Linley Spring Processor Conference 2020
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Current MPR Articles
February 24, 2020
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MediaTek Brings 5G to Mid-Premium
The Dimensity 800 brings premium features such as four “big” CPUs and an integrated 5G modem to smartphones that sell for as little as $300.
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Kneron Delivers Efficient AI
Using a convolution-based architecture, Kneron’s KL520 microcontroller achieves 350 billion operations per second (GOPS) at less than half a watt, targeting low-cost camera-based systems.
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TI Auto Gateway Manages Traffic Flow
Texas Instruments’ Jacinto DRA829V is an automotive gateway as well as a traffic manager for digital cockpits. It manages up to 16 CAN buses, eight Ethernet ports, and four PCI interfaces.
February 17, 2020
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ST Debuts Wireless MCU for LoRa
The STMicroelectronics STM32WLE5 is the industry’s first microcontroller with a fully integrated LoRa radio. It grafts a modified Semtech SX126x transceiver onto an Arm-based 32-bit MCU.
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Renesas and SiLabs Polish Bluetooth
Renesas and Silicon Labs introduced new microcontrollers that integrate Bluetooth radios for IoT systems: the Renesas RX23W and the Silicon Labs Wireless Gecko EFR32BG22.
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Intel Drops NNP-T and NNP-I
Intel has terminated its Nervana-branded AI accelerators in favor of products from its recent Habana acquisition, simplifying its software efforts and clarifying its data-center roadmap.
February 10, 2020
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Snapdragon 460 Takes 4+4 to Low End
Qualcomm upgraded its LTE lineup by introducing the Snapdragon 460, 662, and 720G. The new chips bring important updates including faster CPUs and GPUs, AI acceleration, and the latest connectivity standards.
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Synaptics VS680 Powers Multimedia AI
The Synaptics VideoSmart VS680 is a multimedia powerhouse that combines a Qdeo 4K-video engine, an audio processor for far-field voice, and a proprietary deep-learning accelerator.
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Editorial: Self-Driving Hits Slow Traffic
Although autonomous mainstream cars may be a decade away, robotaxis and other self-driving commercial vehicles will arrive much sooner, building demand for processors and sensors.
February 3, 2020
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Sharper Vision, Brains in i.MX8M Plus
The i.MX8M Plus is NXP’s first processor with a neural-network accelerator. It also adds a DSP core, image signal processors, PCI Express 3.0, CAN bus, and Gigabit Ethernet.
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Lattice First With FPGA in FD-SOI
CrossLink-NX is the first chip in the company’s new Nexus line developed in 28nm FD-SOI technology. It targets embedded-vision applications in IoT and automotive markets.
January 27, 2020
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Ryzen Mobile Doubles CPU Count
AMD’s 7nm Renoir processor brings eight cores to 15W ultrathin notebooks, an industry first. It fills out the Zen 2 generation across desktop and mobile platforms.
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Editorial: Nvidia AI Software Hard to Beat
Several new deep-learning accelerators offer sizable advantages over the best GPUs on a particular benchmark or metric, but many customers still prefer Nvidia for its software stack.
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NXP S32G Is Master of Auto Domains
The S32G vehicle-network processor offers a unique lockstep CPU architecture that supports ASIL D operations. It also has accelerators for both Ethernet and legacy automotive networks.
January 20, 2020
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Analysts’ Choice Winners for 2019
The Linley Group recognizes 2019’s top products in the categories of AI, embedded, mobile, networking, server, processor IP, and related technology. And the winners are…
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Year in Review: Arm Flexes IP to Battle RISC-V
Arm was by far the most active processor-IP vendor in 2019, but the RISC-V community also surged. Licensable cores for AI acceleration joined a flood of new CPU, DSP, and GPU cores.
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Intel Extends 3D Packaging With ODI
Intel’s new Omni-Directional Interconnect builds on EMIB and Foveros to improve performance, capabilities, and flexibility for products using 3D packaging.
January 13, 2020
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Year in Review: 5G Smartphones Ready to Boom
After an initial launch in 2019, 5G smartphone shipments are set to soar in 2020. The new year will also see greater use of AI, the first 5nm processors, and more gaming phones.
