TechnicalAI glossary
Chip (semiconductor)
The small silicon component that performs a computer's calculations. For AI, specialised chips are used (Nvidia GPUs, Google TPUs, AMD accelerators), fabricated by very few plants, mostly in Taiwan, which makes them a global strategic issue.
In other words
Billions of tiny switches on a square of silicon the size of a postage stamp.
Alyriaz articles that mention it
- A nanolaser that could halve the energy consumption of chips
Researchers have developed a nanometre-scale laser that could allow chips to communicate using light, with consumption potentially halved. We look at where this research stands and its realistic timeline.
- India bets 13.5 billion on its semiconductors
India has announced a second phase of its semiconductor programme, worth $13.5 billion over twelve years, with commitments from foreign equipment makers. We analyse this strategy.
- Qualcomm and Amazon team up on inference chips
Qualcomm and AWS have announced a collaboration to jointly design chips dedicated to inference. We analyse what this tie-up reveals about the reshaping of the silicon market.
- OpenAI publishes the first results from its in-house chip
OpenAI has published the first results from its in-house inference accelerator, touted as delivering strong speed and efficiency. We analyse what this move reveals about the balance of power in infrastructure.
- Nvidia is putting into production a chip that does only one thing: respond fast
Nvidia has announced that its inference accelerator, born from its acquisition of Groq, is entering production. Here’s why a chip specialised in responding rather than training is a significant signal.
- Ox Alpha revealed: it was GLM-5.3-Flash, and it runs entirely on Chinese chips
Z.ai confirmed on 26 August that the anonymous model Ox Alpha was GLM-5.3-Flash, released under the MIT licence with a one-million-token context. We analyse the reveal, the specs, and the point that goes far beyond the technical.