I cannot believe how fast things are progressing in AI-powered Electronic Design Automation (EDA) space (where no one can hear you scream). AI-enabled EDA tools are popping up like mushrooms for a wide range of design, analysis, and verification tasks. One area that’s seen significant development—and attracted significant skepticism—is the use of AI to place and route printed circuit boards (PCBs).
Following each of … Read More → "AI-Powered PCB Layout Tool Delivers a Working SBC"
As usual, I find (what I laughingly call) my mind to be well and truly boggled. When I was a young lad, AI-powered autonomous humanoid robots were the stuff of science fiction. Although I longed for them to become reality, I never really hoped to see them in my lifetime. Now, even though we’re still in the early era of humanoid robotics, these machines are already being deployed … Read More → "Want to Invest in Humanoid Robots (Or Have Your Humanoid Robots Invested In)?"
Suppose you were creating a sensor intended to measure one phenomenon we’ll call A, and you spent years ensuring that its readings weren’t affected by another phenomenon we’ll call B. Now suppose you finally achieve your goal, only for your customers to tell you, “We love your A sensor… but we’d really like one that can measure B.”
Funnily enough, this is just … Read More → "Making Materials Smart with Nanoscale Sensors"
I’m about to wax eloquent on a new generation of optical switches that are poised to revolutionize the communication capacity and performance of data centers—especially the AI and hyperscale flavors (ooh, tasty—and very real, as operators like Google have already proven)—while also cutting power by 40%, but first…
The phrase “It’s a funny old world, and no mistake” is an informal, colloquial British … Read More → "How Optical Switches Can Cut AI Hyperscale Data Center Power by 40%"
I must admit that my head is “all over the place” today. I’m trying to juggle too many things at once, and the problem is that I can’t juggle. Well, that’s not strictly true. I can juggle 10 fine porcelain plates, but only for a very short period of time.
Speaking of porcelain (did you see what I just did there), my mum was born … Read More → "Monetizing Stranded Megawatts in AI Data Centers"
I remember the heady days of the 1970s, when new and exciting 8-bit processor architectures were sprouting like metaphorical mushrooms. I’m sure that, like me, you are thinking of little beauties like the 8008 (1972), 8080 (1974), and 8085 (1976) from Intel, the 6800 (1974) from Motorola, the 6502 (1975) from MOS Technology, and the Z80 (1976) from Zilog.
However, there were many other contenders that deserve mention, such as the 8-bit PPS-8 (1974) from Rockwell International, which … Read More → "Efficient Computer’s Efficient Computer is 100X More Energy Efficient than Other General-Purpose Processors"
