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Growing Consumer and Business Interest in the Metaverse Expected to Fuel Trillion Dollar Opportunity for Commerce, Accenture Finds

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Luwela R.
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Image credit: Accenture

Accenture research presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas shows that growing consumer and business interest in the metaverse as a creative economy and tool to better day-to-day tasks is predicted to create a $1 trillion commerce opportunity by the end of 2025.

Over half (55 per cent) of the roughly 9,000 consumers polled perceive the metaverse as a business potential for developing and monetising content, according to the study. According to a parallel poll of 3,200 C-suite executives, the majority (89 per cent) believe the metaverse will play an essential role in their organisation’s future success. Additionally, the research shows that metaverse experiences and commerce might account for 4.2 per cent of corporate revenues, or $1 trillion, by the end of 2025.

According to the research, 55 per cent of customers want to be active metaverse users, and nearly all (90 per cent) wish to do so within the next year. Easy-to-use interfaces (mentioned by 70 per cent) and access to a broad variety of applications (68 per cent), trumped more “form” elements like bright headsets (55 per cent) and the opportunity to personalise avatars (55 per cent).

While 59 per cent of metaverse users are interested in gaming, only 4 per cent of customers consider the metaverse as a gaming platform. In fact, 70 per cent plan to use the metaverse to access media and entertainment, fitness, shopping, travel, and healthcare products and services. These preferences differ by age, with younger consumers more interested in media and exercise and elderly customers more interested in innovative ways to get health services. Still, they all share a desire to improve on activities they already do every day, such as working out at home (mentioned by 60 per cent) or enhancing interactions with health experts (55 per cent).

“The metaverse as a continuum of technologies and human-centric experiences will usher in the next era of our digital lives and transform all aspects of business. Underpinning it all are opportunities for new products and services, digital assets, business models and the technical capacity for conveying a sense of presence and expression,” said David Treat, senior managing director and co-lead of Accenture’s Metaverse Continuum business group.

Kevan Yalowitz, Accenture’s Software & Platforms industry practice lead, added, “Consumers are starting to see the metaverse as an essential tool which, when integrated into their lives, can streamline how they complete tasks and increase productivity. Businesses able to deliver tangible experiences that address consumer needs in key areas of interest will gain early-mover advantage in a rapidly forming metaverse industry.” 

To appropriately capitalise on the opportunity, organisations need to be smart about the metaverse-enabled business model changes, while interacting with all stakeholders to inform the experiences they create:

  • Be creative and keep it simple — Businesses should only create metaverse experiences that are compatible with their customers’ mental models. Creativity is still important but must be built from the ground up. With this attitude, businesses can focus on the correct metaverse strategies and operational models.
  • Start small and focused — Businesses should approach the metaverse with a strict, customer-focused philosophy that serves their needs artfully. They should also concentrate on learning how to apply the metaverse to various aspects of the business.

Engage with early building blocks — Metaverse and Web3 ecosystems quickly evolve and generate new value-creation opportunities. This continues to open up new opportunities for firms – as long as they target the proper regions fast but carefully.

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NVIDIA Releases Major Update to Omniverse Enterprise

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DTD
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Image credit: NVIDIA
Media Release by NVIDIA

The latest release of NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise, available now, brings increased performance, generational leaps in real-time RTX ray and path tracing, and streamlined workflows to help teams build connected 3D pipelines, and develop and operate large-scale, physically accurate, virtual 3D worlds like never before.

Artists, designers, engineers and developers can benefit from various enhancements across common Omniverse use cases, including breaking down 3D data silos through aggregation, building custom 3D pipeline tools and generating synthetic 3D data.

The release includes support for the breakthrough innovations within the new NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, including third-generation RTX technology and DLSS 3, delivering up to 3x performance gains when powered by the latest GPU technology, such as NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation, NVIDIA L40 and OVX systems.

The update also delivers features and capabilities such as new Omniverse Connectors, layer-based live workflows, improved user experience and customization options, including multi-view ports, editable hotkeys, lighting presets and more.

Enhancing 3D Creation

The Omniverse ecosystem is expanding, with more capabilities and tools that allow teams to elevate 3D workflows and reach new levels of real-time, physically accurate simulations. The latest additions include:

  • New Connectors: Omniverse Connectors enable more seamless connected workflows between disparate 3D applications. New Adobe Substance 3D Painter, Autodesk Alias, PTC Creo, Kitware’s Paraview Omniverse Connectors are now supported on Omniverse Enterprise. Users can also easily export data created in NX Software from Siemens Digital Industries Software.
  • Omniverse DeepSearch: Now generally available, this AI-powered service lets teams intuitively search through extremely large, untagged 3D databases with natural language or using 2D reference images. This unlocks major value in previously unwieldy digital backlots and asset collections that lacked the ability to search.
  • Omniverse Farm: A completely renewed user interface provides improved usability and performance, plus Kubernetes support.
  • Omniverse Cloud: New cloud containers for Enterprise Nucleus Server, Replicator, Farm and Isaac Sim for AWS provide enterprises more flexibility in connecting and managing distributed teams all over the world. AWS’ security, identity and access-management controls allow teams to maintain complete control over their data. Containers are now available on NVIDIA NGC.

Strengthening Core Components for Building 3D Worlds

Omniverse Enterprise is designed for maximum flexibility and scalability. This means creators, designers, researchers and engineers can quickly connect tools, assets and projects to collaborate in a shared virtual space.

