Tech Office : Updates & Tech News ~1
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Why Older Chips Fly: A Global Look at Space Mission Processors
For multi-billion dollar space missions where repair is impossible, reliability and radiation-hardening are paramount, far outweighing the need for cutting-edge speed. The harsh radiation of space can disrupt modern, delicate chips. This is why proven, robust, and often "older" processor technologies are the global standard for the most critical missions.
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🚀 NASA (USA)
NASA consistently uses trusted, mature technology for its flagship assets.
* Perseverance Rover & James Webb Telescope: Both rely on processors built with 150nm to 250nm technology for extreme reliability and radiation resistance.
* Artemis Program: The Orion spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts to the Moon, uses a 130nm processor for its core flight computer.
* Ingenuity Helicopter: As a non-mission-critical *technology demonstrator*, it used a commercial 28nm Snapdragon chip to test how modern hardware survives on Mars.
🇪🇺 ESA (European Space Agency)
ESA also trusts flight-proven technology for its long-duration and complex missions.
* JUICE Mission (to Jupiter): Uses a 180nm CMOS processor for its primary systems.
* PROBA-3 Mission: Employs a 65nm CMOS processor, a technology with a strong record of success in space ("flight heritage") since 2005.
🇷🇺 Roscosmos (Russia) & 🇨🇳 CNSA (China)
Other global powers follow a similar strategy, prioritizing reliability.
* Roscosmos: Russia's most critical systems, like the Soyuz spacecraft and Luna landers, primarily use processors in the 65nm to 180nm range.
* CNSA: China employs a mixed approach. It uses trusted 180nm tech for core systems like its Beidou navigation satellites, while testing newer 16nm to 65nm chips on other missions to build confidence for future use.
🛰️ SpaceX
SpaceX uses an innovative software-based approach called Triple Modular Redundancy.
* Instead of one expensive, radiation-hardened chip, the Falcon 9 rocket uses three commercial, off-the-shelf x86 dual-core processors.
* A critical calculation is performed on all three simultaneously. A command is only executed if at least two processors agree on the result, effectively outvoting any radiation-induced errors.
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Final Verdict: Why ISRO's VIKRAM 32 is a Major Achievement
The development of the VIKRAM 32 processor on 180nm technology is a significant and strategic success for India, not a sign of being behind.
1. It's a Strategic Choice for Reliability:
This technology aligns perfectly with the global standard for mission-critical space hardware, where robustness against the harsh environment of space is the top priority.
2. A Foundational Step for Self-Reliance:
By mastering this process, ISRO has built a crucial capability for its self-reliance goals. It is a vital achievement that paves the way for India to develop even more advanced and reliable space-grade processors in the future.
For multi-billion dollar space missions where repair is impossible, reliability and radiation-hardening are paramount, far outweighing the need for cutting-edge speed. The harsh radiation of space can disrupt modern, delicate chips. This is why proven, robust, and often "older" processor technologies are the global standard for the most critical missions.
---
🚀 NASA (USA)
NASA consistently uses trusted, mature technology for its flagship assets.
* Perseverance Rover & James Webb Telescope: Both rely on processors built with 150nm to 250nm technology for extreme reliability and radiation resistance.
* Artemis Program: The Orion spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts to the Moon, uses a 130nm processor for its core flight computer.
* Ingenuity Helicopter: As a non-mission-critical *technology demonstrator*, it used a commercial 28nm Snapdragon chip to test how modern hardware survives on Mars.
🇪🇺 ESA (European Space Agency)
ESA also trusts flight-proven technology for its long-duration and complex missions.
* JUICE Mission (to Jupiter): Uses a 180nm CMOS processor for its primary systems.
* PROBA-3 Mission: Employs a 65nm CMOS processor, a technology with a strong record of success in space ("flight heritage") since 2005.
🇷🇺 Roscosmos (Russia) & 🇨🇳 CNSA (China)
Other global powers follow a similar strategy, prioritizing reliability.
* Roscosmos: Russia's most critical systems, like the Soyuz spacecraft and Luna landers, primarily use processors in the 65nm to 180nm range.
