Apple has just released the public beta of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, which includes upcoming features like the Apple Intelligence functionality, such as the text rewriter tool, a shiny new Siri design, and a 'Cleanup' tool for removing objects from photos, among others. Source: Apple users can register for beta testing eligibility through Apple's beta software program website. After registration, users can download it in their device settings.

Recently, foreign media reported that ByteDance is accelerating its efforts to self-develop and manufacture AI chips to reduce dependence on expensive chips from NVIDIA. The report claims that ByteDance plans to collaborate with TSMC and expects to mass-produce two self-developed AI chips by 2026, having already reserved the production of hundreds of thousands of chips. More notably, the report pointed out that ByteDance aims for its self-developed chip clusters to achieve four times the computing performance of a single H100 chip at a similar cost. In response, ByteDance quickly addressed this report.

Recently, the foreign media outlet The Information reported that ByteDance is accelerating the development of its own AI chips and plans to collaborate with TSMC, aiming for mass production by 2026. The report also stated that this move by ByteDance is intended to reduce dependence on NVIDIA chips and lower the costs of developing and operating AI models. Source note: The image is generated by AI and provided by the image licensing service Midjourney, according to reports from the Sci-tech Innovation Board Daily regarding today's media coverage of ByteDance's plans to collaborate with TSMC on AI chips.

Recently, AI chip company Groq, based in California, has reached a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia's oil giant Aramco to establish a large data center in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this data center is to enhance Saudi Arabia's capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence and further promote the diversification of the country's economy. Groq's CEO, Jonathan Ross, stated that the data center is expected to be operational by the end of the year, initially equipped with 19,000 Language Processing Units (LPUs). Image source note: Picture

Recently, at the launch event for the new EX90 electric SUV, Volvo announced its continued collaboration with NVIDIA, stating that future models will be equipped with NVIDIA's chips. The EX90 is Volvo's first software-defined vehicle, featuring the NVIDIA Orin system-on-chip, which boasts computation capabilities exceeding 250 trillion operations per second. This SUV's core computing architecture not only supports deep learning functions but also provides robust support for its AI-driven active safety and driving assistance systems. Furthermore, Volvo plans for future enhancements.

Recently, edge computing chip and software startup SiMa.ai announced the launch of its new product—MLSoC Modalix chip, further solidifying its position in the edge AI market. SiMa.ai has just completed a $70 million funding round, with investors including industry giants like Dell Technologies Capital.

Intel has partnered with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to establish the first chip manufacturing R&D center in Japan equipped with Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology. EUV technology is suitable for manufacturing chips at 5nm and below, providing Japanese chip designers with the opportunity to collaborate with AIST and Intel to leverage the latest process technologies and enhance their global competitiveness. The construction of this center is expected to take three to five years, with a total investment of several hundred million dollars, and will serve as a resource for semiconductor manufacturers and materials companies, charging fees. This collaboration will not only help

Wuwen Chip Quasar, an AI startup established just over a year ago, recently secured nearly 500 million in Series A financing, bringing its total financing to over 1 billion, making it the king of financing in the AI infrastructure sector. Its shareholders include state-owned assets, local funds, and notable venture capital institutions such as Shunwei Capital and Dacheng Financial Intelligence. One of the founders, Wang Yu, is the head of the Department of Electronics at Tsinghua University, and many team members have Tsinghua backgrounds with rich research experience. In 2016, DeepInsight Technology, incubated by Tsinghua NICS-EFC Laboratory, was acquired by Xilinx for 300 million.

The generative AI market is developing rapidly, with projections estimating it will reach $40 billion by 2024 and soar to $1.5 trillion by 2030, achieving an impressive annual growth rate of 83%. Its applications are vast, spanning text, images, and music. As AI technology shifts towards edge computing, the share of AI-related software and services is expected to significantly increase over the next five years, projected to account for 32% and 55% of the market by 2030, becoming a crucial driver of market expansion.

Nvidia is facing an antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, focusing on its dominant market position in the artificial intelligence sector and whether it has taken measures to stifle competition, including penalizing suppliers that do not use its AI chips. This news has led to a significant drop in Nvidia's stock price, resulting in a market value loss of $279 billion. Although the overall trend of stock prices remains an upward trajectory, the AI boom has driven high sales of its expensive chips. Nvidia's recently launched Blackwell series AI chips are facing delayed market release due to design flaws, intensifying competition with rivals.