Omniverse Enterprise brings updates to the core components of the platform, including:

  • Omniverse Kit SDK, the powerful toolkit for building extensions, apps, microservices or plug-ins, now makes it easier than ever to build advanced tools and Omniverse applications with new templates and developer workflows.
  • Omniverse Create, a reference app for composing large-scale, USD-based worlds, now includes NVIDIA DLSS 3 and multi-viewport support, making it easier for Omniverse Enterprise users to fluidly interact with extremely large and complex scenes.
  • Omniverse View, a reference app for reviewing 3D scenes, has been streamlined to focus purely on the review and approval experience. New collaborative, real-time, interactive capabilities — including markup, annotation, measure and simple navigation — make stakeholder presentations easier and more interactive than ever.
  • Omniverse Nucleus, the database and collaboration engine, now includes improved IT management tools, such as expanded version control to handle atomic checkpoints on the server. Updated Large File Transfer service enables users to move files between servers, on premises or in the cloud to benefit hybrid workflows. And new self-service deployment instructions for Enterprise Nucleus Server on AWS are now available, letting customers deploy and manage Nucleus in the cloud.

Customers Dive Into Omniverse Enterprise 

Many customers around the world have experienced enhanced 3D workflows with Omniverse Enterprise.

Dentsu International, one of the largest global marketing and advertising agency networks, always looks for solutions that enable collaborative and seamless work, with a central repository for completed projects.

In addition to enhancing current pipelines with Omniverse Enterprise, Dentsu is looking to incorporate NVIDIA generative AI into its 3D design pipeline with software development kits like Omniverse ACE and Audio2Face.

Mercedes Benz, the German premium vehicle manufacturer, is using Omniverse Enterprise at its sites world wide to design, plan and optimize its manufacturing and assembly facilities. By developing full-fidelity digital twins of their production environments, globally dispersed teams will open up new abilities to collaborate in real time, accelerate decision-making and identify opportunities to reduce waste, decrease energy consumption and continuously enhance quality.

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is a renowned architectural design firm that has created some of the world’s most singular building designs. ZHA focuses on creating transformative cultural, corporate and residential spaces through cutting-edge technologies. With Omniverse Enterprise, the team can accelerate and automate its workflows, as well as develop custom tools within the platform.

“We are working with NVIDIA to incorporate Omniverse as the connective infrastructure of our tech stack. Our goal is to retain design intent across the various project stages and improve productivity,” said Shajay Bhooshan, associate director at Zaha Hadid Architects. “We expect NVIDIA Omniverse to play a critical, supportive role to our efforts to create a platform that’s agnostic, version-controlled and a single source of truth for design data, as it evolves from idea to delivery.”

NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise is available by subscription from BOXX Technologies, Dell Technologies, Z by HP and Lenovo, and channel partners including Arrow, ASK, PNY and Leadtek. The platform is optimized to run on NVIDIA-Certified, RTX-enabled desktop and mobile workstations, as well as servers, with new support for NVIDIA RTX Ada generation systems.

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Intelligent Design: NVIDIA DRIVE Revolutionizes Vehicle Interior Experiences

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DTD
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Image credit: NVIDIA
Media Release by NVIDIA

AI is extending further into the vehicle as autonomous-driving technology becomes more prevalent.

With the NVIDIA DRIVE platform, automakers can design and implement intelligent interior features to continuously surprise and delight customers.

It all begins with the compute architecture. The recently introduced NVIDIA DRIVE Thor platform unifies traditionally distributed functions in vehicles  — including digital cluster, infotainment, parking and assisted driving — for greater efficiency in development and faster software iteration.

NVIDIA DRIVE Concierge, built on the DRIVE IX software stack, runs an array of safety and convenience features, including driver and occupant monitoring, digital assistants and autonomous-vehicle visualization.

Automakers can benefit from NVIDIA data center solutions even if they aren’t using the NVIDIA DRIVE platform. With cloud technology, vehicles can stream the NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud-gaming service without any special equipment. Plus, developers can train, test and validate in-vehicle AI models on NVIDIA DGX servers.

The same data center technology that’s accelerating AI development — in combination with the NVIDIA Omniverse platform for creating and operating metaverse applications — is also revolutionizing the automotive product cycle. Using NVIDIA DRIVE Sim built on Omniverse, automakers can design vehicle interiors and retail experiences entirely in the virtual world.

Easing Pain Points From Concept to Customer

Designing and selling vehicles requires the highest levels of organization and orchestration. The cockpit alone has dozens of components — such as steering wheel, cluster and infotainment — that developers must create and integrate with the rest of the car.

These processes are incredibly time- and resource-intensive — there are countless configurations, and chosen designs must be built out and tested prior to production. Vehicle designers must collaborate on various layouts, which must then be validated and approved. Customers must travel to dealerships to experience various options, and the ability to test features depends on a store’s inventory at any given time.

In the virtual world, developers can easily design vehicles, and car buyers can seamlessly test them, leading to an optimal experience on both ends of the production pipeline.

Design and Collaboration

Automakers operate design centers around the world, tapping into expertise from North America, Europe, Asia and other automotive hubs. Working on user experience concepts across these locations requires frequent international travel and close coordination.

With DRIVE Sim, designers and engineers anywhere in the world can work together to develop the cockpit experience, without having to leave their desks.

Design teams can also save time and valuable resources by testing concepts in the virtual world, without having to wait for physical prototypes. Decision-makers can review designs and ensure they meet relevant safety standards in DRIVE Sim before sending them to production.

Transforming the Customer Experience

The benefits of in-vehicle simulation extend far beyond the design phase.

Consumers are increasingly expecting full-service digital retail experiences. More than 60% of shoppers want to conduct more of the car-buying process online compared to the last time they bought a vehicle, while more than 75% are open to buying a car entirely online, according to an Autotrader survey.

The same tools used to design the vehicle can help meet these rising consumer expectations.

With DRIVE Sim, car buyers can configure and test the car from the comfort of their homes. Customers can see all potential options and combinations of vehicle features at the push of a button and take their dream car for a virtual spin — no lengthy trips to the dealership required.

