Processor

The top-tier Snapdragon processors are usually the chipsets of choice for flagship Android phones, and Qualcomm just unveiled the mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC) that's going to appear in plenty of 2021 handsets: the Snapdragon 888.

Engineers at EPFL have created a new computer chip that can both process and store data in the same circuit. It’s made using a two-dimensional material called molybdenum disulfide, paving the way for smaller and more energy efficient electronics.

Intel has unveiled its new generation of laptop processors. Codenamed Tiger Lake, the new 11th Gen Intel Core processors are much faster than their predecessors for office work, gaming and content creation.

Intel has revealed its latest generation desktop processors. The 10th Gen Intel Core S-series is faster for playing games, streaming content and editing video, with the company claiming the flagship model to be the “world’s fastest gaming processor.”

Computers still pale in comparison to nature’s version – the brain. Now Intel has unveiled its most powerful “neuromorphic” computing system. Named Pohoiki Springs, it packs in 100 million neurons, putting it on par with the brain of a small mammal.

Engineers from MIT and the University of Colorado have developed a new microfabrication technique and used it to produce the smallest 3D transistors ever made, measuring about a third the size of the current leading commercial products.

As it has in the past, Samsung just given us a sneak preview of the Exynos processor chip that's going to be powering its flagship phones over the next 12 months. The Exynos 9820 brings with it a dedicated AI engine, faster connectivity, and a 15-20 percent performance boost over its predecessor.

With the quantum computing race heating up, it feels like we’re hurtling towards quantum supremacy, when a quantum computer outperforms a classical one for the first time. Google has now unveiled Bristlecone, a new quantum computer chip with the record-setting power of 72 quantum bits (qubits).

Intel has used CES to unveil a new kind of processor with a Radeon GPU built right into it. By embedding a Radeon RX Vega M Graphics chip into an 8th Gen Intel Core CPU, the new configuration can share power and data more efficiently and boost the graphical grunt in smaller devices.

We've already seen next-generation mobile chips from Qualcomm and Huawei in recent months, and now Samsung has joined the party by unveiling the Exynos 9 Series 9810. The chip features an upgraded processor, support for faster cellular speeds, and neural network capacity for AI-powered apps.

​To keep up with a constant flood of data, computer makers have thrown more processing cores at the problem. Forging a different path, HPE has overhauled the architecture itself to put memory at the center of the system, showcasing it through a prototype it calls The Machine.

Several benefits previously exclusive to Qualcomm's high-end 800 series processors are coming to the mid-ranged 600 series. If smartphone makers push these chips to their full capabilities, budget phones could have much more to offer.