Here is collection of some predictions for year 2023. This is a collection of links to prediction articles followed by a short quote or quotes of what I see the main points in them.
Ennuste vuodelle 2023: Ongelmat helpottavat
“After a couple of exceptional years, the electronics market, challenged by the pandemic and pent-up demand, has signs of a calmer ride on the horizon. Mouser’s Mark Burr-Lonnon predicts slower, but more predictable growth”
“According to World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, the global semiconductor market will grow by 13.9 percent in 2022 and continue to grow by 4.6 percent in 2023. While these statistics show that global demand for semiconductors is slowing, they still show steady growth in all key regions of the world as the electronics industry begins to settle into a more manageable state of equilibrium.”
AMD, Intel, and Nvidia Reportedly Slash Orders with TSMC
“Large customers revise orders to TSMC due to the economy slowdown.”
“According to the report, virtually all TSMC clients will experience a downturn and have to cut orders, so TSMC’s utilization will decline significantly in Q1 2023. For example, the utilization rate of TSMC’s N7-capable lines (7nm, 6nm-class technologies) will decline to around 50% in early 2023. Furthermore, even TSMC’s N5/N4-capable lines will be underutilized”
Tech That Will Change Your Life in 2023
“Big layoffs at Meta, Amazon, Snap and others? A global crypto fraud set in the Bahamas? Elon Musk buying and running Twitter? Look, not even Nostradamus could have seen all that coming.”
“The Metaverse, Now More Than Just Meta. For the last two years, we’ve said this is the year for virtual and augmented reality. But in 2023 we’re confident: headsets that give you a choice of VR (where you’re in a virtual world) and AR (where the virtual is overlaid in your real world) are coming. And they won’t just be from Meta, current holder of 90% of the VR market, according to research firm IDC.”
“Tech companies and their investors are grappling with the industry’s biggest downturn since at least 2008. The result is layoffs and hiring freezes at companies large and small. The PC and chip industries in particular have been clobbered by the biggest drop in sales in more than two decades. And while many survivors of past tech downturns preach that cuts should be deep, fast and early, it appears that the pain for tech workers will continue into 2023.”
“Account moochers, beware: The Netflix password crackdown is coming in early 2023. Netflix is the first streamer with an enforcement policy.”
“China and the U.S. are so interdependent—for manufacturing of smartphones and other electronics, for EV batteries and solar panels, for raw materials and intellectual property—it seems impossible they could go their separate ways with their own parallel supply chains and production bases. Yet it’s happening.”
“Artificial Intelligence Finds Real Use”
“Smart Home Gets Easier-ish”
“European Union legislation is changing Apple’s smartphones.”
Digipelaaminen ja e-pelimediat entistä suositumpia – kännykkäpelaaminen ei kasva enää
“Digital gaming and the consumption of game-related media content is increasingly popular, according to the Gamer Barometer 2022 study conducted at the University of Tampere. An increasing proportion of Finns play digital games at least occasionally, but the number of active mobile players is no longer growing at the previous pace.
Active mobile gaming has for the first time in the history of Gamer Barometers turned into a slight decrease, but still 59 percent of Finns still occasionally play mobile games.”
Xiaomin uusin sisältää tekniikkaa, jota ei ole vielä edes standardoitu
“Wi-Fi 7 support is of course interesting, when the IEEE standard is apparently not being completed until around 2024. Next year, however, a number of Wi-Fi 7-compatible smartphones will be introduced to the market. Xiaomi’s 13 Pro will probably be the first of them. Its arrival in Finland and prices will be revealed later.”
The tech IPO market collapsed in 2022, and next year doesn’t look much better
3 views: Predicting 2023’s key startup themes
“Anna Heim: The rise of API-first startups will continue in 2023
I am convinced that API-first will be a major trend in 2023, with this approach being both more widespread than it was previously, as well as more successful than less API-heavy options.
That APIs are on the rise isn’t exactly new — but API-first startups are a subgroup in this world, and one that is enjoying tailwinds.”
“The software company Tiobe measures the popularity of programming languages with its famous index, which measures search engine searches. Changes on the list happen slowly, but in December something happened right at the top of the list. C++ became the third most popular language over Java.”
“It’s not a trivial change, as C++ overtook Java for the first time in history. The top of the list is unchanged. Python and C are clearly in a class of their own.”
Sanna Marin: EU:n pitää katkaista teknologinen riippuvuus Kiinasta
“In an interview with Slush CEO Eerika Savolainen, Marin demanded that Europe break its technological dependence on China.
- We cannot depend on China. Economic relations should not be severed, but we cannot be in a position where an authoritarian country operating with a different logic is able to blackmail us, Marin said.
- I am afraid that we will make the same mistake with technology and digitality as with energy. We thought that a close economic relationship would prevent war, but we were wrong.”
Kyberturvan ammattilaisista on huutava pula
“There is an acute shortage of cyber security professionals. There is an estimated global shortage of three million professionals.”
Innovators 2023
These are some of the innovators and leaders in the electronics technology space.
Ennuste vuodelle 2023: Ongelmat helpottavat
“the demand for smarter and more networked products and systems has also spread to business-to-business sectors, where digitization and the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution have begun to take over the sector. For example, in manufacturing, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), characterized by interconnected sensors, communication/data transfer, and advanced data analytics, has transformed the efficiency of production processes in the factory. The IIoT depends on highly advanced integrated circuits that provide intelligence for sensing, measurement and monitoring, power management, control and communication.”
1,139 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/tekniset-artikkelit/15338-anturin-rooli-kasvaa-saehkoeautoissa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Galvanizing the Chip Industry to Go Green
July 24, 2023
2
Schneider Electric wants to help chipmakers curb their ever-expanding carbon footprint.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/power/article/21270158/electronic-design-galvanizing-the-chip-industry-to-go-green?utm_source=EG+ED+Analog+%26+Power+Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS230720031&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.identpull=omeda|7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Uusi piiri tuo 60 gigahertsin tutkan kuluttajalaitteisiin
https://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15158&via=n&datum=2023-07-28_14:09:47&mottagare=31202
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. Semiconductor Workforce Shortage Reaching Critical Stage
Aug. 1, 2023
7
As the U.S. semiconductor industry expands in the years ahead, so too will its demand for talent.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/embedded/article/21270688/electronic-design-us-semiconductor-workforce-shortage-reaching-critical-stage?utm_source=EG+ED+Connected+Solutions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS230727090&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.identpull=omeda|7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Unity “sorry” about controversy, makes changes after “hard feedback”
Unity, the cross-platform game engine used by many of our favorite developers, has officially revised its controversial fee policy changes following backlash.
https://www.pcgamesn.com/unity/fee-policy-changes?fbclid=IwAR17UIzHoPrxJkT8ijwwA2Mx5SlOddN3IinuLu09EJ0tVyuW9p3TQulRjT0
Tomi Engdahl says:
Simon Sharwood / The Register:
Google plans to discontinue Gmail’s Basic HTML version in January 2024, saying the view does not include “full Gmail feature functionality” — The blind think this is not a visionary decision — Google will discontinue the Basic HTML version of its Gmail service in January 2024.
Google killing Basic HTML version of Gmail In January 2024
The blind think this is not a visionary decision
https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/25/gmail_basic_html_discontinued/
Google will discontinue the Basic HTML version of its Gmail service in January 2024.
