A FEMA supervisor fired for instructing subordinates to skip over houses with Trump signs says her actions were consistent with agency guidance and were not isolated to her team alone.

A man from Eugene, Oregon, pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes on Tuesday after he spray-painted antisemitic graffiti on a synagogue in 2023 and 2024.

Australia’s leading media agencies have ducked questions about cash kickbacks.

The end of Moore’s Law is looming. Engineers and designers can do only so much to miniaturize transistors and pack as many of them as possible into chips. So they’re turning to other approaches to chip design, incorporating technologies like AI into the process.

Samsung, for instance, is adding AI to its memory chips to enable processing in memory, thereby saving energy and speeding up machine learning. Speaking of speed, Google’s TPU V4 AI chip has doubled its processing power compared with that of its previous version.

But AI holds still more promise and potential for the semiconductor industry. To better understand how AI is set to revolutionize chip design, we spoke with Heather Gorr, senior product manager for MathWorks’ MATLAB platform.

How is AI currently being used to design the next generation of chips?

Heather Gorr: AI is such an important technology because it’s involved in most parts of the cycle, including the design and manufacturing process. There’s a lot of important applications here, even in the general process engineering where we want to optimize things. I think defect detection is a big one at all phases of the process, especially in manufacturing. But even thinking ahead in the design process, [AI now plays a significant role] when you’re designing the light and the sensors and all the different components. There’s a lot of anomaly detection and fault mitigation that you really want to consider.

Heather GorrMathWorks

Then, thinking about the logistical modeling that you see in any industry, there is always planned downtime that you want to mitigate; but you also end up having unplanned downtime. So, looking back at that historical data of when you’ve had those moments where maybe it took a bit longer than expected to manufacture something, you can take a look at all of that data and use AI to try to identify the proximate cause or to see something that might jump out even in the processing and design phases. We think of AI oftentimes as a predictive tool, or as a robot doing something, but a lot of times you get a lot of insight from the data through AI.

What are the benefits of using AI for chip design?

Gorr: Historically, we’ve seen a lot of physics-based modeling, which is a very intensive process. We want to do a reduced order model, where instead of solving such a computationally expensive and extensive model, we can do something a little cheaper. You could create a surrogate model, so to speak, of that physics-based model, use the data, and then do your parameter sweeps, your optimizations, your Monte Carlo simulations using the surrogate model. That takes a lot less time computationally than solving the physics-based equations directly. So, we’re seeing that benefit in many ways, including the efficiency and economy that are the results of iterating quickly on the experiments and the simulations that will really help in the design.

So it’s like having a digital twin in a sense?

Gorr: Exactly. That’s pretty much what people are doing, where you have the physical system model and the experimental data. Then, in conjunction, you have this other model that you could tweak and tune and try different parameters and experiments that let sweep through all of those different situations and come up with a better design in the end.

So, it’s going to be more efficient and, as you said, cheaper?

Gorr: Yeah, definitely. Especially in the experimentation and design phases, where you’re trying different things. That’s obviously going to yield dramatic cost savings if you’re actually manufacturing and producing [the chips]. You want to simulate, test, experiment as much as possible without making something using the actual process engineering.

We’ve talked about the benefits. How about the drawbacks?

Gorr: The [AI-based experimental models] tend to not be as accurate as physics-based models. Of course, that’s why you do many simulations and parameter sweeps. But that’s also the benefit of having that digital twin, where you can keep that in mind—it’s not going to be as accurate as that precise model that we’ve developed over the years.

Both chip design and manufacturing are system intensive; you have to consider every little part. And that can be really challenging. It’s a case where you might have models to predict something and different parts of it, but you still need to bring it all together.

One of the other things to think about too is that you need the data to build the models. You have to incorporate data from all sorts of different sensors and different sorts of teams, and so that heightens the challenge.

How can engineers use AI to better prepare and extract insights from hardware or sensor data?

