Samsung has quietly announced its new Exynos 7 octa-core chip that will power future as well as current-generation Samsung devices like the Galaxy Note 4.

The new SoC features a Cortex-A57 and Cortex-A53 quad-core processors created using the company’s 20nm manufacturing process as well as advanced mobile image compression technology to provide consumers with a very power-efficient chip that doesn’t compromise on performance.

The two new cores are configured in a big.LITTLE Heterogeneous Multi Processing (HMP) format that maximizes the CPU performance, churning out 57% more computing power compared to its predecessors. This improvement in power allows devices running on the new chip to run various applications including high-res games, image/video processing, security software, face/eye recognition and augment reality.

Because the new SoC is capable of running intense graphics, Exynos 7-equipped devices are able to support high-resolution displays and record HD media. Moreover the chip supports simultaneous recording of high resolution videos or pictures using both the front and rear cameras thanks to its built-in dual Image Signal Processor.

In terms of 3D graphics, the chip is equipped with a Mali T-760 GPU that provides an improvement of 74% in the 3D graphics performance.

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When it comes to computing devices, performance is usually measured in the CPU department through how many cores a device has or how fast its processors are running. But the norm may soon change, especially after the introduction of IBM’s SyNAPSE super chip.

SyNAPSE (Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics) is a new type of chip that mimics the human brain and was introduced back in 2011 by IBM and funded by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) of the United States.
The new chip boasts 1 million neurons, 256 million synapses and 4096 neurosynaptic cores that run on 70mW of power. This amount of computing power allows the chip to process various data in parallel much like the human brain.

According to IBM the chip will be able to deliver the performance of several racks of conventional computers that will run on power required to operate a hearing aid. With that in mind, the chip could bring dramatic changes to the industry. For instance, future phones will be able to have longer battery life and perform like a powerful computer.
At present, IBM has developed a programmable working board with 16 chips working in unison. The company has also created an educational outreach program called SyNAPSE University plus a new computing language that will utilize the power of the chip.
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Intel had a major announcement this week at Computex in Taiwan that immensely benefits the laptop, tablet and hybrid markets.

The chip maker introduced at the event its new-generation processors – the Core M CPUs. The new CPUs will be manufactured using a 14nm process. This means that the new processors will consume less power and will have a smaller foot print compared to the current generation Core processors.

But despite the smaller size, Intel promises that the upcoming Core processors will be more powerful and should offer consumers 20-40% improvement in performance. The reduced power consumption should also mean that the processors will produce less heat than current CPUs that will reduce the need to use fans for cooling.

Having said these, it should mean that we may soon have devices that have thinner profiles and should use less (if not completely eliminate the need to use) fans. During the event, Intel showcased a prototype unit called Llama Mountain that bears the new Core M processor.

The device is incredible thin at just 7.2mm and weighs only 1.47 pounds. And looks a lot like Asus’s Transformer T300 Chi, which was announced just a few days ago.

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The annual Game Developers Conference is typically the venue where companies involved in the field of video games showcase their new tech for the world to see. Intel being a manufacturer of processors for gaming PCs is obviously part of the event.

This year, Intel previewed a number of projects it is currently working on, kicking things off with an improved 4^th-generation Core processor Extreme edition which features an 8-core, 16 thread configuration. This CPU will also support the new DDR4 memory standard which should provide gamers with enough power for gaming, video editing, 3D content and other resource-intense activities.

There’s also an unlocked 4^th-generation Intel Core processor codenamed “Devil’s Canyon” that features an improved thermal interface and CPU packaging materials that are said to help enhance the CPU’s performance and overclocking capabilities. Moreover, the company also plans to release a Pentium processor Anniversary Edition as it celebrates more than 20 years of the brand.

The special edition Pentium processor will pack unlocked multipliers that will allow consumers to increase the frequencies of the CPU and memory independently from other components of the system.

Lastly, Intel also showcased an AIO PC called “Black Brook” which comes with an integrated Intel RealSense 3D camera, a quad-microphone array, premium audio and a full HD display. The Black Brook is designed to an all-rounder providing users with performance and portability.

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Intel’s Baytrail and Haswell chips were prominently featured on a number of devices in the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. However, Intel’s crowning glory on its keynote was the unveiling of its Edison Development Board and Jarvis smart headset.

The Edison is a tiny ultra-power-efficient development platform that uses a low-power 20nm 400MHz Intel Quark processor with two cores as well as integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth all packed in a package the size of an ordinary SD card.

This enables the board to be used in a host of different applications including wearables that are able to collect user data with sensors, or smart appliances that communicate with other devices using either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Also featured on Intel’s keynote is Jarvis – a smart headset that doubles as a fitness tracker that monitors your heart rate and distance when running. The headset connects to a phones audio jack. Jarvis can also be used to sync a user’s email, calendar and contacts.

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A recently leaked document revealed some details about Intel’s upcoming chipsets. According to a Chinese website, the company will soon release the successor of its Haswell chips that is designed for use with laptops and mobile devices.

Codenamed Broadwell, the new chips will feature a more power-efficient design as well as improved Thermal Design Power (TDP) that will benefit mobile devices.

The new chipset will be categorized into three groups: the high-performance category or H group, and the low voltage variants, which are the Y and U classes. Being the more powerful version, the H chips will feature either a single or dual chip design and will have a GT3 or GT2 GPU as well as up to 6MB L3 cache, support for up to 32GB of DDR3L memory at 1600MHz and TDP of 47 watts.

On the other hand, the Y and U models will have single chip design and will support up to 16GB of DDR3L (again at 1600MHz) of memory or 8GB of LPDDR3-1600. Intel is expected to start shipping these Broadwell chips by Q2 of 2014.

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Back in July, MediaTek announced that it will soon release a true octa-core chip and now, the company has finally chosen the first phone manufacturer to get the chip into the market.

Surprisingly, it was a relatively unknown Chinese brand that got the first taste of MediaTek’s news-worthy chip. The Umi X2S, which was first displayed at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair last week, sports the MediaTek MT6592 chipset with a 1.5GHZ Cortex-A7 quad-core CPU.

The phone also features a 5.0-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. There’s also 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 13MP camera at the back and NFC connectivity. The chip also supports LTE so it’s very likely that the XS2 will also pack LTE connectivity.

There’s no official word yet on availability but pricing is expected to be in the $240-$350 range.

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