Nokia vahvistaa optisen alueen osaamistaan amerikkalaisen Infineran verkkojen ostolla ja laajentaa myös alueen teknologiaportfoliotaan ja tuotekehitystä. Kauppasumma on 2,3 miljardia dollaria ja rahoitetaan pääosin käteisvaroista.
Amerikkalaisen optisen verkkojen teknologia- ja puolijohde-osaajan Infineran osto nostaa Nokian markkina-asemaa alueen verkoissa erityisesti Pohjois-Amerikassa. Kauppa mahdollistaa myös nopeammin uusien tuotteiden ja ratkaisujen kehittämisen.
“Uskomme, että nyt on oikea hetki kasvattaa optisen liiketoiminnan skaalaa yritysoston kautta. Liiketoimintamme ovat strategisesti yhteensopivat ja täydentävät toisiaan asiakkaiden, markkinoiden sekä teknologioiden osalta”, kertoo Pekka Lundmark, Nokian toimitusjohtaja.
ROHM on esitellyt uuden infrapunalähteen, joka yhdistää ledien ja VCSEL-emitterien parhaat puolet. Uusia valolähteitä halutaan käyttää autoissa kuljettajan tarkempaan valvontaan, mikä parantaisi turvallisuutta teillä. ROHM kutsuu tekniikkaansa nimellä VCSELED.
Yleensä ADAS-järjestelmissä hyödynnetään VCSEL-tekniikkaa, joka tarkoittaa kerrosrakennetta, jossa aktiivinen alue sijaitsee kahden peilin välissä. Rakenne muodostaa laseronkalon, jolla voidaan tuottaa erittäin koherenttia valoa kapealla spektrin alalla. Perinteinen ledi on yksinkertaisempi ja edullisempi, mutta se tuottaa laajakulmaisen, nopeasti hajoavan säteilyn, josta on vaikea tehdä tarkkoja mittauksia.
ROHM.n mukaan sen VCSELED-ledillä saavutetaan erittäin tarkka tunnistus.
VCSELED:ssä käytetyn VCSEL-elementin kapea emissioaallonpituus on 4 nanometriä, mikä on noin seitsemäsosa ledien kaistanleveydestä.
ROHM pyrkii kaupallistamaan VCSELED:n uudeksi teknologiabrändiksi infrapunavalonlähdekomponenteille. Protot ovat jo kaupan, volyymituotanto on alkamassa lokakuussa 2024. Autoihin tekniikan odotetaan tulevan ensi vuoden aikana.
Of the many oddities you can buy from Aliexpress, some of the weirdest are the recreations of retro computer systems in semi-modern designs—the latest of which to catch our eye is the Pocket 386, a new-old laptop that can run MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, and (technically) Windows 95 for anyone willing to shell out about $200: https://arstechnica.visitlink.me/14m3e8
Some seven years in the making, the Eclipse Foundation’s Theia IDE project is now generally available, emerging from beta to challenge Microsoft’s similar Visual Studio Code editor, with which it shares much tech.
The Eclipse Theia IDE, part of the Eclipse Cloud DevTools ecosystem, primarily differs from VS Code in licensing and governance. Open-source champion Eclipse Foundation calls it a “true open-source alternative” to VS Code, which Microsoft has described as being “built” on open source but with proprietary elements like default telemetry with which usage data is collected.
This year, software firm 37signals will see a profit boost of more than $1m (£790,000) from leaving the cloud.
“To be able to get that with such relatively modest changes to our business is astounding,” says co-owner and chief technology officer, David Heinemeier Hansson.
The US company has millions of users for its online project management and productivity software, including Basecamp and Hey.
Like many companies it outsourced data storage and computing to a third party firm, a so-called cloud services provider.
They own huge data centres, where they host data from other firms, which can be accessed over the internet.
In 2022, such services cost 37signals $3.2m.
“Seeing the bill on a weekly basis really radicalised me,” Mr Heinemeier Hansson says.
Japanilaistutkijat ovat onnistuneet rikkomaan aiemman, viime lokakuussa tehdyn maailmanennätyksen optisessa datansiirrossa. Kansainvälinen NICT:n fotoniikkalaboratorion johtama ryhmä ylsi standardissa valokuidussa 402 terabitin datanopeuteen sekunnissa.
NICT:n eli National Institute of Information and Communications Technology -instituutin fotoniikkalaboratorio on aiemminkin rustaillut maailmanennätyksiä datansiirrossa. 402 terabittiä sekunnissa tarkoittaa yli 50 teratavua sekunnissa. Lukema on neljänneksen suurempi kuin aiempi ennätys.
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Proton launches Docs in Proton Drive, a privacy-focused alternative to Google Docs, after acquiring secure note-taking app Standard Notes in April 2024
STMicroelectronics on tuonut markkinoille joukon plug-and-play-kehityspaketteja, joilla voidaan helposti ottaa käyttöön yhtiön globaaliin sulkimeen perustuvia BrightSense-sarjan kuvakennoja. Nämä kennot voivat tallentaa kuvia nopeasti liikkuvista kohteista ilman vääristymiä ja vähentää merkittävästi tehonkulutusta, kun ne on kytketty valaistusjärjestelmään.
Xinmei Shen / South China Morning Post:
Preqin: China accounted for 90% of global semiconductor VC funding in 2023, with $22.2B and up from $9.5B in 2022; the funding slowed to just $1.6B in H1 2024
Joanna Nelius / The Verge:
A test of seven Copilot+ PCs, representing all four Snapdragon X chips, against similar laptops with Apple Silicon, Intel Core Ultra, and AMD Ryzen processors
After 12 years of trying to make Windows on Arm happen, Microsoft has made Windows on Arm happen. That’s a long time to keep throwing money at a version of Windows that, historically, has lacked compatible software, reliable emulation, and capable enough performance for even light workloads. But it seems like Microsoft’s 12-year odyssey is starting to pay off now that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips are turning Windows on Arm into a viable platform.
We’ve spent the past week and a half testing seven Copilot Plus PCs, representing all four Snapdragon X chips, against a slate of similar laptops running Apple Silicon, Intel Core Ultra, and AMD Ryzen processors. This isn’t the final word on Snapdragon performance — app compatibility is changing on a near-daily basis, and we’ll have full reviews for many of these laptops in the next few weeks — but we now have a good idea of how the first wave of Snapdragon X laptops stack up against the competition and how they still fall short.
This is the fiercest Microsoft has been able to compete with MacBooks in price, performance, and battery life, and while Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips don’t outright beat Apple’s M3 chip (with an eight-core CPU and 10-core GPU) in every single one of our benchmarks, they could make Intel and AMD scramble to catch up to another competitor — this time, on their home turf.
Qualcomm currently has four Snapdragon X chips: three under the “X Elite” brand and one under “X Plus.” They all share an Adreno GPU, an NPU capable of 45 TOPS, and support for LPDDR5X memory up to 8448MHz, but their core counts and max clock speeds change as you go down the lineup, from a 12-core chip with a 3.8GHz top speed and 4.2GHz dual-core boost to a 10-core at 3.4GHz with no dual-core boost.
With the Snapdragon X Elite lineup, Qualcomm ditched the hybrid architecture of its previous laptop chips. Instead of using a mix of performance cores for heavy workloads and efficiency cores for less intensive work, Qualcomm now uses a homogeneous architecture — every chip can run both types of tasks.
Competing against its new CPUs are Apple’s hybrid core Arm chips, AMD’s homogeneous core x86 chips, and Intel’s hybrid core x86 chips. (Though Intel is adjusting its hybrid core architecture by ditching just the LP cores in its next-gen Lunar Lake chips, which arrive this fall.)