It’s unclear when Google made the decision to end Basic HTML support – news of which can be found in this support page titled “Use the latest version of Gmail in your browser.” Archive.org’s last capture of the page comes from late 2022, and Google’s own cache has not coughed up info that would identify the date of the change.
The Register asked Google when the decision to end Basic HTML was made, and why.
A spokesperson sent us the following statement:
“The Gmail Basic HTML views are previous versions of Gmail that were replaced by their modern successors 10+ years ago and do not include full Gmail feature functionality.”
Google suggests that not including “full Gmail feature functionality” is the point of the Basic HTML offering. When your correspondent loaded it, Google delivered a warning that it is “designed for slower connections and legacy browsers.”
Intriguingly, when we used Chrome’s Inspect>Network tool to test the HTML page’s load time, it came in at 1200 milliseconds. Full fat Gmail loaded in 700 milliseconds – but then kept loading elements for almost a minute before settling down.
The decision has been criticized by Pratik Patel, who describes himself on Mastodon as “a blind technologist … who finds himself championing #accessibility for fun and necessity.”
“I know many #blind people who use GMail’s HTML view. Not only will they be confused but will be unhappy,” he wrote.
Google is infamous for discontinuing services that – for whatever reasons – don’t meet its goals. Over the years it has killed off favorites like its RSS reader, flops like Wave, projects like Google Code that lost to rival offerings, and invasive ad tech that its peers rejected.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge:
Email: YouTube plans to stop offering its ad-free €6.99/month Premium Lite tier after October 25, 2023, following a two year pilot in some European countries — After YouTube spent two years piloting Premium Lite, a lower-cost subscription plan for ad-free video viewing in select countries …
YouTube is axing its ad-free Premium Lite subscription plan
/ YouTube’s Premium Lite plan, which is available in select European countries, offers no ads and background playing for less than its full Premium tier — but now it’s going away.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/25/23889917/youtube-premium-lite-subscription-discontinued-retired
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15349-joko-nyt-mems-korvaa-kiteet-ajastuksessa
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15359-kalaoeljy-tekee-aurinkokennoista-tehokkaampia
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amerikkalaislehti: Kiinasta pian jo 5 nanometrin siruja
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15358-amerikkalaislehti-kiinasta-pian-jo-5-nanometrin-siruja
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nopeampi Wi-Fi 6 tuli ensimmäistä kertaa korttimoduulille
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15355-nopeampi-wi-fi-6-tuli-ensimmaeistae-kertaa-korttimoduulille
Myös pienemmissä teollisuuden korttitietokoneissa on tarvetta nopeammille langattomille lähiverkoille. Israelilainen Variscite on esitellyt markkinoiden ensimmäisen järjestelmämoduulin, joka tukee Wi-Fi 6 -standardia.
Uusi moduuli on nimeltään VAR-SOM-MX93 ja se perustuu NXP:n i.MX93-piirisarjaan. Sirulla on kaksi 1,7 gigahertsin COrtex-A55-ydintä ja 250 megahertsin Cortex-M33-reaaliaikaprosessori, joten suorituskykyä löytyy reilusti sulautettuihin sovelluksiin.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suositusta ohjaimesta suojattu yhteys pilveen
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15353-suositusta-ohjaimesta-suojattu-yhteys-pilveen
STMicroelectronics on esitellyt ohjelmistot, joiden avulla sen uusimpiin STM32H5-mikro-ohjaimiin perustuvat IoT-laitteet voidaan yhdistää suojatusti ja turvallisesti Microsoftin Azure IoT Hubiin tai Amazonin AWS IoT -alustalle.
Uusista ohjelmistoista X-CUBE-AWS-H5 on laajennuspaketti, joka mahdollistaa saumattoman ja turvallisen yhteyden AWS-pilveen. Se sisältää joukon kirjastoja ja sovellusesimerkkejä, jotka on suunniteltu STM32H5-sarjan korkean suorituskyvyn mikro-ohjaimille, jotka toimivat päätelaitteena.
Ratkaisu perustuu avoimen lähdekoodin reaaliaikaiseen FreeRTOS-käyttöjärjestelmään ja ST:n sulautettuun Secure Manager -tietoturvaohjelmistoon.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Melkoinen yllätys: Nvidia nousee suurimmaksi tänä vuonna
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15352-melkoinen-yllaetys-nvidia-nousee-suurimmaksi-taenae-vuonna
Intel on ollut suurin puolijohdetalo niin pitkään kuin muistaa, mitä nyt Samsung välillä kävi kärjessä muistiensa ansiosta. Tänä vuonna puolijohdetalojen listan kärkeen nousee kuitenkin pitkästä aikaa uusi nimi: Nvidia.
Tutkimuslaitos Semiconductor Intelligence arvioi, että Nvidian liikevaihto kasvaa tänä vuonna noin 52,9 miljardiin dollariin. Näin Intel jäisi 51,6 miljardin dollarin myynnillään sen taakse.
Nvidian vuoden 2023 liikevaihto on lähes kaksinkertainen vuoden 2022 liikevaihtoon sen tekoälyn (AI) prosessorien vahvuuden ansiosta. Intel on ollut suurin puolijohdeyritys suurimman osan viimeisten 21 vuoden ajan – lukuun ottamatta vuosia 2017, 2018 ja 2021, jolloin Samsung oli ykkönen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tehokas teollisuustietokone luottokortin puolikkaalla
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15348-tehokas-teollisuustietokone-luottokortin-puolikkaalla
AMD tunnetaan toki ennen kaikkea PC-prosessoreistaan, mutta yhtiöllä on tuotevalikoimassaan myös erittäin tehokkaita valmiita kortteja teollisuuteen. Yhtiö kehuu niistä termillä järjestelmämoduuli eli SOM (system-on-module). Uusin tehopaukkaus on kooltaan vain puolet luottokortista.
Uutuus on nimeltään Kria K24 ja sen tueksi esiteltiin myös aloituspaketti. KD240 Drives Starter Kit on käyttövalmis kehitysalusta moottorinohjaussovelluksiin. Sen avulla kehittäjä voi nopeasti toteuttaa esimerkiksi DSP-sovelluksia ilman yleensä vaadittavaa FPGA-ohjelmointiosaamista.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suomalainen tekniikka suojaa kvanttihyökkäyksiltä
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15347-suomalainen-tekniikka-suojaa-kvanttihyoekkaeyksiltae
Tomi Engdahl says:
Erasing E-Waste: Is a Circular Economy Possible for Power Electronics?
Sept. 12, 2023
Explore the feasibility of a circular economy for electronics in the latest edition of The Briefing. Can Infineon help make it happen using a new biodegradable PCB?
https://www.electronicdesign.com/blogs/the-briefing/article/21273487/electronic-design-erasing-ewaste-is-a-circular-economy-possible-for-power-electronics?utm_source=EG+ED+Analog+%26+Power+Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS230914117&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.identpull=omeda|7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15322-uudessa-iphone-huippumallissa-erikoinen-uusi-radiopiiri
Kyse on Thread-radiopiiristä. Thread on matalan tehonkulutuksen IoT-protokolla, joka toimii sekä 2,4 gigahertsin että alle gigahertsin (868 ja 915 MHz) vapailla taajuuksilla. Tyypillisesti Threadia on käytetty esimerkiksi kodin automaatiolaitteiden ohjaamiseen.
