(MENAFN) Open-source innovation is poised to dramatically lower the barriers to developing AI processors, making them both more affordable and accessible, according to renowned chip architect Jim Keller.

Keller, a veteran engineer whose resume includes stints at AMD, Apple, and Tesla, told Anadolu Agency during the GITEX Global conference that widespread beliefs about the complexity and cost of AI hardware are largely overstated.

“Actually, AI processors are simpler than people think,” Keller said.

“And people would like you to believe you need $100 billion to develop an AI processor — you don’t.”

Speaking on the sidelines of GITEX Global — one of the world’s largest technology and AI gatherings — Keller emphasized that programmable hardware and a creative engineering approach are critical to the future of AI chip development.

“As long as the hardware chips are really programmable and people can be creative about how they build the new solutions,” he said, innovation will thrive.

Keller now leads Tenstorrent, a company developing open-source processor technology, including both AI and general-purpose chips. The firm has also released its AI compiler to the public.

“The current models are really good; they’re still getting better,” he noted.

“Every day I read an article that something’s hit a limit — we haven’t got close to the limit. The demand for it is really, really big; so, I don’t know, the next five years are going to be really interesting.”

Keller argued that government-imposed restrictions on chip technology are unlikely to succeed long-term, pointing out that open knowledge sharing often renders such limitations ineffective.

“Because some of the technology is really open already, (and) people publish a lot,” he said.
“What turns out is (that), when you restrict one area, you just force that area to develop it by themselves, and then so far what’s happened is that (it) just means they catch up.”
“I hope we get to a world where it’s more open and there’s less restrictions.”

Reflecting on his tenure at several leading tech companies, Keller said success often hinges on culture and autonomy.

“Every company is kind of different, right, (and) they have different cultures,” he said.

“The thing that works best is when the team is driving towards a really good goal, like a great product, and then I really like when the engineers can own their own work and be really inspired about what they do every day and who they work with.”

“I’d like to create a really open environment where everybody gets to learn, gets to do something, (and) gets to own their destiny.”

The 45th edition of GITEX Global launched Monday in Dubai and runs through Friday, with participation from 6,800 companies representing 180 countries.

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