Today's Hardware Pulse
Nvidia driver hints at progress on next‑gen DLSS 5
Nvidia’s latest GeForce Game Ready driver (610.47) adds three new DLSS profile options, indicating continued work on DLSS 5 neural‑rendering technology. The earlier DLSS 5 reveal sparked debate over AI‑driven image alteration, and this driver update provides the first concrete sign of advancement.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Cyient Semiconductors raises $30M Series funding
This 21-Pound Speaker Is Louder Than a Rock Concert
Soundboks launched the Mix, a 21‑pound Bluetooth party speaker that delivers a maximum 121 dB output—about 20 dB louder than typical portable speakers—while remaining distortion‑free. It features dual 72 W Class‑D amplifiers, a 10‑inch woofer with a pulse‑reflex port, and an IP65‑rated, impact‑resistant chassis. The removable 7.8 Ah lithium‑iron‑phosphate battery provides over six hours at full volume and up to 40 hours at moderate levels, recharging in roughly two hours via 65 W USB‑C. Priced at $799, the Mix targets outdoor events, tailgates, and mobile DJs, and can link with up to four other Soundboks units via TeamUp.
The Next Interface Is (Almost) Here
Apple is prototyping a suite of AI‑enhanced wearables—including dual‑camera smart pins, camera‑equipped AirPods and next‑gen smart glasses—that will feed sensor data into a Gemini‑powered Siri. The move positions Apple against rivals such as Meta, which sold over seven million Ray‑Ban...
Microsoft Plans $5.5B Investment in Singapore Cloud and AI Infrastructure Through 2029
Microsoft announced a $5.5 billion investment in Singapore’s cloud and AI infrastructure spanning 2025‑2029. The plan includes free Microsoft 365 Premium with Copilot for every tertiary student—over 200,000 users—and new Elevate programs that train educators and nonprofit leaders on responsible AI. Brad Smith...
1969 NASA Relied Solely on Sealed Fairchild Chip
And it was done in 1969 using a Fairchild semiconductor chip. As I have heard the story, NASA had to chose between either manual navigation or automatic navigation, because the chips had to in a sealed system to avoid moisture...
University of Eastern Finland Demonstrates 2D-Material Photodetectors on Silicon Nitride Chips
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have demonstrated photodetectors built from two‑dimensional semiconductor materials directly on silicon nitride waveguide chips. The work, detailed in a doctoral dissertation, shows that cleanroom nanofabrication can integrate ultrathin 2D absorbers with low‑loss waveguides,...
'Unlimited 5G Data': HP's Latest AI PC Ultraslim Laptop Promises Superfast WiFi-Killer Broadband and Built-In Antivirus — Just Make Sure...
HP announced the EliteBook 6 G2q, an ultraslim laptop powered by Snapdragon X2 processors that delivers up to 85 TOPS of AI performance. The device includes HP Go 5G, marketed as unlimited data, but the service requires a built‑in eSIM, works only on Windows 11 commercial PCs,...
IBM Teams with Arm to Build Dual‑Architecture AI Hardware for Enterprises
IBM and Arm unveiled a strategic partnership to develop dual‑architecture hardware that blends IBM's system reliability with Arm's power‑efficient designs, targeting AI and data‑intensive enterprise workloads. The collaboration aims to expand virtualization, improve security and broaden software ecosystems.
Valve Is Reportedly Working on Steam Deck 2 and Plans to Launch It by 2028, with One Big Change From...
Valve is reportedly developing a Steam Deck 2, aiming for a 2028 market debut if supply‑chain constraints ease. Unlike the original, the new handheld will forgo a semi‑custom AMD APU in favor of off‑the‑shelf AMD silicon. This shift is intended...
KernelEvolve: How Meta’s Ranking Engineer Agent Optimizes AI Infrastructure
Meta unveiled KernelEvolve, an autonomous agent that automates low‑level kernel creation and tuning for its diverse AI accelerator fleet—including NVIDIA GPUs, AMD GPUs, custom MTIA silicon, and CPUs. By treating kernel optimization as a search problem, the system compresses weeks...
Optical Terminals Still a Bottleneck in Pentagon’s Proliferated Constellation
On Oct. 15, Lockheed Martin launched 21 Space Development Agency Tracking Layer Tranche 1 satellites, each carrying three laser communication terminals (OCTs) instead of the planned four due to a supply shortfall. Tesat‑Spacecom delivered 42 terminals while CACI supplied only 21,...
