Kozminski Techblog

A team of researchers from the University of Liverpool has recently made strides in the field of molecular electronics, which focuses on the use of molecules as building blocks for electronic devices, potentially paving the way for smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient electronics in the future. The researchers developed a new technique for precisely positioning molecules on surfaces, which is crucial for creating functional electronic devices using individual molecules as components. Their work has the potential to revolutionize the field of electronics and contribute to the development of innovative technologies that could transform industries such as healthcare, transportation, and communication.

This breakthrough could also lead to the creation of more sustainable electronics, as smaller and more energy-efficient devices consume fewer resources during production and use. The team’s findings were published in the journal Nature Communications, and their research could potentially lead to new technologies and partnerships with industry leaders in the electronics sector. Their work also opens up new possibilities for the development of molecular-scale sensors, which could have applications in fields such as environmental monitoring, food safety testing, and medical diagnostics. The team’s innovative approach to molecular electronics could also lead to advancements in quantum computing and information processing, which rely on the unique properties of individual molecules to perform complex calculations and store data. The team’s research could also have implications for the development of more efficient and sustainable energy storage technologies, as individual molecules could potentially be used to store and convert energy at a molecular scale.

Overall, the University of Liverpool’s research in molecular electronics has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries and pave the way for a more sustainable and technologically advanced future. It will be exciting to see how this breakthrough can impact the future of electronics and related industries, as researchers and industry leaders continue to build on this research and explore its many possible applications. As this technology advances and becomes more widely available, it could also lead to new opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation, as new companies emerge to explore the many possible applications of molecular electronics.

The United States is preparing to ban exports to Huawei in what is expected to be the first in a series of new restrictions that will affect China’s semiconductor industry, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which are critical to military and commercial technological superiority. fields. sectors. According to White House insiders quoted by the Financial Times, the Joe Biden administration has suspended licensing US companies to export to Huawei and plans to completely ban the sale of US technology to the Chinese telecommunications giant. This is expected to create additional growth challenges for major Chinese chipmakers such as SMIC and YMTC, as well as smaller local competitors such as Hua Hong Semiconductor. End-use control is intended to limit China’s technological development to a fixed technological level, in line with previous comments by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that the US would no longer use a “sliding scale” to maintain its leading position in various sectors.

The White House is also considering a plan to ban US companies from entire segments of China’s tech industry, Politico reported Jan. 27. Sources cited by Politico. Paul Triolo, China tech expert at Albright Stonebridge business consultancy in Washington, D.C., commented that the new end-use controls are designed to automatically detect other Chinese companies like Hua Hong that want to upgrade their technology to work with 14 -nm process technology. Triolo believes the whole system is set up to automatically keep China at a fixed technological level.

EE Times interviewed Keith Krach, a former under secretary of commerce during the Trump administration and one of the drafters of the Chip and Science Act, to get his point of view. Kra believes that SMIC and YMTC, among dozens of Chinese companies, pose a serious threat to US national security because they produce semiconductors for their military and, as a result, should be subject to additional restrictions. The collapse also suggests giving priority to Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent, as well as their subsidiaries, as they are the most important companies in China’s artificial intelligence military program and second only to Huawei in securing their state of surveillance.

Israeli chip startup Hailo has launched a new series of artificial vision chips called Hailo-15, which are designed for different use cases than its flagship Hailo-8 chip. While the Hailo-8 was primarily used as an image processing co-processor in industrial peripherals and aggregators, the Hailo-15 series is a system on a chip (SoC) designed for IP cameras. Hailo-15 includes an integrated accelerator, CPU and DSP to provide heterogeneous computing capabilities. The Hailo-15 series provides less processing power than the Hailo-8, and its AI accelerator architecture is “similar to Hailo-8 but improved.”

The Hailo-15 series is designed for multitasking, making it ideal for multi-sensor smart cameras. It offers 7 to 20 TOPS of INT8 performance, depending on the part number. Hailo-15H offers the highest performance with 20 TOPS, followed by Hailo-15M with 11 TOPS and Hailo-15L with 7 TOPS. The power consumption of the chips depends on the load, but today customers use less than 2 watts.

Hailo CEO Orr Danon said customers are looking for solutions that will allow them to reuse their software investment across multiple environments, whether it’s a camera or a gateway. The Hailo-15 series solves this problem by using the same technology stack as the Hailo-8, which is new and improved, yet fully compatible with various forms of deployment.

