Here is the daily technology #threadcast for 9/1/24. We aim to educate people about this crucial area along with providing information of what is taking place.
Drop all question, comments, and articles relating to #technology and the future. The goal is make it a technology center.
Reuters: Behind the arrest of Telegram boss, a small Paris cybercrime unit with big ambitions
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/behind-arrest-telegram-boss-small-paris-cybercrime-unit-with-big-ambitions-2024-08-30/
Hi, @godfish,
This post has been voted on by @darkcloaks because you are an active member of the Darkcloaks gaming community.
Get started with Darkcloaks today, and follow us on Inleo for the latest updates.
And to not to be too serious today, as it is Sunday:
LOL funny but often accurate.
To peel an apple, you need a knife, and it doesn't matter what shape it is and whether it's a manual, mechanical, or electric device, it will still be an apple peeler. !BEER
It could even be plastic.
Even if you mold a knife from plasticine, its appearance will tell us that it is a knife :) !VSC
It won't be long before we can create films and any other video with Hollywood quality.
AI is constantly evolving and it is incredible to see what we currently have available.
#technology #ai
https://inleo.io/threads/view/coyotelation/re-ihqjbnaphw
You are right. People thought I was crazy when I said that, with a few years, we would have feature length films completely made from #ai.
That video shows a bit of how it is unfolding.
IT leaders must take a pragmatic and systemic approach to continuously adjust cybersecurity optimization priorities The best way to achieve this is through basic steps such as using encrypted services training and raising employee awareness
Cybersecurity as a central pillar
Cyber attacks have become the main concern of companies in recent years. For this reason, cybersecurity has ceased to be a priority and has become an absolute necessity.
SpaceX: Polaris Dawn launch still on hold because of poor splashdown weather near Florida
Portrait of Rick NealeRick Neale
Florida Today
The Guardian's story: I learned the language of computer programming in my 50s – here’s what I discovered
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/31/learning-computer-programming-language-coding-devil-stack-andrew-smith
AI Shocks Again: OpenAI AI Robot, Orion GPT5, Flux, Grok 2, Gemini Live & More (August Monthly News)
#ai #technology
#technology
Bluesky tops app charts and sees 'all-time-highs' after Brazil bans X
A Brazilian court's decision to ban X (formerly Twitter) seems to be benefiting its rivals, especially Bluesky.
A Brazilian court’s decision to ban X (formerly Twitter) seems to be benefiting its rivals, especially Bluesky.
The microblogging platform announced late Friday that it was seeing “all-time-highs for activity” with 500,000 new users joining in the previous two days. It’s also number one on the free iPhone app chart in Brazil today, ranking just ahead of Meta’s Threads at number two.
#technology #Buesky #application
Noting the rankings, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber wrote, “good job Brazil, you made the right choice.”
That growth is particularly impressive for a platform that only fully opened to the public in February and winkingly acknowledged its small size (especially compared to rivals X and Threads) by describing itself as “the short king of social apps.” The company says it had more than 6 million users as of May 2024.
Bluesky was first announced in 2019 as a Twitter-backed initiative to build an open, decentralized social protocol. It has since become an independent public benefit corporation, with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey leaving the board earlier this year.
Elon Musk’s X, meanwhile, has been engaged in an escalating legal fight with Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over the company’s refusal to block certain accounts as part of a broader crackdown on what Moraes said is election disinformation.
X said earlier this month that it would shut down operations in Brazil, with Moraes then warning the company that it would be banned if it did not name a legal representative in the country. He followed through on Friday, and also threatened fines against users who try to circumvent the ban by using a VPN.
As the ban approached, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seemingly bid farewell to his X followers by linking to his other social media accounts — starting with Bluesky.
#technology
#technology
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a social media application that is being developed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, along with a team of developers and researchers. The app is designed to be a decentralized social media platform that allows users to share content and connect with others in a more open and transparent way.
Here are some key features of the Bluesky social media application:
and sharing content.
The Bluesky social media application is still in development, and it is expected to be released in the near future. The platform is expected to be a major competitor to other social media platforms, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about social media and online communication.
Is OpenAI worth $100B?