Joidenkin analyytikkojen mukaan Apple käyttää Threadia korvaamaan osan Bluetooth-yhteyksistä, mutta tämä ei vaikuta todennäköiseltä. Threadin peruskaista on vain 250 kilobittiä sekunnissa 2,4 gigahertsissä, joten esimerkiksi mitään audiostriimiä sen yli ei voida siirtää.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15324-listautuminen-onnistui-mutta-arm-n-ongelmat-pysyvaet
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ruiskuvaletulle elektroniikalle standardi suomalaiskomennossa
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15325-ruiskuvaletulle-elektroniikalle-standardi-suomalaiskomennossa
IEC on saanut valmiiksi ensimmäisen standardin, joka liittyy painetun tai ruiskuvaletun elektroniikan toteutuksiin. Standardi määrittelee resistanssimittauksen lämpömuovattavassa johdossa. Standardin kehitysprojektia on johtanut suomalainen ruiskuvaletun elektroniikan pioneeri TactoTek.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia tarjoaa ”verkkoa koodina” – siis mitä?
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15366-nokia-tarjoaa-verkkoa-koodina-siis-mitae
Nokia on julkistanut uuden alustan, jolle on annettu nimeksi Networks as Code. Alustan tavoitteena on nopeuttaa sitä, miten operaattorit voivat muuttaa verkon ominaisuuksia liikevaihtoa kerryttäviksi tuotteiksi. Mistä siis on kyse?
Verkko tuottaa valtavasti dataa, jota operaattoreiden on nykyisellään vaikea muuttaa tuloksi. Network as Code -alustan on tarkoitus tehdä helpommaksi verkon ohjelmoitavuus. Ideana on mahdollistaa uusien ominaisuuksien vieminen verkkosovelluksiin helposti integroitavana ohjelmistokoodina.
Itse alusta pitää sisällään kehittäjäpalvelut, rajapintayhdyskäytävät ja integrointimahdollisuudet sekä julkisiin että privaattiverkkoihin. Sitä voisi ajatella kehittäjäpalvelut yksinkertaistavana mallina, kuten Nokia konseptin muotoilee.
5G-aikakauden verkot ovat pohjimmiltaan ohjelmistopohjaisia, mikä on iso muutos verrattuna siihen, miten verkkoja suunniteltiin vuosia sitten. Tämä tarkoittaa, että ne ovat myös ohjelmoitavissa sovellusohjelmointirajapintojen (API) ja muiden ohjelmistokehitystyökalujen kautta. Näiden avulla sovelluskehittäjät voivat rakentaa verkkoon uusia käyttötapauksia ja ominaisuuksia, joita operaattorit ja tietenkin tilaajat voivat hyödyntää.
Nokia näkee, että nämä ominaisuudet jakautuvat kahteen pääryhmään: 5G-ominaisuudet ja edistyneet ominaisuudet.
”Verkko ohjelmistona” tulee kehittäjille tarjolle SDK- eli ohjelmistokehityspaketteina. Niihin sisältyy sandbox eli “hiekkalaatikko” ohjelmistokoodin luomiseen, simulointiin, ja testaukseen, sekä koodinpätkät, jotka voidaan sisällyttää sovelluksiin. Lisäksi kehittäjille tarjotaan analytiikkatyökaluja.
Uusi alusta tulee kaupallisesti saataville joulukuussa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Demo osoittaa: universaaliprosessori on askeleen lähempänä
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15369-demo-osoittaa-universaaliprosessori-on-askeleen-laehempaenae
Tachyum on yritys, joka kehittää universaaliprosessoria. Siis suoritinta, joka kykenee ajamaan kaikkia eri käskykantoja samalla raudalla. Prodigy-prosessorin pitäisi tulla markkinoille ensi vuonna.
Nyt Tachyum ilmoittaa, että se on onnistuneesti demonstroinut ei-natiivisovelluksen eli 64-bittisen x86-sovelluksen ajoa Linuxissa Prodigy FPGA -emulointijärjestelmässä. Käytännössä tämä tarkoittaa, että asiakkaille on tarjolla laaja valikoima sovelluksia asiakkaille heti ensimmäisestä päivästä lähtien, kun Prodigy-suoritin tulee yleisesti saataville.
X86-sovelluksen ajo Prodigy-emulaattorissa on merkittävä virstanpylväs, sillä eri x86-käskykannat (x64, x86_64, AMD64 tai Intel 64) muodostavat laajimman asennuskannan palvelinkeskusten työkuormille.
Demossa ajettiin FPGA-piirillä toimivalla Prodigy-käskykantaemulaattorilla. Ohjelmoitavalla piirillä toimi Tachyom Linux -käyttöjärjestelmä, jolle SQLite-tietokantasovelluksen x86-binäärikoodi käännettiin lennossa eli dynaamisesti. Demoon voi tutustua Youtubessa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQjprZUjOlI
Tachyumin mukaan Prodigy tarjoaa kaksinkertaisen suorituskyvyn Intelin huippuluokan suorittimiin verrattuna SPECint2017-nopeudella. Useimmille asiakkaille kuitenkin vain 20 prosenttia runtime-ajasta on vanhoja x86-sovelluksia, ja loput 80 prosenttia runtimesta on omistettu muille sovelluksille, kuten TensorFlow, PyTorch, tietokannat ja muut, jotka Tachyum on jo siirtänyt alkuperäiseen Prodigyn omaan käskykantaan.
Tachyumin mukaan Prodigyn x86-suorituskyky ylittää muut toteutukset, mukaan lukien äskettäin esitellyt Intel Advanced Performance Extensions eli IAPX-laajennukset, joilla Intel pyrkii vastaamaan uusiin ja nykyaikaisiin käskykantoihin. Arm- tai RISC-V-prosessorit ovat aivan liian hitaita palvelinsovelluksille ja Applen dynaamisten Rosetta-binäärikäännösten suorituskyky riittää ajamaan x86-sovelluksia kannettavissa tietokoneissa, joissa pieni teho on tärkeämpää kuin palvelimien vaatima korkea suorituskyky.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15372-laser-nostaa-prosessorin-datalinkin-viisinkertaiseksi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel’s Core i9-14900K “Raptor Lake Refresh” has been benchmarked in two rendering applications, achieving an impressive creation performance.
Intel’s Core i9-14900K CPU Showcases Strong Rendering Performance But Still Loses To AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
https://wccftech.com/intel-core-i9-14900k-cpu-strong-rendering-performance-but-loses-to-amd-ryzen-9-7950x/?fbclid=IwAR3xsrimyWsXFFPW8vmgREoyLkoLSlS2JXVuiuRnDLrEowlWzr6czo8dFq0
Intel’s Core i9-14900K “Raptor Lake Refresh” has been benchmarked in two rendering applications, achieving an impressive creation performance.