Nvidia Groq 3 LPU Boosts AI Inference with Integrated SRAM
The @Nvidia Groq 3 language processing unit is designed specifically to handle AI inference. The chip uses SRAM memory integrated within the processor itself to speed up the flow of data. https://spectrum.ieee.org/nvidia-groq-3
10 Hacks Every MacBook Neo Owner Should Know
Apple’s new MacBook Neo offers a full‑size laptop with an A18 Pro chip for $599, targeting budget‑conscious consumers. To keep costs low, Apple stripped premium features like a fan, higher‑capacity SSD, and Touch ID, resulting in limited storage and modest 8 GB...
ArkEdge Space to Work With ABIT For IoT Service Rollout
ArkEdge Space and Japan’s ABIT Corporation have signed an MOU to co‑develop wide‑area IoT solutions and satellite communication equipment. The collaboration merges ArkEdge’s low‑power, long‑range satellite network—validated on 18 in‑orbit satellites—with ABIT’s ground‑side device design, mass‑production and protocol expertise. ArkEdge...
Nexperia’s China Unit ‘Nears Fully Local Production’ of Chips
Nexperia’s China unit is close to achieving full local chip production, having shifted from European wafer imports after Dutch restrictions. The plant in Dongguan and a new wafer fab in Shanghai are operating at 60‑70% capacity and aim to reach...
Two Companies, One Team: Fulton Hogan and Datacom Partnership
Fulton Hogan has relied on Datacom’s data‑centre services since 2012 to host its mission‑critical applications across New Zealand and Australia. The partnership provides Infrastructure‑as‑a‑Service with a 100% uptime service‑level agreement, covering power, cooling and security. Datacom’s ISO‑27001 certification and centralized change‑management...
Macnica: Two Speeds On One Card
Macnica will unveil an upgraded MEP100 SmartNIC at the NAB Show, adding simultaneous 100 GbE and 25 GbE support on a single card. The new version also expands GPU‑accelerated processing via GPUDirect, adds Windows DirectShow filter compatibility, and incorporates SMPTE ST 2110‑41 fast metadata...
C-Hawk Expands Southeast Asia Manufacturing Capabilities and Capacity with New Malaysia and Vietnam Facilities
C-Hawk Technology announced the opening of two new manufacturing facilities in Southeast Asia—a 200,000‑square‑foot plant in Johor Baru, Malaysia, and a 96,000‑square‑foot site in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Malaysian location expands precision‑plastic production and adds PFA tube‑bending, while the Vietnamese factory...
IBM Announces Strategic Collaboration with Arm
IBM announced a strategic collaboration with Arm to create dual‑architecture hardware that blends IBM’s enterprise‑grade reliability and security with Arm’s power‑efficient designs. The partnership targets AI and data‑intensive workloads, emphasizing virtualization, high‑availability, and ecosystem growth. By integrating Arm‑based software environments...
Cohu Announces $30M Follow-On Orders for High Performance Computing Test
Cohu announced two customers placed follow‑on orders worth $30 million for its Eclipse platform with active thermal control, targeting next‑generation high‑performance computing (HPC) processors. The deals include a PAICe Prescriptive software subscription valued at roughly $330 K in annual fees, aimed at...
M5 Max 16‑inch MacBook Pro Stuns Tech Community
I know everybody is talking about the MacBook NEO but the new 16” MacBook Pro with M5 Max is kind of insane. Anyone grabbing a MacBook Pro this year?
AirPods Max 2: Better ANC, Fuller Bass, USB‑C, Lousy Case
Initial impressions of the AirPods Max 2: • Active Noise Cancelling is noticeably improved • Bass sounds fuller without being overwhelming • USB-C IS LIFE • It's almost comical that they're so committed to this terrible case A+
TACC: How Supercomputing Reveals Early Red Blood Cell Damage
Researchers at Penn State used the Texas Advanced Computing Center's Stampede3 supercomputer, funded by NSF ACCESS, to run high‑resolution simulations of red blood cell deformation in mechanical circulatory support devices. By adapting a droplet deformation equation within OpenFOAM, the team...
