Chips and processor hardware

Cutting the costs of AI

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we analyse how the emergence of the DeepSeek AI model shows how the cost of deploying artificial intelligence is coming down. Samsung put a UK tech startup at the heart of its latest flagship smartphone launch – we talk to its founder. And we look at a transport industry project looking to optimise road haulage to reduce carbon emissions. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

What is a word in computing architecture?

In computing architecture, a word is a fixed unit of data containing a specific number of bits that can be addressed and moved between storage and the computer processor. Continue Reading

By

• Mary E. Shacklett, Transworld Data
• Paul Kirvan

AWS boosts telco cloud offerings with new Outposts

Amazon Web Services debuts new Outposts racks and servers that extend its infrastructure to the edge to support network intensive workloads and cloud radio access applications Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

Nvidia CEO claims reasoning models will boost GPU demand

The availability of the DeepSeek-R1 model resulted in a big drop in Nvidia’s share price, but CEO Jensen Huang believes this is just a blip Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Quantum innovation balances on commercial tightrope

While there is plenty of innovation in quantum technology, the industry needs greater collaboration to develop commercially viable systems Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What is hexadecimal numbering?

Hexadecimal is a numbering system that uses a base-16 representation for numeric values. It can be used to represent large numbers with fewer digits. Continue Reading

By

• Mary E. Shacklett, Transworld Data
• Rahul Awati

Volvo to roll out second software-defined electric car

Nvidia hardware accelerates AI-powered safety features, built using its Superset tech stack Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Microsoft overcomes quantum barrier with new particle

It has taken 20 years of development, but researchers now have a device that can scale to millions of qubits without errors rising exponentially Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Budget flexibility for on-prem AI

Consider an organisation that, understandably, wants to ensure its customer data and intellectual property is kept as safe as possible, assessing how to “do AI”. It is easy to assume everyone is ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ARM and Meta: Plotting a path to dilute GPU capacity

Meta wants to make artificial intelligence available to everyone who uses its platforms, but scaling AI to over one billion people is not going to be cheap Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DeepSeek-R1: Budgeting challenges for on-premise deployments

The availability of the DeepSeek-R1 large language model shows it’s possible to deploy artificial intelligence on modest hardware. But that’s only half the story Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

AI models explained: The benefits of open source AI models

In this guide, we explore how to get started with open source AI models and go over how they support your enterprise IT strategy Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

EU looks to ramp up sovereign tech as Trump trade war begins

Trump’s trade war is now looking at the EU, with tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. Could US tech be in the firing line? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UAE eyes quantum computing for financial services

Middle East financial firms are investing heavily in quantum computing, with one of the world’s top quantum research centres in Abu Dhabi Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Microsoft’s results show cloud AI balancing act

CEO acknowledges efficiency of DeepSeek and need to assess model optimisation rather than just buying more AI servers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Interview: Volvo’s engineering lead discusses tech stacks

Volvo Cars’ approach to manufacturing is becoming more software-defined, built on top of what it calls ‘a superset tech stack’ Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Hyperscalers to spend a trillion dollars on AI optimised hardware

The market for AI optimised servers is growing, driven by hyperscalers and IT services firms developing AI-enabled services Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ST Logistics teams up with Lenovo on smart warehouses

The Singapore logistics firm is partnering with Lenovo to integrate AI and automation into its warehouse operations Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Global IT spending to soar in 2025

S&P Global Ratings expects a 9% surge in global IT spending for 2025, fuelled by demand for AI and cloud technologies, despite potential trade headwinds and a slowing global economy Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK government unveils AI-fuelled industrial strategy

Labour plans to implement the 50 recommendations set out by entrepreneur Matt Clifford to boost the use of AI in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

PC makers use CES to showcase AI PC efforts

A range of AMD, Intel and ARM-powered PCs with neural processing units are aiming to boost office productivity Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Custom software and silicon set to define next-gen chips

The global chip supply crisis is not improving, but manufacturers are integrating new software and hardware techniques to stay ahead Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Government develops quantum tech for military

A high-tech atomic clock has been developed by a ‘secret lab’ and aims to decrease the reliance on GPS technology Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government boosts Horizon R&D campaign

As part of its Plan for Change, Labour is ramping up efforts to get more UK businesses to apply for Horizon funding Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What is a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)?

A complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is the semiconductor technology used in most of today's integrated circuits (ICs), also known as chips or microchips. Continue Reading

By

• Gavin Wright
• Robert Sheldon

Looking ahead at long, mid and short term IT plans

The news that Google researchers have demonstrated quantum technology that can scale exponentially, without incurring massive error overheads, is seen by many as a breakthrough in this emerging ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Google demos next-gen error correction with Willow quantum tech

Willow represents Google’s latest development in its goal to produce quantum computing that can scale beyond error limits Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nvidia investigation signals widening of US and China chip war

The Biden administration has expanded sanctions to prevent China extending its AI capabilities – now, China is going after Nvidia Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What is a diode?

A diode is a specialized electronic component, specifically a two-terminal semiconductor device, with two electrodes called the anode and the cathode. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

Intel confirms CEO Pat Gelsinger has left the company

Several months after Gelsinger went public with plans for mass lay-offs at Intel, he has departed the company and left the board Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Dutch chip strategy balances talent and infrastructure in €2.5bn investment

Project Beethoven aims to create complete semiconductor ecosystem through coordinated education and infrastructure investment Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

How SkyLab is democratising hybrid cloud management

SkyLab is challenging the cloud status quo with its orchestration platform, which allows telcos and enterprises to seamlessly manage workloads across multiple cloud providers Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Nvidia CEO talks up AI post-training, test learning and gigawatts

The company’s datacentre business continues to skyrocket as demand for artificial intelligence accelerates Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Microsoft Ignite: AI capabilities double every six months

If Moore's law promised a doubling of tech every 18 months, the pace is three times quicker with AI developments, says Satya Nadella Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

AMD pushes GPU advantage with HPC top spot

AMD’s El Capitan is the world’s fastest supercomputer and is being used in nuclear weapons safety Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Closing in on quantum computing with error mitigation

Current quantum computers are prone to error. IBM’s latest Heron machine uses software and hardware to get better results Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Red Hat acquires tech to lower the cost of machine learning

The acquisition of Neural Magic by Red Hat is being positioned as a way to democratise machine learning and reduce the need for GPUs Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How quantum computing could reshape financial services

Experts at the Singapore FinTech Festival predict quantum computing will improve risk management, investment strategies and fraud detection in the financial sector, while also posing new challenges for data security Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Automotive drives strong Q4, fiscal year for Qualcomm

Leading mobile platform processor manufacturer reveals robust end of year, with strong growth in segments such as handsets, PC, automotive and industrial IoT Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

How AI is impacting global connectivity

Jürgen Hatheier, international CTO of Ciena, discusses the role of connectivity in the age of artificial intelligence and how the company is helping service providers navigate this transformative period Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NXP boosts edge AI IoT

Semiconductor firm expands artificial intelligence and machine learning portfolio to make it easier and faster to deploy GenAI, time series and vision-based LLMs directly on edge devices for use across the internet of things Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

National quantum computer centre to open at Harwell

The new site will provide open access for industry and academia to 12 quantum computers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nvidia deepens investment in India’s AI ecosystem

Nvidia is expanding its presence in India through new partnerships focused on building AI infrastructure, developing Indian language models and training AI professionals Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Interview: Why Java is the future of cloud applications

The CEO of Azul speaks to Computer Weekly about Java’s performance and its ability to run on different server chips in the datacentre Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Snapdragon Summit 2024: Qualcomm gains mileage with automotive offer

Qualcomm accelerates automotive offering designed to drive success with leading OEMs such as GM, BMW, Li Auto and Mercedes as cars become new computing space Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Snapdragon Summit 2024: PC, mobile reach AI first inflection point

Annual conference of leading mobile technology platform sees launch of processors, and mission to set the pace of innovation in PC, mobile, automotive and spatial computing Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

What are tensor processing units and what is their role in AI?

We look at Google’s TPUs – tensor processing units – and ask what makes them different to CPUs, GPUs and DPUs, as well as how you can take advantage of them in AI processing Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Foxconn and Nvidia to build Taiwan’s fastest supercomputer

The supercomputer, powered by Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture, will drive breakthroughs in cancer research, large language models and smart city initiatives Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Government accepts most quantum regulation recommendations

Three of the 14 recommendations on quantum regulations put forward by the Regulatory Horizon Council have been accepted in principle Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Labour sets up new office to coordinate tech innovation regulations

The newly formed Regulatory Innovation Office has been set up to ensure existing regulations do not become barriers to emerging tech innovations Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

STMicroelectronics, Qualcomm team for next-gen industrial IoT

Strategic collaboration will pair STM32 microcontroller ecosystem and wireless connectivity solutions to allow simple, fast, and cost-effective design of next-gen industrial and consumer IoT applications augmented by edge AI Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Semiconductor market scaleups to benefit from multimillion-pound investment from Innovate UK