Intel Core i9-14900K CPU Achieves Impressive Rendering Benchmark Performance But AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Stays Ahead
Intel’s Raptor Lake Refresh lineup is set for release soon, and the flagship model within the series is all set to dominate benchmarking rankings
Tomi Engdahl says:
Modular LPDDR Memory Becomes A Reality: Samsung Introduces LPCAMM Memory Modules
https://www.anandtech.com/show/21069/modular-lpddr-becomes-a-reality-samsung-introduces-lpcamm-memory-modules?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=anandtech&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3Ik3xkw-4P-3LicH5s761mmgooeChc8wBSoK2e41IpiG6yjjjFvpgotpA
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft is officially the best company in the world, at least according to TIME
By Kevin Okemwa published 2 days ago
Microsoft is at the top of its game when it comes to employee satisfaction and other metrics.
https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/microsoft-is-officially-the-best-company-in-the-world-at-least-according-to-time?fbclid=IwAR0nBoMJRrFcjMvo-Q23R_kM4wytmFXVPG1OSqbsjyg0Q0XxOxzCkwiNIS4
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2023/10/03/eurooppa-selvittaa-teknologiariskinsa-puolijohteista-kvanttiosaamiseen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
János Allenbach-Ammann / Euractiv:
The European Commission starts collective risk assessments on advanced chips, AI, quantum, and biotech, the most sensitive areas for security and tech leakage
Stricter EU controls on critical technologies possible from spring 2024
https://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/stricter-eu-controls-on-critical-technologies-possible-from-spring-2024/
The European Commission on Tuesday (3 October) announced that it would start collective risk assessments together with member states on four technology areas, which could lead to restrictive measures like export controls or development support for these technologies by spring 2024.
The move seeks to reduce risks in technology security and technology leakage in advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and biotechnologies.
“We’ve all seen what can be the risks of too much dependency, be it during the Covid pandemic or now with the Russian war in Ukraine. Europeans have paid the price for this,” Commissioner Věra Jourová said at a press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
According to the Commission, the technologies were selected due to their “transformative nature”, their risk of civil and military fusion, as well as their risk of being used in violation of human rights.
The Commission’s recommendation to start these “collective risk assessments” is part of the EU’s “Economic Security Strategy” that the Commission published in June.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ian King / Bloomberg:
Intel plans to turn its programmable chip unit created from its Altera acquisition into a standalone business, by selling shares publicly or seeking an investor — “Over the next two to three years, Intel intends to conduct an IPO for PSG and may explore opportunities with private investors …
Intel to Make Altera Unit Into Standalone Business, Seek IPO
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-03/intel-to-make-former-altera-into-standalone-business-seek-ipo
Investors cheer plan to make the division independent
The business competes with AMD in programmable chips
Tomi Engdahl says:
Financial Times:
A TSMC exec says the Arizona fab will not be “as profitable as our Taiwan fabs”, amid construction and labor challenges and the lack of EUV expertise in the US
https://www.ft.com/content/7dd63d94-f645-45c6-8b82-b1808ee1cb31
Tomi Engdahl says:
Allison Johnson / The Verge:
Google unveils the Pixel 8 Pro with a 6.7-inch LTPO display, a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultrawide and telephoto sensors, a temperature sensor, and more, for $999+ — Thanks to a flood of leaks, you’ve probably seen its updated camera bar, read all about the new AI photo features …
The Pixel 8 Pro has better cameras, a brighter screen, and a lot of new AI tricks
https://www.theverge.com/23900556/google-pixel-8-pro-hands-on-specs-price-launch
/ Google’s high-end slab-style phone starts at $999 this year and comes with some seemingly useful improvements — and one that has us scratching our heads.
Brian Heater / TechCrunch:
Google unveils the Pixel 8 with a 6.1-inch, 120Hz display, a 50MP wide camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, a Tensor G3 chip, a 4485mAh battery, and more, for $699+ — The latest version of the Android handset starts at $699 for the 8 and $999 for the 8 Pro — When it comes to hardware releases, Google zigs where the competition zags.
Google’s Pixel 8 brings new camera tricks, better display and a thermometer
The latest version of the Android handset starts at $699 for the 8 and $999 for the 8 Pro
https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/04/googles-pixel-8-brings-new-camera-tricks-better-display-and-a-thermometer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Google announces new AI features for the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, including Best Take, which lets users swap faces in a photo with expressions from additional shots
Google announces AI-powered photo-editing features for new Pixel phones
https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/04/google-announces-ai-powered-photo-editing-features-for-new-pixel-phones/
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Google promises seven years of OS and security updates for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, up from five years of security updates and three years of OS updates
Google says it’ll support Pixel 8 series with seven years of Android updates
/ The commitment means the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will receive ‘the latest OS and security updates’ until 2030.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/4/23899900/google-pixel-8-pro-android-updates-7-years-security-features
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stephen Shankland / CNET:
A deep dive into the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro’s camera tech, like Video Boost, which uses AI processing in Google’s datacenters to dramatically improve image quality
Google Gave the Pixel 8 Cameras a Major Upgrade. Here’s How They Did It
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/google-gave-its-pixel-8-cameras-a-major-upgrade-heres-how-they-did-it/
In an exclusive interview, Google’s Pixel camera leader shares a deep dive into the photo and video improvements in the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.
With its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones, Google is bringing its big guns to the battle for smartphone photo and video leadership. Among more than a dozen notable improvements coming to the Android phones is a tool called Video Boost that uses AI processing on Google’s server-packed data centers to dramatically increase image quality.
When you first shoot a video on the Pixel 8 Pro, you’ll have just a 1080p preview version. But during a couple hours or so for uploading and processing, Google uses new artificial intelligence models too big for a smartphone to improve shadow detail, reduce pesky noise speckles and stabilize the video. That means Google’s Night Sight technology, which in 2018 set a new standard for smartphone photos taken in dim and dark conditions, has now come to video, too. Or at least it will when Video Boost ships later this winter.
“Night Sight means something very big to us,” said Isaac Reynolds, the lead product manager in charge of the Pixel cameras. “It is the best low-light smartphone video in the market, including any phones that might have recently come out,” he said in an unsubtle dig at Apple’s iPhone 15 models. But Video Boost improves daytime videos, too, with better detail and smoother panning.
Camera abilities are key to smartphones, but especially to Google’s Pixel phones. They’re gaining market share but remain relatively rare, accounting for just 4% of North American phone shipments in the second quarter. Good photos, bolstered by years of computational photography work, are arguably the Pixel line’s strongest selling point.
But the Pixel phones’ video has been weak when there’s not much light. Improving that, even if it takes a helping hand from Google’s servers, is crucial to making a Pixel phone worth buying.
“Where we really wanted to make a huge difference this year was video,” Reynolds said. Video Boost is “the most exciting thing that I’ve done in years.”
How Google’s Video Boost works
Many developments were necessary to make Video Boost possible.
At the foundation is a newer image sensor technology in the main camera called dual conversion gain that improves image noise and dynamic range — the ability to capture both shadow and highlight details. Google refers to its approach as “dual exposure,” but unlike conventional HDR (high dynamic range) technology, it doesn’t blend multiple separate shots.
Instead, the dual conversion gain technology is able to simultaneously capture details from both low-light and bright areas of a scene pixel by pixel, then blend the best of both. The result: “Whether it’s a high-contrast scene or a low-light scene, you’re going to see dramatically better performance versus the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro,” Reynolds said. “You don’t have to give up the dynamic range. That means less underexposure, which means less shadow noise.”
The technology is on both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, but only the 8 Pro gets Video Boost.
Next is the new Tensor G3 processor, the third generation of Google’s Pixel phone processors. The G3 has more built-in Google circuitry for AI and image processing than last year’s G2, and Google uses it to produce two videos. One is the 1080p preview version you can watch or share immediately.
The other is the Video Boost version that’s uploaded to Google for more editing. The G3 preprocesses that video and, for each frame, adds up to 400 metadata elements that characterize the scene, Reynolds said.
