 In March 2019, Intel Corporation announced that it has contributed the Thunderbolt protocol specification to the USB Promoter Group. The USB Promoter Group also announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, based on the Thunderbolt protocol. The convergence of the underlying Thunderbolt and USB protocols will increase compatibility among USB Type-C connector-based products, simplifying how people connect their devices. (Credit: Tim Herman/Intel Corporation)
What’s New: Intel is well on its way to making the innovation delivered with Thunderbolt™ 3 available to everyone. Today, Intel announced that it contributed the Thunderbolt protocol specification to the USB Promoter Group, enabling other chipmakers to build Thunderbolt-compatible silicon, royalty-free. In addition, the USB Promoter Group announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, based on the Thunderbolt protocol. The convergence of the underlying Thunderbolt and USB protocols will increase compatibility among USB Type-C connector-based products, simplifying how people connect their devices.
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December 20th, 2018 by intel
Qualcomm’s Patent Litigation Campaign isn’t Really about Vindicating Intellectual Property Rights
 By Steven Rodgers
Competition authorities around the world have repeatedly found Qualcomm’s licensing practices unlawful, yet Qualcomm continues to try to achieve the same results through a campaign of patent lawsuits. These lawsuits have been largely unsuccessful, and at best would reduce innovation and raise prices.
Qualcomm’s goal is not to vindicate its intellectual property rights, but rather to drive competition out of the market for premium modem chips, and to defend a business model that ultimately harms consumers. As we’ve noted before, in the last several years, Qualcomm has been fined nearly a billion dollars in China, $850 million in Korea, $1.2 billion by the European Commission and $773 million in Taiwan (later reduced in a settlement) for anti-competitive practices.
More: Qualcomm’s Rhetoric Pierced
Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission continues to pursue claims against Qualcomm in federal court for alleged violation of U.S. antitrust law. Just last month, the Northern California federal district court rejected Qualcomm’s arguments that it has a legal basis for its refusal to license its standards-essential patents to modem chip competitors. Judge Lucy Koh rejected Qualcomm’s strained arguments that its conduct has a basis in the rules of its standards bodies participation. She concluded that, “Qualcomm never attempts to explain how discrimination against modem chip suppliers is consistent with the stated purposes of the IPR policies.”
Read the rest of Another Attempt to Stifle Competition
Tags: Intel, lawsuite, Qualcomm
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December 3rd, 2018 by intel
What’s New: Today, “Nature” published a research paper on the next generation of logic devices authored by researchers from Intel, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The paper describes a magneto-electric spin-orbit (MESO) logic device, invented by Intel. MESO devices have the potential to lower voltage by 5 times and energy by 10-30 times when combined with ultralow sleep state power, as compared to today’s complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS). While Intel is pursuing CMOS scaling, the company has been working on computing logic options that will emerge in the next decade for the beyond-CMOS era, driving computing energy-efficiency and allowing performance to grow across diverse computing architectures
“We are looking for revolutionary, not evolutionary, approaches for computing in the beyond-CMOS era. MESO is built around low-voltage interconnects and low-voltage magneto-electrics. It brings together quantum materials innovation with computing. We are excited about the progress we have made and are looking forward to future demonstrations of reducing the switching voltage even further toward its potential.”
–Ian Young, Intel Senior Fellow and director of the Exploratory Integrated Circuits group in the Technology and Manufacturing Group
Why it Matters: Intel researchers invented the MESO device, with the memory, interconnect and logic requirements of future computing needs in mind. The MESO device was prototyped at Intel using quantum materials with emergent quantum behaviors at room temperature, with magneto-electric materials developed by Ramamoorthy Ramesh at UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. MESO also utilizes spin-orbit transduction effects described by Albert Fert at Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales.
“MESO is a device built with room temperature quantum materials,” said Sasikanth Manipatruni, senior staff scientist and director of Intel Science and Technology Center on Functional Electronics Integration and Manufacturing. “It is an example of what is possible, and hopefully triggers innovation across industry, academia and the national labs. A number of critical materials and techniques are yet to be developed to allow the new type of computing devices and architectures.”
More Context: Magnetoelectric Spin-Orbit Logic with Non-volatility and Energy Efficiency (DOI) (Nature)
Tags: CMOS, MESO
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September 24th, 2018 by intel
What’s New: Intel today announced details on the expansion of its portfolio of 100G silicon photonics transceivers beyond the data center and into the network edge. At the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) in Rome, Intel unveiled specifics on new silicon photonics products that are optimized to accelerate the movement of massive amounts of data being generated by new 5G use cases and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The latest 100G silicon photonics transceivers are optimized to meet the bandwidth requirements of next-generation communications infrastructure while withstanding harsh environmental conditions.