From concept design to customer experience, DRIVE Sim is easing the process and opening up new ways to design and enjoy intelligent vehicles.

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Lenovo’s Service Supply Chain Wins Award for AI-Driven System to Increase Efficiency, Sustainability in Packaging

By
Luwela R.
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Image credit: Lenovo

Lenovo’s Service Supply Chain team recently developed Intelligent Excessive Pre-alert, an AI-driven process to generate an alarm that detects high-density packaging within its international distribution centre in China.

Once recognised, the packaging is modified or replaced to be more efficient and environmentally friendly, resulting in a lower environmental effect.

Lenovo’s international centre has made a meaningful, measurable effect in furthering Lenovo’s sustainability goals as a result of this innovation: packaging materials were decreased by more than 35 per cent, and related carbon emissions were cut by 50,000KG, or the equivalent of 9000 trees, yearly.

“As a tech company, innovation is a key tenet. We always look at how we can use technology solve challenges of not just our customers, but also ourselves. This is a great example of how we’ve used Artificial Intelligence to help us identify and reduce excessive packaging of our products, and ultimately be more sustainable,”  said Steven Chen, Executive Director, International Services Supply Chain, Lenovo, who helped pioneer the solution. 

The Muse Award is one of the world’s most prestigious awards for creativity. The competition recognises the designers “whose craftsmanship shift paradigms. Their ingenuity and thorough works leave others in awe, and in so doing redefine boundaries and scope – much like a muse.” 

The International Award Association’s stringent panel of 42 competent experts choose the winners once a year.

According to Lenovo, the award exemplifies its continuing corporate transformation, which includes simplifying operations and developing more intelligent enterprise solutions. Lenovo also prioritises environmental, social, and governance (ESG) excellence in all aspects of its operations, from supply chain operations to PC materials.

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CES: Intel Extends Performance Leadership with World’s Fastest Mobile Processor

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DTD
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At CES 2023, Intel introduces the 13th Gen Intel Core mobile processor family, powered by Intel’s performance hybrid architecture. There are 32 new mobile processors introduced on Jan. 3, 2023. Image credit: Intel
Media Release by Intel

Today at CES, Intel announced its 13th Gen Intel® Core™ mobile processors that bring superior performance and experiences to mobile platforms. Intel introduced 32 new 13th Gen Intel Core mobile processors with a rich suite of features and capabilities for all laptop segments.

“The 13th Gen Intel Core mobile processor family delivers unrivaled, scalable performance for leadership platforms across all laptop segments,” said Michelle Johnston Holthaus, executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel. “With our industry-leading technologies and unmatched global partner ecosystem, people can expect a high-caliber mobile experience in new and unique form factors – so they can game or create from anywhere.”

13th Gen Intel Core H-series Processors Deliver Industry-Leading Performance

Intel continues to push the boundaries of performance and expand computing possibilities for gamers and creators with the launch of the 13th Gen Intel Core H-series mobile processors, which includes the first 24-core processor for a laptop. When combined with unique features like support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, best-in-class connectivity and PCIe Gen 5, 13th Gen HX processors deliver the world’s best mobile gaming platform.

The new processor family offers:

  • Up to 5.6 gigahertz (GHz) turbo frequency – the highest clock speed available for the laptop market – delivering up to 11% faster single-thread performance and 49% faster multitask performance over the previous generation.
  • Up to 24 cores (8 Performance-cores, 16 Efficient-cores), 32 threads and enhanced Intel® Thread Director.
  • Full memory support of up to 128 gigabyte (GB) total for DDR5 (up to 5,600 megahertz) and DDR4 (up to 3,200 MHz).
  • Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) for up to 6x faster internet speeds with no legacy Wi-Fi channel interference.
  • The latest in Bluetooth connectivity with Intel® Bluetooth LE Audio and Bluetooth 5.2 supporting up to 2x faster speeds and multiple device connections with lower power consumption.
  • Thunderbolt™ 4 support, delivering transfer speeds up to 40 gigabits per second (Gbps) and PC connectivity to multiple 4K monitors and accessories.
  • Improved integrated graphics experience based on improved driver stack and key learnings from Intel’s work with discrete graphics.
  • Overclocking capabilities on all HX and HK SKUs.

With five times as many HX laptop designs powered by 13th Gen Intel Core mobile processors compared with 12th Gen, users can choose from 60 HX designs to stream, create and compete at the highest levels.

13th Gen Intel Core P-series and U-series Processors Expand Blazing Performance to Thin-and-Light Laptops

Intel also introduced 13th Gen Intel Core P-series and U-series mobile processors, perfect for people who want high performance on the go in sleek, thin systems. They offer:

  • Up to 14 cores (6 Performance-cores, 8 Efficient-cores) and enhanced Intel Thread Director.
  • New Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics features including endurance gaming, XeSS Super Sampling and Intel® Arc™ Control.
  • Broad memory support for DDR5 and DDR4 and LP variants.
  • Integrated Intel Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) and new wireless features like Intel® Connectivity Performance Suite, Intel® Wi-Fi Proximity Sensing and Intel® Bluetooth LE Audio.
  • Up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports for the fastest, simplest and most reliable cable solution to any dock, display or accessory.

For the first time, select designs based on 13th Gen Intel Core processors will feature the Intel® Movidius vision processing unit (VPU). Resulting from deep co-engineering with Microsoft on its new Windows Studio Effects, the AI-heavy tasks required for professional-grade collaboration and streaming can be offloaded to the VPU, freeing the CPU and GPU for other workloads or multitasking.

Across H-, P- and U-Series, the new mobile processors will elevate performance for the next generation of enthusiast designs, thin-and-light laptops, foldables, 2 and 1s and other form factors. More than 300 unique designs are expected this year from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Razer, Republic of Gamers, Samsung and others.