Gorr: We always think about using AI to predict something or do some robot task, but you can use AI to come up with patterns and pick out things you might not have noticed before on your own. People will use AI when they have high-frequency data coming from many different sensors, and a lot of times it’s useful to explore the frequency domain and things like data synchronization or resampling. Those can be really challenging if you’re not sure where to start.

One of the things I would say is, use the tools that are available. There’s a vast community of people working on these things, and you can find lots of examples [of applications and techniques] on GitHub or MATLAB Central, where people have shared nice examples, even little apps they’ve created. I think many of us are buried in data and just not sure what to do with it, so definitely take advantage of what’s already out there in the community. You can explore and see what makes sense to you, and bring in that balance of domain knowledge and the insight you get from the tools and AI.

What should engineers and designers consider when using AI for chip design?

Gorr: Think through what problems you’re trying to solve or what insights you might hope to find, and try to be clear about that. Consider all of the different components, and document and test each of those different parts. Consider all of the people involved, and explain and hand off in a way that is sensible for the whole team.

How do you think AI will affect chip designers’ jobs?

Gorr: It’s going to free up a lot of human capital for more advanced tasks. We can use AI to reduce waste, to optimize the materials, to optimize the design, but then you still have that human involved whenever it comes to decision-making. I think it’s a great example of people and technology working hand in hand. It’s also an industry where all people involved—even on the manufacturing floor—need to have some level of understanding of what’s happening, so this is a great industry for advancing AI because of how we test things and how we think about them before we put them on the chip.

How do you envision the future of AI and chip design?

Gorr: It’s very much dependent on that human element—involving people in the process and having that interpretable model. We can do many things with the mathematical minutiae of modeling, but it comes down to how people are using it, how everybody in the process is understanding and applying it. Communication and involvement of people of all skill levels in the process are going to be really important. We’re going to see less of those superprecise predictions and more transparency of information, sharing, and that digital twin—not only using AI but also using our human knowledge and all of the work that many people have done over the years.

Thanks to their ability to adjust the system’s output accurately and quickly without detailed knowledge about its dynamics, PID control loops stand as a powerful and widely used tool for maintaining a stable and predictable output in a variety of applications. In this paper, we review the fundamental principles and characteristics of these control systems, providing insight into their functioning, tuning strategies, advantages, and trade-offs.

As a result of their integrated architecture, Zurich Instruments’ lock-in amplifiers allow users to make the most of all the advantages of digital PID control loops, so that their operation can be adapted to match the needs of different use cases.

Last week the organization tasked with running the the biggest chunk of U.S. CHIPS Act’s US $13 billion R&D program made some significant strides: The National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) released a strategic plan and selected the sites of two of three planned facilities and released a new strategic plan. The locations of the two sites—a “design and collaboration” center in Sunnyvale, Calif., and a lab devoted to advancing the leading edge of chipmaking, in Albany, N.Y.—build on an existing ecosystem at each location, experts say. The location of the third planned center—a chip prototyping and packaging site that could be especially critical for speeding semiconductor startups—is still a matter of speculation.

“The NSTC represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the U.S. to accelerate the pace of innovation in semiconductor technology,” Deirdre Hanford, CEO of Natcast, the nonprofit that runs the NSTC centers, said in a statement. According to the strategic plan, which covers 2025 to 2027, the NSTC is meant to accomplish three goals: extend U.S. technology leadership, reduce the time and cost to prototype, and build and sustain a semiconductor workforce development ecosystem. The three centers are meant to do a mix of all three.

New York gets extreme ultraviolet lithography

NSTC plans to direct $825 million into the Albany project. The site will be dedicated to extreme ultraviolet lithography, a technology that’s essential to making the most advanced logic chips. The Albany Nanotech Complex, which has already seen more than $25 billion in investments from the state and industry partners over two decades, will form the heart of the future NSTC center. It already has an EUV lithography machine on site and has begun an expansion to install a next-generation version, called high-NA EUV, which promises to produce even finer chip features. Working with a tool recently installed in Europe, IBM, a long-time tenant of the Albany research facility, reported record yields of copper interconnects built every 21 nanometers, a pitch several nanometers tighter than possible with ordinary EUV.

