The hottest Hardware Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Debug Manual (for non technicals)

Marcio Klepacz • 5 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Troubleshooting Software Hardware Connections Debugging
  1. Knowing how to debug is essential in a software-driven world, and it's a skill accessible to everyone.
  2. When troubleshooting, changing the environment, variables, or connections can lead to identifying and fixing issues.
  3. Resetting the environment, variables, or connections is a fundamental step in troubleshooting, and providing detailed information to technical support can be helpful.

🌸 Your guide to AI: March 2024

Guide to AI • 4 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Hardware Research
  1. The (geo)politics of AI discussed with the Mistral/Microsoft partnership sparking controversy in Europe, UK's stance on AI regulation, and India's restrictive measures on AI models.
  2. Developments in hardware: NVIDIA's market cap crossing $2T, their new robotics and embodied AI lab GEAR, and China providing compute vouchers for start-ups amidst US sanctions.
  3. Insights into big tech start-ups like OpenAI facing drama, Anthropic unveiling Claude 3 as a GPT-4 challenger, and Mistral launching Le Chat multilingual assistant.

Every AI Model Needs Its Own Chip, says Taalas

More Than Moore • 4 HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Hardware Startups
  1. Start-ups are focusing on developing silicon dedicated to processing AI workloads which can offer efficiency and cost benefits.
  2. Taalas, a new startup, aims to create architecture and chips that are model-specific, breaking the efficiency barrier in AI silicon.
  3. The future of AI hardware may lie in dedicated, fixed chips designed at the time of deployment to meet specific compute workload needs, potentially revolutionizing machine learning technology.

A Deep Dive into the Underlying Architecture of Groq's LPU

Confessions of a Code Addict • 4 HN points • 01 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Hardware Compiler Distributed Systems Scalability Reliability
  1. Groq's LPU showcases an innovative design departing from traditional architectures, focusing on deterministic execution for enhanced performance.
  2. The TSP architecture achieves determinism through a simplified hardware design, enabling precise scheduling by compilers for predictable performance.
  3. Groq's approach to creating a distributed multi-TSP system eliminates non-determinism typical in networked systems, with the compiler efficiently managing data movement.

#29

The Nibble • 7 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
🕹 Technology AI Programming Software Hardware Internet
  1. Discoveries continue to be made in ancient artifacts like the Herculaneum scrolls, revealing fascinating historical insights.
  2. New technologies like LLaVA and GPT-4V are emerging, offering innovative solutions in AI and image interpretation.
  3. Significant developments in tech, such as Microsoft's AI chips and Adobe's Project Primrose, are reshaping industries and pushing boundaries.
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robotfindskitten, part 2

Dan’s MEGA65 Digest • 5 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Programming Assembly Hardware Memory
  1. The MEGA65 Digest for November 2023 covers topics like implementing robotfindskitten in assembly language, updating the R5 main board hardware, and new games like Tristam Island for the MEGA65.
  2. MEGA65 enthusiasts have been giving talks at computer conferences in 2023, which you can watch online for more insights and information.
  3. The MEGA65 now supports arcade cores such as Bombjack and Bosconian, along with other ports and enhancements like Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum cores.

OSS vs OpenAI

Gradient Ascendant • 5 implied HN points • 17 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Software Hardware Cloud Computing API
  1. There is an ongoing debate between proprietary LLMs like OpenAI and open-source models like Llama-2 and Mistral in the field of artificial intelligence applications.
  2. OpenAI is making significant advancements with their Assistants API, aiming to become both the hardware and software giant of modern AI.
  3. While open-source LLMs have their place for certain tasks, OpenAI's focus on flagship applications and serious pattern recognition makes it difficult for OSS to compete.

robotfindskitten, part 1

Dan’s MEGA65 Digest • 5 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Programming Gaming Hardware
  1. MEGA65 is introducing a new hardware-accelerated keyboard scanner for faster and more accurate typing experiences.
  2. New games like Classy and MEGApple are being developed for MEGA65, adding variety and entertainment for users.
  3. robotfindskitten, a popular game originally created in 1997, is being revisited and recreated for modern platforms, offering a fun and nostalgic experience.