For the IoT edge, 13th Gen Intel Core processors deliver new industrial features, extended temperature operations and higher performing CPUs, with more graphics capabilities and AI performance. Ideal for retail, education, healthcare, aerospace, industrial and smart cities, the new processors provide better workload consolidation with more cores and threads, enabling applications to run on a single device.

New Intel Evo Designs Feature Longer Battery Life and Key Experiences

Intel continues to raise the bar for laptops and other on-the-go form factors with its Intel® Evo™ laptop specification. Under the new specification, Intel Evo designs with 13th Gen Intel Core processors deliver three key experiences:

  • No-compromise mobile performance: Verified to deliver consistent responsiveness while unplugged, longer real-world battery life, instant wake and fast charge.
  • Intelligent collaboration: Superior videoconferencing leveraging technologies like Intel Connectivity Performance Suite and Intel Bluetooth LE Audio. 
  • Intel Unison on eligible designs: A seamless multidevice experience enabling text messages, phone calls, phone notifications and file transfer from your PC to an Android- or iOS-enabled phone.9

The exceptional Intel Evo laptop experience doesn’t stop at the PC. The Engineered for Intel Evo program extends the high standards of verification and co-engineering to accessory partners. In addition to Thunderbolt 4 docks, monitors, storage and wireless headsets, new accessories like mice, keyboards and access points from key partners join the program today.

13th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processor Leadership Continues with New Family Additions

Intel bolstered the world’s best desktop processor experience with new 13th Gen Intel Core processors launching today.10 Rounding out the 13th Gen desktop processor family that first launched with the enthusiast-focused K-series SKUs in September, new 35-watt and 65-watt SKUs provide mainstream PC users even more choice for power efficiency while still delivering incredible performance in gaming, creation and productivity. They offer:

  • Up to 5.6 GHz, 24 cores/32 threads – with the introduction of Efficient-cores to Intel Core i5 mainstream processors – and larger L2 cache combining to deliver up to 11% single-threaded and 34% multithreaded performance over 12th Gen Intel Core non-K processors. These gen-over-gen performance gains ensure that the new 35-watt and 65-watt 13th Gen Intel Core non-K processors are delivering next-level performance in both gaming and content creation for mainstream PC users.
  • Full forward and backward compatibility with 600-series and 700-series motherboards, as well as support for both DDR5 and DDR4 memory.
  • Improved energy efficiency with Intel® Dynamic Tuning Technology and better power scaling, delivering greater performance per watt (PPW) than ever before.

Intel Processor N-series Launch for Entry-Level Computing

Following the sunsetting of the Intel Pentium and Intel Celeron branding, Intel today introduced the new Intel Processor and Intel Core i3 in the N-series family of products – purpose-built for the education segment, entry-level computing and IoT edge native applications. They feature:

  • New Efficient-cores (microarchitecture code-named Gracemont) built on the Intel 7 process technology.
  • Up to 28% better application performance and 64% better graphics performance on the Intel Processor over the previous generation.
  • For the first time, scale up to the new Intel Core i3 N-series for up to an additional 42% application performance and 56% graphics performance over the Intel Processor.
  • Up to 10-hour HD video playback without recharging.
  • New AV1 decode, high-resolution display engine and improved IPU and MIPI camera support.
  • Extended connectivity with ultra-fast Intel Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) and Bluetooth 5.2.
  • Flexible memory (LPDDR5, DDR5/DDR4) and storage (UFS/SSD/eMMC) options.

These processors are designed for education and consumer segments that need a lower, value-oriented price point, but still require performance and high-quality experiences in areas like video collaboration and productivity. More than 50 designs from Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Asus are expected in 2023 as Intel continues to lead ecosystem partnerships for ChromeOS and Windows.

For IoT edge native applications, the Intel Atom® processors x7000E Series, Intel Processor N-series and Intel Core i3 N-series bring deep learning inference, graphics and media processing from our most-power-efficient processors. These processors are used in retail signages, kiosks, point of sale systems, portable medical imaging devices, office automation equipment like copiers, and in safety and security devices like entry-level network video recorders and AI boxes.

Supporting Quote:

“Together with Intel we continue to innovate to deliver powerful PC performance and experiences with Windows 11 and all of the products Intel is announcing today,” said Panos Panay, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Microsoft. “We’re excited for customers to benefit from substantial optimizations, like improved Windows support for Intel Hybrid Guided Scheduler, and meaningful new experiences, like with the Intel Movidius VPU unlocking a new era of AI acceleration, starting with Windows Studio.”

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Caltech to Launch Space Solar Power Technology Demo into Orbit in January

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DTD
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Image credit: Caltech
Media Release by Caltech

In January 2023, the Caltech Space Solar Power Project (SSPP) is poised to launch into orbit a prototype, dubbed the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD), which will test several key components of an ambitious plan to harvest solar power in space and beam the energy back to Earth.

Space solar power provides a way to tap into the practically unlimited supply of solar energy in outer space, where the energy is constantly available without being subjected to the cycles of day and night, seasons, and cloud cover.

The launch, currently slated for early January, represents a major milestone in the project and promises to make what was once science fiction a reality. When fully realized, SSPP will deploy a constellation of modular spacecraft that collect sunlight, transform it into electricity, then wirelessly transmit that electricity over long distances wherever it is needed—including to places that currently have no access to reliable power.