We ran Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024 because they work across Windows and macOS as well as on Intel and AMD’s x86 chips and Apple and Qualcomm’s Arm chips.
Among the laptops we tested, Apple’s M3 chips still lead the pack in single-core performance, but Qualcomm’s higher-end X Elite chips are a touch faster in single-core workloads than the M2 Max chip in the early 2023 MacBook Pro
The Snapdragon chips really shine in multicore benchmarks, overtaking all the other CPUs aside from Apple’s M2 Max and M3 Max. The M3 chip in the MacBook Air only has eight cores compared to the 12 or 10 cores of the Snapdragon chips, so it makes sense why it fell behind. The 16-core M3 Max far outpaces the rest of the field, and the 12-core M2 Max is slightly faster in Cinebench 2024 multicore than the fastest X Elite chips.
Our results are mostly in line with what Qualcomm claimed during my hands-on in April
Snapdragon falls behind in GPU performance
Qualcomm has been careful to position this wave of Snapdragon X laptops as productivity machines, rather than gaming or workstation PCs, and the integrated GPUs are fine for that. They can run laptop displays at up to 4K at 120Hz and up to three 4K external displays at 60Hz.
But integrated GPUs aren’t great for gaming, 3D rendering, or any other heavy graphical workloads, and that includes all of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips. (Apple’s integrated GPUs are an exception
Qualcomm’s Adreno GPUs lag behind higher-end Intel and AMD integrated GPUs in our initial benchmarks.
Only two of the Snapdragon laptops fared a little better in the PugetBench Adobe Photoshop benchmark. Photoshop has a native Arm64 version; the Surface Pro and 15-inch Surface Laptop surpassed the Dell XPS 14 and Acer Swift Go 14 AMD by 10 percent. The MacBook Air 15 wins here, though, by 42 percent.
These Snapdragon laptops are not gaming laptops, but they can run games — sometimes. Very few games have native Arm64 versions, so Microsoft leans heavily on emulation here. Microsoft automatically enables Auto SR (its own version of Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR, which increase frame rates by dropping the in-game resolution and then upscaling with AI) on a short list of games, which includes The Witcher 3 and Control. But those games have already been optimized to run well on processors with integrated graphics, so they don’t actually need Auto SR — and in most cases run better without it.
The same goes for some games that haven’t been optimized
In other games that are supposed to be optimized for Windows on Arm, like Control and Borderlands 3, turning on ASR degraded the visual quality with distracting flickering lines on or around fine details like mesh screens and hair.
If a game doesn’t work, you will learn quickly: it will crash as soon as you launch it, or after you load one of your saves, or if you have the resolution or graphics settings too high. In the best-case scenario, it will run under 20fps even on low settings. There are a lot of variables, and they differ from game to game in the dozen I tested.
Emulation is fine for the little stuff
One of Microsoft’s big claims was that Snapdragon-configured Windows laptops would have “faster app emulation than Rosetta 2,” Apple’s emulation software that lets x86 Mac apps run on Apple Silicon. Microsoft hasn’t had the greatest reputation when it comes to x86 emulation on Arm, and while its new Prism emulator is much faster, it’s still not fast enough for heavyweight apps.
While these Snapdragon laptops are not what you’d want to buy for 3D rendering — you’ll want a discrete GPU for that, regardless of platform — the massive difference between emulated and native CPU rendering shows how important it is for developers to have Arm64 versions of their software, especially if it’s designed to handle heavy workloads.
Battery life
Microsoft claims that its Copilot Plus PCs with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor will offer “20 percent more battery life than the latest MacBook Air 15-inch.” When I tested the latest 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs, they lasted about 18 hours on a charge when I used them as I normally would during a regular week, with the display brightness set as close to 200 nits as possible.
None of the Snapdragon laptops’ batteries lasted 18 hours like the M3 Air, but most weren’t far behind, averaging 14 to 16 hours. That’s still a lot longer than most of the Intel- and AMD-based laptops I tested
Here’s why I’m not mentioning the NPU
Yes, these are Copilot Plus PCs. Yes, they run a bunch of AI stuff. But my colleagues and I have yet to figure out a reliable method to test relative NPU performance in a meaningful way. The Copilot Plus AI features, with the possible exceptions of Studio Effects and Live Captions translations, currently feel more like gimmicks than useful apps most people can incorporate into their day-to-day life, and Microsoft doesn’t plan to release Recall, its most-hyped AI app, until it addresses security concerns.
But the NPUs are there — and not just on Arm PCs — so we expect apps to take more advantage of that processing power soon. We’ll revisit NPU benchmarks as it makes sense.
More for less… more or less
This wave of Snapdragon Copilot Plus PCs starts at $999 and can cost in excess of $2,500. They feature nearly everything most other laptops in that price range do: beautiful OLED displays; high storage capacity; long battery life; fast processors; metal chassis; and in some cases, the latest Wi-Fi 7 adapter. It’s all the same stuff you get with Intel- and AMD-based laptops, and even MacBooks, often for less money.
The Snapdragon laptops are generally cheaper than their Intel or AMD counterparts, too. The Qualcomm Dell XPS 13 is $200 cheaper and the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is $150 cheaper, while the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is $100 more. Better performance and longer battery life for less money are going to be the major selling points for most people — and these Snapdragon Copilot Plus PCs hit all three.
Where does Qualcomm go from here?
Unlike previous Windows on Arm laptops — even up to 2022’s Surface Pro 9 (SQ3), these Copilot Plus PCs finally have processors fast enough to run the operating system and emulate most x86 programs. And now that every major Windows laptop manufacturer has at least one Snapdragon X-based machine, there should finally be enough of an install base to entice developers at large to create native Arm64 versions of their apps, which will make these an easier sell.
But with Intel Lunar Lake and AMD Ryzen AI coming soon, it’s unclear how long Qualcomm will hold onto its lead. Lunar Lake will be closer in design to Apple Silicon, with RAM incorporated into the chip itself, and Intel claims that getting rid of hyperthreading will decrease power consumption, so laptops with these chips will supposedly get better battery life than its current-gen processors. Ryzen AI will have a 12-core and 10-core variant, just like Qualcomm Snapdragon, on its Zen 5 architecture, clock speeds up to 5.1GHz, and a more powerful iGPU, so that could increase the graphics performance lead it currently has over some of the Snapdragon X Elite chips.
This site is your source for compatibility information for many games on Windows devices that run on Arm architecture and will be updated over time.
The information is intended to serve as a guide, but does not absolutely guarantee that a game will run. The results have been tested, but may not work on your specific machine and configuration. If your results differ, please contribute to the site with your own findings.
Bloomberg:
Microsoft-owned Mojang is exploring deals in areas like merchandising, education, and streaming, on top of movies and TV series, as gaming sector growth slows
Financial Times:
SemiAnalysis: Nvidia is set to sell $12B worth of H20 chips, or 1M+ units, in China in 2024; Huawei expects to sell ~550K units of its Ascend 910B chips in 2024
Nvidia to make $12bn from AI chips in China this year despite US controls
Chipmaker set to surpass China sales by local rival Huawei by selling product designed to fall outside of export restrictions
Reuters:
Apple approves the Epic Games Store on iPhones and iPads in the EU, after Epic said it was blocked due to buttons and labels being similar to the App Store’s — Apple (AAPL.O) said on Friday it has approved Epic Games’ games marketplace app on iPhones and iPads in Europe, after the “Fortnite” …
July 5 (Reuters) – Apple (AAPL.O)
, opens new tab said on Friday it has approved Epic Games’ games marketplace app on iPhones and iPads in Europe, after the “Fortnite” maker escalated its feud with the technology giant, accusing it of hindering its efforts to set up a games store on the devices.
