Category: Artificial intelligence

  • China Marks 5 Years of 5G, Huawei Eyes 5.5G (5G-A) Advancements

    China Marks 5 Years of 5G, Huawei Eyes 5.5G (5G-A) Advancements

    China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently organized a forum to celebrate five years of 5G commercial use in the country. The event highlighted China’s achievements in 5G development, showcasing the world’s largest 5G network, which includes over 3.7 million base stations and 889 million users.

    5G-A: The Next Step in Mobile Communication

    A key focus was on 5G-A, also referred to as 5.5G, marking the next evolution in mobile communication. Huawei’s Cao Jibin stressed 5G-A’s potential to significantly enhance network capabilities, including speed, latency, and positioning.

    This advancement is driven by the increasing need for faster and more stable connections to support technologies like AI assistants and extensive data processing. 5G-A aims to deliver a tenfold increase in both bandwidth and latency, as well as sub-meter perception and centimeter-level positioning.

    Future Demand and Industry Collaboration

    Looking forward, Cao Jibin anticipates a surge in computing power requirements, especially for AI applications. He suggests integrating computing, storage, and networking to convert data centers into AI supercomputers. Despite challenges in chip manufacturing, he sees potential in optimizing network infrastructure through sector-wide collaboration.

    The forum wrapped up with a call for industry-wide cooperation to fully harness the potential of 5G-A. This includes policy support, ongoing innovation, and fostering partnerships across the technology chain.

    Achieving Full Connectivity

    The goal is to achieve “full connectivity” across various scenarios, potentially creating a trillion-dollar industry through applications in smart factories, connected cars, and the low-altitude economy. With numerous opportunities and challenges ahead, China’s 5G program appears robust. The coming years will be crucial in determining the country’s progress.

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  • iOS 18 AI Features Exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro, Not Older Models

    iOS 18 AI Features Exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro, Not Older Models

    Apple has been developing a range of AI features for the upcoming iPhone 16 series and beyond, which were anticipated to be available to older models with the iOS 18 update. However, according to Mark Gurman, the more sophisticated AI features will only be accessible on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

    Limited AI Features for Older iPhones

    Mark Gurman suggests that while the basic AI functions in iOS 18 will operate on-device, the more advanced features will necessitate more processing power and will depend on Apple’s servers.

    Previous reports indicate that Apple is also creating chips for its servers to manage these advanced AI features. Additionally, there are mentions of the company’s plans to utilize its M series chips in servers to process AI tasks.

    The restriction of cloud-based AI features to fewer iPhones could be due to the current limited infrastructure. Similar strategies have been adopted by Samsung and Google, who have also reserved many of their advanced AI capabilities for newer models.

    iOS 18 AI Features

    The iOS 18 update is expected to incorporate AI features such as notification summarization (termed Greymatter Catch Up), object removal from photos, an overhauled notes app with speech-to-text and summarization capabilities, among others. Siri will also gain new abilities, like opening specific documents, deleting emails, and summarizing articles.

    AI Features for Older Models

    Most text-based AI functionalities are likely to be considered basic features that can run on-device. Therefore, recent iPhone models eligible for iOS 18 (including the iPhone 11 series and above, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd generations) might receive these features. However, it remains unclear which specific features will be available on-device.

    Moreover, Gurman indicates that there could be some on-device AI features that only the iPhone 15 Pro models and later are capable of handling. These functionalities might not be available on older models and the non-Pro iPhone 15 models equipped with the A16 Bionic chip.

    AI Features in iPadOS 18 and macOS 15

    iPadOS 18 and macOS 15 are also set to receive some AI features. Gurman notes that the minimum requirement for macOS and iPadOS devices will be an M1 chip or later. Consequently, Intel-powered Mac devices will not support these features, which is understandable given that Intel chips and older iPhone Bionic chips lack the necessary NPU to run on-device LLMs.

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  • Kneron Launches New AI NPU Chip and Server to Rival Nvidia

    Kneron Launches New AI NPU Chip and Server to Rival Nvidia

    At the 2024 Taipei International Computer Show, Kneron, an AI chip startup, introduced its latest edge AI offerings: the KNEO 330 server and PCs featuring their new KL830 NPU chip.

