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Wafer-scale technology is making waves again, this time promising to enable artificial intelligence (AI) models with trillions of parameters to run faster and more efficiently than traditional GPU-based systems. Engineers at The University of California, Riverside (UCR) claim to have developed a chip the size of a frisbee that can move massive amounts of data without overheating or consuming excessive electricity.

They call these massive chips wafer-scale accelerators, which Cerebras manufactured on dinner plate-sized silicon wafers. These wafer-scale processors can deliver far more computing power with much greater energy efficiency, traits that are essential as AI models continue to grow larger and more demanding.

The dinner plate-sized silicon wafers are in stark contrast to postage stamp-sized GPUs, which are now considered essential in AI designs because they can perform multiple computational tasks like processing images, language, and data streams in parallel.

However, as AI model complexity increases, even high-end GPUs are starting to hit performance and energy limits, says Mihri Ozkan, a professor of electrical and computer engineering in UCR’s Bourns College of Engineering and the lead author of the paper published in the journal Device.

Figure 1 Wafer-Scale Engine 3 (WSE-3), manufactured by Cerebras, avoids the delays and power losses associated with chip-to-chip communication. Source: The University of California, Riverside

“AI computing isn’t just about speed anymore,” Ozkan added. “It’s about designing systems that can move massive amounts of data without overheating or consuming excessive electricity.” He compared GPUs to busy highways, which are effective, but traffic jams waste energy. “Wafer-scale engines are more like monorails: direct, efficient, and less polluting.”

The Cerebras Wafer-Scale Engine 3 (WSE-3), developed by UCR engineers, contains 4 trillion transistors and 900,000 AI-specific cores on a single wafer. Moreover, as Cerebras reports, inference workloads on the WSE-3 system use one-sixth the power of equivalent GPU-based cloud setups.

Then there is Tesla’s Dojo D1, another wafer-scale accelerator, which contains 1.25 trillion transistors and nearly 9,000 cores per module. These wafer-scale chips are engineered to eliminate the performance bottlenecks that occur when data travels between multiple smaller chips.

Figure 2 Dojo D1 chip, released in 2021, aims to enhance full self-driving and autopilot systems. Source: Tesla

However, as UCR’s Ozkan acknowledges, heat remains a challenge. With thermal design power reaching 10,000 watts, wafer-scale chips require advanced cooling. Here, Cerebras uses a glycol-based loop built into the chip package, while Tesla employs a coolant system that distributes liquid evenly across the chip surface.

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• Cerebras’ Third-Gen Wafer-Scale Chip Doubles Performance
• Cerebras Wafer-Scale Chip will Power Scottish Supercomputer

The post Wafer-scale chip claims to offer GPU alternative for AI models appeared first on EDN.

As part of its efforts to strengthen its capital structure, Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — has entered into a restructuring support agreement (RSA) with key lenders, including (i) holders of more than 97% of its senior secured notes, (ii) Renesas Electronics Corp’s US subsidiary, and (iii) convertible debtholders holding more than 67% of the outstanding convertible notes. The transactions envisioned by the RSA are expected to reduce the firm’s overall debt by about 70% ($4.6bn) and to reduce annual total cash interest payments by about 60%..

Materials innovation company Diamond Technologies Inc (DTI) of Hudson, MA, USA (which is developing and commercializing diamond-based solutions for semiconductors, aerospace, defense, optics and industrial applications) has acquired the complete asset portfolio of AKHAN Semiconductor Inc of Gurnee, Lake County, IL, USA (which was founded in 2013 and specializes in the fabrication and application of synthetic, lab-grown, electronics-grade diamond materials)...

Aeluma Inc of Goleta, CA, USA — which develops compound semiconductor materials on large-diameter substrates — has announced a contract with the US Navy that could accelerate development of high-speed photodetectors for government and commercial applications...

Tokyo-based Oki Electric Industry Co Ltd, in collaboration with Japan-based NTT Innovative Devices Corp, has established mass-production technology for high-power terahertz devices using its proprietary crystal film bonding (CFB) technology for heterogeneous material bonding to bond indium phosphide (InP)-based uni-traveling carrier photodiodes (UTC-PD) (a PiN junction photodiode that selectively uses electrons as active carriers) onto silicon carbide (SiC) with what are claimed to be excellent heat dissipation characteristics for improved bonding yields. UTC-PDs could operate faster and with much wider output linearity simply by excluding the hole transport contribution to the diode operation...

Chicago-based fabless firm Tagore Technology Inc — which was founded in 2011 and has design centers in Arlington Heights, IL, USA and Kolkata, India developing gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology for RF and power management applications — has launched the TSL8028N, a compact, high-performance receiver front-end module tailored for demanding wireless infrastructure and radar applications operating in the 2–5GHz frequency range...

Electronics Standards and Certifications Leader Unveils New Vision and Mission for Supply Chain Harmonization and Advocacy, Releases Global Trade Flows Study

A new chapter begins for IPC as it officially becomes the Global Electronics Association, reflecting its role as the voice of the electronics industry. Guided by the vision of “Better electronics for a better world,” the Global Electronics Association (electronics.org) is dedicated to enhancing supply chain resilience and promoting accelerated growth through engagement with more than 3,000- member companies, thousands of partners, and dozens of governments across the globe.