The last Video Boost step takes place in Google’s data centers, where servers use newly developed algorithms for noise reduction, stabilization and sharpening with low-light imagery. That processed video then replaces the preview video on your phone, including a 4K version, if that’s the resolution you originally shot at.
Reynolds defends the video’s data center detour as worthwhile.
“The results are incredible,” he said. Besides, people like to reminisce, revisiting a moment through photos and videos hours later, not just months or years later. “I don’t think there’s any downside at all to waiting a couple of hours,” he said.
It may be worth the wait, but the wait also might be longer than just a couple hours to pump gigabytes of video to Google. If you’re away from home Wi-Fi, you might be worried about blowing through your plan’s mobile data cap. And when you’re at home, you might be among the millions of people whose broadband doesn’t actually offer fast upload speeds.
If you’re nervous about sending your videos to Google’s cloud, Video Boost largely follows the same privacy policies Google already used. “If you delete the backed-up version after processing but keep it on-device, Google will not retain any copy,” Google said. The difference is with intermediate versions of the video the company creates during Video Boost processing. Those are discarded once the new video is done.
When Apple introduced its iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, it let photographers shoot 48-megapixel photos with the main camera. Samsung goes even further with a 200-megapixel sensor, though the results aren’t generally impressive beyond 50 megapixels. In comparison, even though the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro had 50-megapixel main cameras, Google offered photos at only 12-megapixel resolution. (Though it did offer 2x and 10x modes that took advantage of the full resolution of its sensors.)
This year, Google is leapfrogging Apple when it comes to pixel count on the Pixel 8 Pro. Not only can you take photos at the main camera’s full 50-megapixel resolution, you can also take 48-megapixel ultrawide (like this year’s OnePlus 11) and 48-megapixel 5x telephoto shots. (The Pixel 8 only can take 12-megapixel ultrawide shots.)
Like all flagship phone makers, Google has employed a technology called pixel binning that offers photographers a choice between full-resolution shots and lower resolutions that work better in low-light situations. But this year, it’ll let you shoot full-res shots even in low light if you prefer. That’s unlike Apple, which switches to pixel binning and low resolution automatically when it’s dark.
“You will always get more detail by enabling 50 megapixels [than when shooting at 12 megapixels], even in very low light, although you may suffer some noise penalty,” Reynolds said.
Apple changed its main camera’s default photo resolution from 12 megapixels to 24 megapixels with the iPhone 15 models, released last month. It also uses the HEIF image format, which stores files more compactly than the older JPEG. If you’re a Pixel photographer, you can choose the full resolution or 12 megapixels, but nothing intermediate. And there’s no HEIF support, because Google prefers JPEG’s universal compatibility.
New Google camera app gets “pro controls”
Google is proud of its “computational raw” technology, which combines the multishot blending used to create ordinary JPEGs with the editing flexibility of raw photos. That means more dynamic range than with single-frame raw shots, which is handy for people who edit their photos afterward in software like Adobe Lightroom.
With the Pixel 8 Pro’s camera app, Google is giving photographers new controls to give photographers fine-tune their shots as they’re taken. It’s got new “pro controls” that expose options for shutter speed, exposure length, white balance, ISO sensitivity and focus, Reynolds said.
Most people won’t shoot raw or use the manual controls, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. “It gets you the photo you need when you absolutely have to have it a certain way,” Reynolds said.
Another big change to Google’s camera app has already started arriving. For years, that app has presented buttons with a choice of modes like photo, video, panorama, Night Sight and slow motion video. Now Google offers a master switch for video and photo, each with its own range of buttons.
Also new to the camera app is an improvement to the DNG files used for raw photos. They now store more metadata so software like Adobe Lightroom will display a version that better matches the colors and tones of the Pixel’s fine-tuned JPEG. Raw photos in general have been retuned for better color and subtle tonal differences, Google said.
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro phones are the first smartphones to use Ultra HDR, an Android photo format that adds extra information to a JPEG photo so compatible software can show a high dynamic range version. For instance, Ultra HDR brightens stars in astrophotography photos, which show more detail at 50-megapixel resolution.
/CNET
With its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones, Google is bringing its big guns to the battle for smartphone photo and video leadership. Among more than a dozen notable improvements coming to the Android phones is a tool called Video Boost that uses AI processing on Google’s server-packed data centers to dramatically increase image quality.
When you first shoot a video on the Pixel 8 Pro, you’ll have just a 1080p preview version. But during a couple hours or so for uploading and processing, Google uses new artificial intelligence models too big for a smartphone to improve shadow detail, reduce pesky noise speckles and stabilize the video. That means Google’s Night Sight technology, which in 2018 set a new standard for smartphone photos taken in dim and dark conditions, has now come to video, too. Or at least it will when Video Boost ships later this winter.
“Night Sight means something very big to us,” said Isaac Reynolds, the lead product manager in charge of the Pixel cameras. “It is the best low-light smartphone video in the market, including any phones that might have recently come out,” he said in an unsubtle dig at Apple’s iPhone 15 models. But Video Boost improves daytime videos, too, with better detail and smoother panning.
p1021184
Watch this: Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro First Look
04:11
Reynolds spoke during an exclusive deep dive interview about the new photo and video technology in the $699 Pixel 8 and $999 Pixel 8 Pro, unveiled Wednesday. He detailed the new hardware Google calls dual exposure that makes Night Sight video possible, along with a range of new Pixel photography advances: higher-resolution photos, better lenses, a new app with advanced photography controls, an ability to create a group photo where everybody is smiling and an Audio Magic Eraser to clean up the sound in a video.
Camera abilities are key to smartphones, but especially to Google’s Pixel phones. They’re gaining market share but remain relatively rare, accounting for just 4% of North American phone shipments in the second quarter. Good photos, bolstered by years of computational photography work, are arguably the Pixel line’s strongest selling point.
But the Pixel phones’ video has been weak when there’s not much light. Improving that, even if it takes a helping hand from Google’s servers, is crucial to making a Pixel phone worth buying.
“Where we really wanted to make a huge difference this year was video,” Reynolds said. Video Boost is “the most exciting thing that I’ve done in years.”
Here’s a detailed look at how Google is trying to wring better photos and videos out of its Pixel 8 phones.
How Google’s Video Boost works
Many developments were necessary to make Video Boost possible.
At the foundation is a newer image sensor technology in the main camera called dual conversion gain that improves image noise and dynamic range — the ability to capture both shadow and highlight details. Google refers to its approach as “dual exposure,” but unlike conventional HDR (high dynamic range) technology, it doesn’t blend multiple separate shots.
A side-by-side comparison of video from Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and Google’s Pixel 8 Pro processed with Video Boost video technology. In the comparison, Google’s video shows more details on a person’s shadowed face and a bluer sky.
Google says its Video Boost technology produces better video dynamic range, including shadow detail and highlights that aren’t blown out, when compared to the Apple iPhone 15 Pro. But you’ll have to wait hours to get your Video Boost video back from Google’s data centers. Google; Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET
Instead, the dual conversion gain technology is able to simultaneously capture details from both low-light and bright areas of a scene pixel by pixel, then blend the best of both. The result: “Whether it’s a high-contrast scene or a low-light scene, you’re going to see dramatically better performance versus the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro,” Reynolds said. “You don’t have to give up the dynamic range. That means less underexposure, which means less shadow noise.”
The technology is on both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, but only the 8 Pro gets Video Boost.
