Over the last couple of years, the idea that the most efficient and high performance way to accelerate deep learning training and inference is with a custom ASIC—something designed to fit the specific needs of modern frameworks.
While this idea has racked up major mileage, especially recently with the acquisition of Nervana Systems by Intel (and competitive efforts from Wave Computing and a handful of other deep learning chip startups), yet another startup is challenging the idea that a custom ASIC is the smart, cost-effective path.
The argument is a simple one; deep learning frameworks are not unified, they are constantly evolving, and this is happening far faster than startups can bring chips to market. The answer, at least according to DeePhi, is to look to reconfigurable devices. And so begins the tale of yet another deep learning chip startup, although significantly different in that its using FPGAs as the platform of choice.