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Chinese scientists create world’s most energy-efficient AI chips for mobile devices

  • A low-power AI chip which can be used for offline voice control has been unveiled at a leading conference
  • A second record-breaking chip designed by the Chinese team helps detect seizures in people with epilepsy

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Chinese scientists have revealed two groundbreaking AI chips at a leading conference that are highly energy efficient. Photo: Shutterstock
Zhang Tongin Beijing
Chinese scientists have unveiled two ultra-low-power artificial intelligence (AI) chips with record-breaking performance at the most prestigious conference in the chip design industry.
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AI chips, specifically engineered to process AI tasks, typically require substantial power due to the heavy computational demands they face, which has limited their application in real-world scenarios.

But through algorithm and architectural optimisation, Professor Zhou Jun and his team from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) have managed to significantly reduce this power consumption.

The team presented two of these innovative chips at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2024, the Olympics of the integrated circuit (IC) industry.

The ISSCC is an annual global gathering for solid-state circuits, where the best researchers, engineers and professionals meet to talk about new developments and the future of chip technology. This year’s conference was held in San Francisco from February 18 to 22.

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The first of the two AI chips was designed to be embedded into smart devices to enable offline voice control.
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