“It’s fulfilling to see that this ecosystem can be taken to the national and global level through CHIPS Act funding,” said Mukesh Khare, general manager of IBM’s semiconductors division, speaking from the future site of the NSTC EUV center. “It’s the right time, and we have all the ingredients.”

While only a few companies are capable of manufacturing cutting edge logic using EUV, the impact of the NSTC center will be much broader, Khare argues. It will extend down as far as early-stage startups with ideas or materials for improving the chipmaking process “An EUV R&D center doesn’t mean just one machine,” says Khare. “It needs so many machines around it… It’s a very large ecosystem.”

Silicon Valley lands the design center

The design center is tasked with conducting advanced research in chip design, electronic design automation (EDA), chip and system architectures, and hardware security. It will also host the NSTC’s design enablement gateway—a program that provides NSTC members with a secure, cloud-based access to design tools, reference processes and designs, and shared data sets, with the goal of reducing the time and cost of design. Additionally, it will house workforce development, member convening, and administration functions.

Situating the design center in Silicon Valley, with its concentration of research universities, venture capital, and workforce, seems like the obvious choice to many experts. “I can’t think of a better place,” says Patrick Soheili, co-founder of interconnect technology startup Eliyan, which is based in Santa Clara, Calif.

Abhijeet Chakraborty, vice president of engineering in the technology and product group at Silicon Valley-based Synopsys, a leading maker of EDA software, sees Silicon Valley’s expansive tech ecosystem as one of its main advantages in landing the NSTC’s design center. The region concentrates companies and researchers involved in the whole spectrum of the industry from semiconductor process technology to cloud software.

Access to such a broad range of industries is increasingly important for chip design startups, he says. “To design a chip or component these days you need to go from concept to design to validation in an environment that takes care of the entire stack,” he says. It’s prohibitively expensive for a startup to do that alone, so one of Chakraborty’s hopes for the design center is that it will help startups access the design kits and other data needed to operate in this new environment.

Packaging and prototyping still to come

A third promised center for prototyping and packaging is still to come. “The big question is where does the packaging and prototyping go?” says Mark Granahan, cofounder and CEO of Pennsylvania-based power semiconductor startup Ideal Semiconductor. “To me that’s a great opportunity.” He points out that because there is so little packaging technology infrastructure in the United States, any ambitious state or region should have a shot at hosting such a center. One of the original intentions of the act, after all, was to expand the number of regions of the country that are involved in the semiconductor industry.

But that hasn’t stopped some already tech-heavy regions from wanting it. “Oregon offers the strongest ecosystem for such a facility,” a spokesperson for Intel, whose technology development is done there. “The state is uniquely positioned to contribute to the success of the NSTC and help drive technological advancements in the U.S. semiconductor industry.”

As NSTC makes progress, Granahan’s concern is that bureaucracy will expand with it and slow efforts to boost the U.S. chip industry. Already the layers of control are multiplying. The Chips Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology executes the Act. The NSTC is administered by the nonprofit Natcast, which directs the EUV center, which is in a facility run by another nonprofit, NY CREATES. “We want these things to be agile and make local decisions.”

Finished chips coming in from the foundry are subject to a battery of tests. For those destined for critical systems in cars, those tests are particularly extensive and can add 5 to 10 percent to the cost of a chip. But do you really need to do every single test?

Engineers at NXP have developed a machine-learning algorithm that learns the patterns of test results and figures out the subset of tests that are really needed and those that they could safely do without. The NXP engineers described the process at the IEEE International Test Conference in San Diego last week.

NXP makes a wide variety of chips with complex circuitry and advanced chip-making technology, including inverters for EV motors, audio chips for consumer electronics, and key-fob transponders to secure your car. These chips are tested with different signals at different voltages and at different temperatures in a test process called continue-on-fail. In that process, chips are tested in groups and are all subjected to the complete battery, even if some parts fail some of the tests along the way.

Chips were subject to between 41 and 164 tests, and the algorithm was able to recommend removing 42 to 74 percent of those tests.

