The hottest Hardware Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

CXL Is Dead In The AI Era

SemiAnalysis • 7475 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Hardware Protocols Semiconductors
  1. CXL technology was once thought to revolutionize data center hardware, but many projects have been shelved in favor of other advancements.
  2. CXL is not likely to be the go-to interconnect for AI applications due to limitations in availability and deeper issues in the era of accelerated computing.
  3. The main challenges with CXL include PCIe SerDes limitations, competition from proprietary protocols for AI clusters, and the need for improvements in chip design for bandwidth efficiency.

Nvidia B100, B200, GB200 - COGS, Pricing, Margins, Ramp - Oberon, Umbriel, Miranda

SemiAnalysis • 6364 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Hardware Gaming Industry News Analysis Innovation
  1. Nvidia's new Blackwell GPUs introduce B100, B200, and GB200 models, offering improved performance and architecture.
  2. The B100 has exceptional gross margins exceeding 85%, showcasing Nvidia's strong pricing power in the market.
  3. The configuration of the Blackwell GPUs includes 8 stacks of 8-hi HBM3E with up to 192GB capacity, utilizing CoWoS-L technology for increased performance.

Demystifying GPU Compute Software

The Chip Letter • 6577 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Computing Programming Hardware Frameworks Development
  1. GPU software ecosystems are crucial and as important as the GPU hardware itself.
  2. Programming GPUs requires specific tools like CUDA, ROCm, OpenCL, SYCL, and oneAPI, as they are different from CPUs and need special support from hardware vendors.
  3. The effectiveness of GPU programming tools is highly dependent on support from hardware vendors due to the complexity and rapid changes in GPU architectures.
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Introducing Chiplets

The Chip Letter • 6372 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Hardware Semiconductors Innovation
  1. The newsletter is introducing 'Chiplets,' shorter and more varied posts for the readers.
  2. Readers have the option to opt-in to receive 'Chiplets' in their inbox to avoid filling it with too many emails.
  3. The 'Chiplets' will cover a mix of historical and current topics in a more informal and fun way, offering a new format for readers.

Eight More 8-Bit Era Microprocessors

The Chip Letter • 4111 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Hardware Design History Innovation
  1. Designs that were not commercially successful can still be interesting and hold value for learning.
  2. Intel's 8085 microprocessor, while not a bad design, was overshadowed by Zilog's Z80 due to lack of major improvements.
  3. Signetics 2650 microprocessor faced limitations such as delayed time to market and segmented memory, showing the importance of timely releases and memory efficiency.

A Year In Chips

The Chip Letter • 8222 implied HN points • 30 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Programming Languages Hardware Microcontrollers
  1. The Chip Letter had 75 posts, over 500,000 views, and gained over 7,000 new subscribers in 2023.
  2. Highlighted posts included the story of Erlang at WhatsApp, the disappearance of minicomputers, and a celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Integrated Circuit.
  3. 2024 will bring posts on the history of microcontrollers, Moore's Law, the Motorola 6800, '8-bit', GPUs, TPUs, and more, with a 20% discount available for new annual subscriptions.

AMD MI300 Ramp, GPT-4 Performance, ASP & Volumes

SemiAnalysis • 4141 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Software Market Analysis Artificial Intelligence Data Centers
  1. AMD's MI300 is positioned as a strong competitor in LLM inference against Nvidia and Google hardware.
  2. Major companies like Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, Google, and Amazon have already placed orders for AMD MI300.
  3. AMD's Datacenter GPU revenue is expected to reach over $2 billion in 2024 with strong demand from customers and supply constraints.

Live Session: CPUs, GPUs & LPUs + Ask Me Anything

Confessions of a Code Addict • 336 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Hardware Software Events
  1. The upcoming live session will focus on CPUs, GPUs, and LPUs, exploring what makes them non-deterministic and discussing Groq's LPU design and architecture.
  2. The live session will include an Ask Me Anything (AMA) segment, where attendees can freely ask questions related to the discussed topics or anything else they're curious about.
  3. The event is scheduled for March 17th from 16:30 UTC to 18:00 UTC and will be limited to 100 participants, offering a mix of informative content and interactive Q&A.

Intel APX

The Chip Letter • 2466 implied HN points • 25 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Computing Hardware Software Architecture Innovation
  1. Intel announced APX, the next evolution of Intel architecture, with improvements in registers and performance
  2. The introduction of APX includes doubling the number of general purpose registers, new instructions, and enhancements for better performance
  3. Intel also revealed a new vector ISA, AVX10, to establish a common vector instruction set across all architectures

MCU land #11: Linux toolchain for Cortex-M

lcamtuf’s thing • 1166 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Coding Hardware Development Linux Programming
  1. Setting up a Linux toolchain for Cortex-M microcontrollers can be challenging but beneficial.
  2. When setting up the toolchain, ensure to get the Cortex-M cross-compiler, CMSIS library, and Device Family Pack.
  3. Compiling and programming the device requires additional steps like using the newlib C library and flashing the binary onto the chip.

