back to article Nvidia unveils credit card-sized 'supercomputer' for portable AI

Older readers may think of Nvidia as a graphics firm but, according to CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, the firm is now all-in on accelerating computing and machine learning. "I've been in the computer industry for 30-some years and this has got to be one of the most exciting things that's happening: The ability for computers to learn, the …

  1. Ragequit
    FAIL

    Nothing new?

    Other than how it's packaged this hardware already exists in mobile devices. So it's just the software stack that is new then? And Nvidia is just hoping (begging) would be developers decide to use it for their RoTM nanny came drones? Doesn't sound like this idea is totally baked. The last thing we need is a swarm of UAV's around the playground supposedly doing the job the parents should be doing themselves. What's the nanny going to do? Film it? Worse case try to hit any would be kidnapper with a stun gun and instead hit your kid with it? About the best you could hope for is that the thing could get a license plate but I'm assuming criminals will get wise and bring a baseball bat to knock the pests out of the air.

    1. Fraggle850

      Re: Nothing new?

      I wouldn't focus too much on the rather bizarre use case proposed. Having what is indeed essentially a mobile chipset but without all of the other fripperies, coupled with a software stack devoted to machine learning, could be an interesting development kit. I'll be interested to see what, if anything, comes of this.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Nothing new?

        One of my problems here is that I'm not terribly impressed with 1 TFLOP (even DP), even though I've pretty much always bought nVidia including GPGPU's. The other half 'feels' like Me Too on either Google's part (Tensorflow) or nVidia's part, or who knows both. Google's looks deep and agnostic. This is going to be something keeping my attention whenever I need a break from the next iteration of my Bastion Defense.

        I really want the field to take off (yeah, intended), if nothing else to spoke the wheels of the Nanny State. How? Simple, overload the system inputs. One thing that government never gets right is how to distinguish fact from fancy. Another form of any number of statistical fallacies. Pick your party of like/dislike for endless vices.

  2. JackFrost

    Skynet

    Is this the real life pre-cursor to the terminator chip?

    1. Fraggle850

      Re: Skynet

      No more than the smartphone in your pocket is a precursor to Skynet.

      1. Captain DaFt

        Re: Skynet

        "No more than the smartphone in your pocket is a precursor to Skynet."

        So that's a yes?

  3. Joeman
    Childcatcher

    A pedo's Dream...

    The pedophiles of this world will love it when it's the norm to have camera equipped drones hovering over kiddies playgrounds..

    1. Ru'

      Re: A pedo's Dream...

      Has there ever been a case of a pedo using a drone? Or does the "thinking of the children" view always ignore reality...

      1. Pete Smith 2

        Re: A pedo's Dream...

        Presumably not yet, as drones aren't in use.

        In the future, if every child has a nanny drone, are you going to notice one extra?

        1. Fraggle850

          Re: A pedo's Dream...

          As I've stated previously, ignore the ridiculous use case.

    2. Wyrdness

      Re: A pedo's Dream...

      Yes, and maybe Islamic State might use them for terrorist attacks too.

      #sarcasm - in case that ain't bleedin' obvious.

      1. Fraggle850

        Re: A pedo's Dream...

        Yes, and no doubt file sharers will use them to illicitly distribute copyrighted content.

        #ditto

        1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

          Re: A pedo's Dream...

          I expect witches will use them to communicate with Lucifer, and papists with the Pope.

          Oh, wait, wrong century. Sorry!

  4. AndyS

    Why would anyone think a pedo would want an aerial view of a playground?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Or they could just sit in a parked van and take photos, Homeland-style. It's not exactly difficult to observe kids in the playground.

    2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Why would anyone think a pedo would want an aerial view of a playground?

      Rule 34. Anything's a fetish for someone.

      Of course, by the same principle, there will be someone getting all hot and bothered over the drones themselves. "Look at the fans on that one!" Gives a whole new meaning to "blasting it out of the sky".

  5. fishman

    Old News

    Based on Linpack results, my almost 3 year old Nexus 4 is faster than a Cray 1.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ode To Banks

    As long as the "drone" is shaped like a small suitcase, and can deploy monofilament wires and/or semi-sentient knife missiles against the aforementioned pedos, put me down for that Kickstarter when it appears.

    For the nanny use-case, won't be long before tech-savvy littluns can hack them out of the sky and escape their watchful eye-cams, according to some recent Reg articles...

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