News

June 2023 robotics investments total US $2.1 billion

Source: Robotics Business Review, July 31, 2023 [1]
Robotics investment for June 2023 equaled $2.1 billion, the result of 50 funding rounds. Total robotics investment for January 2023 through June 2023 equals approximately $6.1 billion.

Chip experts see talent shortage as main growth hurdle

Source: EETimes, July 21, 2023 [2]
The global semiconductor industry faces a shortage of workers, with fab-construction delays and government stimulus programs contributing to the issue. Compensation for fab workers has increased, but finding qualified workers is challenging as an aging generation retires.

AMD announces plan to invest approximately $400 million over the next five years to expand research, development and engineering operations in India

Source: AMD, July 28, 2023 [3]
AMD plans $400M investment in India over five years, including a new Bangalore campus and 3,000 engineering roles. The campus will be India's largest design center and supported by government policies for the semiconductor industry.

The European Union approves spending plan for computer chips

Source: VOA, July 26, 2023 [4]
The European Council approved the European Parliament's plan to expand semiconductor production in Europe, aiming to decrease dependence on Asian manufacturers for computer chips. The Chips Act will provide $47 billion in public and private funds and state aid for Europe's semiconductor industry. The goal is to double Asia's share of global semiconductor production to 20% by 2030.

Wafer shipments down again, but chipmakers remain optimistic

Source: The Register, July 27, 2023 [5]
Major chip shops predict a resurgence in silicon wafer shipments in the latter half of 2023, despite a 10.1% drop in Q2 to 3.3 billion square inches. The semiconductor industry is working through excess inventory, causing fabs to operate below full capacity, resulting in silicon wafer shipments lagging their 2022 peak. Memory vendors like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron were hit hardest.

Arm tries to tackle lack of talent emerging in chip industry

Source: The Register, July 28, 2023 [6]
Arm is addressing the semiconductor industry's shortage of essential skills by forming the Semiconductor Education Alliance (SEA). The global initiative aims to find the next generation of talent and upskill the existing workforce, ensuring growth in the chip industry. The alliance builds on existing agreements and workstreams, allowing members to share resources and collaborate on projects like joint bids for research grants.

The rise of smart cities in Asia: How robot operating systems are shaping urban development

Source: Fagen Wasanni Technologies, July 29, 2023 [7]
Smart cities in Asia demonstrate rapid technological advancement, focusing on sustainable, efficient, and livable urban environments. Robot operating systems (ROS) are crucial in shaping urban development, automating services like traffic management, waste disposal, security, and healthcare.

Battling over shrinking physical margin in chips

Source: Semiconductor Engineering, July 31, 2023 [8]
Increasing density and complexity makes it imperative to capture and integrate more data, from design through manufacturing and into the field.

Papers

Implementation of trajectory planning algorithms for track serving mobile robot in ROS 2 ecosystem

Source:Hrčak, 2023 [9]
This paper presents an autonomous cone placing robot developed at SzéchenyiIstván University, discussing its design, preparation, software operation, environmental representation, and trajectory planner. It discusses innovative algorithms like Dijkstra, A*, Hybrid A*, DWA, and Elastic band.

Code detection for hardware acceleration using large language models

Source: arXiv, July 19, 2023 [10]
This study analyzes code detection using LLMs, focusing on essential kernels like matrix multiplication, convolution, and fast-fourier transform in C/C++. Results show conventional prompting achieves high precision but poor accuracy due to high false positives. A novel prompting strategy significantly reduces false positives, achieving excellent overall accuracy.

Previous Hardware Acceleration in Robotics Newsletters

Past ROS 2 Hardware Acceleration Working Group meetings

  1. Kara, D. (2023, July 31). June 2023 robotics investments total US $2.1 billion. Robotics Business Review. https://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/investment/june-2023-robotics-investments-total-2-1-billion/ ↩︎

  2. Patterson, A. (2023, July 21). Chip experts see talent shortage as main growth hurdle. EETimes. https://www.eetimes.com/chip-experts-see-talent-shortage-as-main-growth-hurdle/ ↩︎

  3. AMD announces plan to invest approximately $400 million over the next five years to expand research, development and engineering operations in India. (2023, July 28). AMD. https://www.amd.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-7-27-amd-announces-plan-to-invest-approximately-400-mi.html ↩︎

  4. The European Union approves spending plan for computer chips. (2023, July 26). VOA. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-european-union-approves-spending-plan-for-computer-chips/7195945.html ↩︎

  5. Mann, T. (2023, July 27). Wafer shipments down again, but chipmakers remain optimistic. The Register. https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/27/wafers_down_again/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=article ↩︎

  6. Robinson, D. (2023, July 28). Arm tries to tackle lack of talent emerging in chip industry. The Register. https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/28/arm_says_semiconductor_skills_shortage/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=article ↩︎

  7. The rise of smart cities in Asia: How robot operating systems are shaping urban development. (2023, July 29). Fagen Wasanni Technologies. https://fagenwasanni.com/news/the-rise-of-smart-cities-in-asia-how-robot-operating-systems-are-shaping-urban-development/19871/ ↩︎

  8. Sperling, E. (2023, July 31). Battling over shrinking physical margin in chips. Semiconductor Engineering. https://semiengineering.com/battling-over-shrinking-physical-margin-in-chips/?cmid=f39b9167-195c-44be-b9a4-845355d618ca ↩︎

  9. Boros, N., Kallos, G., & Ballagi, A. (2023). Implementation of trajectory planning algorithms for track serving mobile robot in ROS 2 ecosystem. Hrčak. https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/440415 ↩︎

  10. Martínez, P., Bernabé, G., & García, J. (2023, June 19). Code detection for hardware acceleration using large language models. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2307.10348.pdf ↩︎