The CPU race of the AI era benefits all

Undoubtedly, GPU-centric data center computing stole the spotlight in 2023 and has remained there ever since. The appeal extends beyond AI computing: GPUs are also offered as a superior solution to virtually all computational performance and power efficiency problems. This narrative, however attractive, overlooks the fact that GPUs continue to be inherently optimized for massively parallel arithmetic problems, and struggle with the more complex instructions and latency requirements of most software applications.

After four years in the shadows, the CPU is poised for a comeback in 2027. There are several components that explain the timing, but they all converge around the same point: a competitive flare-up in CPU development between incumbents Intel and AMD is coinciding with fresh bids for market share brought about by challengers, most notably Nvidia.