A Momentus Vigoride spacecraft carried aboard a SpaceX rocket on the Transporter-6 mission will carry the 50-kilogram SSPD to space. It consists of three main experiments, each tasked with testing a different key technology of the project:

  • DOLCE (Deployable on-Orbit ultraLight Composite Experiment): A structure measuring 6 feet by 6 feet that demonstrates the architecture, packaging scheme and deployment mechanisms of the modular spacecraft that would eventually make up a kilometer-scale constellation forming a power station;
  • ALBA: A collection of 22 different types of photovoltaic (PV) cells, to enable an assessment of the types of cells that are the most effective in the punishing environment of space;
  • MAPLE (Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment): An array of flexible lightweight microwave power transmitters with precise timing control focusing the power selectively on two different receivers to demonstrate wireless power transmission at distance in space.

An additional fourth component of SSPD is a box of electronics that interfaces with the Vigoride computer and controls the three experiments.

SSPP got its start in 2011 after philanthropist Donald Bren, chairman of Irvine Company and a lifetime member of the Caltech Board of Trustees, learned about the potential for space-based solar energy manufacturing in an article in the magazine Popular Science. Intrigued by the potential for space solar power, Bren approached Caltech’s then-president Jean-Lou Chameau to discuss the creation of a space-based solar power research project. In 2013, Bren and his wife, Brigitte Bren, a Caltech trustee, agreed to make the donation to fund the project. The first of the donations to Caltech (which will eventually exceed $100 million in support for the project and endowed professorships) was made that year through the Donald Bren Foundation, and the research began.

“For many years, I’ve dreamed about how space-based solar power could solve some of humanity’s most urgent challenges,” Bren says. “Today, I’m thrilled to be supporting Caltech’s brilliant scientists as they race to make that dream a reality.”

The rocket will take approximately 10 minutes to reach its desired altitude. The Momentus spacecraft will then be deployed from the rocket into orbit. The Caltech team on Earth plans to start running their experiments on the SSPD within a few weeks of the launch.

Some elements of the test will be conducted quickly. “We plan to command the deployment of DOLCE within days of getting access to SSPD from Momentus. We should know right away if DOLCE works,” says Sergio Pellegrino, Caltech’s Joyce and Kent Kresa Professor of Aerospace and Professor of Civil Engineering and co-director of SSPP. Pellegrino is also a senior research scientist at JPL, which Caltech manages for NASA.

Other elements will require more time. The collection of photovoltaics will need up to six months of testing to give new insights into what types of photovoltaic technology will be best for this application. MAPLE involves a series of experiments, from an initial function verification to an evaluation of the performance of the system under different environments over time. Meanwhile, two cameras on deployable booms mounted on DOLCE and additional cameras on the electronics box will monitor the experiment’s progress, and stream a feed back down to Earth. The SSPP team hopes that they will have a full assessment of the SSPD’s performance within a few months of the launch.

Numerous challenges remain: nothing about conducting an experiment in space—from the launch to the deployment of the spacecraft to the operation of the SSPD—is guaranteed. But regardless of what happens, the sheer ability to create a space-worthy prototype represents a significant achievement by the SSPP team.

“No matter what happens, this prototype is a major step forward,” says Ali Hajimiri, Caltech’s Bren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering and co-director of SSPP. “It works here on Earth, and has passed the rigorous steps required of anything launched into space. There are still many risks, but having gone through the whole process has taught us valuable lessons. We believe the space experiments will provide us with plenty of additional useful information that will guide the project as we continue to move forward.”

Although solar cells have existed on Earth since the late 1800s and currently generate about 4 percent of the world’s electricity (in addition to powering the International Space Station), everything about solar power generation and transmission needed to be rethought for use on a large scale in space. Solar panels are bulky and heavy, making them expensive to launch, and they need extensive wiring to transmit power. To overcome these challenges, the SSPP team has had to envision and create new technologies, architectures, materials, and structures for a system that is capable of the practical realization of space solar power, while being light enough to be cost-effective for bulk deployment in space, and strong enough to withstand the punishing space environment.

“DOLCE demonstrates a new architecture for solar-powered spacecraft and phased antenna arrays. It exploits the latest generation of ultrathin composite materials to achieve unprecedented packaging efficiency and flexibility. With the further advances that we have already started to work on, we anticipate applications to a variety of future space missions,” Pellegrino says.

“The entire flexible MAPLE array, as well as its core wireless power transfer electronic chips and transmitting elements, have been designed from scratch. This wasn’t made from items you can buy because they didn’t even exist. This fundamental rethinking of the system from the ground up is essential to realize scalable solutions for SSPP,” Hajimiri says.

The entire set of three prototypes within the SSPD was envisioned, designed, built, and tested by a team of about 35 individuals. “This was accomplished with a smaller team and significantly fewer resources than what would be available in an industrial, rather than academic, setting. The highly talented team of individuals on our team has made it possible to achieve this,” says Hajimiri.

Those individuals, however—a collection of graduate students, postdocs, and research scientists—now represent the cutting edge in the burgeoning space solar power field. “We’re creating the next generation of space engineers,” says SSPP researcher Harry A. Atwater, Caltech’s Otis Booth Leadership Chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science and the Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science, and director of the Liquid Sunlight Alliance, a research institute dedicated to using sunlight to make liquid products that could be used for industrial chemicals, fuels, and building materials or products.

Success or failure from the three testbeds will be measured in a variety of ways. The most important test for DOLCE is that the structure completely deploys from its folded-up configuration into its open configuration. For ALBA, a successful test will provide an assessment of which photovoltaic cells operate with maximum efficiency and resiliency. MAPLE’s goal is to demonstrate selective free-space power transmission to different specific targets on demand.

“Many times, we asked colleagues at JPL and in the Southern California space industry for advice about the design and test procedures that are used to develop successful missions. We tried to reduce the risk of failure, even though the development of entirely new technologies is inherently a risky process,” says Pellegrino.

SSPP aims to ultimately produce a global supply of affordable, renewable, clean energy.

