Intel 推出第 3 代 Xeon Scalable 處理器加入 Crypto 加速與 DL Boost 帶給資料中心強大效能
從資料中心、雲端、網路到 AI，Intel 推出第 3 代 Xeon Scalable 處理器（“Ice Lake”)，採用 10nm 製程打造最高 40 核心，並有著 8 通道DDR4-3200 記憶體支援性，以及 64 lane PCIe Gen4 的擴充能力。而第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充處理器，比起上一代效能有著顯著提升，於熱門資料中心工作負載提供平均 46％ 提升改善。處理器還增加新款與強化後的平台功能，包含內建安全性 Intel SGX ，以及 Intel Crypto Acceleration 和針對 AI 加速的 Intel DL Boost。
這些結合 Intel Select Solutions 和 Intel Market Ready Solutions 等英特爾廣泛產品組合的新功能，讓客戶能夠加速佈署橫跨雲端、AI、企業、HPC、網路、安全性與邊緣的各種應用。
內建 AI 加速：最新第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充處理器提供 AI 效能、生產力、簡易性，讓客戶能夠洞悉他們的資料並解放更多具有價值的內容。相較前一世代可提升 74％ 快的 AI 效能；相較 AMD EPYC 7763，於廣泛應用的 20 項 AI 混合工作負載，最高提供 1.5 倍的效能：相較於Nvidia A100 GPU，於廣泛應用的 20 項 AI 混合工作負載，最高提供 1.3 倍的效能。
內建安全性：經過成千上萬的考察研究與生產佈署，加上隨著時間不斷淬鍊，Intel SGX 以系統內最小潛在攻擊面保護敏感程式碼與資料。如今可於雙插槽 Xeon 可擴充處理器的指定位址空間（enclave）使用，該指定位址空間能夠隔離與處理最高 1TB 的程式碼與資料，以便支援主流工作負載的需求。結合 Intel Total Memory Encryption 和 Intel Platform Firmware Resilience 在內的新功能。
內建加密加速：Intel®Crypto Acceleration 於許多重要的加密演算法提供突破性的性能。執行密集加密的商業模式能夠從此功能當中獲益，如每天處理數以百萬計消費交易的線上銷售，於保護消費者資料的同時，無需影響使用者回應時間或是整體系統效能。
此外，為加速第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充平台的工作負載，軟體開發者能夠透過開放、跨架構程式設計的 oneAPI 最佳化他們的應用，從專利模式的技術和經濟負擔當中解放。Intel oneAPI 開發工具包透過進階編譯器、函式庫、分析與除錯工具，實現處理器的AI與加密功能和效能 。
領先業界的資料中心平台
市場最為普及的英特爾資料中心平台，具備無與倫比的移動、儲存與處理資料的能力。最新第 3 代Intel Xeon 可擴充平台包含 Intel Optane Persistent Memory 200 系列、Intel Optane Solid State Drive（SSD）P5800X 和 Intel SSD D5-P5316 NAND SSD，以及 Intel Ethernet 800 系列網路介面卡和最新的 Intel Agilex FPGA。上述可在第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充平台產品資訊當中獲得更多資訊。
橫跨雲端、網路與智慧邊緣提供靈活效能
最新第 3 代Intel Xeon 可擴充平台為廣大範圍的市場區隔最佳化－從雲端到智慧邊緣。
為雲端而生：第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充處理器為滿足雲端工作負載和支援大範圍服務環境的苛刻需求而打造並最佳化。全球超過 800 個雲端服務供應商於 Intel Xeon 可擴充處理器上執行，且所有最大的雲端服務供應商正計畫於 2021 年，由第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充處理器支援其雲端服務。
為網路而生：英特爾的網路最佳化「N 版本」專為支援多樣的網路環境而設計，並為多種工作負載和性能水準最佳化。最新第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充處理器相較前一世代，於一系列廣泛佈署的網路與 5G 工作負載，效能平均提升 62％。與超過 400 位 Intel Network Builders 成員的廣泛生態系一同工作，英特爾提供基於第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充處理器「N 版本」的解決方案藍圖，進而加快 vRAN、NFVI、虛擬 CDN 等的測試認證並縮短佈署時間。
為智慧邊緣而生：第 3 代 Intel Xeon 可擴充處理器針對強而有力的 AI、複雜的影像或視訊分析，以及智慧邊緣整合工作負載，提供所需的效能、安全性和作業控制。相對於前一世代，平台為影像分類提供最高1.56倍的AI推論效能。
XRP is mooning again, so we asked to 2 pro crypto investors; what’s going on?
