https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/hardware-news/ en-us The latest news on consumer electronic hardware, electronic gadgets, hardware and electronics. Solving complex optimization problems is central to many modern technologies, from logistics and financial modeling to chip design, communications and artificial intelligence (AI). However, as these problems grow in size, conventional computers often require substantial time and energy to search for good solutions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-spintronic-hardware-faster-energy-optimization.html Hardware Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:00:06 EDT news702211388 A research team led by Prof. Junghyup Lee of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at DGIST has become the first in the world to develop a "time-interleaved noise-shaping SAR ADC (analog-to-digital converter)" semiconductor chip capable of simultaneously measuring multiple biosignals, including electrocardiograms (ECG) and electromyograms (EMG). The team developed this technology in an actual semiconductor chip and successfully completed functional validation. Their findings were presented at the IEEE Symposium on VLSI Technology & Circuits (VLSI 2026), held in Honolulu, June 14–18. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-world-ultra-compact-semiconductor-chip.html Hardware Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:00:03 EDT news702128633 Lithium-ion batteries in personal electronic devices (PEDs) such as laptops, smartphones, powerbanks and electronic cigarettes can pose a serious safety risk in air travel. Damaged or overheated batteries can combust or explode. In the LOKI-PED project, the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI and the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP cooperated with Airbus to examine the consequences of smoke and fire occurring in aircraft cabins and cockpits. This first scientifically substantiated risk assessment will contribute to a safer use of electronic devices in air travel. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-plane-battery-wh-limit-devices.html Hardware Wed, 01 Jul 2026 10:40:05 EDT news702116281 OpenAI on Wednesday unveiled its first custom-designed computer chip, called Jalapeno, built to run ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence products faster and more cheaply. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-openai-unveils-ai-chip-jalapeno.html Hardware Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:10:00 EDT news701518183 A supercomputer in China now outranks its U.S. counterparts as the world's most powerful, marking the first time since 2017 that a Chinese computer has topped a list sometimes viewed as a measure of a nation's technological prowess. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-chinese-supercomputer-displaces-machines-world.html Hardware Wed, 24 Jun 2026 04:00:02 EDT news701491743 Spiking neural networks (SNNs) are artificial intelligence (AI) models inspired by how biological neurons communicate with each other. While biological neurons exchange information in the form of electrical impulses, SNNs rely on brief signals known as spikes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-brain-ai-architecture-faster-power.html Hardware Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:00:16 EDT news701439308 A new chip developed by MIT researchers could help tiny, low-power UAVs avoid obstacles as they zip around tight corners inside an industrial HVAC system to check for gas leaks. The chip allows small autonomous robots and other battery-limited devices to construct detailed 3D maps of their environments in real time using only about as much power as a single LED. A robot could use such a map to plan a collision-free path to reach its goal. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ultraefficient-chip-tiny-robots-traverse.html Hardware Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:00:03 EDT news701437741 Neuromorphic computing is a computing approach that mimics how the human brain works. Our gray matter is a marvel of nature, capable of handling huge volumes of data with incredible energy efficiency. While modern AI hardware is becoming better at processing complex tasks, it consumes vast amounts of energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-power-kind-chip-human-brain.html Hardware Sat, 20 Jun 2026 15:20:03 EDT news701089243 The information exchanged by modern devices is typically protected by cryptographic techniques, approaches that convert readable data into scrambled, unreadable code that can only be deciphered by authorized parties or devices. To descramble encrypted data, devices or accounts need access to randomly generated cryptographic keys, unique, randomly generated sequences of binary code, letters or numbers that are essential for encrypting or decrypting data. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-orbit-torque-hardware-random-keys.html Hardware Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:40:01 EDT news700999720 Inspired by the human brain, Oregon State University researchers have developed a new light-sensitive device that combines sensing and memory while controlling how digital memories strengthen or fade over time. The research was published in Advanced Functional Materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-brain-phototransistor-ai-energy.html Hardware Wed, 17 Jun 2026 10:00:01 EDT news700908661 As artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services continue to expand, the world is facing a growing need for faster and more energy-efficient ways to store and process information. A team led by the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) has developed a new magnetic memory material that can be rewritten using laser light instead of electric current, a step that could help reduce power consumption in data centers and support future high-speed information systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-rewrites-magnetic-memory-pulse-path.html Hardware Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:00:06 EDT news700411801 A new kernel (core program) within an operating system gives researchers a cleaner view of what's happening inside a processor. Called Fractal and developed at MIT, the kernel has already surfaced previously unknown behavior in Apple's M1. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-os-kernel-uncovers-hidden-apple.html Hardware Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:00:02 EDT news700329422 Every day, billions of people trust computer chips to protect their most sensitive information, ranging from banking passwords to national security secrets. But what if those chips were secretly compromised before they even left the factory? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-hidden-chip-threats.html Hardware Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:40:03 EDT news700233961 Randomness forms a crucial backbone of modern society, where every encryption key, secure transaction and digital signature depends on random numbers that no adversary can predict. But every random number generator ever deployed, classical or quantum, has asked its users to take the hardware's honesty on faith. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-quantum-chip-generates-certified-random.html Hardware Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:40:06 EDT news700231004 The rapid advancement and diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as the machine learning models underpinning the functioning of ChatGPT, Gemini and similar platforms, have posed new demands on the electronics engineering industry. In fact, these systems are computationally intensive and consume substantial power, particularly when running on existing devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ultra-thin-mos-transistors-chip.html Hardware Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:20:08 EDT news700135828 Researchers led by Takaki Hatsui at the RIKEN SPring-8 Center (RSC) in Japan and collaborators have developed a new approach to compressing X-ray imaging data in real time, reducing the size of data files by more than 8,000 times, while at the same time preserving the detailed X-ray intensity information required for quantitative analysis. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-real-ray-compression-size.html Hardware Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:00:01 EDT news699695943 Laptop chipmakers such as Intel and AMD should be worried about their new rival Nvidia, experts say, after the US hardware titan announced Monday a push into the personal computer market. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-nvidia-pc-chip-hailed-game.html Hardware Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:20:03 EDT news699541793 Cornell researchers have developed a new type of computing device that stores information electrically but reads it through tiny mechanical motion, an unusual approach that could open a path toward more energy-efficient hardware for artificial intelligence and scientific computing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-rethinking-ai-hardware-tiny-vibrating.html Hardware Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:20:08 EDT news699534841 Nvidia unveiled a powerful laptop chip for Windows machines on Monday, staking its claim in the market for next-generation consumer PCs integrated with artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-nvidia-windows-laptop-chip-ai.html Hardware Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:16:15 EDT news699506108 By stacking transistors on top of one another, rather than laying them side by side on a flat chip, many electronic engineers are hopeful that vast amounts of computing power could be packed into tiny spaces, all while cutting energy use. So far, however, the ability to build these monolithic 3D integrated circuits has proven stubbornly difficult, largely because the fabrication processes required can damage the layers already in place. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-3d-silicon-circuits-denser-chips.html Hardware Sat, 30 May 2026 10:00:02 EDT news699267682 Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed an optical device that reveals hidden images and changes colors in response to different levels of humidity. The technology, published in Light: Science & Applications, could lead to the development of new anti-counterfeiting labels, secure data storage, interactive displays, and environmental sensors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-optical-device-humidity-hidden-option.html Hardware Wed, 27 May 2026 16:20:05 EDT news699116461 Photonic devices are hardware systems that can process information using light instead of electricity. These systems could potentially perform computations faster than electronic devices, while also consuming less energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-based-chip-energy-future-ai.html Hardware Sun, 24 May 2026 10:10:01 EDT news698335081 Researchers have developed a memory technology that can store and retain data using almost no electricity by controlling spin states through temperature changes. The work, led by researchers from POSTECH and Chungnam National University, demonstrates non-volatile switching driven by temperature changes rather than electric currents. The approach could reduce energy consumption by up to 66 times compared with existing methods. The study was published as an Inside Front Cover paper in Advanced Functional Materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-thermal-war-enables-memory-energy.html Hardware Wed, 13 May 2026 11:24:50 EDT news697890188 Artificial intelligence systems, such as large language models (LLMs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs), can analyze large amounts of data and rapidly generate desired content or identify meaningful patterns. However, when running on existing hardware, such as smartphones, laptops and tablets, these systems typically consume a large amount of energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-neuromorphic-chip-slash-ai-energy.html Hardware Wed, 13 May 2026 08:20:01 EDT news697803616 With a simple click, your hastily taken photo sharpens, a garbled voice message turns into polished text and a chatbot drafts an email in perfect prose. Today's digital tools, enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI), seem to perform magic on demand. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-memristor-chip-merges-memory-ai.html Hardware Fri, 08 May 2026 09:20:07 EDT news697449783 As traditional computer chips reach their physical limits and artificial intelligence demands more energy than ever, University of Missouri researchers are rethinking how computers work by taking cues from the human brain. The timing is critical. Energy use from AI data centers is projected to double by the end of the decade, raising urgent questions about sustainability. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-brain-smarter-efficient-hardware.html Hardware Thu, 07 May 2026 16:20:05 EDT news697389001 In the era of big data and artificial intelligence, a new approach has emerged for solving combinatorial optimization problems, which involves finding the most efficient solution among many possible options and can otherwise take thousands of years to compute. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-silicon-oscillators-problems-thousands-years.html Hardware Wed, 06 May 2026 12:20:05 EDT news697287601 A new hardware-software co-design increases AI energy efficiency and reduces latency, enabling real-time processing of continuous data streams like video or sensor feeds. The neuromorphic approach unlocks the ability to run powerful, real-time AI directly on local edge devices like phones, hearing aids or autonomous vehicle cameras, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-hardware-software-efficiently-ai-edge.html Software Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:00:04 EDT news694871654 In an effort to meet the rising energy demands of data centers, engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new chip design that could improve how graphics processing units (GPUs) convert and manage power. The technology demonstrates a more efficient way to perform a critical task in electronics: converting high voltages into lower levels required by computing hardware. In lab tests, a prototype chip performed the type of voltage conversion used in modern data centers with high efficiency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-prototype-chip-boost-efficiency-power.html Hardware Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:00:02 EDT news694882441 To improve data center efficiency, multiple storage devices are often pooled together over a network so many applications can share them. But even with pooling, significant device capacity remains underutilized due to performance variability across the devices. MIT researchers have now developed a system that boosts the performance of storage devices by handling three major sources of variability simultaneously. Their approach delivers significant speed improvements over traditional methods that tackle only one source of variability at a time. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-software-pooled-ssd-centers.html Software Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:12:57 EDT news694782611