Next is the new Tensor G3 processor, the third generation of Google’s Pixel phone processors. The G3 has more built-in Google circuitry for AI and image processing than last year’s G2, and Google uses it to produce two videos. One is the 1080p preview version you can watch or share immediately.
The other is the Video Boost version that’s uploaded to Google for more editing. The G3 preprocesses that video and, for each frame, adds up to 400 metadata elements that characterize the scene, Reynolds said.
The last Video Boost step takes place in Google’s data centers, where servers use newly developed algorithms for noise reduction, stabilization and sharpening with low-light imagery. That processed video then replaces the preview video on your phone, including a 4K version, if that’s the resolution you originally shot at.
Reynolds defends the video’s data center detour as worthwhile.
“The results are incredible,” he said. Besides, people like to reminisce, revisiting a moment through photos and videos hours later, not just months or years later. “I don’t think there’s any downside at all to waiting a couple of hours,” he said.
See the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro Up Close and Personal
Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones in their rose and bay colors
Google Pixel 8 Pro’s three-camera camera bar
the Pixel 8 smartphone in Google’s rose color
+9 more
See all photos
It may be worth the wait, but the wait also might be longer than just a couple hours to pump gigabytes of video to Google. If you’re away from home Wi-Fi, you might be worried about blowing through your plan’s mobile data cap. And when you’re at home, you might be among the millions of people whose broadband doesn’t actually offer fast upload speeds.
If you’re nervous about sending your videos to Google’s cloud, Video Boost largely follows the same privacy policies Google already used. “If you delete the backed-up version after processing but keep it on-device, Google will not retain any copy,” Google said. The difference is with intermediate versions of the video the company creates during Video Boost processing. Those are discarded once the new video is done.
More megapixels on Pixel 8 cameras
If you’re taking photos, the sensor doesn’t use the image sensor’s dual conversion gain technology — at least yet, though Google says it’s excited about the technology’s potential.
But there are other big improvements: Like Samsung and Apple, Google is now advancing beyond the 12-megapixel smartphone photo resolution we’ve had for years.
Pixel 8 and 8 Pro phones emerge
Best Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro Preorder Deals
Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro Pack More AI and New Cameras, But at a Higher Price
When Apple introduced its iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, it let photographers shoot 48-megapixel photos with the main camera. Samsung goes even further with a 200-megapixel sensor, though the results aren’t generally impressive beyond 50 megapixels. In comparison, even though the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro had 50-megapixel main cameras, Google offered photos at only 12-megapixel resolution. (Though it did offer 2x and 10x modes that took advantage of the full resolution of its sensors.)
This year, Google is leapfrogging Apple when it comes to pixel count on the Pixel 8 Pro. Not only can you take photos at the main camera’s full 50-megapixel resolution, you can also take 48-megapixel ultrawide (like this year’s OnePlus 11) and 48-megapixel 5x telephoto shots. (The Pixel 8 only can take 12-megapixel ultrawide shots.)
Google’s Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 smartphones in their bay and rose colors
Google’s Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 smartphones in their bay and rose colors. Stephen Shankland/CNET
Like all flagship phone makers, Google has employed a technology called pixel binning that offers photographers a choice between full-resolution shots and lower resolutions that work better in low-light situations. But this year, it’ll let you shoot full-res shots even in low light if you prefer. That’s unlike Apple, which switches to pixel binning and low resolution automatically when it’s dark.
“You will always get more detail by enabling 50 megapixels [than when shooting at 12 megapixels], even in very low light, although you may suffer some noise penalty,” Reynolds said.
You can also use Night Sight for lower noise. It works at 50-megapixel resolution.
Apple changed its main camera’s default photo resolution from 12 megapixels to 24 megapixels with the iPhone 15 models, released last month. It also uses the HEIF image format, which stores files more compactly than the older JPEG. If you’re a Pixel photographer, you can choose the full resolution or 12 megapixels, but nothing intermediate. And there’s no HEIF support, because Google prefers JPEG’s universal compatibility.
We won’t know until testing whether Google’s high-resolution shots are worth it. Small pixels are worse when it comes to image noise and dynamic range. But Google has invested in better hardware, including wider aperture lenses that gather more light.
Pixel 8 camera hardware upgrades
Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro get the new higher-end main camera with dual conversion gain, and that gathers 21% more light than on the Pixel 7 generation.
Both phones get a new selfie camera, but it autofocuses only on the Pixel 8 Pro. Better image processing possible with the G3 helps improve color and reduce noise on both phones, Google said.
And as with the 2022 phones, only the Pro model gets a 5x telephoto camera. It uses the same sensor as the Pixel 7 Pro, but this year, the Pixel 8 Pro gets a wider f2.8 aperture lens to gather 56% more light. That’s the same aperture as on the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x telephoto.
“We’re going hard on low light,” Reynolds said. A secondary benefit: Switching to the 5x camera is faster because the phone can lock focus more swiftly than with the Pixel 7 Pro’s f3.5 lens.
Google Pixel 8 Pro’s three-camera camera bar
Photos and videos are a top priority and a competitive strong suit for for Google’s phones. This closeup of the “obsidian” colored Google Pixel 8 Pro shows its larger new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera at left, its updated 50-megapixel main camera in the center and its 48-megapixel 5x telephoto camera at right. Stephen Shankland/CNET
Only the Pro gets an improved ultrawide camera. It can gather 105% more light thanks to a larger sensor with a wider-aperture lens. That’s important for low-light scenes and for supporting the 48-megapixel resolution.
The Pro’s ultrawide camera also gets autofocus abilities and reduces its close-focus distance from last year’s 3cm to 2cm — about 0.8 inch. That means macro shots will have much better background blur, Reynolds said.
New Google camera app gets “pro controls”
Google is proud of its “computational raw” technology, which combines the multishot blending used to create ordinary JPEGs with the editing flexibility of raw photos. That means more dynamic range than with single-frame raw shots, which is handy for people who edit their photos afterward in software like Adobe Lightroom.
With the Pixel 8 Pro’s camera app, Google is giving photographers new controls to give photographers fine-tune their shots as they’re taken. It’s got new “pro controls” that expose options for shutter speed, exposure length, white balance, ISO sensitivity and focus, Reynolds said.
Most people won’t shoot raw or use the manual controls, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. “It gets you the photo you need when you absolutely have to have it a certain way,” Reynolds said.
Another big change to Google’s camera app has already started arriving. For years, that app has presented buttons with a choice of modes like photo, video, panorama, Night Sight and slow motion video. Now Google offers a master switch for video and photo, each with its own range of buttons.
Also new to the camera app is an improvement to the DNG files used for raw photos. They now store more metadata so software like Adobe Lightroom will display a version that better matches the colors and tones of the Pixel’s fine-tuned JPEG. Raw photos in general have been retuned for better color and subtle tonal differences, Google said.
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro phones are the first smartphones to use Ultra HDR, an Android photo format that adds extra information to a JPEG photo so compatible software can show a high dynamic range version. For instance, Ultra HDR brightens stars in astrophotography photos, which show more detail at 50-megapixel resolution.
New Pixel 8 shooting tricks
“The computational photography in Pixel camera is one of the biggest mobile computing breakthroughs in the last decade, and it’s moved the entire industry forward,”
Computational photography, often employing artificial intelligence technology, figures into some other abilities of the of Pixel 8 and 8 Pro:
For group photos, a new feature called Best Take lets you choose the faces you want from a group of photos. It shows thumbnails of each face in the photos, and when you tap on one, it shows you the various expressions. You can pick everybody’s best smiles or goofy faces for the composite photo the camera creates.
