Recently, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024), known as the "Spring Festival Gala of Technology," was held in Las Vegas, USA.
As the world's largest and most influential annual exhibition of consumer electronics technology, it has become the "weathervane" of the consumer electronics industry, where industry giants gather to bring a grand feast of technology.
So, which semiconductor manufacturers appeared at this year's CES, and what new technologies and blockbuster products did they bring?
AI PC, firmly in the "C position"
Undoubtedly, the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is the dominant force of 2023, and its influence is extending to 2024.
At this year's CES, AI is undoubtedly the absolute protagonist, becoming the most eye-catching weathervane in the industry.
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Manufacturers from all over the world have prepared a large number of black technology products around the theme of AI. Among them, AI chip giants such as Nvidia, AMD, and Intel have gathered together, optimistic about the development prospects of the AI industry in the integration of AI in various fields such as PCs and automobiles.
Taking the AI PC field as an example, the entire PC industry chain, from chips to systems to terminals, has been deeply involved in generative AI. According to Canalys, the shipment of global AI PC products is expected to grow significantly in 2024, and 2024 is expected to usher in the era of AI PCs. CES 2024 will open the door to the era of AI PCs.
Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus, and other top PC manufacturers have all released various "AI PCs" optimized for generative AI applications. In terms of semiconductor hardware, the AI PC chips recently released by chip companies such as Nvidia, AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm have also become a highlight, committed to providing new products and technologies for the global AI PC trend.NVIDIA: RTX 40 Super Series Graphics Cards Unveiled
Among the many new products launched by NVIDIA at this year's CES, the most eye-catching is undoubtedly the RTX 40 SUPER series of desktop GPUs.
From the significant computational power boost brought by AI to the robust implementation of generative AI capabilities, it has left a very deep impression. NVIDIA's RTX 40 Super series graphics cards made their debut at CES 2024.
According to the introduction, the GeForce RTX 40 SUPER series graphics cards, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, come in three models: RTX 4080 SUPER, RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, and RTX 4070 SUPER.
The GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is equipped with the AD103, with an L2 cache of 64MB and 10,240 CUDA cores, an increase of 512 cores, or about 5.3%, compared to the existing RTX 4080's 9,728 CUDA cores. The base and boost clock speeds are 2,295 MHz and 2,550 MHz, respectively, an increase of 90/50 MHz over the original. Additionally, the memory capacity will remain at 16GB, the memory speed will increase from 22.4Gbps to 23Gbps, and the corresponding memory bandwidth will increase from 717GB/s to 736GB/s. The PCB number is PG139-SKU355, and the total card power consumption remains at 320W.
The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is equipped with the AD103, with an L2 cache of 48MB and 8,448 CUDA cores, a 10% increase from the existing RTX 4070 Ti's 7,680 CUDA cores. The base clock speed is 2,340 MHz, an increase of 30 MHz, while the boost clock speed remains unchanged at 2,620 MHz. The PCB number is PG141-SKU323, and the total card power consumption will remain at 285W. The biggest change in this model is the memory, which will be equipped with 16GB of GDDR6X, meaning that the memory width has been increased from 192 bits to 256 bits, and the memory bandwidth has also increased dramatically from 504GB/s to 672GB/s.
The GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is equipped with the AD104, with the L2 cache increased from the existing RTX 4070's 36MB to 48MB, and the number of CUDA cores also increased from 5,888 to 7,168, an increase of about 21.7%. The base clock speed is 1,980 MHz, an increase of 60 MHz, while the boost clock speed remains unchanged at 2,475 MHz. At the same time, the memory capacity will remain at 12GB, with a memory speed of 21Gbps and a memory bandwidth of 504GB/s. The PCB number is PG141-SKU335, and the total card power consumption will slightly increase by 20W to 220W.
It is reported that the launch times for the above three new products are at 10 PM on January 31, January 24, and January 17, Beijing time, respectively.
The PC industry has developed for decades, and as chip manufacturing processes are gradually approaching their limits, NVIDIA's new GPU products can still maintain a doubling of performance with each generation in recent years, with AI technology playing a crucial role behind the scenes.
Intel: Launches 14th Generation Core ProcessorsDuring CES 2024, Intel unveiled the 14th generation of Core mobile and desktop processor series, including the HX series mobile processors and mainstream 65W and 35W desktop processors. In addition, Intel also released the brand new Core U mobile processor series 1, suitable for high-performance mainstream thin and light notebooks.