OpenAI could reportedly increase its valuation to $100 billion. Nvidia and Apple are apparently in talks to contribute to the company's next fundraising
OpenAI could reportedly increase its valuation to $100 billion. Nvidia and Apple are apparently in talks to contribute to the company’s next fundraising round, and Thrive Capital would lead the deal should it happen, according to The New York Times. OpenAI’s annualized revenue reportedly eclipsed $3.4 billion early this year, but it’s said to be on track to lose $5 billion by year end as it expands its AI training and staffing efforts.
#openai #ai #technology
OpenAI could reportedly increase its valuation to $100 billion. Nvidia and Apple are apparently in talks to contribute to the company’s next fundraising round, and Thrive Capital would lead the deal should it happen, according to The New York Times. OpenAI’s annualized revenue reportedly eclipsed $3.4 billion early this year, but it’s said to be on track to lose $5 billion by year end as it expands its AI training and staffing efforts.
Lyft’s new pilot program aims to help drivers verify riders’ identities in a new effort to improve its security measures. Riders will now see a verification badge next to their profile, indicating that Lyft confirmed they’re using their legal name. The new program is rolling out to markets in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Phoenix and Seattle.
What is Lyft?
Lyft is a ridesharing company that operates in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer, and it is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Lyft allows users to request rides with licensed drivers using a mobile app. The company operates in over 300 cities across the United States and Canada, and it has become one of the largest ridesharing companies in the world.
#technology #ridesharing #application #transportation
Here's how Lyft works:
Lyft offers several types of rides, including:
Lyft has become a popular alternative to traditional taxi services, and it has also become a major competitor to other ridesharing companies like Uber.
#technology
#technology
Do you use Lyft or Uber?
Amazon hires the founders of AI robotics startup Covariant
Amazon announced Friday evening that it has hired Covariant's founders — Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan
Amazon announced Friday evening that it has hired Covariant’s founders — Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan — along with “about a quarter” of the startup’s employees. It’s also signed a non-exclusive license to use Covariant’s robotic foundation models.
Earlier this year, Chen told TechCrunch that Covariant is building “a large language model, but for robot language.” In other words, it’s creating AI models for robots, with an initial focus on robotic arms performing common warehouse tasks like bin picking.
#newsonleo #robotics #technology #amazon
“With some of the smartest minds, we will advance fundamental research, marrying our rich expertise to unlock new ways for AI and robots to assist our operations employees,” said Joseph Quinlivan, Vice President of Amazon Fulfillment Technologies & Robotics, in a statement. “[Embedding] Covariant’s AI technology into our existing robot fleet will make them more performant and create real world value for our customers.”
The deal sounds similar to Amazon’s hiring of the founders of AI startup Adept back in June — another deal that gave Amazon access to new talent and technology without having to fully acquire an existing startup.
At the time, The Verge described this approach as a “reverse acquihire,” where tech giants facing antitrust scrutiny can use hiring and licensing deals to disguise their acquisitions, rather than the other way around.
Covariant, meanwhile, said it will continue operating under the leadership of Ted Stinson and Tianhao Zhang, with Stinson — who’d been the startup’s COO — now stepping into the CEO role. The company added that it remains “dedicated to delivering the Covariant Brain into production environments across a broad set of global industries, including apparel, health and beauty, grocery, and pharmaceuticals.”
#technology
#technology
Before Midjourney, there was NightCafe — and it's still kicking
NightCafe, one of the first image generation platforms on the web, is growing and profitable -- and entirely bootstrapped.
Elle Russell, co-founder of Cairns, Australia-based NightCafe, which offers a suite of AI-powered art-creating tools, prefers to avoid the spotlight.
“I like to remain hidden behind my monitors,” she told me in a recent interview.
NightCafe is similarly low profile.
#ai #image #generativeai #technology
The company, which Russell helped her partner, Angus Russell, launch five years ago, doesn’t get the same publicity as some of its rivals, like Midjourney. Yet NightCafe — an entirely bootstrapped venture that’s profitable “most months,” according to Elle — has enormous reach. Its over 25 million users have created nearly a billion images with its tools.
To pull back the curtain on one of the web’s oldest generative art marketplaces, I spoke with Elle about NightCafe’s origins, some of the challenges the platform faces, and where she and Angus see it evolving from here.
