GenAI + Semiconductors + Humanity


Silicon Catalyst held its 2024 Semiconductor Industry Forum in Mountain View, CA, at the Computer History Museum on November 13th. Richard Curtin, managing partner for Si Catalyst, opened the event by thanking David House, vice chair of the Board at the Computer History Museum and creator of the 4004 processor, and the CHM staff for hosting the event. Richard talked about the start of se... » read more

Research Bits: Nov. 25


3D-printed ESD protection Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed a printable elastomeric silicone foam for electronics packaging that provides both mechanical and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. The team used a 3D printing technique called direct ink writing (DIW), an extrusion process in which a paste with controlled rheological properties such as elast... » read more

Research Bits: Nov. 19


Starchy nanocomposite films Researchers from Queen Mary University of London created biodegradable, flexible, and electrically conductive nanocomposite films made using potato starch instead of petroleum-based materials. The starch-based films decompose within a month when buried in soil. In addition to starch, the nanocomposite films contain the conductive 2D material MXene. Adjusting the ... » read more

Small Language Models: A Solution To Language Model Deployment At The Edge?


While Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-3 and GPT-4 have quickly become synonymous with AI, LLM mass deployments in both training and inference applications have, to date, been predominately cloud-based. This is primarily due to the sheer size of the models; the resulting processing and memory requirements often overwhelm the capabilities of edge-based systems. While the efficiency of Exped... » read more

To (B)atch Or Not To (B)atch?


When evaluating benchmark results for AI/ML processing solutions, it is very helpful to remember Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and the famous line: “To be, or not to be.” Except in this case the “B” stands for Batched. Batch size matters There are two different ways in which a machine learning inference workload can be used in a system. A particular ML graph can be used one time, preced... » read more

Extending The DDR5 Roadmap With MRDIMM


Given the voracious memory bandwidth and capacity demands of Gen AI and other advanced workloads, we’ve seen a rapid progression through the generations of DDR5 memory. Multiplexed Registered DIMMs (MRDIMMs) offer a new memory module architecture capable of extending the DDR5 roadmap and expanding the capabilities of server main memory. MRDIMM reuses the lion’s share of existing DDR5 infras... » read more

Harnessing Computational Storage For Faster Data Processing


By Ujjwal Negi and Prashant Dixit In the evolving landscape of data storage, computational storage devices (CSDs) are revolutionizing how we process and store data. By embedding processing capabilities within storage units, these devices enable in-situ data manipulation, minimizing data movement between storage and CPUs and dramatically improving performance and efficiency. This paradigm shi... » read more

Managing The Huge Power Demands Of AI Everywhere


Before generative AI burst onto the scene, no one predicted how much energy would be needed to power AI systems. Those numbers are just starting to come into focus, and so is the urgency about how to sustain it all. AI power demand is expected to surge 550% by 2026, from 8 TWh in 2024 to 52 TWh, before rising another 1,150% to 652 TWh by 2030. Commensurately, U.S. power grid planners have do... » read more

Simulating Multiple DSPs As Multiple x86 Processes


An increasing number of embedded designs are multi-core systems. At the pre-silicon stage, customers use a simulation platform for architectural exploration and software development. Architects want to quantify the impact of the number of cores, local memory size, system memory latency, and interconnect bandwidth. Software teams wish to have a practical development platform that is not excrucia... » read more

Building Safe And Secure Software With Rust On Arm


The Rust Programming Language has gained the attention of government security agencies, and even the White House, due to its unique blend of safety, performance and productivity. Rust is designed to remove common programming burdens and handle issues like use-after-free errors at compile time. Remarkably, it achieves this without using a garbage collector, generating machine code that rivals th... » read more

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