The 14th generation Core HX series mobile processors are specifically designed for gamers, creators, and professionals, with a total of five products: the Core i9-14900HX, Core i7-14700HX, Core i7-14650HX, Core i5-14500HX, and Core i5-14450HX. Among them, the highest positioned is the Core i9-14900HX, which has 8P+16E, a total of 24 cores and 32 threads, with the highest turbo frequency reaching 5.8 GHz. It supports up to 192GB of DDR5-5600 memory and Thunderbolt 5, and offers overclocking capabilities through Intel Extreme Utility (XTU) and Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP). It also supports Intel Application Optimizer (APO).
The new generation of processors can support Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) through integration and Wi-Fi 7 (5 Gig) through independence, bringing response and reliability comparable to wired connections. It also provides the latest Bluetooth connection support, including Bluetooth 5.3 and 5.4, allowing simultaneous connection of multiple Bluetooth devices.
The Core U mobile processor series 1 released by Intel meets the expectations of mainstream mobile PC users for thin and light notebooks, achieving a balance of energy efficiency and performance.
In addition, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Intel's Sales, Marketing, and Communications Group, also demonstrated the next-generation Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake chips, confirming that both processors will be launched in the second half of this year.
Lunar Lake is aimed at mobile platforms, featuring a brand new CPU core architecture with significant IPC improvements, and the NPU performance will be tripled. Arrow Lake will be launched on both desktop and mobile platforms, as a follow-up product to Meteor Lake, that is, the second generation of Core Ultra processors, which will be optimized for gaming.
Although Intel's latest Core Ultra processors are not the first products to adopt the Chiplet design, this application marks the official entry of PC processors into a new era.
At the same time, under the promotion of Intel's "four years and five process nodes" plan - that is, "regaining process leadership by advancing Intel 7, Intel 4, Intel 3, Intel 20A, and Intel 18A in four years by 2025," the Core Ultra processor may become one of the mainstream processors in the future AI PC market.
AMD: Ryzen 8000G series high-performance APU debuts
At the CES 2024 press conference, AMD brought the Ryzen 8000G series high-performance APU as scheduled, which is actually the desktop version of the Ryzen 8040 series mobile processor, with the TDP released to 65W, providing stronger performance than the mobile version.AMD's new generation of APUs features two different cores. The Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G use a pure Zen4 core version, supporting Ryzen AI, while the Ryzen 5 8500G and Ryzen 3 8300G use a version combining Zen4 and Zen 4c cores, which do not have an NPU inside, hence they do not support Ryzen AI.
Surprisingly, AMD also launched new processors for the older AM4 platform, including the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, Ryzen 7 5700, Ryzen 5 5600GT, and Ryzen 5 5500GT processors.
Although AMD is gradually advancing the upgrade plan for the AM5 platform, there is still a considerable market for DDR4 memory. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain updates for the AM4 platform. For existing AM4 platform users, upgrading to the AM5 platform means replacing the entire set of equipment. The introduction of new AM4 processors also provides these existing users with a more cost-effective upgrade option.
In addition, in the graphics card sector, AMD launched the RX 7600 XT 16G desktop graphics card and the RX 7700M/RX 7800M notebook GPUs.
Qualcomm's third-generation Snapdragon 8 platform and the Snapdragon X Elite, specially designed for the next generation of AI PCs, also made their debut at this year's CES.
In addition to these, some exhibitors introduced their built-in AI chips when announcing new products: such as Samsung's AI picture quality chip NQ8 AI Gen 3; LG's 11th generation α processor; Hisense's Hi-View EngineX processor; in the new all-in-one wide-angle sports camera Ace Pro launched by the film and television company Insta360, the 5nm AI chip can provide stronger AI noise reduction computing power.
Furthermore, there are new generation edge AI chips KL730 from Kneron, data center AI inference cards DX-H1 and edge AI chips DX-M1 from the South Korean startup DEEPX, edge AI vision chips Hailo-8 from the Israeli startup Hailo, edge AI accelerator MX3 from MemryX, and AI accelerators supported by CXL from Panmnesia... and so on, various AI chip-related exhibits made their appearance at CES 2024.
