Chips and processor hardware

AMD bets on India, doubles down on AI

The chipmaker recently inaugurated its largest global design facility in Bangalore as part of a $400m investment in India to support its expanded portfolio and build artificial intelligence capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Pratima Harigunani

QuEra Computing sets out plan for error-correcting quantum computing

QuEra Computing is betting on transversal gates, a technology which it believes is key to simplifying error correction Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Risks and opportunities for the UK chip sector

In May 2023, the UK government unveiled a national semiconductor strategy. We find out how it has been going Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

A primer on AI chip design

Four common AI chips -- CPU, GPU, FPGA and ASIC -- are advancing with the current market for AI chip design. Read on to see what the future holds for AI chips. Continue Reading

By

• Jacob Roundy

Microsoft’s Christmas present for cyber teams: no zero-days

Barely 30 vulnerabilities, and no zero-days, have been fixed in the final Patch Tuesday drop of 2023 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

logic gate (AND, OR, XOR, NOT, NAND, NOR and XNOR)

A logic gate is a device that acts as a building block for digital circuits. They perform basic logical functions that are fundamental to digital circuits. Continue Reading

By

• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor

AMD goes after Nvidia with AI accelerator and software library

AMD has signed up major hardware companies to support its latest initiative to build out datacentre AI optimisation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How server makers are surfing the AI wave

While hyperscalers extend the life of their x86 equipment, the industry’s desperate pleas to find a new killer application to drive up server sales may well be coming true Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Quantum supercomputing: IBM plots roadmap beyond Condor

New quantum system and classical computing hybrid forms the basis of next-gen supercomputing at IBM Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CTO interview: Greg Lavender, Intel

Computer Weekly caught up with Intel’s chief technology officer to find out the semiconductor giant’s plans for the European market Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Autumn Statement reveals more AI and quantum initiatives

With the government keen to position the UK as pro-innovation, the chancellor used the 2023 Autumn Statement to discuss more plans to support that ambition Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The future of business software will put users front and centre

Today, quantum computing and AI; yesterday, cloud and blockchain. As sure as Moore’s law, there is always a Next Big Thing Continue Reading

By

• Richard Rosenberg

Republic of Korea deal adds to UK quantum momentum

The new agreement paves the way to greater collaboration on AI and quantum computing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Chip sector gears up for AI revolution

While Nvidia establishes its AI dominance, Intel works on AI chips running on supercomputers. Continue Reading

Can AI take education to a new level?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how large language models are being used to teach, support and assess students, enhancing education rather than impairing it. We look at how the AI revolution is impacting the semiconductor sector as the big tech companies put off server upgrades. And we find out how generative AI is changing the way enterprise software works. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Luxembourg-based cloud provider aims to transform the AI landscape in Europe

Gcore runs cloud services worldwide, which gives it a front-row seat for observing global computing trends, and now the company expects to lead one of the major trends in Europe Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Microsoft ignites chip journey with AI accelerators

The company used its annual Ignite conference to showcase the work it is doing to optimise AI and make more energy-efficient hardware Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DPU 101: What are DPUs, what do they do, and who supplies them?

We look at data processing units, the latest in a line of hardware offload devices that emerged in the era of composable infrastructure. They come as hardware and even in the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Chip sector gears up for AI revolution

While Nvidia has established its AI dominance, Intel has been working on AI chips running on supercomputers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

AMD survey finds AI hardware lacking in many IT departments

Global survey finds that IT leaders are finding it hard to keep up with the pace of change in AI Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

graphics processing unit (GPU)

A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a computer chip that renders graphics and images by performing rapid mathematical calculations. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor
• Colin Steele

Interview: Paul Scully, minister for technology and the digital economy, DSIT

The technology minister speaks to Computer Weekly about the government’s semiconductor strategy, how to solve the digital skills challenge in the UK and moving towards the country’s net-zero target Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Pension changes set to boost UK tech

UK technology and science startups could benefit from changes to UK pension funds Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Banking should start testing out quantum ideas

The finance sector should not ignore quantum computing, even though the technology is not yet ready Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

power-on reset (PoR)

A power-on reset (PoR) is a circuit that provides a predictable, regulated voltage to a microprocessor or microcontroller with the initial application of power. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

Belgian researchers raise speed limit in European datacentres

Researchers have developed a prototype of an optical receiver that will help datacentres process data at a much higher rate Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

How AWS is building a tech stack for generative AI

Olivier Klein, chief technologist for Asia-Pacific and Japan at Amazon Web Services, dives deeper into the technology stack the company has built to ease GenAI adoption Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK startups pilot semiconductor funding

ChipStart is a new initiative from the UK government to help build out the National Semiconductor Strategy by supporting startups Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Preparing IT security for the age of quantum computing

We look at what progress is being made to ensure digital communications remain secure as quantum computers make an entrance Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How ready does the world need to be for the quantum era?

