1.Qualcomm: There are three major events after the completion of the first 5G standard;
Introduction: With the efforts of the 3GPP working groups of the global standardization organization, the world's first 5G standard was completed in December 2017, which laid the foundation for 5G pre-commercialization in 2019. By then, consumers can also expect to experience 5G smart phones.
During the 2017 World Mobile Conference (MWC), a number of global mobile telecommunications companies jointly committed to accelerate the global 5G new air interface standardization process, and contributed to the 3GPP consensus reached at the follow-up meeting to accelerate the 5G new airline Release 15 work plan. In the global standardization Under the efforts of all 3GPP working groups, the world’s first 5G standard was completed in December 2017, laying the foundation for 5G pre-commercialization in 2019. By then, consumers can also expect to experience 5G smart phones.
▲ Extensive 3GPP 5G new air interface technology roadmap beyond eMBB
Then, what is the next step of the 5G standardization process? Qualcomm, one of the companies that promised to speed up the global 5G new airspace standardization process, stated that 3GPP has clearly defined three important directions in continuing to promote 5G standardization, including:
Improve 5G new air interface non-independent deployment (NSA) specification, use existing LTE core network to achieve 5G commercial deployment
Formulation of 5G New Air Interface Independent Deployment (SA) Specification Based on Next Generation Core Network
Prepare for the evolution of 5G in 3GPP Release-16 and future versions to further expand the 5G ecosystem
The Release- 15 5G new air interface non-independence deployment standard completed in December last year focuses on providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services and lays the foundation for 5G new air interface design to support future evolution. But this is only a start, 3GPP is still further Improve the Release-15 specification, focusing on repairing standard vulnerabilities (called 'modification requests' in 3GPP) to facilitate commercial deployment of 5G products and services.
▲ Picture from Flickr
Qualcomm said that it has already conducted industry-leading interoperability testing with numerous infrastructure vendors and global operators. At the same time, many mobile operators and terminal manufacturers in the industry have also announced that they will use Qualcomm Xiaolong X50 5G modem for 5G testing and product design.
The 5G standard, which was completed in December 2017, supports the 5G new air interface non-independent deployment specification. It refers to the use of existing LTE radio and core networks as an anchor for mobility management and provides network coverage, while adding 5G new air interface carriers. .
The 5G standard completed in December last year aims to support 5G large-scale trials and pre-commercial implementation based on the 5G new air interface non-independent deployment specifications in 2019. Release- 15 will include 5G new air interface for non-independent and independent deployment. Currently, 3GPP is developing Release. - 15 5G new air interface independent deployment specification, will use the new next-generation 5G core network architecture (NGC), is expected to be completed in June 2018. 5G new air interface non-independent and independent deployment will share the air interface physical layer specification, and These common specifications have been completed in December 2017. Therefore, the focus of the 5G new airspace independent deployment is to build an upper-layer architecture with user and control plane functions, and support the next-generation core network architecture, including network slicing, and a more refined QoS model. And more advanced security architecture.
The commercialization of 5G new air interface eMBB services is a huge improvement for the industry, but it is only the tip of the iceberg for the potential of 5G technology. 3GPP has already started to work on the evolution of 5G in 3GPP Release-16 and future versions. Get ready. Just as LTE has evolved since 3GPP Release-8, many new features and use cases have evolved, and new 5G airspace will continue to evolve and expand.
3GPP Release-16 and future versions will focus on expanding the mobile ecosystem into new areas, including new services and terminal types, new deployments and business models, and new frequency bands and spectrum types. 5G new air interface technology in Release-16 and future versions Has a rich roadmap for development, including low-latency and high-reliability communications (5G new air interface URLLC), license-free and shared spectrum sharing of new spectrum sharing examples (5G NR-U and 5G NR-SS), in autopilot use cases Automotive communications (5G new air interface C-V2X), and the ongoing evolution of 3GPP low power wide area (LPA) technology (NBIOT/eMTC). 3GPP has approved a number of research and work projects for the next phase. Other related projects will be Approved in the coming months. IT House
2. Qualcomm new series of processor exposure: Snapdragon 710 main AI;
In February of this year's MWC2018, Qualcomm announced the launch of the new Snapdragon 700 Series. According to its name, it can be speculated that the positioning will be between the middle and high-end Snapdragon 600 series and the flagship 800 series.
