A recap of what made news in the world of science and technology this week.

Intel unveils new version of its AI chip

The artificial intelligence (AI) chip wars are getting competitive by the day. Earlier this week, Intel Corporation released a new version of its AI chip which promises to deliver 50% on average better inference and 40% on average better power efficiency than the Nvidia H100 – at a fraction of the cost. The Nvidia H100 was unveiled late last year. The company also said Gaudi 3 will be available to OEMs – including Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lenovo and Supermicro – in the second quarter of 2024. According to a Bloomberg report, Intel’s latest chip is designed to boost performance in two key areas: helping train AI systems — a process that involves bombarding them with data — and running the finished software.

Kobo releases its first color e-readers

Rakuten Kobo unveiled its first-ever colour e-ink e-readers with the new Kobo Libra Colour and Kobo Clara Colour, earlier this week. The new e-readers feature colour eReading technology, eco-conscious materials, and water-resistance for on- the-go use. In a press statement, Kobo said the e-readers come with the colour E Ink Kaleido 3 display and are also equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, making it easy for users to listen to Kobo Audiobooks. Kobo Libra Colour is also the company’s most affordable stylus-enabled ereader with the addition of a Kobo Stylus 2 (which is available separately), with colour handwriting, highlighting, and notebooks.

Is the Apple M4 chip around the corner?

Apple is reportedly working on its next line of in-house processors, according to multiple reports. The company, which released its first Macs with M3 chips in October, is already nearing production of the next generation — the M4 processor — a Bloomberg report said, citing people with knowledge of the matter. According to a Reuters report, the M4 chip – which could overhaul the entire line of Macs from Apple – will also have artificial intelligence processing capabilities. Mac sales fell 27% in Apple’s most recent fiscal year ended September, the Reuters report added. Apple could start selling updated MacBooks, iMacs and Mac Minis with the new chip later this year, the report said.

– Compiled by Nitin Sreedhar, with inputs from agencies.

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