From the scene of CES 2024, generative AI has almost swept the entire venue, sparking innovation in scenarios from chips, PCs, gaming, smart home, robots to intelligent driving.
Technology giants are releasing a variety of new products around AI, all showing the results of AI technology landing, and also indicating that AI has become a must-fight place for technology products. A large-scale global AI positioning battle will be launched in 2024 with great momentum.
Automotive chips, full of highlightsAlthough the enthusiasm of automotive companies and supply chain enterprises at this year's CES exhibition seems less than before, and the absence of automotive giants such as Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and Toyota is somewhat unexpected, the overall automotive atmosphere of CES 2024 is still quite strong, with cutting-edge technologies around electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and intelligent cockpits still being popular at this exhibition.
In the field of automobiles, the explosive popularity of AI large language models represented by ChatGPT and their adoption in vehicles have enabled AI technology to be applied more deeply. Many companies have shifted their focus from new cars to their latest achievements in electrification, intelligent cockpits, and intelligent driving.
The innovation in the level of automotive intelligence is largely based on the development of automotive chips. The improvement of automotive perception, decision-making, control, safety, and traffic capabilities all have higher requirements for chips.
Automotive electronics are also a key word for CES 2024.
NVIDIA: Providing the DRIVE Orin chip for automotive companies
NVIDIA is undoubtedly the leader in autonomous driving SoC chips.
At this CES, NVIDIA's next-generation DRIVE Thor central vehicle computing platform has taken the spotlight, with a high performance of 2000 TFLOPs, far ahead of others.
During the exhibition, NVIDIA stated that Ideal Automobile has chosen the NVIDIA DRIVE Thor centralized vehicle computing platform to empower its next-generation models. At the same time, it announced that Great Wall, Ji Ke, and Xiaomi Automobile have adopted the NVIDIA DRIVE Orin platform in their new generation of autonomous driving systems.
It is reported that the NVIDIA DRIVE Thor super chip will provide advanced AI functions, expected to provide a high performance of 2000 TFLOPs, to achieve intelligent driving with both functional safety and information security, integrate a wide range of intelligent functions into a single artificial intelligence computing platform, and provide autonomous driving, automatic parking, driver and passenger monitoring, and artificial intelligence cockpit.Based on the current situation, it is expected that more car manufacturers will adopt NVIDIA's DRIVE Thor solution in 2024.
AMD: Launch of New Automotive-Grade Products
AMD, which competes with NVIDIA in various fields, is also deeply involved in the automotive industry.
At CES 2024, AMD showcased innovations in the automotive field and launched two new devices—the Versal Edge XA (automotive-grade) adaptive SoC and the Ryzen (Ryzen) Embedded V2000A series processor, expanding the product line and demonstrating the wide range of functions and applications of these new devices in current or future automotive solutions.
It is understood that the Versal AI Edge automotive-grade adaptive SoC introduces an advanced AI engine, which can further optimize many next-generation advanced automotive systems and applications, including front-view cameras, cabin monitoring, lidar, 4D radar, surround view, automatic parking, and autonomous driving. In addition, the Versal AI Edge automotive-grade adaptive SoC is also AMD's first 7nm device certified for automotive use, bringing hardened IP and higher security for safety-critical automotive applications.
The Versal AI Edge automotive-grade adaptive SoC can accelerate high-performance AI computing applications while providing functional safety and information security and promoting the development of automotive design. It is reported that the first batch of devices will be released in early 2024, and more devices are planned to be released later this year.
From infotainment consoles to digital instruments and passenger displays, the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000A series processor can provide support for the next generation of automotive digital cockpits.
It is understood that this series of processors is built on innovative 7nm process technology, "Zen 2" cores, and high-performance AMD Radeon Vega 7 graphics, providing a new level of performance. In addition to supporting Automotive Grade Linux and Android Automotive, it can also provide high-definition graphics, enhanced security features, and automotive software supported by virtual machine managers. The expansion of the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000A series brings the first automotive-standard x86 processor series, providing a similar PC-like experience, offering consumers the expected home entertainment experience in the car.
