I've been wondering how long before RAM is fabbed on die to get around supply issues. This is one of the first I've read of so far. How long before Apple releases a CPU with ram on die?
Author here. The supply angle is exactly the motivation — HBM is the hardest part to get and ~26% of an AI rack's BOM.
First, separate three things people lump together. Apple already does memory on package (M-series unified memory = LPDDR5X dies next to the SoC). The near-term industry path is bonded stacking (AMD 3D V-cache, HBM4's logic base die). What we're doing is monolithic — growing the memory on top of finished logic. Three reasons that distinction matters:
1. Bonding only helps at the margin. A hybrid-bond interface still carries a relatively large interconnect capacitance in um scale, so at memory bandwidth the I/O drivers crossing it dissipate most of the power and overheat — you move the memory closer without escaping the I/O energy. Monolithic inter-tier vias are nano-scale (we model ~1% the interconnect energy of a bonded interface), and that's the only thing that actually moves the needle.
2. 2D-TMDs are the only functional CMOS you can build in the BEOL. Monolithic 3D means fabricating the upper tiers after the logic, at ≤450 °C, or you cook everything underneath. Silicon needs ~1000 °C; low-temp oxide semiconductors (IGZO) are n-type only, so no real CMOS. 2D-TMDs give both n- and p-type at BEOL temperature. Nothing else does.
3. ~6 orders of magnitude lower off-current (~1 fA/µm) finally makes a capacitor-free cell work. Conventional 1T1C DRAM needs a big storage capacitor — the deep-trench / high-aspect-ratio etch you can't do in the BEOL anyway. A 2T0C gain cell holds charge on a transistor gate with no capacitor; in silicon it leaked away in microseconds, so it was never usable. With 2D-TMD leakage you get ~1.8 s retention — refresh at ~1 Hz and drop the capacitor, and the trench, entirely.
= Back End Of Line. The later stages of semiconductor manufacturing (after the standard CMOS logic transistors) e.g. adding the metal wiring and interconnect layers. Think end of a manufacturing line.
The core concept is to layer multiple non-standard non-silicon memory transistors above the metal layers.
That sounds like a stunning invention, since I think that alone implies better memory density than current SRAM (ignoring the extra complexity of stacking it above a logic layer).
Oh it was definitely a thing (I have a screenshot somewhere) and the JS was there on all sites and all devices regardless of https.
Sure, I could have worked around it and continued to collect/share digital copies of albums, especially rare ones you could only find in dusty bins of disappearing record shops. (This was my favorite hobby back in the day) but instead I just gave up... what's the point in participating when the internet, a public service I _pay_ for, which should probably be owned and maintained in the commons, is then used for double-tithing by the companies that run these services? Social media, ISPs, they're enshittifying themselves by having naturally adopted the model of cable television networks, e.g., pay for this premium service and we will still feed you ads or force such-and-such recommendation down your throat. What a rug pull.
Love that you are calling a tablet what it really is: a computer.
Now for a crazy question: does the Daylight Computer support an external full color display via a usb-c dock? Color when you need it… epaper when you don’t.
We have a fleet of several hundred Macs, most are M1/2 at this point. I heard reports of several Macs coming in for support that booted to a black screen after Sonoma's .0 landed. So many that the JAMF team blocked Sonoma until the .1 landed.
Definitely shoddy QA on Apple's part. Also, your sample size is too small. Everyone works differently and it takes a certain set of settings/workflows to trigger this compatibility issue.
Does your employer offer a cell phone stipend program? Many times, employers will pay to "use" a portion of your cell plan, basically allowing them to require apps like MFA on personal devices. (or require on call access to employees)
Why would you want this? One of the thing I love about EVs are the single speed transmissions. The drive is smooth and lack of noise peaceful. Why would you want shift-jerk and emulated RPM variations in a technology that doesn't need it?
I think there's a corollary from the motorcycling world.
The Honda Nighthawk was always a reliable motorcycle. However, it is often panned because it is considered one of the most boring bikes to ride. It barely vibrates (they used to demo it by putting a glass of water on the seat and revving the engine - no spillage!), the acceleration is smooth and uneventful, and the in-line engine makes it sound more like a small car than a big v-twin.
When Harley Davidson made its EV motorcycle, they made sure to give it a distinctive sound. Whether that will work or not is yet to be seen. I live in a metropolis city where newfangled vehicles abound, and I've yet to see an electric Harley, despite it having been around for several years now.
I might be getting old, because a "boring" vehicle sounds just about right for me these days. I still remember when one of the luxuries of driving a Cadillac was the silent cushioned ride, which is something that only an EV can compete with.
