AMD has provided more details on its Instinct MI300 series at their AI event, which includes a data center APU and a CDNA3 discrete GPU accelerator. The company also announced ROCm 6.0, aimed at advancing AMD’s AI software capabilities.

The AMD Instinct MI300X accelerator is positioned as a strong alternative to NVIDIA for AI accelerations. It boasts more than double the amount of HBM3 memory compared to the H100 SXM. In terms of peak theoretical potential, the MI300X is expected to outperform the competition from NVIDIA. The total board power for the MI300X is 750 Watts, and up to eight MI300X accelerators can be combined into a single server, providing 1.5TB of HBM3 memory and potentially 1.3 times more compute power than the NVIDIA H100 HGX.

The numbers provided by AMD appear to be in good standing against NVIDIA’s H100 competition, although no independent testing has been conducted prior to the announcement.

The Instinct MI300A is an APU accelerator for AI and HPC that is also quite intriguing. It features Zen 4 CPU cores, AMD CDNA3 graphics, and 128GB of HBM3 unified memory. This combination offers significant potential in the data center, providing an alternative to the Xeon Max and Intel’s Falcon Shores APU.

The MI300A is equipped with 24 Zen 4 CPU cores, 256MB AMD infinity Cache, eight HBM3 stacks for approximately 5.3TB/s of memory bandwidth, and 228 AMD CDNA3 compute units. AMD’s benchmarks demonstrate impressive HPC and AI performance for ROCm workloads, leveraging the remarkable memory bandwidth and the combination of CDNA3 compute units and Zen 4 CPU cores.

Overall, the AMD Instinct MI300 series and ROCm 6.0 software offer exciting advancements in AI acceleration and data center capabilities. With its impressive specifications and performance, AMD aims to provide strong competition to NVIDIA in the AI market.

Source: Phoronix.

SQLite, the leading open-source embedded database solution, has recently introduced JSONB, a rewrite of its JSON functions that promises to be “several times faster” than the previous implementation. The JSONB rewrite brings significant performance improvements by changing the internal binary representation of JSON into a contiguous byte array that can be read or written as an SQL BLOB. This optimization helps to reduce the overhead of parsing JSON text and representing JSON for storage. Despite the changes, JSONB maintains all the legacy functionality of the previous JSON functions. In fact, all JSON functions can also accept JSONB binary contents, ensuring compatibility with existing code and workflows.

Source: Phoronix.

ADLINK has introduced the Express VR7, a COM Express Basic size Type 7 computer-on-module that is powered by the eight-core AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 processor. The module features two 10GbE interfaces, fourteen PCIe Gen 4 lanes, and optional support for an “extreme temperature range” between -40°C and 85°C.

The ADLINK Express VR7 supports up to 64GB dual-channel DDR5 SO-DIMM memory (ECC/non-ECC). It is designed for headless embedded applications such as edge networking equipment, 5G infrastructure at the edge, video storage analytics, intelligent surveillance, industrial automation and control, and rugged edge servers.

Specifications:

• SoC: AMD Embedded Ryzen V3000
  • Ryzen V3C48 8-core/16-thread processor @ 3.3/3.8GHz; TDP: 45W
  • Ryzen V3C44 4-core/8-thread processor @ 3.5/3.8GHz; TDP: 45W
  • Ryzen V3C18I 8-core/16-thread processor 1.9/3.8GHz; TDP: 15W (useful in the extreme temperature range)
  • Ryzen V3C16 6-core/12-thread processor 2.0/3.8GHz; TDP: 15W
  • Ryzen V3C14 4-core/8-thread processor 2.3/3.8GHz; TDP: 15W
• System Memory: Up to 64GB (2x 32GB) dual-channel ECC/non-ECC DDR5 memory up to 4800 MT/s via two SODIMM sockets
• On-module chips:
  • Embedded BIOS: AMI UEFI with CMOS backup in 32 or 16MB (TBC) SPI BIOS (dual BIOS by build option)
  • Intel i226 2.5GbE controller
• 2x 220-pin connectors with:
  • Storage: 2x SATA III 6 Gbps
  • Networking:
    • 2x 10GBASE-KR and its sideband signals
    • 1x 2.5GbE interface
  • USB: 4x USB 3.x/2.0/1.1
  • Expansion buses:
    • 8x PCI Express Gen4: Lanes 16-23 (configurable to one x8, two x4, two controller)
    • 4x PCI Express Gen4: Lanes 0-3 (configurable to four x1, two x2, one x4, four controller)
    • 2x PCI Express Gen4: Lanes 4-5 (configurable to one x1, one x2, one controller)
    • LPC bus (through an ESPI to LPC bridge IC), SMBus (system), I2C (user), GP_SPU (user, project basis)
  • Serial: 2x UART ports with console redirection
  • IOs: 4x GPO and 4x GPI (with interrupt)
• SEMA Board Controller: Voltage/current monitoring, power sequence debug support, AT/ATX mode control, logistics and forensic information, flat panel control, general purpose I2C, watchdog timer, fan control and failsafe BIOS (dual BIOS by build option)
• Optional IPMB (in conjunction with carrier BMC for remote management Controller applications) by build option
• Super I/O: Supported on carrier if needed (standard support for W83627DHG-P, other Super I/O supported on request)
• Debug Headers: 40-pin multipurpose flat cable connector for use with DB40-HPC debug module providing BIOS POST code LED, EC access, SPI BIOS flashing, power testpoints, debug LEDs
• Security: Infineon TPM 2.0 (SPI based)
• Power Management:
  • Standard Input: ATX: 12V±5% / 5Vsb ±5%; or AT: 12V±5%
  • ACPI 5.0 compliant
  • Power States: C1-C6, S0, S1, S3, S4, S5, S5 ECO mode (Wake on USB S3/S4, WOL S3/S4/S5)
• Dimensions: 125 x 95 mm (PICMG COM.0: Rev 3.1 Type 7 Basic size)
• Temperature Range:
  • Operating: Standard: 0°C to 60°C; Extreme Rugged: -45°C to 85°C (build option, selected SKUs)
  • Storage: Standard: -20°C to 80°C; Extreme Rugged: -40°C to 85°C
• Humidity:
  • 5-90% RH operating, non-condensing
  • 5-95% RH storage (and operating with conformal coating)
• Shock and Vibration:
  • IEC 60068-2-64 and IEC-60068-2-27
  • MIL-STD-202F, Method 213B, Table 213-I, Condition A and Method 214A, Table 214-I, Condition D
• HALT: Thermal Stress, Vibration Stress, Thermal Shock and Combined Test