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Ripple’s XRP token has been back on the ramp, as the bulls stay in control of broader crypto markets.
And while alt coin season is in full effect, XRP has posted a 5x return in 2021 to-date.
It’s also doubled in April, and this week traded above $US1 for the first time in over three years.
So we asked a couple of pro crypto investors — what’s going on? But before that, a bit of history:
XRP – some background
Ripple Labs was founded back in 2012 — a relative eternity by crypto standards.
It was established with the goal of deploying blockchain technology to speed up transaction times for fund transfers between financial institutions.
The concept was strong enough to attract a $US55m funding round in late 2016, just before the first major crypto bull market.
By that point, Ripple had already taken on investments from big names such as Google Ventures and Andreesen Horowitz. The platform also created its own cryptocurrency, XRP.
When crypto went parabolic in 2017, the fiat value of XRP tokens soared from around US15c to a high of $US3.50. But banking adoption rates failed to materialise, and a few controversies have followed.
In 2019, Ripple inked a deal with Nasdaq-listed forex platform MoneyGram (MGI) to integrate its technology as part of MGI’s global transfer network.
Fast forward to 2021, and MGI dropped something of a bombshell by advising it has been paid handsomely (by Ripple) to use Ripple’s liquidity platform — to the tune of more than $US60m in incentive fees.
Moneygram has now ended the partnership, and Ripple’s founders are fending off a lawsuit brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in December.
The SEC thinks XRP is a centrally-issued security (not a decentralised commodity, like Bitcoin).
It also alleges the founders didn’t register XRP properly, before issuing over 14 billion units and generating over $US1.3 billion in fiat currency (partly to enrich themselves).
It’s a serious allegation, and trading in XRP tokens has been banned on leading US exchange Coinbase.
The response so far from Ripple investors? We do not gaf:
Investor view
So, what’s all the fuss about? To get the expert view we spoke with two pro investors in the space.
Alex Saunders is the founder of industry news website Nugget’s News and the recently launched crypto education platform Collective Shift.
Stockhead also spoke with Matt Harcourt, an analyst at Australian crypto investment firm Apollo Capital.
Neither is an XRP advocate.
“For me it’s just a no-brainer that their software isn’t that good,” Saunders said.
“There’s no need to use XRP tokens. Visa can use stable coins and send funds direct — why do you need this token in the middle?”
He also agrees that ownership of XRP tokens is largely centralised.
“They’ll try and claim its decentralised but it’s all smoke and mirrors. To me (the platform) is already obsolete and outdated when you look at the tech available in DeFi.”
DeFi (decentralised finance) is also Harcourt’s specialty area, where Apollo runs two investment funds based on ‘yield farming’ in the DeFi ecosystem.
“We’re big DeFi investors,” Harcourt said.
“For us there’s value in locking your capital up in set protocols and earning yield on that capital, because your funds are providing a service.”
For Harcourt, the value of a platform like Ethereum is the network effect.
“And what really drives that network effect are the valuation protocols that are built on top of it,” Harcourt said.
“With XRP, the network effect would be recognised through its adoption by banks and financial institutions to improve the speed and cost of international transactions.”
“But I think in their entire history, there’s no real evidence of that occurring.”
Flows before pros
Along with a relative lack of actual adoption, Ripple has faced some major headwinds in 2021.
But in response, XRP tokens have ramped 5x. So is there more to the story?
Broader sentiment in the market remains bullish. Liquidity is plentiful, and that’s not just a crypto story — equities have also benefitted from historic levels of post-COVID stimulus.
In other words, flows sometimes trump fundamentals.
Harcourt observed that although XRP trading has been banned on Coinbase, huge global exchanges such as Binance aren’t being prevented from making the market.
“There’s always going to be (exchanges) that keep trading XRP because they can make money on the massive amount of volume,” Harcourt said.
“Binance are a profit-making entity. There’s been almost $US4bn of trading volume in XRP on Binance over the past 24 hours, so they’re making a lot of fee revenue out of that.”