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Samsung Electronics Unveils Its New Odyssey, ViewFinity and Smart Monitor Lineups at CES, Igniting the Next Generation of Display Technology

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Luwela R.
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Image credit: Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics announced it would add new monitor models to its lineup, strengthening its position as the industry leader in visual display for consumers.

In a statement, Samsung said new products from the Odyssey, ViewFinity, and Smart Monitor lines will offer unparalleled image quality and a host of cutting-edge features for users who want to work, play, and live through their monitor display.

By introducing the Odyssey Neo G9, the world’s first single monitor with dual ultra-high definition resolution, Samsung added it is redefining the ultra-wide display category. According to Samsung, the advancement demonstrates Samsung’s industry-leading leadership in providing the most realistic and lifelike gaming experience available.

“We are introducing the future of gaming monitors with our Odyssey Neo G9, making each game more lifelike with innovative features and picture quality on a new scale. CES is the perfect place to showcase our innovations that can take not only gamers but also graphic designers or TV fans to the next level while providing personalized experiences across a range of integrated smart apps,”  said Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

Odyssey Neo G9: The World’s First  Dual UHD Gaming Monitor

The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Gaming Monitor provides gamers with unprecedented detail and a wide field of view. For the first time, Samsung claims a gaming monitor with a 7,682,160 resolution and a 32:9 aspect ratio is available on a single screen.

Its 1000R curved 57-inch screen employs quantum micro LED technology in conjunction with the VESA Display HDR 1000 specification to give outstanding imaging in every gaming scenario, from shadows to bright scenes. The Matte Display decreases screen reflection, reducing distractions even during the most intense game sessions.

According to Samsung, it also features the world’s first DisplayPort 2.1 functionality, which transports data almost twice as fast as the previous DisplayPort 1.4 standard. Furthermore, the new DP2.1 supports industry-standard lossless Display Stream Compression (DSC) to send data without distortion.

Odyssey OLED G9: Brighter Whites, Deeper Blacks and Near Infinite Color Contrast

The Odyssey OLED G9 is the newest addition to the Odyssey lineup, with a twin quad-HD 49″ 1800R curved display and a 32:9 aspect ratio. Its quantum dot technology OLED lighting is pixel-by-pixel regulated, allowing a nearly unlimited colour contrast ratio.

The OLED panel illuminates each pixel individually rather than using a backlight, allowing for a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio while giving real RGB and true black without using colour filters.

The Odyssey OLED G9 also has a 0.1ms reaction time and a 240Hz refresh rate to reduce lagging and skipping during gameplay.

The Odyssey OLED G9 also leverages Smart Hub to access apps from partners such as Prime Video, Netflix, and YouTube, allowing users to experience a variety of over-the-top entertainment without needing a PC.

It also has Samsung Gaming Hub, an all-in-one game streaming platform that allows players to discover and play cloud-based games from partners such as Xbox and NVIDIA GeForce Now without needing a console or downloading games.

ViewFinity S9: Smart Color Calibration Designed for Creative Professionals

The ViewFinity S9 is the newest addition to Samsung’s monitor lineup. It has a 5K 27″ screen designed for creative professionals like graphic designers and photographers. Its 5,120 x 2,880 resolution, paired with its 99 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut, gives crisp and true-to-form details, and its average Delta E 21 colour accuracy produces clear and precise colour representation, even in complex or nuanced visual contexts.

The Color Calibration Engine incorporated into the monitor assures precise screen colour and brightness, allowing users to modify white balance, Gamma, and RGB colour balance for perfect accuracy using their smartphones via the Samsung Smart Calibration app. The Matte Display reduces light reflection and glare to reduce distractions while working.

Cameras and other devices can be connected to the monitor through USB-C and Thunderbolt 4 connections, allowing users to easily transmit massive volumes of high-resolution video or other huge data sets from storage devices to their PC. The ViewFinity S9 Series includes a 4K SlimFit camera and native video conferencing via programmes like Google Meet, which are integrated into the Samsung Smart Hub.

Smart Monitor M8: Bringing Productivity, Entertainment and Personal Life Together

According to Samsung, the Smart Monitor M8 has a beautiful and slim design and is now available in a new 27″ size and the previous 32″ version, both with 4K resolution.

Users may choose the optimal angle with the height-adjustable stand with tilt support. Users can now swivel the screen 90 degrees to view large documents with minimal scrolling. It also complies with VESA mount compatibility standards, allowing you to save space and maintain a clutter-free environment.

Through the built-in SmartThings Hub, the Smart Monitor M8 can connect, control, and manage hundreds of compatible connected devices such as lights, cameras, doorbells, locks, thermostats, and more. From this year forwards, Samsung intends to broaden device options and usability by supporting Matter functionality and Home Connectivity Alliance standards.

For a new level of convenience without a remote, mouse control functionality has been introduced to many of the Smart Monitor’s over-the-top apps, including SmartThings and the Smart Hub.

Through Smart Hub, users may gain fast access to Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, and other over-the-top services using the Smart Monitor M8. They may also quickly access the all-in-one game streaming platform, Samsung Gaming Hub.

The new My Contents feature gives users quick access to useful information. When the monitor is in standby mode and detects a registered smartphone through low-power Bluetooth, the screen displays the user’s personalised images, schedule, and other information. When the phone moves out of range, the monitor goes into standby mode.

The Smart Monitor M8’s inbuilt SlimFit camera has been improved to 2K quality and is compatible with video conferencing programmes such as Google Meet.

Furthermore, the Smart Monitor M8 is safeguarded by Samsung Knox Vault, encrypting personal data and isolating stored files and information from the device’s primary operating system to prevent attacks.