ADLINK provides standard support for Yocto Linux and Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS, as well as extended support for Yocto Project-based Linux. The company plans to offer I-Pi development kits based on the Express-VR7 module for easy prototyping and evaluation.

The availability of the Express-VR7 COM Express module based on the AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 SoC has not been confirmed at this time. Additional details can be found on the product page.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

Bambu Lab announces their first-ever collaboration project with E3D, a renowned supplier of hot ends for desktop FDM printers.

The result of this collaboration is a high-flow replacement hotend by E3D. This hotend offers a 60% increase in flow rate, making it highly efficient. It features E3D’s signature ObXidian™ hardened nozzle and is coated with E3DLC™ for exceptional durability. The development of this hotend was a joint effort between E3D and Bambu Lab, with both teams sharing their knowledge in hotends, printers, and thermal processes. The final product underwent thorough testing by both teams and will be seamlessly integrated into all of Bambu Lab’s software ecosystems.

In terms of licensing, Bambu Lab will charge a license fee for the hotend. However, they have committed to giving back to the community by allocating all the license income. Half of the license fee will be donated to the Sanjay Mortimer Foundation, as a token of respect for his contributions to the community and industry. The remaining half will be dedicated to a foundation that supports emerging 3D printing talents from developing countries, such as model designers and local small businesses.

For more information about the hotend and its specifications, please visit this product page.

Home Assistant has just released its final update for 2023, and it’s packed with exciting features and improvements. The new release, version 2023.12, is all about making your smart home experience even better.

One of the highlights of this release is the redesigned login page. It now features a modern and welcoming design that greets you when you access Home Assistant via your local home network. The login page is smart enough to remember your login when you’re at home, eliminating the need to repeatedly log in. And when you’re accessing Home Assistant from outside your home network, the login page still ensures the security of your system by asking for your username and password.

The thermostat card has also received a makeover in this release. It now matches the stunning new entity dialog introduced in a previous release. The new design is not only visually pleasing but also adds support for features like HVAC mode buttons and presets, giving you more control and customization options.

Another exciting addition is the numeric input feature for tile cards. This feature allows you to control number entities and number helpers directly from the tile card. You can choose to use it as a slider or as an input with up/down buttons, making it easier than ever to interact with your smart home devices.

The default dashboard now offers more options to customize its behavior. You can hide certain areas, hide entities that don’t belong to an area, and even hide the energy summary card. This gives you greater control over your dashboard and allows you to tailor it to your specific needs.

The history dashboard has also received significant improvements in this release. It now combines state history with long-term statistics, providing you with insights into the past. This enhancement allows you to look back further in time and analyze data more effectively.

Home Assistant continues to expand its integration offerings with new additions in this release. Devialet, Linear Garage Door, MyPermobil, OurGroceries, and V2C are now supported integrations, giving you even more options to connect and automate your smart home devices.

In addition to these major updates, there are numerous other improvements and bug fixes in this release. The full changelog can be found on the Home Assistant website.

PhotoPrism has recently released a new version of its AI-powered photos app. This app is designed for the decentralized web and utilizes advanced technologies to automatically tag and organize pictures. Whether you run it on your home server or in the cloud, PhotoPrism aims to provide a seamless experience for managing your photos.

The latest release of PhotoPrism includes updated dependencies and fixes for recently discovered issues. It also introduces official installation packages with binaries for Linux, which are now available as an alternative to using Docker images. However, it’s worth noting that this installation method is recommended for experienced users only, as it requires manual setup and does not include all dependencies.

Here are some of the new features and improvements included in this release:

• Search: Improved camera and lens information in the cards view details.
• Search: Fixed cards view rendering when a lens has no model description.
• Search: Added filter to find pictures by resolution range in Megapixels (MP).
• PWA: Fixed list of available icon sizes in the app manifest file.
• JPEG: Fixed regression when handling image files with EOF error.
• JPEG: Fixed indexing of image files with invalid color metadata.
• JPEG/PNG: Added panic handler for unexpected thumbnail save errors.
• HEIC: Upgraded Libheif from version 1.13.0 to 1.17.1.
• RAW: Upgraded Darktable from version 4.2.1 to 4.4.2.
• Videos: Improved performance when extracting still images for creating thumbnails.
• Vectors: Improved SVG conversion using RSVG instead of ImageMagick.
• Docker: Upgraded base image from Ubuntu 23.04 to 23.10 (Mantic Minotaur).
• Setup: Added tar.gz, deb, and rpm packages for installation without Docker.
• Security: Updated Go to the latest stable release v1.21.4.

These updates and enhancements aim to provide users with a more seamless and efficient experience when organizing and managing their photo collections. Whether you are a photography enthusiast or simply looking for a robust self-hosted solution, PhotoPrism offers a comprehensive set of features to meet your needs.

To learn more about the latest release and to download the installation packages, visit the PhotoPrism GitHub page.