Great use cases may exist for quantum computing, but no one knows for sure how long they will need to wait for a production-ready machine Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Quantum reality check

One day, all-powerful quantum computers will be used by rogue states and powerful crime syndicates to render all secure communications on the internet obsolete. Governments and major organisations ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How Google is priming its infrastructure for the AI wave

The technology giant is integrating purpose-built hardware with an optimised software stack to meet the heightened computational demands of next-generation AI workloads Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

New revelations from the Snowden archive surface

A decade after Snowden exposed NSA’s mass surveillance in cooperation with the British GCHQ, only about 1% of the documents have been published – but three major facts can finally be revealed thanks to a doctoral thesis in applied cryptography by Jacob Appelbaum Continue Reading

By

• Stefania Maurizi

Bristol Uni to host one of Europe’s most power supercomputer clusters

A high-performance computer system being built at the University of Bristol will run thousands of GPUs to support research in artificial intelligence and scientific discovery Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HSBC collaborates on hybrid quantum optimisation

The bank, which wants to be at the forefront of quantum computing, is looking at how it can manage collateral assets more efficiently Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Executive interview: Richard Moulds, Amazon Braket

We speak to Richard Moulds, who heads up Amazon’s Braket quantum computing services, about how the technology is progressing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Accelerated datacentre computing propels record Nvidia revenue

GPU company Nvidia has seen record growth, driven by demand for AI acceleration in datacentres Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Inside Micron Singapore’s sustainability journey

The chipmaker has been doubling down on sustainability efforts in Singapore by tapping solar power, recycling water and waste, as well as treating greenhouse gases, in a bid to achieve net zero by 2050 Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

VMware works with Nvidia to deliver generative AI cloud

The two companies are collaborating on a platform that uses Nvidia GPUs and VMware cloud infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor
• Adrian Bridgwater

floating-point operations per second (FLOPS)

Floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) is a measure of a computer's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

IBM says all the building blocks for analogue AI are in place

Analogue electronics promises a more efficient way to train AI systems than computers that rely on zeros and ones Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Biden administration bans investment in Chinese high tech

Executive Order prohibits investment firms from supporting Chinese firms specialising in AI, quantum and advanced semiconductors Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

semiconductor fab

A semiconductor fab -- short for fabrication -- is a manufacturing plant in which raw silicon wafers are turned into integrated circuits (ICs). Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Carol Sliwa

UK government recruits panel to focus on semiconductors

A panel of experts is being recruited as part of the government's national semiconductor strategy to ensure the UK’s chip sector can grow Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Hybrid quantum workflow offers potential for hydrogen fuel cell efficiency

BMW, Airbus and Quantinuum have collaborated on a project to simulate a reaction that could pave the way to more efficient hydrogen fuel cells Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Meta results show impact of data fines and datacentre upgrade strategy

The owner of Facebook is battling with regulators over transferring EU data to the US. It is also seeing less improvements on CPUs Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CW EMEA: Can we trust AI?

Artificial intelligence and the opportunities and dangers it introduces into society has been a hotly debated subject in tech circles for many years, but today with the increased use of platforms such as ChatGPT, these debates include a wider section of the public. The fact that schoolchildren are even asking ChatGPT for help with their homework brings home the importance of these debates and the responses to them by national policy-makers. Continue Reading

HSBC explores quantum-safe comms to AWS edge

Banking group HSBC is looking at how to secure transactions and the benefits of quantum computing in finance Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Coping with the ongoing chip crisis in the UK

China has imposed export restrictions on key semiconductor compounds, so how will the UK's National Semiconductor Strategy cope? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CTO interview: Europe benefits from energy gains in AMD chips

