Month: June 2020

https://earther.gizmodo.com/it-was-100-degrees-in-siberia-today-yes-that-siberia-1844107792

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com

June 20, 2020 at 08:33PM

https://www.anandtech.com/show/15867/nvidia-announces-pcie-a100-accelerator-250w-ampere-in-a-standard-form-factor

With the launch of their Ampere architecture and new A100 accelerator barely a month behind them, NVIDIA this morning is announcing the PCIe version of their accelerator as part of the start of the now-virtual ISC Digital conference for high performance computing. The more straight-laced counterpart to NVIDIA’s flagship SXM4 version of the A100 accelerator, the PCie version of the A100 is designed to offer A100 in a more traditional form factor for customers who need something that they can plug into standardized servers. Overall the PCIe A100 offers the same peak performance as the SXM4 A100, however with a lower 250 Watt TDP, real-world performance won’t be quite as high.

The obligatory counterpart to NVIDIA’s SXM form factor accelerators, NVIDIA’s PCIe accelerators serve to flesh out the other side of NVIDIA’s accelerator lineup. While NVIDIA would gladly sell everyone SXM-based accelerators – which would include the pricey NVIDIA HGX carrier board – there are still numerous customers who need to be able to use GPU accelerators in standard, PCIe-based rackmount servers. Or for smaller workloads, customers don’t need the kind of 4-way and higher scalability offered by SXM-form factor accelerators. So with their PCIe cards, NVIDIA can serve the rest of the accelerator market that their SXM products can’t reach.

The PCIe A100, in turn, is a full-fledged A100, just in a different form factor and with a more appropriate TDP. In terms of peak performance, the PCIe A100 is just as fast as its SXM4 counterpart; NVIDIA this time isn’t shipping this as a cut-down configuration with lower clockspeeds or fewer functional blocks than the flagship SXM4 version. As a result the PCIe card brings everything A100 offers to the table, with the same heavy focus on tensor operations, including the new higher precision TF32 and FP64 formats, as well as even faster integer inference.

NVIDIA Accelerator Specification Comparison
	A100 (PCIe)	A100 (SXM4)	V100 (PCIe)	P100 (PCIe)
FP32 CUDA Cores	6912	6912	5120	3584
Boost Clock	1.41GHz	1.41GHz	1.38GHz	1.3GHz
Memory Clock	2.4Gbps HBM2	2.4Gbps HBM2	1.75Gbps HBM2	1.4Gbps HBM2
Memory Bus Width	5120-bit	5120-bit	4096-bit	4096-bit
Memory Bandwidth	1.6TB/sec	1.6TB/sec	900GB/sec	720GB/sec
VRAM	40GB	40GB	16GB/32GB	16GB
Single Precision	19.5 TFLOPs	19.5 TFLOPs	14.1 TFLOPs	9.3 TFLOPs
Double Precision	9.7 TFLOPs (1/2 FP32 rate)	9.7 TFLOPs (1/2 FP32 rate)	7 TFLOPs (1/2 FP32 rate)	4.7 TFLOPs (1/2 FP32 rate)
INT8 Tensor	624 TOPs	624 TOPs	N/A	N/A
FP16 Tensor	312 TFLOPs	312 TFLOPs	112 TFLOPs	N/A
TF32 Tensor	156 TFLOPs	156 TFLOPs	N/A	N/A
Relative Performance (SXM Version)	90%	100%	N/A	N/A
Interconnect	NVLink 3 6 Links? (300GB/sec?)	NVLink 3 12 Links (600GB/sec)	NVLink 2 4 Links (200GB/sec)	NVLink 1 4 Links (160GB/sec)
GPU	GA100 (826mm2)	GA100 (826mm2)	GV100 (815mm2)	GP100 (610mm2)
Transistor Count	54.2B	54.2B	21.1B	15.3B
TDP	250W	400W	250W	300W
Manufacturing Process	TSMC 7N	TSMC 7N	TSMC 12nm FFN	TSMC 16nm FinFET
Interface	PCIe 4.0	SXM4	PCIe 3.0	SXM
Architecture	Ampere	Ampere	Volta	Pascal

But because the dual-slot add-in card form factor is designed for lower TDP products, offering less room for cooling and typically less access to power as well, the PCIe version of the A100 does have to ratchet down its TDP from 400W to 250W. That’s a sizable 38% reduction in power consumption, and as a result the PCIe A100 isn’t going to be able to match the sustained performance figures of its SXM4 counterpart – that’s the advantage of going with a form factor with higher power and cooling budgets. All told, the PCIe version of the A100 should deliver about 90% of the performance of the SXM4 version on single-GPU workloads, which for such a big drop in TDP, is not a bad trade-off.

