On April 16th, at the Create 2024 Baidu AI Developer Conference held in Shenzhen, Baidu announced the launch of its latest innovation: the “Wanyuan” intelligent computing operating system. This new system marks a significant shift in the landscape of cloud computing, with a focus on intelligent computing as the core.

The “Wanyuan” operating system, presented by Shen Dou, Executive Vice President of Baidu Group and President of Baidu Smart Cloud Business Group, aims to simplify and enhance the development experience for AI-native applications. By abstracting and encapsulating the complexities of cloud-native systems and heterogeneous computing power, Wanyuan promises to revolutionize the way developers interact with computing platforms.

Shen Dou emphasized that traditional cloud computing systems are still relevant but no longer take center stage. With the rise of intelligent computing, there is a need for a new operating system that can redefine human-computer interaction and provide developers with a smoother development experience.

“Wanyuan” has three layers: Kernel, Shell, and Toolkit. At the kernel level, Baidu’s Baige AI heterogeneous computing platform has been optimized for tasks such as large model training and inference. It achieves impressive efficiency and performance, leading the industry in computing power efficiency.

“Wanyuan” also supports compatibility with mainstream AI chips, allowing users to adapt computing power at minimal cost. This flexibility addresses the challenges of utilizing multiple chips in model training scenarios, ensuring smooth performance and cost-effectiveness.

The operating system also incorporates large models, which efficiently compress vast amounts of world knowledge and encapsulate natural language understanding. This enables users to meet diverse needs in different business scenarios.

At the Shell layer, the system provides tools for model management, scheduling, and development, shielding developers from the complexities of model development. The workflow orchestration function enables easy customization of business processes, while the model routing service optimizes model selection for different tasks, reducing inference costs by up to 30%.

“Wanyuan” represents a significant step forward in the evolution of intelligent computing operating systems. By simplifying development processes and enhancing performance, Baidu aims to empower developers and enterprises to unlock new possibilities in AI-native applications. 

Related:

• Baidu unveils Revolutionary AI Tools and Models at Create 2024 conference
• Apple reportedly considering Baidu AI for iPhone 16 in China
• Baidu’s Apollo Go makes history with the first fully driverless crossing of the Yangtze River

The post Baidu Unveils “Wanyuan”: A New Intelligent Operating System appeared first on Gizmochina.