Arjun Kapur

Jim Keller, former Intel, AMD, and Tesla engineer, aims to challenge Nvidia's dominance in AI with Tenstorrent's energy-efficient chip design. Tenstorrent's upcoming second-generation AI chip promises superior energy and cost efficiency, presenting a viable alternative to Nvidia's offerings. The innovative design of Tenstorrent's chip features independent decision-making cores, potentially reshaping AI chip technology across diverse applications. #AI #Nvidia #semiconductor #semiconductors #chip #technology #innovation #research #computing Tenstorrent NVIDIA https://lnkd.in/g6a3vAu4

31

The #AI #Memory Moat  SK hynix is the undisputed leader in High Bandwith Memory Just behind the #AI processing battle is another equally exciting race: High Bandwidth memory competition between the three large #DRAM companies, #Samsung, #Micron and #SKHynix. SK Hynix has been the leader so far. The #Korean memory company is well-known for being the leading supplier of #HBM to NVIDIA’s H100 GPU. As SK Hynix recently announced the Q3-24 result, there is fresh data to analyse that can help us understand the #HBM situation and the difference between the players. The recent pre-result from Samsung Electronics suggests that the HBM moat is still wide, but we will find out later this week when Samsung reports fully. A very big thank you to Claus Aasholm and Semiconductor Business Intelligence for the full article with more background and insights via the link below 🙏💡👇 https://lnkd.in/egwENYGa #semiconductorindustry #semiconductors #semiconductor #tech #it #datacenter #technology #chip #chips #korea #ai #cloud #hpc #ic

80

2 Comments

In the fiercely competitive semiconductor industry, companies are in a constant battle to retain top talent because in the heart of every good engineer is a passionate problem solver, looking for their next challenge. For them, innovation is the currency of success. Yet companies like Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom attract tens of thousands every year by dangling lucrative compensation packages to lure them from competitors. Startup leaders don’t have those resources, so they have to work harder to attract the best talent and then fight like hell to retain them. But some of the most successful startup leaders I know take a different approach. Rather than viewing attraction and retention as a fight, they leverage the inherent qualities of their companies as their advantage. They use their nimbleness, bias toward innovation, and their collaborative cultures like superpowers to attract the right people and those usually end up being the reasons why people stay. Take Richard Fung, CEO of The Six Semiconductor, for example. I had a conversation with Richard and asked him to share his approach to motivating his team. His response was like a mini-masterclass on the topic of talent attraction and retention. Richard emphasized that a culture that encourages engineers to dive deep into the intricacies of their craft, understand the systems they’re building, and connect with the end customer is a successful culture. Richard has been using this approach and it's been paying dividends for The Six Semiconductor so in his honor, here are his six key concepts for creating this type of organization: 1. Foster a Learning Culture: Support ongoing learning and skill development beyond employees' core responsibilities. 2. Prioritize Customer Focus: Embed a customer-centric mindset, and encourage employees to enhance user experiences through their work. 3. Champion Problem-Solving: Empower employees to creatively solve challenges with a focus on customer needs. 4. Promote System-Level Understanding: Encourage employees to grasp the bigger picture of the company's offerings and their role within it. 5. Break Down Silos: Promote collaboration to ensure a comprehensive understanding of projects across teams. 6. Offer Meaningful Challenges: Provide intellectually stimulating projects that make a tangible impact on the company's success. What Richard highlighted is that success goes much deeper than getting great people to join. It's about unleashing the full potential of every individual on your team to drive innovation and help shape the company, and ensuring your team heads in the right direction together. I’m thrilled I got to learn Richard’s perspective and believe other leaders can benefit from hearing it, so I shared the video below. My "challenge question" to other startup leaders is this: what are you doing to foster this type of culture in your organization? Either share below or, feel free to DM me. #semiconductorindustry #startup #leadership