Intel: Bringing AI PCs to Cars
Intel announced plans to bring the company's "AI everywhere" strategy to the automotive market, opening up the automotive Chiplet platform to bring the AI PC experience to cars.At CES, Intel unveiled the first generation of SoC designed specifically for software-defined vehicles. Intel Vice President and General Manager of the Automotive Business Unit, Jack Weast, stated that the chip combines Intel's extensive technical experience in the fields of AIPC and data centers. It not only provides the power management and performance scalability required by automotive manufacturers but also enables differentiated artificial intelligence functions that adapt to different workloads and operating environments. The product is expected to be mass-produced and shipped before the end of 2024.
The concept of Chiplet has been introduced by Intel into the automotive field, allowing manufacturers to flexibly expand the chip's functions according to their needs. Other IPs can be integrated into Intel's products, supporting different chips to connect to the same host.
This allows Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to freely choose to integrate customized Chiplets into Intel's roadmap products, with costs only a fraction of those for fully customized chips. The ability to mix and match Chiplets further eliminates the risk of supplier lock-in and promotes a more scalable software-defined architecture.
Intel also announced its intention to collaborate with the research and development center IMEC to ensure that Intel's advanced Chiplet packaging technology meets the strict quality and reliability requirements needed for automotive use cases.
Mobileye: Disclosing Mass Production Project Cooperation
Mobileye highlighted a range of scalable solutions from "hands-free/eye-on" ADAS to "eye-off" autonomous driving vehicles, showcasing progress in realizing the gradual vision of autonomous driving.
It is reported that several international brands are expected to implement new autonomous driving solutions based on Mobileye's three core platforms: Mobileye SuperVision, Mobileye Chauffeur, and Mobileye Drive.
These high-level ADAS and autonomous driving solutions are expected to be equipped on multiple automotive platforms, involving sales in various regions, different types of power systems, and can be easily expanded to other models as needed.
All systems will be equipped with the Mobileye EyeQ 6H System-on-Chip, designed for powerful and efficient computing, integrating all perception, REM technology, and combined with safety control algorithms. The project will be supported by the Mobileye Drive platform, specifically designed for the production of vehicles for Robotaxi mobility services. Vehicles equipped with Mobileye Drive fully utilize computer vision, LiDAR, and Mobileye imaging radar, and are expected to enter mass production as early as 2026.
Qualcomm: Collaborating with Bosch to Launch a Single-Chip Intelligent Cockpit and Driving SolutionQualcomm and Bosch have jointly launched the automotive industry's first in-vehicle central computing platform that can run both infotainment and ADAS functions on a single SoC. This platform is built on Qualcomm's high-performance central computing SoC - Snapdragon Ride Flex.
The Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC is built on Qualcomm's leading advantages in digital cockpit and ADAS computing platforms, aiming to support mixed critical-level workloads across heterogeneous computing resources, and simultaneously support digital cockpit, ADAS, and AD functions with a single SoC. This unique capability allows car manufacturers to achieve scalable unified central computing and software-defined vehicle architecture from entry-level to top-tier models.
During CES, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon looked forward to the future of Qualcomm's automotive chip business. He predicted that the business unit's sales would reach about $4 billion by 2026 and increase to $9 billion by the end of the 2020s. This expectation not only reflects the short-term growth potential of Qualcomm's automotive chip business but also marks Qualcomm's long-term layout in new market fields while reducing its dependence on consumer electronics chip business.
On the other hand, the core of Bosch's new in-vehicle computer is a single SoC that can process various functions in both the infotainment and driver assistance systems, including automatic parking, lane detection, as well as intelligent personalized navigation and voice assistance functions. For car manufacturers, this computer occupies less space and requires fewer cables, which means lower costs.
In the central in-vehicle computer, Bosch has adopted the modular system design principle. Coupled with independent software solutions, such as video perception software for surround perception, car manufacturers can modularly combine their independent solutions with hardware expansion. The software-intensive central computer plays a decisive role here because it allows manufacturers to perform driving and driving assistance functions. Car manufacturers also have a great demand for software integration capabilities. Bosch uses its integrated expertise to combine software components from different sources.
Texas Instruments: Showcases new automotive chips
Texas Instruments showcases the new automotive chip AWR2544 77GHz millimeter wave radar sensor chip, driver chip DRV3946-Q1, and DRV3901-Q1 at CES 2024, aiming to improve the safety and intelligence of automobiles.
