Tag: Chip

Tech Insight : Tiny Retinal Chip Restores Sight

Posted on by Paul Stradling

A tiny retinal implant that restores useful central vision to people with one of the world’s leading causes of blindness is about to go on sale across Europe, marking a major milestone not only for ophthalmology but also for the commercialisation of brain-computer interface technology.

What Has Been Announced?

US-based Science Corp has announced the European commercial launch of its PRIMA retinal implant after receiving CE marking under the European Union’s Medical Device Regulation, allowing the device to be sold across 30 European countries.

The implant is designed to help people with geographic atrophy (GA) caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition affecting more than five million people worldwide that progressively destroys the light-sensitive cells responsible for central vision.

For decades, treatment options have focused largely on slowing the disease rather than restoring lost sight. Science Corp now believes PRIMA changes that.

As the company says: “Today marks the European commercial launch of PRIMA, the first and only treatment shown in clinical trials to restore functional central vision to patients with geographic atrophy.”

The first commercial implant is expected to take place in Germany, while reimbursement discussions and clinical site activations are already underway across Europe.

How Does PRIMA Work?

Unlike conventional treatments, PRIMA does not attempt to repair damaged retinal cells. Instead, it bypasses them.

The system combines a tiny, ultra-thin implant placed beneath the damaged part of the retina with a specialised pair of glasses containing a front-facing camera and an eye-facing projector. The glasses project near-infrared light onto the implant, which converts that light into electrical signals capable of stimulating the remaining healthy retinal cells.

Those signals are then processed by the patient’s own visual system, allowing useful central vision to be restored despite the loss of the original photoreceptors.

The glasses also include a zoom function that enlarges letters and other fine detail, making reading considerably easier for many patients.

Science Corp describes the technology as “a novel subretinal photovoltaic implant paired with specialised glasses” featuring “an ultra-thin profile and seamless, wireless integration.”

Clinical Results Show Significant Improvements

The commercial launch follows encouraging results from an international clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study followed 38 patients across 17 clinical centres in five countries, evaluating whether the system could restore meaningful central vision.

According to Science Corp, patients achieved an average improvement of 25.5 letters on the standard ETDRS eye chart, equivalent to more than five additional lines of vision.

Perhaps more importantly, 84 per cent of participants regained the ability to read letters, numbers and words, restoring practical visual function that had previously been lost.

The company also reports that the implant was positioned beneath the damaged area of the retina “without a decline in mean existing natural vision”, meaning patients did not sacrifice the remaining eyesight they already had.

Importantly, it should be noted here that PRIMA is not a cure for AMD. It restores useful central vision but does not halt or reverse the underlying disease process.

A Milestone For Brain-Computer Interfaces

Although PRIMA is primarily an ophthalmology story, it also represents an important milestone for the wider field of neurotechnology.

Brain-computer interfaces have received growing attention in recent years through projects such as Neuralink, where the focus has largely been on restoring movement, enabling communication and eventually allowing people to interact directly with computers using their thoughts. PRIMA demonstrates that the same underlying technology is already finding practical medical applications in another area, namely restoring sight.

The implant works by converting information from the camera into electrical signals that communicate directly with surviving retinal neurons, effectively creating a specialised brain-computer interface focused on vision.

Science Corp therefore describes PRIMA as “the first BCI device to receive CE marking for form vision restoration.”

That achievement also places the company ahead of several much higher-profile neurotechnology firms in bringing a commercially approved brain-computer interface to patients. Rather than waiting for the more ambitious goals often associated with companies such as Neuralink, PRIMA shows that specialised neural implants are already beginning to deliver practical medical benefits.

The significance extends well beyond blindness. It demonstrates that brain-computer interfaces are moving steadily from experimental research into mainstream healthcare, suggesting the wider neurotechnology revolution may arrive through focused medical treatments before expanding into the broader capabilities that have attracted so much public attention.

Europe Leads Commercial Adoption

The decision to launch in Europe first is also significant. Receiving CE marking enables commercial availability throughout much of Europe before the technology reaches the United States, where Science Corp continues working with the Food and Drug Administration.

The company says PRIMA has already received both FDA Breakthrough Device designation and Humanitarian Use Device designation, which are intended to accelerate access to treatments addressing serious unmet medical needs.

Europe’s regulatory approval therefore places it at the forefront of the first commercial rollout of a technology that many have viewed as belonging firmly in the future.

As Science Corp says: “We are proud to be the first BCI company with a CE-marked device for the restoration of detailed form vision.”

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For businesses, PRIMA highlights how neurotechnology is beginning to mature from laboratory research into commercially available medical products.

