Artificial intelligence (AI) systems face a set of conflicting goals: being accurate (consuming large amounts of computational power and electrical power) and being accessible (being lower in cost, less computationally intensive, and less power-hungry). Unfortunately, many of today’s AI implementations are environmentally unsustainable. Improvements in AI energy efficiency will be driven by several factors, including […]
FAQ
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Cognitive Computing
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the field in computer science where machines attempt to mimic human reasoning to recognize and analyze situations and make decisions. AI has been under development for decades, but only recently has computing power and memory become high enough in performance and low enough in cost to make AI a practical tool […]
How does the SPI protocol work?
In the previous tutorial, we discussed interfacing with the ADXL345 accelerometer sensor with Raspberry Pi using the I2C interface. UART, I2C, and SPI are the most common serial communication interfaces used in embedded systems. UART is used for point-to-point full-duplex asynchronous serial communication between two devices. I2C is used for synchronous serial communication among multiple […]
Advances in memory system architectures – Virtual Roundtable (part 2 of 2)
The second part of our Virtual Roundtable series on memories focuses on “advances in memory system architectures.” We are joined by Nando Basile (NB), Technology Marketing Manager for Memory with X-FAB, Bob Brennan (BB), Vice President of Emerging Memory at Micron. JS: What design challenges should system architects be aware of when employing persistent memory? […]
Emerging memory technologies – Virtual Roundtable (part 1 of 2)
Hosted by Jeff Shepard In this Virtual Roundtable session on emerging memory technologies, we are joined by Nando Basile (NB), Technology Marketing Manager for Memory with X-FAB; Bob Brennan (BB), Vice President of Emerging Memory at Micron; and Mark Reiten (MR), Vice President, Licensing Business Unit, Silicon Storage Technology (SST), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microchip […]
Teardown — An oldie but still useful: The iPhone 6
Approaching the launch of the iPhone 12, we look at the internals of an old iPhone widely repurposed today as webcams, security cameras, and iPods. As we write this, the new lineup of iPhone releases expected this fall is said to include models able to work at 5G speeds as well as a new case […]
Basics of GPS receivers
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the most widely used satellite navigation system around the world. It is one of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) that provides geolocation, time, and velocity information. GPS is operational since 1978 and globally available since 1994. The latest GPS receivers provide geolocation with an accuracy of 30 centimeters. […]
Memory-centric computing and memory system architectures
This three-part FAQ series began by considering “Memory Basics – Volatile, Non-volatile and Persistent.” Part two looked at “Memory Technologies and Packaging Options.” Recently developed persistent memory technologies, three-dimensional packaging for memories, advanced multicore processors, demands to process larger and larger datasets and databases, and artificial intelligence are driving the emergence of a new category […]
Memory technologies and packaging options
Solid-state memory devices are available in a wide variety of standard package styles that they have in common with other semiconductor devices, including DIP, TSSOP, DFN, WLCSP, and many others. And various packages are offered in plastic, glass, ceramic, and metal containing one or more devices. They are also available in hermetically-sealed packages and non-hermetic […]
Memory basics – volatile, non-volatile and persistent
Computers, gaming consoles, telecommunications, automobiles, industrial systems, and myriad electronic devices and systems rely on various forms of solid-state memory for operation. Designers need an understanding of the various options for volatile and non-volatile memory devices to optimize the performance of systems. A new form of solid-state memory called persistent memory (PMEM) has recently emerged […]