Weekly Tech Recap - № 359 - Microsoft-Nividia partnership, Oryon CPU, Clippy sweater, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and robot dog
Microsoft and Nvidia team up on supercomputing
H100 SXM. © Nvidia.
Nvidia announced a partnership with Microsoft to build a supercomputer focused on artificial intelligence that will be among the most powerful in the world. This machine will use tens of thousands of high-end Nvidia GPUs to operate applications such as deep learning and large language models. It will use what is arguably the most powerful GPU in the world, the Hopper H100, launched by Nvidia in October, as well as A100 GPUs. Its architecture will be based on the Quantum-2 InfiniBand network platform, which transfers data at 400 gigabits per second between servers and links them in a powerful cluster. For its part, Microsoft will contribute its Azure cloud infrastructure and its ND- and NC-series virtual machines.
“AI technology advances as well as industry adoption are accelerating. The breakthrough of foundation models has triggered a tidal wave of research, fostered new startups and enabled new enterprise applications,” said Nvidia vice president of enterprise computing Manuvir Das. “Our collaboration with Microsoft will provide researchers and companies with state-of-the-art AI infrastructure and software to capitalize on the transformative power of AI.”
⇨ Ars Technica, Benj Edwards, “Nvidia and Microsoft team up to build massive AI cloud computer.”
2022-11-16
Qualcomm’s new Oryon CPU
© Qualcomm Technologies.
At its Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm announced Oryon, a new CPU that is primarily intended for Windows-on-ARM PCs. Windows PC and smartphone manufacturers can try out the Oryon CPU starting in 2023, with production slated for 2024. It’s not a full-fledged chip, but rather a CPU component like the current Kryo, meant to be integrated into a Snapdragon SoC (system on chip), alongside a GPU and other processors. Oryon is based on technology from Nuvia, a Qualcomm-acquired company started in 2019 by former Apple chip designers. In a short press release introducing the new brand, Qualcomm says it wants to deliver “a new level of performance,” to finally give some wings to the Windows-on-ARM PC market. While significantly more powerful processors will certainly help, it won’t be enough, not without a truly expanded ecosystem of native ARM64 applications.
⇨ The Verge, Dan Seifert, “Qualcomm has a new chip brand.”
2022-11-16
Microsoft’s gift idea for the holidays
Ugly Sweater: Clippy Edition. © Microsoft.
Microsoft is releasing a new holiday sweater this year featuring Clippy the talking paperclip, Microsoft Office 97’s beloved annoying assistant. The sweater is available now in sizes S to XXXL from the Xbox Gear Shop, priced at 101.95 CAD (75 USD). A little expensive for a (very) ugly sweater, but it spreads joy during the holidays, and it’s also a fundraiser. All profits go to the College Success Foundation, in addition to a donation of 100,000 USD from Microsoft. This nonprofit supports students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds in preparing for and obtaining their university degree.
⇨ The Verge, Tom Warren, “Clippy is the star of Microsoft’s latest ugly sweater.”
2022-11-15
SoC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
© Qualcomm.
Qualcomm has announced all the specs for its new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, which will power high-end Android phones coming out in the next few months. The SoC offers improved performance cores, higher energy efficiency, and a new X70 modem to get the most from 5G networks. It supports the Wi-Fi 7 standard that provides better connectivity in Wi-Fi zones, provided you invest in a new router. Qualcomm claims to have made improvements to the entire Hexagon processor for up to 4.35x faster AI performance. The company also says that the processor is capable of handling more complex tasks, such as translating from one language to multiple languages in real time. The whole chip is built on a 4nm process, like the previous generation, and features several CPU cores (one ARM Cortex-X3, supported by two Cortex-A715s, two Cortex-A710s and three Cortex-A510R1s). This is the first Snapdragon chip to support the AV1 codec, a royalty-free video codec supported by many large companies.
⇨ The Verge, Allison Johnson, “Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 gives us a glimpse of 2023’s Android flagships.”
2022-11-15
A new low-cost robot dog
© Carnegie Mellon University/University of California, Berkeley.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science and the University of California, Berkeley, have designed a robotic system that enables a low-cost and relatively small legged robot to climb and descend stairs nearly its height; traverse rocky, slippery, uneven, steep and varied terrain; walk across gaps; scale rocks and curbs, and even operate in the dark. “Empowering small robots to climb stairs and handle a variety of environments is crucial to developing robots that will be useful in people’s homes as well as search-and-rescue operations,” said Deepak Pathak, an assistant professor in the Robotics Institute. “This system creates a robust and adaptable robot that could perform many everyday tasks.”
⇨ YouTube, “CMU, Berkeley Researchers Design System Creating Robust Legged Robot.”
⇨ Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science, Aaron Aupperlee, “A Low-Cost Robot Ready for Any Obstacle.” — via IEEE Spectrum.
2022-11-16