“We have to ensure stringent quality requirements in the field, so we have to do a lot of testing,” says Mehul Shroff, an NXP Fellow who led the research. But with much of the actual production and packaging of chips outsourced to other companies, testing is one of the few knobs most chip companies can turn to control costs. “What we were trying to do here is come up with a way to reduce test cost in a way that was statistically rigorous and gave us good results without compromising field quality.”

A Test Recommender System

Shroff says the problem has certain similarities to the machine learning-based recommender systems used in e-commerce. “We took the concept from the retail world, where a data analyst can look at receipts and see what items people are buying together,” he says. “Instead of a transaction receipt, we have a unique part identifier and instead of the items that a consumer would purchase, we have a list of failing tests.”

The NXP algorithm then discovered which tests fail together. Of course, what’s at stake for whether a purchaser of bread will want to buy butter is quite different from whether a test of an automotive part at a particular temperature means other tests don’t need to be done. “We need to have 100 percent or near 100 percent certainty,” Shroff says. “We operate in a different space with respect to statistical rigor compared to the retail world, but it’s borrowing the same concept.”

As rigorous as the results are, Shroff says that they shouldn’t be relied upon on their own. You have to “make sure it makes sense from engineering perspective and that you can understand it in technical terms,” he says. “Only then, remove the test.”

Shroff and his colleagues analyzed data obtained from testing seven microcontrollers and applications processors built using advanced chipmaking processes. Depending on which chip was involved, they were subject to between 41 and 164 tests, and the algorithm was able to recommend removing 42 to 74 percent of those tests. Extending the analysis to data from other types of chips led to an even wider range of opportunities to trim testing.

The algorithm is a pilot project for now, and the NXP team is looking to expand it to a broader set of parts, reduce the computational overhead, and make it easier to use.

<a href="https://bluetechker.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Blue Techker</a> naturally like your web site however you need to take a look at the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth on the other hand I will surely come again again.

US restrictions on semiconductor tech are spurring the move.

The huge spacecraft is headed toward the icy moon Europa, where it will use an array of instruments to survey for geologic activity, magnetism and more

We spoke to the Conservative MP and former army officer Tom Tugendhat, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the bustling world of the restaurant industry, standing out is more challenging than ever. With diners increasingly turning to the internet to discover their next meal, having a strong online presence is crucial. This guide will show you practical tips and techniques to maximise your restaurant’s online visibility and enhance your SEO efforts. By […]

The post Maximising Online Visibility and SEO for Restaurants: Tips and Techniques appeared first on Chart Attack.

I’ve been hearing a lot about IPTV lately. There’s no denying that it’s shaken up the way we consume content. From streaming live sports events to watching your favorite shows on demand, IPTV services have become incredibly popular. But let’s be honest: with so many different subscription options out there, it can get a little […]

The post Is a Premium IPTV Subscription Worth the Extra Cost? appeared first on Chart Attack.

We’ve all been there. You’ve gone to the store or scrolled through countless online sites, desperately searching for a graduation gift that’s unique, funny, and something your friend won’t toss in a drawer and forget about. Well, it turns out there’s a new trend catching fire, and it’s a fake college diploma. Yes, you heard […]

The post Why Fake College Diplomas Are the Latest Comedy Trend in Graduation Gifts appeared first on Chart Attack.

As a truck owner who’s watching every penny, you know how quickly maintenance expenses can get out of hand. There’s always another issue, another part to replace, another tool you didn’t know you needed. But there’s good news – plenty of ways exist to keep those trucks running smoothly without draining your wallet. With a […]

The post Maintenance Tips for Budget-Conscious Truck Owners ─ Keeping Costs Down appeared first on Chart Attack.

Starship will launch during the late afternoon so its descent into Indian Ocean is visible.

Operation Synergia II took aim at phishing, ransomware, and information stealing.

Broadcom acquisition was a "wake-up call" for VMware-dependent SMBs.

