The world’s first open-source AI Large Language Model (LLM) designed specifically for the semiconductor industry, SemiKong, was unveiled today by Aitomatic. Revealed at SEMICON West 2024, SemiKong is set to transform semiconductor processes and fabrication technology, potentially reshaping the $500 billion industry over the next five years.
SemiKong is the product of a collaborative effort within the AI Alliance, an industry-wide initiative championing open and responsible AI development. Built on the open-source Llama3 model from Meta, SemiKong harnesses the expertise of leading semiconductor companies, including Tokyo Electron, and AI specialists like FPT Software. The AI Alliance’s dedication to open science and cross-industry innovation is demonstrated by this partnership.
In industry-specific tasks, SemiKong shows significant improvements in accuracy, relevance, and understanding of semiconductor processes, often surpassing larger general-purpose models. This increase in performance has the potential to lower costs and speed up innovation throughout the semiconductor value chain.
“SemiKong is set to redefine semiconductor manufacturing. This open innovation model, enabled by the AI Alliance, harnesses collective expertise for industry-specific challenges,” said Dr. Christopher Nguyen, CEO of Aitomatic and leader behind the SemiKong project. “At Aitomatic, we’re using SemiKong to create Domain-Specific AI Agents that tackle complex fabrication problems with unprecedented effectiveness.”
Dr. Yann LeCun, VP and Chief AI Scientist at Meta, added, “SemiKong, built on Llama3, shows open-source AI’s potential to drive specialized innovation. It’s a prime example of why we advocate for AI openness.”
Dr. Phong Nguyen, Chief AI Officer of FPT Software, noted: “FPT Software is excited to be part of this innovative initiative and eager to explore the potential applications of this model, especially to spark the convergence of global AI and semiconductor. We are confident that our participation will reinforce our position as a frontrunner in shaping the future of the global semiconductor industry.”
With SemiKong driving down semiconductor production costs, consumers could see more powerful smartphones, laptops, and smart home devices at lower prices within the next few years. Aitomatic, Tokyo Electron, and FPT Software are all AI Alliance members. Founded in 2023, the AI Alliance promotes open innovation across the AI technology landscape, including software, data and models, safety, security, and trust, tooling, evaluation, hardware, education, open science, and advocacy.
One of the main initiatives of the AI Alliance, SemiKong, tackles important cross-community issues and offers a chance for cooperation to influence AI’s future. It will be accessible for download on GitHub and HuggingFace providing businesses with a base upon which to build custom models by utilizing industry-wide expertise. The first process-specific models are anticipated by September 2024, while the next, more potent version of SemiKong is scheduled for December 2024.
In order to create an ecosystem of AI tools that will lead the semiconductor industry into a new era of efficiency and innovation, the collaborators are dedicated to continuing research and development. This discovery may hasten the development of technology related to renewable energy and quantum computing.