67

2 Comments

yieldHUB has semiconductor customers from 13 countries. Customers have, on average, been with us for 5 years. 33% have been with us for at least 5 years and 20% have been with us for more than 10 years. With few exceptions, customers are well funded private companies or well known and publicly quoted companies. Some dropped off over the years, but we grow net customers every year, this year being the second fastest of net customer growth after 2021 (move to cloud tech for big data accelerated during and just after Covid). 50% of payments by all customers are either on time or ahead of time. The payment average is 4 days over payment terms this year so far, 3 days over being the median. But every one of them has paid what they are supposed to, and that's going back 19 years. Semiconductors is a very honourable industry and it's great to be part of it. #customersuccess #payments #customerretention #semiconductors

35

Nice perf gains With SVT-AV1 2.3 video encoding on System76 Thelio Astra 128 core Ampere arm64 https://lnkd.in/gpHB5wp2

12

Keeping your data close to the GPUs is essential, so we offer VAST Data as part of our #GPUasaService AI Platform. Let us help you #StepontheGaaS and move your #AI strategy forward. #Fast #Secure #Private Dominic Ken Michael Bill Traci

10

1 Comment

PCIe Gen6 + 5nm + MRVL SerDes = Lowest Power for AI!!

37

Western Digital Talks High-Density BICS8 2TB QLC #NANDFlash on a single #Memory #Chip 🤩🤯💡 #WesternDigital previewed its new #BICS8 (218-layer) QLC #NAND #flash memory chip with a 2TB capacity at recent investor activities. This chip is recognized for having the highest density in the industry. The BICS8 2TB QLC NAND flash memory chip is designed specifically for #datacenters and #artificialintelligence (#AI) applications. It aims to reduce the cost of high-capacity enterprise-level solid-state drives (#SSDs) and meet the growing demand for large-scale #datastorage solutions. A flash memory particle consists of multiple flash memory chips stacked and packaged together. A single chip with 2TB capacity allows Western Digital to offer 4TB capacity particles through 16-layer stacking, which facilitates the development of future 128TB or even 256TB enterprise-level SSDs. Robert Soderbery, the General Manager of Western Digital's flash memory business, demonstrated the BICS8 2TB QLC NAND flash memory chip at the event. The chip is approximately the width of a fingertip. Western Digital's BICS8 #technology, developed in partnership with KIOXIA Group, uses a CBA (Complementary Bonding Approach) technology similar to Yangtze Memory Technologies Xtacking. This method involves manufacturing the storage stack and #CMOS control circuit separately, then #hybridbonding the two parts. This approach enhances the read and write performance of the flash memory while increasing overall storage density and reducing power consumption. Thanks to Hilbert Hagedoorn and www.guru3d.com for the full article with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 https://lnkd.in/erwRNMgU #semiconductorindustry #semiconductors #semiconductor #technology #tech #innovation #Japan #usa #datastorage #ssd #nandflash #ai #it

245

7 Comments

Always believed with Jensen Huang philosophy that “Small great team doing wonders!” 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 👌👌👌 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 一直坚信黄仁勋的理念：“小而伟大的团队创造奇迹！” 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 👌👌👌 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 Maintain the same mind set line, till to today business operation since incorporation. 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 自成立以来，一直秉持同样的思维方式，直到今天仍在运营。 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 #nvidia #artificialintelligence #llms #chatgpt #generativeai #gpu #servers #datacenter #cloud #ai #technology #innovation #business #Semiconductorindustry #electronics #semiconductor

4

Transphorm GaN technology offers the most flexibility in power electronics. This is the result its ease of design, which is one of the cornerstones of our technology. Our SuperGaN FETs compete directly against silicon, silicon carbide, and e-mode GaN whether it’s how the device is driven or the package(s) it’s offered in. Up and above SuperGaN’s flexibility we also enable our SIP (System-In-Package) partners such as Weltrend with GaN FET solutions that compliment our discrete offerings. This results in a solution for all customers no matter their architecture or system needs. #supergan #gan #transphorm #reliability #Weltrend

