Intel launches blockchain chip to tap crypto boom

Intel Corp launched a new chip for blockchain applications such as Bitcoin mining and minting NFTs to cash in on the rising usage of cryptocurrencies.

The chip will ship later this year and the first customers include Block Inc, the Jack Dorsey-led firm that recently changed its name from Square Inc to highlight its growing focus on the blockchain.

Blockchains serve as public ledgers that keep records of transactions on a network of computers and have grown in prominence in recent years. Their rise has also triggered a buzz around words like "Web.3" and "NFTs" that tout the decentralization of technologies.

Intel said its chip is an energy-efficient "accelerator" designed to speed up blockchain tasks that require huge amounts of computing power and thereby consume a lot of energy.

Chip designer Nvidia Corp, whose graphics cards are used widely for mining activities, also has a separate chip meant for Ethereum mining.

As a part of furthering its footprint in the space, Intel has also formed a new segment called Custom Compute Group within its Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics business.

-reuters

Intel event invite foreshadows a ‘big’ surprise announcement

While Intel is mysteriously teasing the announcement of “something big” on a press invite for a special event on Sept. 2, there’s little question in the industry as to what hardware reveal is expected to take place.

Earlier this year at the annual CES conference, Intel previewed their laptop-exclusive 11th Gen 10nm Tiger Lake processor, and already various computer makers like Acer have admitted that their upcoming notebooks — which could reach customers as early as this fall — will be powered by this new CPU.

It is extremely likely that this “big” surprise that will make an appearance in September will be Tiger Lake.

Like most other tech gatherings and conferences which have not been canceled in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, this event will take place virtually.

On Sept. 2, we can expect the pricing and specs of these new processors to be detailed.

AFP relaxnews

Microsoft to reportedly launch dual-screen surface device this year

The latest update about Microsoft’s alleged upcoming dual-screen Surface device comes from The Verge who spoke with insiders that confirmed a prototype of the new form factor has been officially revealed to employees.

In December, Windows Central reported that Microsoft is working with Intel to create a dual-screen Surface device with a form factor that allows it to shift from a laptop to a tablet to an even larger laptop.

On Monday, June 3, The Verge confirmed that Microsoft has begun to demonstrate a prototype of the device within the company. According to the technology company’s sources, “Employees even formed long lines to get a closer glimpse at this new Surface device.”

This laptop-tablet hybrid seems to have been in the works for about two years at this point and would serve as both companies’ answer to evolving mobile tech form factors. Reports from 2018 said that Microsoft was working on a dual-screen smartphone called Andromeda, a project that was temporarily halted in favor of developing Centaurus.

If Centaurus does launch, it will likely be a Windows Lite device, a category that is expected to eventually be composed of lightweight Chromebook competitors.

If indeed the device was widely shown and demonstrated within Microsoft, it suggests that the prototype is close to being a production model, the commercial launch could even take place this year. HM/NVG

source: technology.inquirer.net

Researchers find new security flaw in Intel chips

WASHINGTON, United States – Researchers have discovered a new security flaw that could let hackers pry information from supposedly secure virtual vaults in Intel chips, the company warned on Tuesday.

Intel said software updates are already available and it did not appear anyone had taken advantage of the “Foreshadow” vulnerability, which has been likened to troubling “Meltdown” and “Spectre” flaws exposed in computer chips early this year.

“If used for malicious purposes, this class of vulnerability has the potential to improperly infer data values from multiple types of computing devices,” Intel said on its website.


“Intel has worked with operating system vendors, equipment manufacturers, and other ecosystem partners to develop platform firmware and software updates that can help protect systems from these methods,” it said.

The “Meltdown” and “Spectre” flaws roiled the Silicon Valley chip maker, prompting a series of lawsuits and a congressional inquiry about Intel’s handling of the matter

“We are not aware of reports that any of these methods have been used in real-world exploits, but this further underscores the need for everyone to adhere to security best practices,” Intel executive vice president and general manager of product assurance and security said of “Foreshadow” in a post on Intel’s website.

“Once systems are updated, we expect the risk to consumer and enterprise users running non-virtualized operating systems will be low.” /cbb

source: technology.inquirer.net

Intel releases new Xeon processors

Intel has added more chips to its Xeon line in the form of the E7-8800 and E74800 v4 range of processors, which boasts up to 24 cores.

