High-performance alternatives to silicon in microelectronics
Researchers in the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Technion in Israel have demonstrated control over an emerging material, which they consider as a possible future alternative to silicon in microelectronics. This is a timely development, because scientists and engineers face challenges in continuing the transistor shrinking trend, an important driver of computer chip performance.
The research team’s work is published in Advanced Functional Materials.
Integrated circuits, more commonly known as computer chips, or simply chips, are at the core of modern life, responsible for processing, storing, and transferring massive amounts of data. Chips are responsible for countless tasks, including vaccine development, spacecraft designs, internet infrastructure, big data, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things.
The continuous performance improvement of these chips has been driven by shrinking the size of the most basic logic “Lego” piece—the transistor. Transistors are miniature switches that control the flow of electric currents, analogous to a faucet controlling the flow of water. In the early 1960s, Gordon Moore, the founder of Intel, proposed that the transistors’ miniaturization rate should allow doubling of the number of transistors per area every 2 years. This prediction, coined Moore’s Law, has dictated the miniaturization rate for decades. Presently modern chips contain billions of transistors on about a square centimeter.
In 2007, Moore declared that his law would come to an end within a few years. The CEO of Nvidia expressed an even more pessimistic view last year, saying that “Moore’s Law is dead,” a view shared by other technology experts.
Professor Lior Kornblum, of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, explains, “As a result of the continuous miniaturization, modern transistors are only a few dozen atoms across. Because they are already so small, continuing miniaturizing without compromising their performance is becoming increasingly challenging. On the nanometric scale, the transistors behave in new ways that are different than their larger predecessors.”
One manifestation of this problem is leakage of electric current when the transistor (switch) is supposed to be off. Prof. Kornblum explains that “it can be compared to a leaking faucet, multiplied by a billion; this could result in a lot of wasted ‘water.’ In a modern phone with billions of transistors, the tiniest current leakage will accumulate into a considerable waste of energy. This could quickly drain the battery and cause excessive heating of the device. Zooming out, when thinking server farms and data centers, the energy waste can be substantial and produce considerable heat.”
How to Clear iPhone cache
Are you having trouble opening websites quickly on your iPhone? Fortunately, you don’t need to download and install a new app, remove a virus, or replace your device. You probably only need to clear your mobile gadget’s cache, which is its website data storage. Clearing that takes a few steps, and you will likely see noticeable differences.
Some people panic when their phones don’t load quickly, prompting them to download sketchy apps. Worse, they might follow prank tutorials that could trick them into breaking their device. Clearing your iPhone cache is a safe troubleshooting solution that usually works, preventing you from wasting time and money on potentially dangerous methods.
This article will explain how to clear your iPhone cache. I will cover Safari, Google Chrome, and Firefox methods, the most commonly used web browsers.
Safari is the default browser on iPhones and iPhones. It follows Apple’s well-known commitment to simplicity and convenience, so clearing your cache takes a few steps:
Open the book icon on your Safari app.
Then, tap the clock icon.
Tap the Clear option.
Choose how much of your browsing history you want to erase.
The official Apple website says clearing your browsing history doesn’t remove records from websites you visited. Also, it doesn’t affect the browsing history in other apps.
Google Chrome is Android’s counterpart to Safari. If you’re used to Chrome, you might have installed it on your Apple device. Clear the cache with these steps:
Tap the triple dot icon on your Chrome app.
Next, tap the History option.
Select the Clear browsing data option.
Check the Cookies, Site Data, and Cached Images and Files options.
Afterward, tap the Clear browsing data option.
Satellites to combat hypersonic missiles
The United States Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) has published a draft solicitation for a “FOO Fighter” satellite constellation. The Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter program gives it its full name, F2; the constellation is intended to detect, track, and coordinate the interception of hypersonic missiles.
Published on July 7, 2023, the program asks for eight satellites fitted with infrared and optical sensors. These satellites will aid in detecting, warning, and precisely tracking advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems. Their deployment is intended to enhance fire-control capabilities on a global scale. Given the relatively low altitudes hypersonic missiles travel at (compared to intercontinental ballistic missiles), these satellites will extend the warning time the US (and its allies) can achieve to detect and respond to hypersonic threats.
“Fire control incorporates various technologies such as radar or other sensors, targeting computers and ranged weapons together into a cohesive system that can detect threats or targets and then direct weapons or other countermeasures at them.” While few other details are available, the SDA plans to launch the prototype FOO Fighter constellation in 2026, as stated in the contract opportunity. However, further information about the program is classified as “Top Secret.”
“The Space Development Agency (SDA) is issuing this DRAFT solicitation for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture’s (PWSA) Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter (FOO Fighter) Program. The draft solicitation provides an opportunity for industry to review and offer feedback [before] final solicitation posting,” the solicitation says.
P40 INCREASE in the daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR)
THE P40 INCREASE in the daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR), which will take effect on Sunday (July 16), is unlikely to drive inflation beyond the central bank’s target band, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.
“We estimate that the inflationary impact from the approved wage order would be minimal and is unlikely to push inflation above the central bank’s (2-4%) target range,” the NEDA told BusinessWorld via e-mail.
The National Capital Region Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board approved a P40 wage hike in NCR, bringing the daily minimum wage to P610 for workers outside the agriculture sector.
The minimum wage was also increased to P573 for those in the agriculture sector, service retail establishments with 15 or fewer workers and manufacturing companies with less than 10 workers.
Headline inflation slowed for a fifth straight month in June to 5.4% from 6.1% in May, as food and transport prices eased. Year-to-date inflation settled at 7.2%.
The BSP sees inflation returning to the 2-4% target range by October before averaging 5.4% this year.
However, NEDA said that a wage hike without an increase in labor productivity may drive up production costs that would be passed on to consumers through higher prices of goods and services.
It also noted that a wage hike in NCR would usually lead to other regions following suit, “which may amplify the overall economic impact.”
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