Today's Hardware Pulse
Nvidia driver hints at next‑gen DLSS 5 work
Nvidia’s GeForce Game Ready driver 610.47 adds three new profile options—Enable DLSS NR override, Enable DLSS NR SL override, and Override DLSS NR presets—suggesting continued development of DLSS 5 neural‑rendering technology. The earlier DLSS 5 reveal had sparked debate over AI‑driven image alteration, and the new driver hints at a quiet but ongoing effort.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Cyient Semiconductors raises $30M Series A
Apple Starts Intel 18A‑P Test Runs for iPhone and Mac Chips, Marking Rare Supply‑Chain Shift
Apple has launched test runs of system‑on‑chip designs on Intel’s 18A‑P process for low‑end iPhone, iPad and Mac processors. The partnership, first hinted at earlier this month, signals a strategic diversification from TSMC and could revive U.S. advanced‑node manufacturing.
AI‑Driven ‘RAMageddon’ Drives Up Prices for Laptops, Phones and GPUs
A global shortage of memory chips, now called RAMageddon, is forcing manufacturers to prioritize AI data‑center demand over consumer products. The shift has lifted prices for laptops, smartphones and graphics cards, and prompted Micron to close its Crucial consumer division.
Low-Power Enhanced I2C Controller: RTL to GDSII
Researchers K G., S A., and V A. introduced a low‑power enhanced I2C bus controller that employs a novel open‑lane architecture. Starting from RTL, they applied clock gating, operand isolation and other power‑saving techniques, then used the open‑source OpenLane flow to synthesize, place,...
SwitchBot Unveils $170‑$230 Face‑ID Smart Lock with 3D Structured‑Light Recognition
SwitchBot introduced the Lock Vision and Lock Vision Pro smart locks, priced at $170 and $230, featuring 3D structured‑light facial recognition that maps 20,000 infrared points for millimeter‑level accuracy. The devices also support palm‑vein, fingerprint, and Matter over Wi‑Fi, positioning...
POET and Lumilens Seal $50M Deal to Replace Copper Wiring in AI Data Centers
POET Technologies and Lumilens have signed a $50 million supply and joint‑development agreement to replace copper interconnects with wafer‑level photonic modules in AI data centers. The deal, which could expand to more than $500 million over five years, aims to alleviate the...
Asus Launches ROG NUC 16 Mini Gaming PC at $4,420, Pushing Premium NUC Market
Asus announced the ROG NUC 16, a premium mini‑gaming PC built on Intel’s NUC platform, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX CPU, up to an RTX 5080 laptop GPU and 128 GB RAM. The device starts at 29,999 CNY (≈$4,420), sparking debate...
AI Rings on Fingers Can Interpret Sign Language
Researchers at Yonsei University have created a set of seven Bluetooth‑Low‑Energy rings that wirelessly capture finger motion and feed it to a deep‑learning model for sign‑language translation. The rings use accelerometers and serpentine interconnects to stay reliable during repeated flexing,...
Lenovo Unveils a Fantastic Portable Charger to Revive Your Smartphone and More — but Bad Luck, You'll Probably Never Be...
Lenovo introduced the Legion P5 10000, a 10,000 mAh power bank capable of delivering up to 100 W via smart dynamic power distribution. The compact device features a built‑in Type‑C cable, USB‑C and USB‑A ports, and a small circular display, supporting fast‑charging...
The Dyson HushJet Compact Air Purifier Is Powerful, Quiet, and Proof that Good Things Do Come in Small(ish) Packages
Dyson’s HushJet Compact Air Purifier is the company’s first small‑format, app‑controlled purifier, priced at $349.99 (≈ $445 UK, ≈ $362 AU). It uses a 99.97% efficient electrostatic filter plus an activated carbon filter, delivering 24‑55 dB noise and covering rooms up to 100 m². In independent...
Samsung T9 Tops 2026 Rugged External SSD Market as Prices Surge
ZDNet’s 2026 roundup names Samsung’s T9 Portable SSD as the top external drive for travelers, citing its rugged rubberized case, 2,000 MB/s transfer rate and Dynamic Thermal Guard. The drive retails at $280 for 1 TB, a premium price in a market...
Always Connected in Motion: VTC 1040 and nROK 1040 Power Mobile Gateways From Road to Rail
Nexcom unveiled the VTC 1040/VTC 1040‑C2 and nROK 1040‑A/nROK 1040‑AC2 mobile gateways, engineered to deliver high‑bandwidth LTE/5G, Wi‑Fi and GNSS connectivity for both road‑based fleets and railway rolling stock. The platforms feature Intel Atom x7213RE CPUs, 8 GB DDR5, multi‑SIM slots and PoE‑enabled ports that can...