Although today’s application focuses on restoring sight, the same principles underpin a much wider generation of brain-computer interface technologies being developed for conditions ranging from paralysis and spinal cord injury to neurological disease. As these technologies mature, they are likely to create new opportunities across medical devices, software, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and specialist healthcare services.

The launch also reinforces Europe’s growing importance in advanced medical technology commercialisation. Companies capable of navigating demanding regulatory pathways and demonstrating meaningful clinical benefits are increasingly able to bring highly sophisticated technologies to patients years before wider global adoption.

Perhaps most significantly, PRIMA demonstrates that brain-computer interfaces are no longer confined to science fiction or experimental research. They are becoming practical medical technologies capable of restoring lost human abilities, and that transition from research project to commercial healthcare product may prove to be one of the most important developments in medical innovation over the coming decade.

Tech Insight : Microsoft Unveils 1,000 Times More Reliable Quantum Chip

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 2, a next-generation quantum chip that it says is 1,000 times more reliable than its predecessor, helping bring forward its target for a scalable quantum computer from 2033 to 2029.

What Is It?

Majorana 2 is Microsoft’s latest topological quantum chip, a processor designed to overcome one of the biggest obstacles in quantum computing, which is keeping quantum bits, or qubits, stable long enough to perform useful calculations.

According to Microsoft, the new chip is 1,000 times more reliable than its previous generation. The company says its qubits have a mean lifetime of 20 seconds, with some lasting as long as one minute. By comparison, many competing quantum systems measure qubit lifetimes in microseconds.

Microsoft attributes much of the improvement to a new materials design that replaces aluminium with lead in its topological superconductor architecture. The company says this provides greater protection against the environmental disturbances that can cause qubits to lose their quantum state and fail.

As Microsoft Technical Fellow Chetan Nayak explains, “Majorana 2 contains qubits that are 1,000x more reliable than those in our previous quantum processing unit”, and that “The new material stack, which swaps aluminium for lead, creates highly reliable topological qubits with operations on the microsecond scale and lifetimes with a mean of 20 seconds, occasionally exceeding one minute.”

Why This Matters

Reliability is one of the most important challenges facing quantum computing because even extremely powerful quantum systems are of limited value if their qubits cannot remain stable long enough to complete calculations.

Microsoft believes the improvement delivered by Majorana 2 is significant enough to accelerate its roadmap towards a scalable quantum computer. The company has now brought forward its target date from 2033 to 2029.

Microsoft’s announcement about the new quantum chip is also notable because the company says AI played an important role in achieving the breakthrough. For example, using its Microsoft Discovery platform, the company says it deployed AI agents to analyse research data, automate measurements, optimise manufacturing processes, identify hidden problems, and help researchers evaluate new materials more quickly.

Although practical large-scale quantum computing remains a major engineering challenge, Microsoft’s announcement suggests that advances in AI may now be helping accelerate progress towards systems capable of solving problems that remain beyond the reach of today’s conventional computers.

Why AI Is Part Of The Story

Although the quantum hardware itself is attracting most of the attention, Microsoft is also keen to place equal emphasis on the role of its Microsoft Discovery platform.

Microsoft Discovery uses teams of AI agents to help researchers analyse data, generate hypotheses, automate experiments, optimise manufacturing processes, and identify problems that may otherwise be missed.

According to Microsoft, AI agents were used to analyse almost two decades of quantum research data, automate complex measurement processes, optimise fabrication techniques, and even identify an uncalibrated temperature sensor that was introducing unwanted noise into the manufacturing process.

Describing the impact, Nayak said: “Agentic AI has permeated almost everything we do – it’s just become kind of a very natural part of our workflow.”

The company’s quantum team also used AI to help identify promising material combinations before conducting physical experiments, reducing the amount of costly trial-and-error testing required.

Zulfi Alam, Corporate Vice President for Quantum at Microsoft, described this as a move from the “old world order” of repeated experimentation towards simulations that identify “where the highly probable target is.”

A Different Approach To Quantum Computing

Microsoft’s strategy here seems to differ from many of its competitors. For example, companies such as IBM and Google largely focus on superconducting qubits, while Microsoft’s topological approach attempts to create a more stable form of quantum computing by exploiting exotic quantum states known as Majorana Zero Modes.

That said, the approach has not been without controversy. Microsoft’s earlier claims regarding Majorana particles attracted significant scientific scrutiny, and some previous findings were challenged by other researchers.

However, the company believes Majorana 2 demonstrates that the underlying approach is now delivering measurable engineering progress.

Support

It seems Microsoft has also attracted support from DARPA, the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency. DARPA has advanced Microsoft into the final phase of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, one of only two companies to reach that stage.