It is reported that the AWR2544 77GHz millimeter wave radar sensor chip adopts a satellite radar architecture design, which can achieve a higher level of autonomy by enhancing sensor fusion and decision-making capabilities in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
The AWR2544 single-chip radar sensor uses a waveguide interface package (LOP) technology. LOP technology supports the installation of 3D waveguide antennas on the other side of the printed circuit board, which helps to reduce the size of the sensor by up to 30%. LOP technology also supports the expansion of the sensor range to more than 200m through a single chip. AWR2544 is a new product in Texas Instruments' radar sensor product portfolio, supporting a variety of ADAS applications and architectures, including sensors suitable for corner radar, front radar, imaging radar, side radar, and rear radar systems.
Texas Instruments' new driver chip DRV3946-Q1 integrated contactor driver and DRV3901-Q1 integrated thermal fuse blower driver can support software programming, provide built-in diagnostic functions, and support functional safety, suitable for battery management systems and powertrain systems.NXP: Launch of RF CMOS Radar Single-Chip
NXP has taken the lead in launching a series of 28nm RF CMOS radar single-chip, the new SAF86xx single-chip integrates a high-performance radar transceiver, multi-core radar processor, and MACsec hardware engine. Tier 1 suppliers can use this new product to build more compact and energy-efficient radar sensors, with a detection range extending beyond 300 meters. According to NXP, HELLA will develop its seventh-generation radar product portfolio based on NXP's SoC series.
Driven by the development trend of new energy vehicles, the automotive chip market is increasingly becoming an emerging field of interest for chip manufacturers. New giants such as Nvidia, AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, as well as traditional manufacturers like Texas Instruments and NXP, have demonstrated the latest developments and technological trends in the automotive chip industry at CES 2024.
In addition, domestic automotive chip companies also made an appearance at CES 2024.
Xinchi Technology focused on showcasing the flagship cockpit based on the Xinchi all-scenario intelligent cockpit chip X9SP, the cockpit instrument based on the Xinchi high-performance MCU product E3 series, the electronic rearview mirror demo, and the reference board of the second-generation central computing architecture SCCA2.0.
Black Sesame Technology brought its automotive-grade high-performance autonomous driving chip Huashan series A1000 mass production ecosystem, intelligent vehicle cross-domain computing chip Wudang series C1200 family, and intelligent vehicle cross-domain integration commercial model, complete and mature tool chain algorithms and software cases, as well as ecosystem cooperation cases to CES 2024, demonstrating the "core" strength of intelligent vehicles.
Linghua Technology brought the hardware solution ADM-AL30: which can serve as the central AI computing platform for autonomous driving vehicles, and the RQX-59 series can provide powerful edge perception capabilities. Linghua Technology will cooperate with Tianya Zhixing to combine edge AI technology, autonomous driving software, and heterogeneous computing to meet industry challenges and promote the development of L4 autonomous driving. Domain controller ADM-Q95: can achieve the integration of cluster, central information display (CID), driver monitoring system (DMS), and passenger entertainment information system functions, ensuring seamless integration while reducing the number of control units installed.
On the other side, several leading radar suppliers brought their latest products to CES, attracting a lot of attention.
Heisai Technology released the most comprehensive performance to date, the 512-line ultra-high-definition ultra-long-range lidar AT512. The product uses the latest fourth-generation self-developed chip, and through the introduction of cutting-edge technologies such as 3D stacking and optical noise suppression, it has achieved a comprehensive upgrade in performance without changing the volume, with full parameters.Suteng JuChuang also made a big move, unveiling its first 940nm long-range LiDAR M3 at CES. The new product can achieve a standard measurement range of 300 meters, with a measurement capability increased by about 67% compared to M1 Plus. In addition, based on 2D scanning technology, the cost of M3 will be reduced by about 50%, the volume will be reduced by more than 50%, and the power consumption will be reduced by more than 30%.
Aptiv showcased its seventh-generation 4D millimeter-wave corner radar at CES 2024, which was developed by a local Chinese team and equipped with China's first integrated radar chip.
Xing Yidao showcased its 4D imaging real-time panoramic SLAM; Muniu Technology and Aotu Technology displayed the world's leading 4D imaging radar at CES; the eye-catching Uhnder 4D digital imaging radar solution, based on advanced digital coding modulation (DCM), can provide higher resolution, more accurate perception, and better anti-jamming performance for autonomous driving systems.
