Two sizes

The dark satanic rumour mill has spat out a yarn which claims AMD is using 3nm for its low-power Zen 5c and 4nm for standard Zen 5 CPUs.

AMD launched its Zen 4 architecture in September of 2022 on TSMC's 5nm process. This was an upgrade from the TSMC 7nm process it used for Zen 3.

Now that Zen 5 is waiting in the wings for a late 2024 launch, there's speculation as to whether the company will use TSMC's newest 3nm node or stick with 4nm like it's doing with some of its newest Zen 4 chips. According to a new report citing sources in China, the company will use both nodes for Zen 5, which is now set to go into high-volume production in Q3 of this year.

The Chinese site UDN published an article detailing AMD's plans for TSMC's fabs this year, stating that Zen 5 will start production in the second quarter and then move to a high-volume ramp in the third quarter.

 The report's most juicy bit is that UDN states AMD has picked TSMC 3nm for its leading Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Nirvana. However, several sites, including Igor's Lab, say UDN is talking rubbish, as Zen 5 will be made on TSMC 4nm. Instead, the company's low-power Zen 5c cores, codenamed Prometheus, will be the only 3nm parts for AMD's next-gen CPUs. These smaller cores will go into some of the company's Epyc CPUs, where core density is critical. Intel is planning similar Xeon E-core CPUs to battle AMD on this front.

This report goes against previous estimates that Zen 5 was already being made at TSMC, with a launch coming mid-year. AMD is keeping mum about Zen 5 so far, but it's a vital architecture for the company as it hopes to cash in on the rise of AI across its three product lines, including server, desktop, and mobile.

Its "Granite Ridge" desktop chips are expected to be made on TSMC's 4nm node, whereas AMD's mobile CPUs and desktop APUs already use a 4nm process. The whole point of the Chinese-based UDN's reporting seems to be to state that TSMC is going to be very busy this year filling orders for AMD, though there's no mention of Nvidia (or Intel), which will also be placing orders for 3nm products.

For now, the next big show where these things are teased is Computex in May, so maybe we'll find out more in a few months. It would be a let-down for AMD not to move to 3nm for its desktop Zen 5 CPUs, as 4nm is just an "evolution" of the 5nm process it used for Zen 4, but as always, what matters is performance and efficiency.

We already know AMD is sticking with a 16-core, €157 part for its flagship desktop CPU, but it will surely add its Ryzen AI hardware to compete with Intel's Arrow Lake CPUs this time.

Claims iPhones can last longer without any new updates.

Apple has fiddled with the iPhone 15's battery lifespan. The company said its latest iPhones can keep 80 per cent of their original charging capacity after 1,000 cycles — double the previous estimate — without any new hardware or software updates.

All it took was a magical press release, and the phones started charging longer. This is somewhat magical because Apple is usually in trouble over battery issues, so claiming they are suddenly lasting longer is a miracle with raising the dead.

While the Tame Apple Press trumpets this claim without engaging its brain, cynical organs like ourselves think this is just too convenient, given that the change will come just in time for new EU rules that will give phones an energy grade for their battery longevity.

Starting in June 2025, smartphone and tablet makers doing business in the EU will be given a grade (A to G) showing their energy efficiency, battery longevity, protection from dust and water and resistance to accidental drops.

The battery longevity bit of the grade requires at least 800 charging cycles while keeping at least 80 per cent of their original capacity, which explains why Apple started retesting its devices' long-term health.

Before today, Apple's online support documents said iPhone batteries could keep 80 per cent of their original full charge after 500 cycles.

Jobs Mob claims that after it retested long-term battery health in its 2023 smartphones — iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max — it found they can keep 80 per cent capacity after at least 1,000 cycles. The company said its support documents will be updated on Tuesday to reflect the new estimate.

Apple says its testing involved charging and draining the batteries 1,000 times under specific conditions, and many tests reflect common uses. As for how the estimate doubled without any physical or software changes, the company says it's thanks to continual improvements to its battery bits and iOS power management.

For older (pre-2023) iPhones, the original estimate of keeping 80 per cent capacity after 500 charge cycles still stands. Apple said it's looking into whether older models' estimates need to be updated.

Apple recommends keeping your phone in temperatures between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius for ideal battery longevity. You'll also want to avoid charging or leaving your handset in hot places (35 degrees or warmer) while trying to avoid much direct sun exposure.

An alliance made in a Japanese film lot 

Intel has landed a contract to make custom chips for the software King of the world, Microsoft.

Chipzilla has scored a significant coup by getting Vole as a customer for its bespoke chip business, marking a key win for a bold comeback plan under boss Pat Gelsinger.