 Intel Corporation’s portfolio of 100G silicon photonics transceivers are optimized to meet the bandwidth requirements of next-generation communications infrastructure while withstanding harsh environmental conditions. (Credit: Intel Corporation) “Our hyperscale cloud customers are currently using Intel’s 100G silicon photonics transceivers to deliver high-performance data center infrastructure at scale. By extending this technology outside the data center and into 5G infrastructure at the edge of the network, we can provide the same benefits to communications service providers while supporting 5G fronthaul bandwidth needs.”
– Dr. Hong Hou, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Silicon Photonics Product Division
Why It’s Important: In the data-centric era, the ability to move, store and process data is paramount. Intel’s 100G silicon photonics solutions deliver tremendous value by offering fast, reliable and cost-effective connectivity. The industry’s move to 5G, along with a ramp in existing network traffic such as video streaming, is straining existing communications infrastructure that must support an expanded spectrum range including mmWaves, massive MIMO and network densification. Intel’s latest 100G silicon photonics transceivers meet the bandwidth demands of 5G wireless fronthaul applications. These transceivers are designed to meet the harsh outdoor conditions of cellular towers with the capability to support optical transport to the nearest baseband unit or central office (up to 10 km).
Read the rest of Intel Targets 5G Infrastructure with Latest Silicon Photonics Technology
Tags: 5G, ECOC, European Conference on Optical Communication, Intel, IOT, Photonics
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August 8th, 2018 by intel
Intel outlines vision for reimagining memory and storage with Optane + QLC. Intel is reimagining the memory-and-storage market and igniting a new era of computing with a combination of two unique memory technologies in memory and storage solutions no one in the industry currently offers: Intel® Optane™ and Intel® QLC 3D NAND.
 Intel is reimagining the memory-and-storage market and igniting a new era of computing with the combination of Intel Optane and Intel QLC 3D NAND technologies. (Credit: Peter Belanger Photography) “Intel Optane and 3D NAND technologies ensure computer and storage architects and developers can access vital data where and when they need it. The two technologies bridge the wide gap that exists between data that’s being worked on and data that’s waiting to be accessed.”
– Rob Crooke, senior vice president and general manager of the Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group at Intel
Why It’s Important: The combination of Intel Optane and Intel QLC 3D NAND technologies allows customers to accelerate the speed of their most frequently accessed data, while utilizing the value flash technology delivers over HDDs for massive capacity storage. Intel’s aim is to break bottlenecks and deliver better solutions to unleash the value of data.
How It’s Used: Optane has already had an impact throughout the world. Here are a few examples:
- Intel Optane SSDs integrated into IBM Cloud’s bare metal servers have enabled up to 7.5 times improvement — especially for applications that have high write-intensive operations.
- Using Intel Optane Technology, the University of Pisa has reduced MRI scan times from 42 minutes to 4 minutes.
- Intel Optane has enabled IFLYTEK, a Chinese information technology company, to enable faster voice and facial recognition services.
Intel’s QLC 3D NAND products announced today at Flash Memory Summit deliver new memory and storage solutions: Tencent, employing the new QLC PCIe Intel® SSD D5-P4320 in an initial production environment, increased by 10 times the number of customers served on a per-system basis.
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Tags: Intel, NAND, Optane, QLC, SSD
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What’s New: The Smithsonian American Art Museum* (SAAM) exhibition, “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man,” is now available in virtual reality (VR) through Sansar*, the premier destination for social VR. Powered by Intel technology, this recently announced partnership will make iconic artwork more accessible and interactive through virtual reality.
 Marco Cochrane, “Truth is Beauty,” 2017. Powered by Intel technology, the Smithsonian American Art Museum?s exhibition, “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man,” was digitally captured and processed into an immersive virtual reality experience, now available via the Sansar platform. (Credit: Smithsonian Institution) “Intel empowers the creator to take their work to the next level. Technology has the potential to achieve new goals and ambitions for museums and galleries. Immersive technologies, like virtual reality, unlock new and exciting ways to experience art and exhibits. Fans can now check out “No Spectators” from their own home. Without Intel’s high-performance processors, these experiences would not be possible.”
– Raj Puran, director of immersive technology business development at Intel Corporation
Read the rest of Explore Smithsonian American Art Museum Exhibition, Now Live in Virtual Reality
Tags: Intel, No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man, SAAM, Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Intel’s partnership with the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation (CFCHC) to protect and preserve the Jiankou section of the Great Wall of China is underway. And experts from Wuhan University LIESMARS have been added to the project, leveraging Intel technologies to preserve the wall more efficiently and safely than before.