According to a report on Techradar, the high-end Xeon E7-8890 v4 is 1.3 times faster than the previous generation of Xeon cores. The rest of the new line also supports 3TB of memory per socket in an eight-socket system.

These processors are designed for heavy-duty use in data-crunching, analytics and enterprise environments where large datasets are a norm.

The new cores also offer up to 70% more encryption performance to lessen the drain on system resources while maintaining reliable a security solution. Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

Intel says its processors will be ‘conflict-free’

LAS VEGAS, Nevada—Intel says all its processors this year will be made from minerals that don’t hail from mines held by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It’s the first major American technology company to make such a claim. It’s the fruit of four years of work by the company to determine the sources of four crucial metals widely used in electronics manufacturing, tantalum, tungsten, tin and gold.

Eastern Congo is rich in minerals, and other economic activity has been disrupted by nearly two decades of fighting between the government, rogue soldiers and different ethnic groups. There’s been widespread concern that foreign purchases of minerals from mines held by armed groups are fueling the conflict, though many experts say the minerals are not the root cause of the fighting.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Intel set to expand digital literacy program

MANILA, Philippines – As computers continue to become a large part of people’s lives and society as a whole, digital literacy becomes increasingly important so that a person may utilize the technology and improve his life.

International computer technology company Intel said that being able to fully utilize computer technology allows people to uplift their lives and also drive the growth of the economy.

“Definitely education is key … you educate a person, it drives the economy,” Calum Chisholm, Country Manager of Intel Philippines said during the 2013 year-end review and 2014 predictions event last December 10.

Intel is looking toward 2014 and beyond to expand its digital literacy program both in schools and in the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector.

“In 2014, we will start to see digital literacy programs extend beyond school education. Governments need to invest to accelerate digital literacy throughout the community; a digitally literate SME sector will boost Asia’s global trade,” Philip Cronin, Intel Asia Pacific Director for Regional Sales said in a statement.

“Intel is working closely with governments to extend the digital literacy programs to adult communities,” he said.

Intel East Steps program, implemented by the National Computer Center, Commission on ICT, and the Technology Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), has already trained some 54,000 people, Chisholm said.

The primary target of their programs include those who had dropped out of school and the farmers and fishermen some of whom were not able to go to school.

Asked how he would be able to convince a fisherman to learn how to use computers when he might skeptical that it would not directly improve the amount of his catch, Chisholm said “but he might know the price of the fish and where to best sell it to make more money.”

The fisherman could also discover new things to do with the fish he has caught in order to develop a new innovation. “Just some simple things like that can absolutely enhance [their life],” Chisholm said.

“And that’s just the beginning, because actually a lot of the best ideas will come from the fisherman if the [software] developer then goes and talks to them,” he said.

Intel however admitted that there are challenges in improving digital literacy in the Philippines such as the geography, internet connectivity, and affordability of computers.

“Some people don’t even have electricity, connectivity, or internet devices, actually a lot, and that whole digital literacy is still a big challenge here in the Philippine,” Chisholm said.

“Its a big challenge but its something we feel passionately about … that’s our challenge to bring these accessible, affordable devices [to remote regions],” he said.

source: technology.inquirer.net

New Intel Core processors bring more power, capabilities to digital devices

MANILA, Philippines – In the next generation of computer devices, the distinction between desktops, laptops, and smartphones and tablet computers may be even more blurry as they are now.

This reality now seems imminent with the unveiling recently in the Philippines of new Core processors developed by international computer technology company Intel Corp. These processors are expected to pave the way for computers that have the power and speed of desktop computers, the mobility of laptops, and the ease-of-use of smartphones and tablets.

“It’s not clear anymore what’s a computer, what’s a phone, what’s a tablet, all these three are merging, they’re coming together and the lines are being blurred between consumption devices and productivity devices,” Leighton Philipps, Director of Product Marketing for Intel Asia Pacific, said during the launch.

“The usage model is no longer constrained to the desk, the capability we have on the desktop will be taken beyond the desk, the device will actually change [for] the user rather than the user having to change to the device,” he said.

Improved battery life

The latest family of Core processors boasts a 50 percent improvement in battery life from the previous generation through reduced power consumption. This was the biggest improvement in the history of Intel, Philipps said.

Some computers that will be powered by these new processors can have up to nine hours of active battery life use and can last 10 to 13 days on standby.