A website for wall art
As NightCafe’s founding story goes, Angus had recently moved into a semi-detached house in Sydney’s Inner West area and hadn’t had a chance to decorate it with much artwork. “You should get some art; the walls are bare,” remarked one guest. And while Angus agreed, he couldn’t find any prints online that spoke to him.
So in 2019, Angus, who had a degree in design and who’d co-founded a few design-focused startups, began a side hustle: a website where people could buy and sell AI-generated art. He called it NightCafe, after Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Night Café.”
Anyone give this image generator a try?
https://creator.nightcafe.studio/explore
The Guardian: ‘Internet prophet’: arrest of Telegram CEO could strengthen heroic image
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/31/arrest-of-telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-could-strengthen-heroic-image
Grammy CEO says music industry also has AI concerns
The rise of AI has consumed the arts, just as it has Silicon Valley. Everyone is pondering: Will AI replace me?
Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, caused a stir a few months ago.
He announced that the organization’s prestigious Grammy Awards would finally accept music made with artificial intelligence. At first, people were confused, and then Mason came out to clarify that he meant only humans can submit to the awards, but that AI can be used in the creative process.
#technology #ai #grammy #music
“It’s a bit of a fine line, but that’s going to evolve,” he told TechCrunch about how the Academy is assessing the use of artificial intelligence in music. “My hope is that we can continue to celebrate human creativity at the highest level.”
The rise of AI has consumed the arts, just as it has Silicon Valley. Everyone is pondering: Will AI replace me? And within music — what happens to copyright? Royalties? To the hard work I’ve put into my craft? Mason said there are indeed concerns sweeping the industry. Some people are scared and nervous, while others are excited and optimistic. Some artists are sending cease-and-desist letters to get unauthorized deepfakes of themselves taken down, while others are embracing their AI versions — so long as they get paid.
“I wholeheartedly believe that AI in music shouldn’t even exist,” musician Devante, the Artist told TechCrunch. “AI should really only be used for simple daily tasks. As an artist, the ‘AI is taking over the world’ take is very real these days. Music is my world and now it’s all too easy for someone to masquerade as something it’s taken my whole life to be.”
“I think a lot of musicians, particularly the ones who haven’t ‘made it,’ are taking a glass-half-empty perspective on AI,” a musician who also works for a Big Tech company told TechCrunch. He asked to remain anonymous because he did not have permission from his employer to speak on the matter. “Just as the industrial revolution did not lead to widespread unemployment and in fact quite the opposite, more creatives, especially musicians, should flip their mindset and lean in.”
AI is already being used in music, mostly in the process of mastering and equalizing sounds, Mason said. The biggest concerns right now in the industry are making sure people get the right approvals to use an artist’s work, making sure humans are credited separately from AI, and making sure people are getting paid fairly, whether that’s the copyright AI is trained on or the likeness of an artist. There’s also the issue of ensuring these protections across the industry.
Mason co-launched the Human Artistry Campaign to address some of these issues and advocate for more guardrails around the use of AI.
TechNewsWorld: EdTech Innovations Breaking the Mold in Learning and Teaching
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/edtech-innovations-breaking-the-mold-in-learning-and-teaching-179344.html
TechNewsWorld: AMD Strengthens Its Corporate Responsibilities Initiatives
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/amd-strengthens-its-corporate-responsibilities-initiatives-179346.html
TechNewsWorld: AI-Enhanced Next-Gen Smart Glasses Could Revolutionize Wearables
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/ai-enhanced-next-gen-smart-glasses-could-revolutionize-wearables-179339.html
CNBC: Apple and Google wallets are part of a plan to make the hotel room key card obsolete
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/01/apple-and-google-wallets-want-to-make-hotel-room-key-card-obsolete-.html
Wired: Scientists Plan ‘Doomsday’ Vault on Moon
https://www.wired.com/story/scientists-want-to-build-a-doomsday-vault-on-the-moon/
BBC: 'A tech firm stole our voices - then cloned and sold them'
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3d9zv50955o
BBC: AI could help identify high-risk heart patients
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj620yl96kzo
AI brings a whole new dimension to the challenge of organizational transformation
As generative AI brings AI to the forefront in organizations, the biggest problems implementing it could involve the people using it.
