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
Cadence (CDNS), Nvidia (NVDA) Expand Agentic AI Collaboration
Cadence Design Systems announced an expanded partnership with Nvidia to deliver a suite of agentic AI and physical AI‑accelerated tools for electronic design automation. The offerings, optimized for Nvidia Grace CPUs and Blackwell GPUs, will run on Cadence’s Millennium M2000 supercomputer, promising up to 80‑fold throughput gains and 20‑fold lower power use. Software slated for 2026 includes the Innovus implementation system, Allegro X design platform, and AI‑driven virtual screening for life‑science applications. Early adopters such as Honda and Micron are already leveraging the technology to accelerate engine simulations and memory verification.
Baker Hughes (BKR) Secures Strategic Gas Compression Order in Argentina
On April 7, Baker Hughes announced a strategic order from San Matias Pipeline S.A. to supply three NovaLT16 gas turbines and three centrifugal compressors for a new compressor station near Allen, Río Negro, Argentina. The equipment will move natural gas from the...
The AI RAM Shortage Is Also Driving Up SSD Prices
AI‑driven demand for RAM is spilling over into the SSD market, creating a sharp supply crunch. Consumer NVMe drives have surged in price since late 2025, with the WD Black 2TB jumping from $173 to $649 and Samsung’s 4TB 990 Pro...
Mac Mini and Mac Studio Orders Booming
Apple’s Mac mini and Mac Studio are experiencing unprecedented order volumes, leading to shipping delays of four to five months. The delays coincide with Apple’s recent rollout of M5‑based MacBook Pro and Air models, hinting at an upcoming M5 refresh...
Snap, Edit, and Multitask Faster — Pixel 9a Sale Brings Flagship Features to a Midrange Price
Google has launched the Pixel 9a at a starting price of $442.99, positioning it as a high‑value mid‑range handset. The device packs flagship‑grade features such as the Gemini AI assistant, a Tensor G4 processor, 8 GB RAM, and a robust camera suite. It...
Ajinomoto: Undervalued Monopoly Powering AI Chip Infrastructure
In February, activist fund Palliser Capital took a stake in Japanese toilet maker Toto and pushed it to expand a ceramics line used in semiconductors. Palliser is back. Says Japanese MSG maker Ajinomoto is “most undermonetized AI infrastructure monopoly” because: ▫️in...
My Router Was in the Worst Possible Position — Moving It Changed Everything
A consumer discovered that slow Wi‑Fi wasn’t due to a weak broadband plan but to the router’s poor location. By moving the same ISP‑provided device from a low, corner spot to a central, elevated position, signal strength and stability improved...
Catching Illicit Distributed Training Operations During an AI Pause
MIRI’s Technical Governance Team proposed an international treaty that would require registration of any AI chip cluster exceeding the compute power of 16 H100 GPUs. The original definition left a loophole: a distributed network of many small nodes could evade...
Draganfly Ramps up DPRO Line to High‑volume Defense Drone Manufacturing
Draganfly Inc. is converting its DPRO drone line from low‑volume prototyping to high‑volume, aerospace‑grade manufacturing, adding AS9100 and ISO9001‑certified facilities in Texas and Canada. The move aims to meet expanding U.S. Army and Special Operations orders and signals a broader...
Milesight Launches EG71 Gateway, Unifying Smart‑Building IoT Protocols
Milesight unveiled the EG71 Building IoT Gateway, a unified hardware platform that supports up to 2,000 devices and 20,000 data points across five major building protocols. The device aims to cut the need for multiple converters, simplifying integration for property...
Seagate Sells Lyve Cloud to Wasabi, Refocuses on Mass‑capacity Hardware
Seagate Technology has agreed to sell its Lyve Cloud cloud‑storage business to Wasabi Technologies, receiving equity in the buyer. The divestiture lets Seagate concentrate on its core mass‑capacity hard‑drive and SSD portfolio while Wasabi expands its pure‑play cloud offering.
Redmi Unveils Book Pro 14 Laptop with Intel Panther Lake Chip, 92Wh Battery at $1,190
Xiaomi's Redmi brand introduced the Book Pro 14, a 14‑inch laptop powered by Intel's Core Ultra X7 358H Panther Lake processor, a 92Wh battery promising up to 37 hours of video playback, and a high‑refresh LCD display. Priced at 8,499 yuan...