AMD CTO Mark Papermaster explains how the latest chip technology can help European organisations solve the IT energy puzzle. Continue Reading

The politics of AI

In this week’s Computer Weekly, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer both spoke at London Tech Week to present their visions of an AI future for the UK – we compare their plans. We talk to the CTO of chip giant AMD about making tech more energy efficient. And we look at optimising networks for hybrid working. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

multiprocessing

Multiprocessing is the utilization of two or more central processing units (CPUs) in a single computer system. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer

Interview: Michael Kagan, chief technology officer, Nvidia

The chip maker's CTO explains how the compute demands of AI are pushing semiconductor technology beyond the principles of Moore's Law Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Belgian researchers build energy-efficient AI frameworks

Researchers in Belgium are working on a new generation of platforms to support artificial intelligence applications in an energy-efficient manner Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

wall time

Wall time, also called real-world time, clock time, wall-clock time or -- more accurately -- elapsed real time, is the amount of time that a program or process takes to run from start to finish as measured by a person. Continue Reading

By

• Gavin Wright

Lenovo ups ante on AI infrastructure investments

Lenovo is investing $1bn over three years to expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure offerings, including services to help organisations deploy and tap AI capabilities in a responsible manner Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

RISC-V rises to software ecosystem challenge

The open source hardware and software system on a chip specification has recognised the need to coordinate low-level software development Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Rishi Sunak calls for urgency in building out UK tech

The UK prime minister used his speech during London Tech Week to discuss funding tech, attracting talent and AI safety Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK-US Atlantic Declaration bolsters tech and data collaboration

Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak agree greater collaboration on responsible artificial intelligence, quantum computing and Open RAN Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Researchers in Belgium move towards industrial production of qubits

Using existing equipment and know-how, researchers at the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (Imec) in Belgium are finding ways of mass-producing qubits Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Nvidia CEO sees ChatGPT as iPhone moment for AI

It took the iPhone to kickstart a revolution in mobile phone usage, and Jensen Huang believes datacentres will radically change to support AI workloads Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Can the UK cash in on chips?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK government has committed £1bn to the semiconductor sector – but can it ever compete with the US and China? The potential of 5G networking could transform manufacturing – we examine the implications. And we talk to the global CIO at cloud storage provider Box about plans to incorporate AI and machine learning. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

BASF ramps up petaflops with new Quriosity HPE-build hardware

The AMD-powered 3 petaflops supercomputer will offer BASF the ability to run more complex simulations of chemical processes Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

National semiconductor strategy: Balancing skills, migration and security

The UK government is putting £1bn into semiconductor research and design over the next 10 years to develop a robust chip sector Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Mini-ITX

Mini-ITX is a compact motherboard configuration designed to support relatively low-cost computers in small spaces such as in automobiles, set-top boxes and network devices. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Jason Williams

CTO interview: Europe benefits from energy gains in AMD chips

AMD’s chief technology officer explains how the latest chip technology can help European organisations solve the energy puzzle facing IT departments Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

How lab grown neurons could power the future of AI

Melbourne-based Cortical Labs’ lab grown neurons could speed up AI training in a more energy efficient way and its work has caught the eye of hyperscalers and Amazon’s CTO Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

protected mode

Protected mode, also called protected virtual address mode, is the primary mode of operation for an Intel-based x86 microprocessor. Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Swedish university demos quantum chemistry simulation

A quantum computer, named after a slaughtered pig, is being used to test a new approach to modelling quantum chemistry Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Windows on ARM: test driving the Lenovo Thinkpad X13s

The ThinkPad X13s is Lenovo’s first notebook PC powered by an ARM chip. Weighing just 1.06 kg, it uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 SC8280XP Processor (3.00 GHz), offers integrated graphics ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

word (in computing)

In computer architecture, a word is a unit of data of a defined bit length that can be addressed and moved between storage and the computer processor. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Pentium

Pentium is a widely used series of microprocessors developed by Intel Corporation. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore dies

Moore was instrumental in the pace of development in the tech industry Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Dutch discovery brings energy-efficient computers a step closer

An international group of researchers at the University of Twente have developed a molecular switch that can increase the energy-efficiency of electronics Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

RISC (reduced instruction set computer)

RISC (reduced instruction set computer) is a microprocessor that is designed to perform a smaller number of computer instruction types, so it can operate at a higher speed, performing more millions of instructions per second, or MIPS. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

