Racing on-edge

Smartphones are not as sexy as they used to be. There’s a massive drop in the sale of mobile phones globally, with shipments declining by 12% to 1.2 billion units in 2022, the lowest since 2013. A growing number of consumers are not opting for device upgrades, primarily because they see minimal distinctions between the current and the earlier models, which already boast advanced cameras and processors.

Besides, in an emerging trend, people are switching back to feature phones to keep themselves away from distractions. While smartphone companies are fighting against all odds, there’s a need for real innovation to win back the user. And the solution is hidden in AI chips.

Early this month, Samsung announced Gauss, a generative AI tool, with three models: Samsung Gauss Language, Samsung Gauss Code, and Samsung Gauss Image, which the company plans to use in smartphones with the aim to disrupt the industry.

Samsung is not alone in this category. Apple, too, is actively developing a range of generative AI features set to debut in iOS 18 slated for release in 2024. Besides, the company wants to improve Siri, its voice assistant feature, significantly with generative AI.

Last month, Google, which is trailing in the AI arms race, released the Pixel 8 series, which comes with generative AI features such as a magic editor, call assistant, audio magic eraser, and photo unblur, among other things.

Besides the software segment, these phone companies are working on hardware to improve their capabilities and make them AI-ready.?

Samsung has recently revealed its latest Exynos 2400 processor, showcasing AMD's cutting-edge RDNA3-based Xclipse 940 GPU. According to Samsung, the Exynos 2400 boasts a remarkable 1.7x improvement in CPU performance and an impressive 14.7x acceleration in AI performance compared to its predecessor, the Exynos 2200.

Smartphone-focussed chip companies, like Qualcomm and MediaTek, are also busy enhancing their AI capabilities. Last month, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X Elite, which is capable of running generative AI models with over 13 billion parameters on-device.

Advancements in hardware imply that the capabilities of generative AI will be restricted to high-end smartphones going forward.

Read the full story here.

Altman wasn’t Cut Out for Microsoft?

After the brief ousting of Sam Altman from OpenAI, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella swooped in to absorb Altman into his company. From the outside, it appeared like Nadella had caught a big fish for his AI projects, but the fact is that Altman wouldn’t have survived for a long time at Microsoft.?

An established company like Microsoft isn’t built to experiment and mess up with government regulations to create products like ChatGPT. Such revolutionary products can only be developed in a startup where things change rapidly. Besides, Altman, who is involved in multiple side projects in the field of cryptocurrency, energy and biotechnology, wouldn’t have been able to follow his dreams at Microsoft. The Nadella-Altman partnership wasn’t meant to last anyway.

Read the full story here.

NVIDIA on a High

In Q3 FY24, NVIDIA's data centre division reported record-breaking sales of $14.51 billion, driven by a 279% YoY increase and 41% sequential growth. The surge was fueled by global demand for recommendation engines, generative AI, and large-scale language model training. NVIDIA's net income reached $9.2 billion, with diluted EPS at $3.71, marking a 1,274% YoY increase.?

Despite the trade restrictions in China, NVIDIA anticipates a robust Q4 with a projected revenue of $20 billion, showcasing its resilience and adaptability in navigating market complexities. NVIDIA's diversified growth reflects the industry's shift towards accelerated computing and generative AI.

Read the full story here.

Grok has the World Divided Already

X is expected to launch its AI chatbot Grok next week. Trained on posts from X, the generative AI tool aims to address queries on a wide variety of topics, ranging from sports and politics to tech. The chatbot is yet to be launched but the tech world is widely divided with both pro and anti views about the chatbot.?

While Grok supporters are talking about the power of the platform which will make legacy media obsolete, its detractors are of the view that the chatbot is just like a gimmick tool. Moreover, since LLMs often hallucinate and produce inaccurate information, depending solely on posts from X might be limiting for users.?

Read the full story here.