Apple said the latest spat concerned the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace and has nothing to do with the video games maker’s Fortnite app which has already been given the green light.
It is becoming increasingly evident that serverless technology is losing relevance and will soon fade away in the cloud technology space. Why did this happen? What can we learn from this evolution of technology?
When serverless computing first hit the streets over a decade ago as a cloud computing paradigm, it saved us from needing to handle detailed compute and storage configurations. Everything was done automatically at the time of execution. This seemed more evolution than revolution because PaaS systems were already doing an aspect of this type of computing.
Today, serverless cloud technology is increasingly overshadowed in the cloud technology marketplace. Initially lauded for its promise of simplified infrastructure management and scalability, serverless computing has been pushed to the periphery as new trends and technologies capture the spotlight.
Here’s how Qualcomm’s new laptop chips really stack up to Apple, Intel, and AMD
We tested every Snapdragon X chip against the Intel Core Ultra, AMD Ryzen 8000, and Apple M3.
Two new motherboards for the Chinese-made Loongson 3A6000 CPU are now available on AliExpress. These motherboards are available in various configurations ranging from a barebones motherboard with CPU through a complete prebuilt computer that also includes RAM, a hard drive, and a discrete graphics card.
AliExpress has two motherboard models featuring the Longsoon 3A6000 that are now beginning to ship worldwide. The first, the Loongson 3A6000 7A2000 main board, sells for $372.91 without memory, a storage device, or a discrete graphics card. It includes the Loongson 3A6000 processor with a maximum clock speed of 2.5 GHz.
The 7A2000 main board offers modest expansion possibilities, with a total of three PCIe slots, two DDR4 memory sockets, and support for both NVMe SSD and SATA drives. It also includes HDMI as well as VGA graphics output, plus HDA audio interfaces.
Due to the lack of any further specifications for the Loongson 3A6000, we assume these motherboards only support PCIe 3.0 and nothing newer. This does go along with Loongson’s comparison of its CPU with the Intel 10th Gen and AMD Zen3 CPUs, both of which are rather long in the tooth. An earlier release of a mini PC featuring the Loongson 3A6000 also advertised performance on par with those older CPUs.
The fact is, Loongson has developed its own CPU just a few generations behind Intel and AMD. Considering the Chinese firm has to work around U.S. sanctions and claims to insist on doing everything based on its own IP, the performance could actually be considered impressive.
New York Times:
How the US is trying to transform the world’s chip supply chain, including getting more countries to set up factories to do final chip assembly and packaging
The Biden administration is trying to get foreign companies to invest in chip-making in the United States and more countries to set up factories to do final assembly and packaging.
TIME has partnered with research agency Statista to name the World’s Most Sustainable Companies in which Nordic’s commitments to reducing its own carbon footprint are recognized.
Nordic Semiconductor, a leading provider of low power wireless IoT connectivity solutions, has been named by TIME magazine as one of the “World’s Most Sustainable Companies”.
Nordic’s aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction achievements; increasing conversion to recycled plastic use in manufacturing component reels; and demonstrable dedication to its sustainability principles have made the top 500 list for World’s Most Sustainable Companies, designated by TIME and research partner, Statista, from more than 5,000 eligible companies worldwide.
The criteria devised by TIME and Statista to recognize and reward companies that prioritize sustainability is designed to promote corporate responsibility and advance sustainable practices.
More than 5,000 of the world’s largest and most influential companies were assessed based on factors such as revenue, market capitalization, and public prominence. These companies were examined in a rigorous four-step process that covered more than 20 key data points, such as their CDP score – which provides a snapshot of a company’s disclosure and environmental performance, their alignment with GRI and SASB, emissions and energy intensity, and employee turnover and work safety.
Harshita Mary Varghese / Reuters:
IDC: global shipments of PCs reached 64.9M units in Q2 2024, up 3% YoY; Apple’s shipments rose 20.8% YoY, the biggest jump among global PC makers — Global shipments of personal computers rose by 3% in the second quarter, helped by demand for AI-capable devices, with Apple (AAPL.O) …
July 9 (Reuters) – Global shipments of personal computers rose by 3% in the second quarter, helped by demand for AI-capable devices, with Apple (AAPL.O)
, opens new tab seeing the biggest growth among PC makers, preliminary data from research firm IDC showed on Tuesday.
PC shipments reached 64.9 million units in the three months ended June, marking a second straight quarter of growth after two years of decline, the report said.
According to IDC, Apple’s shipments jumped 20.8% from the second quarter of 2023, the biggest rise among global PC makers, followed by a gain of 13.7% by Acer Group.
New lineup features industry-leading 200MP and 50MP sensors, bridging the gap between main and sub cameras for enhanced imaging across all angles
Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced three new mobile image sensors designed for both main and sub cameras in smartphones: the ISOCELL HP9, the ISOCELL GNJ and the ISOCELL JN5.
As user expectations for smartphone camera quality and performance continue to rise, Samsung’s latest image sensors deliver stunning results from every angle, setting a new standard for mobile photography.
“Enhancing image sensor performance and bridging the gap between main and sub cameras to offer a consistent photography experience across all angles is the new direction of the industry,” said Jesuk Lee, Executive Vice President and CTO of the System LSI Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to set industry standards and push technological boundaries with our new lineup of mobile sensors that integrate the latest advancements.”
ISOCELL HP9: The Industry’s First 200MP Telephoto Sensor for Smartphones
The ISOCELL HP9 features 200 million 0.56-micrometer (μm) pixels in a 1/1.4-inch optical format.
With its proprietary high-refractive microlens featuring a new material, the HP9 significantly enhances light-gathering capability by directing more light accurately to the corresponding RGB color filter. This results in more vivid color reproduction and improved focus with 12% better light sensitivity (based on signal-to-noise ratio 10) and 10% improved autofocus contrast performance compared to the previous product.
Notably, the HP9 excels in low-light conditions, addressing a common challenge for traditional telephoto cameras. Its Tetra²pixel technology merges 16 pixels (4×4) into a large, 12MP 2.24μm-sized sensor, enabling sharper portrait shots — even in dark settings — and creating dramatic out-of-focus bokeh1 effects.
As main cameras in premium smartphones grow in size, the room for telephoto cameras is also increasing. The HP9’s large optical format makes it suitable for telephoto modules, delivering performance that matches premium main cameras in image quality, autofocus, high dynamic range (HDR) and frames per second (fps).
Powered by a remosaic algorithm, the HP9 offers 2x or 4x in-sensor zoom modes, achieving up to 12x zoom when paired with a 3x zoom telephoto module, all while maintaining crisp image quality.
The ISOCELL GNJ is a dual pixel sensor with 50 million 1.0μm pixels in a 1/1.57-inch optical format.
Each pixel houses two photodiodes, enabling fast and accurate autofocus, similar to the way human eyes focus. The image sensor also simultaneously captures full color information for quick focusing with sustained image quality.
The GNJ combines dual pixel technology with an in-sensor zoom function to deliver clearer footage in video mode and higher-resolution images free from artifacts or moiré2 patterns in photo mode.
All of these innovations have been achieved with less power consumption, featuring a 29% improvement in preview mode and 34% in video mode at 4K 60fps.
ISOCELL JN5: Consistent Camera Experience From Every Angle With Broad Color Range and Excellent Autofocus
The ISOCELL JN5 features 50 million 0.64μm pixels in a 1/2.76-inch optical format.
Dual vertical transfer gate (Dual VTG) technology increases charge transfer within pixels, substantially reducing noise in extreme low light conditions for clearer image quality.