Intel Begins iPhone and Mac Chip Production as Apple Explores TSMC Alternative: Report
Apple has started low‑end and legacy processor production for iPhones, iPads and Macs at Intel’s 18A‑P foundry, according to analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo. Roughly 80% of the initial order mix targets iPhone chips, with small‑scale testing slated for 2026 and a...
TetraMem Announces 22nm Multi-Level RRAM Analog In-Memory Computing SoC Milestone
TetraMem announced the tape‑out and initial silicon validation of its MLX200 platform, a 22 nm multi‑level RRAM analog in‑memory computing system‑on‑chip. Fabricated on TSMC’s 22 nm process, the SoC integrates mixed‑signal compute engines that perform vector‑matrix operations directly in memory, aiming at...
Why Apple Glasses Could Instantly End Meta’s Smart Glasses Reign
Apple is developing its first smart glasses, codenamed N50, slated for a 2027 launch. Unlike the Vision Pro, the new Apple Glass will forgo a built‑in display and instead lean on seamless iPhone integration, voice commands, and gesture control. Priced...
Portable MSI EZgo Charger Delivers Reliable On‑the‑Go Power
Got an EV and dreamed of having a smart charger at your home or office? How about one for while you're on the road? The @MSIusa EZgo Portable J1772/NACS EV Charger neatly fits the bill, as I ascertained when I...
Here's What Those Tiny Holes On Your Earbuds Are For
Earbud manufacturers embed tiny "tuning holes" on the side of drivers to act as pressure‑relief vents. By allowing air to flow in and out, these openings let the speaker membranes move freely, preserving bass punch and overall fidelity. Many models...
Tech Now
Tech Now’s "High Tech Heart Surgery" episode spotlights emerging 3D‑imaging technology that is now being deployed in cardiac operating rooms. The 24‑minute feature, first aired on 16 May 2026, walks viewers through real‑world trials that aim to improve surgeon precision and patient...
Nvidia's H200 AI Chip Sales to China Stalled After US Green Light
Nvidia received U.S. Commerce Department clearance for roughly ten Chinese companies, including Alibaba and Tencent, to purchase up to 75,000 H200 AI chips each, yet no shipments have occurred. The delay underscores the clash between export‑control rules and mounting demand...
AMD Launches Zen 5 Ryzen Pro 9000 Series with 3D V‑Cache, Up to 128 MB L3 and 170 W TDP
AMD announced six new Ryzen Pro 9000 Series workstation processors built on Zen 5, adding 3D V‑Cache technology for the first time to its professional line. The flagship Ryzen 9 Pro 9965X3D offers 16 cores, 32 threads, 5.5 GHz boost and 128 MB of L3 cache, while TDP...
Dell Launches Slim AI‑Powered 14S and 16S Laptops in Copilot+ Lineup
Dell introduced the 14S and 16S thin‑and‑light laptops, expanding its Copilot+ AI PC family. Both models run Intel Core Ultra 9 386H chips, deliver up to 50 TOPS of on‑device AI performance, and promise up to 26 hours of streaming battery...
Intel Launches Core Ultra 200S Plus CPUs, Promising Near‑Flagship Performance at Half the Price
Intel introduced the Core Ultra 200S Plus desktop CPUs on May 13, pricing the 250K Plus at $199 and the 270K Plus at $299—roughly half the cost of its 285K flagship. The refresh adds up to six extra efficiency cores,...
JBL Quantum 650X Review: Massive Immersive Audio Experience
JBL’s Quantum 650X wireless headset launches at $199.99, positioning itself in the mid‑range gaming market between the brand’s entry‑level models and the premium Quantum 950X at $399.99. The headset features 50 mm carbon‑dynamic drivers, JBL Quantum Engine software with Spatial Audio, and a...
Cerebras Systems Raises $5.55 B in Record AI‑Chip IPO, Valued at $56 B
Cerebras Systems completed an upsized initial public offering that raised $5.55 billion, giving the company a fully‑diluted market value of $56.43 billion. The Sunnyvale‑based wafer‑scale chip designer listed on Nasdaq under the ticker CBRS, marking the largest AI‑chip IPO of the year...
Jülich and NVIDIA Simulate 50‑Qubit Quantum Computer on Europe’s First Exascale Machine
Scientists at Germany’s Jülich Supercomputing Center, in partnership with NVIDIA, used the JUPITER exascale supercomputer to fully simulate a 50‑qubit universal quantum computer—surpassing the previous 48‑qubit record. The achievement, enabled by NVIDIA’s GH200 Superchips and novel compression techniques, creates a...