MPs explore how to expand quantum computing in business

Commons Science and Technology Committee is looking for evidence of where the UK’s new quantum strategy needs improvement Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

clock speed

Clock speed is the number of times a second that a circuit operates and is most associated with the central processing unit (CPU). Continue Reading

By

• Gavin Wright

AMD Virtualization (AMD-V)

AMD-V (AMD Virtualization) technology refers to a set of hardware extensions and on-chip features for the AMD family of x86 microprocessors. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

UK government commits £2.5bn to boost quantum

Decade of funding aims to fast-track quantum computing engineers to the UK and drive business adoption of this emerging technology Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

megahertz (MHz)

Megahertz (MHz) is a unit multiplier that represents one million hertz (106 Hz). Hertz is the standard unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI). Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

How Dell is future-proofing its business

Dell Technologies is building a more resilient supply chain, investing in growth areas like edge and multicloud, and responding to shifts in consumption models to position itself for long-term growth Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Dell tells suppliers to diversify fab and backend facilities

Dell calls for chip suppliers to diversify their fabrication and backend facilities by the end of 2024 to improve its supply chain resilience Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK seeks head of quantum office

A vacancy on the civil service jobs site suggests the UK’s new quantum strategy is about to be rolled out – and there’s going to be a new chief Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Crédit Agricole tests quantum in finance

The corporate and investment bank has run experiments with Pasqal and Multiverse to demo quantum computing in finance Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

translation lookaside buffer (TLB)

A translation lookaside buffer (TLB) is a type of memory cache that stores recent translations of virtual memory to physical addresses to enable faster retrieval. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

Alibaba: Generative AI among top tech trends in 2023

Alibaba’s research arm Damo Academy has recently published a list of top trends that are likely to shape the technology landscape this year. Chief among them is the rise of generative AI, which ... Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

PC industry sees biggest decline ever, says Gartner

Gartner figures show an industry stuck between high levels of inventory and a lack of affordable products to tempt buyers in the PC market Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What’s happening with quantum-safe cryptography?

Chinese researchers claim quantum technology is reaching a point where a quantum device will soon be able to crack RSA 2048 public key encryption Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Tech firms failing to address forced labour in supply chains

Subpar due diligence processes in the tech sector – including poor purchasing practices, sparsely implemented collective bargaining coverage, and a lack of redress for workers – is leaving supply chain workers open to abuse, says KnowTheChain Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

thyristor

A thyristor is a four-layer semiconductor device, consisting of alternating P-type and N-type materials (PNPN). Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

debouncing

Debouncing is removing unwanted input noise from buttons, switches or other user input. Continue Reading

By

• Gavin Wright

UK government to assess semiconductor industry

The ongoing global chip crisis, geopolitical tension with China and deal-blocking are the backdrop to this latest review of the UK semiconductor industry. Continue Reading

inductor

An inductor is a passive electronic component that temporarily stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through the inductor's coil. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

DCMS to assess UK semiconductor industry

The ongoing global chip crisis, geopolitician tension with China and deal-blocking are the backdrop to this latest assessment Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

pipelining

Pipelining is the process of storing and prioritizing computer instructions that the processor executes. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

microchip

A microchip -- also called a chip, computer chip or integrated circuit (IC) -- is a unit of integrated circuitry that is manufactured at a microscopic scale using a semiconductor material, such as silicon or, to a lesser degree, germanium. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

Government needs to do more for UK semiconductor industry, say MPs

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee report says the government is putting the UK chip industry at ‘significant risk’ by failing to support it sufficiently, and calls on Whitehall to publish its semiconductor strategy immediately Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

USART (universal synchronous/asynchronous receiver/transmitter)

A USART (universal synchronous/asynchronous receiver/transmitter) is hardware that enables a device to communicate using serial protocols. Continue Reading

By

• Gavin Wright

coulomb (C)

A coulomb (C) is the standard unit of electric charge in the International System of Units (SI). Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

How the US-China chip war will affect IT leaders

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the US ramps up semiconductor sanctions on China, we examine the ramifications across the tech sector. Cyber criminals are turning to new forms of encryption – we talk to the Dutch researchers trying to catch them. And we look at what cloud providers need to do to improve customer experience. Read the issue now. Continue Reading