Microchips

S-China ‘tech war’: AI sparks first battle in Middle East

DW, 09/30/23. The “tech war” between the US and China has reached the Middle East. Nvidia announced that the US government has placed export restrictions on advanced computer chips to some Middle Eastern countries.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Israel may be affected. The US has been restricting Chinese access to these advanced chips in an attempt to slow down their progress. The concerns revolve around military modernization and human rights abuses. It is suspected that Chinese firms are using Middle Eastern countries to get around the export bans and acquire the restricted technology. READ THE ARTICLE

Microchips

What Happens When LLMs Design AI Accelerators?

The Next Platform, 09/25/23. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the chip design process has been a significant focus for EDA and chip companies. Cadence and Synopsys have developed tools like Cerebrus Intelligent Chip Explorer and Synopsys.ai, respectively, to optimize power, performance, and area in chip design flows. Google’s DeepMind has explored ways to enhance TPU, while Nvidia has utilized AI to determine transistor placement on silicon wafers. However, recent research by Georgia Tech suggests the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4 to automate AI accelerator design. While LLMs showed promise, there are still limitations that can be mitigated through a modular approach and using contextual demonstration code snippets. Despite the challenges, AI-designed accelerators demonstrated competitiveness with human-created ones, potentially reducing the need for specialized expertise and facilitating broader participation in AI accelerator development. READ THE ARTICLE

Microchips

Synopsys Opens The Next Chapter Of AI Tools For Chip Design And Manufacturing

Forbes, 09/06/23. Synopsys, a leader in the electronic design automation (EDA) industry, has been at the forefront of applying artificial intelligence (AI) to chip design. Their DSO.ai solution, launched three years ago, has already helped over 270 customer projects optimize chip layout using reinforcement learning. Building on this success, Synopsys has now extended the application of AI across the entire chip workflow with Synopsys.ai, which includes optimizations of testing, verification, debug, and manufacturing. Their latest solution integrates data management, curation, and analysis to further accelerate the chip design workflow and enable cross-domain analysis. By leveraging AI-driven data analytics, the solution improves decision-making, speed, yield, and quality throughout the entire IC design process. Synopsys continues to solidify its leadership in AI-driven chip design, saving costs and helping clients bring products to market faster. READ THE ARTICLE

Microchips

US Tech Leaders Aim for Fewer Export Curbs on AI Chips for China

Voice of America, 07/20/23. Intel Corp. recently launched a processor in China for AI deep-learning applications, despite potential additional restrictions on Chinese companies by the Biden administration. This move by Intel is part of an effort by U.S. technology companies to bypass or curb government export controls on the Chinese market. CEOs from major chipmakers, including Intel, Qualcomm, and Nvidia, have urged a halt to more controls on chip exports to China. The U.S. controls might slow down China’s AI development, but they are unlikely to completely cut off Chinese computing capabilities. READ THE ARTICLE