National innovation agency Innovate UK is offering 16 semiconductor scaleups access to millions of pounds of funding to support their continued growth Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Driving IT sustainability in datacentres

Europe’s datacentre operators need to get their power report cards to comply with the European Commission’s drive to greener EU datacentres Continue Reading

By

• Joe Fay

HSBC tests post-quantum VPN tunnel for digital ledgers

Encryption required for post-quantum cryptography will have a material impact on the performance of distributed ledgers Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Revised roadmap projects quantum advantage by 2029

Quantinuum is planning to develop a machine called Apollo by 2029, which it claims will have enough logical qubits to perform complex calculations Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Why the government should still bet on DSIT’s five key technologies

When the Conservative government launched the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, it identified five key technologies for UK investment. The new Labour government must continue this plan Continue Reading

By

• Laura Foster, TechUK

CTO interview: Budgeting in nanoseconds

At high-performance financial exchange LMAX Group, applications are allowed just eight nanoseconds of latency – but how does it achieve this? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Belgium: Researchers at Imec tackle bioconvergence

Several initiatives are underway at Imec to apply semiconductor and related technology to a range of challenges in healthcare Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

What is a transistor?

A transistor is a miniature semiconductor that regulates or controls current or voltage flow in addition to amplifying and generating these electrical signals and acting as a switch/gate for them. Continue Reading

By

• Cameron Hashemi-Pour, Former Site Editor
• Rahul Awati

AI hype hits reality roadblock

Recent surveys point to failings of artificial intelligence initiatives to achieve business objectives and deliver return on investment Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nvidia drives forward accelerated computing advantage

Nvidia is experiencing huge demand for accelerated computing using GPUs to run compute-intensive datacentre workloads Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

An era of post Moore's Law computing?

Every now and then Computer Weekly asks the question of whether Moore’s Law is still relevant. Gordon Moore presented his vision of how computing would evolve in an article published in April 1965. ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Linus Torvalds discusses Linux development, security and AI at KubeCon

Linus Torvalds delves into the challenges in Linux development, the importance of swift security responses, and artificial intelligence’s future role in kernel programming Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

QiStor flashes key-value storage software for hardware acceleration

US-based startup will develop storage software allied with FPGA chips to allow data storage to bypass spinning disk era block addressing to speed performance and cut energy use Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Challenges of deploying PQC globally

Quantum computers will eventually be powerful and reliable enough to crack strong encryption. PQC is the answer, but it could take years to deploy Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CXL moves forward as memory technology for AI

A recent demo has showcased how the new memory technology could be applied in Red Hat Linux to speed up AI workloads cost-effectively Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Singtel expands GPUaaS offering to Southeast Asia

Singapore telco teams up with the Bridge Alliance industry group to bring its GPU-as-a-Service to enterprises across Southeast Asia Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

ASEAN organisations lack mature AI strategy

IBM-commissioned study reveals that while ASEAN organisations are engaging with AI, only 4% have reached a transformative level of AI maturity Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

What is a microcontroller (MCU)?

A microcontroller is a compact integrated circuit designed to govern a specific operation in an embedded system. Continue Reading

By

• Cameron Hashemi-Pour, Former Site Editor
• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

AI interview: Thomas Dekeyser, researcher and film director

On the politics of ‘techno-refusal’, and the lessons that can be learned from a clandestine group of French IT workers who spent the early 1980s sabotaging technological infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Deep dive into quantum-resistant cryptography for email security

Quantum computers have the potential to crack many of the encryption methods we currently rely on to keep our digital communications safe. Quantum-resistant cryptography may be the answer Continue Reading

By

• Isla Sibanda

The Security Interviews: Google’s take on confidential computing

We speak to Google’s Nelly Porter about the company’s approach to keeping data as safe as possible on Google Cloud Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Labour drops Edinburgh exascale supercomputer but funds more AI

The £1.3bn pledge by the former government to build an £800m supercomputer in Edinburgh has gone – but there’s new money for artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Second round of ChipStart sees 11 more companies receive support

Government-backed ChipStart initiative aims to support UK startups developing semiconductor technology Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK government invests £106m in five quantum tech hubs

Five university hubs are receiving funding to support the development of quantum applications that can support healthcare and businesses Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Useful commands to check CPU info in Linux systems

You can issue commands through your Linux CLI to gather CPU information, including detailed information on cores, class, virtualization support, architecture and usage. Continue Reading