On Nov. 19, join Benj Edwards and Simon Willison's live YouTube chat about the "Great Bing Chat Fiasco of 2023."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisor fired for telling workers to avoid homes with Trump signs or flags said in an interview Tuesday that "senior leadership" at FEMA was well-aware of this guidance and it was not an isolated incident.

The post Ex-FEMA Worker Claims Leadership Knew Workers Were Avoiding Homes with Trump Signs appeared first on Breitbart.

A 48-year-old man in Winnipeg who says his right leg was to be amputated due to an infection came out of the medical procedure to find out his left leg was amputated instead. Jason Kennedy knew he may eventually lose both legs to the infection but he still has questions about what happened.

An Ottawa high school principal has apologized for playing an Arabic song about peace during a Remembrance Day ceremony after facing swift backlash from critics calling it inappropriate and hurtful to members of the Jewish community.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, managing IP infrastructure has become increasingly complex and critical for organizations of all sizes. As networks

The post Don’t Ignore What You Can Easily Control: Your IP Infrastructure appeared first on Gigaom.

1. Swiggy’s reclusive CEO Sriharsha Majety makes rare public appearance at IPO listing ceremony  Hindustan Times
2. Zomato gives ‘Jai and Veeru’ vibes with special meme for rival Swiggy on IPO day  Hindustan Times
3. JM Financial gives Swiggy its first 'buy' tag, sees 20% upside from IPO price  Moneycontrol
4. Swiggy IPO: 9 execs who will become richer by Rs 50 crore or more  The Times of India
5. ‘You and I…’: Zomato welcomes Swiggy on Dalal Street post stock market listing  India Today

1. Eight-month-old among six abducted in Manipur; two burnt to death  The Hindu
2. Manipur on boil: 2 more bodies found, 6 missing  The Times of India
3. Centre rushes 20 more CAPF companies to Manipur after fresh violence  The Indian Express
4. Three women, three children missing after Jiribam gunfight; Meiteis and Kukis hold bandhs in Manipur  The New Indian Express
5. Letters to The Editor — November 13, 2024  The Hindu

Dozens of previously hard-to-access games can now be synced via Virtual Machine.

Hombale Films and Prabhas will begin their three-film partnership with ‘Salaar 2’, to be directed by Prashanth Neel

Promising to be inspiring, ‘Vijay 69’ turns out like a mildly entertaining episode in Anupam Kher’s popular play, ‘Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’

Founded by Thaalla Vaishnav and Pramod Uppalapati, ‘The Script Craft’ is backed by Prabhas to nurture new talent and provide emerging writers with valuable opportunities

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner made it two wins in two matches before his home fans at the ATP Finals, beating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday. Earlier, Daniil Medvedev moved back into contention with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Alex De Minaur.

Back in October last year, Feral Interactive announced that cross platform multiplayer was in the works for Company of Heroes …

Continue reading "‘Company of Heroes’ Mobile Multiplayer Beta Announced for Next Week on Android, Full Update Coming to iOS and Switch As Well"

At Anime NYC this weekend, Aniplex USA shared more details for its upcoming 3D action RPG Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist …

Continue reading "3D Action RPG ‘Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story’ From Aniplex Gets a New Trailer Ahead of Its Launch on Mobile and PC"

Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of …

Continue reading "Best iPhone Game Updates: ‘TMNT Splintered Fate’, ‘Subway Surfers’, ‘Another Eden’, and More"

Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of …

Continue reading "Best iPhone Game Updates: ‘Peglin’, ‘Brawl Stars’, ‘Genshin Impact’, ‘Royal Match’, and More"

Summer holidays might be over, but fans of Gunship Battle: Total Warfare are still in for a treat as Joycity …

Continue reading "‘Gunship Battle: Total Warfare’ Launches Massive Sky Ace Update"

President-elect Trump has promised mass deportations, including workplace raids like those that took place during his first term at chicken processing plants in rural Mississippi.

Every county in Georgia has certified its general election results. There had been concerns about election certification, but with Donald Trump's victory, those worries have largely gone away.