In addition, from display technology to interaction methods, from multi-screen to AR HUD, in-vehicle display technologies aimed at improving the driving and riding experience of cars also made an appearance at the exhibition.
Overall, against the backdrop of automotive intelligence, the highlights of CES 2024 are also quite sufficient.
Storage original factory, main control performance breaks through again
As an indispensable important part of various terminal application equipment, storage products have also become a highlight of this CES.
Samsung Electronics: Fully display AI era storage solutions
At the CES 2024 exhibition, Samsung Electronics' DRAM solutions optimized for the generative AI era mainly include: 12nm 32 Gb DDR5 DRAM, HBM3E DRAM "Shinebolt", CXL memory module product "CMM-D".
Among them, Samsung Electronics' 32Gb DDR5 DRAM is currently the DRAM product with the largest single chip capacity. It was first developed in September 2023 and is a high-capacity product series suitable for servers. Its feature is that it can configure a 128GB large-capacity module in the same package without TSV technology.In addition, the ultra-high-performance HBM3E DRAM "Shine Bolt," which will lead AI innovation, has more than 50% increased performance and capacity compared to existing HBM3 products. HBM3E uses a 12-layer stacking technology, providing a bandwidth of 1280GB per second and a high capacity of up to 36GB.
Samsung Electronics' CMM-D is a module product based on the CXL interface, rather than the existing DRAM modules based on the DDR interface. Multiple units of this product can be installed at the front end of the server, thereby significantly increasing the memory capacity per server. This product is expected to play a key role in the application of generative artificial intelligence platforms that require rapid processing of large amounts of data.
Furthermore, Samsung Electronics has also launched 8.5Gbps LPDDR5X DRAM products, LPDDR5X-PIM, LLW DRAM for the edge AI market; NAND solutions include PM9D3a and PB SSD.
SK Hynix: New Generation Storage Solutions
At CES 2024, SK Hynix emphasized that the company will focus on highlighting the "storage-centric" future development blueprint.
During the exhibition, SK Hynix showcased its important storage chip product HBM3E for the AI era. It is said that SK Hynix HBM3E has reached the industry's highest data processing speed of 1.18TB/second, meeting the AI market's demand for rapid processing of massive amounts of data. Compared to the previous generation of HBM3 products, the speed of HBM3E has increased by 1.3 times, and the data capacity has expanded by 1.4 times. The product also uses the latest Advanced MR-MUF2 technology, with a 10% improvement in heat dissipation performance.
For users running artificial intelligence solutions, HBM3E will help to fully unleash the potential of their systems. SK Hynix plans to put HBM3E into mass production in the first half of 2024, enabling customers to accelerate the full potential of their AI systems.
In addition to HBM3E, SK Hynix also demonstrated the storage solution prototype CMS, which is integrated with CXL computing functions, and the low-cost, high-efficiency generative AI accelerator card AiMX based on PIM semiconductors. Among them, CXL is highly regarded for its ability to achieve memory expansion and improve the performance of artificial intelligence applications, and will play a key role together with HBM3E in the AI era.
It is reported that SK Hynix is continuously developing world-leading products to cope with the market trend centered on storage, further consolidating its industry leadership. Related solutions include the upcoming HBM4 and HBM4E, which can provide higher bandwidth, as well as products such as LPCAMM7, CXL, PIM8, and CIM9.
Micron: Launch of the Industry's First LPCAMM2 Memory ModuleAt the CES exhibition, Micron Technology's Crucial launched the industry's first standard low-power compression additional memory module (LPCAMM2), which uses LPDDR5X memory with capacities ranging from 16GB to 64GB. This module can provide PCs with higher performance and energy efficiency, save more space, and feature a modular design.
It is understood that Micron's LPCAMM2 memory modules have already been sampled and are planned to be put into production in the first half of 2024. This marks the first time that client-side PCs have introduced a disruptive new form factor since the introduction of the SO-DIMM specification in 1997.
The new LPCAMM2 memory module can support a data transfer rate of 9600MT/s, which is much higher than the 6400MT/s of DDR5 SO-DIMM. Although LPDDR5X is not as good as DDR5 in terms of latency, it can offset this with a higher data transfer rate. Compared with the soldered LPDDR5X memory subsystem, the modular form does not increase the latency of LPDDR5X memory. The LPCAMM module using LPDDR5X memory, compared with SODIMM memory, has reduced in volume by 64%, reduced power consumption by 61%, and increased speed by 71% in the PCMark 10 basic performance test.
