Scientists have developed a brain-inspired semiconductor that can adjust its responses based on experience, much like human neurons do through “intrinsic plasticity.”
Category: computing – Page 5
TSMC Fast-Tracks Production of Cutting-Edge Nodes in The US, With A16 (1.6nm) To Now Debut a Year Earlier Amid US-Taiwan Parity Pressure
TSMC plans to accelerate US manufacturing, with its new Arizona fab now expected to introduce high-end nodes, such as the A16, significantly ahead of the original timeline.
For those unaware, there’s still a concern by the US administration around TSMC’s operations in the US and Taiwan, and according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the USG is now demanding that TSMC produce ‘50% of its total chip capacity’ in America, to ensure that the nation is safeguarded from geopolitical tensions between China and Taiwan. According to a report by the Taiwan Economic Daily, the new Arizona Fab 3 is set to introduce 2nm and A16 in America by 2027, a year ahead of the original timeline.
TSMC is currently pursuing mass production of 4nm in its Arizona facility, and 3nm production lines are also being laid, with production expected to commence by year-end. More importantly, TSMC plans to introduce both 2nm and A16 (1.6nm) with TSMC’s fourth Arizona fab by 2027, which means that relative to Taiwan, the US will just be a year behind, which is a considerable progress in just a span of ‘few months’. In general, TSMC’s 2nm production is slated for next quarter, while A16 will be introduced around H2 2026.
Physicists solve mystery of loop current switching in kagome metals
Quantum metals are metals where quantum effects—behaviors that normally only matter at atomic scales—become powerful enough to control the metal’s macroscopic electrical properties.
Researchers in Japan have explained how electricity behaves in a special group of quantum metals called kagome metals. The study is the first to show how weak magnetic fields reverse tiny loop electrical currents inside these metals. This switching changes the material’s macroscopic electrical properties and reverses which direction has easier electrical flow, a property known as the diode effect, where current flows more easily in one direction than the other.
Notably, the research team found that quantum geometric effects amplify this switching by about 100 times. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides the theoretical foundation that could eventually lead to new electronic devices controlled by simple magnets.
Forget numbers—your PIN could consist of a shimmy and a shake
In the near future, you may not need to touch a keypad to select a tip or pay for large purchases. All it may take is a swipe, tap or other quick gesture.
The innovation utilizes near-field communication (NFC), the short-range wireless technology embedded in smartphones, payment cards and terminals, passports and key fobs. UBC computer scientists say it could help prevent the spread of germs through touchpads, speed up transactions, and improve accessibility for users unable to press buttons.
Researchers debuted the technology in a paper at the User Interface Software and Technology conference.
Improved models of heavy ion collisions reveal new details of early universe nuclear matter
A researcher, Heikki Mäntysaari from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), has been part of an international research group that has made significant advances in modeling heavy ion collisions. New computer models provide additional information about the matter in the early universe and improve our understanding of the extremely hot and dense nuclear matter. The work is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Quantum error correction codes enable efficient scaling to hundreds of thousands of qubits
A new class of highly efficient and scalable quantum low-density parity-check error correction codes, capable of performance approaching the theoretical hashing bound, has been developed by scientists at the Institute of Science, Tokyo, Japan. These novel error correction codes can handle quantum codes with hundreds of thousands of qubits, potentially enabling large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing, with applications in diverse fields, including quantum chemistry and optimization problems.
‘A real physical thing’: Quantum computer exhibit at O’Hare seeks to make the technology tangible
Chicago has quickly emerged as a hub for quantum computing, with the state of Illinois and technology companies pouring millions of dollars into developing a campus to build the world’s first commercially viable quantum computer on the city’s Southeast Side.
But what does a quantum computer even look like? And how do they work?
Those are questions that a new exhibit unveiled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport seeks to answer. In Terminal 1, near the massive model of a dinosaur skeleton, travelers of all ages paused on their brisk walks through the concourse to look at the model of the inside of a quantum computer, which resembles a large golden chandelier with four “tiers,” copper wiring and a chip at the bottom. On a screen on one side of the fiberglass case protecting the quantum computer, travelers were able to watch a video explaining the science behind it.