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MediaTek Introduces Global Ecosystem of Consumer-Ready Wi-Fi 7 Products at CES 2023

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DTD
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Image credit: MediaTek
Media Release by MediaTek

MediaTek, one of the first adopters of Wi-Fi 7 technology, will be demonstrating a full ecosystem of production-ready devices featuring the next generation of wireless connectivity for the first time at CES 2023. These products are the culmination of MediaTek’s investment in Wi-Fi 7 technology, focusing on reliable and always-on connected experiences on a wide variety of devices in several product categories, including residential gateways, mesh routers, televisions, streaming devices, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more.

As the most current and powerful Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 7 utilizes record-breaking 320MHz channel bandwidth and 4096-QAM modulation to greatly improve overall user experience. Multi-Link Operation (MLO) also enables the Wi-Fi connection to aggregate channel speeds and alleviate link interruption in congested environment for time-demanding applications.

“Last year, we gave the world’s first Wi-Fi 7 technology demonstration, and we are honored to now show the significant progress we have made in building a more complete ecosystem of products,” said Alan Hsu, corporate vice president and general manager of the Intelligent Connectivity Business unit at MediaTek. “This lineup of devices, many of which are powered by the CES 2023 Innovation Award-winning Filogic 880 flagship chipset, illustrates our commitment to providing the best wireless connectivity.”

Using a 6nm process, MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 solution offers a reduction in main power consumption by 50%, a 25x reduction in CPU utilization, and 100x lower MLO switch latency when compared to competing options. 4T5R and penta-band mesh are also included to address a larger area of coverage and higher number of linked devices.

The devices on demonstration this week utilize MediaTek’s latest Filogic chips, which combines a Wi-Fi 7 access point technology to broadband operators, retail router channels and enterprise markets; and the Filogic 380 chipset, designed to bring Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to all client devices, including smartphone, tablet, laptops, TVs, and streaming devices.

“We are excited to collaborate with MediaTek on the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology. Fast and reliable wireless connectivity is crucial for consumers, and we believe that combining powerful AMD Ryzen processors with MediaTek’s advanced connectivity technologies will deliver an excellent user experience,” said Jason Banta, corporate vice president and general manager, client OEM at AMD.

“A strong, fast, and reliable Wi-Fi connection is one of the most critical components of competitive gaming, and can mean the difference between winning and losing a match,” said Ouyang Jun, Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Business Segment, Lenovo’s Intelligent Device Group. “MediaTek’s vision for excellence in Wi-Fi connectivity mirrors our own commitment to empowering gamers with immersive, high-performance PC gaming experiences, and we look forward to collaborating together to bring MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 technology to upcoming Lenovo Legion devices.”

“We greatly enjoy MediaTek Filogic’s, fast, reliable and always-on connected Wi-Fi solution,” said Rangoon Chang, head of Gaming Business Unit, ASUS. “With MediaTek’s world leading Wi-Fi technology and innovative ecosystem, we strive for leadership in providing the extreme experience for gamers around the globe.”

“With the introduction of 320 MHz channels in the 6 GHz band and Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Wi-Fi 7 will deliver ultra-high speed and lower latency,” said Pingji Li, VP & GM, TP-Link Corporation Limited. “MediaTek Filogic 880’s innovative design delivers outstanding performance on top of Wi-Fi 7 standards, such as 4×5 6 GHz and single-chip MLO. We are excited to collaborate with our longtime partner, MediaTek, on Wi-Fi 7 to create new ways for customers to experience applications.”

“As a leader in networking products and services for more than 23 years, BUFFALO has always been among the first to implement new Wi-Fi technology, and Wi-Fi 7 is no exception,” said Nobuhiro Tamura, General Manager, Network Product Development Division, BUFFALO INC. “We are glad to see MediaTek put a lot of investment in leading technology, and would like to congratulate them on showcasing the latest Wi-Fi 7 solutions at CES 2023.”

“Today’s consumers want fast, reliable and always-on connected Wi-Fi for many applications such as video calls, 4K/8K TV entertainment, real-time gaming, streaming and more,” said Byung-Kyun Kim, Senior Vice President, Korea Telecom. “MediaTek Wi-Fi 7 technology is equipped with extremely high throughput and single MAC MLO (Multi-Link Operation), which can fulfill every demanding application consumers enjoy today.”

“With MediaTek’s single chip MLO technology, we can bring high throughput and low latency performance to enhance user experience on streaming, gaming, and various immersive contents,” said Mr. Yu, SVP in Hisense Group. “Hisense is excited to continue the partnership with MediaTek to bring Wi-Fi 7 on Hisense TV products.”

“MediaTek recognizes the demand and expectation for the fastest speeds and lowest latency from wireless devices,” said John O’Neill, Vice President, Marketing, Skyworks. “Together, our joint reference design provides customers a platform to develop new and unimagined applications. We are excited to deliver cutting-edge technology together that allows consumers to realize the full potential of Wi-Fi 7 that supports 320 MHz channels, 4K QAM and Multi-Link Operation (MLO).”

“As a strong driver of Wi-Fi 7, MediaTek helps its customers harness the massive improvements in throughput, latency, client connections and reliability,” said Tony Testa, General Manager Connectivity Components, Qorvo. “We are excited to utilize MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 solution in order to tackle its impressive 4K QAM, 320 MHz, 6 GHz channels and Multi-Link Operation.”

“As companies move to Wi-Fi 7 it is critical that they be able to test the fastest available data rate modes, and we have worked with MediaTek to create an industry leading test solution that meets this vital need,” said John Lukez, Vice President LitePoint Applications, Litepoint. “As we head into this new era of wireless connectivity, working with a leading Wi-Fi innovator like MediaTek will enable our mutual customers to quickly and seamlessly ramp their products into high volume production.”