    Founded in 2015, Kneron specializes in edge computing AI technology. The company has attracted investment from prominent names such as Horizons Ventures, Qualcomm, and Alibaba. Kneron’s primary goal is to provide an alternative to the cloud-based AI solutions offered by major tech companies. Their technology enables businesses to build internal servers for specific AI applications, addressing data privacy and security issues. This approach could make AI solutions more appealing to companies wary of relying on external cloud services.

    Showcased Products

    Kneron highlighted two key products at the event:

    KNEO 330 server: This server delivers 48TOPS of AI computing power, supports up to 8 users at once, and is compatible with applications like LLM and Stable Diffusion. According to Kneron, it can offer cloud-like performance for RAG (Generative Adversarial Networks) but at a lower cost, potentially reducing AI expenses for small businesses by 30-40%.

    KL830 NPU-equipped PC: While specific details were not disclosed, a demo HP device showcased the chip’s capabilities. Kneron is collaborating with leading PC manufacturers to make them the initial customers for this chip.

    Additional Features

    The KL830 is a neural processing unit (NPU) designed to complement CPUs and GPUs in executing AI tasks. It provides substantial computing power (10eTOPS@8bit) with low energy consumption (2W) and efficiently manages various large language models.

    Kneron also revealed a USB AI accelerator stick powered by the KL830. This device could convert any equipment, such as routers, IoT cameras, or even traditional computers, into an edge AI device.

    Kneron Launches New AI NPU Chip and Server to Rival Nvidia
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  • ChatGPT Outage Drives 60% Surge in Global Searches for Google Gemini

    ChatGPT Outage Drives 60% Surge in Global Searches for Google Gemini

    A recent disruption of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot led to a notable increase in interest for Google’s conversational AI rival, Gemini. According to data from QR Code Generator, global searches for "Gemini" soared by nearly 60% on June 4th, coinciding exactly with ChatGPT’s reported downtime. Normally, daily searches for "Gemini" are around 204,991, but this number surged to 327,058 during the ChatGPT outage, indicating that users were actively seeking alternatives when their preferred chatbot was unavailable.

    The ChatGPT Outage and Its Impact

    The ChatGPT outage occurred around 8:00 AM London time on June 4th. This spike in Gemini searches mirrored the rise in searches for "ChatGPT down" at the same time, illustrating a clear correlation. DownDetector reports confirm that the ChatGPT outage began around 8:00 AM London time on June 4th.

    While Gemini became the most sought-after alternative, other searches like "Microsoft Copilot" and "ChatGPT Alternative" also saw an uptick. Daily searches for "Microsoft Copilot" usually average around 11,090, but on June 4th, they increased to 16,677, a 50% rise. Similarly, searches for "ChatGPT Alternative" spiked to 11,000 within the first few hours of the outage, compared to a typical daily average of 898. However, these alternative searches were minor compared to the surge in interest for Gemini.

    Validation for Google’s Efforts

    Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator, views this as a validation of Google’s endeavor to establish itself as a major player in generative AI. “The clear parallel trend between the ChatGPT outage and the surge in Gemini searches suggests that people see Gemini as an obvious alternative,” commented Porcar. He further noted that in the absence of ChatGPT, users quickly turned to Gemini, indicating its potential as a significant competitor.

    ChatGPT Outage Drives 60% Surge in Global Searches for Google Gemini

    ChatGPT’s Dominance and Gemini’s Opportunity

    It’s noteworthy that OpenAI’s ChatGPT has around 180 million active users globally, securing its position as a leader in generative AI chatbots. Launched in late 2023 as the successor to LaMDA and PaLM 2, Google’s Gemini entered the market with Alphabet claiming that its "Gemini Ultra" outperformed OpenAI’s GPT-V4 in various text and multimodal functionalities. The recent ChatGPT outage gave Gemini an unexpected chance to gain traction among users looking for alternatives. It remains to be seen if this will translate into sustained growth for Google’s conversational AI platform.

    (Via)

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  • Xiaomi to Integrate CyberOne Humanoid Robot in Manufacturing

    Xiaomi to Integrate CyberOne Humanoid Robot in Manufacturing

    Xiaomi launched its first humanoid robot, the CyberOne, in 2022. This robot features high power density actuators and is part of Xiaomi’s Cyber series, which also includes the CyberDog and CyberDog 2.