Each Moto Razr 2026 Color Might Feel a Little Different, as Rumors Talk Textures
Motorola’s upcoming Razr 2026 is generating buzz as leaks suggest the base model will debut with three distinct textures—fabric, carbon‑fiber, and a yet‑to‑be‑revealed material—each tied to specific colorways. Conflicting reports list Hematite paired with fabric, Sparkling Green with carbon‑fiber and...
I Had High Hopes for Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Gen, but It's Not Quite What I Expected
Nvidia’s DLSS 4.5 beta introduces Dynamic Multi‑Frame Generation, an AI‑driven feature that automatically adjusts the number of generated frames to hit a target refresh rate. Tested on an RTX 5080 with Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K Ultra Ray Tracing, the mode can push visible...
Steam Deck 2 Ditches Semi-Custom APU for Off-the-Shelf AMD Silicon, Eyes 2028 Launch
Valve is planning a second‑generation Steam Deck for a 2028 release, according to leaker KeplerL2. The new handheld will abandon the semi‑custom AMD APU used in the original and instead adopt an off‑the‑shelf AMD processor that requires no bespoke tuning....
Embedded World 2026: Boards and Modules (Part 3)
Embedded World 2026 showcased five new edge‑AI boards and modules aimed at industrial and IoT markets. Variscite’s VAR‑SMARC‑MX8M‑PLUS brings a 2.3 TOPS NPU and dual Gigabit Ethernet, while congatec’s Conga‑SMX95 pairs an NXP i.MX 95 CPU with a 2 TOPS eIQ Neutron accelerator...
AMD Details Upcoming Zen 6 PQOS Extensions: Advanced Bandwidth and Privilege Controls
AMD released a technical document outlining three new PQOS ISA extensions for its upcoming Zen 6 microarchitecture: Global Bandwidth Enforcement (GLBE), Global Slow Bandwidth Enforcement (GLSBE) and Privilege‑Level Zero Association (PLZA). GLBE lets system software set L3 cache external bandwidth caps...
Windows Security App Gains Secure Boot Certificate Status Ahead of Major Certificate Refresh
Microsoft is quietly updating Secure Boot certificates that were issued in 2011 and will expire in June 2026. The new certificates are being delivered through Windows Update and become visible in April 2026 via a badge in the Windows Security...
L3Harris Taps Mercury Systems for High-Capacity Data Storage on SDA Tranche 3 Satellites
On April 2, 2026, Mercury Systems won a contract from L3Harris Technologies to provide advanced solid‑state data recorders for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 3 Tracking Layer. The SSDRs are the highest‑capacity, radiation‑tolerant units in a 3U VPX form factor, delivering...
New Rowhammer Attacks Give Complete Control of Machines Running Nvidia GPUs
Researchers have unveiled two GPU‑focused Rowhammer attacks, GDDRHammer and GeForge, that can flip bits in Nvidia Ampere‑generation GDDR memory and gain arbitrary read/write access to CPU RAM. By massaging GPU page‑table allocations, the exploits break isolation and open a root...
Mitsubishi Electric Enters ROHM–Toshiba Chip Integration Talks
Mitsubishi Electric has signed a memorandum of understanding to discuss integrating its power‑device operations with the semiconductor businesses of ROHM and Toshiba Electronic Devices, alongside Japan Industrial Partners and TBJ Holdings. The talks aim to create a globally competitive semiconductor...
Improving Storage Efficiency in Magic Pocket, Our Immutable Blob Store
Dropbox’s exabyte‑scale immutable blob store, Magic Pocket, faced a sharp rise in storage overhead after a new Live Coder service created many under‑filled volumes. To combat the fragmentation, the engineering team introduced two additional compaction strategies—L2, a dynamic‑programming‑based volume packer,...
One Viral Video Turned a $300 Prototype Into $2B Deal
Before he sold his VR headset to Meta for $2 BILLION... Palmer Luckey was just a teenager tinkering in his garage. Until one video of his goofy prototype caught the eye of a powerful person. Here's how a single post turned...
AI Voice Recorder Eliminates Missed Lecture Notes
Tired of taking notes or forgetting key points from lectures and meetings? I check out the AILITH RecNote N1 AI Voice Recorder and find it a smart solution with lots of useful tech inside. Here's my detailed demo and review:...
This Chip Keeps Working at 700°C, Surviving Lava-Like Heat
USC researchers have built a memristor‑based memory chip that continues to function at 700 °C—hotter than molten lava—by stacking tungsten, hafnium oxide and a single‑atom graphene layer. The device stored data for over 50 hours without refresh, survived more than a billion...