Leveraging Super Quad Phase Detection (Super QPD), the JN5 adjusts focus by comparing phase differences both vertically and horizontally, catching even the smallest details of rapidly moving objects with minimal shake.
Additionally, the JN5 incorporates dual slope gain (DSG) technology to enhance its HDR. This technology amplifies the analog light information entering the pixels into two signals, converts them into digital, and then combines them into one data, expanding the range of colors that the sensor can produce.
Implementing hardware remosaic algorithms improves camera shooting speed while enabling real-time zoom in both preview and capture modes without any delay.
TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) successfully developed a material for CeraCharge, a next-generation solid-state battery with an energy density of 1,000 Wh/L, approximately 100 times greater than the energy density of TDK’s conventional solid-state battery.
TDK’s technology is aimed at a solution that can be utilized in various wearable devices, such as wireless earphones, hearing aids and even smartwatches, with the goal of replacing existing coin cell batteries.
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
NFT and metaverse content creation startup Infinite Reality raised $350M at a $5.1B valuation and acquires Roblox game developer Landvault for $450M in stock
Infinite Reality, the company working on metaverse-like technologies, has raised $350 million and acquired Roblox game developer Landvault for $450 million.
The deal shows how much financial velocity Infinite Reality has gathered, as its valuation has now advanced to $5.1 billion as the company focuses on immersive platform and enterprise service technologies.
So far this year, New York-based Infinite Reality has spent more than $800 million in stock on previous acquisitions including the purchase of The Drone Racing League ($250 million), Ethereal Engine ($75 million), Action Face ($10 million) and Stakes ($8 million).
Infinite Reality said it raised its $350 million minority investment from a private multi-family office focused on global technology, media, and real estate, elevating the company’s valuation to $5.1 billion. Infinite Reality has about 140 employees, while Landvault has just 36.
Intel has confirmed that its next-gen Arrow Lake CPUs are arriving this year, but it looks like they’ll arrive missing a feature of the last few generations. Arrow Lake, and its corresponding 800-series chipset, is dropping support for DDR4 memory and moving exclusively to DDR5, according to a new leak shared on Chiphell.
Apple’s A17 Pro and M3 series of chips are based on TSMC’s 3nm architecture, which was introduced last year with the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro and the MacBook Pro. The chips come with enhanced computational and graphical performance, and the company also saw fit to launch the new OLED iPad Pro models with an M4 chip, which is also based on the same node but features slight improvements in performance and efficiency. The report suggests Apple’s chip manufacturer TSMC will begin trial production of 2nm chips next week, which means that the supplier is on time to produce the technology for next year.
TSMC to begin trial production of 2nm chips for 2025 next week, with plans to secure stable yields
Apple is TSMC’s biggest client and responsible for a major portion of its revenue, which means that stakes are high for the supplier to secure a maximum of 2nm chip orders.
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887 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/processors/forget-all-the-ai-fluffsome-serious-next-gen-cpus-are-on-their-way-praise-the-sun/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft and Nvidia are now the world’s most valuable companies. How Intel—once the top chipmaker—blew its shot to be one of them
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-nvidia-now-world-most-154410196.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia ostaa Infineran – lisää optisten verkkojen piiriosaamista
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2024/06/28/nokia-ostaa-infineran-kasvattaa-optisten-verkkojen-piiriosaamista/
Nokia vahvistaa optisen alueen osaamistaan amerikkalaisen Infineran verkkojen ostolla ja laajentaa myös alueen teknologiaportfoliotaan ja tuotekehitystä. Kauppasumma on 2,3 miljardia dollaria ja rahoitetaan pääosin käteisvaroista.
Amerikkalaisen optisen verkkojen teknologia- ja puolijohde-osaajan Infineran osto nostaa Nokian markkina-asemaa alueen verkoissa erityisesti Pohjois-Amerikassa. Kauppa mahdollistaa myös nopeammin uusien tuotteiden ja ratkaisujen kehittämisen.
“Uskomme, että nyt on oikea hetki kasvattaa optisen liiketoiminnan skaalaa yritysoston kautta. Liiketoimintamme ovat strategisesti yhteensopivat ja täydentävät toisiaan asiakkaiden, markkinoiden sekä teknologioiden osalta”, kertoo Pekka Lundmark, Nokian toimitusjohtaja.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16372-rohm-esitteli-uuden-tarkemman-ledin
ROHM on esitellyt uuden infrapunalähteen, joka yhdistää ledien ja VCSEL-emitterien parhaat puolet. Uusia valolähteitä halutaan käyttää autoissa kuljettajan tarkempaan valvontaan, mikä parantaisi turvallisuutta teillä. ROHM kutsuu tekniikkaansa nimellä VCSELED.
Yleensä ADAS-järjestelmissä hyödynnetään VCSEL-tekniikkaa, joka tarkoittaa kerrosrakennetta, jossa aktiivinen alue sijaitsee kahden peilin välissä. Rakenne muodostaa laseronkalon, jolla voidaan tuottaa erittäin koherenttia valoa kapealla spektrin alalla. Perinteinen ledi on yksinkertaisempi ja edullisempi, mutta se tuottaa laajakulmaisen, nopeasti hajoavan säteilyn, josta on vaikea tehdä tarkkoja mittauksia.
ROHM.n mukaan sen VCSELED-ledillä saavutetaan erittäin tarkka tunnistus.
VCSELED:ssä käytetyn VCSEL-elementin kapea emissioaallonpituus on 4 nanometriä, mikä on noin seitsemäsosa ledien kaistanleveydestä.
ROHM pyrkii kaupallistamaan VCSELED:n uudeksi teknologiabrändiksi infrapunavalonlähdekomponenteille. Protot ovat jo kaupan, volyymituotanto on alkamassa lokakuussa 2024. Autoihin tekniikan odotetaan tulevan ensi vuoden aikana.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16375-onsemi-investoi-jopa-kaksi-miljardia-dollaria-sic-tuotantoon-tshekissae
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/new-products/16376-pickering-nosti-releiden-teholuokituksia
https://www.pickeringrelay.com/pickering-doubles-power-ratings-expanding-high-spec-options-for-popular-reed-relays/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16374-nokia-haluaa-enemmaen-25-miljardin-optisten-verkkojen-markkinoista
Tomi Engdahl says:
Of the many oddities you can buy from Aliexpress, some of the weirdest are the recreations of retro computer systems in semi-modern designs—the latest of which to catch our eye is the Pocket 386, a new-old laptop that can run MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, and (technically) Windows 95 for anyone willing to shell out about $200: https://arstechnica.visitlink.me/14m3e8
Tomi Engdahl says:
$10,000 cooler designed with AI keeps Core i9-14900KF chilly at 7.5 GHz
Impressive in some tests, but the cost obviously holds it back
https://www.techspot.com/news/103601-10000-cooler-designed-ai-keeps-core-i9-14900kf.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blistering 402 Tb/s fiber optic speeds achieved by unlocking unused wavelengths
Amid 6G promises, scientists find a way to wring incredible speeds out of boring old fiber
https://www.techspot.com/news/103584-blistering-402-tbs-fiber-optic-speeds-achieved-unlocking.html
Japan achieves staggering 402 Tb/s data rate with commercial optical fiber — record-breaking performance tapped into unused wavelength bands
News
By Roshan Ashraf Shaikh published June 27, 2024
New record shows potential high data throughput with no upgrade for current fiber optic infrastructure
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/japan-achieves-staggering-402-tbs-data-rate-with-commercial-optical-fiber-record-breaking-performance-tapped-into-unused-wavelength-bands
Tomi Engdahl says:
Canonical’s ‘distroless’ Linux images are a game-changer for enterprises
Canonical plans to offer customized Docker Linux container images with a dozen years of long-term support.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/canonicals-distroless-linux-images-are-a-game-changer-for-enterprises/
Tomi Engdahl says:
This “super SIM card” features a built-in RISC-V CPU for increased storage, faster transfers, and better security
10x better than your standard SIM
https://www.techspot.com/news/103582-chinese-super-sim-card-features-built-risc-v.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open Source ‘Eclipse Theia IDE’ Exits Beta to Challenge Visual Studio Code
https://visualstudiomagazine.com/Articles/2024/06/27/eclipse-theia-ide.aspx
Some seven years in the making, the Eclipse Foundation’s Theia IDE project is now generally available, emerging from beta to challenge Microsoft’s similar Visual Studio Code editor, with which it shares much tech.
