Artificial intelligence chips are very useful in deep learning technology, and technologists have focused on accelerating DL during training and inferencing, Michael Azoff of Kiasco Research writes. "While most of the AI training is performed in the data center (including on hyperscale clouds) and on workstations, the AI inferencing is done everywhere: on the cloud, on the workstation, on the edge," he notes.
Under the leadership of CEO Lisa Su, Advanced Micro Devices has become a more competitive company in the semiconductor industry, Asa Fitch and Euirim Choi write. At the same time, Intel has experienced a number of setbacks and is losing market share in data-center chips to AMD, they note.
While acute weather events and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic are presenting challenges to the global supply chain, more attention needs to be paid to the durable effects posed by climate change, this McKinsey Global Institute analysis notes. "As climate change makes extreme weather more frequent and/or severe, it increases the annual probability of events that are more intense than manufacturing assets are constructed to withstand, increasing the likelihood of supply-chain disruptions," it states.
Intel and MediaTek brought out the T700 5G modem chip, which will go into laptops and notebooks. The companies are working together to help launch those 5G mobile devices in early 2021, according to MediaTek.
More than 40% of Android devices contain a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip that researchers say has more than 400 vulnerabilities, putting them at risk of malicious activity such as denial of service, data theft and spying. Qualcomm has patched the vulnerabilities, though the threat remains until networks and vendors push updates out to users.
SEMI gathered Cadence Design Systems, Mentor Graphics and Synopsys to develop the SEMI Server Certification protocol, intended to foil piracy in electronic design automation software. "Software piracy is a growing challenge and threatens to stifle innovation for EDA companies and customers alike," Cadence's Nimish Modi says.
JESD22-A113I, Preconditioning of Nonhermetic Surface Mount Devices Prior to Reliability Testing, is now available for download from the JEDEC website. This Test Method establishes an industry standard preconditioning flow for nonhermetic solid state SMDs (surface mount devices) that is representative of a typical industry multiple solder reflow operation.