UniX AI Unveils Panther, First Full‑Size Service Humanoid Robot for Home Use
Chinese robotics firm UniX AI has launched Panther, a full‑size wheeled service humanoid robot capable of 8‑16 hour operation and multi‑step household tasks. The company says deliveries are now underway worldwide, marking the first mass‑produced humanoid aimed at everyday home chores.
Reshore Semiconductor Manufacturing to UK and US to Meet Sustainability Goals, Study Says
A University of Sheffield study examined 80 global supply‑chain scenarios for InGaN and InGaP semiconductors and found that manufacturing in the United Kingdom and the United States yields the lowest environmental impact. Shifting production to these low‑carbon regions could cut...
Save $680 Instantly on This Massive Corsair 96GB DDR5-6000 RAM Kit — 57% Discount Slashes Price Tag to $499
Corsair’s Vengeance 96 GB DDR5‑6000 memory kit is on sale for $499 on Newegg, representing a $680 discount from its typical price. The kit comprises two 48 GB sticks with CL36 latency, targeting high‑performance PCs and AI workloads. Prices for comparable 96 GB...
KORE Teams with Kigen on SGP.32 eSIM to Simplify Global IoT Provisioning
KORE announced a partnership with eSIM specialist Kigen to deliver a GSMA‑compliant SGP.32 connectivity portfolio, slated for commercial launch in late 2026. The offering promises remote provisioning, profile‑based roaming, and localized failover, turning cellular IoT connectivity into a software‑driven service....
These Android Phones Support AirDrop Sharing with iPhone and Mac
Google integrated Apple’s AirDrop into Android’s Quick Share, starting with the Pixel 10 series in November 2025. The feature rolled out to the Pixel 9 line in February and to select Samsung Galaxy S26 and Z Fold 7 models in March‑April, requiring both devices to...
Google’s Latest Nest Doorbells Just Hit Their Lowest Prices of the Year
Google has slashed prices on its Nest video doorbells, making the battery‑powered second‑generation model $129.99—a $50 discount—and the wired third‑generation model $139.99, $40 off. The reductions bring both devices to their lowest price points of the year across Amazon, Best Buy...
I've Been Using Nvidia's Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation, and It Feels Like a Natural Step Forward for DLSS
Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 now includes a dynamic multi‑frame generation mode that automatically scales AI‑generated frames based on scene complexity. The feature, accessible through the Nvidia Control Panel, lets users target a specific FPS, reducing unnecessary frame generation and its associated latency....
Amazon Echo Pop Kids Gets Massive Price Cut — A Fun Smart Speaker Upgrade for Kids’ Rooms
Amazon has slashed the price of its Echo Pop Kids smart speaker to $29.99, a 40% discount from the original $49.99, with an extra 20% off for eligible trade‑ins. The device arrives in four kid‑friendly designs and bundles six months of Amazon...
Data Centers Adopt Direct 800‑Volt DC for Efficiency
Most data centers use AC power, converting it to DC at the server level. But as demand rises for fast, efficient computing, there’s less room for power loss. New designs convert power from the grid directly to 800-volt DC power,...
HIVE Digital (HIVE) Betting Big on AI Data Centers
HIVE Digital Technologies announced a fourfold expansion of its liquid‑cooled AI data‑center capacity, raising total critical IT load from 4 MW in Manitoba to 16.6 MW across Manitoba and British Columbia. The new colocation center in British Columbia adds 5 MW immediately, with...
MODEX 2026: Conductix-Wampler Unveils Next Generation of Hardwired Data-over-Power Technology
Conductix‑Wampler announced the next‑generation NxBB hardwired data‑over‑power solution at MODEX 2026. The upgraded system transmits secure, interference‑free data over existing power conductors, targeting intralogistics and industrial automation environments. NxBB promises easier installation, longer transmission ranges and seamless integration with legacy...