    Xiaomi to Integrate CyberOne Humanoid Robot in Manufacturing

    Integration into Manufacturing

    Recently, Xiaomi Robotics has been actively working on incorporating the robot into its manufacturing system. The company believes that the intelligence of these robots can be used in specific manufacturing scenarios. Xiaomi envisions creating an open-source platform through technological advancements and breakthroughs.

    Future Developments

    The division is focused on further developing the technology. A more advanced and intelligent version of the robot could contribute to various aspects of Xiaomi’s manufacturing process. Xiaomi also plans to extend the robot’s applications to industries such as electronics, machinery, artificial intelligence, and automobiles. This project is expected to become a significant demonstration of humanoid product development, manufacturing, and application in Beijing.

    CyberOne’s Capabilities

    The CyberOne robot is equipped with sophisticated arms and legs, supports bipedal motion, and can reach a peak torque of up to 300Nm. It also has the ability to detect human emotions and boasts advanced vision capabilities, allowing it to create a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of the real world. The robot stands 177cm tall, weighs 52kg, and has an arm span of 168cm. It supports up to 21 degrees of freedom in motion, with a real-time response speed of 0.5ms for each degree, enabling it to accurately mimic human movements. The self-developed humanoid bipedal control algorithm ensures that CyberOne’s walking posture is natural and stable.

    “With AI at its core and a full-size humanoid frame as its vessel, this is an exploration of possibilities of Xiaomi’s future technological ecosystem and a new breakthrough for the company,” said Lei Jun, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group.

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  • TECNO Showcases AIoT Innovations at COMPUTEX 2024

    TECNO Showcases AIoT Innovations at COMPUTEX 2024

    TECNO has made a significant impact at COMPUTEX 2024 by unveiling a variety of AI-enhanced products under the theme “Smart of Creation.” The standout devices in TECNO’s presentation include the Dynamic 1 robotic dog, PocketGo, Mini PCs, MEGABOOK Series, and the AI-powered CAMON 30 Premier 5G.

    TECNO AI and AR Innovations

    Among the notable products is the TECNO PocketGo, an AR PC handheld that recently secured the Red Dot 2024 Product Design Award. This device merges AR glasses with a handheld PC, transforming mobile gaming. With the AMD® Ryzen™ 7 8840HS processor and advanced head tracking, it offers a 6D immersive gaming experience. The PocketGo integrates smoothly with Windows and connects with TECNO smartphones and mini PCs.

    Dynamic 1 Robotic Dog

    Another highlight from TECNO is the Dynamic 1 robotic dog. This bio-inspired quadruped, which resembles a German Shepherd, comes with AI interaction capabilities. Equipped with an Intel® RealSense™ D430 depth camera and multiple sensors, it excels in obstacle detection and navigation. The Dynamic 1 can climb stairs, jump, and respond to voice commands, exemplifying TECNO’s innovation in robotics.

    CAMON 30 Premier 5G

    The CAMON 30 Premier 5G enhances video calling and imaging with AI features like AIGC Portrait, AI Erase, and Universal Tone. The new CAMON 30 Premier LOEWE Edition, introduced at the exhibition, features an eco-friendly design with a coffee grounds back cover and green color accents.

    Mini PCs and MEGABOOK Series

    TECNO showcases the world’s smallest water-cooled gaming MINI PC G1, which includes an Intel® Core™ Ultra processor, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 1TB SSD for superior performance. The MEGA MINI M1, a compact desktop weighing just 445g, delivers up to 45W performance.

    The MEGABOOK T16 Pro 2024 Ultra, TECNO’s first AI PC, features an Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 Processor, a 99Wh battery, up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 1TB storage. It offers AI functionalities such as AI Image Generation and AI Copilot.

    Mega Interconnect, Smart Manager

    TECNO’s PC Manager software improves collaboration between TECNO laptops and smartphones, streamlining workflows and optimizing device performance. The OneLeap feature allows seamless data sharing, multi-screen collaboration, and file management, ensuring data security and efficiency.

    TECNO’s varied range of innovative products at COMPUTEX 2024 highlights its dedication to pioneering the future of technology with AI and AR advancements.