Let’s start with the premise that change is hard for everyone. It’s even harder at scale for a large organization. As we’ve watched large organizations over the last 15 years try to embrace mobile, Big Data, the cloud and general digital transformation, we have seen many of them struggle again and again to implement these technologies. Today, it’s AI that is forcing companies and their employees to change, whether they like it or not.
#technology #ai #business
Part of the problem is technical debt, the notion that an organization’s tech stack has to evolve to take full advantage of the new technologies, rather than using a set of technical capabilities designed for a prior era. It’s not easy to try and change something that is fundamental to running a business without risking messing up what works already. Not too many managers are going to fully embrace that kind of change. Substantive change involves tremendous risk along with enormous potential.
Another part of the problem is institutional inertia. It’s just hard to change how people do things. Let me tell you the story of when I was a technical writer many years ago, and we were implementing a computer system at a small town register of deeds. The town’s deeds were on paper and filed in cabinets. It was manual and unwieldy, making tracing deeds a process that could take weeks because people had to manually dig through the paper morass.
The computer system was clearly better, but the workers at the front desk who dealt with the public weren’t sold. Part of their job was to stamp completed documents with a rubber stamp, which they did with great gusto, before they were sent away to be filed. For these clerks, who had worked the counter for 20 or 30 years, the stamp represented their identity and sense of power. They didn’t want to give it up.
Eventually, the system architect just simply gave in and let them keep their stamp. Even though it was really no longer required for an online system, it got them to buy into the change.
Which brings us to the biggest problem of all: change management. The hardest component of implementing new technology isn’t shopping, buying, testing and implementing it. It’s getting people to use it, and you often have to let them keep their stamp or they are going to sabotage even the best intentions of the team implementing the solution.
Reuters: Brazil watchdog moves to block access to Elon Musk's X after court order
https://www.reuters.com/technology/lula-says-musk-must-respect-brazils-top-court-x-braces-shutdown-2024-08-30/
Reuters: CrowdStrike exec to testify before Congress on IT outage
https://www.reuters.com/technology/crowdstrike-exec-testify-before-congress-it-outage-2024-08-30/
Reuters: OpenAI names political veteran Lehane as head of global policy, NYT reports
https://www.reuters.com/technology/openai-names-political-veteran-lehane-head-global-policy-nyt-reports-2024-08-30/
What is FinTech?
FinTech, short for financial technology, refers to the intersection of finance and technology. It involves the use of technology to improve and automate financial services, products, and processes. Fintech companies use software, algorithms, and other digital tools to provide innovative financial solutions to individuals, businesses, and institutions.
Fintech can encompass a wide range of areas, including:
Fintech has disrupted traditional financial services in several ways, including:
Overall, fintech has transformed the financial industry, providing innovative solutions to traditional financial challenges and creating new opportunities for growth and innovation.
https://inleo.io/threads/view/mightpossibly/re-leothreads-rbzwgmx8
Always some surprises.
Apple and Google wallets are part of a plan to make the hotel room key card obsolete
Through use of Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, hotel chains are racing to ditch the plastic room key card.
Many hotel chains are racing to replace the plastic room key with digital options, including Apple Wallet and Google Wallet apps. Plastic hotel key cards have had a rough few years. During the pandemic, touch was taboo, so touchless trends accelerated. And cybersecurity concerns have mounted around hotel key technology. Earlier this year, researchers found a vulnerability in plastic hotel keys that could render up to three million keys easy prey for hackers and take years to fix.
#newsonleo #technology #apple #hotel #google
Cybersecurity and safety issues have prompted many hotel chains to accelerate plans to transform hotel room door locks. While major U.S. chains have had the digital key capability for years, Google Wallet and Apple Wallet are jumping in by offering hotels the ability to save guests' room keys to their wallets, enabling them to access their rooms by simply tapping the back of their phones against a reader near the door handle.
Hilton Hotels has its Honors app, which allows guests to check in and use a room key through their smartphone. The 119-room Harpeth Hotel in Franklin, Tennessee, is a Hilton property, and guests can check in digitally and store keys in their Google or Apple wallet app.
"The benefit to the digital check-in is that your phone is the key," said Kimberly Elder, director of sales for the Harpeth Hotel, adding that many guests still prefer the plastic key cards.