15

We’re one day into DAC, and there have already been announcements that will shape the future of semiconductor design. One startup that I've followed closely for two years shared groundbreaking news that promises to revolutionize chip development and democratize accessibility to chiplets. Baya Systems emerged from stealth mode last week, and CEO and co-founder Sailesh Kumar has done a remarkable job of staying under the radar since founding the company, choosing the perfect moment to unveil updates. Baya revealed not only WHAT they’re working on but also HOW they plan to tackle some of the most pressing challenges faced by SoC architects and designers, and it’s inspiring. The complexity of system design, high costs, and long time-to-market for advanced SoCs often means that a chip can be nearly obsolete by the time it reaches customers. The rapid pace of innovation, especially in AI chips, creates an unforgiving environment where promising startups might only have one shot at success. Baya’s solutions, WeaverPro and WeaveIP, aim to accelerate the design and performance of complex single-die and multi-die SoCs and chiplets. By leveraging a software-centric architecture, Baya simplifies development and accelerates data movement between chiplets and dies. This approach reduces the overall costs associated with advanced AI and CPU acceleration and speeds up time-to-market. WeaverPro and WeaveIP have already received the best kind of acclaim, customer adoption, and Baya announced this week that chiplet technology advocate Tenstorrent will license their WeaveIP fabric to scale their AI and RISC-V chiplet solutions. Chip design icon Jim Keller, who sits on Baya’s Advisory Board, praised the company, saying: “Baya makes great, comprehensive fabric tools that start with top-level architecture and allow us to plan at a detailed level… this, coupled with their visualization tools, enables designers to build next-generation chips, chiplets, and IP.” Adding to their momentum, Baya announced a partnership with Blue Cheetah Analog Design, Inc. yesterday at DAC and introduced a combined chiplet-optimized Network on Chip and PHY interconnect IP solution that simplifies the design and architecture of chiplet-based systems. Sailesh said, “In partnership, we provide system architects with a state-of-the-art platform and powerful tools to create the most innovative and cost-effective chiplet-based products.”   I've mentioned before that enabling development is key to unlocking the door to innovation. For founders without deep pockets or connections to investors, gaining access to better tools and proven intellectual property allows them to move faster and at a lower cost, ultimately helping to bring new designs to life. I’m impressed that Baya, a small yet mighty startup, has created this accessibility and fostered partnerships to help proliferate it. My encouragement to the community - watch them closely. #semiconductorindustry #ai #chiplets

58

Signal processing for SWaP constrained ISR/EW applications in 35mm package, 4K DSP engines. Versal Premium Gen2 https://lnkd.in/gfnqHtDZ #xilinx #dsp #signalprocessing #amd #aerospace #defense

39

✨ Get over 3x perf improvement for #LLM throughput - TensorRT-LLM Multiblock Attention on NVIDIA HGX H200 boosts long-sequence performance without impacting time-to-first-token. Read how ➡️

5

People forget that an SMT processor can be used with SMT-on or SMT-off. There are workloads that share data and have lots of stalls and benefit immensely from SMT with 30-50% perf upsides or more. And for workloads that don't, SMT can be turned off or you can schedule work just on a single thread. It is an awesome performance option to have in a processor.

31

4 Comments

In this bonus episode - "Free Gold - Understand the value you represent ... The Power of Impenetrable Confidence" in my Semiconductor Leadership Podcast Series. We are close to 1,500 subscribers in just under 3 months. I think we can do 2,000 by the summer. Please subscribe if it is of value to you: https://lnkd.in/diktXgVg In this exclusive bonus episode of the Semiconductor Leadership Podcast, we delve into the often underestimated power of confidence in the high-stakes world of BUSINESS. Discover how to have that impenetrable confidence to shape perceptions, influence decisions, and drive innovation in this fiercely competitive industry. We’ll explore a real-world scenario whereby someone experiments by handing $2,000 worth of gold for free to the random public and where confidence has been a game-changer where you can discuss strategies to build and project this essential quality, and analyze its impact on perceived value both within a company and in the market at large. Tune in to gain insights that could redefine how you lead and succeed in the semiconductor realm. Robert Quinn Ksenia V. Mia Chen

