Microsoft processing HW: DPU

Microsoft acquires Fungible, a maker of data processing units, to bolster Azure | TechCrunch

Microsoft had acquired Fungible, a startup fabricating a type of data center hardware known as a data processing unit (DPU), for around $190 million.

A DPU is a dedicated piece of hardware designed to handle certain data processing tasks, including security and network routing for data traffic. The approach is intended to help reduce the load on CPUs and GPUs for core computing tasks related to a given workload.

AWS has a similar while more critical HW for managing all network communication and security outside of standard virtualization SW, as well as custom general-purpose processors. With processor manufacturing available "as a service" from TSMC, as now even from Intel, there is likely to be many more specialized, "domain specific" processors.

AWS Nitro System

AWS Graviton