Eli Fuchs, regional director of operations at Valor Hospitality Partners, which has Hilton and Holiday Inn Express hotels in its portfolio, says digital is the next wave in hotel room door technology.
"Traditional hotel room keys are staring down the end of their existence," Fuchs says.
What is the Apple Wallet?
Apple Wallet, formerly known as passbook, is a digital wallet service by Apple that allows users to store and manage their credit and debit cards, loyalty cards, tickets, and other types of passes on their iOS devices. It was introduced in 2013 with the release of iOS 6.
Apple Wallet allows users to add their credit and debit cards to their device, making it easy to make payments in-store, online, or in-app. The service uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to enable contactless payments, allowing users to tap their device on a payment terminal to complete a transaction.
Some of the features of Apple Wallet include:
Apple Wallet is available on iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads, and is compatible with a wide range of credit and debit cards, as well as loyalty cards and passes.
Some of the benefits of using Apple Wallet include:
Inside China’s New AI Chip: Closing the Gap?
#ai #chips #china #huawei
#leoshorts #technology #gadgets
#leoshorts #technology
#leoshorts #technology
#leoshorts #technology
#leoshorts #technology
Here is what Groq said about the Hive Blockchain:
The Hive blockchain is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that was launched in 2018. It is a fork of the Steem blockchain, which was created by Ned Scott and Dan Larimer in 2016.
He was precise. Is Groq your current chatbot?
I use the ones that dont limit. I run out of Claude and Venice use when I do a lot of prompting. Since I dont pay, they cap what I can do.
Good strategy, because I try to do this too.
Despite these limits, it is still possible for us to use it. Being able to use more than one allows us to make better use of them.
Yes. Keep going to other models when we run out. That is why it is important to keep sharing about others.
The key is to have enough that can get enough prompts.
Hive is designed to be a community-driven platform that allows users to create and share content, as well as participate in decentralized applications (dApps) and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. The platform is built on a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm, which is more energy-efficient and less vulnerable to centralization than traditional Proof-of-Work (PoW) algorithms.
Some of the key features of the Hive blockchain include:
Hive has a number of use cases, including:
Overall, Hive is a decentralized blockchain platform that allows users to create and share content, participate in decentralized applications and DeFi protocols, and engage in community governance.
According to Venice.ai
What are the different sectors of the semiconductor industry?
The semiconductor industry can be broadly categorized into several sectors, including:
Microprocessors: Also known as CPUs (Central Processing Units), these are the brains of computers and other devices, responsible for executing instructions and performing calculations.
Analog ICs: These are integrated circuits that process signals in analog form, rather than digital. They are used in a wide range of applications such as amplifiers, filters, and data converters.
Logic ICs: Also known as digital ICs, these integrate multiple logic functions onto a single chip, enabling the creation of complex digital systems.
Power Management: This sector specializes in designing and manufacturing components that regulate power supply and distribution within electronic devices, such as voltage regulators and power amplifiers.
Connectivity: This includes communication chips for wired and wireless applications like Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC (Near Field Communication), and other connectivity standards.
Sensor & Actuator: These are specialized ICs that interface with the physical world by converting physical signals into digital data or controlling devices accordingly.
Automotive electronics: A growing sector focused on developing semiconductor solutions for the automotive industry, including infotainment systems, safety features, and driver assistance systems.
Industrial & IoT (Internet of Things): This segment caters to various industrial applications, smart home devices, wearables, and other connected gadgets that rely on semiconductors.
These sectors often overlap or share technologies, making the semiconductor industry a dynamic and constantly evolving field. companies may also specialize in specific product lines or technologies within these categories.
What are the major semiconductor companies?
Here is a list of some major semiconductor companies, both established and emerging:
Samsung Electronics: A leading global electronics company, Samsung has a significant presence in the semiconductor market, producing memory chips (DRAM & NAND), application processors, and image sensors.
TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company): As the world's largest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry, TSMC manufactures ICs for various applications on behalf of other companies.
Qualcomm: Known for its mobile chipsets, Qualcomm designs system-on-chips (SoCs) for smartphones, tablets, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Texas Instruments (TI): A long-time industry leader, TI produces a wide range of analog, digital, and embedded processing semiconductor solutions for various industries.
