Training and inference: Two faces of AI compute
There are two major workloads that make up AI compute: training and inference. Training looks back. It digests a frozen body of past text, images and code, and distills it into weights. Inference looks forward. It takes those weights and, one…
Reducing I/O requirements for optical detection
Although this project may be a bit esoteric, the concepts shown to reduce I/O requirements can also be applied to other systems.
I designed a device that has, as part of its function, multiple pipes which are referred to as silos. These silos…
Continuity testing in semiconductor ATE: Fundamentals and test methods
Continuity is the first and most basic test performed on a device (chip). It checks the electrical connections between the device under test (DUT) and the automatic test equipment (ATE). Its purpose is to confirm that:
No device pin is shorted…
An Apple-plus-Google adapter that’s AI in name only (sigh)
Is there actually any AI in the “AI Box”? Highly doubtful. That said, it’s still reasonably durable, along with being platform-nimble. And the price-attractiveness is indisputable.
Sorry, readers. To quote baseball terminology, when it…
Demystifying feed-through capacitors: How to stop EMI in its tracks
When standard capacitors succumb to parasitic inductance, feed-through capacitors (or feed-thrus) step in to save the day. Here is how these three-terminal devices act as the ultimate shield against high-frequency EMI.
Step into the EMI compliance…
Consumer and industrial IoT drive wireless chip market
The development of IoT devices for consumer and industrial markets continues to drive the need for next-generation wireless chips. At the same time, accelerating demand for Wi-Fi 6 and 7, Bluetooth 5.x/6 and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), and edge…
Truchet tiles
One uninterrupted zone of these patterns can extend for a great distance, seemingly going virtually forever.
Truchet tiles are named for their inventor, Sébastien Truchet, 1657-1729. Their basic structure is simplicity itself (Figure 1).
Figure…
The state of AI-powered innovation in blood pressure monitoring
Despite advances in healthcare technology, blood pressure measurement has largely remained unchanged for decades. Across hospitals, clinics, and homes, cuff-based devices continue to be the primary method for monitoring cardiovascular health.
While…
RF chips, modules power the way from 5G to 6G
The 5G RF chip and module industry continues to evolve around the split between sub-6-GHz and mmWave signal chains, the increasing demand for more integration in front-end modules (FEMs), and the growing use of gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifiers…
Power Tips #157: Reducing conducted EMI in 48V automotive USB Type-C EPR designs
This tutorial examines conducted EMI behavior using an Extended Power Range (EPR) (≥100W) USB Power Delivery (PD) reference design.
Automotive electrical systems are moving beyond the traditional 12V rail toward 48V architectures. The higher…
How a 650-V GaN device shrinks footprint in space-constrained data center racks
Design engineers building megawatt-scale AI data centers are running out of board space and thermal headroom before they hit their power limits. That’s because as rack power climbs from roughly 120 kW toward the megawatt scale, space and heat…
Ethernet in automation: Industrial networking entering a new phase
Industrial Ethernet is becoming the foundation of modern automation. From connected production lines and robotics to machine vision, edge computing and AI-driven systems, Ethernet is the communication backbone that enables industrial organizations…