And on this note, I should give NVIDIA credit where credit is due: unlike the PCIe version of the V100 accelerator, NVIDIA is doing a much better job of documenting these performance differences. This time around NVIDIA is explicitly noting the 90% figure in their their specification sheets and related marketing materials. So there should be a lot less confusion about how the PCIe version of the accelerator compares to the SXM version.

Other than the form factor and TDP changes, the only other notable deviation for the PCIe A100 from the SXM version is the number of NVLink-connected GPUs supported. For their PCIe card NVIDIA is once again using NVLink bridges connected across the top of A100 cards, allowing for two (and only two) cards to be linked together. NVIDIA’s product sheet doesn’t list the total bandwidth available, but as the PCIe V100 supported up to 100GB/sec in each direction using two links, the PCIe A100 and its 3 NVLink connectors should be able to do 150GB/sec, if not more.

Otherwise the PCIe A100 comes with the usual trimmings of the form factor. The card is entirely passively cooled, designed to be used with servers with powerful chassis fans. And though not pictured in NVIDIA’s official shots, there are sockets for PCIe power connectors. Meanwhile, with the reduced usage of NVLink in this version of the card, A100’s native PCIe 4 support will undoubtedly be of increased importance here, underscoring the advantage that an AMD Epyc + NVIDIA A100 pairing has right now since AMD is the only x86 server vendor with PCIe 4 support.

Wrapping things up, while NVIDIA isn’t announcing specific pricing or availability information today, the new PCIe A100 cards should be shipping soon. The wider compatibility of the PCIe card has helped NVIDIA to line up over 50 server wins at this point, with 30 of those servers set to ship this summer.

via AnandTech https://ift.tt/phao0v

June 22, 2020 at 02:43AM

https://www.engadget.com/ai-recreates-painting-techniques-of-famous-artists-022923128.html

You can’t go back in time to see how Monet or Van Gogh made their masterpieces, but AI might give you the next best thing. MIT CSAIL researchers have created a machine learning system, Timecraft, that can deduce how a painting was produced and recreate the likely brushstrokes, even for famous artists. The design was first trained on 200 timelapse videos of digital and watercolor paintings, after which the scientists produced a convolutional neural network to ‘deconstruct’ artwork based on what it had learned.

The results aren’t perfect, but they’re more effective than you might think. Timecraft was better than existing benchmark tests over 90 percent of the time. And when used to recreate paintings that already have timelapse videos, it fooled almost half of the people participating in an online survey.

The source code will be available if you’re willing and able to try it yourself, or to build upon the work. Apart from the virtual history lessons, this could be useful for illustrating general painting techniques to relative newcomers — say, starting from the background and working ‘closer’ to the viewer. It may be a long while before an AI becomes the next Bob Ross, but it’s not a far-fetched idea after this.

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

June 18, 2020 at 09:33PM

https://www.engadget.com/facebook-acquires-google-street-view-competitor-mapillary-092257261.html

Facebook has done a fair bit with maps in recent times — last year it opened up its AI tool to OpenStreetMap users and announced its plans to recreate an AR planet based on a 3D map of the world. More recently, it’s deployed an interactive map to keep users up-to-date with the spread of COVID-19. Now, it’s acquired Google Street View alternative Mapillary.

Mapillary is a street-level imagery platform that scales and automates mapping. Since 2013, users from some 190 countries have been collecting photos of their neighborhoods using smartphones, with Mapillary’s software stitching them all together to create immersive street-level views. It’s basically a crowd-sourced Google Street View.

Until now, all the imagery on Mapillary has been free to use for anyone for non-commercial purposes, but starting today, it will be free for commercial users as well, which gives us a clue as to how Facebook could include the service on its platform — you can probably expect street shots of businesses on their Facebook pages soon. The acquisition helps to push forward Facebook’s general map-based ambitions, too.

As mentioned, Mapillary is Google Street View’s biggest competitor and has attracted the attention of other major tech companies in its time — Amazon showed keen interest a few years back. Alternatives such as Apple Maps and Bing Maps have tried (and arguably failed) to contend with Google’s offering, but with Facebook at the helm Mapillary could well be the one to take it on seriously.

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

June 19, 2020 at 04:27AM

https://www.engadget.com/mustang-mach-e-active-drive-assist-100031991.html

Just a couple of years ago Ford was talking up driving assist features like automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, automatic high beams and more as part of its Co-Pilot360 suite. But now in 2020 that feature list is just keeping up with the competition, and falling short of more advanced tech on the road like Tesla’s various Autopilot updates and GM’s Super Cruise, to name a few.

