Micron enlists IBM to speed up memory chips
Micron has enlisted IBM to help build smart memory chips that could drastically speed up the high-performance computers and networking systems that make up the Internet.
Engineers in recent years have run into a “memory wall” as the increasing efficiency of computer processors outpaces the speed that memory chips can deliver, limiting the overall performance improvemement of high-end computers.
And one key bottleneck keeping memory chips from being more efficient has been the pathway they use to move data to computers’ processors and back again.
Micron’s new Hybrid Memory Cube architecture connects controllers to stacks of up to eight memory chips, making the movement of data across that pathway more efficient and making the memory chips 15 times faster than current widely-used technology allows, according to Micron technology strategist Mike Black.
IBM, using its 32 nanometer logic technology, is making the controller chips, which are then intricately connected to a stack of Micron’s memory chips.
Microsoft raises bet on motion-sensing tech
Microsoft has acquired Canesta, which designs microchips that it says enable computers to see images in three dimensions, according to the privately-held Sunnyvale, California-based company.
The purchase comes as Microsoft prepares to launch its Kinect motion-controller next month, hoping to spark sales of its xBox video game consoles. Buying Canesta, whose technology focuses mainly on consumer applications, suggests Microsoft is already eyeing more and better movement-recognition products down the line for its video game system as well as other applications.
Kinect’s camera-based system, built into cameras, lets players control games with body and hand gestures, letting gamers ditch the hand-held controllers they have been tied to for decades.
Canesta says its CMOS 3-D chips gives everyday devices 3-D perception better than competing technology.
“Products based on this capability can then react on sight to the actions or motions of individuals and objects in their field of view,” Canesta says.
Honda has invested $5 million in Canesta to develop 3-D technology to help drivers park their cars and avoid collisions.
Hitachi is using Canesta’s technology to create a television controlled by hand gestures instead of a remote control.
This not only has applications for gesture recognition, but has some interesting applications for security and recognition.
A perfect date machine?
The world’s biggest microchip company, known for some of the most dramatic advances in the tech world, this week decided to ask software developers and salespeople for help.
At its annual developers’ conference in San Francisco this week, Intel Corp put up a dozen or so whiteboards across the Moscone Center venue, soliciting answers to the big questions: from how tech might improve business to what you might want technology to do, if it could do anything.
But the answers, scribbled in blue marker, were a mix of practical suggestions like a handheld portable video conferencing device, perennial gripes and whimsy – perfect date machine, anyone?
Here are a selection of the questions and answers:
How do you see the future? Moon hotels Real-time virtual Internet glasses Digital clothing Big solar power airships
How can technology make business more efficient? Coffee helmet Video phone conference An infinitely large display Cellphone/MID projector
How can technology improve the world? Slow down global warming Bring back dead loved ones Food allergen detector Moving sidewalk
How do you see the future?increasingly mobile and multifunctionalHow can technology make business more efficient?backwards compatability for everything, and limited forward compatabiltity for easier transitions.How can technology improve the world?GM food and CO2 scrubbing technology to remove emissions from the atmosphereWhat’s the next big thing?credit/debit card phonesWhat will your kids’ kids think is cool?hoverboards and lightsabersWhat’s your big idea?top side air bags to protect you in the event of a vertical crashIf tech could do anything for you, what would it be?give me a small shock right before I say something stupid to my wife.
Football in 3D, coming to a theater near you
The first-ever 3D broadcast of an NFL game was rushed into movie theaters in three U.S. cities last night, kicking off what many hope could be a new way of generating revenue for theater operators.
We attended the event in Los Angeles, where a throng of football fans, reporters and Hollywood executives donned black plastic 3D glasses and crammed into a stadium-style theater for kickoff between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers.
In an interview the day before the game, Michael Lewis, chief executive and co-founder of 3D system provider RealD 3D, said of the experience: “You feel like you are really on the field in the middle of the action,” and called the event “the dawn of live events at your local theater.”
For us, sitting in the theater, the 3D technology really did make it feel like we were right on the field at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. Most of the camera angles were field-level, which even in conventional “2D” broadcasts offer viewers a better sense of what it’s like for players than other angles.
The NFL Network cable network showed the same game in the conventional fashion as we saw it in 3D. There were different announcers for our game, because 3D production company 3ality Digital’s cameras followed the action differently as well as presenting it in three dimensions. The camera angles were closer to the action. We were surprised how realistic it was. It was not as if we were on the field with the players, but just like we were on the sideline with the coaches.
The announcers kept quiet for minutes at a time to allow the sounds of the game — players colliding, grunting and at times cursing. That enhanced the “being there” experience.
So what’s the catch? There were a few. First, though the visuals were top-notch for most of the game, there were times when the image, or parts of it, were fuzzy. These instances weren’t a huge distraction, and not long-lasting, but they did make your head hurt a little bit until the cameras cut to a clearer shot.
Hello Per Peterson. Yes yes yes the surfing and snowboarding footage was memorable. The flakes of snow after the snowboarder cut seemed like they were coming right at us. The 3D shots of objects (footballs, snow, surfers) coming right at the camera really brings out the advantages over “2D” video. Football is largely watched by people who either never played or never played beyond high school. I assume people active in a sport would be even more likely to support extra charges if there are any for 3D. There’s a huge audience of snowboarders and surfers who would love this. Also I assume that golf, because there are so many active golfers, will work. Golf for me on TV is boring but my friends who are golfers can watch it for hours and hours. But I digress. YES, way cool footage.
It is only a matter of time before the same technology concepts are used to stack processors of all forms – which could be the first step to creating a super computer in a tablet or possibly a cell phone. Imagine that!