Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), is launching a custom Alveo media accelerator to address the needs of websites and services dealing with the rising demand for streaming content. This media accelerator is equipped with two 5-nanometer custom chips (application specific integrated circuits, or ASICs) and is built to power a new era of immersive, interactive streaming services.
The Alveo MA35D offers an impressive channel density with up to 32 1080p60 streams on a single card. This is up to four times higher than the previous generation U30. Additionally, the platform provides vast savings in terms of costs from its power efficiency, ultra-low-latency performance, along with the next-generation AV1 transcoder engines for reducing bitrate for bandwidth savings.
At the helm of this technological milestone is AMD’s head of video strategy and market development, Sean Gardner. Through the adaptation of field-programmable gate arrays from Xilinx, a company AMD recently acquired, they have developed a chip custom-fit to match the requirements of such streaming services.
“We worked closely with our customers and partners to understand not just their technical requirements, but their infrastructure challenges in deploying high-volume, interactive streaming services profitably,” said Dan Gibbons, General Manager of AECG Data Center Group at AMD.
AMD is also unveiling the Early Access Program, an initiative to benefit qualified customers by providing comprehensive documentation and software tools to get them using the Alveo MA35D faster.
In terms of competition, AMD faces off mainly with GPUs. The AI processor included in the card helps evaluate content frame-by-frame and adjust the encoder settings accordingly.
There’s no denying the potential of the Alveo MA35D in joining, if not revolutionizing, the streaming world as we know it. Matt Frost, Alliance for Open Media Chair, applauds the release of this media accelerator and emphasizes the support of AV1 from alliance members such as AMD.
The Alveo MA35D media accelerator is sampling now and production shipments are expected by Q3 of 2021. Make sure to also join the Advanced Micro Devices execs on July 11-12 in San Francisco to learn how to integrate and optimize AI investments for success.