* CNSA: China employs a mixed approach. It uses trusted 180nm tech for core systems like its Beidou navigation satellites, while testing newer 16nm to 65nm chips on other missions to build confidence for future use.
🛰️ SpaceX
SpaceX uses an innovative software-based approach called Triple Modular Redundancy.
* Instead of one expensive, radiation-hardened chip, the Falcon 9 rocket uses three commercial, off-the-shelf x86 dual-core processors.
* A critical calculation is performed on all three simultaneously. A command is only executed if at least two processors agree on the result, effectively outvoting any radiation-induced errors.
---
Final Verdict: Why ISRO's VIKRAM 32 is a Major Achievement
The development of the VIKRAM 32 processor on 180nm technology is a significant and strategic success for India, not a sign of being behind.
1. It's a Strategic Choice for Reliability:
This technology aligns perfectly with the global standard for mission-critical space hardware, where robustness against the harsh environment of space is the top priority.
2. A Foundational Step for Self-Reliance:
By mastering this process, ISRO has built a crucial capability for its self-reliance goals. It is a vital achievement that paves the way for India to develop even more advanced and reliable space-grade processors in the future.
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📝 WhatsApp beta for iOS 25.24.10.72: what's new?
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that supports sharing Live Photos in their original format, and it's available to some beta testers!
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that supports sharing Live Photos in their original format, and it's available to some beta testers!
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Exynos 2600 rumors:
- Achieved a single-core score of 3300 on Geekbench 6 at 3.8GHz
- IPC is 10% higher than MediaTek 9500 at the same frequency
Snapdragon 8 Elite 3 rumors:
- 2+3+3 configuration
- Codename: Hawi
- CPU upgrade is minimal
- Single- and multi-core scores are expected to rise only in the low 10% range
- Even with N2P process, performance gains remain at this level
- Instead, the GPU score is expected to improve significantly.
Source: Undead
- Achieved a single-core score of 3300 on Geekbench 6 at 3.8GHz
- IPC is 10% higher than MediaTek 9500 at the same frequency
Snapdragon 8 Elite 3 rumors:
- 2+3+3 configuration
- Codename: Hawi
- CPU upgrade is minimal
- Single- and multi-core scores are expected to rise only in the low 10% range
- Even with N2P process, performance gains remain at this level
- Instead, the GPU score is expected to improve significantly.
Source: Undead
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Your first look at the Xiaomi 16 Pro
My condolences to anyone who is willing to get a Xiaomi because you will be really getting a cheap iOS 18 copy which is the hyperOS 3 and now a cheap design smartphone as the iPhone 17 Pro.
Yes, its a triple rear camera setup with the 3rd camera beside the flashlight.
My condolences to anyone who is willing to get a Xiaomi because you will be really getting a cheap iOS 18 copy which is the hyperOS 3 and now a cheap design smartphone as the iPhone 17 Pro.
Yes, its a triple rear camera setup with the 3rd camera beside the flashlight.
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Xiaomi 16 Pro renders revealing the large secondary rear display
Looks like the Mi 11 Ultra is back with the rear display size as that of a Xiaomi Mix Flip 2.
Now, if regular smartphones can have a secondary display, what's the point of developing a flip smartphone except it can fold but at the cost of a plastic UTG display which scratches at level 3 with deeper groves at level 4.
Looks like the Mi 11 Ultra is back with the rear display size as that of a Xiaomi Mix Flip 2.
Now, if regular smartphones can have a secondary display, what's the point of developing a flip smartphone except it can fold but at the cost of a plastic UTG display which scratches at level 3 with deeper groves at level 4.
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Xiaomi 15T Live Images Leaked
Xiaomi 15T Pro: Dimensity 9400+
Xiaomi 15T: Dimensity 8400
China will be getting the latest Xiaomi 16 Series, while after 1 year, Xiaomi will debut 15T for global users. That's how Xiaomi treats the global market.
Xiaomi 15T Pro: Dimensity 9400+
Xiaomi 15T: Dimensity 8400
China will be getting the latest Xiaomi 16 Series, while after 1 year, Xiaomi will debut 15T for global users. That's how Xiaomi treats the global market.
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