It seems that the graphics processor, which is used to play those wickedly clever games on your PC, just got better. NVIDIA Corp, a programmable graphics processor technologies provider, claims that its collaborative memory development effort called enhanced performance profiles (EPP) allows consumers to easily expose new, advanced performance memory settings built into high performance memory DIMMs for even higher levels of overall PC system performance.

DIMMs is short for dual in-line memory module, a small circuit board that holds memory chips. A single in-line memory module has a 32-bit path to the memory chips, whereas a DIMM has 64-bit path. Because the Pentium processor requires a 64-bit path to memory, you need to install SIMMs two at a time. With DIMMs, you can install memory one DIMM at a time, according to Wikipedia.

"Enhanced performance profiles are a significant change in the way overclocking and performance hardware compatibility is defined and sold. The industry now has a new standard on how a performance memory SPD should be written and communicated with the motherboard BIOS," says Corsair Memory, which collaborated with NVIDIA for the project. "Our expectation is that EPP will be adopted by major motherboard companies, core-logic manufacturers and other memory companies."

Developed as an extension to the traditional serial presence detect found on today’s high-performance DIMMS, EPP allows memory manufacturers to integrate additional module performance data in the unused portion of the JEDEC standard SPD, allowing compatible motherboards to read and take advantage of added performance capabilities.

Enhanced performance profiles were developed as an open standard and immediate adoption is expected shortly from other motherboard partners and PC memory suppliers. While memory modules with enhanced performance profiles will work on any motherboard, only motherboards equipped with properly-designed BI-OSes, such as those designed for NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI media and communications processors, will detect the presence of these new capabilities and prompt the user to set PC boot parameters for guaranteed optimised settings, the company said.

Explorer slips

Meanwhile, Micr-osoft’s Internet Explorer, the web browser, appears to be steadily losing ground to Mozilla’s Firefox in the consumer space, according to a new report by OneStat.com, a Web analytics firm. Use of the Explorer fell by 0.65 per cent to 85.17 per cent of the market in May.

Software major Infosys Technologies announced on Tuesday in Mumbai an additional investment of Rs 500 crores in their corporate education training centres this year.

A majority of this investment (Rs 200 crores) will be at their global education centre in Mysore, (one of the largest corporate education centres of its kind in the world) and will involve the set up of a new 7,750 room, 9.5 lakh square feet training centre to accommodate and train an additional workforce of 9,000. Infosys will also develop a campus in Shanghai and will be expanding in Mauritius and in the Latin American market.Infosys will hire 25,000 employees this year and is making substantial investments in their training infrastructure. They expect the IT and ITeS sector to face a major manpower crisis in addition to the lack of qualified and talented people in the country.

"We have already invested Rs 500 crores in training infrastructure and will invest close to Rs 500 crores in the next 12-15 months. HR in IT is at a critical junction and going forward in the next two-three years there will be a major shortage of qualified people in the industry," said Mr T.V. Mohandas Pai, director, HR, E&R, administration, Infosys, in Mumbai on Tuesday.Infosys estimates that of the 370,000 graduates coming out of colleges each year, only 200,000 find employment and of this, the IT sector hires 140,000 graduates. This number is expected to increase to one million in the next three years.

"The IT and ITeS sector will spend close to $2.6 billion in the next three years in training people for this industry. During the same time frame, the IT and BPO sectors will require 400,00 and 600,000 people respectively," added Mr Mohandas Pai.

Infosys said that they spend $100 million in training people at their company.
The growing exodus of engineering professors and teachers from top educational institutions for better pay in the private sector and the fact that 75 per cent of the 10 million student pursuing higher education are majoring in arts, have contributed to the manpower crisis, suggested Infosys.