Unboxing the Tenstorrent Grayskull AI Developer Kit

More Than Moore • 3 HN points • 31 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Hardware Software Artificial Intelligence
  1. Getting hardware into the hands of developers is crucial for AI start-ups to succeed.
  2. The Tenstorrent Grayskull AI Developer Kit provides two versions - e75 and e150, designed to engage developers and receive feedback on software stacks.
  3. The kit comes with easy setup instructions, high and low-level software stacks (TT-Buda and TT-Metalium), and a focus on transparency and community engagement.

Why You Should Join Etched

Why You Should Join • 4 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Chips Hardware AI Startups Inference
  1. Demand for AI hardware is high due to the popularity of transformer models and the shortage of chips capable of efficiently running them.
  2. Etched is developing a specialized chip, Sohu, optimized for fast and efficient transformer inference, outperforming general-purpose AI chips.
  3. Etched has a strong technical team and rigorous verification process in place to ensure the success of their unique chip design for the transformer-heavy AI landscape.

Debugging my daughter’s broken e-reader

The Technically Challenged Newsletter • 4 HN points • 07 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Repair Troubleshooting Hardware DIY
  1. Initial troubleshooting steps included charging the e-reader, performing soft and full resets, and checking the charging port and battery.
  2. Hardware debugging involved attempting to fix the charging port and then replacing the battery when the issue persisted.
  3. The repair process required creative solutions like using a different battery and making adjustments to ensure the e-reader was functional.

RISC-V Vector Programming in C with Intrinsics

Fprox’s Substack • 3 HN points • 23 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Programming Hardware
  1. RISC-V Vector Programming can be done in C using RVV Intrinsics, providing a more modern and accessible approach than assembly programming.
  2. RVV Intrinsics are low-level functions exposed by the compiler that have a one-to-one mapping with corresponding RVV instructions, embedding vector configuration information.
  3. The RVV Intrinsic API offers a variety of intrinsics for different types, operations, and configurations, enabling efficient programming with RISC-V Vector instructions.

Frustrating Apple Watch “features”

The Technically Challenged Newsletter • 2 HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Wearables Smart Devices Hardware
  1. The Apple Watch offers useful features like Siri, timers, weather updates, and fitness tracking.
  2. The 'Raise to Speak' feature for Siri and the new double tap gesture on the Apple Watch can be frustrating due to inconsistencies and delays.
  3. Reliability is key, with both features on the Apple Watch not working consistently, making user experience less than optimal.

System Design Fundamentals: What is a Load Balancer ?

Engineering At Scale • 2 HN points • 15 Jan 24
🕹 Technology System Design Algorithms Hardware Software
  1. Load Balancers distribute client requests to different servers, improving system reliability and scalability.
  2. Load Balancers handle growing internet usage by evenly distributing workloads, preventing servers from being overwhelmed.
  3. Different types of Load Balancers include Hardware, Software, and Cloud Load Balancers, each with unique benefits for system optimization.

Secure Enclaves

Why Now • 5 implied HN points • 03 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Encryption Cloud Computing Data security Hardware
  1. Security is a key area for innovation with a focus on problem-solving and wedging opportunities against incumbents
  2. Encrypting data in-use is a challenge in cybersecurity, with solutions like homomorphic encryption and secure enclaves emerging
  3. Secure Enclaves are highly-controlled environments that validate code execution cryptographically, offering a way to protect data in-use

RISC-V Profiles

Fprox’s Substack • 5 HN points • 22 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Software Profiles Specifications Extensions
  1. RISC-V profiles consist of base ISA, mandatory, and optional extensions organized into families for specific modes.
  2. Allowing optional extensions in profiles promotes compatibility and testing of new features before mandating them.
  3. The concept of major and minor profile versions ensures a balanced evolution of profile families while allowing time for ecosystem adoption.