The G3′s AI acceleration abilities automatically cut noise from crowds and wind out of videos. But a new editing tool called Audio Magic Eraser isolates different sounds to let you pick what you want. Sound level sliders adjust the mix of sound from speech, wind, music, crowd hubbub and background noise.
A new Magic Editor tool lets you increase or decrease the size of scene elements like people. One tap outlines a scene element, then pinching or dragging moves it around. Like Video Boost, this tool goes to Google’s cloud computing system to do the heavy lifting of creating any new imagery that’s needed. The tool will only be available in an early access version to start.
A tool called Zoom Enhance will use generative AI to create higher-resolution photos out of smaller, pixelated originals.
Google has taken some measures to improve lens flare problems common on smartphones. Among other things, when shooting toward bright point sources of light like the sun, the Pixel can remove the distracting green dot such sources often produce.
Magic Eraser, which lets you obliterate scene elements like distracting people in the background, gets a big AI boost. It now uses generative AI so the phone can fill in larger areas. It also can remove shadows from selected elements you’re erasing.
Florence Ion / Gizmodo:
Pixel 8 and 8 Pro hands-on: an iterative update focused on camera and AI improvements, Bay blue is stunning, and adding a temperature sensor to the Pro is odd
Hands-On With the Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2
https://gizmodo.com/hands-on-google-pixel-8-pixel-8-pro-and-pixel-watch-2-1850893865
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google announces Assistant with Bard, a new mobile assistant version that adds generative AI capabilities, like planning trips and writing social media captions — Google Assistant is getting an AI-powered update. At today’s Made by Google live event, the company introduced Assistant with Bard …
Google Assistant is getting AI capabilities with Bard
https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/04/google-assistant-is-getting-ai-capabilities-with-bard/
Google Assistant is getting an AI-powered update. At today’s Made By Google live event, the company introduced Assistant with Bard, a new version of its popular mobile personal assistant that’s now powered by generative AI technologies. Essentially a combination of Google Assistant and Bard for mobile devices, the new assistant will be able to handle a broader range of questions and tasks, ranging from simple requests like “what’s the weather?,” “set an alarm” or “text Jenny,” as before, to now more intelligent responses provided by Google’s Bard AI.
This includes being able to dive into your own Google apps, like Gmail and Google Drive, to offer personalized responses to queries on an opt-in basis. That means you could do things like ask Google Assistant questions like “catch me up on my important emails I’ve missed this week,” and the digital helper can dig up emails you need to know about.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Steve Dent / Engadget:
After closing its 3DS and Wii U eShops in March 2023, Nintendo plans to shut down online services for the consoles, including multiplayer, in “early April 2024”
Nintendo will take 3DS and Wii U services offline in ‘early April 2024′
You’ll still be able to redownload games and get patches ‘for the foreseeable future.’
https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-will-take-3ds-and-wii-u-services-offline-in-early-april-2024-091001733.html?_fsig=CWOtz2aMm1lhdubMFG5uXg–%7EA
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Yahoo plans to spin off Vespa, its open-source big data serving tool that powers the company’s search, recommendations, and ad tech, into an independent venture
Yahoo spins out Vespa, its search tech, into an independent company
https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/04/yahoo-spins-out-vespa-its-search-tech-into-an-independent-company/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hideaki Ryugen / Nikkei Asia:
Taiwanese authorities plan to investigate four local companies that are reportedly assisting Huawei in establishing chipmaking infrastructure in southern China
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Huawei-crackdown/Taiwan-to-probe-4-firms-accused-of-helping-Huawei-build-chip-plants
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ryan Browne / CNBC:
The Ofcom finds that “hyperscalers” like AWS and Microsoft Azure are limiting competition in UK’s cloud market by making it difficult for businesses to switch
Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud dominance referred for UK competition probe
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/05/amazon-and-microsofts-cloud-dominance-referred-for-uk-competition-probe.html
Ofcom is concerned that so-called “hyperscalers” like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are limiting competition in the cloud computing market.
AWS and Microsoft Azure account for roughly 60% to 70% of total cloud spend, according to an Ofcom estimate.
Britain’s anti-competition regulators have been tasked with investigating Microsoft and Amazon
’s dominance of the cloud computing market.
Media watchdog Ofcom on Thursday referred its inquiry for further investigation to the Competition and Markets Authority, kickstarting the process.
Ofcom said that it had identified features which make it more difficult for U.K. businesses to switch cloud providers, or use multiple cloud services, and that it is “particularly concerned” about the position of market leaders Amazon and Microsoft.
“Some UK businesses have told us they’re concerned about it being too difficult to switch or mix and match cloud provider, and it’s not clear that competition is working well,” Fergal Farragher, Ofcom’s director responsible for the market study, said in a statement Thursday.
“So, we’re referring the market to the CMA for further scrutiny, to make sure business customers continue to benefit from cloud services.”
Ofcom is concerned that so-called “hyperscalers” like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are limiting competition in the cloud computing market. These are companies that allow businesses of all stripes to carry out critical computing tasks — like storage and management of data, delivery of content, analytics and intelligence — over the internet, rather than through servers stored on site, or “on premise.”
An Amazon spokesperson said in a Thursday statement that the company disagrees with the Ofcom finding.
AWS and Microsoft Azure are the biggest players in the market. AWS’ cloud solution is primarily targeted at startups, while Microsoft prioritizes big enterprises. AWS and Microsoft Azure account for roughly 60% to 70% of cloud spend, according to an Ofcom estimate. Combined, Amazon, Microsoft and Google generate roughly 81% of revenues in the U.K.’s cloud infrastructure services market, according to Ofcom, which estimates the market to be worth £15 billion ($18.2 billion).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
The CMA announces an investigation into public cloud providers in the UK, following a referral from Ofcom, and says the probe will conclude by April 2025 — The clouds are gathering over Microsoft’s Azure operations in the EU and now the UK, with the launch of a new investigation …
Microsoft and Amazon face UK regulator investigation over cloud services
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/5/23904375/uk-cma-microsoft-amazon-cloud-investigation
/ The UK regulator is investigating licensing practices from Microsoft and Amazon for public cloud infrastructure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Current 3nm GAA yields stand at 50 percent; Samsung’s own LSI Division may refuse to place orders if it does not see progress
Samsung’s 3nm GAA Process Needs A 70 Percent Yield To Win Orders From Qualcomm, Claims Report, Company’s Foundry Currently Struggling
https://wccftech.com/samsung-3nm-gaa-yields-70-percent-to-get-qualcomm-orders/?fbclid=IwAR0I4jMpL7X-_U0krCDwUjq7YZwmN6njjTHlZsm9HVbITBHHREVH00Xr9yE
Samsung and TSMC have yet to see yield improvements in their respective 3nm technologies. Though the Taiwanese foundry has already secured Apple as a long-term client, with future SoCs said to be mass produced on the updated N3E process, Samsung’s 3nm GAA node has yet to pick up steam, with a report stating that Qualcomm will not place orders if those yields do not climb to 70 percent.
Current 3nm GAA yields stand at 50 percent; Samsung’s own LSI Division may refuse to place orders if it does not see progress
A complete 3nm GAA wafer is said to be difficult to produce, hence why the Korean manufacturer is said to be experiencing yields of just 50 percent, the same as TSMC. 3nm GAA is said to be superior to FinFET, but it also has its share of production problems.
