Kurumi · · 5 min read OLIX Raises $312M for Photonic AI Inference Chips
UK startup OLIX raised $312M at a $3.3B valuation for its optical AI inference chips, backed by Arm and Reed Hastings. What the photonic bet means.
#AI
#Chips
#Markets
Topic
#Chips
18 posts tagged “Chips”.
Kurumi · · 5 min read 
Chisato · · 5 min read US Chinese Optical Transceiver Ban: What to Know
The Trump administration is drafting an FCC ban on Chinese optical transceivers for US data centers. Who wins, who loses, and what it means for AI.
#Chips
#Policy
#Markets
Kurumi · · 6 min read Terafab: Tesla and SpaceX's $16.8B Texas Chip Fab
Tesla and SpaceX confirmed Terafab, a $16.8B first-phase chip fab in Grimes County, Texas, with plans to reach 1 terawatt of compute a year. The details.
#Semiconductors
#Tesla
#SpaceX
Chisato · · 5 min read Cache Coherence and the MESI Protocol, Explained
Cache coherence keeps each CPU core's private cache consistent with the others. The MESI protocol is the classic mechanism that makes it work.
#Hardware
#Computer Science
#Chips
Chisato · · 4 min read Branch Prediction and Out-of-Order Execution Explained
Branch prediction guesses which way an if-statement will go before the CPU knows, and out-of-order execution reorders instructions to keep pipelines full.
#Hardware
#Computer Science
#Chips
Chisato · · 4 min read What Is an ASIC? Application-Specific Chips Explained
An ASIC is a chip custom-built for one task, trading flexibility for speed and power efficiency. How ASICs differ from GPUs and FPGAs, and when to use one.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Semiconductors
Kurumi · · 6 min read Korea's $950B US Chip Deal: Samsung, SK Hynix, Nvidia
Samsung and SK Hynix signed roughly $950 billion in chip-supply deals with US tech giants including Nvidia at Korea's San Francisco AI summit. The breakdown.
#Chips
#Markets
#Memory
Chisato · · 4 min read Nvidia–SK Group $500B Deal: HBM Supply, AI Factory
Nvidia and SK Group unveiled a $500B+ AI partnership locking in SK Hynix HBM4 supply and a 2GW AI factory in Korea. Here are the details and what to watch.
#Nvidia
#Chips
#AI
Chisato · · 4 min read What Is CXL (Compute Express Link)?
CXL is an interconnect standard that lets CPUs, GPUs, and memory devices share coherent memory over PCIe, enabling memory pooling and expansion.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Cloud
Chisato · · 7 min read Nvidia Vera CPU Specs: Olympus Cores, SPEC Benchmarks
Nvidia detailed its Vera CPU — 88 custom Olympus cores, 1.2 TB/s memory, and SPEC CPU 2026 scores that edge AMD's Epyc dual-socket flagship.
#Chips
#Nvidia
#Hardware
Chisato · · 4 min read What Is a DPU (Data Processing Unit)?
A DPU is a specialized chip that offloads networking, storage, and security tasks from the CPU. How data processing units fit alongside CPUs and GPUs.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Performance
Chisato · · 4 min read What Is a Semiconductor Process Node?
A process node like '5nm' or '3nm' names a chipmaker's manufacturing generation, not a literal measurement anymore. Here's what the number means.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Performance
Chisato · · 5 min read RISC vs CISC: Instruction Set Architectures Explained
RISC and CISC are two philosophies for CPU instruction sets — simple fixed-length instructions versus fewer, complex ones. How they differ and why.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Performance
Chisato · · 4 min read What Is a System on Chip (SoC)? Hardware Explained
A system on chip packs a CPU, GPU, memory controller, and other components onto one die — the design behind phones, laptops, and most modern chips.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Performance
Chisato · · 5 min read ARM vs x86: CPU Architecture Compared
ARM and x86 are the two dominant CPU instruction set architectures — how RISC vs CISC design differs and why it affects power and performance.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Performance
Chisato · · 4 min read What Is an FPGA? Reconfigurable Chips Explained
An FPGA is a chip whose logic circuits can be reconfigured after manufacturing, sitting between fixed-function ASICs and general-purpose CPUs in flexibility.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Performance
Chisato · · 6 min read SambaNova Raises $1B at $11B, Lands JPMorgan
AI chipmaker SambaNova closed the first tranche of a $1B Series F at an $11B valuation and named JPMorgan Chase as an on-prem inference customer. The details.
#AI
#Semiconductors
#Chips
Chisato · · 4 min read What Is Moore's Law? Chip Scaling, Explained
Moore's Law is the observation that transistor density on a chip roughly doubles every couple of years. Why it drove decades of gains, and why it's slowing.
#Hardware
#Chips
#Computer Science