Microsoft has introduced its newest AI accelerator, the Microsoft Azure Maia 200. The new in-house AI chip is the next generation of Microsoft's Maia GPU line, a server chip designed for inferencing AI models with ludicrous speeds and feeds to outperform the custom offerings from hyperscaler competitors Amazon and Google.
Maia 200 is labelled Microsoft's "most efficient inference system" ever deployed, with all of its press releases splitting time between praising its big performance numbers and stressing Microsoft's lip service to environmentalism. Microsoft claims the Maia 200 gives 30% more performance per dollar than the first-gen Maia 100, an impressive feat considering the new chip also technically advertizes a 50% higher TDP than its predecessor.