According to Microsoft, DARPA concluded that the company could “plausibly build a utility-scale quantum computer in a reasonable timeframe.”

What Could Quantum Computers Actually Do?

If Microsoft can achieve its 2029 target, the implications could be substantial. Quantum computers are not expected to replace conventional computers. Instead, they are designed to tackle highly specialised problems that are currently impractical or impossible for classical systems.

Potential applications include drug discovery, advanced materials research, energy optimisation, logistics, manufacturing, climate modelling, and cryptography.

Microsoft says a scalable quantum computer could help solve problems affecting “global health, food supply, sustainability, energy production and more.”

However, significant technical challenges remain before these systems become commercially useful at scale.

The wider quantum computing industry has a long history of optimistic forecasts, many of which have taken far longer to materialise than originally predicted.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For businesses, the announcement is less about purchasing quantum computers any time soon and more about understanding where things seem to be going in the world of advanced computing.

The most significant aspect of Microsoft’s announcement may actually be the growing convergence between AI and scientific research. Rather than simply helping users write documents or answer questions, AI is increasingly being used to accelerate materials science, engineering, pharmaceutical research, manufacturing, and frontier technology development.

Microsoft’s claim that AI helped reduce its quantum computing timeline by four years highlights how AI is becoming a tool for discovery as well as productivity.

Whether Microsoft’s 2029 target ultimately proves achievable remains to be seen. However, the combination of increasingly capable AI systems and advancing quantum hardware suggests that some of the world’s most difficult scientific and engineering challenges may begin moving faster than many experts previously expected.

For organisations watching emerging technologies, the bigger story may not be quantum computing alone, but how AI is increasingly being used to accelerate the creation of the next generation of technology itself.

Tech News : AI Memory Chip Survives Temperatures Hotter Than Molten Lava

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Researchers at the University of Southern California have developed a memristor memory device capable of operating at 700°C, a temperature hotter than molten lava and beyond the surface conditions found on Venus.

Why This Matters

The breakthrough is important not simply because of the extreme temperatures involved, but because it points towards a new generation of AI hardware designed to operate in environments where conventional computing systems quickly fail.

It also highlights how memristors, a type of electronic component that can both store data and process information in the same location, have long been viewed as an experimental technology but may finally be moving towards real-world commercial deployment inside AI infrastructure, industrial systems, defence platforms, and autonomous machines.

What The Researchers Built

The research, published in ‘Science’, focused on a type of electronic component called a memristor, a device capable of storing memory and performing computation in the same location.

This matters because conventional computing systems separate processing and memory physically, forcing data to move constantly between processors and storage. This creates major energy, speed, and heat limitations, particularly for AI workloads.

Memristors attempt to solve that problem by combining storage and processing together, making them particularly attractive for AI inference and neuromorphic computing systems designed to mimic aspects of the human brain.

The USC team demonstrated that their graphene-based memristor continued operating reliably at temperatures up to 700°C. The devices also survived more than one billion switching cycles at those temperatures while maintaining stable resistance states.

Professor J. Joshua Yang from USC said in the university’s announcement: “This work establishes a pathway toward electronics capable of operating in extreme environments previously inaccessible to conventional semiconductor systems.”

How They Solved The Heat Problem

One of the biggest technical challenges involved preventing tungsten atoms from diffusing through the device structure at high temperatures. Traditional memristors often fail in this area because heat causes conductive materials to migrate uncontrollably inside the memory layer, eventually destroying the device.

The USC researchers solved much of this problem using multilayer graphene electrodes that dramatically slowed tungsten diffusion. As their supplementary paper explains: “W atoms diffuse more easily on the Pt (111) surface compared to Gra surface”, referring to graphene.

The researchers also concluded that “regardless of graphene thickness, W adatom adsorption remains weak and surface diffusion is intrinsically slow on graphene.”

In simple terms, the graphene acted as an ultra-stable barrier layer that prevented the internal structure from degrading under extreme heat.

The paper also noted that “solving W diffusion issue is the key for HT memristors”, referring to high-temperature operation.

Why TetraMem Matters

The commercial significance of the story comes from TetraMem, the startup helping commercialise the underlying technology. TetraMem is developing analogue AI inference chips based on memristor architectures designed to process AI workloads far more efficiently than conventional digital processors.

Unlike many experimental semiconductor breakthroughs that remain trapped inside laboratories, TetraMem says it has already moved room-temperature versions of its inference chips onto 300mm semiconductor production wafers in partnership with SK hynix and NY CREATES, with support linked to the US CHIPS Act.

