This paper develops a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)-agent for navigation and control of autonomous surface vessels (ASV) on inland waterways. Spatial restrictions due to waterway geometry and the resulting challenges, such as high flow velocities or shallow banks, require controlled and precise movement of the ASV. A state-of-the-art bootstrapped Q-learning algorithm in combination with a versatile training environment generator leads to a robust and accurate rudder controller. To validate our results, we compare the path-following capabilities of the proposed approach to a vessel-specific PID controller on real-world river data from the lower- and middle Rhine, indicating that the DRL algorithm could effectively prove generalizability even in never-seen scenarios while simultaneously attaining high navigational accuracy.

Count Wally Rhines, semiconductor industry veteran and long-time CEO of Mentor Graphics, among the many who believe that deep-learning hardware will drive the next wave of growth for the semiconductor industry. Speaking at the GSA European Executive Forum here this week, Rhines added that memory will continue to be a key driver of the chip industry going forward. Despite the volatility of the semiconductor industry, R&D investment continues to be around 14% of revenue as it has been for the last 36 years, Rhines said, dismissing arguments put forth by some that there isn't enough being ploughed back into R&D to maintain sustained growth. On growth, we should be watching out for China, and a lot of growth will come from visual processing for AI applications, Rhines said. He offered his perspective on the future of the semiconductor industry and why revenue forecasts from research and analyst firms have been consistently off target.

Wally Rhines, president and CEO of Mentor, a Siemens Business, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to discuss a wide range of industry and technology changes and how that will play out over the next few years. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: What will happen in the end markets? Rhines: The end markets are perhaps more exciting from a design perspective right now than they have been in recent years. Everyone is intrigued with the electronic design opportunities that have been emerging in the automotive industry.