How much fee revenue? Binance is privately held, but Coinbase is listing on the NASDAQ next week. And based on data from Nasdaq’s private market activity, it will be go public with an indicative valuation of $US90 billion.
“It’s definitely a global market. As a side-anecdote, I’ve got mates from school who are wholeheartedly invested in XRP,” Harcourt says.
“When you get to this stage in the cycle, you definitely have a lot of people jumping in who don’t think they have time to figure out the asset class in-depth.”
In that context, both Saunders and Harcourt said other factors come into play — such as where coins are ranked by market capitalisation.
As one of the older cryptos with a huge amount of volume on issue, XRP sits comfortably in the top 10. And at $1, its entry price is a bit easier to stomach than Bitcoin (almost $US60,000).
“It (XRP) can be a bit of a religion. You’ve still YouTubers or guys on Twitter telling retail followers that it’s going to $500,” Saunders said.
“There’s still projects in the top 10 that I believe have got zero value. That’s starting to change but the market is still maturing.”
Harcourt also thinks the XRP faithful see the SEC lawsuit as more of a “bump in the road”.
He raised the prospect that Ripple ends up getting “a slap on the wrist” from regulators “but nothing near the treasury they hold, and then they’d keep going business as usual”.
And as an investment firm, Apollo is wary of the XRP army.
“When the SEC news came out I did some digging and we were looking to see if (XRP) would be a good short opportunity,” Harcourt said.
“But we decided against it, because we think the investor base is a bit irrational and lack the fundamental understanding of cryptocurrency.”
As the hedge funds that shorted GME stock would know, it pays to be watchful of flows in post-COVID asset markets, lest the pros get left under water.
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U.S. is ‘behind the curve’ on crypto regulations, says SEC Commissioner Peirce
A top financial regulator warned that the U.S. is falling behind other countries in constructing a rational regulatory framework for the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries, and that this failure threatens to deprive the U.S. economy of the benefits of new innovations.
“I think we’re certainly falling behind the curve,” said Hester Peirce, one of what will soon be five commissioners at the Securities and Exchange Commission, during an interview at MarketWatch’s Investing in Crypto virtual event series Wednesday. “We’ve seen other countries take a more productive approach to regulating crypto. Our approach has been to say no and tell people wait…we need to build a framework that is appropriate for this industry.”
Read more: Blockchain firm LBRY tries to rally sector against SEC; critics allege a ‘cryptocurrency suppression program’
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain-related financial services companies are regulated by a number of federal and state agencies, including the SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Treasury Department and Federal Reserve, among others, and the industry has long complained that this complicated structure makes it difficult to understand the rules of the road.
Peirce said she hopes Congress will step in to “draw some lines” and “urge us to come together as regulators and figure out what falls where,” so that entrepreneurs have a clear understanding of regulatory policy regarding cryptocurrency. She expressed optimism that Gary Gensler, who is on track to be confirmed as the next chairman of the SEC, will be able to use his experience as CFTC commissioner to enable a constructive working relationship between the two capital markets regulators.
Peirce also addressed the issue of central bank digital currency, in light of China’s recent unveiling of a digital yuan and as the Federal Reserve is currently studying the possibility of issuing a new, blockchain-enabled digital dollar.
She noted that private stablecoins, or cryptocurrencies that aim to peg their value to some other asset, like the U.S. dollar DXY, +0.02% , could serve the same role as a government-backed digital currency, and have already proven their popularity. Meanwhile, she argued that the decentralized nature of some cryptocurrencies are where the “real power” of the technology resides. “Some of the weakness in our financial system comes from its concentration…you can make a more robust system” by relying more on decentralized elements, like the cryptocurrencies bitcoin BTCUSD, +0.69% or ethereum ETHUSD, +0.18% .
See also: Bitcoin, crypto investors will be watching these 5 questions facing the Biden administration
For those investors who are worried that the U.S. government will soon crack down on the use of cryptocurrencies in the name of investor protection or in order to maintain better control of the money supply, Peirce had some reassuring words.
“I think we were past that point [where governments could effectively ban crypto] because you’d have to shut down the internet,” she said. “A government could say it’s not allowed here, but people would still be able to do it and it would be very hard to stop people from doing it. It would be a foolish thing” for a government to attempt, Peirce said.