D7VK 1.7 Brings More Improvements For Legacy Direct3D On Vulkan
The open‑source D7VK project released version 1.7, extending its support for legacy Direct3D 3, 5, 6, and 7 APIs on Vulkan. The update refines vertex transformation, clipping, and lighting handling, and adds workarounds that enable more classic Windows games to...
Engadget Review Recap: ASUS ZenBook A16, AirPods Max 2, Sonos Play and LG Sound Suite
Engadget’s latest review roundup spotlights a diverse set of consumer tech, from ASUS’s new ZenBook A16 laptop to Apple’s AirPods Max 2 headphones, Sonos’s portable speaker, and LG’s Sound Suite home‑audio system. The ZenBook A16 impresses with a 16‑inch OLED display,...
AMD Gains Ground on Intel as CPU and GPU Revenues Diverge, While Intel Leans Into AI Partnerships
AMD is expanding its share of the CPU and GPU market, bolstered by a $60 billion AI chip agreement with Meta, while Intel's revenue stalls despite a surge in its stock price above $60 as it pivots to AI‑focused foundry work...
RAM Spot Prices Slip 5% After Year‑Long 2,200% Surge, Offering Relief to PC Builders
Spot prices for 16 Gb DDR4 RAM fell 5% to $74.10, a modest dip after a 2,200% surge over the past year. The decline gives a brief reprieve to PC‑builder margins, yet analysts warn that supply constraints tied to AI demand...
Linux Pulls Support for Ancient CPU — Unsurprisingly, Linus Torvald Says There Is 'Zero Real Reason' To Keep a 37-Year-Old...
The Linux kernel will no longer support the Intel 80486 processor, ending compatibility with a CPU introduced in 1989. Linus Torvalds called the continued maintenance a "zero real reason" effort, citing the negligible market share of 486‑based systems. The change...
France Starts Moving Government Systems From Windows to Linux
France’s Inter‑ministerial Digital Directorate announced a roadmap to replace Windows with Linux across all government desktops by the end of the year, with ministries required to submit migration plans by this autumn. The plan also targets non‑European tools in collaboration,...
Move Over Pro Max: Why the Foldable iPhone Ultra Is Apple’s New $2,000 Flagship
Apple is set to launch its first foldable flagship, the iPhone Ultra, this September at roughly $2,000. The device features a liquid‑metal hinge with 3D‑printed components that keep the screen crease‑free while folding to a 9.5 mm thickness and unfolding to...
"It Still Won’t Be My Dream Surface Pro": The Missing Piece Microsoft Never Built Vanished — and It’s Not Coming...
Microsoft is set to refresh its Surface Pro line this spring, but the device still lacks a true laptop‑style accessory. In the past, third‑party maker Brydge offered premium keyboards that turned Surface Pros into clamshells, yet its designs suffered from...
Tesla Cabin Camera Gets an Incredible New Feature for Added Driver Safety
Tesla has added driver‑age estimation to its cabin‑facing camera in software update 2026.8.6, extending the existing driver‑monitoring suite that tracks gaze, head position and drowsiness. The new feature runs entirely on‑board, preserving privacy while enabling age‑based safety checks for both...
Cellular IoT Antenna Shipments Hit 757m Units in 2025, Signalling a New Scaling Phase for Device Hardware
Berg Insight reports cellular IoT antenna shipments jumped 23% in 2025, reaching 757 million units. The surge signals that IoT hardware is moving from niche pilots to consumer‑electronics‑scale production. Antenna volumes, unlike module counts, map directly to the number of connected...
Roku Fixes a Massive Bug That Broke Roku TVs – Here Is What You Need to Know
Roku has begun pushing a software update that fixes a bug which prevented OTA antenna channels from working when the internet was down. The issue originated from a recent Live TV Guide integration that unintentionally tied broadcast playback to an...
Apple’s $32B MacBook Neo TAM: Buy on Pullbacks
Macro: Apple targets $32bn TAM with MacBook Neo. Key factors: $499 ASP, $300–$800 segment, minimal cannibalization. Risk: low-margin mix and component cycles. Trading insight: Buy on pullbacks. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Canada’s Data Center Boom Centers Around One Hotspot
There's a clear hot spot when it comes to data centers (or should I say centres) in Canada: https://t.co/EyV7Vq6iff
I've Finally Swapped Out My Beloved Six-Button Sega Mega Drive Controller for the 8Bitdo M30, but It Has a Gruelling...