What You Need to Know About Nvidia Competitor Cerebras After Wild IPO
Cerebras Systems went public with a market value just under $100 billion, making it one of the largest tech IPOs ever. The company’s flagship WSE‑3 ASIC, a dinner‑plate‑sized chip built on TSMC’s 5‑nanometer process, is marketed for high‑speed AI inference. Cerebras...
Linux Patch Introduces Panther Lake R: Ruggedized Version Of Panther Lake
Intel has added a Linux kernel patch that reveals a ruggedized variant of its Panther Lake processor, dubbed Panther Lake R. The new SoC carries a distinct model ID 223, indicating hardware changes beyond a simple thermal‑range tweak. It combines performance‑focused P‑cores...
The Analogue 3D Is Finally Getting Save States
Analogue released firmware 1.3.0 for its 4K N64‑compatible Analogue 3D, adding the Memories save‑state feature that lets players capture progress at any moment. The update also follows earlier firmware improvements for multi‑title flash carts and HDR emulation. Meanwhile, Tether unveiled its...
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Drops Below MSRP for the First Time — Grab the 24-Core Arrow Lake Refresh...
Intel has slashed the price of its Arrow Lake Refresh Core Ultra 7 270K Plus to $279, $20 under the $299 MSRP, making it the cheapest 24‑core processor on the market. The chip packs eight performance cores and sixteen efficiency cores, 76 MB of...
JetCool Expands SmartPlate System Portfolio with Closed-Loop Cooling for Next-Gen Compute
JetCool, a Flex company, launched its SmartPlate System for Dell PowerEdge R770 and R7725 servers, offering closed‑loop direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling. The solution promises an average 13% reduction in IT power consumption while increasing rack density without requiring water infrastructure or...
Huawei Shifts to Homegrown Chips as U.S. Sanctions Tighten
Huawei Technologies is redirecting its telecom equipment strategy toward domestically produced Ascend processors and new regional customers after U.S. sanctions blocked imports of high‑end Nvidia and AMD chips. The move reshapes supply chains and raises competition for rivals in both...
Air Cooler for Intel 270K on a MSI Z890?
The user is seeking a quiet, high‑performance air cooler for an Intel Ultra 7 270K processor installed on an MSI Z890 Gaming Plus motherboard. They are not planning to overclock and will house the system in a Lian Li 217 case, which imposes...
Dexcom Unveils G8 CGM, a 50% Smaller Sensor Set for 2027 Launch
Dexcom introduced its next‑generation G8 continuous glucose monitor at an Investor Day event, touting a sensor that is 50% smaller than the current G7 and built on a new silicon‑chip platform. The company said regulatory filings are slated for next...
Motorola Razr Fold’s DXOMARK‑Gold Camera Still Trails Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Motorola unveiled the $1,899 Razr Fold, touting a DXOMARK Gold‑label triple‑50MP camera system. Independent testing, however, found the imaging quality still behind Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, highlighting the difficulty of overtaking the market leader in foldable photography.
Innoviz Posts Record LiDAR Shipments, Projects $70M Revenue in 2026
Innoviz Technologies reported $7.1 million in Q1 2026 revenue, driven by record LiDAR unit shipments, and reaffirmed a full‑year revenue target of $67‑$73 million. The company also announced entry into defense and a push toward non‑automotive physical AI, signaling broader market adoption...
Nvidia's AI‑Driven Earnings Propel Stock to Record High, Forecasting $78 B Revenue
Nvidia's shares jumped up to 4.7% to a new all‑time high after the AI chipmaker signaled a $78.3 billion revenue quarter and disclosed approvals for its H200 chips in China. Analysts lifted price targets, betting the company will beat consensus and...
China’s Jiuzhang 4.0 Beats Supercomputers, Solving Task 10⁵⁴× Faster
Chinese researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China unveiled Jiuzhang 4.0, a programmable photonic processor that solved a Gaussian boson sampling task in 25 microseconds – a speed more than 10^54 times faster than the world’s most powerful...
Down and Dirty Digitalization
Emerson introduced the Rosemount 396A anti‑coating pH/ORP sensor, featuring a built‑in digital Modbus output and self‑calibration to tackle fouling in abrasive, high‑solids liquids. The device replaces legacy 396P models with a drop‑in design, offering IP67/IP68 sealing that allows submersion up to...
ScioSense Launches UFC23 Ultrasonic Flow Converter for High-Precision, Ultra-Low-Power Smart Metering
ScioSense has introduced the UFC23, its fourth‑generation ultrasonic flow converter aimed at smart water, heat and gas meters. The device features a pure analog front‑end without an on‑chip CPU, delivering R1000‑class precision with a single‑shot standard deviation of 35 ps and...