This is through the scalable architecture of the processor which allows Intel to create several processor “families” that range from a power consumption of 6 watts up to 95 watts, Philipps said.

“What this means is that there is not a computing form factor on the planet that cannot be delivered using this microarchitecture,” he said.

“The fourth generation core is the first time that we have been able to compress the thermal and the wattage down so much that we can now move that processor from under the keyboard to behind the screen,” Philipps added. “We can bring the best of the PC and the best of the tablet into one device.”

Among the computer devices that the fourth generation core will power are ‘‘2-in-1s’’ or laptops that can convert into a tablet by separating the screen from the rest of the body or by folding the screen back.

Philipps said that the spread of touch-enabled devices was driving the change in computers. By the end of the year, 50 percent of devices produced that are not tablets or smartphones will already be touch-enabled.

With the new fourth generation core processors, “100 percent of every Ultrabook built will be touch enabled,” Philipps said.

No compromise

Traditionally, Philipps said there was a hard time balancing between the “trifecta” of form factor, battery life, and performance of computers.

“Historically it was hard to have all three; if you wanted a lot of performance some of your battery life went down,” Philipps said.

“With the fourth generation … any design of product with this microarchitecture does not have to make a compromise, it has the form factor, performance graphics, battery life,” he said.

This was achieved because of the fourth generation’s system-on-chip design that integrates the video processor into the processor eliminating the need for a separate video card and speeding up the encoding process in creating videos.

The latest generation processors will also allow for features such as voice control, movement and gesture recognition, as well as facial recognition that can remember the user’s face even as he grows older, Philipps said.

Industrial application

The new processors will also find use in various industrial sectors such as the health and retail sectors, Intel said.

Computer manufacturers will be able to “design thinner, lighter, and sleeker medical devices such as portable ultrasound equipment and patient monitors or wearable PC’s for fire and police department employees,” Intel said in a statement released during the launch.

“In industrial market segments, this also enables support for smaller form factors in computer intensive applications while helping equipment manufacturers address new environments and save factory floor space,” it said.

Philipps said that removing the keyboard and making these industrial machines fully touch-enabled could make their operation “more natural with touch and even with voice and gesture.”

source: technology.inquirer.net

Look, ma, a laptop and a tablet in one!

MANILA, Philippines – Tired of carrying both a laptop computer and a tablet? Then better get ready for the coming of the convertibles, laptops that have touch-screen monitors that can be bent to resemble a tablet computer.

Ricky Banaag, Intel Philippines country manager, said during the recent Intel’s year end press briefing that a lot of convertibles will hit the Philippine market in 2013.

He cited the recent Windows 8 Experience Study conducted by Intel which showed that 44 percent of people surveyed had chosen convertible laptops over tablets and normal laptops in deciding which device they would like to run Windows 8.

Windows 8 is the latest operating system of Microsoft that can run on mobile devices, tablets, and laptops. Its main feature is that it is best used with touch-screens.

“[Convertibles] have the best of both worlds, the traditional keyboard [and at the same time] a touch-screen,” Banaag said.

The convertible will be able to serve the needs of touch applications and typing applications in just one package “instead of carrying both a tablet and a laptop when going out,” he said.

In today’s world where people have more than one device for their many needs, the convertible will help reduce the need for several devices.

The results of the Windows 8 Experience Study also found that 31 percent of people chose non-convertible laptops with touch-screens and 22 percent chose tablets. Only three percent chose the traditional laptop with no touch-screen.

Several laptop manufacturers have previously announced their convertible laptops which feature touch-screen monitors that can rotate like a revolving door or can be bent completely backwards.

Banaag said that the touch-screen monitors, which are connected to the main body of the laptop through a single or double hinge, had passed extensive stress tests.

“Tablets, convertibles, and new devices will enter the market en masse, blurring the boundaries between PCs and tablets. According to Gartner, by 2015 media tablet shipments will amount to around half that of laptops,” Intel said in their statement.

“As tablets become more popular at work, people will covet improved processing power. People will look to tablets for productivity, moving from consumption to multi-tasking; placing greater processing demands on their devices,” Intel Asia-Pacific director of regional sales organization, Philip Cronin, said in the statement.

People wishing to get their hands on a convertible however, should start saving money as early as now since one could cost P60,000, Banaag said.

source: technology.inquirer.net