A few days ago, the well-known forwarder @Roland Quandt released Twitter to expose the Snapdragon 700 series mobile processor, codenamed SDM710, named Snapdragon 710. Besides the name, other details are still unknown. According to available data, Snapdragon 700 series The product will integrate the multi-core Qualcomm artificial intelligence engine AI Engine, which is a two-fold improvement over the Snapdragon 660 mobile processor in the terminal-side artificial intelligence application. The processor also supports the Qualcomm Spectra ISP, giving the user better AI assistance. Shooting experience.
In addition, Snapdragon 700 series is a variety of new architecture, in addition to Spectra ISP also Kryo core CPU and Adreno GPU, 30% better performance than Snapdragon 660, battery life also performed well, this architecture is the first attempt in the entire mobile processor Thanks to Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4+ technology, the Snapdragon 700 series can be used to charge 50% of the electricity in 15 minutes. Last week, the first Snapdragon 670-equipped mobile phone ran out of points, so the performance of the Snapdragon 710 is not expected to be low. qooah
3. Aftermath of Uber unmanned vehicle accident was not completed. Nvidia, Intel and Qualcomm were both affected;
Uber's automatic driving car killed the pedestrian as the world’s first deadly car accident. This accident not only affected the process of the unmanned industry, but the remaining waves may also have a great impact on the three chip makers. This is probably Nvidia ( NVIDIA), Intel and Qualcomm unexpectedly.
In recent days, the Uber driverless SUV accidental death in Tempe, Arizona has not only become the world's first fatal accident in the field of self-driving cars, but also has had an impact on the process in this area.
At present, not only the governor of Arizona has suspended Uber's driverless test in the state, but Uber has immediately stopped all unmanned vehicle testing in the United States and Canada.
Previously, the industry had generally expected that driverless cars could be on the road by 2020. However, this accident may cause the industry to experience more setbacks this year. It is worth noting that this event is for the driverless market. For the chip supplier, it is either a stick or a potential crisis.
This situation is probably not expected by the three major chip makers. The current situation in Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), which are at the center of the storm, is also quite different.
Nvidia is willing to back this pot
The Uber driverless car uses Nvidia's hardware (but not the Drive PX platform), and the pot is backed up before the relevant department's identification results come out.
Recalling the early announcement of their cooperation, Eric Meyhofer, Uber’s advanced technical team leader, said: “Nvidia is an important Uber technology provider and we will work together to launch scalable autonomous cars and trucks in the market.
After the accident, Nvidia responded quickly. According to a Reuters report on March 27, Nvidia has suspended all driver testing. This news caused Nvidia's share price to tumble by 8%, but its share price may also be down. The wholesale sales of the entire market resulted.
Nvidia President and Chief Executive Officer Huang Renxun
This trend is likely to have a negative impact on Nvidia. Previously, related income from the automotive industry was once the pillar of Nvidia's growth. It has dropped 8% continuously in the last two months (in the last quarter, revenue in this sector only rose by 3%). .
After the accident, the enthusiasm of the relevant car manufacturers for purchasing Nvidia series products may continue to decrease. Fortunately, Uber driverless cars (including Tegra CPUs for infotainment and navigation systems) account for only 5% of their total revenue. .
In fact, Nvidia’s declining trend in the automotive industry can easily be offset by its significant growth in the game GPU and data center sectors. Revenue from this segment of the business has increased its total revenue for the previous quarter by 34%. Therefore, despite the Nvidia's automotive business may be temporarily in trouble, but it is unlikely to affect annual revenue growth.
Intel took the opportunity to slam the opponent
Intel owns Mobileye, the world's largest supplier of ADAS (advanced driver assistance system). This is Intel's most dazzling acquisition in recent years. The ADAS solution integrates radar and camera to help drivers find danger and park properly. And keep the car driving in the right lane.