AMD’s FSR 4.1 Is Coming to Older RX 7000 and 6000 GPUs, but What About PS5 and Xbox?
AMD announced that its upgraded FidelityFX Super Resolution 4.1 upscaler will debut on Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs in July 2026, bringing over 300 supported games at launch. The company also pledged to extend FSR 4.1 to the older RX...
Samsung Vs. Motorola in 2026: I've Tested Enough Phones From Both to Know My Winner
Samsung and Motorola remain the two most contested Android brands in 2026, each playing to distinct strengths. Samsung leans on a deep hardware ecosystem, aggressive carrier promotions, and a seven‑year software‑update promise for its flagship Galaxy and Z‑Fold lines. Motorola...
Nintendo Switch 2 Price Hiked Since Current Market Conditions Don’t Seem Temporary
Nintendo announced a $500 U.S. launch price for the Switch 2, up from $449.99, after a Q&A revealed that sustained rises in memory chip costs, foreign‑exchange swings and oil price volatility forced a permanent price adjustment. The company said the hike...
TCL’s Super Quantum Dot Mini‑LED TVs Launch Globally, Targeting Premium Display Market
TCL rolled out its 2026 Super Quantum Dot (SQD) Mini‑LED TV line‑up in the UAE, UK and U.S., offering up to 10,000‑nit peak brightness, 20,000 local dimming zones and prices as low as £1,099 ($1,400). The launch positions the Chinese...
BofA and Goldman Sachs Lift Marvell Price Target to $200 as AI Rally Fuels 135% Stock Surge
Bank of America and Goldman Sachs upgraded Marvell Technology (MRVL), boosting the price target to $200 from $125 after the stock surged 135% since early March. Analysts cited a $1.7 trillion AI data‑center TAM, expanding transceiver markets and strong earnings outlook...
Foundry Set To Boom
In October 2002 UMC CEO John Hsuan projected the silicon‑foundry sector to grow over 30% in 2003, while TSMC chairman Morris Chang forecast annual growth above 20% that could persist through 2010. Both foundries were operating below capacity—UMC at 60%...
.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
NC Tech Talk: AI Infrastructure Concerns Shift From GPU Growth to Efficiency
Enterprises and hyperscalers are moving beyond the two‑year sprint for more GPUs as power grid constraints, rising operating costs, and under‑utilized clusters become critical bottlenecks. At NC Tech’s Tech Fest, CIO Vijay Ramanujam highlighted the mismatch between energy supply and...
TotalEnergies Develops Pangea 5, a Next-Generation Supercomputer that Will Increase Its Computing Power Sixfold
TotalEnergies, together with Dell Technologies and Nvidia, signed a contract to build Pangea 5, a next‑generation high‑performance supercomputer. The $109 million project will be installed at the Jean Féger Scientific and Technical Center in Pau and is slated for commissioning in 2027. Pangea 5...
Kingston Marks Major Milestone with 100 Million A400 SATA SSDs Shipped Globally
Kingston Digital announced it has shipped over 100 million A400 SATA SSDs worldwide since the drive’s 2017 debut. The entry‑level SSD delivers up to 500 MB/s sequential reads and 450 MB/s writes, offering a noticeable performance boost over traditional hard drives. Reaching this...
Cirrascale Cloud Services Adds Tenstorrent Galaxy Blackhole to Its AI Innovation Cloud
Cirrascale Cloud Services announced that its AI Innovation Cloud now includes Tenstorrent Galaxy Blackhole servers, marking Tenstorrent’s first broad commercial rollout. The Galaxy platform is engineered for production AI, promising roughly half the cost per token and lower latency than...
ASUS Unveils ROG NUC 16 Compact Gaming PC With RTX 5080
ASUS Republic of Gamers unveiled the ROG NUC 16, a 3‑liter mini‑PC built around Intel’s Core Ultra 9 290HX processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU. The system supports up to 128 GB DDR5‑6400 RAM, 16 GB of GDDR7 graphics memory, and delivers 1,334 AI TOPS for...
ASUS Launches First ROG DDR5 Memory Kit for Enthusiast PCs
ASUS has entered the enthusiast desktop memory market with its first ROG‑branded DDR5 kit, a 48 GB (2 × 24 GB) kit rated at DDR5‑6000 and aggressive 26‑36‑36‑76 timings. The modules, manufactured by BIWIN, feature a black‑red‑gold heatsink, ARGB lighting synced via Aura Sync, and...