Vole plans to use Chipzilla's 18A manufacturing technology to make a new chip that the software maker cooked up in-house, the two companies said at a bash on Wednesday.

They didn't name the product, but Vole recently revealed plans for a computer processor and an artificial intelligence booster.

Chipzilla has been trying to show it can compete in the foundry market, where companies make custom chips for clients. It's a big change for the semiconductor trailblazer, which once had the world's best chipmaking facilities and kept them to itself.

These days, Chipzilla is racing to catch up with companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which leads the foundry industry.

Vole, meanwhile, is looking to secure a steady supply of semiconductors to power its data-centre operations -- especially as demand for AI grows. Making its chips also lets Vole tweak the products to its specific needs.

Volish boss Satya Nadella said that he needed a reliable supply of the most advanced, high-performance, high-quality semiconductors. That was why he was so chuffed to work with Chipzilla.

Even if fans are not interested

The gaming chief says Xbox will keep supporting old-fashioned disks but admits that console fans are losing interest.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says Xbox isn't ready to bin the disks just yet—even though making disk slots could be a nightmare in the future.

"Our strategy does not depend on people going all-digital. Getting shot of physical, that's not a big deal for us," he said.

While Spencer hinted that disk slots have become a bit dated by now, Xbox consoles will still offer both disk-friendly and disk-free options if gamers still fancy them. However, Vole hasn't said whether the rumoured diskless Xbox update of the Series X console is still on the cards.

"Gaming consoles have kind of become the last gadget with a drive," Spencer admitted, calling it a "real problem."

Because so few makers are still knocking out physical disk slots, making consoles with them could be too pricey in the future.

"When you think about bits that we're going to stick in a console—and as you have fewer sellers and fewer buyers—the drive cost does make a difference," Spencer said.

Spencer said that the number of Xbox console fans has flatlined over the past five or six years compared to PC and cloud gaming.

GPU company's results are on fire

Nvidia says it's on fire with its AI chips and expects even more growth.

Nvidia shares soared by about 10 per cent after it reported fourth-quarter earnings that smashed Wall Street's predictions for profits and sales. The said revenue during the current quarter would be even better than expected, even against sky-high expectations for massive growth.

Nvidia's earnings per share was €4.79 adjusted versus the €4.31 the cocaine nose jobs of Wall Street expected. Revenue was  €20.53 billion versus. €19.14 billion expected.

Nvidia said it expected €22.29 billion in sales in the current quarter. Analysts polled by LSEG were looking for €4.64 per share on €20.59 billion in sales.

Nvidia has been the primary winner of the recent technology industry craze, with huge artificial intelligence models developed on the company's pricey server graphics processors.

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang addressed investor fears that the company may not be able to keep up this growth or level of sales for the whole year on a call with analysts.

"Basically, the conditions are brilliant for continued growth" in 2025 and beyond, Huang told analysts.

He said demand for the company's GPUs will remain high due to generative AI and an industry-wide shift away from central processors to the accelerators that Nvidia makes.

Nvidia reported €11.41 billion in net income during the quarter, or €4.58 per share, up 769 per cent versus last year's €1.31 billion or 53 cents per share.

It said that Nvidia's total revenue rose 265 per cent from a year ago, based on strong sales for AI chips for servers, especially the company's "Hopper" chips such as the H100.

"Strong demand was driven by enterprise software and consumer internet applications, and multiple industry sectors including automotive, financial services and health care," the company said in commentary provided to investors.

Those sales are reported in the company's Data Center business, which now makes up most of Nvidia's revenue. Data centre sales were up 409 per cent to €17.09 billion. Over half the company's data centre sales went to large cloud providers.

Nvidia said its data centre revenue was hurt by recent U.S. restrictions on exporting advanced AI semiconductors to China.

"We understood what the restrictions are, reconfigured our products in a way that is not software hackable in any way, and that took some time, so we reset our product offering to China," Huang said.

 "Now we're sampling to customers in China."

Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress said that while the company had improved the supply of its AI GPUs, it still expected them to be in short supply, especially the next-generation chip, B100, which is scheduled to ship later this year.

"We are happy that supply of Hopper architecture products is improving," Kress said on a call with analysts. "Demand for Hopper remains very strong. We can expect our next-generation products to be supply-constrained as demand far exceeds supply."

"Whenever we have new products, as you know, it ramps from zero to a very large number, and you can't do that overnight," Huang said.

The company's gaming business, which includes graphics cards for laptops and PCs, was only up 56 per cent yearly to €2.66 billion. Graphics cards for gaming used to be Nvidia's main business before its AI chips started taking off, and some of Nvidia's graphics cards can be used for AI.