17

1 Comment

𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗠 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗖-𝗩 𝗩𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗤𝗘𝗠𝗨 𝗘𝗠𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡. Ashling and our partner Embecosm are working with the RISE (RISC-V Software Ecosystem) project to optimize RISC-V vector instructions emulation for QEMU the open-source emulator. Our goal is to ensure that RISC-V vector instruction powered binaries run at rocket 🚀 🚀 🚀 speed under QEMU by mapping the RISC-V vector instructions to the best hardware equivalents on the host, leveraging up to 256-bit SIMD vectors for maximum performance. The RISC-V Software Ecosystem (RISE) Project focuses on accelerating the development of open-source software for the RISC-V architecture. See: https://riseproject.dev/ #RISCV #QEMU

60

2 Comments

#Memory Production Utilization Near Full Capacity, Surpassing Mature Nodes Foundries 💡 As memory prices and demand rise, memory manufacturers Nanya Technology and Winbond have resumed normal production, no longer reducing output as they did last year. TrendForce Corporation and industry sources cited in a report from Liberty Times Net also indicate that memory shipments will continue to recover in the third quarter. Reportedly, memory manufacturers’ utilization rates have reached 90% to 100%, surpassing the 60% to 70% utilization rates of mature process foundries. Last year, in response to market conditions, #Winbond adjusted its inventory and reduced production at its Taichung plant by up to 30-40%. This year, as market demand has rebounded, production has resumed, with capacity now at full utilization, producing 58,000 #wafers per month. Moreover, Winbond’s #Kaohsiung plant has introduced new capacity equipment, increasing monthly production from 10,000 to 14,000 wafers and upgrading processes from 25nm to 20nm. #Nanya Technology adjusted production levels dynamically last year, reducing output by up to 20%. However, production has gradually increased this year. Thanks again to TrendForce 集邦科技 for the full article with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 https://lnkd.in/eKPUUCis #semiconductorindustry #semiconductors #dram #datacenter #pc #it #ai #smartphone #notebook #mobile #taiwan #industrial #technology #tech

71

4 Comments

I have finally delved into this year's "100 Silicon Startups Worth Watching in 2024," recently published by EE Times | Electronic Engineering Times. One insight from Peter Clarke in his preface is the interesting shift in the geographical distribution of these top 100 companies. While there's a slight decline in California and North American representation (is it real?), the most striking changes are the sharp decrease in Chinese companies and the meaningful rise in European entries. Peter attributes the Chinese decline to trade tensions: "#China continues to have high levels of startup activity, but its reduced presence on the Silicon 100 reflects the trade tensions between the U.S. and China. That friction has intensified in recent years and has hit a number of Chinese startups that may have had international aspirations but have been denied access to leading-edge silicon out of foundry TSMC." #Europe, on the other hand, has seen an increase from 23 to 29 startups, with the U.K. leading the charge: "The U.K. has 12 startups on the current list, up from nine startups in version 23. The U.K., with longstanding entrepreneurial bases in Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol, and Edinburgh, has enjoyed strong representation for many years." In my view, this growth is a testament to #Europe's robust academic system, coupled with government support, investments, and incubators like Silicon Catalyst.UK. Israel continues to excel: "Israel has always punched way above its weight by population and continues to do so," with its representation growing slightly from 7 to 8 this year, including NeuReality*, POLYN Technology, NeoLogic*, Speedata.io, Pliops, Chain Reaction Ltd.*, Hailo, .Quantum Machines . (*=new additions to the 2024 list). This list provides a good overview of this dynamic and evolving industry, blending both emerging and more established technologies. It's a must-read for anyone interested in the future of #semiconductor #innovation. For the full list: https://lnkd.in/dgfrNUWX

50

6 Comments