Broadcom Inc.: Originally known as Avago technologies, Broadcom is now a leading provider of communications and data processing semiconductor solutions, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet products.
NVIDIA Corporation: A pioneer in the graphics card market, NVIDIA has expanded its focus to include AI, autonomous vehicles, and cloud computing with its CUDA platform and GPU acceleration.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): AMD designs and manufactures processors for PCs, servers, and other devices, competing directly with Intel.
SK Hynix: A South Korean company specializing in memory chips (DRAM & NAND), SK Hynix also produces system ICs and image sensors.
Micron technology: Another major player in the memory market, Micron produces DRAM and NAND flash storage solutions for various applications.
MediaTek Inc.: A leading semiconductor designer for wireless communications, MediaTek provides chipsets for smartphones, tablets, IoT devices, and automotive applications.
Analog Devices: Specializing in analog, mixed-signal, and digital signal processing (DSP) semiconductors, Analog Devices serves a wide range of industries, including medical, industrial, and consumer electronics.
This is not an exhaustive list, as the semiconductor industry comprises many smaller and niche players alongside these major companies. Additionally, mergers and acquisitions can lead to changes in company structures and market positions over time.
What is the process for building semiconductors?
The process for building semiconductors, also known as semiconductor fabrication or microfabrication, involves a series of complex steps. Here's an overview of the main stages:
Design: The design process begins with creating a schematic representation of the electronic circuit using specialized software like Cadence, Mentor Graphics, or Synopsys. This is followed by layout design, where the schematic is transformed into a physical layout.
Mask Creation: The physical layout is converted into photomasks, which are patterned glass slides containing the design pattern. Each layer in the semiconductor requires its own mask set.
Wafer Preparation: Silicon wafers are cleaned and prepared for processing. This includes polishing the surface to create a smooth foundation and applying a thin layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2) or another dielectric material as insulation.
Deposition: Various layers of materials, such as polysilicon, metal, insulators, and dielectrics, are deposited onto the wafer using techniques like chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), or atomic layer deposition (ALD).
Photolithography: A photosensitive material, called photoresist, is applied to the wafer, followed by exposure to ultraviolet light through the photomask. This creates a patterned image on the photoresist.
Etching: The exposed areas of the photoresist are removed using chemical etchants, leaving behind the desired pattern in the underlying material.
Ion Implantation: Dopants (impurities) are introduced into the semiconductor material using ion implantation technology to modify its electrical properties.
Annealing: The wafer is heated to a high temperature to activate the dopants and improve the overall performance of the device.
Metallization: Metal interconnects, also known as wires, are added to connect different components within the semiconductor. This step involves depositing metal layers, etching them into desired patterns, and applying insulating layers between them.
Packaging: The bare die is mounted onto a package substrate that provides mechanical support, electrical connections, and often an encapsulant for protection.
Testing: Individual chips are tested for functionality and performance using automated test equipment (ATE).
Dicing and bonding: The wafers are cut into individual dice or chips, which are then bonded to a leadframe or other package type, forming the final packaged semiconductor device.
This process flow can vary depending on the specific technology and application requirements. Additionally, advancements in lithography, deposition, etching, and other techniques continue to drive improvements in semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.
What is a foundry and what part does it play in the production of semiconductors?
A foundry is a semiconductor manufacturing facility that specializes in producing integrated circuits (ICs) on behalf of other companies, known as fabless semiconductor companies or intellectual property (IP) owners. These IP owners design the semiconductor products but do not have their own fabrication facilities.
Foundries play a crucial role in the semiconductor industry by providing:
Access to advanced manufacturing technologies: Foundries invest heavily in state-of-the-art equipment and processes, enabling them to produce smaller, more powerful, and energy-efficient semiconductors.
Manufacturing capacity: As demand for semiconductors grows, foundries offer additional production capacity to meet the needs of fabless companies without requiring them to build their own expensive fabrication facilities.
Flexibility and scalability: Foundries can quickly adapt to changes in customer demands by adjusting production volumes, facilitating faster time-to-market for new products.
Lower capital investment: By outsourcing semiconductor manufacturing to foundries, IP owners can avoid the massive upfront investments required for building and equipping their own fabs.