Now Ford is preparing upgrades for 2021 models, and its electric Mustang Mach-E will be the first one to offer the most advanced options, including a “CoPilot360 Active 2.0 Prep Package” that promises hands-free driving after a software update that owners can get at a dealer or install over-the-air in Q3 2021.

A new feature in Ford vehicles, hands-free driving on divided highways will be available as Active Drive Assist, which includes a driver-facing camera that makes sure you’re paying attention as the car maneuvers itself. Producing the package hardware-first and saying customers will be able to get the rest in a future software update resembles Tesla’s Autopilot / Full Self-Driving promises, and while Ford doesn’t go that far, it does claim there’s “the potential for more enhancements in the future.”

As long as your trip on the 100,000 miles or so of mapped highways supported across the US and Canada, then drivers can sit back with their hands off the wheel, instead of needing to keep them there as is the case with lane-keeping technology and adaptive cruise control. GM Super Cruise tech brought a similar feature to Cadillacs a few years ago and the company is now working on an “Ultra Cruise” that supports city streets. Ford’s drive assist can respond to obstacles by stopping, or change lanes and continue on to evade a potential collision.

Ford

According to Ford’s chief product development and purchasing officer Hau Thai-Tang, “By introducing driver assist technologies like Active Drive Assist, Ford’s version of hands-free driving, we’re allowing our customers to feel more confident whenever they’re behind the wheel.” The company said it tested the system with “the mother of all road trips,” covering all kinds of traffic and weather conditions to make sure its sensors would operate consistently no matter what you’re driving through.

Other vehicles will also get Active Drive Assist features and upgraded Co-Pilot360 tech in the 2021 model year, although those packages may vary by model. In the Mach-E, the Co-Pilot360 2.0 standard package’s lane-keeping system will include Road Edge Detection that can alert a driver if their car is drifting over a line or onto the dirt and Blind-Spot assist. Its adaptive cruise control can get the car moving again after coming to a complete stop for as long as thirty seconds — the previous system needed to be reactivated manually if the car stopped for over three seconds. It’s also adding an intersection assist that will apply the brakes if it detects an oncoming vehicle when you’re making a left turn across traffic.

Ford

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

June 18, 2020 at 05:03AM

https://www.droid-life.com/2020/06/17/motorola-lg-commit-to-making-some-of-the-first-cheap-5g-phones/

Read the original post: Motorola, LG Commit to Making Some of the First Cheap 5G Phones

Qualcomm announced its new Snapdragon 690 5G platform this week as the first chip to help manufacturers make more affordable 5G phones. The number of companies lining up to use it is already solid, with names like LG, Motorola, and Nokia on the list.

This new chip (SM6350) from Qualcomm is an 8nm 64-bit chip, with support for displays at a full HD resolution and up to 120Hz (or QHD and 60Hz), up to 192MP camera captures, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Quick Charge 4+, and 5G.

The 5G is provided by the Snapdragon X51 5G modem where you have sub-6Hz support and max download speeds of 1.2Gbps. You won’t find 5G mmW support in the 690 because 5G is shitty, expensive to implement, and mostly useless to everyone on this planet not sitting outside on a street corner in a major city or in a sports arena.

I’m sure the chip will be a fine mid-range chip for those who think they need 5G in their lives.

For LG and Motorola, I’m going to assume we’ll get LG K and Stylo series devices with 5G, while Motorola will likely implement 5G into their One series devices. We could see a Moto G 5G at some point too.

HMD, TCL, Sharp, and Wingtech are others who love the 690.

I just hope they can keep prices where they were with their cheap 4G LTE versions.

// Qualcomm

via Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog https://ift.tt/2dLq79c

June 17, 2020 at 04:34PM

https://geekologie.com/2020/06/boston-dynamics-spot-is-now-for-sale-for.php

After years of teasing the apocalypse, robot death dealer Boston Dynamics finally has their Spot for sale for $74,500.00 which you can buy from their official site.

Spot Explorer is designed for developers eager to explore how flexible mobile robots can be adapted for tasks ranging from industrial inspection to entertainment. Spot comes ready to operate, right out of the box. With its flexible API and payload interfaces, Spot can be customized for a variety of applications.

I can’t tell if $74,500.00 is a lot or little for this. I’m also not sure what you would even use it for. Carrying your backpack around campus while you’re at school? Helping you move the dead body? I mean, yeah, okay, I guess I can think of a few uses. Looks like somebody is about to max out some credit cards. Keep going for the full promo video.

(via Hedonistica)

via Geekologie – Gadgets, Gizmos, and Awesome https://geekologie.com/

June 16, 2020 at 04:04PM