“We are truly impressed with MediaTek’s speed to market with almost every cutting-edge technology, such as single MAC MLO, 320MHz BW and 4096 QAM,” said Jesse Lyles, Vice President of Semiconductor Validation and Electronics Solutions, NI. “The increased amount of complexity needed to achieve top performance and backward compatibility with Wi-Fi 7 drastically increases the need for a full-scale automated test and validation solution. NI works together with MediaTek with its software-connected RF instrumentation to achieve the time-to-market goals of mutual customers and to ensure their superior performance capabilities.”

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Tokyo Tech team third at Kibo Robot Programming Challenge

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Luwela R.
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Image credit: Tokyo Tech

Five Tokyo Tech master’s degree students competed as Team Space Lark in the international Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC) finals, where they came in third place.

Kibo-RPC is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) international programming challenge in which contestants put their engineering talents to the test utilising Astrobee, a cube-shaped robot designed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The finalist programmes are used in the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo on the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits the Earth. Participants must write a programme to carry out missions based on NASA’s Astrobee source code, and they are graded based on mission accomplishment and elapsed time.

The key aspect of the 2022 competition was the target’s randomly changing position, which had to be lighted using Astrobee’s laser. Teams were required to direct Astrobee to complete missions quickly and improve laser irradiation accuracy by reading AR tags, locating the centre of the target using image recognition technology, and using control algorithms to move the robot to the target position and orientation.

On July 9, Team Space Lark won the domestic qualifying round in Japan, advancing to the in-orbit finals. The competing teams competed in the preliminary round utilising a simulator that properly simulates the space environment. In the finals, teams prepare programmes for the Astrobee and run them on the ISS.

Participation in Kibo-RPC is part of the Space Systems Initiative(External site), a course provided to master’s level Mechanical Engineering students at Tokyo Tech. In 2021, the team progressed, even more, finishing second in the national qualifiers. According to Tokyo Tech, using lessons from past participants’ experiences, the 2022 Tokyo Tech team spent more time preparing and won the national qualifying round. The team finished third in the global in-orbit finals by operating NASA’s Astrobee in the pressurised module of Kibo.

Team leader Haruta Miki said: “Personally, I was drawn to the idea of being able to run Astrobee on the ISS using a program I had written, so I applied for Kibo-RPC. For the domestic qualifying round, we aimed to create a program that could obtain high scores consistently by repeatedly improving the program and running simulations. In particular, we struggled to improve the irradiation accuracy for the second target because its position changed, but we achieved improvements by openly discussing issues and trying out various ideas as a team. As a result, we were able to win the qualifying round and advance to the in-orbit finals.”

“During the finals, we assumed that the simulation environment differed from that of the ISS, and while referring to the video of the in-orbit finals from last year, we modified the program so it could cope with unexpected situations. When viewing the actual motions of Astrobee in the final, we could see that the movement errors were larger than those during the simulation, which indicated that our program modifications were successful,” Haruta Miki stated.

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First EUV light marks key milestone for production of Intel 4 in Europe

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DTD
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Teams working at the Fab 34 utility level celebrate the first EUV light in Ireland Image credit: Intel
Media Release by Intel

Earlier this year Fab 34 in Ireland took delivery of its first EUV lithography system, a key enabler of Intel 4 process technology. The system, made by Dutch manufacturer ASML, is arguably the most complicated piece of machinery humans have ever built. Since its arrival, local teams have been working through the installation phase and this week reached an important moment as the EUV scanner generated its 13.5 nanometre wavelength light for the first time in Ireland. 

This is a key milestone on the path towards high volume production of Intel 4 technology and is the first time a high volume EUV scanner will be used in Europe.  

Preparing for a critical milestone

The EUV system consists of 100,000 parts, 3,000 cables, 40,000 bolts and more than a mile of hosing. It took 18 months of design and construction activity to prepare the Fab 34 building to receive the machine. Following its arrival in Leixlip, the journey to generating first light has been an incredibly complex one that relied upon the intricate alignment of multiple factors. From the build of the scanner itself to the qualification of facility systems and the connection to utilities, it has taken a huge, combined team effort to reach this point.  

Generating first light

In the lithography process, patterns are transferred to a silicon wafer, creating the blueprints for our integrated circuits. While lithography scanners have been an integral part of making microchips for many years, EUV scanners can print circuitry smaller and more precisely than anything that has come before. 

The systems to support the EUV scanner begin at the utility, or basement, level of the fab where the vacuum pumps to create the vacuum environment and RF control cabinets for power inputs to the laser, are located.   

In the Subfab – which is located directly below the cleanroom – we have a powerful 25KW laser that generates light fired at 50,000 times per second as well as a suite of control and purification cabinets. This laser light travels up through a beam transport system to the EUV tool which is located in the main fab cleanroom. 

Inside the tool, molten tin droplets are fired and struck twice by the laser. The first low power strike turns the tin droplet into a pancake shape. The second high energy strike creates the EUV plasma to form the 13.5 nanometre light which is reflected through mirrors to pick up the design template – called a reticle – and pattern it to the silicon wafer. 

This week, the light was produced for the very first time in our first high volume EUV scanner in Europe.  

Intel 4 process technology  

This milestone has been many years in the making. The planning, preparation and precision required to deliver EUV lithography in high volume production is unparalleled. The arrival of this important moment ushers the way for Intel 4 technology, which has achieved its key milestone of manufacturing readiness by 2H 2022 for products such as Meteor Lake in 2023. Intel’s unique process innovations and approach to EUV with the Intel 4 process keep Intel on track to deliver five nodes in four years and meet its commitment to regain process leadership by 2025. 

Over 100 ASML staff are supporting the build and set up of the system together with teams of trade contractors, Intel Engineers and Technicians. 

In addition, a number of people from the local Intel team have spent time on seed assignment at our technology development fab in Oregon in order to ensure that Fab 34 was ready for this awesome technology.  

Fab 34 is excited to take one step closer to running wafers and delivering products to our customers. 

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