https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/hardware-news/ en-us The latest news on consumer electronic hardware, electronic gadgets, hardware and electronics. As AI systems become more advanced, memory is required to transfer larger amounts of data at higher speeds. But conventional planar semiconductor scaling is running out of room. A KAIST research team has now addressed a key weakness in three-dimensional, vertically stacked memory devices, opening a new path to faster, more power-efficient AI semiconductors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-oxygen-tunnel-3d-memory-reliability.html Hardware Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:20:05 EDT news706356481 ChatGPT maker OpenAI will lease a massive new data center in the United States for 20 years, backed by a $105 billion financing commitment from Nvidia, according to a regulatory filing published Monday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-openai-lease-massive-ai-center.html Hardware Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:07:40 EDT news706244837 Researchers in the Riccio College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have demonstrated that redesigning both hardware and algorithms can make AI applications on edge devices more efficient. As proof of concept, their system achieved 95.24% accuracy in language identification while reducing computing resources by 90%—the highest reported accuracy from a system of its kind. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-edge-ai-efficient-redesigning-algorithm.html Hardware Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:20:06 EDT news706187881 Weaving is an ancient craft that is still practiced as a hobby by many people around the world. In recent years, it has found new life as more people have returned to hands-on making as a way to slow down, reconnect with materials and step away from screens. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-modern-future.html Hardware Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:00:05 EDT news706166102 A new semiconductor integration platform developed at the Institute of Science Tokyo combines advanced chip packaging with high-density interconnects and improved thermal management. This combination of three complementary technologies helps overcome the key challenges in building high-performance artificial intelligence (AI) hardware. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-chip-wafer-platform-generation-ai.html Hardware Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:20:04 EDT news705751921 For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that the "ability to forget" can serve as a new computational function for artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-semiconductor-resets.html Hardware Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:40:05 EDT news705751681 The multiplication of matrices and higher-dimensional arrays called tensors lies at the heart of modern computing. Matrix or tensor multiplication is, in fact, the most common operation carried out in artificial intelligence applications, as well as in scientific simulations and computer graphics. High-performance computers, especially those equipped with graphics processing units (GPUs), are designed to work with so-called dense matrices or tensors—those that have relatively few zero elements. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-coding-technique-needless-gpu-tasks.html Hardware Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:40:05 EDT news705596761 Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), secure elements used to connect devices to a mobile network, can pose severe security risks when compromised. A malicious SIM could allow attackers to gather information about a device, interfere with its connectivity and serve as an entry point for further cyberattacks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-malicious-sim-cards-hijack-smartphones.html Hardware Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:00:02 EDT news705321541 AI semiconductors are becoming more programmable. KAIST researchers have developed a device whose response characteristics can be programmed to process data that changes at different speeds. The technology reduced prediction errors for time-varying data by up to 40-fold and is expected to enhance real-time AI performance in autonomous vehicles, robots and wearable devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-chameleon-chip-errors.html Hardware Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:20:04 EDT news705311102 As large language models (LLMs) become increasingly embedded in chatbots, virtual assistants, translation services, coding tools and other AI-powered applications, delivering responses quickly and efficiently has become a growing challenge. Because these models generate text one token at a time, inference can be slow and computationally expensive, particularly for larger models. While speculative decoding has emerged as a promising approach to accelerate inference, many existing methods either require additional model training or struggle to perform consistently across different hardware platforms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-hardware-aware-framework-large-language.html Hardware Thu, 06 Aug 2026 17:40:06 EDT news705255721 One of artificial intelligence's most stubborn problems is enabling AI systems to accumulate new knowledge without losing what they previously learned. A team of researchers at the MATRIX AI Consortium at The University of Texas at San Antonio may have solved this issue with Genesis, a spiking neuromorphic accelerator chip that would enable on-device continual learning throughout its operational lifetime. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-genesis-chip-ai-memory-problem.html Hardware Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:20:01 EDT news704372343 Mobile phones today handle far more wireless signals and services than earlier generations. The same is true of the sophisticated equipment behind mobile networks, such as base stations, and emerging technologies such as self-driving cars. Inside these systems, radio-frequency switches act like traffic controls, allowing signals to pass or blocking them as needed. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-tiny-memory-5g-6g-radio.html Hardware Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:41:03 EDT news704115629 A research team has developed the world's first chip that can match the speed at which the human brain functions. The study, titled "A sub–10-millisecond neural dynamical system based on phase-change memristors," was published in Science and was led by Professor Yang Yuchao of Peking University, together with researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-tiny-memristor-chip-brain-milliseconds.html Hardware Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:20:01 EDT news703782781 High-frequency waves classified as terahertz occupy a relatively underused region of the electromagnetic spectrum between infrared light and microwaves. Researchers have long recognized their unique potential for applications including ultrafast wireless communication, security screening, remote sensing and medical imaging. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-powerful-terahertz-semiconductor-chip.html Hardware Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:35:26 EDT news703427533 Infrared cameras can be used to spot useful information that our eyes can't see, such as gases escaping from a pipeline, chemicals in the atmosphere or heat leaking from a building. But sensing infrared light in sophisticated ways still requires expensive, bulky systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-tiny-chip-mid-infrared-gases.html Hardware Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:40:51 EDT news703154420 Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University studying inkjet printing have introduced ultra-fine bubbles into ink droplets and showed that their drying behavior can be tuned without additives. They discovered that the shape of the particle-laden film left after a droplet dries can be radically modified by adjusting the number of bubbles. This could benefit the printing of microdevices, where ink additives can come out of solution and negatively affect the properties of ink deposits. The study will be published in the October 2026 issue of Precision Engineering. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ultra-fine-tune-drying-ink.html Hardware Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:20:01 EDT news703148105 Conventional computers process and store information using separate components, known as a processor and memory unit. Because transferring data from one component to the other can be energy-consuming, many electronics engineers have been trying to develop new devices that rely on a single component to store and process information. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-method-fault-tolerant-analog-memory.html Hardware Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:45:56 EDT news703143861 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