An Intel Falcon 8+ drone is prepared for aerial inspection of the Great Wall of China. In 2018, Intel Corporation announced a partnership with the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation to protect and restore the Great Wall of China. (Credit: Intel Corporation
This is the next step in Intel’s recently announced commitment to inspect and preserve the Jiankou section of the Great Wall. By incorporating advanced technologies into this partnership, Intel is giving conservationists new tools to protect history and help preserve one of the great architectural wonders of the world.
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Tags: CFCHC, china, Falcon, GreatWall, Intel, Jiankou
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 What’s New: Today at Baidu* Create in Beijing, Intel Vice President Gadi Singer shared a series of collaborations with Baidu on artificial intelligence (AI), including powering Baidu’s Xeye* a new AI retail camera with Intel® Movidius™ vision processing units (VPUs); highlighting Baidu’s plans to offer workload acceleration as a service using Intel® FPGAs; and optimizing PaddlePaddle*, Baidu’s deep learning framework for Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors.
“From enabling in-device intelligence, to providing data center scale on Intel Xeon Scalable processors, to accelerating workloads with Intel FPGAs, to making it simpler for PaddlePaddle developers to code across platforms, Baidu is taking advantage of Intel’s products and expertise to bring its latest AI advancements to life.”
–Gadi Singer, vice president and architecture general manager, Artificial Intelligence Products Group, Intel
How the Camera Works: Baidu’s Xeye camera uses Intel® Movidius™ Myriad™ 2 VPUs to deliver low-power, high-performance visual intelligence for retailers. Thanks to Intel’s purpose-built VPU solutions coupled with Baidu’s advanced machine learning algorithms, the camera can analyze objects and gestures, while also detecting people to provide personalized shopping experiences in retail settings.
Read the rest of Intel AI at Baidu Create: AI Camera, FPGA-based Acceleration and Xeon Scalable Optimizations for Deep Learning
Tags: Acceleration, AI, artificial intelligence, Baidu, camera, nGraph, PaddlePaddle
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Intel and Ecosystem Partners Introduce New Solutions to Secure Data in Emerging Technologies
 By Rick Echevarria
The future of a trusted and secure computing environment hinges on our collective ability to deliver solutions that improve the performance across a variety of workloads, while also optimizing security.
This week, at Cyber Week in Israel, I am joined by partners, customers, and cybersecurity industry and policy leaders from across the globe. Intel is committed to providing silicon-based security solutions that address the most pressing issues. There are three key themes at the conference, highlighting the challenges and opportunities facing our industry.
Emerging Workloads Deliver More Data to Analyze and Secure
Incoming data is increasingly difficult to effectively leverage without the computing power to process and learn from its growing volume and complexity. Machine learning (ML) algorithms, and other artificial intelligence (AI) applications and capabilities, have achieved remarkable results and are being extensively used in different domains. ML algorithms often require access to sensitive data, especially as the focus on data privacy increases around the world. Limiting access to the right data may limit the outcomes that can be achieved with the use of AI. In the case of blockchain, the security and privacy of data join transaction scalability as key technical considerations.
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Tags: blockchain, Intel, security
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Intel researchers are taking new steps toward quantum computers by testing a tiny new “spin qubit” chip. The new chip was created in Intel’s D1D Fab in Oregon using the same silicon manufacturing techniques that the company has perfected for creating billions of traditional computer chips. Smaller than a pencil’s eraser, it is the tiniest quantum computing chip Intel has made.
 A 2018 photo shows Intel’s new quantum computing chip balanced on a pencil eraser. Researchers started testing this “spin qubit chip” at the extremely low temperatures necessary for quantum computing: about 460 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Intel projects that qubit-based quantum computers, which operate based on the behaviors of single electrons, could someday be more powerful than today’s supercomputers. (Credit: Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation) The new spin qubit chip runs at the extremely low temperatures required for quantum computing: roughly 460 degrees below zero Fahrenheit – 250 times colder than space.
The spin qubit chip does not contain transistors – the on/off switches that form the basis of today’s computing devices – but qubits (short for “quantum bits”) that can hold a single electron. The behavior of that single electron, which can be in multiple spin states simultaneously, offers vastly greater computing power than today’s transistors, and is the basis of quantum computing.
The zigzag lines in the photo are printed wires connecting the chip’s qubits to the outside world.
One feature of Intel’s tiny new spin qubit chip is especially promising. Its qubits are extraordinarily small – about 50 nanometers across and visible only under an electron microscope. About 1,500 qubits could fit across the diameter of a single human hair.
This means the design for new Intel spin qubit chip could be dramatically scaled up. Future quantum computers will contain thousands or even millions of qubits — and will be vastly more powerful than today’s fastest supercomputers.
Tags: Intel, multiple spin states, quantum bits, Qubits, spin qubit
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By Rick Echevarria
