> Elsewhere at the event, HP showed off two TinyML implementations with ST Micro that are embedded in new laptops. The first TinyML model uses a gyroscope to detect if a laptop has been placed in a bag or taken out of a bag. The idea behind the implementation is that the laptop will start booting up when it’s taken out of a bag in preparation for its owner to use it. If the model detects the laptop has been placed in a bag, it will change heating and cooling parameters to make sure the laptop doesn’t overheat.

And when the model gets it wrong (which it invariably does) you’ve got a laptop that failed to be in sleep in a bag (maybe you fallback to more primitive models that are foolproof like increased temp + lid closed = in bag). But seriously. If you go to sleep on lid close, putting it in a bag doesn’t really change your thermal envelope (should have happened on lid closed). And booting before your lid opens seems silly when Apple shows that it can be done near instantaneously. In other words, this seems like a PM developed feature for promo instead of good engineering being done.

> The second use case also helps with thermal management. In that use case, the laptop detects when it is on a hard or soft surface. If it’s on a soft surface, like a bed or a person’s lap, it will try to run cooler so as to avoid overheating.

Ok. Maybe this is interesting. But do you actually need ML or is it enough to define a thermal budget and recognize a solid surface can probably dissipate heat more quickly and anything beyond that doesn’t buy you all that much.