KIOXIA: Storage Solution Product Portfolio
At this exhibition, KIOXIA focused on showcasing its extensive range of solid-state drives (SSDs) and storage solution product portfolios, including new products, form factors, and standards designed for upcoming IT demands. These include scalable KIOXIA BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory technology solutions - including XL-FLASH and QLC technology; flash memory solutions for automotive applications - including UFS 4.0, which can support the ever-changing automotive market demands; a wide range of enterprise and data center SSD series - representing the latest standards, technologies, and form factor specifications; KIOXIA client SSDs include KIOXIA XG8 and BG6 series NVMe SSDs.
In addition, Phison Electronics launched the PCIe 5.0 DRAM-Less Client SSD controller chip PS5031-E31T at CES 2024. This is the world's first PCIe 5.0 DRAM-Less 4CH client SSD controller chip using a 7nm process.
Consumer Electronics, Awaiting a Turn
Under the backdrop of the AI for All era, various terminals such as PCs, mobile phones, XR, automobiles, and audio equipment have been endowed with AI foundations, and a new cycle may be about to begin, with the consumer electronics industry chain expected to usher in a new round of growth opportunities.
The previous section mentioned the industrial boom of AI PCs. In this part, we mainly introduce some popular XR products and communication chips at CES.
Qualcomm Leads XR Processor ChipsSince Apple launched its first spatial computing product last June, the next generation of interactive hardware represented by VR/AR/MR headsets has been injected with new vitality.
At this year's CES, the biggest highlight of the XR chip is undoubtedly Qualcomm's newly launched VR/MR chip Snapdragon XR2+Gen2.
It is understood that the Snapdragon XR2+Gen2 is a chip optimized specifically for VR headsets and other wearable devices, with new features including support for single-eye 4K screens, VST latency controlled within 12ms, and up to 12 concurrent cameras. The headset device demonstrated by Sony at CES is equipped with Qualcomm's latest XR2+ Gen2 chip.
Although Apple did not participate in the CES exhibition as usual this year, it officially announced a major news on the eve of the opening of CES - its first spatial computing product, Vision Pro, will be available for pre-order at 5 am on January 19th in the United States, and will be officially sold in the US market on February 2nd.
With the support of the metaverse concept and the encouragement of Apple's launch of XR products, according to incomplete statistics, the number of XR and metaverse exhibitors at this CES exceeded 400, including Chinese manufacturers such as Big Peng VR, Xiaopai Technology, NOLO, Skyworth, BOE, and Zhongke Chuangda.
Communication chips also make a splash
Communication chip exhibitors also show off their strengths, MediaTek announced a cooperation with Google to develop a new Filogic smart home chip set, Lixun Information Technology launched a new Wi-Fi 6+ Bluetooth SoC ESP32-C61, and the American startup Ixana displayed a low-power 4Mbps YR22 Wi-R communication chip.
In addition, it is worth noting that at this year's CES 2024, MediaTek announced its first batch of products that have obtained complete Wi-Fi 7 certification. MediaTek said that the Filogic Wi-Fi 7 certified chip set it launched can be integrated into home gateways, Mesh routers, TVs, streaming devices, smartphones, tablets, and laptops, etc., to enhance people's quality of life and work efficiency in the era of fast and reliable connection performance to meet the network support needs of the latest AI tools.
MediaTek expects many Wi-Fi 7 new products to be launched this year, more devices will be certified, and will join the growing Wi-Fi 7 ecosystem. In addition, the router products exhibited by MediaTek this time, in addition to Wi-Fi 7 certified products, also include routers that receive satellite signals, and this product has been certified by SpaceX.
ConclusionThe CES exhibition in 2024 is not only a feast for the technology industry, but also an important platform for showcasing innovative technologies in the tech sector.
From AI PCs to automotive electronics, from memory devices to consumer electronics, every innovation is sketching out a new blueprint for the future of the technology industry.
Directly hitting CES 2024, technology changes life, allowing humanity to break through imagination, making innovation a norm, and letting the future unfold before our eyes.
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