At its current 50 percent yield, an official familiar with Samsung’s plans has said that at this rate, it will be difficult to secure customers such as Qualcomm unless a 70 percent yield is achieved. Even Samsung’s own LSI division, which designs chipsets and modems for a variety of applications, may not accept orders if yields remain low. For those that do not know, companies like Qualcomm have to pay full price for the wafer batch, including the defective ones.
At a 50 percent yield, only five out of 10 wafers are considered usable, and with Qualcomm being forced to pay for all 10, the San Diego company will have little choice but to increase the prices of its Snapdragon products, commencing a vicious cycle that will financially affect its smartphone partners and consumers. If Qualcomm continues to see Samsung unable to fulfill those required conditions, its Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will likely be mass produced on TSMC’s N3E process, resulting in another loss for the Korean manufacturer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15397-mobiilirobotit-kaesittelevaet-yhae-raskaampia-kuormia
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel luopuu ohjelmoitavista – Altera-nimi tulee takaisin?
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15400-intel-luopuu-ohjelmoitavista-altera-nimi-tulee-takaisin
Intel yllätti monet vuonna 2016 ostamalla toiseksi suurimman FPGA-piirien valmistajan eli Alteran 16 miljardilla dollarilla. Nyt setisemän vuotta myöhemmin pääjohtaja Pat Gelsinger ilmoitti, että PSG-ryhmä (Programmable Solutions Group) irrotetaan omaksi yhtiökseen ensi vuoden alussa.
Itsenäistyvää PSG-ryhmää – jonka nimestä ei siis ole mitään tietoa – vetää Sandra Rivera, joka jatkaa myös Intelin datakeskusdivisioonan johtajana.
FPGA-markkinoiden odotetaan kasvavan yli 9 prosentin vuosivauhtia tämän vuoden 8 miljardista dollarista noin 11,5 miljardiin dollariin vuoteen 2027 mennessä. PSG-ryhmä on kirjannut ennätystuloksia kolmen viimeisen neljänneksen ajan, Intel kehuu.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2023/10/03/nokia-kannykoiden-valmistus-palaa-eurooppaan/
Sijainti
Etusivu > Uutinen > Nokia-kännyköiden valmistus palaa Eurooppaan yhdellä mallilla
Nokia-kännyköiden valmistus palaa Eurooppaan yhdellä mallilla
Uutinen
- 3.10.2023
Nokia-tuotemerkillä kännyköitä markkinoiva HMD Global aloittaa ensimmäisenä nimivalmistajana 5G-puhelinten valmistuksen Euroopassa. Emsimmäinen uudelta eurooppalaiselta tuotantolinjalta tuleva älypuhelin on yrityskäyttöön suunniteltu Nokia XR21 5G-puhelin. Tarkemmin HMD ei kännyköiden valmistusmaata tai tehtaan sijaintia ei ole kertonut. Eikä myöskään mitä muita kännykkämalleja yritys eurooppalaistaa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/new-products/15381-sotilaskaeyttoeoen-kehitetty-laeppaeri-kestaeae-vaehaen-enemmaen
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15384-intel-aloitti-sirutuotannon-euv-tekniikalla
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15385-lisaeae-vaihtoehtoja-luottokortin-kokoiselle-tietokoneelle
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15389-thunderbolt-5-kasvattaa-nopeuden-jopa-kolminkertaiseksi
Thunderbolt on Intelin ja Applen yhteistyössä kehittämä nopea liitäntäväylä, joka esiteltiin vuonna 2011. Nyt Intel on julkistanut väylän 5-version. Edellisversioon verrattuna raaka datanopeus kasvaa kolminkertaiseksi, kun vauhti kasvaa 120 gigabittiin sekunnissa.
40 gigabitin Thunderbolt 4 mahdollisti se, että väylää pitkin voitiin jakaa grafiikkaa samaan aikaan kahdelle 4K-näytölle tai yhdelle 8K-näytölle. Lisäksi väylää pitkin voidaan siirtää tehoa jopa 100 wattia. Reaaliseksi datansiirtonopeudeksi luvattiin 32 gigabittiä sekunnissa,
Viime vuoden lokakuussa Intel julkisti suunnitelmansa uuden sukupolven Thunderbolt-teknologiasta. Nyt tämä tekniikka on esitelty virallisesti nimellä Thunderbolt 5. Standardi tarjoaa jopa 120 Gbps:n kaistanleveyden, mikäli linkissä hyödynnetään Bandwidth Boost -tekniikkaa.
Jo perusmuodossa Thunderbolt 5 tarjoaa 80 gigabitin kaksisuuntaisen yhteyden. Jos on tarvetta esimerkiksi korkearesoluutioisille näytöille, joissa on suurempi virkistystaajuus, tai useiden näyttöjen liittämiseen, voidaan käyttöön saada täysi 120 gigabitin nopeus.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Valve Releases Proton 8.0-4 As A Big Improvement For Windows Gaming On Linux
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Valve-Proton-8.0-4
Valve has just released Proton 8.0-4 as stable on the Steam client for enhancing the experience for running Windows games on Linux for this Wine-based software that powers Steam Play.
Proton 8.0-4 brings forward many game usability improvements, bug fixes, and various new features for running countless modern games targeting Microsoft Windows to “just work” on Linux — both for the likes of the Linux desktop gaming experience and Valve’s Steam Deck handheld. Most of these features were previously available for those opting into the “Proton Experimental” build while now are deemed stable
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2023/10/06/kauppa-kiinnostui-kaytetyista-gigantti-ja-power-mukaan/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meta
Introducing the New Ray-Ban | Meta Smart Glasses
https://about.fb.com/news/2023/09/new-ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses/
Takeaways
In partnership with EssilorLuxottica, we’re launching a new generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, available for pre-order now.
The new glasses feature improved audio and cameras, over 150 different custom frame and lens combinations, and they’re lighter and more comfortable.
You can now livestream from the glasses to Facebook or Instagram, and use “Hey Meta” to engage with Meta AI, our advanced conversational assistant, just by using your voice.
Today at Meta Connect, in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, we announced our next-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses collection. We redesigned these from the ground up, improving all the core features of the first generation while adding new capabilities that have never been seen on a pair of smart glasses before. They start at $299 USD. Pre-orders are open now on meta.com and ray-ban.com, and the smart glasses will be available for purchase online and in retail stores starting October 17.*
Since we launched our first-generation smart glasses built in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, millions of moments have been captured and shared. From music festivals and birthday parties to first steps, graduations, and beyond, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses free you from the constraints of a hand-held camera. Instead of keeping the world at arm’s length (or worse, missing out on the action completely as you struggle with your smartphone’s lock screen), Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses let you snap a photo or video clip from your unique point of view — allowing you to not only relive the moment, but really live in the moment, too.
The next generation of smart glasses
https://www.meta.com/fi/en/smart-glasses/
Iconic style, cutting-edge technology and lightweight form unite in a range of frames designed for living in the moment while expressing yourself to the max.
Designed for living in the moment
Capture life’s best moments and live-stream to Instagram and Facebook. Now with a 12 MP camera and 5-mic system. Stay connected with hands-free calls and messages and listen to your favourite tracks through built-in speakers.
Ray-Ban Stories Smart Glasses
https://www.ray-ban.com/row/ray-ban-stories
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2023/10/16/akkureppu-tuo-lisavoimaa-tyontekoon/