FPGAs: The Ultimate Flex

The Asianometry Newsletter • 2115 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Semiconductor Innovation
  1. FPGAs are integrated circuits that can be reprogrammed for prototyping and niche uses.
  2. The development of FPGAs evolved from PROMs to PLAs to PALs, eventually leading to the emergence of modern FPGAs.
  3. Xilinx and Altera were key players in the FPGA industry, with FPGAs now widely used in various sectors like aerospace, military, and telecom.

Kernel Bypass with Solarflare

Low Latency Trading Insights • 196 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Networking Hardware Software APIs Latency
  1. Solarflare specializes in high-performance, low-latency networking solutions like NICs used in data centers and financial services.
  2. Solarflare provides hardware such as Flareon adapters and XtremeScale NICs for high-speed networking.
  3. Software offerings from Solarflare like Onload and TCP Direct provide APIs for accelerated network performance and lower latency.

Want to play AAA Games in Your Car?

More Than Moore • 233 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Computing Automotive Gaming AI Hardware
  1. At CES, AMD announced new automotive APUs for in-car entertainment, driver safety, and autonomous driving.
  2. The new AMD chips support a gaming experience in cars, with potential for multiple displays and better graphics performance.
  3. AMD's acquisition of Xilinx enhances their presence in automotive technology, particularly in ADAS with their Versal AI Edge processors.

The Vision Pro? Daddy, chill

The Rectangle • 113 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Hardware Social media Artificial Intelligence Spatial Computing Algorithms
  1. The release of the Vision Pro highlights a split in culture between bootlickers and contrarians.
  2. Bootlickers overly defend products and praise them, while contrarians overly criticize and find flaws in them.
  3. Algorithmisation exacerbates this cultural division by boosting controversial content and leading us into binary situations.

Deep Tech For Deep Minds? Or Deep Pockets?

Investing 101 • 59 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Manufacturing Investing Technology Hardware
  1. The history of venture capital reveals a significant role played by hardware companies in the tech industry's early days, tracing back to the 1950s and even earlier.
  2. The decline in hardware investment by VCs in favor of software has had implications on manufacturing and American industrial capabilities, with a recent resurgence in manufacturing employment in the US.
  3. The recent interest in hard tech and manufacturing by VCs has led to a new wave of investment, sparked by success stories like SpaceX and Nvidia, raising concerns about hype cycles and the need for a deeper understanding of the complexities of hard tech startups.

NeoDesk, the Desktop Alternative for the Atari ST

Goto 10: The Newsletter for Atari Enthusiasts • 137 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software Operating System Hardware
  1. NeoDesk was a desktop alternative for the Atari ST with enhanced features and better functionality.
  2. Key features of NeoDesk included improved memory usage, custom app icons, better window handling, and desktop background picture.
  3. NeoDesk versions like 3 and 4 continued to enhance functionality with features like low-resolution support, draggable dialog boxes, and drag-and-drop file launching.

Is Kimball Still Relevant?

Joe Reis • 648 implied HN points • 22 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Data Modeling Open Source Hardware
  1. There are abundant tools and computing power available, but focusing on delivering business value with data is still crucial.
  2. Data modeling, like Kimball's dimensional model, remains relevant for effective analytics despite advancements in technology.
  3. Ignoring data modeling in favor of performance considerations can lead to a loss of understanding, business value, and overall impact.

Vision

Sucks to Suck • 707 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Augmented reality Design Marketing Future Technology
  1. Software designers should be eager for the success of new technologies like AR/VR for continued employment opportunities.
  2. Apple's new AR/VR headset, Vision, follows a historical pattern of product launches indicating a potential for success.
  3. An important consideration for the future of Vision is whether it will evolve to address hardware design, pricing, and human possibilities.

Prospero Pascal for the Atari ST

Goto 10: The Newsletter for Atari Enthusiasts • 78 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Hardware Tools
  1. Prospero Software made compilers for Atari ST and other systems like Sinclair QL and OS/2.
  2. Prospero Pascal was an extensive system with manuals totaling 718 pages, making it one of the most detailed ST development tools.
  3. The integration capability of Prospero compilers allowed for sharing libraries between Prospero Pascal, C, and Fortran, giving a unique advantage in the market.

How AI Infused PCs are Transforming the Computing Industry and Business

Rod’s Blog • 39 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Business Hardware Software
  1. AI infused PCs have artificial intelligence capabilities built into the hardware to enhance performance and user experience.
  2. AI infused PCs are driving demand for advanced hardware, software, and infrastructure in the computing industry.
  3. In businesses, AI infused PCs streamline operations, reduce costs, increase efficiency, and provide valuable insights for improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.