The Eclipse Theia IDE, part of the Eclipse Cloud DevTools ecosystem, primarily differs from VS Code in licensing and governance. Open-source champion Eclipse Foundation calls it a “true open-source alternative” to VS Code, which Microsoft has described as being “built” on open source but with proprietary elements like default telemetry with which usage data is collected.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Are rainy days ahead for cloud computing?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd114lllyp6o
This year, software firm 37signals will see a profit boost of more than $1m (£790,000) from leaving the cloud.
“To be able to get that with such relatively modest changes to our business is astounding,” says co-owner and chief technology officer, David Heinemeier Hansson.
The US company has millions of users for its online project management and productivity software, including Basecamp and Hey.
Like many companies it outsourced data storage and computing to a third party firm, a so-called cloud services provider.
They own huge data centres, where they host data from other firms, which can be accessed over the internet.
In 2022, such services cost 37signals $3.2m.
“Seeing the bill on a weekly basis really radicalised me,” Mr Heinemeier Hansson says.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maailmanennätys datansiirrossa: 402 terabittiä sekunnissa
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16381-maailmanennaetys-datansiirrossa-402-terabittiae-sekunnissa
Japanilaistutkijat ovat onnistuneet rikkomaan aiemman, viime lokakuussa tehdyn maailmanennätyksen optisessa datansiirrossa. Kansainvälinen NICT:n fotoniikkalaboratorion johtama ryhmä ylsi standardissa valokuidussa 402 terabitin datanopeuteen sekunnissa.
NICT:n eli National Institute of Information and Communications Technology -instituutin fotoniikkalaboratorio on aiemminkin rustaillut maailmanennätyksiä datansiirrossa. 402 terabittiä sekunnissa tarkoittaa yli 50 teratavua sekunnissa. Lukema on neljänneksen suurempi kuin aiempi ennätys.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Proton launches Docs in Proton Drive, a privacy-focused alternative to Google Docs, after acquiring secure note-taking app Standard Notes in April 2024
In a major update, Proton adds privacy-safe document collaboration to Drive, its freemium E2EE cloud storage service
https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/03/in-major-update-proton-adds-privacy-safe-document-collaboration-to-drive-its-freemium-e2ee-cloud-storage-service/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16385-yhdelle-flash-sirulle-jo-2-terabittiae-dataa
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16386-nopeammin-ja-tarkemmin-liikkuvaa-kuvaa-talteen
STMicroelectronics on tuonut markkinoille joukon plug-and-play-kehityspaketteja, joilla voidaan helposti ottaa käyttöön yhtiön globaaliin sulkimeen perustuvia BrightSense-sarjan kuvakennoja. Nämä kennot voivat tallentaa kuvia nopeasti liikkuvista kohteista ilman vääristymiä ja vähentää merkittävästi tehonkulutusta, kun ne on kytketty valaistusjärjestelmään.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Xinmei Shen / South China Morning Post:
Preqin: China accounted for 90% of global semiconductor VC funding in 2023, with $22.2B and up from $9.5B in 2022; the funding slowed to just $1.6B in H1 2024
Semiconductor, AI firms dominate venture capital deals in China amid government push
https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3269182/semiconductor-ai-firms-dominate-venture-capital-deals-china-amid-government-push
Ninety per cent of global venture capital investments in the chip sector last year came from China, according to Preqin research
Tomi Engdahl says:
Joanna Nelius / The Verge:
A test of seven Copilot+ PCs, representing all four Snapdragon X chips, against similar laptops with Apple Silicon, Intel Core Ultra, and AMD Ryzen processors
Here’s how Qualcomm’s new laptop chips really stack up to Apple, Intel, and AMD
We tested every Snapdragon X chip against the Intel Core Ultra, AMD Ryzen 8000, and Apple M3.
https://www.theverge.com/24191671/copilot-plus-pcs-laptops-qualcomm-intel-amd-apple
After 12 years of trying to make Windows on Arm happen, Microsoft has made Windows on Arm happen. That’s a long time to keep throwing money at a version of Windows that, historically, has lacked compatible software, reliable emulation, and capable enough performance for even light workloads. But it seems like Microsoft’s 12-year odyssey is starting to pay off now that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips are turning Windows on Arm into a viable platform.
We’ve spent the past week and a half testing seven Copilot Plus PCs, representing all four Snapdragon X chips, against a slate of similar laptops running Apple Silicon, Intel Core Ultra, and AMD Ryzen processors. This isn’t the final word on Snapdragon performance — app compatibility is changing on a near-daily basis, and we’ll have full reviews for many of these laptops in the next few weeks — but we now have a good idea of how the first wave of Snapdragon X laptops stack up against the competition and how they still fall short.
This is the fiercest Microsoft has been able to compete with MacBooks in price, performance, and battery life, and while Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips don’t outright beat Apple’s M3 chip (with an eight-core CPU and 10-core GPU) in every single one of our benchmarks, they could make Intel and AMD scramble to catch up to another competitor — this time, on their home turf.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.theverge.com/24191671/copilot-plus-pcs-laptops-qualcomm-intel-amd-apple
Qualcomm currently has four Snapdragon X chips: three under the “X Elite” brand and one under “X Plus.” They all share an Adreno GPU, an NPU capable of 45 TOPS, and support for LPDDR5X memory up to 8448MHz, but their core counts and max clock speeds change as you go down the lineup, from a 12-core chip with a 3.8GHz top speed and 4.2GHz dual-core boost to a 10-core at 3.4GHz with no dual-core boost.
With the Snapdragon X Elite lineup, Qualcomm ditched the hybrid architecture of its previous laptop chips. Instead of using a mix of performance cores for heavy workloads and efficiency cores for less intensive work, Qualcomm now uses a homogeneous architecture — every chip can run both types of tasks.
Competing against its new CPUs are Apple’s hybrid core Arm chips, AMD’s homogeneous core x86 chips, and Intel’s hybrid core x86 chips. (Though Intel is adjusting its hybrid core architecture by ditching just the LP cores in its next-gen Lunar Lake chips, which arrive this fall.)
We ran Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024 because they work across Windows and macOS as well as on Intel and AMD’s x86 chips and Apple and Qualcomm’s Arm chips.
Among the laptops we tested, Apple’s M3 chips still lead the pack in single-core performance, but Qualcomm’s higher-end X Elite chips are a touch faster in single-core workloads than the M2 Max chip in the early 2023 MacBook Pro
The Snapdragon chips really shine in multicore benchmarks, overtaking all the other CPUs aside from Apple’s M2 Max and M3 Max. The M3 chip in the MacBook Air only has eight cores compared to the 12 or 10 cores of the Snapdragon chips, so it makes sense why it fell behind. The 16-core M3 Max far outpaces the rest of the field, and the 12-core M2 Max is slightly faster in Cinebench 2024 multicore than the fastest X Elite chips.