Nvidia's smaller businesses did not show the same rocketing growth. Its automotive business declined four per cent to €260 million in sales, and its OEM and other business, which includes crypto chips, rose seven per cent to €83.5 million. Nvidia's business making graphics hardware for professional applications rose 105 per cent to €429.5 million.

Don't trust them to tell you blood sugar levels

The health agency says it has not given the green light to any gadget that claims to measure blood sugar levels without a blood sample.

The FDA has issued a warning on Wednesday that it has blessed any smartwatch or smart ring that claims to measure blood glucose levels. The use of these dodgy devices can lead to wrong measurements and blunders in managing diabetes that can be deadly, the agency said.

These dodgy devices are different from smartwatch apps that show data from FDA-approved continuous glucose monitoring devices that pierce the skin.

The FDA did not name and shame any brands but said the sellers of these dodgy smartwatches and smart rings advertise using non-invasive techniques to measure blood glucose without requiring people to prick their fingers or pierce their skin.

However, the agency said these devices do not directly test blood glucose levels, urging punters to steer clear of buying them for that purpose.

The agency also advised health care providers to chat with their patients about the risk of using dodgy blood glucose measuring devices and to help them pick a proper authorised device for their needs.

The agency is working to make sure that manufacturers, distributors, and sellers do not flog dodgy smartwatches or smart rings that claim to measure blood glucose levels, the FDA said in the statement.

"If your medical care depends on accurate blood glucose measurements, talk to your health care provider about a proper FDA-authorised device for your needs."

The FDA's warning comes as more people turn to smartwatches and smart rings to monitor their health and fitness. Some of these gadgets claim to measure blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, and even stress levels.

Internet of things is not what it used to be

Sony Semiconductor Israel has announced that its advanced ALT1350 Wireless System on Chip (SoC) is now up for grabs.

Its mates have designed LPWA cellular modules at AM Telecom, Fibocom, Murata, Quectel, Semtech, Telit Cinterion and Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC).

The modules are now ready for testing, with mass production expected sometime in the first half of 2024.

The Sony's Altair ALT1350 is the first cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT SoC to have a low-power application MCU, a sensor-hub for processing data, enhanced security, integrated SIM (iSIM) location technology and an extra sub-GHz LPWA/FAN customisable transceiver and NTN communication options in a single chip.

It claims to have cellular connected standby mode (eDRX) connectivity at a power consumption of below 3µA, and its overall power consumption performance achieves up to 10 times longer battery life compared to previous generations. The chip is supposed to be ideal for smart utility meters and single-chip asset-tracking applications.

Sony says the ALT1350 chipset promises impressive connectivity options and can support connectivity choices for all industries and markets. In smart cities and utility spaces, the ALT1350 can act as a low-power cellular modem, a low-power mesh device, and a router between cellular and mesh networks, providing multiple connectivity backup options.

The chip is supposed to be ideal for single-chip asset-tracking applications, bundling multi-tier location services optimised for battery-operated devices.

Sony Semiconductor Israel CEO Nohik Semel said commercial adaptation of the ALT1350 SoC by industry leaders shows strong demand for new generation LPWA technology solutions.

"This SoC enables applications for smart cities, logistics and asset trackers, connected health devices, and in the wearables market as it brings in an era of connected everything in which battery consumption is no longer a concern. We are pleased to work with our partners to bring this SoC to the market and help them build innovative products."

"It has been a great experience developing our connectivity module and network device based on the ALT1350 chipset, collaborating with Sony for the first time" says Jin Gyu Lee, CMO of AM Telecom. "This gives us a strong edge in LTE network coverage as well as low cost by processing sub-GHz LPWA and LTE-M on a single SoC using the ALT1350.

We reckon this is an excellent opportunity for AM Telecom using small IoT devices based on the ALT1350 chipset, which solves issues such as battery life, WPS/GPS support, etc., disrupting the spread of IoT communications."

Fibocom Director Kevin Guan said that his company was pleased to have worked on the 5G LPWA module solution and was hopeful of bringing benefits in the application fields in the short term with today's announcement on the availability of the ALT1350/

"Fibocom's 5G LPWA module MS180, integrated with the ALT1350, has a tiny size at 12.8*14.8mm and is designed to provide ultra-low power consumption and dodgy wireless connectivity for the 5G massive IoT market. Looking ahead, we can confidently empower industries such as smart metering, asset tracking, telematics, telehealth, smart city, and consumer electronics with the best-in-class module solution," he said.

ID theft is up

Cybercriminals are using valid passwords to break into networks, making this their favourite trick to cause havoc, according to a new report by IBM.