That matters because 300mm wafers are the standard used in advanced commercial semiconductor manufacturing.

In a company statement, TetraMem CEO Guangyu Xu said: “This breakthrough validates the robustness of our memristor technology platform and opens the door to AI computing in some of the harshest environments imaginable.”

The company believes memristor systems could dramatically reduce the energy demands of AI inference while enabling far smaller and more efficient edge AI devices.

An Important Change In AI Hardware

The timing of this announcement is important because AI infrastructure is becoming increasingly constrained by energy consumption, heat generation, memory bottlenecks, and scaling limitations. Large language models and AI agents require enormous quantities of data movement between processors and memory, which consumes huge amounts of electricity.

Memristor-based systems could potentially reduce those inefficiencies significantly by processing information directly where it is stored. That could become particularly valuable for edge AI systems operating in remote or hostile environments where power, cooling, and maintenance are severely limited.

Possible future applications could include spacecraft, geothermal drilling systems, industrial robotics, autonomous military platforms, high-temperature manufacturing, nuclear facilities, and even future Venus exploration missions.

Importantly, this also reflects a broader change taking place across the semiconductor industry.

For years, AI progress largely depended on scaling conventional GPUs and cloud infrastructure. Increasingly, researchers are now looking towards entirely new memory architectures, analogue computing approaches, and neuromorphic hardware designs to overcome the physical and economic limits of traditional systems.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For businesses, the breakthrough is another sign that the next wave of AI competition may depend as much on hardware innovation as software models.

The wider significance here is not simply a chip surviving extreme temperatures. It is that memristor computing, long viewed as an experimental concept, is now beginning to move closer towards industrial-scale manufacturing and commercial AI deployment.

That could eventually reshape sectors ranging from industrial automation and aerospace to defence, logistics, infrastructure monitoring, and autonomous systems.

It also reinforces how AI infrastructure itself is rapidly becoming a major strategic battleground, with governments, semiconductor firms, and startups all racing to develop hardware that is faster, more energy efficient, and capable of operating in environments where conventional computing struggles or fails entirely.

Company Check – New Chip Means Quantum Computing In Years, Not Decades

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum chip powered by a ‘Topological Core architecture’, which it claims could enable quantum computers to solve complex, industrial-scale problems within years rather than decades.

The Issue

The Majorana 1 chip could signify a pivotal shift in quantum computing development. Unlike conventional processors, which rely on classical bits (the familiar ones and zeroes of modern computing), quantum computers use qubits, i.e. quantum bits that can represent both states simultaneously. While this promises an exponential increase in processing power, qubits are notoriously difficult to stabilise and control due to environmental interference.

Microsoft’s Revolutionary Approach to Quantum Architecture

In the case of Microsoft’s Majorana 1, instead of relying on traditional qubit designs, the company has taken a more ambitious route by developing a new material called a topoconductor. This breakthrough enables the manipulation of elusive Majorana particles, which were once purely theoretical and only recently demonstrated in laboratory conditions.

The creation of this topological state of matter, a new form distinct from solids, liquids, or gases, has therefore allowed Microsoft to produce topological qubits. The advantage is that these are expected to be more stable, less prone to error, and capable of being controlled digitally rather than through complex analogue mechanisms.

Years Rather Than Decades

Chetan Nayak, a technical fellow at Microsoft, has explained the significance of the innovative technology used in the new chip, saying: “Many people have said that useful quantum computers are decades away. I think that this brings us into years rather than decades.” This optimism appears to be built on the company’s ability to scale its technology, aiming for an unprecedented one million qubits on a single chip.

Industrial-Scale Problems Within Reach

The potential impact of this innovation could be transformative across industries. Quantum computers have the capacity to simulate molecular interactions, design new materials, and solve optimisation problems that would take today’s most powerful supercomputers millions of years to process. Microsoft believes these capabilities could unlock advancements in:

– Pharmaceuticals. Accelerating drug discovery by simulating molecular structures with unprecedented precision.

– Energy storage. Designing better, more efficient batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy.

– Environmental solutions. Developing catalysts to break down microplastics or reduce carbon emissions.

– Advanced manufacturing. Creating self-healing materials for infrastructure, reducing maintenance costs and enhancing safety.

A New Front in the Quantum Computing Race

Microsoft’s announcement about its new chip will, no doubt, have sent ripples across the already competitive quantum technology landscape. Rivals such as Google and IBM have made significant strides with quantum processors using alternative qubit designs. Google’s “Sycamore” processor, for example, made headlines in 2019 for achieving quantum supremacy by solving a problem in 200 seconds that would take classical computers 10,000 years. However, Microsoft’s strategy, though slower in producing short-term results, may prove more scalable in the long run.