By

• Jack Wallen

cache thrash

Cache thrash is an issue caused by an ongoing computer activity that fails to progress due to excessive use of resources or conflicts in the caching system. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Cameron McKenzie, TechTarget

ITER workshop highlights the role of computing technology in nuclear fusion

One of the themes from the private sector workshop run in France this May is that information technology remains a key enabler for nuclear fusion Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Gulf Edge to operate Google Distributed Cloud in Thailand

The Gulf Energy subsidiary will offer Google’s sovereign cloud service in Thailand with a focus on air-gapped configurations Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

A revolution in space

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to astronaut Tim Peake about the imminent revolution in space tech and what it means for IT leaders. AI is set to transform the movie industry – we hear from the producers of the latest Mad Max film about how it’s already changed the process for them. And we find out about plans for Neom, the Saudi Arabian smart city in the desert. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CMOS sensor

A CMOS sensor is an electronic chip that converts photons to electrons for digital processing. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

Autonomous weapons systems defy rigid attempts at arms control

In an ever more dangerous world, the technology is outpacing diplomacy and holds clear strategic value. Retaining human control over its use will require embracing imperfect solutions Continue Reading

By

• Kyle Hiebert, Computer Weekly

An IT admin’s guide: Windows 10 end of support explained

In this guide, we look at what issues end user computing IT teams need to consider when migrating from Microsoft Windows 10 to Windows 11 Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Are diamonds a quantum computer’s best friend?

The UK report on quantum tech is out, revealing that synthetic diamonds could play a key role in establishing a niche for the UK quantum sector Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HPE takes $4.5bn in enterprise IT AI server orders

The server company is prepping everything for greater enterprise artificial intelligence demand Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The challenges of supporting Copilot+ PCs in the enterprise

Windows PCs generally use x86 compatible hardware, with Intel or AMD processors. Microsoft is now propelling Windows on Arm for AI Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Digital border problems are stacking up

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the government’s post-Brexit plans for digital borders as problems begin to emerge. We find out about AI PCs and ask whether they will make any difference for enterprise IT. And we talk to Red Hat CEO Matt Hicks about the open source opportunities from AI. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Forrester: Preparing for the era of the AI PC

PC manufacturers are gatecrashing the artificial intelligence industry party. There are now a number of devices that incorporate AI acceleration hardware Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Hewitt

Nutanix beefs up AHV hypervisor, doubles down on AI

Nutanix takes aim at VMware with enhancements to its AHV hypervisor along with tighter integrations with Nvidia and Hugging Face to simplify AI deployments Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

Dell Technologies World: AI at core of Dell’s next chapter

With a significant anniversary just passed, Dell CEO Michael Dell was in reflective mood as he looked ahead to the impact of artificial intelligence on the tech giant’s product stack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DSIT unveils plans for independent institute to underpin UK Semiconductor Strategy

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is marking the first anniversary of the launch of the UK Semiconductor Strategy by setting out plans to create an institute to underpin its plans Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Bristol goes live with UK AI supercomputer

The Isambard-AI supercomputer is set to revolutionise AI research in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

nanosecond (ns or nsec)

A nanosecond (ns or nsec) is one-billionth (10-9) of a second. A nanosecond is a measure of time that has many practical applications, particularly in computer science and IT. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor
• Rahul Awati

The challenges of securing a UK semiconductor supply chain

We look at how UK national semiconductor strategy stacks up and what actions are needed to secure access to chips. Continue Reading

What’s it like being the IT chief at Man Utd?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we speak to the chief digital information officer at Manchester United Football Club to discuss the IT that keeps a premiership team running. We also investigate how well prepared the UK is for major semiconductor supply chain disruptions. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Big tech’s cloud oligopoly risks AI market concentration

The oligopoly that big tech giants have over cloud computing could translate to a similar domination in the AI market, given the financial and compute resources needed to make the technology effective at scale Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Kersley

Swedish company first to use STMicroelectronics chips

Powerful new processors help power next-generation industrial human machine interfaces, starting in the Nordics Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Arm accelerates Edge AI with Ethos-U NPU and IoT reference design

NPU said to deliver 4x performance uplift for high performance edge AI applications such as factory automation and smart cameras through new IoT reference design platform to accelerate deployment of voice and vision systems Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

The challenges of securing a UK semiconductor supply chain

The UK’s national semiconductor strategy aims to establish the country's credentials as a leader in the sector. We look at how it stacks up Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Qt Group teams with Qualcomm to streamline industrial IoT UI

Product development lifecycle software provider partners with mobile processor platform giant to reduce time-to-market for IoT manufacturers Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly