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

Mercedes-Benz Brings Steer-by-Wire to Production EQS
Mercedes‑Benz will equip the refreshed EQS luxury electric sedan with steer‑by‑wire, making it the first German automaker to launch the technology in a production vehicle. The system replaces the mechanical link between steering wheel and front wheels with electronic signals and works alongside the EQS’s 10‑degree rear‑axle steering and all power‑train options. More than one million test kilometres on benches, tracks and public roads validated its reliability, while a redundant dual‑signal architecture safeguards steering in fault conditions. A compact steering wheel and a newly engineered airbag complete the package, with electromechanical steering still offered as an alternative.

Sonardyne Navigation Technology Chosen for ecoSUB AUV Survey Operations
Sonardyne’s compact SPRINT‑Nav U navigator has been selected by Njord Survey for ecoSUB’s autonomous underwater vehicles, delivering survey‑grade positioning to low‑logistics AUV platforms. The integration enables parallel operations that cut vessel dependency, logistics costs, and overall project timelines. Initial deployments...

Raspberry Pi CM5 TV Stick Lite Adapts Compute Module 5 for HDMI Dongle Use
Raspberry Pi has released the CM5 TV Stick Lite, a compact carrier board that turns the Compute Module 5 into a plug‑in HDMI dongle powered by a single USB‑C connection. The board supports both Lite (micro‑SD) and eMMC variants, offering two USB 3.0 Type‑A ports, an...

Ring Promo Codes and Discounts: Up to 50% Off
Ring is running a month‑long promotion offering up to 50% off its cameras, video doorbells and bundles, including $150 off the Starter Pro Kit and $59 off the Whole Home Basic Kit. The deals extend to a 50% discount on the Pet Basic...

China Leads Humanoid Robot Race; Standard Model at Stake
Humanoid robotics has shifted to China. Over 150 companies now compete, and Agibot alone shipped 5,100 units in 2025 for 39% global share. Startups like Galbot have raised $1B+ from backers tied to Stanford, Tsinghua, Meituan, and CATL. Manufacturing speed, AI talent, and...

LSEG Advances Multi-Cloud Strategy With Dell Technologies
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has entered a multi‑year collaboration with Dell Technologies to design and build a private cloud platform that will augment its on‑premises infrastructure. The new solution will integrate Dell servers, storage and automation software to improve...
Safe to Use Terminal Adapters on UPS Battery Backup Batteries?
A user bought replacement SLA batteries for a CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD UPS that featured F2 terminals instead of the UPS’s native F1 3/16" terminals. They asked whether inline terminal adapters are safe and how they should be installed. The community response confirmed...

Materials Science Powers Every Modern Computing System
#Technology #Thread #Semiconductor #Manufacturing #Material The Semiconductor Materials: 1/ - Materials Science And Engineering Drives Modern Technology. - The Attached View Shows How Different Types Of Materials Come Together To Enable Any Given Modern Computing System.
Unbreakable Phone Cables Arrive, End Broken Chargers
#WhatsNext? Never be unable to charge your phone again due to a broken power cable. Unbreakable power cables coming to a retail outlet near you. (GiGadgets) https://t.co/Jwb95actWH
Altera and Arm Partner on Programmable Solutions for AI Data Centers
Altera Corp. is deepening its two‑decade partnership with Arm by integrating its data‑center‑grade FPGAs with Arm’s new AGI CPU built on the Neoverse CSS V3 architecture. The combined solution targets AI‑focused data centers, promising low‑latency, highly flexible and scalable compute...
Second‑life EV Batteries Power Data‑center Microgrid Expansion
Second-life EV batteries approved for data center microgrid expansion #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/VpqivX3GNP
TSMC Says Advanced-Node Fab Slots Sold Out Through 2028, Deepening Global Chip Crunch
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced that its cutting‑edge N2 and upcoming 3nm fab capacity is fully booked through 2028, including future Arizona and Japan plants. The sell‑out reflects soaring demand from AI leaders and automotive OEMs, tightening an already strained...
Molex Completes Acquisition of Smiths Interconnect
Molex announced the completion of its acquisition of Smiths Interconnect, the UK‑based subsidiary of Smiths Group, marking the largest deal in Molex’s history. The purchase adds a portfolio of ruggedized connectors, RF components, optical transceivers and semiconductor‑test expertise, extending Molex’s...
Intel's Binary Optimization Tool Boosts Geekbench 6 Scores by Up to 30% but Raises Startup Delays
Intel’s Binary Optimization Tool (BOT) was tested on a Panther Lake MSI Prestige 16 AI+ laptop, delivering a 5.5% overall Geekbench 6.3 score lift and up to 30% gains on two workloads. The benefit comes with a 40‑second first‑run startup...
Shoals Technologies Flags Surge in Data‑center Battery Storage and DC‑side Recombiner Demand
Shoals Technologies Group told investors that demand for battery‑energy‑storage systems (BESS) in data centers is accelerating, and its DC‑side “recombiner” hardware is positioned to capture the trend. Executives highlighted AI‑driven load volatility, longer‑duration storage and a blurring of front‑of‑meter versus...
SEMI Forecasts Chip Equipment Investments to Reach Beyond $150B in 2027
SEMI projects worldwide 300mm fab equipment spending to rise 18% to $133 billion in 2026 and surpass $150 billion in 2027, reaching $172 billion by 2029. The surge is driven by exploding AI chip demand for data‑center and edge workloads and by regional...

Staying Steady In A Strained System
Rapid urbanisation across Africa is stretching water distribution networks, heightening the risk of pressure loss, pipe bursts, and supply interruptions. Utilities are turning to real‑time pressure monitoring as a strategic necessity to curb non‑revenue water and meet sustainability targets. VEGA...
Google Study Shows Sub‑1,500 Qubit Quantum Attack Could Break Bitcoin, Slashing Prior Estimates
Google’s Quantum AI team published a whitepaper revealing that breaking Bitcoin’s cryptography may require only 1,200‑1,450 high‑quality qubits, a dramatic reduction from earlier estimates of millions. The finding accelerates concerns over quantum‑resistant cryptography and could reshape the crypto‑security roadmap.
Setting up a New Subpanel to Easily Add Circuits Later
A homeowner plans to install a new sub‑panel in a hallway to serve two bedrooms and a bathroom, while leaving capacity for future circuits to a third bedroom and an attic minisplit. The key question is whether to pre‑run 2‑inch...
Sony Halts CFexpress and SD Card Shipments Amid Global NAND Shortage
Sony announced on March 27, 2026 that it is temporarily suspending orders for its CFexpress and SD memory cards due to a global NAND flash shortage. The halt impacts authorized dealers and direct customers, leaving photographers, videographers and console gamers...

Breakthrough Computer Chip Tech Could Help Meet ‘Monumental Demand’ Driven by AI
ASML unveiled an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system capable of patterning 8 nm structures, the smallest single‑step feature achieved commercially. The tool promises roughly 2.9 times more transistors than previous generations, enabling chips that can handle AI workloads with similar power consumption....

Drones Reveal AI-Driven, Accelerating Defense Innovation Cycle
As much attention is now being paid to Iran's drone capabilities, I still think it's lost on most market participants the broader implications of that capability. It's something I dissect in depth in my new report on "Defense Innovation" (https://t.co/rRtYxEUTE9)....

Malaysia: Fostering Semiconductor, AI and Green Innovation
Malaysia is intensifying its role as a regional technology hub by expanding semiconductor capabilities, embedding artificial intelligence across key industries, and advancing green transformation initiatives. The Malaysian Investment Development Authority highlighted collaborations with Japan to boost upstream‑downstream integration and supply‑chain...

Ultra Devices Lead Galaxy’s Most Powerful Lineup
Ultra always wins The most powerful Galaxy lineup ever is now available: Galaxy S26 Ultra: howl.link/77mmlx6qh03av Galaxy Book6 Ultra: howl.link/yt50f3oq9dmq8 Galaxy Watch Ultra: howl.link/uvrxxjwz0w2kr

Musk’s Terafab: Is It Real Or Not?
Elon Musk unveiled a joint Tesla‑SpaceX semiconductor fab, dubbed Terafab, slated for Austin, Texas with an estimated $20‑$25 billion investment. The plant would integrate logic, memory, and radiation‑hard chip production, targeting a 2nm process and on‑site packaging. No concrete timeline was...
Meta Gets Into Health Wearables with AI Glasses
Meta announced AI-powered smart glasses that now support prescription lenses and include a hands‑free food‑tracking feature. Users can log meals by speaking a command or snapping a photo, with the device extracting nutritional information and syncing it to the Meta...
Tech, Media & Telecom Roundup: Market Talk
Nvidia announced a $2 billion investment in Marvell Technology, cementing Marvell’s role as a strategic AI‑infrastructure partner and sending its shares up 6.6%. SpaceX filed for an initial public offering, marking the likely first of three major AI‑focused IPOs expected this...

AV to Deliver ISR Services to U.S. Navy with JUMP 20-X
AeroVironment (AV) has been chosen by the U.S. Navy to provide Contractor‑Owned, Contractor‑Operated (COCO) ISR services using its JUMP 20‑X unmanned aircraft system. The VTOL platform delivers fully autonomous, hands‑free operation with more than 13 hours of endurance, a 115‑mile...
Lightning-Resistant TVS Diodes Safeguard Avionics
Littelfuse introduced two new TVS diode families, the SM15KPA‑HR/HRA and SM30KPA‑HR/HRA, delivering DO‑160 Waveform 5A Level 5 lightning protection for avionics, military and mission‑critical platforms. The devices provide 15 kW and 30 kW peak pulse power (10/1000 µs) respectively, with sub‑picosecond response times and 30‑kV...
TLVR Power Module Supplies 320 A for AI Processors
Infineon unveiled the TDM24745T quad‑phase power module, featuring a trans‑inductor voltage regulator (TLVR) architecture that delivers up to 320 A peak current in a 9×10×5 mm footprint. The module integrates four power stages, proprietary magnetics, and decoupling capacitors, achieving a current density...
High-Res Linear Sensor Tracks Small Displacements
Vishay’s 40 LHE linear position sensor delivers 12‑µm resolution across a 0‑40 mm stroke with ±1% full‑stroke accuracy. Built on Hall‑effect technology, it endures over 10 million cycles and operates in harsh environments from –40 °C to +85 °C with IP67 sealing. The device offers...
Isolated DC/DC Modules Raise Power Density
Texas Instruments introduced two isolated DC/DC modules—UCC34141-Q1 and UCC33420—built on its IsoShield multichip packaging. The architecture co‑packs a planar transformer with the power stage, delivering up to three times the power density of traditional discrete solutions and shrinking board area...

Cinematic Color, Budget Price — 65″ QLED Fire TV Drops 31% for Limited Time
Hisense has reduced the price of its 65‑inch E6 Cinema Series QLED TV to $376.97, a $173 discount from the regular $549.99. The TV features QLED 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ Adaptive, Dolby Atmos, and Fire TV with Alexa integration. It...

MODEX 2026: Sonair’s ADAR 3D Ultrasonic Sensor Makes Show Debut
Sonair unveiled its ADAR 3D ultrasonic sensor at MODEX 2026, marking the first North American debut of the sound‑based perception system. The sensor, built on patented MEMS transducer arrays from Norway’s SINTEF institute, provides a full 180°×180° field of view...
Tower Semiconductor Announces Plans to Expand 300mm Capacity in Japan
Tower Semiconductor announced it will acquire full ownership of its 300mm Fab 7 in Uozu, Japan, while Nuvoton will take complete control of the 200mm Fab 5. The restructuring includes long‑term supply agreements to avoid any disruption for existing customers...

Meta’s Facial Recognition Smart Glasses Plan Sees Increasing Opposition
More than 60 civil‑society groups, led by the Consumer Federation of America, have written to Congress demanding a halt to Meta’s plan to embed facial‑recognition software, called “Name Tag,” in its Ray‑Ban smart glasses. The groups cite a Swedish investigation...
MacroValor, Favis Will Build Hydrogen-Powered AI Mega Campus
MacroValor Corporation and Favis Advanced Robotics announced Mount Hydrogen, a 3,000‑megawatt AI, robotics and semiconductor mega‑campus in Austin, Texas. The site will be powered entirely by MacroValor’s hydrogen energy network, delivering zero‑emission, continuous operation. It will host Subvertio AI, a...
Intel Delivers Open, Scalable AI Performance in MLPerf Inference v6.0
Intel’s latest MLPerf Inference v6.0 results highlight its Xeon 6 CPUs paired with Arc Pro B70/B65 GPUs delivering open, scalable AI performance across workstations, data‑center, and edge workloads. A four‑GPU B70 configuration offers 128 GB of VRAM and can run 120‑billion‑parameter models, achieving...

0.45-8 GHz 16-Way SMA Female Power Divider
URF Inc. launched a high‑precision 16‑way SMA female power divider covering 0.45‑8 GHz, featuring an ultra‑low 1.55:1 VSWR and ±0.4 dB/±8° balance. The unit delivers less than 4.2 dB excess loss, 16 dB isolation, and can handle up to 150 W peak power. Priced at...

Can You Replace a UPS Backup with a Portable Power Station?
Portable power stations and UPS units both store electricity, but they serve distinct roles. A UPS delivers instant, seamless power to critical devices like computers and NAS units, protecting them from data loss and hardware damage. In contrast, portable power...

AirPods Max 2 Add H2‑Powered Features, Price Still $550
New AirPods Max 2 just dropped with a few new features thanks to the H2 chip inside. That means: 1.5x better noise cancellation Adaptive Audio Conversation Awareness Live Translation Voice Isolation Camera Remote Lossless Audio via USB-C Would you drop $550 on a pair? #apple #airpods

DWDM Multiplies Fiber Capacity, Accelerating Data Center Speeds
Dense wavelength division multiplexing can transmit multiple optical signals over a single fiber, greatly speeding up information transfer in data centers. https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-data-centers-dwdm-optics

NVIDIA Announce a Preview of "DRM Per-Plane Color Pipeline API" Support on Linux (Good for HDR)
NVIDIA announced a preview of DRM per‑plane color pipeline API support for its Linux GPU drivers, targeting hardware‑accelerated color processing such as HDR. The API, introduced in the Linux kernel in November 2025, lets Wayland compositors directly configure NVIDIA display hardware....
Quantum Charger Boosts Fast, Efficient Storage—Output Still Limited
This quantum device absorbs energy efficiently, accelerates charging with scale, and stores power temporarily, though it's still limited in practical output. https://t.co/V8MS45eL8p

Data Centers Power AI: Ben Bajarin Leads Panel
Next up @BenBajarin hosting a panel on the role of data centers in the era of AI https://t.co/0tpwbv9cil

A Life-Sized AI Hologram Standing in Your Room Talking with You?
A life‑sized AI hologram can now be projected in a room, but it requires a headset or special glasses and a professional to assemble. The most advanced setup costs roughly $100,000. Industry observers expect hardware costs to fall, eventually eliminating...
NASA Attributes Sensor Reading to Instrumentation, Launch Unaffected
NASA: "Engineers investigated a sensor on the launch abort system’s attitude control motor controller battery that showed a higher temperature than would be expected. It is believed to be an instrumentation issue and will not affect today’s launch."

Plaud NotePin AI Wearable Excels in Meetings and Lectures
For Real: I review the Plaud NotePin Wearable AI Note Taker device and find that there's a lot to like with this smart little gizmo. It's particularly helpful for meetings and lectures, as I demonstrate in this detailed video: https://t.co/ZGZwJp2Cvr...

Mirror Windows PC to TV via Chromecast—No Chrome Needed
Want to mirror your Windows PC display onto a big television? Skip Miracast; you can easily connect with almost every brand using Chromecast, even if you don't have Google Chrome installed. Here's how, step by step, with a @Vizio TV......
Amazon Fire TV 4-Series 50” 4K on Sale
For a budget friendly TV, check out the Amazon Fire TV 4-Series 50-inch 4K TV which is even cheaper right now thanks to being on sale at Amazon. https://t.co/xbxsvs1aqF