$12K machine promises performance that can scale to 32 chip servers and beyond but immature stack makes harnessing compute challenging

hands on Tenstorrent probably isn't the first name that springs to mind when it comes to AI infrastructure. But unlike the litany of AI chip startups vying for VC funding and a slice of Nvidia's pie, Tenstorrent's chips actually exist outside the lab.

If you're feeling a little non-conformist and want to color outside the lines, Tenstorrent parts and systems are readily available to anyone that wants them. In fact, you may be surprised to discover the company has already shipped three generations of its RISC-V-based accelerators in an effort to build momentum within the open-source community.

Their philosophy is to deliver a reasonably performant accelerator that can scale efficiently from a single card to a 32-chip system and beyond, at a fraction of the cost of competing AMD or Nvidia GPU boxes. 

El Reg recently had the privilege of going hands-on with one of the ...