Futures: Introduction to AI Hardware

“Introduction to AI Hardware” provides a detailed exploration into the history and evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) hardware, exploring its development and current applications, including AI accelerators for models such as ChatGPT and Gemini. A survey of the various fields and industries that utilize AI hardware is presented and compared to software-only solutions, identifying the key metrics and components that could be targeted for implementation in either hardware or software. The course also provides a comprehensive review of the essential Digital Design techniques as well as key Machine Learning algorithm concepts, reinforcing knowledge from the prerequisite Digital Circuit Design and Machine Learning series to understand the foundational elements of digital hardware and AI software.? The course then introduces computer architecture principles, laying the groundwork for hardware architectures that are utilized today to enhance AI system performance. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the foundational knowledge in digital design and machine learning algorithms to advance to more focused AI hardware topics in the subsequent courses of the series.