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Andreessen Horowitz helps founders meet their compute needs with its “Oxygen” private GPU cluster.

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Andreessen Horowitz has a large cluster of Nvidia H100 GPUs which can be helping a portfolio of artificial intelligence startups meet their computing needs, the enterprise capital firm confirmed for the primary time on Wednesday. The program, called “Oxygen,” allows portfolio firms to coach or operate AI models without negotiating market rates.

A16Z’s Oxygen cluster gives startups a respiration space, so to talk, to compete with larger tech firms – like Google, Meta and Microsoft – in constructing large AI models. For several years, these firms have been engaged in a bidding war for AI industry standard GPUs, especially the H100, often winning contracts by promising larger and longer contracts. This leaves many AI startups out within the cold as they might not have the opportunity to tackle the massive contracts needed to secure GPUs, unlike the OpenAI and Anthropics of the world.

“It started with the realization that many of the AI ​​developers we serve every day had a common problem: We found ourselves in the middle of a supply crisis when the processing power of the Nvidia H100 card was in short supply,” said A16Z partner Anjney Midha, who helped create this system Oxygen in a podcast transcript provided to TechCrunch. “As startups, large clouds de-prioritized them in favor of larger customers, which was really difficult for them.”

Infrastructure can be a superb way for A16Z to draw latest startups. Companies constructing AI models often need unlimited access to very large compute clusters for brief training runs, but this isn’t any longer needed once the models are trained. Inferring AI models typically requires less computation than training, unless the usage of the AI ​​model explodes. A16Z’s Oxygen cluster gives startups the flexibleness to have access to GPUs once they need them and not using a long-term commitment to a cloud provider or an enormous outlay of cash. Instead, they provide A16Z a stake in their business in exchange for (amongst other things) low GPU rental prices.

But A16Z aren’t the one investors who promise startup founders GPUs along with financial capital and guidance in exchange for shares in their firms. Investment partners Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross offer their startups access to a 4000 GPU cluster in accordance with Forbes, it was named the Andromeda Cluster. Y Combinator also offers startups a GPU cluster for training purposes through partnerships with various cloud service providers, most recently Google Cloud.

A spokesman for Andreessen Horowitz declined to comment on the dimensions of the Oxygen cluster, nonetheless A16Z could have the most important GPU war chest of any enterprise capital firm. Information in July it said Oxygen could contain greater than 20,000 GPUs.

At one point within the podcast, Midha claims that the Oxygen cluster could ease the pressure on AI startups to boost funds at inflated valuations to pay their computing bills. This is one other way oxygen advantages A16Z. Instead of investing more in a startup so it may buy GPUs from, say, Microsoft, A16Z can offer just the GPUs and invest at a cheaper price.

A16Z sees oxygen as a core value proposition for its startups, which can proceed to thrive so long as the AI ​​boom continues as predicted. This is probably going why the startup made the large investments required to secure these chips.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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US medical device giant Artivion says hackers stole files during a cybersecurity incident

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Artivion, a medical device company that produces implantable tissue for heart and vascular transplants, says its services have been “disrupted” resulting from a cybersecurity incident.

In 8-K filing In an interview with the SEC on Monday, Georgia-based Artivion, formerly CryoLife, said it became aware of a “cybersecurity incident” that involved the “compromise and encryption” of information on November 21. This suggests that the corporate was attacked by ransomware, but Artivion has not yet confirmed the character of the incident and didn’t immediately reply to TechCrunch’s questions. No major ransomware group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Artivion said it took some systems offline in response to the cyberattack, which the corporate said caused “disruptions to certain ordering and shipping processes.”

Artivion, which reported third-quarter revenue of $95.8 million, said it didn’t expect the incident to have a material impact on the corporate’s funds.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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It’s a Raspberry Pi 5 in a keyboard and it’s called Raspberry Pi 500

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Manufacturer of single-board computers Raspberry Pi is updating its cute little computer keyboard device with higher specs. Named Raspberry Pi500This successor to the Raspberry Pi 400 is just as powerful as the present Raspberry Pi flagship, the Raspberry Pi 5. It is on the market for purchase now from Raspberry Pi resellers.

The Raspberry Pi 500 is the simplest method to start with the Raspberry Pi because it’s not as intimidating because the Raspberry Pi 5. When you take a look at the Raspberry Pi 500, you do not see any chipsets or PCBs (printed circuit boards). The Raspberry Pi is totally hidden in the familiar housing, the keyboard.

The idea with the Raspberry Pi 500 is you could connect a mouse and a display and you are able to go. If, for instance, you’ve got a relative who uses a very outdated computer with an outdated version of Windows, the Raspberry Pi 500 can easily replace the old PC tower for many computing tasks.

More importantly, this device brings us back to the roots of the Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi computers were originally intended for educational applications. Over time, technology enthusiasts and industrial customers began using single-board computers all over the place. (For example, when you’ve ever been to London Heathrow Airport, all of the departures and arrivals boards are there powered by Raspberry Pi.)

Raspberry Pi 500 draws inspiration from the roots of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a non-profit organization. It’s the right first computer for college. In some ways, it’s a lot better than a Chromebook or iPad because it’s low cost and highly customizable, which inspires creative pondering.

The Raspberry Pi 500 comes with a 32GB SD card that comes pre-installed with Raspberry Pi OS, a Debian-based Linux distribution. It costs $90, which is a slight ($20) price increase over the Raspberry Pi 400.

Only UK and US keyboard variants will probably be available at launch. But versions with French, German, Italian, Japanese, Nordic and Spanish keyboard layouts will probably be available soon. And when you’re in search of a bundle that features all the things you would like, Raspberry Pi also offers a $120 desktop kit that features the Raspberry Pi 500, a mouse, a 27W USB-C power adapter, and a micro-HDMI to HDMI cable.

In other news, Raspberry Pi has announced one other recent thing: the Raspberry Pi monitor. It is a 15.6-inch 1080p monitor that’s priced at $100. Since there are quite a few 1080p portable monitors available on the market, this launch is not as noteworthy because the Pi 500. However, for die-hard Pi fans, there’s now also a Raspberry Pi-branded monitor option available.

Image credits:Raspberry Pi

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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Apple Vision Pro may add support for PlayStation VR controllers

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Vision Pro headset

According to Apple, Apple desires to make its Vision Pro mixed reality device more attractive for gamers and game developers latest report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

The Vision Pro was presented more as a productivity and media consumption device than a tool geared toward gamers, due partly to its reliance on visual and hand controls moderately than a separate controller.

However, Apple may need gamers if it desires to expand the Vision Pro’s audience, especially since Gurman reports that lower than half one million units have been sold to this point. As such, the corporate has reportedly been in talks with Sony about adding support for PlayStation VR2 handheld controllers, and has also talked to developers about whether they may support the controllers of their games.

Offering more precise control, Apple may also make other forms of software available in Vision Pro, reminiscent of Final Cut Pro or Adobe Photoshop.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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