    TECNO Showcases AIoT Innovations at COMPUTEX 2024
    TECNO Showcases AIoT Innovations at COMPUTEX 2024
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  • OPPO to Add 100+ AI Features to Smartphones by Year’s End

    OPPO to Add 100+ AI Features to Smartphones by Year’s End

    Oppo is making a significant investment in artificial intelligence (AI) with the intention of making advanced smartphone features more accessible to millions of users. The company has announced its plan to incorporate over 100 generative AI features across its entire range of smartphones by the end of 2024, targeting an estimated 50 million users.

    This ambitious initiative is supported by the creation of a dedicated AI R&D Center in Shenzhen. This center will specialize in key AI areas such as image processing, computer vision, and natural language processing. Oppo has also affirmed its commitment to user privacy, assuring that user data will not be used for training models and that strong data security measures will be in place.

    Strategic Partnerships

    Oppo's AI strategy is heavily reliant on strategic partnerships with Google, Microsoft, and MediaTek. Google’s Gemini family of large language models (LLMs) will be incorporated into Oppo’s flagship smartphones, facilitating features like AI Writer and AI Recording Summary. AI Writer will provide content suggestions, grammar checks, and multi-language translation, while AI Recording Summary will summarize meetings and podcasts, emphasizing key points.

    Microsoft will contribute its expertise in voice and text conversion. Oppo users will gain advantages from Microsoft Fast Transcription for seamless audio recording transcription and enhanced voice assistant interactions using Neural TTS. Furthermore, Oppo and Microsoft are collaborating on Desktop Copilot, enabling users to create content, translate text, and search for information on their smartphones through a connected PC.

    Hardware Optimization

    The collaboration with MediaTek is focused on hardware optimization. The development of chipsets with dedicated AI processing units (NPUs) will ensure smooth performance and efficient AI processing. Custom AI frameworks will also be developed to utilize MediaTek’s capabilities while enabling distinctive AI features on Oppo devices.

    Oppo is confident that the shift towards AI-integrated phones is a long-term trend that will revolutionize the mobile experience. The company envisions a future with intelligent operating systems equipped with AI agents and multimodal interaction, paving the way for a fully developed AI phone ecosystem.

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  • Chinese Scientists Create World’s First Multifunctional Electronic Skin

    Chinese Scientists Create World’s First Multifunctional Electronic Skin

    Scientists at Tsinghua University in China have reached a significant milestone in artificial skin technology by developing the world’s first “electronic skin” with a bionic three-dimensional structure. This breakthrough seeks to replicate the extraordinary ability of human skin to sense touch.

    Mimicking the Spatial Distribution of Mechanoreceptors

    Human skin contains a complex network of specialized cells known as mechanoreceptors, which are arranged in three dimensions. These cells enable us to differentiate between various sensations such as pressure, friction, and strain with high accuracy. Existing electronic skin technologies have not been able to replicate this intricate and simultaneous perception at a physical level.

    Inspired by the natural design, Professor Zhang Yihui’s research team at Tsinghua University has created a new electronic skin model featuring a three-dimensional structure. This design emulates the spatial distribution of mechanoreceptors like Merkel cells and Ruffini corpuscles found in human skin. Consequently, the device can independently measure pressure, friction, and strain, representing a significant advancement in artificial touch technology.

    Three Distinct Layers

    This innovative electronic skin is carefully designed with three distinct layers that mirror the structure of human skin:

    • Epidermis: The outermost layer, similar to the surface texture of human skin.
    • Dermis: The middle layer, housing most sensors and circuits. It features a unique eight-arm cage structure that holds the force-sensing unit. This highly sensitive unit, positioned near the surface, effectively detects external forces.
    • Subcutaneous Tissue: The bottom layer, mimicking the texture of the underlying tissue in human skin.

    By integrating this three-dimensional electronic skin with advanced deep machine learning algorithms, the research team has accomplished something extraordinary. Their creation can not only sense touch but also analyze an object’s modulus (stiffness) and local principal curvature (shape) through simple contact.

    Potential Applications

    The groundbreaking research, titled “A Three-Dimensionally Architected Electronic Skin Mimicking Human Mechanosensation,” was published in the prestigious scientific journal Science on May 30, 2024. This development holds tremendous potential for a variety of applications, such as prosthetics that provide a more natural sense of touch for amputees and robots with improved tactile abilities.

