A new kernel, or core program within an operating system, gives researchers a cleaner view of what’s happening inside a processor. Called Fractal and developed at MIT, the kernel has already surfaced previously unknown behavior in Apple’s M1. When security researchers want to understand what a modern processor is really doing with the kind of […]
Read More
The silicon that forms the foundation of most computer chips has fundamental limits to how much power it can manage, which constrains the speed and energy-efficiency of wireless communication systems. A promising solution is to build future wireless electronics out of transistors made from gallium nitride, an advanced material that can handle the speed and […]
Read More
Lidar systems use pulses of infrared light to measure distance and map a 3D scene with high resolution, allowing autonomous vehicles to rapidly react to obstacles that appear in their path. But traditional lidar sensors are expensive, bulky systems with many moving parts that degrade over time, limiting how the sensors can be deployed. A […]
Read More
As quantum computers advance, they are expected to be able to break tried-and-true security schemes that currently keep most sensitive data secure from attackers. Scientists and policymakers are working to design and implement post-quantum cryptography to defend against these future attacks. MIT researchers have developed an ultra-efficient microchip that can bring post-quantum cryptography techniques to […]
Read More
It’s an essential insight about our world: Innovation drives economic growth. For the U.S. to thrive, it must keep innovating. But how, and in what areas? A new book co-authored by MIT faculty members focuses on six key areas where technology advances can drive the economy and support national security. Those sectors — semiconductors, biotechnology, […]
Read More
Amazon has agreed to invest as much as $25 billion more in Anthropic, the artificial intelligence start-up that created the Claude chatbot, the companies said on Monday, the latest in a series of massive deals between tech giants and A.I. start-ups. Amazon, which previously invested $8 billion in Anthropic, is already one of the start-up’s […]
Read More
Just like each person has unique fingerprints, every CMOS chip has a distinctive “fingerprint” caused by tiny, random manufacturing variations. Engineers can leverage this unforgeable ID for authentication, to safeguard a device from attackers trying to steal private data. But these cryptographic schemes typically require secret information about a chip’s fingerprint to be stored on […]
Read More