Our results are mostly in line with what Qualcomm claimed during my hands-on in April
Snapdragon falls behind in GPU performance
Qualcomm has been careful to position this wave of Snapdragon X laptops as productivity machines, rather than gaming or workstation PCs, and the integrated GPUs are fine for that. They can run laptop displays at up to 4K at 120Hz and up to three 4K external displays at 60Hz.
But integrated GPUs aren’t great for gaming, 3D rendering, or any other heavy graphical workloads, and that includes all of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips. (Apple’s integrated GPUs are an exception
Qualcomm’s Adreno GPUs lag behind higher-end Intel and AMD integrated GPUs in our initial benchmarks.
Only two of the Snapdragon laptops fared a little better in the PugetBench Adobe Photoshop benchmark. Photoshop has a native Arm64 version; the Surface Pro and 15-inch Surface Laptop surpassed the Dell XPS 14 and Acer Swift Go 14 AMD by 10 percent. The MacBook Air 15 wins here, though, by 42 percent.
These Snapdragon laptops are not gaming laptops, but they can run games — sometimes. Very few games have native Arm64 versions, so Microsoft leans heavily on emulation here. Microsoft automatically enables Auto SR (its own version of Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR, which increase frame rates by dropping the in-game resolution and then upscaling with AI) on a short list of games, which includes The Witcher 3 and Control. But those games have already been optimized to run well on processors with integrated graphics, so they don’t actually need Auto SR — and in most cases run better without it.
The same goes for some games that haven’t been optimized
In other games that are supposed to be optimized for Windows on Arm, like Control and Borderlands 3, turning on ASR degraded the visual quality with distracting flickering lines on or around fine details like mesh screens and hair.
If a game doesn’t work, you will learn quickly: it will crash as soon as you launch it, or after you load one of your saves, or if you have the resolution or graphics settings too high. In the best-case scenario, it will run under 20fps even on low settings. There are a lot of variables, and they differ from game to game in the dozen I tested.
Emulation is fine for the little stuff
One of Microsoft’s big claims was that Snapdragon-configured Windows laptops would have “faster app emulation than Rosetta 2,” Apple’s emulation software that lets x86 Mac apps run on Apple Silicon. Microsoft hasn’t had the greatest reputation when it comes to x86 emulation on Arm, and while its new Prism emulator is much faster, it’s still not fast enough for heavyweight apps.
While these Snapdragon laptops are not what you’d want to buy for 3D rendering — you’ll want a discrete GPU for that, regardless of platform — the massive difference between emulated and native CPU rendering shows how important it is for developers to have Arm64 versions of their software, especially if it’s designed to handle heavy workloads.
Battery life
Microsoft claims that its Copilot Plus PCs with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor will offer “20 percent more battery life than the latest MacBook Air 15-inch.” When I tested the latest 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs, they lasted about 18 hours on a charge when I used them as I normally would during a regular week, with the display brightness set as close to 200 nits as possible.
None of the Snapdragon laptops’ batteries lasted 18 hours like the M3 Air, but most weren’t far behind, averaging 14 to 16 hours. That’s still a lot longer than most of the Intel- and AMD-based laptops I tested
Here’s why I’m not mentioning the NPU
Yes, these are Copilot Plus PCs. Yes, they run a bunch of AI stuff. But my colleagues and I have yet to figure out a reliable method to test relative NPU performance in a meaningful way. The Copilot Plus AI features, with the possible exceptions of Studio Effects and Live Captions translations, currently feel more like gimmicks than useful apps most people can incorporate into their day-to-day life, and Microsoft doesn’t plan to release Recall, its most-hyped AI app, until it addresses security concerns.
But the NPUs are there — and not just on Arm PCs — so we expect apps to take more advantage of that processing power soon. We’ll revisit NPU benchmarks as it makes sense.
More for less… more or less
This wave of Snapdragon Copilot Plus PCs starts at $999 and can cost in excess of $2,500. They feature nearly everything most other laptops in that price range do: beautiful OLED displays; high storage capacity; long battery life; fast processors; metal chassis; and in some cases, the latest Wi-Fi 7 adapter. It’s all the same stuff you get with Intel- and AMD-based laptops, and even MacBooks, often for less money.
The Snapdragon laptops are generally cheaper than their Intel or AMD counterparts, too. The Qualcomm Dell XPS 13 is $200 cheaper and the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is $150 cheaper, while the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is $100 more. Better performance and longer battery life for less money are going to be the major selling points for most people — and these Snapdragon Copilot Plus PCs hit all three.
Where does Qualcomm go from here?
Unlike previous Windows on Arm laptops — even up to 2022’s Surface Pro 9 (SQ3), these Copilot Plus PCs finally have processors fast enough to run the operating system and emulate most x86 programs. And now that every major Windows laptop manufacturer has at least one Snapdragon X-based machine, there should finally be enough of an install base to entice developers at large to create native Arm64 versions of their apps, which will make these an easier sell.
But with Intel Lunar Lake and AMD Ryzen AI coming soon, it’s unclear how long Qualcomm will hold onto its lead. Lunar Lake will be closer in design to Apple Silicon, with RAM incorporated into the chip itself, and Intel claims that getting rid of hyperthreading will decrease power consumption, so laptops with these chips will supposedly get better battery life than its current-gen processors. Ryzen AI will have a 12-core and 10-core variant, just like Qualcomm Snapdragon, on its Zen 5 architecture, clock speeds up to 5.1GHz, and a more powerful iGPU, so that could increase the graphics performance lead it currently has over some of the Snapdragon X Elite chips.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Microsoft-approved website tracks how Windows games play on Arm
https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/21/24161936/windows-on-arm-ready-software-linaro-microsoft-qualcomm
Windows on Arm Ready Software
https://www.worksonwoa.com/
Welcome to Works on Windows on Arm!
This site is your source for compatibility information for many games on Windows devices that run on Arm architecture and will be updated over time.
The information is intended to serve as a guide, but does not absolutely guarantee that a game will run. The results have been tested, but may not work on your specific machine and configuration. If your results differ, please contribute to the site with your own findings.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg:
Microsoft-owned Mojang is exploring deals in areas like merchandising, education, and streaming, on top of movies and TV series, as gaming sector growth slows
‘Minecraft’ Hunts Revenue Beyond Gamers as Industry Growth Slows
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-04/-minecraft-hunts-revenue-beyond-gamers-as-industry-growth-slows
15-year-old game seeks partners in merchandising and education
Microsoft-owned Mojang has adopted AI in content moderation
Tomi Engdahl says:
Financial Times:
SemiAnalysis: Nvidia is set to sell $12B worth of H20 chips, or 1M+ units, in China in 2024; Huawei expects to sell ~550K units of its Ascend 910B chips in 2024
https://www.ft.com/content/b76ef55b-21cd-498b-ac16-5660908bb8d2
Nvidia to make $12bn from AI chips in China this year despite US controls
Chipmaker set to surpass China sales by local rival Huawei by selling product designed to fall outside of export restrictions
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reuters:
Apple approves the Epic Games Store on iPhones and iPads in the EU, after Epic said it was blocked due to buttons and labels being similar to the App Store’s — Apple (AAPL.O) said on Friday it has approved Epic Games’ games marketplace app on iPhones and iPads in Europe, after the “Fortnite” …
Apple okays Epic Games marketplace app in Europe
https://www.reuters.com/technology/epic-games-says-apple-stalling-launch-its-game-store-europe-2024-07-05/
July 5 (Reuters) – Apple (AAPL.O)
, opens new tab said on Friday it has approved Epic Games’ games marketplace app on iPhones and iPads in Europe, after the “Fortnite” maker escalated its feud with the technology giant, accusing it of hindering its efforts to set up a games store on the devices.