IBM’s 2024 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, which is based on watching over 150 billion security events a day across more than 130 countries, shows that cybercriminals are finding it a doddle to log in to systems with stolen details rather than cracking them.

IBM Security UK and Ireland Technical Director Martin Borrett said the report’s findings show that identity is increasingly being used against businesses, using valid accounts and nicking passwords.

 “It tells us that the biggest security worry for businesses comes not from new or mysterious threats, but from old and familiar ones.”

The data reveals half of cyberattacks in the UK involved using valid accounts as the first way in, with another 25 per cent of cases using public-facing apps. Across Europe, IBM saw a 66 per cent rise in attacks caused by using valid accounts, making the region the most hit globally in 2023.

The criminal world has changed quickly, with IBM spotting a 266 per cent increase in malware that steals personal and business details, identities, bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets.

This “easy entry” method is more challenging to spot and significantly costs businesses. According to IBM, significant incidents caused by attackers using valid accounts needed nearly 200 per cent more complicated response measures by security teams than the average incident, as defenders struggle to tell the difference between good and harmful activity.

“Dealing with cybersecurity problems needs a smart approach, focusing on the basics of security measures,” Borrett said.

“Making identity management simpler through a single Identity and Access Management provider and making old apps more secure with modern security rules are key steps in reducing risks.”

Other key UK findings from the report include malware making up 30 per cent of security incidents, with ransomware (30 per cent) and crypto-miners (20 per cent) being the top malware types. The professional, business and consumer services industry was the most targeted at 39 per cent of cases, followed by energy (30 per cent) and finance & insurance (17 per cent).

Globally, 69.6 per cent of attacks IBM responded to targeted vital infrastructure organisations, showing cybercriminals are betting on the high-value need for uptime.

In 84 per cent of these attacks, the damage could have been stopped by patching, multi-factor authentication or least-privilege rules—showing that getting “basic security” may be more complicated than it seems.

IBM suggests businesses reduce the potential damage of incidents, test their environments with skilled attack teams, develop robust incident response plans, and focus on securing the core infrastructure when using AI technologies.

As cybercriminals keep using identities, businesses must take a proactive, intelligent approach to strengthen their defences against this growing global crisis.

Tame Apple Press brays for blood

Two chaps have been busted for a $3 million iPhone swindle with over 5,000 dodgy devices.

According to 9to5Mac, Haotian Sun and Pengfei Xue, 33, were nailed by a US jury for their cunning con, which involved flogging fake iPhones to Apple for real ones.

The crooks were part of a more prominent gang that ripped off Jobs' Mob by sending them counterfeit iPhones for repair and returning brand new ones. Sun and Xue got their phoney phones from Hong Kong and stashed them in UPS mailboxes across Washington, D.C. They then took them to Apple shops and service providers, including the one in Georgetown, and claimed they were broken.

The jury heard they pulled this stunt with over 5,000 phones, costing Apple a fortune. Sun and Xue used fake names to cover their tracks. They were nabbed on December 5, 2019. If the Tame Apple Press gets its way, they could be locked up for 20 years. They will be sentenced on June 21, 2024.

The scam was just like that run by the Liao brothers, who were jailed for 41 months for a similar scam with iPhones and iPads. They got their knock-offs from China, swapped them for the real deal, and sold them overseas for a profit.

Even if the EU was no where near the problem

Apple has found a new excuse for the security holes in its app store – it is blaming the EU.

Recently a fake cryptocurrency app on Apple’s App Store has ripped off users for thousands of pounds. The app, pretending to be the Rabby Wallet crypto service, got the green light from the App Store.

The real Rabby Wallet app, a product of DeBank Global Pte. Ltd., is still stuck in the App Store review queue.

The dodgy app, called “Rabby Wallet & Crypto Solution,” has been conning users, with one person losing about £3,600.

The app has been available for years, despite loads of complaints to Apple.

So, you would think that Apple would admit it messed up, right? After all, it shows how rubbish Apple’s App Store review process is and how useless it is at protecting users from scam apps.

But Apple seems to be using the recent move by the EU to make Apple open its App store to others.

Boss Tim Cook says the company’s efforts to boost security could be harmed by the European Union’s App Store rules.

Apple old-timer Phil Schiller backed up Cook, warning the EU’s “Alternative App Store” plan could risk the security of iPhones and their users.

These comments are being spread by the Tame Apple Press even though the fake app was nicking fanboy’s money long before the EU told Jobs’ Mob to open its App store.

Even Apple Insider admits that Jobs’ Mob has been very slow at getting rid of dodgy software from its App Store. https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/02/19/fake-crypto-app-on-the-app-store-has-stolen-thousands-of-dollars-already