Processor

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.

Computer data commutes from the system memory to the processor, but now researchers have found a way to help that data effectively work from home. The team is developing chips that can process information where it’s stored, potentially allowing for faster, smaller and more efficient devices.

Swarm, a new chip architecture developed at MIT, automates critical aspects of parallel processing to speed up multi-core CPUs by up to 75 times, while requiring programmers to write a fraction of the code​.

Equipped with 10,649,600 computing cores and capable of carrying out some 93 quadrillion calculations per second, the world's fastest supercomputer has just been announced: Twice and fast and three times as efficient as its nearest rival

At Computex 2016 in Taiwan this week, Intel announced a new line of high-end CPUs, including a beefy 10-core processor. The Core i7 processor Extreme Edition is designed for gaming in 4K and VR, as well as performance-hungry content creation like editing 4K or 360 videos.

In February, Qualcomm ushered in its SnapDragon Wear line with the 2100 SoC designed as the brain for multi-purpose wearable devices such as smartwatches. At Computex 2016 the company has extended the line with the SnapDragon Wear 1100 intended for smaller, targeted-purpose wearables.