While Microsoft’s prototype currently houses eight topological qubits, far fewer than the hundreds achieved by competitors, the company’s promise of a clear path to a million qubits sets it apart. However, experts believe that if Microsoft’s technology can indeed scale as planned, it could actually leapfrog its rivals in the race to build commercially viable quantum machines.

Business and Industry

For businesses and industries poised to embrace quantum computing, this development could radically shift the landscape. For example, being able to solve industrial-scale problems within years rather than decades could lead to:

– Faster innovation cycles. Products designed and tested virtually with quantum precision could dramatically reduce time-to-market.

– Cost reductions. More efficient materials and manufacturing processes could slash production costs.

– Sustainability breakthroughs. Quantum modelling could enable the development of eco-friendly materials and more efficient energy solutions.

Accessing Quantum Capabilities Through The Cloud

Microsoft’s integration of the Majorana 1 chip into its Azure Quantum platform means that businesses will eventually be able to harness these capabilities through cloud services, thereby democratising access to quantum power without the need for prohibitively expensive infrastructure.

A High-Risk, High-Reward Strategy

Microsoft’s focus on topological qubits appears to have been quite a high-risk strategy, given the scientific and engineering challenges involved. For example, until recently, Majorana particles had never been observed in nature and had to be coaxed into existence through precise manipulation of materials at the atomic level.

However, as Krysta Svore (another Microsoft technical fellow) pointed out, the architecture’s simplicity could allow for rapid scalability. Svore said: “It’s complex in that we had to show a new state of matter to get there, but after that, it’s fairly simple. You have a much simpler architecture that promises a faster path to scale.”

The Next Steps for Quantum Computing

Microsoft’s inclusion in the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) programme signals the strategic importance of this technology. If successful, the company could deliver the world’s first utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, a machine whose computational value exceeds its operational costs.

For now, though, the road ahead remains fraught with technical challenges. Scaling from eight qubits to a million will require solving issues of coherence, error correction, and manufacturing precision on an unprecedented scale.

That said, if Microsoft’s bet pays off, the promise of solving industrial-scale problems within a matter of years could mark the beginning of a new technological era, one where quantum computing transforms everything from materials science to global sustainability efforts.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Microsoft’s unveiling of the Majorana 1 chip represents a potential shift in the trajectory of quantum computing itself. The company’s bold move to pursue topological qubits through the manipulation of Majorana particles looks like being both an audacious scientific gamble and a forward-thinking strategy aimed at overcoming some of the most persistent obstacles in the field.

While rivals like Google and IBM have made headlines with short-term achievements using more traditional qubit designs, Microsoft’s approach seeks to tackle the longer-term challenge of scalability and stability. By leveraging a fundamentally different quantum architecture, the company may ultimately sidestep the fragility that plagues conventional quantum systems. If successful, this could place Microsoft at the forefront of a technological race that has, until now, seemed more theoretical than practical.

It should be noted that, although the signs are good, caution is needed because technical hurdles like maintaining coherence and error correction are not trivial and could be pretty challenging for Microsoft. That said, Microsoft’s confidence, underpinned by integration with its Azure Quantum platform, suggests a readiness to bring quantum capabilities to businesses and researchers sooner than previously imagined.

The implications for industry and society at large could be transformative. From revolutionising drug discovery to enabling breakthroughs in clean energy and sustainable manufacturing, the possibilities of scalable quantum computing extend far beyond academic curiosity. The prospect of solving industrial-scale problems in years rather than decades could accelerate innovation cycles, reduce costs, and unlock sustainable solutions previously out of reach.

An Apple Byte : Serious Apple Chip Vulnerability Discovered

Posted on by Paul Stradling

US researchers have reported discovering a hardware chip vulnerability inside Apple M1, M2, and M3 silicon chips. The unpatchable ‘GoFetch’ is a microarchitecture vulnerability and side-channel attack that reportedly affects all kinds of encryption algorithms, even the 2,048-bit keys that are hardened to protect against attacks from quantum computers.

This serious vulnerability renders the security effects of constant-time programming (a side-channel mitigation encryption algorithm) useless. This means that encryption software can be tricked by applications using GoFetch into putting sensitive data into the cache so it can be stolen.

Pending any fix advice from Apple, users are recommended to use the latest versions of software, and to perform updates regularly. Also, developers of cryptographic libraries should set the DOIT bit and DIT bit bits (disabling the DMP on some CPUs) and to use input blinding (cryptography). Users are also recommended to avoid hardware sharing to help maintain the security of cryptographic protocols.