors on the Wafer Scale Engine 2 compared to a "paltry" 1.2 Trillion on the original, 16 nm version of it, whilst occupying the same 46,225 square millimeters (about 21.5 x 21.5 cm). Cerebras has one-upped itself, building upon what already had to be the most impressive feat of classical chip engineering.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Space Lynx]

that is one crazy stock photo with the dining utensils. what ballers.

 

[Imouto]

Waffle sized.

 

[mtcn77]

I wonder how they connect it, is it like a sim card for a whole server deck?

 

[Deleted member 205776]

Idk why but I want to eat it

 

[Vayra86]

Careful now, Raja is carefully watching you, he's seeing potential to finally rival Nvidia chips.

Die size is after all just a detail.

 

[hat]

I heard about this before, but I still have no idea what these are being used for, or by who.

 

[Nordic]

What kind of PPD could I get on WCG?

 

[P4-630]

Reminds me, it's time for dinner....

 

[Frank_100]

.....but will it play Crysis.

 

[1d10t]

It's been around for years(?) but I haven't heard anyone who uses it.

 

[xrror]

I always love the idea of this, but they never have details on things like how they're going to package it (surely it's not just this naked slab - as sweet visually as that would be) and also things like thermals when you light up an entire silicon wafer at once.

That said, still love the idea.

 

[msimax]

can it run cyberpunk lol

 

[windwhirl]

that is one crazy stock photo with the dining utensils. what ballers.

I bet that was entirely aimed at DR. Ian Cutress.

 

[XiGMAKiD]

I bet that was entirely aimed at Dr. Ian Cutress.

 

[windwhirl]

Happy now?

 

[Minus Infinity]

.....but will it play Crysis.

Crysis remastered in 8K with AA, and RT.

 

[windwhirl]

Crysis remastered in 8K with AA, and RT.

And 360 Hz.

 

[laszlo]

need 4 of this to eat on them lol

i didn't found in their white papers how to clean them after

 

[randomUser]

if the process wasn't considered to be stable and guaranteeing incredibly good yields, I doubt such an effort would have been undertaken

I think you wouldnt care that much about yields when you can sell single sheet system for million or more.
I mean, it costs like 50USD or so to print chips on single wafer, so even with 5% yield rate you would only need 20 wafers before you get the perfect one. Thats only a kilo of USD. Selling that perfect wafer for a million covers production costs for decades.

 

[not_my_real_name]

I think you wouldnt care that much about yields when you can sell single sheet system for million or more.
I mean, it costs like 50USD or so to print chips on single wafer, so even with 5% yield rate you would only need 20 wafers before you get the perfect one. Thats only a kilo of USD. Selling that perfect wafer for a million covers production costs for decades.

Somewhere there was an article about the cost of the wafers. 7nm wafer cost $ 10k there. The design itself allows you to bypass problem areas. So, at this cost of the wafer, I think you are generally right about the latter statement.

 

[Fourstaff]

15kw ... I wonder how efficient this chip is, compared to the conventional ones.

 

[Bytales]

And 360 Hz.

Rendered in software mode.

 

[Houd.ini]

15kw ... I wonder how efficient this chip is, compared to the conventional ones.

0,018 W per core... seems pretty efficient.

 

[Tardian]

Die Hard 2021?