“The Board’s support and approval of this transformation shows our collective recognition that the electronics industry has fundamentally changed. The Association has expanded well beyond its beginning in printed circuit boards – we’re enabling AI, autonomous vehicles, next-generation communications, and much more,” said Tom Edman, board chair of the Global Electronics Association and president and CEO of TTM Technologies. “As we chart our path forward with our new name, we will continue and elevate our efforts to build partnerships between governments and industries, foster new investment, drive innovation across the industry, and minimize disruptions in the electronics supply chain.”

As part of its new mission, the Association is increasing resources to strengthen advocacy, deepen industry insights, and enhance stakeholder communications — all aimed at advancing and elevating the electronics industry. To champion a resilient and growing supply chain, the Association represents the entire ecosystem of diverse subsectors that contribute to this complex industry.

“Electronics today are the backbone of all industries, which makes its supply chain crucial to economies, governments, and everyday life,” said Dr. John W. Mitchell, president and CEO of the Global Electronics Association. “Our new mission and vision position us to work more deeply with industry and our members globally to advocate for the importance of electronics in our continuously changing world.”

The Global Electronics Association will retain the IPC brand for the industry’s standards and certification programs, which are vital to ensure product reliability and consistency. The IPC Education Foundation is now known as the Electronics Foundation, continuing to focus on solving the talent challenges for the electronics industry.

Global Electronics Trade Flows 

The Global Electronics Association also released a trade flows study of the global electronics industry, which now represents more than $1 in every $5 of global merchandise trade. Key findings include:

• Electronics supply chains are more globally integrated than any other industry, surpassing even the automotive sector in cross-border complexity.
• Trade inputs like semiconductors and connectors now exceed trade in finished products such as smartphones and laptops, with global electronics trade totaling $4.5 trillion in 2023, including $2.5 trillion in components alone.
• Top exporters such as China, Vietnam, and India are among the fastest-growing importers of electronic inputs, underscoring the deep interdependence embedded in global electronics production.
• This mutual reliance challenges the viability of reshoring and decoupling strategies, as rising export powers depend on components from across the world.

Mitchell concluded: “Our trade flows analysis reinforces that resilience, not self-sufficiency, is the foundation of competitiveness in the electronics age. No single company or country can stand alone. The complexities of the electronics ecosystem require collaboration and partnership with others. The Global Electronics Association is here to help create a vital and thriving global electronics supply chain through industry, government, and stakeholder collaboration.”

Global Operations Supporting Entire Value Chain

The electronics value chain supported by the Global Electronics Association – from design to final product – encompasses original equipment manufacturers, semiconductors, printed circuit boards, assembly and manufacturing services, harnesses, materials, and equipment suppliers.

The post Global Electronics Association Debuts; New Name Elevates IPC’s 70-Year Legacy as Voice of $6 Trillion Electronics Industry appeared first on ELE Times.

Внаслідок чергової ворожої атаки пошкоджено будівлі кампусу КПІ ім. Ігоря Сікорського kpi пн, 06/23/2025 - 10:04

New old stock form my surplus lot. submitted by /u/Rhine_Labs [link] [comments]

I was modifying a cheap handheld oscilloscope to fit in my diy modular synth but the horizontal layout was a bit too wide for my liking so I did this to rotate the screen 90° ☠️ submitted by /u/TheSnadman [link] [comments]

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These were early version of mask roms from the late 70's if you remove the epoxy over the crystal they become Intel D2716 can erase them and program again. submitted by /u/Rhine_Labs [link] [comments]

Tons of IC's.. So Far 6.5 hours sorting and backing up programmable chips. I live Stream day 1 rather boring https://youtube.com/live/6U9ADQovUoY Day 2 Soon. I sorted out all the programmables near the end and will do another day of backups soon. Some devices were not supported on my Xeltek or i did not have the adapters. So i need to Bust out the BPM Microsytems 1710. submitted by /u/Rhine_Labs [link] [comments]

"Work in progress: rebuilding my Inovonics 222 clone using proper unsound construction techniques." submitted by /u/Linker3000 [link] [comments]

Фотовиставка, присвячена освітньому серіалу «Українські герої та героїні: від минулого до сьогодення» KPI4U-2 сб, 06/21/2025 - 23:19

We don’t really do micro soldering at work so had to do it without a microscope. I did however seal the solder points with epoxy after testing for shorts. submitted by /u/WyKay [link] [comments]

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Випуск ліцеїстів 2025 kpi сб, 06/21/2025 - 11:59

PicoDucky is a minimal RP2350 board designed to be used as a Rubber Ducky (HID Device) or even a Security key! It's tiny and compact and can be plugged directly into any USB Type-A ports. All project files are here submitted by /u/FirefighterDull7183 [link] [comments]

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA – which designs and makes lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules that can be integrated into consumer products, off-grid applications and aerospace applications – has signed a master services agreement with NOVI Space Inc, a Virginia-based space AI infrastructure & compute company that develops and operates AI-powered satellites with their TRL-9 edge computing technology...