Intel, Mobileye, BMW and Fiat Chrysler are jointly developing a driverless platform and originally wanted to launch the L5 driverless vehicle by 2021. In addition, Intel also owns Movidius, a maker of computer vision chips, whose products can help the car's watch. ' And analyze the surrounding environment.
Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua criticized the 'new entrant' for lack of experience to ensure the safety of driverless cars. Talking about the Uber accident video disclosed by the police, he said that Mobileye's ADAS can be at least about One second' detected pedestrians.
Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua
It's hard to say whether Mobileye would be affected by the accident because Intel has never published a separate report on the income of the automotive industry. However, it is understood that Mobileye created 3.58 in fiscal year 2016 (the last year before Intel’s acquisition). Billion U.S. dollars of revenue, an increase of 49% over 2015.
However, even if Mobileye’s revenue increased by 40% in FY2017 to reach US$500 million, this part of the revenue is still less than 1% of Intel’s overall revenue. As Intel's emerging industry direction, the prospect of unmanned business lies in the future, if the current slowdown It will not affect its core business. After all, Intel’s main revenue comes from providing x86 CPUs for personal computers and data centers.
Qualcomm industry downturn or impact on acquisition success
Under the intervention of the Trump administration, Qualcomm reluctantly escaped Broadcom’s hostile takeover, but its current development is still facing many obstacles. Regulators and terminal equipment manufacturers still require Qualcomm to reduce its license fees, which is a high pass. Most of the profit sources.
At present, Apple and another major global terminal equipment manufacturer (the industry generally considers Huawei to be) also suspend the payment of licensing fees to Qualcomm. At the same time, Qualcomm’s main source of revenue, chip manufacturing, is still facing a low level like MediaTek. Price chip manufacturers, as well as Huawei and other independent research and development chip companies fierce competition.
Qualcomm's plan to take off its shell is to acquire the world's largest automotive chip maker, NXP Semiconductors. NXP's BlueBox, known as the unmanned platform that rivals Nvidia's Drive PX, may become The future high-pass bend overtaking weapon.
However, the acquisition is still in a state of stagnation. NXP’s shareholders did not obtain sufficient shares, and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has not yet approved the completion of the transaction. The battle with Broadcom forced Qualcomm to bid on NXP. It has increased by 16% to 44 billion U.S. dollars. Therefore, in the slow-moving unmanned industry, Qualcomm is likely to pay too high prices for this chip maker.
This is really a blessing for Qualcomm before the advent of the 5G era. It is still uncertain.
Write last
Driverless cars are a new technology, and tragic accidents are inevitable. Therefore, the slowdown in the development of the industry may outweigh the disadvantages. The driverless industry should also find its own loopholes as soon as possible and reassess its safety standards and test behavior.
In addition, for investors, Nvida and Intel should not be questioned because of the Uber accident, because automotive chips are only a small part of their business. However, Qualcomm should still be viewed with a critical eye, and its plans for acquiring NXP should be viewed as severe in the future. Whether the market environment is still tenable.
Note: This article is partially compiled from Motley Fool (a multimedia financial services company). Blue Whale TMT
4.Microsoft will add 64-bit support for ARM chips
Although the Windows laptops equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform have their advantages in networking, they also have the fatal disadvantage of not supporting 64-bit applications. Although Microsoft has sent a big deal of assurance, on many occasions they will eventually give this ARM architecture. The platform is adding support for 64-bit apps, but the actual timeline has only come today. Erin Chappie, general manager of Microsoft’s Windows division, revealed to us that they will release ARM at the Build Developer Conference that will begin soon. 64 applicable SDK.
With the new SDK, developers can have native 64-bit support for their apps on ARM-based computers (such as Asus NovaGo), no longer limited to the current 32-bit. Although they have 64-bit support, they are How much of an application's performance will increase is yet to be discussed, but this is also a welcome improvement.
These networked PCs using ARM architecture will be pre-loaded with Windows 10 S. However, Microsoft also gives users the opportunity to switch to Windows 10 Pro in 2019, allowing users to operate in a more familiar and powerful system. ARM 64 SDK will Can make Microsoft Store and Desktop Edition (.exe) two kinds of programs, to facilitate developers to use according to their needs. engadget