RISC-V support for BFloat16

Fprox’s Substack • 3 HN points • 04 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Computer Science Hardware Programming Machine Learning Data processing
  1. Brain Float 16 (BFloat16) format provides a compromise between accuracy and cost suited for machine learning applications.
  2. RISC-V is introducing support for BFloat16 format through scalar and vector extensions to improve efficiency in machine learning tasks.
  3. The new BFloat16 extensions in RISC-V have passed Architecture Review and are designed to be fully IEEE-754 compliant for numerical reproducibility.

Partial Taxonomy of 8-bit Floating-Point Formats

Fprox’s Substack • 1 HN point • 11 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Standardization Companies Research Hardware
  1. The interest in small floating-point formats, like 8-bit, has increased due to the computational needs of neural networks, leading to the development of various formats.
  2. Standardization efforts are underway for 8-bit floating-point formats, with organizations like Open Compute Project and IEEE working on defining formats like OFP8 and binary8p1 to address challenges and enhance industry adoption.
  3. Different companies have proposed unique 8-bit floating-point formats, such as Microsoft's msfp8-11 and Tesla's CFloat8, each with specific characteristics like configurable bias values and special value encodings.

Google's First Tensor Processing Unit : Origins

The Chip Letter • 1 HN point • 25 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Hardware Cloud Computing Machine Learning Data Centers
  1. Google developed the first Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) to accelerate machine learning tasks, marking a shift towards specialized hardware in the computing landscape.
  2. The TPU project at Google displayed the ability to rapidly innovate and deploy custom hardware at scale, showcasing a nimble approach towards development.
  3. Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) showcased significant cost and performance advantages in machine learning tasks, leading to widespread adoption within Google and demonstrating the importance of dedicated hardware in the field.

An In-depth Review of the Kubuntu Focus XE Gen 1

Arraybolt's Archives • 1 HN point • 17 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Software Networking Graphics
  1. The Kubuntu Focus XE Gen 1 is a high-performance Linux laptop with a sleek design and advanced features.
  2. The laptop handles multitasking and heavy workloads with ease, thanks to its powerful specs like i5 processor and 32 GB RAM.
  3. The graphics performance is impressive, with smooth video playback and efficient screen resolution, making it a great choice for non-gaming tasks.

Strategic Computing's Machine Acquisition Program

FreakTakes • 1 implied HN point • 05 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Computing AI Research Hardware
  1. The Machine Acquisition Program helped DARPA researchers acquire expensive machines for AI research at a lower cost through negotiation with manufacturers.
  2. The program had successful cost savings but faced challenges due to rapid technological changes, making some purchased machines obsolete within a few years.
  3. Lessons learned included the importance of adapting to evolving technology, weighing risks of investing in rapidly changing fields, and considering long-term impacts of equipment purchases.

Today’s AI sucks at math, but developing cars and planes with it is still a good idea

Assisted Everything • 2 HN points • 23 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Engineering AI Hardware Simulation Design
  1. Today's AI can assist in engineering tasks and lead to faster and safer product design.
  2. Assisted Engineering involves AI assisting engineers in brainstorming, retrieving information, triggering simulations, reviewing work, system modeling, and documenting.
  3. To ensure safety, AI in engineering should be complemented with math, engineering structure, and proper verification processes.

Intel APX

The Chip Letter • 1 HN point • 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

☞ General Turtle, Inc. and Educational Machines

Cabinet of Wonders • 1 HN point • 13 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Software Educational Technology Machine Learning
  1. General Turtle, Inc. was a hardware startup focusing on educational technology.
  2. They created a unique 'general single-purpose machine' combining single-purpose hardware with the open-ended nature of personal computers.
  3. Exploring the concept of limited yet focused machines might present valuable insights for modern technology.

A Rorschach Test on Fire

Dan’s MEGA65 Digest • 1 HN point • 15 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Programming Hardware Software Graphics Computer Science
  1. The MEGA65 Digest for March 2023 features files, features, hardware, and a programming exercise to play with.
  2. An external floppy disk drive option with modern features and compatibility for the MEGA65 is available for pre-order.
  3. A colorful, low-resolution 80x50 Mandelbrot Set can be created using BASIC programming on the MEGA65, showcasing the computer's capabilities.