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  • AI Avatars to Attend Meetings Soon, Says Zoom Founder

    AI Avatars to Attend Meetings Soon, Says Zoom Founder

    In a recent conversation with The Verge, Eric Yuan, the founder of Zoom, shared his forward-looking ideas for the future of video conferencing, including an innovative concept – digital twins for meetings.

    Eric Yuan envisions Zoom going up against Microsoft and Google soon

    Previously an employee at Cisco, Yuan founded Zoom with the intent of streamlining video conferencing. Now, he aims for Zoom to expand its horizons beyond video calls. Yuan envisions Zoom competing with tech giants such as Microsoft and Google in enterprise software, providing a full suite that includes document collaboration, email services, and chat functionality in addition to video conferencing.

    Investment in AI

    The interview also highlighted Zoom’s substantial investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI), a trend that is rapidly gaining traction across numerous industries. Yuan believes AI has tremendous potential in the workplace, particularly through the creation of “digital twins.” These AI-driven avatars could represent users in Zoom meetings, potentially even making decisions on their behalf while the user handles more urgent tasks.

    User Control Over Digital Twins

    Yuan, however, stresses the importance of users maintaining control over these digital twins. He imagines a future where users can train their digital twins to display different traits depending on the meeting context. For instance, a user might have one digital twin designed for sales presentations and another for technical discussions. While he acknowledges the uncertainties that come with AI development, Yuan is optimistic about the eventual realization of this technology.

    It is important to note that Zoom has already addressed user concerns about AI development in its terms of service.

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  • Arm to Deploy 100 Billion AI Devices by 2025

    Arm to Deploy 100 Billion AI Devices by 2025

    Arm Holdings is working towards deploying 100 billion Arm devices by 2025. This is part of a larger plan to secure a significant position in the fast-growing AI chip market, which is expected to expand from $30 billion in 2024 to more than $200 billion by 2032.

    Establishing a Dedicated AI Chip Division

    To reach this goal, Arm will create a dedicated AI chip division. This new division plans to produce prototypes by spring 2025 and start mass production by fall of the same year. Manufacturing will be handled by contract manufacturers, potentially including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC) among others. The development costs for these AI chips are anticipated to be in the hundreds of billions of yen, supported financially by Arm and SoftBank.

    Strategically, there is a potential for the AI chip business to be spun off and integrated under SoftBank once mass production begins. This aligns with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's vision of transforming SoftBank into an AI powerhouse. Son has allocated $64 billion to drive innovation in sectors such as data centers, robotics, and power generation. He aims to integrate AI, semiconductor, and robotics technologies to revolutionize industries like shipping, pharmaceuticals, finance, manufacturing, and logistics.

    New AI Chip Designs and Collaborations

    At the Computex forum in Taipei, Arm reiterated its goal of achieving 100 billion Arm devices globally by the end of 2025, focusing on AI-ready devices. Arm also introduced new AI chip designs and software tools intended to enhance AI capabilities in smartphones. These new designs are expected to boost compute and graphics performance by over 30% and speed up AI inference by 59% for machine learning and computer vision tasks.

    Arm’s strategy now includes providing ready-for-manufacturing blueprints, a significant change from their previous approach of offering abstract designs. This shift is designed to speed up the development process for partners like Samsung and TSMC. Samsung is already collaborating with Arm on 3nm process technology to meet the increasing demand for generative AI in mobile devices. TSMC is working with Arm to improve AI performance and efficiency through their Open Innovation Platform ecosystem.

    Enabling Customers

    Through these initiatives, Arm aims to position itself not as a competitor but as an enabler, assisting its customers in bringing AI-driven chips and devices to market more quickly. Chris Bergey, Arm’s General Manager, outlined the company's vision of combining a platform for tightly coupled accelerators with customer Neural Processing Units (NPUs) to accelerate the development of powerful AI chips and devices.

    As Arm progresses with its plans, it aims to capture a significant portion of the burgeoning AI chip market, filling the gap currently dominated by Nvidia. The company’s focus on AI chip development is a crucial component of SoftBank’s broader strategy to lead the AI revolution and transform various industries through advanced technology.

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