Customers usually buy the Hailo-8 or Hailo-15 series, but some installations may use both. For example, image processing can be performed at the endpoint, and streams from multiple cameras are combined at the gateway. The Hailo-15 series offers customers the flexibility to use third party CPUs and DSPs without a RISC-V license. Danon stated that DSP is an effective tool to bridge the gap between CPU and AI accelerator by offering a more efficient AI processing solution.

In addition to improving image quality, AI can be used for multiple tasks at the same time, including low-light performance and digital zoom. These applications are common in smartphone cameras but not yet implemented in IP cameras. Hailo’s new product line offers a cost-effective and compact solution for customers looking to expand the capabilities of their IP cameras.

The National Cybersecurity Strategy, unveiled by the Biden-Harris administration, aims to shift responsibility for the security of IoT devices and software from end users to manufacturers and developers. The 39-page paper highlights that too much of the responsibility for cybersecurity falls on the end user, and aims to balance that responsibility so that it is more efficient and fair. The strategy recognizes that software and systems are becoming increasingly complex, benefiting businesses and consumers, but also increasing our collective insecurity.

The document identifies five pillars around which the strategy is built. The first component aims to protect critical infrastructure to give the American people confidence in the availability and resilience of critical infrastructure and the essential services it provides. The second pillar aims to undermine and eliminate threat actors using all the tools of national power to render malicious cyber actors unable to threaten the national security or public safety of the United States.

The third pillar aims to create market forces for security and resilience by holding those within the digital ecosystem best placed to mitigate risks and address the impact of poor cybersecurity on the most vulnerable. This will make digital ecosystems more reliable.

The fourth pillar is about investing in a sustainable future through strategic investment and coordinated joint action. The United States will continue to lead the world in safe and sustainable next-generation technology and infrastructure innovation. This includes prioritizing research and development in areas such as post-quantum cryptography, digital identity, and clean energy infrastructure, as well as developing a diverse national cybersecurity workforce.

Finally, the fifth component aims to establish international partnerships to achieve common goals. The United States strives for a world where responsible state behavior in cyberspace is expected and encouraged, and where irresponsible behavior is isolating and costly.

The strategy also notes that too often new features and technologies are superimposed on already complex and fragile systems at the expense of security and resiliency. The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence systems, which can act in unexpected ways, increases the complexity and risk associated with many of our most important technological systems.

Overall, the National Cybersecurity Strategy released by the Biden-Harris administration aims to address the growing complexity and risks associated with cybersecurity. By shifting responsibility to manufacturers and developers, investing in a sustainable future, and forging international partnerships, the United States is committed to making cyberspace more secure and trustworthy.

Classiq has launched a program dedicated to research and education in the field of quantum software for universities and educational institutions. The program offers access to the advanced Classiq quantum computing platform and Microsoft Azure Quantum cloud access to quantum computing, allowing university professors, students, and researchers to teach courses and conduct research on all aspects of quantum computing.

Classiq CEO Nir Minerbi said the program is an integral part of the company’s broader strategy to expand the reach of the platform and grow the quantum computing business. The program will provide students with the tools and knowledge they need to learn the practical skills of quantum software development, as well as provide researchers with optimized tools for developing advanced quantum computing algorithms.

Minerbi believes the program will have a significant impact on the quantum computing community by promoting education and research in the field and helping to drive innovation and progress in the industry. Classiq and Microsoft are among the leading companies developing software for quantum computing. The quantum stack developed by the firms advances Microsoft’s vision of quantum programming languages.

The Classiq platform is designed to model algorithms at a much higher level of abstraction than the low-level tools that have been used so far, improving design and implementation methods. Minerbi notes that the future of quantum computing is being driven by exciting developments in hardware, with computing power and qubits scaling faster than previously thought. However, there are significant challenges when it comes to programming quantum software that can take full advantage of this growing power.

As a leader in quantum computing software development automation, Classiq is well positioned to drive the growth of the industry. Its platform is designed to be scalable and flexible, with the introduction of high-level user-defined functions, automatic hardware optimization, and intelligent circuit synthesis. With the Classiq platform, users can already develop quantum code for computers with more than 1000 qubits.

The differences between classical and quantum programming make it difficult to find quantum programmers due to the difficulty of creating quantum software. Quantum programmers must have knowledge of both software development and quantum physics. The Classiq program will allow researchers to test, validate and run their quantum programs on real hardware, providing valuable real-world experience. Ultimately, the program will have a significant impact on the quantum computing community, promoting education and research in the field, and spurring innovation and progress in the industry.