Intel has unveiled its first Lunar Lake mobile processor at the IFA conference, achieving Microsoft's Copilot+ performance targets. This chip offers up to 120 TOPS of AI computing power, significantly improving performance by 14% for core clock instructions and 68% for efficiency core performance, with graphics processing performance up about 50% compared to the previous generation. Compared to AMD, Lunar Lake performs similarly in graphics-intensive tasks like gaming but with approximately 30% lower power consumption. In terms of performance, it outperforms Qualcomm.

OpenAI has selected TSMC's 1.6nm chip technology as its primary supplier, marking a significant strategic upgrade in its AI hardware sector. Mass production is expected to begin in 2026, which will significantly enhance its technological performance. In collaboration with Broadcom and Marvell, OpenAI plans to develop ASICs dedicated to AI applications based on TSMC's 3nm process series in 2024 or 2025. Additionally, Apple plans to integrate OpenAI's AI solutions into the new iPhone and may.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang emphasized in an interview with the Financial Times that despite encountering issues in the production of the next-generation AI processors, the company remains committed to its plan of launching a new flagship product every year. Although the release of the Blackwell chip has been delayed, Nvidia engineers are accelerating the development of the next two generations of chips. The production issues are mainly related to adjustments in the 'mask' process during chip design, and these changes have been completed without affecting product functionality. Nvidia is leveraging AI to enhance data processing and product design efficiency in response to investors' concerns about growth rates and profit margins.

This article outlines the latest developments in the AI inference chip field, particularly the results of the MLPerf Inference v4.1 competition, which gathered the latest chips from companies such as AMD, Google, UntetherAI, Cerebras, FuriosaAI, and Nvidia. Nvidia's H200 and GH200 chips maintain a lead in the 'Data Center Closed' category, but chips from other companies excelled in specific tasks, especially in terms of energy efficiency. AMD's Instinct Accelerator.

LG will showcase its first smart home hub ThinQ ON at the IFA 2024 technology fair. This hub integrates artificial intelligence technology, allowing it to connect and control LG appliances and third-party devices, supporting Thread, Matter, and Wi-Fi. The ThinQ ON features a compact and rounded design, doubling as a smart speaker with an integrated LG AI voice assistant that can understand natural language, interpret context, and learn user preferences to provide a personalized experience. The device is powered by a self-developed AI chipset and supports Matter certification.

Nvidia's latest earnings report shows revenue reaching $30.4 billion, a 122% increase compared to the same period last year, exceeding analysts' expectations. Data center revenue grew by 154%, reaching $26.3 billion, becoming a focal point. Nvidia expects to set a new record for shipments next year, with founder and CEO Jensen Huang mentioning that the company's development is closely tied to the increasing complexity of AI models, aiming to drive an industrial revolution by reducing costs and expanding AI model scales. The significant growth in data center revenue reflects strong demand for AI.

Domestic AI chip design company Suiyuan Technology has initiated the counseling process for its A-share listing, officially starting its IPO. Established in 2018, Suiyuan Technology focuses on the development of cloud computing products in the AI field, including AI acceleration cards, intelligent computing clusters, and related software and platforms. The company's founders, Zhao Lidong and Zhang Yalin, both possess strong technical backgrounds. One year after its establishment, Suiyuan Technology launched its first-generation AI training chip, SuiSi 1.0, and has now developed to the second generation, SuiSi 2.0, while also developing multiple AI inference chips. In just six years, the company has completed ten rounds of financing, totaling nearly 7 billion RMB.

AMD has acquired AI infrastructure company ZT Systems for $4.9 billion, aiming to accelerate the market adoption of its Instinct data center chips. ZT Systems, a partner of Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, provides customized computing infrastructure, making this acquisition a significant strategic move for AMD. Through this deal, AMD not only gains approximately 1,000 engineers but also accelerates the deployment of AI solutions, with plans to launch the new MI350 chip in 2025 to compete with Nvidia.

SoftBank is in discussions with Intel to collaborate in order to challenge Nvidia's market dominance in the AI chip sector. As a globally recognized investment company, SoftBank is increasingly interested in the AI chip market and seeks to partner with traditional chip manufacturer Intel to enhance its market position. Intel's transformation strategy and AI chip development make it an ideal partner. The potential synergies from this collaboration are attracting attention, and market analysts believe it will have a profound impact on the AI chip industry. With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence technology, AI chips are crucial for applications like autonomous driving.