Apple said the latest spat concerned the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace and has nothing to do with the video games maker’s Fortnite app which has already been given the green light.
Tomi Engdahl says:
GPUs can now use PCIe-attached memory or SSDs to boost VRAM capacity —Panmnesia’s CXL IP claims double-digit nanosecond latency
News
By Anton Shilov published July 2, 2024
Provided that AMD, Intel, and Nvidia would like to support CXL for memory expansions.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/gpus-get-a-boost-from-pcie-attached-memory-that-boosts-capacity-and-delivers-double-digit-nanosecond-latency-ssds-can-also-be-used-to-expand-gpu-memory-capacity-via-panmnesias-cxl-ip
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://overclock3d.net/news/cpu_mainboard/killer-overclocking-feature-revealed-for-amd-ryzen-9000-series-cpus/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0tIDhNIelEl7imB7w2qFhoWt4pwt9NoEtOMQM6x7npLAOPiohDjshNb_I_aem_dcT_yhaX1dW6SQmOnsJnDQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://wccftech.com/intel-arrow-lake-s-desktop-800-series-cpu-platform-leak-20-dedicated-gen5-lanes/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.engadget.com/proton-launches-its-own-version-of-google-docs-100044471.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-xp-era-unofficial-anti-spyware-comes-to-windows-11-as-a-fork/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/japanese-government-declares-victory-in-war-against-floppy-disks-74944
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.howtogeek.com/will-linux-run0-command-run-sudo-out-of-town/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Serverless cloud technology fades away
Serverless was a big deal for a hot minute, but now it seems old-fashioned, even though its basic elements, agility and scalability, are still relevant.
https://www.infoworld.com/article/3715605/serverless-cloud-technology-fades-away.html
It is becoming increasingly evident that serverless technology is losing relevance and will soon fade away in the cloud technology space. Why did this happen? What can we learn from this evolution of technology?
When serverless computing first hit the streets over a decade ago as a cloud computing paradigm, it saved us from needing to handle detailed compute and storage configurations. Everything was done automatically at the time of execution. This seemed more evolution than revolution because PaaS systems were already doing an aspect of this type of computing.
Today, serverless cloud technology is increasingly overshadowed in the cloud technology marketplace. Initially lauded for its promise of simplified infrastructure management and scalability, serverless computing has been pushed to the periphery as new trends and technologies capture the spotlight.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here’s how Qualcomm’s new laptop chips really stack up to Apple, Intel, and AMD
We tested every Snapdragon X chip against the Intel Core Ultra, AMD Ryzen 8000, and Apple M3.
https://www.theverge.com/24191671/copilot-plus-pcs-laptops-qualcomm-intel-amd-apple
Tomi Engdahl says:
Motherboards and systems with China’s Loongson CPUs now shipping to US customers — options start from $373 for a DTX board with processor and cooler
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/motherboards/motherboards-and-systems-with-chinas-loongson-cpus-now-shipping-to-us-customers-options-start-from-dollar373-for-a-dtx-board-with-processor-and-cooler
Two new motherboards for the Chinese-made Loongson 3A6000 CPU are now available on AliExpress. These motherboards are available in various configurations ranging from a barebones motherboard with CPU through a complete prebuilt computer that also includes RAM, a hard drive, and a discrete graphics card.
AliExpress has two motherboard models featuring the Longsoon 3A6000 that are now beginning to ship worldwide. The first, the Loongson 3A6000 7A2000 main board, sells for $372.91 without memory, a storage device, or a discrete graphics card. It includes the Loongson 3A6000 processor with a maximum clock speed of 2.5 GHz.
The 7A2000 main board offers modest expansion possibilities, with a total of three PCIe slots, two DDR4 memory sockets, and support for both NVMe SSD and SATA drives. It also includes HDMI as well as VGA graphics output, plus HDA audio interfaces.
Due to the lack of any further specifications for the Loongson 3A6000, we assume these motherboards only support PCIe 3.0 and nothing newer. This does go along with Loongson’s comparison of its CPU with the Intel 10th Gen and AMD Zen3 CPUs, both of which are rather long in the tooth. An earlier release of a mini PC featuring the Loongson 3A6000 also advertised performance on par with those older CPUs.
The fact is, Loongson has developed its own CPU just a few generations behind Intel and AMD. Considering the Chinese firm has to work around U.S. sanctions and claims to insist on doing everything based on its own IP, the performance could actually be considered impressive.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/samsung-phones/samsung-galaxy-unpacked-summer-2024-possible-dates-potential-products-and-what-to-expect
https://www.tomsguide.com/news/samsung-galaxy-ring
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://alysormus.fi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/07/08/the-flash-memory-lifespan-question-why-qlc-may-be-nand-flashs-swan-song/
Tomi Engdahl says:
New York Times:
How the US is trying to transform the world’s chip supply chain, including getting more countries to set up factories to do final chip assembly and packaging
U.S. Creates High-Tech Global Supply Chains to Blunt Risks Tied to China
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/us/politics/supply-chain-china-tech.html?unlocked_article_code=1.500.DO3r.oxR-8MbZHLgQ&smid=url-share
The Biden administration is trying to get foreign companies to invest in chip-making in the United States and more countries to set up factories to do final assembly and packaging.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2024/07/10/alysormuksia-ouran-lisaksi-pian-muiltakin/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nordic Semiconductor named by TIME magazine as one of “Worlds Most Sustainable Companies”
https://www.nordicsemi.com/Nordic-news/2024/06/Nordic-Semiconductor-named-by-TIME-magazine-as-one-of-Worlds-Most-Sustainable-Companies
TIME has partnered with research agency Statista to name the World’s Most Sustainable Companies in which Nordic’s commitments to reducing its own carbon footprint are recognized.
Nordic Semiconductor, a leading provider of low power wireless IoT connectivity solutions, has been named by TIME magazine as one of the “World’s Most Sustainable Companies”.
Nordic’s aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction achievements; increasing conversion to recycled plastic use in manufacturing component reels; and demonstrable dedication to its sustainability principles have made the top 500 list for World’s Most Sustainable Companies, designated by TIME and research partner, Statista, from more than 5,000 eligible companies worldwide.
The criteria devised by TIME and Statista to recognize and reward companies that prioritize sustainability is designed to promote corporate responsibility and advance sustainable practices.
More than 5,000 of the world’s largest and most influential companies were assessed based on factors such as revenue, market capitalization, and public prominence. These companies were examined in a rigorous four-step process that covered more than 20 key data points, such as their CDP score – which provides a snapshot of a company’s disclosure and environmental performance, their alignment with GRI and SASB, emissions and energy intensity, and employee turnover and work safety.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Harshita Mary Varghese / Reuters:
IDC: global shipments of PCs reached 64.9M units in Q2 2024, up 3% YoY; Apple’s shipments rose 20.8% YoY, the biggest jump among global PC makers — Global shipments of personal computers rose by 3% in the second quarter, helped by demand for AI-capable devices, with Apple (AAPL.O) …
Global PC shipments rise in second quarter, Apple sees biggest jump, IDC says
https://www.reuters.com/technology/global-pc-shipments-rise-second-quarter-apple-sees-biggest-jump-idc-says-2024-07-09/
July 9 (Reuters) – Global shipments of personal computers rose by 3% in the second quarter, helped by demand for AI-capable devices, with Apple (AAPL.O)
, opens new tab seeing the biggest growth among PC makers, preliminary data from research firm IDC showed on Tuesday.