Samsung Tab S10 FE Impresses: Fast, Bright, Better Than Phone
AT&T sent me a Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE 10.9" Android Tablet to evaluate, and I'm darn impressed. It's fast, has a crisp, bright screen, and makes reading the news, an ebook, or playing games way more fun than on...
Dell Introduces Supercapacitor Keyboard, Mouse with Instant Charging
Dell’s supercapacitor-powered keyboard and mouse deliver ultra-fast charging and long usage, redefining convenience and eliminating reliance on traditional batteries. https://t.co/k44tsLTSbn
How Toroidal Transformers Eliminate the Hidden Inefficiency in Your Power System
Toroidal transformers use a solid, gap‑free ring core that keeps magnetic flux confined, delivering roughly 40% lower energy loss and up to 80% less magnetic leakage than traditional E‑I designs. The tighter flux path also reduces heat, extending service life...
Google's Kit Revives Old Macs and Windows PCs
Google's kit aims to breathe new life into old hardware, and that could be Macs as well as Windows 10 PCs. https://t.co/Urnq4OBC9u
House Introduces Bill Banning AI Chip Equipment Sales to China
Bill to ban sale of key AI chipmaking equipment to China introduced in House https://t.co/ORH3vVpFeH via @nbcnews
Hisense’s Art-Inspired CanvasTV Has Hit a New Low Price
Hisense has slashed the price of its 55‑inch CanvasTV to $599.99, a $400 discount from the original $999.99 list price. The art‑inspired 4K QLED TV mimics a framed painting when idle, offering a cheaper alternative to Samsung’s premium Frame series....
Easter Sale: Huge Discounts on Geekom Mini PCs
I've found big savings on Geekom's mini PCs, discounted for Easter — but hurry, the sale ends soon. https://t.co/zxnBXraUl5
Dell’s 14‑inch Pro Premium: AI‑ready, Lightweight Executive Laptop
Dell’s 14-inch Pro Premium combines a lightweight magnesium chassis, optimized motherboard, AI-capable processors, and high-quality display for executive mobility. https://t.co/VZInETaYjr
NVIDIA Invests $2 Billion in Marvell to Expand NVLink AI Ecosystem
NVIDIA announced a $2 billion investment in Marvell Technology to broaden its NVLink ecosystem and support custom AI infrastructure. The partnership will deliver NVLink Fusion, a high‑speed interconnect that lets customers build rack‑level heterogeneous AI systems using NVIDIA GPUs, CPUs, DPUs...
Just 19% Use Modern Wi‑Fi; Legacy Hinders AI Scaling
"Our research shows that only 19% of organizations are running the latest Wi-Fi generations, and those stuck on legacy systems struggle to scale AI workloads and meet the performance, capacity, and reliability demands of modern, device-dense environments." https://t.co/wlCL1AVkVR
Premium Compact Camera Combines Metal Build, Autofocus, Manual Control
A solid metal build, capable autofocus and manual settings control make this premium compact the new film camera to beat. https://t.co/t8pPNAVyFI
Authorities Deploy AI Surveillance Towers Near San Diego
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has installed 203 AI‑powered surveillance towers along the U.S.–Mexico border, including roughly two dozen in the San Diego sector. The towers, ranging from 120 to 180 feet tall, combine cameras, radar, 5G and Starlink links to autonomously...
AMD Says Intel's SMT Cut Could Accelerate EPYC Server Share Gain
AMD's compute and enterprise AI vice‑president Madhu Rangarajan says Intel's decision to remove simultaneous multithreading (SMT) from its next‑gen Xeon Diamond Rapids CPUs will give EPYC a clear advantage. The comment comes as AMD prepares its Venice server line, which...
Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office Secures Grant to Deploy OSCR360 Crime‑Scene System
The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office in Michigan has been awarded a state grant to purchase the OSCR360 capture kit, a patented digital evidence system. The grant will fund equipment that the sheriff’s office will share with five neighboring law‑enforcement agencies,...
Kioxia Killing Off Old NAND Chippery
Kioxia has issued an end‑of‑life notice for its third‑generation 3D NAND products, including 64‑layer planar and sub‑96‑layer chips such as SLC, MLC and TLC. Sales will cease in September 2026 with final shipments ending by the close of 2028, giving customers...