Reduced risk: Semiconductor manufacturing is a highly complex and risky process. Foundries help mitigate these risks by providing expertise, facilities, and processes that ensure high-quality production.
Global reach: Foundries have global presence, allowing them to cater to the needs of companies worldwide while ensuring local support and supply chain management.
Examples of prominent foundries include:
These foundries offer a range of semiconductor manufacturing services, from basic logic to advanced technologies like 3D NAND flash and advanced packaging. They also provide design enablement tools, process development kits, and other resources to support fabless companies throughout the product development cycle.
What nm semiconductors are used for each product? What is the range where they fit?
The choice of semiconductor node (nm) depends on various factors, including the application, performance requirements, power consumption, and cost.
Here's a general overview of nm nodes and their common applications:
180nm: This is considered a mature node and is mainly used for low-power applications like RFID tags, simple microcontrollers, and analog ICs.
130nm: Still relatively mature, this node sees use in wireless communication chips, power management devices, and some low-cost consumer electronics.
90nm: Widespread use of this node includes mobile processors, graphics cards, and high-performance servers. It's also used for image sensors in digital cameras and medical equipment.
65nm: A popular choice for high-end smartphones, gaming consoles, and data center applications, this node delivers good performance and power efficiency.
45nm: Found in many modern laptops, tablets, and desktop computers, this node is suitable for high-performance computing and graphics processing units (GPUs).
28nm: Widely used for mobile devices like smartphones and wearables, as well as high-volume consumer electronics, IoT devices, and automotive applications.
20nm: This advanced node is used in high-end mobile processors, graphics cards, and data center equipment, offering improved performance and power efficiency.
14nm/10nm: These cutting-edge nodes are typically found in the latest smartphones, tablets, laptops, servers, and high-performance computing devices, delivering exceptional performance and low power consumption.
7nm: Widely used in modern high-end mobile processors, graphics cards, data center equipment, and advanced networking products, this node offers superior performance and power efficiency.
These nm nodes generally fit into a range of applications depending on their performance, power, and cost requirements. As technology advances, we can expect to see even smaller node sizes offering higher performance and efficiency in various sectors.
What are the smallest semiconductors and what are they used for?
The smallest semiconductors currently in use are typically found in advanced integrated circuits (ICs) and transistors. Let me give you a concise overview:
What are 1-2 nm semiconductors used for?
Semiconductors at the 1-2 nm scale are still largely in the experimental and research phase. They're not yet used in mass-produced commercial devices. However, their potential applications are quite exciting:
It's important to note that at this scale, quantum effects become significantly more prominent, which presents both challenges and opportunities. Many major semiconductor companies and research institutions are working on overcoming the technical hurdles to make 1-2 nm semiconductors commercially viable.
What are the 3-4 nm semiconductors used for?
The 3-4 nm semiconductors are at the cutting edge of current commercially viable technology. They're primarily used in high-performance computing applications. Here's a breakdown of their main uses:
These semiconductors offer significant improvements in performance and energy efficiency compared to previous generations. They allow for more transistors to be packed into a given area, enabling more powerful and capable devices while potentially reducing power consumption.
From Claude3
What are the largest semiconductor foundries?
The largest semiconductor foundries globally are:
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) - By far the largest and most advanced, dominating the cutting-edge chip manufacturing market.
Samsung Foundry - The second largest, known for producing both its own chips and those for other companies.
GlobalFoundries - A major player, especially in specialized and mature node technologies.
United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) - Another significant Taiwanese foundry, focusing on mature process nodes.
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) - China's largest foundry, though somewhat behind in leading-edge technology due to trade restrictions.
Intel Foundry Services - A relatively new entrant, as Intel aims to compete in the contract manufacturing space.
These companies are ranked based on their manufacturing capacity, technological capabilities, and market share.
What are Intel's plans to gain market share in the foundry business?
Intel has been making significant efforts to expand its presence in the foundry business through its Intel Foundry Services (IFS) division. Here are some key aspects of Intel's strategy to gain market share:
These efforts represent a significant shift in Intel's business model, as they aim to compete more directly with pure-play foundries like TSMC and Samsung. However, it's worth noting that gaining significant market share will likely be a long-term process, given the entrenched positions of the current market leaders and the high barriers to entry in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.