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China’s AI chip ambitions crushed as US forces Samsung, TSMC to cut ties
US crushes China’s AI chip ambitions by limiting Samsung, TSMC
- Samsung and TSMC are blocked from supplying 7nm and below AI chips to Chinese firms.
- The US move disrupts the global chip supply, with Taiwan’s key role at risk.
- Samsung is also impacted by US regulations, limiting its ability to provide advanced chip manufacturing to Chinese clients.
TSMC banned AI chip supply to its Chinese clients following US orders. Now, a report suggests that Samsung is also subject to US restrictions, limiting the Foundry Division from supplying 7nm and below AI chips to Chinese firms.
The US-based Intel is also said to be complying with US regulations. Currently, only TSMC, Samsung, and Intel can provide foundry services for chips at 7nm or below. That said, China’s efforts to develop advanced AI chips will be fully blocked.
As all three major foundry players are now restricted, Alibaba’s AI chip design subsidiary, Pingtouge, could hit hard. China’s SMIC claims to have 7nm production capability, but it lacks the economic scale and efficiency to compete.
It’s worth noting that Chinese firms face setbacks in developing AI chips. The vendors will increasingly need to rely on NVIDIA and AMD for downgraded products, which meet US regulations.
The fresh US restrictions initially came to light from a notice TSMC issued last week. The chip manufacturer announced that it would suspend supply of 7nm and below technologies to all Chinese AI clients starting November 11.
Later on, the US Department of Commerce officially notified TSMC about the 7nm restrictions. Last week, TSMC highlighted that “as a law-abiding company, it is committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations,” including export control laws.
Samsung Foundry Division also notified its Chinese clients. The company’s semiconductor decision is already in crisis. The latest US restrictions vanish the remaining growth aspect that the Foundry has been securing from its Chinese clients.
Via – TrendForce
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Flight Simulator 2024 are two of the most popular games of 2024. Thanks to Samsung Gaming Hub, you don’t need to download any of the Xbox Game Pass titles, no meaning no storage required – just jump in and play.
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Notably, Samsung’s Gaming Hub is available on a variety of Samsung screens. It includes the AI-powered 2024 TV lineup, monitors, projectors, The Premiere, and The Freestyle 2nd Gen projector, offering instant access to console-free gaming.
Anyone with a Samsung Smart TV will be able to use their remote to jump in and play. This way, Gaming Hub provides a co-branded experience, giving Call of Duty fans another way to engage with the franchise they love.
For starters: The Six offers daily trivia where players can answer a series of six questions in competition with other players around the world. Correct answers with the fastest response time will achieve higher scores.
Samsung could launch the Galaxy ixi-O AI Phone next year. The company has collaborated with LG Uplus to develop a custom smartphone. The device is said to feature Galaxy AI and LG Uplus’s AI call assistant ixi-O.
Sources citing KEDGlobal revealed that Samsung and LG Uplus working together to develop the Galaxy ixi-O AI Phone. It’s a big development in the smartphone industry, while the handset is highly likely to be Korea-limited.
Samsung fans are well aware of the Galaxy AI feature suite. ixi-O is an AI-powered digital assistant developed by Korean carrier LG Uplus. The company plans to enter the smartphone market, featuring its own-developed AI assistant.
The report indicates that Samsung and LG Uplus’ ixi-O AI Phone will launch as early as next year. The development project focuses on crafting a “real AI phone” that goes beyond simply integrating AI assistant services into a smartphone.
ixi-O comes with useful features such as AI call answering, detecting voice phishing in real-time, recording and summarizing phone calls and converting voice conversation into text – all within an on-device environment.
Image: ixi-O AI | LG Uplus Newsroom
Based on specifications, the Galaxy ixi-O AI Phone will be based on a Galaxy phone available globally. The design will match with a global Galaxy smartphone, but the software may be tweaked as per the carrier’s requirements.
A custom Galaxy phone isn’t shocking or impossible in South Korea. Samsung releases Quantum, Buddy, and Jump-branded phones in the market. The company collaborates with Korean carriers to bring these devices to mainland Korea.
The carrier introduced an on-device AI-powered ixi-O assistant earlier this month. LG Uplus will initially target its consumer base for the new AI Phone. However, the AI Assistant may be expanded to a broader audience across Korea.
Samsung could use Gauss2-based Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The company’s next-gen Generative AI model is 1.5 to 3x faster than the first-gen Gauss model. The DX division is already using Gauss2 to ramp up internal productivity.
Gauss2 offers improved performance and efficiency in simultaneously handling various data types. In the previous article, we’ve demonstrated its three distinct models that cater to different purposes: Compact, Balanced, and Supreme.
Samsung says the second-gen Gauss model offers equal or superior performance in response generation than leading open-source generative AI models. That said, the Galaxy AI will become faster and smarter with the inclusion of Gauss2.
Thanks to faster processing speed, Gauss2 enables quicker AI response generation. This way, the Galaxy user won’t have to wait much time. The company stated that it will continue to expand the reach of its AI-based services across all product lines.
That said, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to boast Gauss2-based Galaxy AI. This upgrade will result in even faster processing of tasks and execution. Features like composition, image generation, and translation would benefit from Gauss2.
Earlier, we broke the news that Samsung is crafting an advanced AI technology. The Gauss2 press release indicates that the future Galaxy AI iteration could be integrated with knowledge graph technology to offer relevant results.
The Galaxy S24 series also uses Google’s Gemini Nano AI model. The fruitful collaboration offers futuristic capabilities on Galaxy devices. Samsung is rumored to use an enhanced version of Gemini Nano across the Galaxy S25 lineup.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s development may have indulged Gauss2 capabilities on the Galaxy S25 series. Integrated with new processors and optimized software, the company’s AI model would offer faster, reliable, and smarter results.