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Marvell Accelerates In-Car Networks
Marvell is sampling the second generation of its purpose-built automotive switch chips. It also bought Aquantia, adding PHYs to its multigigabit automotive-Ethernet portfolio.
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GreenWaves GAP9 Goes Faster
GreenWaves’ new low-power RISC-V microcontroller uses FD-SOI and a second-generation deep-learning accelerator to increase power efficiency on AI workloads by 5x.
January 6, 2020
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Groq Rocks Neural Networks
The startup has created a new AI architecture that implements a single massive programmable engine rated at an industry-leading 1,000 TOPS. It runs ResNet-50 with extremely low latency.
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Year in Review: AI Is Livin’ on the Edge
Embedded-processor trends include adding AI acceleration, stronger chip-level security, multidie packaging, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADASs), and microcontrollers that either omit flash memory or replace it.
December 30, 2019
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Snapdragon 765 Enables 5G Roaming
Qualcomm’s new mid-premium platform, the Snapdragon 765, is the industry’s first to integrate a 5G mmWave and sub-6GHz capability. The first phones using it should arrive in 1Q20.
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Editorial: Custom Chips Are Back in Vogue
Hyperscale-data-center operators and wireless-infrastructure OEMs are creating new demand for ASICs. New ASIC vendors such as Intel and Marvell use large IP catalogs to allow customers to focus on their own IP.
December 23, 2019
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Snapdragon 865 Dis-Integrates
Qualcomm’s newest flagship smartphone processor requires separate 5G and Wi-Fi chips but delivers leading-edge performance and works with millimeter-wave networks.
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MediaTek Rides 5G to Flagship Phones
The Dimensity 1000 is MediaTek’s first 5G processor and allows it to target premium smartphones with the latest CPU and GPU cores plus strong AI performance.
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Year In Review: Competition Heats Up Data Centers
Many new server processors, AI accelerators, and 400G Ethernet chips are headed for production in 2020. Hyperscale-data-center operators are also developing their own processors and accelerators.
December 16, 2019
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Tomahawk 4 Switch First to 25.6Tbps
Broadcom is sampling a 400Gbps Ethernet switch that packs an unprecedented 512 serdes to double bandwidth relative to the shipping Tomahawk 3.
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PowerVR Readies Ray Tracing
Imagination Technologies has overhauled its PowerVR GPU architecture and is introducing new GPU cores that address all levels of graphics performance. The new A-Series also delivers AI throughput that competes well with other licensable GPUs.
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Editorial: Intel Looks Beyond x86
CEO Bob Swan has replaced a long-time strategy—pushing x86 CPUs for all applications—with a broader offering of GPUs, AI accelerators, and FPGAs for workload-specific optimization.
December 9, 2019
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Mobileye Expands Into Robotaxis
The company announced plans to expand beyond EyeQ processors, including lidar sensors, complete self-driving systems, and robotaxi services, along with greater licensing of map data.
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Photonic Computing Finds Fit in AI
Optical neural networks are moving closer to commercialization as photonic computing moves out of university labs. A few startups are leading the charge and starting to attract funding.
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Graphcore Up and Running
After taking nearly a year to tune its software, Graphcore is finally taking the wraps off its C2 deep-learning accelerator, which will be available through Azure Cloud and in some Dell EMC systems.
December 2, 2019
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Centaur Adds AI to Server Processor
Centaur, Via’s chip-design arm, disclosed a new deep-learning accelerator and an x86 microarchitecture that combine on a single chip to form a highly integrated server processor.
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Exynos 990 Enables 5G Smartphones
Samsung’s newest smartphone processor and 5G modem provide a sneak preview of its next flagship Galaxy. They both use the company’s 7nm EUV process.
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Ryzen Threadripper 3 Thrashes Xeon
AMD Threadripper 3 processors for high-end desktops and workstations exceed their predecessors by upgrading their CPUs, clock speeds, caches, DRAM controllers, PCI Express interfaces, and internal designs.