Chip Designs Redefined

Chips, the lifeline of modern technology, are getting increasingly sophisticated and powering more complicated devices. However, the sophistication level of the chips is reaching an inflection point where it becomes challenging for chipmakers to make them any tinier.

In 1965, visionary leader and philanthropist Gordon Moore, who later co-founded Intel, published a paper that said the number of components in integrated circuits will continue to double every year for at least ten years. Sixty years hence, Moore’s law has hit a dead-end. It has now become a challenge to increase the number of integrated circuits on a single chip. But, Nvidia has a solution.?

Early this month, Nvidia released a paper titled?‘AutoDMP: Automated DREAMPlace-based Macro Placement’, in which they discussed how to improve very large-scale integration (VLSI) design automation.?

VLSI is an essential aspect of chip design, where numerous transistors are merged into a single chip to form an integrated circuit. This process involves the placement of countless on-off switches, known as transistors, onto a piece of silicon to construct chips. Essentially, VLSI design determines the optimal arrangement of these switches, which can number in the tens of billions.

In the research, they concluded that AutoDMP computational techniques can enhance the design of a chip containing 2.7 million cells and 320 macros. This technique was able to complete the optimization process within three hours on a single Nvidia DGX Station A100.

Besides design optimisation, the company is also rolling out software to speed up the design and manufacturing process of chips. The new software, called cuLitho, can hasten the step between designing the chip and the physical fabrication of the lithography masks used to print the chip design on silicon.?

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AI Experts Revolt Against GPT-4?

AI has come out of Hollywood sci-fi movies and has taken a tangible form. GPT-4 has become the precursor to the upcoming AI innovations, which may be in the form of AGI. The idea has already spooked many researchers and they are continuously raising alarm about the looming danger of artificial intelligence built on LLMs.?

To check the danger, a group of AI experts such as Gary Marcus, Yoshua Bengio, Grady Booch, Emad Mostaque, along with Elon Musk and many experts have called for a temporary pause on training and building systems exceeding GPT-4.?

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Multifaceted Metcalfe

This is the story of Bob Metcalfe, who invented Ethernet in 1972, at the age of 26. Fifty years later, he is as relevant today and received the acknowledgement of his past work with the AM Turing Award (often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize of computing’). At the age of 75, he is now a research affiliate at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, delving into the application of supercomputers to tackle intricate issues in various fields, including energy.?

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Tech Bros’ F-Style

Silicon Valley has long been associated with a lacklustre sense of style, exemplified in the 2014 debut of the HBO series 'Silicon Valley'. However, this stereotype is being challenged as we enter 2023. Tech bros are breaking away from the traditional corporate dress code and making a fashion statement that is uniquely their own. No longer content with lazy fashion, these innovators are not afraid to take risks and stand out from the crowd.

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