Destiny 2's digital success could spell long-term trouble for discs

New iPhone sales will rest entirely in the next quarter this time.

Rivian is teaming up with Volkswagen in a $5.8 billion joint venture for EV innovation on its R2 model, which the company says will eventually be manufactured in Georgia.

Though many amature divers claim to have found the famous shipwreck, it's likely still below Lake Michigan's waves.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 46 people in the Gaza Strip in the past day, medics said. In Lebanon, warplanes struck Beirut's southern suburbs and killed 33 people in the country on Tuesday.

Go beneath the waves and back in time to explore the incredible story of the German attack on Bell Island. In 1942, four merchant ships were sunk by Hitler’s U-boats, coming to a final rest on the ocean floor. Now, we’ve teamed up with historians and divers to take you on an underwater tour of the shipwrecks.

A voyage in this kind of spacecraft — while still conceptual — would take multiple lifetimes, crossing unimaginable gulfs of interstellar space. The theoretical exercise puts aside technical problems, including the propulsion system, and focusses on the design of the habitat and society.

An emperor penguin found malnourished far from its Antarctic home on the Australian south coast is being cared for by a wildlife expert, a government department said Monday.

Libra and Capricorn compatibility blends charm and ambition. Discover how this air-earth duo balances romance and practicality in love, friendship, and relationships.

Discover the compatibility between Libra and Aquarius in love, friendship, and more. Explore their strengths, challenges, and what makes this zodiac pairing unique.

A new children’s book tells the tale of a young South Dakota woman who flew dozens of mercy missions during the great blizzards of 1949.

It's no secret that most technology nowadays isn't exactly built to last forever, with new product models regularly on sale on replace malfunctioning items. However, Apple, which famously announces new products each September, is taking new steps to let people repair their own devices. Apple has launched parts and tools for the iPhone 16, including the Plus, Pro and Pro Max. 

Now, if you have an iPhone 16 model that's acting up, you can go to Apple's self service repair store and — possibly — get what you need to fix it. Choose the product type and model then pick from the iPhone 16's choices of back glass, battery, camera, top speaker, TrueDepth camera, SIM tray and more. Apple's iPhone 16 should be easier to fix than its predecessor, receiving a 7/10 on the iFixit repairability scale, compared to a 4/10 for the iPhone 15. 

You can either get kits or just the necessary part with prices varying based on your phone model. For example, a battery and screw kit for the iPhone 16 Pro Max is $119, but its $99 for the regular iPhone 16. You can get quite a lot of money back on the kit prices if you return the replaced piece afterward. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, for instance, goes down to $61.88 after you send back the old battery. 

Apple created its self-service program in 2022, giving its customers access to actual Apple parts when something in their device failed. However, Apple states that the service "is intended for individuals with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices. If you are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices." So, repairs might not be as accessible if you or someone you know isn't savvy in making the swaps. 

The winter holidays are upon us and despite the festive feelings we might be hoping for, this time of year is often paired with increased stress, worry and anxiety. Fortunately, there are some great tools for helping to manage those negative emotions while promoting positive ones. One of those tools is the Headspace mental health app, which is running a three-week Black Friday deal. From November 12 through December 4, you can snag a Headspace annual plan for half off. This subscription normally costs $70 a year, but during this promotion, you can access the service for $35 billed annually. And what better time than the holiday chaos to gift someone (or heck, to gift yourself) a little bit of mindfulness?

Headspace's service has features to help users with meditation, sleep tools, mindfulness and general mental health. Its holistic approach made Headspace stand out as one of our top picks for meditation apps. Reviewer Lawrence Bonk appreciated how well Headspace created progression across its courses, as well as the chance to pick from different instructors so that any user can find the meditation guidance that will work best for their individual brains. This app is also getting the AI treatment. Headspace has introduced an AI companion named Ebb that can help users by recommending meditations and activities to best match their current challenges. 

Since this is a year-long subscription, it's a gift that keeps on giving for whoever you choose to buy this plan for. Having a happier brain is a present anyone can appreciate.

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