PC shipments reached 64.9 million units in the three months ended June, marking a second straight quarter of growth after two years of decline, the report said.
According to IDC, Apple’s shipments jumped 20.8% from the second quarter of 2023, the biggest rise among global PC makers, followed by a gain of 13.7% by Acer Group.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Unveils Versatile Image Sensors for Superior Smartphone Photography
https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-unveils-versatile-image-sensors-for-superior-smartphone-photography
New lineup features industry-leading 200MP and 50MP sensors, bridging the gap between main and sub cameras for enhanced imaging across all angles
Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced three new mobile image sensors designed for both main and sub cameras in smartphones: the ISOCELL HP9, the ISOCELL GNJ and the ISOCELL JN5.
As user expectations for smartphone camera quality and performance continue to rise, Samsung’s latest image sensors deliver stunning results from every angle, setting a new standard for mobile photography.
“Enhancing image sensor performance and bridging the gap between main and sub cameras to offer a consistent photography experience across all angles is the new direction of the industry,” said Jesuk Lee, Executive Vice President and CTO of the System LSI Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to set industry standards and push technological boundaries with our new lineup of mobile sensors that integrate the latest advancements.”
ISOCELL HP9: The Industry’s First 200MP Telephoto Sensor for Smartphones
The ISOCELL HP9 features 200 million 0.56-micrometer (μm) pixels in a 1/1.4-inch optical format.
With its proprietary high-refractive microlens featuring a new material, the HP9 significantly enhances light-gathering capability by directing more light accurately to the corresponding RGB color filter. This results in more vivid color reproduction and improved focus with 12% better light sensitivity (based on signal-to-noise ratio 10) and 10% improved autofocus contrast performance compared to the previous product.
Notably, the HP9 excels in low-light conditions, addressing a common challenge for traditional telephoto cameras. Its Tetra²pixel technology merges 16 pixels (4×4) into a large, 12MP 2.24μm-sized sensor, enabling sharper portrait shots — even in dark settings — and creating dramatic out-of-focus bokeh1 effects.
As main cameras in premium smartphones grow in size, the room for telephoto cameras is also increasing. The HP9’s large optical format makes it suitable for telephoto modules, delivering performance that matches premium main cameras in image quality, autofocus, high dynamic range (HDR) and frames per second (fps).
Powered by a remosaic algorithm, the HP9 offers 2x or 4x in-sensor zoom modes, achieving up to 12x zoom when paired with a 3x zoom telephoto module, all while maintaining crisp image quality.
ISOCELL GNJ: Integrating Cutting-Edge Pixel Technology Innovations
The ISOCELL GNJ is a dual pixel sensor with 50 million 1.0μm pixels in a 1/1.57-inch optical format.
Each pixel houses two photodiodes, enabling fast and accurate autofocus, similar to the way human eyes focus. The image sensor also simultaneously captures full color information for quick focusing with sustained image quality.
The GNJ combines dual pixel technology with an in-sensor zoom function to deliver clearer footage in video mode and higher-resolution images free from artifacts or moiré2 patterns in photo mode.
All of these innovations have been achieved with less power consumption, featuring a 29% improvement in preview mode and 34% in video mode at 4K 60fps.
ISOCELL JN5: Consistent Camera Experience From Every Angle With Broad Color Range and Excellent Autofocus
The ISOCELL JN5 features 50 million 0.64μm pixels in a 1/2.76-inch optical format.
Dual vertical transfer gate (Dual VTG) technology increases charge transfer within pixels, substantially reducing noise in extreme low light conditions for clearer image quality.
Leveraging Super Quad Phase Detection (Super QPD), the JN5 adjusts focus by comparing phase differences both vertically and horizontally, catching even the smallest details of rapidly moving objects with minimal shake.
Additionally, the JN5 incorporates dual slope gain (DSG) technology to enhance its HDR. This technology amplifies the analog light information entering the pixels into two signals, converts them into digital, and then combines them into one data, expanding the range of colors that the sensor can produce.
Implementing hardware remosaic algorithms improves camera shooting speed while enabling real-time zoom in both preview and capture modes without any delay.
Tomi Engdahl says:
TDK successfully developed a material for solid-state batteries with 100-times higher energy density
https://www.tdk.com/en/news_center/press/20240617_01.html
TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) successfully developed a material for CeraCharge, a next-generation solid-state battery with an energy density of 1,000 Wh/L, approximately 100 times greater than the energy density of TDK’s conventional solid-state battery.
TDK’s technology is aimed at a solution that can be utilized in various wearable devices, such as wireless earphones, hearing aids and even smartwatches, with the goal of replacing existing coin cell batteries.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
NFT and metaverse content creation startup Infinite Reality raised $350M at a $5.1B valuation and acquires Roblox game developer Landvault for $450M in stock
Infinite Reality raises $350M and acquires Landvault for $450M
https://venturebeat.com/games/infinite-reality-raises-350m-and-acquires-landvault-for-450m/
Infinite Reality, the company working on metaverse-like technologies, has raised $350 million and acquired Roblox game developer Landvault for $450 million.
The deal shows how much financial velocity Infinite Reality has gathered, as its valuation has now advanced to $5.1 billion as the company focuses on immersive platform and enterprise service technologies.
So far this year, New York-based Infinite Reality has spent more than $800 million in stock on previous acquisitions including the purchase of The Drone Racing League ($250 million), Ethereal Engine ($75 million), Action Face ($10 million) and Stakes ($8 million).
Infinite Reality said it raised its $350 million minority investment from a private multi-family office focused on global technology, media, and real estate, elevating the company’s valuation to $5.1 billion. Infinite Reality has about 140 employees, while Landvault has just 36.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chinese researchers created a solid-state battery with a new electrolyte, reducing costs by 90%. https://ie.social/V5Aag
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2024/07/10/pikaviestit-vakiinnuttivat-paikkansa-tekstiviestit-ja-puhelut-vahenemassa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16395-samsung-panostaa-tekoaelyyn-myoes-taivuteltavissa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel’s next-gen CPUs are leaving a big feature behind
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-arrow-lake-drop-ddr4-leak/
Intel has confirmed that its next-gen Arrow Lake CPUs are arriving this year, but it looks like they’ll arrive missing a feature of the last few generations. Arrow Lake, and its corresponding 800-series chipset, is dropping support for DDR4 memory and moving exclusively to DDR5, according to a new leak shared on Chiphell.
Tomi Engdahl says:
TSMC to begin trial production of 2nm chips for 2025 next week, with plans to secure stable yields
Apple Supplier TSMC Will Begin Trial Production Of 2nm Chips Next Week, Aiming To Secure A Stable Yield Before Mass Production
https://wccftech.com/tsmc-to-begin-trial-production-of-2nm-chips-next-week/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0_tmkn9ghg7nATw1YM6mYodLkA0O7_gL26gxKrKGTMq8fNt2OdRzVn85I_aem_34EvKU6gAXDHeC3Kj74C6w
Apple’s A17 Pro and M3 series of chips are based on TSMC’s 3nm architecture, which was introduced last year with the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro and the MacBook Pro. The chips come with enhanced computational and graphical performance, and the company also saw fit to launch the new OLED iPad Pro models with an M4 chip, which is also based on the same node but features slight improvements in performance and efficiency. The report suggests Apple’s chip manufacturer TSMC will begin trial production of 2nm chips next week, which means that the supplier is on time to produce the technology for next year.
TSMC to begin trial production of 2nm chips for 2025 next week, with plans to secure stable yields
Apple is TSMC’s biggest client and responsible for a major portion of its revenue, which means that stakes are high for the supplier to secure a maximum of 2nm chip orders.