Articles – Page 73

March 2, 2021

One of the charming aspects of RISC-V is that it’s so… flexible. As an open-source processor specification, absolutely anyone can use it, modify it, and commercialize it. There are no licensing fees, no rules, and no compatibility test. It’s the Wild West of processors. Up to a point.

If you want to call your processor RISC-V, however, you have to follow the rules. The name “RISC-V” is trademarked, and there are also trademarked variations, subsets, profiles, and extensions … Read More → "RISC-V Fast Tracks Simpler Extensions"

Gemini-1 Spreads Millions of Processors Into RAM

GSI Technology Chip is Good for Accelerating Search Algorithms

by Jim Turley

March 1, 2021

It’s the computer equivalent of the proverb, “If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain.” If the data won’t come to your processor fast enough, send the processor out into the data.

That’s the idea behind GSI Technology’s first processor, called Gemini-1Read More → "Gemini-1 Spreads Millions of Processors Into RAM"

Recreating Retro-Futuristic 21-Segment Victorian Displays

by Max Maxfield

February 25, 2021

I’m a big fan of having hobby projects. In addition to taking one’s mind off the toils, troubles, and tribulations of the world, I think that having a new “thing” that you want to do is the best way to set about learning how to do it.

Take adding a new programming language to your repertoire as an example. One way to do this is to wade through the language reference manual (yawn). Another approach is to come up with some algorithm or task you wish to code … Read More → "Recreating Retro-Futuristic 21-Segment Victorian Displays"

Redefining Xilinx?

Data Center Announcements Show Strategy Shift

by Kevin Morris

February 24, 2021

Xilinx made a batch of announcements this week aimed at the data center. The company rolled out a new line of programmable network 100Gb/s SmartNIC interface cards, a “SmartWorld AI” video analytics solution, an algorithmic trading framework, and (finally) the Xilinx App Store. Taken together, they make good on Xilinx’s long-term “data center first” strategy. And, viewed on a more macro scale, they represent the execution of a strategy to dramatically grow the FPGA market.

As data rates have skyrocketed, increasing amounts of CPU power have been consumed … Read More → "Redefining Xilinx?"

Competitors Squawk at ARM/Nvidia Merger

You Knew This Was Coming

by Jim Turley

February 23, 2021

To no one’s great surprise, companies around the world are quietly raising objections to Nvidia’s proposed takeover of ARM. When elephants dance, someone’s likely to get stepped on.

Back in September, Nvidia offered to buy ARM for the eye-watering sum of $40 billion, making it one of the largest acquisitions in history. But nothing that big happens without repercussions, and, as we predicted back then, some customers … Read More → "Competitors Squawk at ARM/Nvidia Merger"

What Programming Languages Are In Demand?

Years of Job Listings Show Some Trends for Hiring Coders

by Jim Turley

February 22, 2021

“Kid, when I was your age, we programmed computers by hand using ones and zeroes. And some days we ran out of zeroes.” Okay, boomer, but today’s programming languages are a wee bit more advanced now. So advanced that it’s tricky to know which language(s) to learn or how useful they’ll be. Will C# expertise get me a job? Is it worth learning Perl? Should I hone my ninja Java skills or switch to Python?

Organic Printed Electronics for the 21st Century!

by Max Maxfield

February 18, 2021

What do you think about when you hear the phrase “printed electronics”? To be honest, if you’d asked me yesterday, I would have probably waffled on about using printing techniques to implement components like capacitors, resistors, and inductors on hybrid substrates, multi-chip-modules (MCMs), and some specialized forms of printed circuit boards (PCBs), but I was just talking with Dr. Florian Ullrich from InnovationLab, and he has opened my eyes to a whole new world of … Read More → "Organic Printed Electronics for the 21st Century!"

USB & HDMI: Who’s In Charge Here?

Confusion Reigns Among All the Options and Upgrades

by Jim Turley

February 17, 2021

USB is one of the success stories in the saga of technical standards, and one of the few that lives up to its name. It truly is universal. But that’s about to go out the window.

It started off so well, too. If the funny rectangular plug fit, it worked. It was way better than the assortment of connectors we used to have on our PCs, and the even bigger assortment of device drivers that used to go with … Read More → "USB & HDMI: Who’s In Charge Here?"

Apple M1 vs. Intel Core i7: The Benchmark Wars Continue

Picking a Winner Depends on Who You’re Backing

by Jim Turley

February 15, 2021

Which chip is faster: Apple’s M1 or Intel’s Core i7? The new or the old? ARM or x86? The mobile gadgets company or the major microprocessor maker?

Spoiler alert! It’s a trick question – a Rorschach test. You’ll see what you want to see in the benchmark results, and what you take out of the scores is, as Yoda says, “only what you take with you.”

Computer benchmarking, like auto racing, has been around ever since they made the second one. … Read More → "Apple M1 vs. Intel Core i7: The Benchmark Wars Continue"

Securing Artificial Intelligence Before It Secures Us!

by Max Maxfield

February 11, 2021

Since I spend an inordinate and unfortunate amount of time worrying about the possibility of a forthcoming artificial intelligence (AI) apocalypse, I was delighted to hear that the folks at ETSI have plunged into the fray with regard to establishing the world’s first standardization initiative dedicated toward securing AI. We will return to ETSI’s initiative shortly, but first…

To be honest, things are now happening so fast with regard to AI that it’s starting to make my head spin (see also Read More → "Securing Artificial Intelligence Before It Secures Us!"