[Aissen]

> 880mm^2 die

That's a lot of surface, isn't it? As big an M1 Ultra (2x M1 Max at 432mm² on TSMC N5P), a bit bigger than an A100 (820mm² on TSMC N7) or H100 (814mm² on TSMC N5).

> The larger the die size, the lower the yield.

I wonder if that applies? What's the big deal if a few parameter have a few bit flips?

[rbanffy]

> I wonder if that applies? What's the big deal if a few parameter have a few bit flips?

We get into the sci-fi territory where a machine achieves sentience because it has all the right manufacturing defects.

Reminds me of this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Logic_Named_Joe

[sowbug]

Also see Adrian Thompson's Xilinx 6200 FPGA, programmed by a genetic algorithm that worked but exploited nuances unique to that specific physical chip, meaning the software couldn't be copied to another chip. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43152877

[rbanffy]

I love that story.

[philipwhiuk]

2000s movie line territory:

> There have always been ghosts in the machine. Random segments of code, that have grouped together to form unexpected protocols.