Phil Hayton of GamesRadar+ is putting the 8Bitdo M30 2.4 GHz Sega Genesis controller through its paces with multiple Sonic the Hedgehog 2 play‑throughs. He chose the 2.4 GHz version at $24.99 because it includes a 9‑pin adapter, avoiding the extra $20 Retro...
SK's Memory Supply Vulnerable: 97% Israeli Bromine
Any Korean semis analysts out there pricing in a Korea/Israel diplomatic crisis. @zephyr_z9 @jukan05? SK relies heavily on Israeli bromine for memory I think 97% comes from them. https://t.co/Q4NeUSDrp8
Each New Accelerator Builds on the Previous
The accelerator accelerator accelerator CPUs are the OG GPUs accelerate CPUs TPUs accelerate GPUs (Tensor cores) LPUs accelerate TPUs Maybe something simpler could work
Ray-Ban Meta Blazer Optics & Scribe Optics Add Prescription-First Fit
Meta unveiled the second‑generation Ray‑Ban Meta Blazer Optics and Scribe Optics, smart glasses that now prioritize prescription‑first fit. The devices feature slimmer frames, adjustable temple tips, flexible hinges and customizable nose pads for all‑day comfort. Technical upgrades include a six‑microphone...
Ceramic Shield 2 Proves Screen Protectors Unnecessary After Six Months
No more screen protectors? After 6 months with the iPhone 17, Ceramic Shield 2 has fully proven its worth. https://t.co/a8bLNEqnvp
AI Hype Inflates RAM Prices to $900 Each
120k+ ppl follow an account literally called 'AI Slop' here's why 2 sticks of RAM cost $900 https://t.co/vqpEQUSMKb
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus vs Ryzen 7 9700X Faceoff — a New Midrange CPU Champ Emerges
Intel introduced the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus at a $300 launch price, positioning it as a value‑focused midrange contender. In direct testing against AMD’s Ryzen 7 9700X, the Intel chip delivered slightly higher gaming frame rates while costing $10 less. When performance...
DJI Sets Osmo Pocket 4 Reveal; Rival Poised
DJI has now told us when the Osmo Pocket 4 will be unveiled, but a competitor is waiting in the wings. https://t.co/jtnROlX6P5
Smartphones Shift to Hybrid: Local Tasks, Cloud Scale
Modern smartphones are powerful enough to handle many tasks locally, shifting more processing from the cloud to the device itself. The future is a hybrid model where everyday tasks run on-device while heavier workloads are handled in the cloud for...
A Little Known Semiconductor Packaging and Testing Stock Is Poised to Gain in AI Boom. Why Analysts Like It
Amkor Technology, a specialist in semiconductor packaging and testing, has surged 47% this year and is up nearly four‑fold over the past twelve months as AI‑driven demand spikes. The company benefits from $7 trillion in projected global data‑center spending by 2030...
Nvidia RTX Neural Texture Compression Cuts VRAM Usage 80%
Benchmarking Nvidia's RTX Neural Texture Compression tech that can reduce VRAM usage by over 80% https://t.co/g7y9WEKj05
RISC-V BeagleV Ahead Single Board Computer To See Working HDMI With Linux 7.1
The BeagleV Ahead, an open‑source RISC‑V single‑board computer built around the quad‑core TH1520 SoC, now supports HDMI output in the Linux 7.1 mainline kernel. The kernel’s Device Tree updates add the HDMI connector node and activate the DPU, enabling video‑out for...
S26 Ultra: Best Android Phone, $200 Off Now
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the best Android phone you can buy right now. It's currently $200 off for a limited time only. Here's why you need it. https://t.co/0Wt13iK5v7
Microsoft Upgrades Its WSL2 Kernel Against Linux 6.18 LTS
Microsoft has released the linux‑msft‑wsl‑6.18.20.1 update, rebasing WSL2 on the Linux 6.18 LTS kernel. The previous 6.6 LTS base, now two cycles old, is replaced, allowing upstream security patches and performance gains. New kernel configuration adds native F2FS and ExFAT filesystem...