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
Infleqtion Validates Picosecond Accuracy in Real-World Timing Demonstration
Infleqtion demonstrated picosecond‑level timing by integrating its Tiqker quantum optical clock with Safran’s White Rabbit and SecureSync systems, outclassing the nanosecond precision of conventional GPS. The real‑world test proves a resilient timing solution for sectors vulnerable to GPS jamming and spoofing. Infleqtion’s neutral‑atom technology, already used by the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and the U.K. government, now offers rapid deployment in GNSS‑denied environments. This breakthrough could enable mission‑critical operations across finance, defense, telecom and space.
Shark Tank's $700K Rejection Became $1B Sale
In 2013, Shark Tank rejected this “useless” doorbell. The company asked for $700K investment. The Sharks laughed. But 5 years later, Amazon bought the company for $1B... And Shaq invested $1M of his OWN money into the business. Here's the story...
NUBURU Wins Counter-Drone Directed-Energy Order From Government Defense Electronics Organization in Asia–Pacific
NUBURU Inc’s Italian subsidiary Lyocon secured a $250,000 initial deployment order from a tier‑one government defense electronics organization in a major Asia‑Pacific market for its portable directed‑energy laser dazzler aimed at counter‑drone missions. The contract follows a multi‑phase validation process...
SEC Develops Inline X-Ray Inspection Tool for HBM Production
SEC Co. has completed development of the Semi‑Scan‑SW, an automated inline X‑ray inspection system for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) production. The tool detects internal defects as small as 3‑5 µm across HBM stacking, through‑glass‑via (TGV) and wafer‑level packaging (WLP) processes. SEC will...
This New Spinoff Is a Nuclear and AI Chip Beneficiary Worth Watching
Solstice Advanced Materials, a Honeywell spinoff, has surged over 50% since its October 2025 launch, driven by its unique position in two high‑growth sectors. The company operates the only U.S. uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) conversion facility, holding a backlog exceeding $2 billion...
The Korg Handytraxx Play Finally Got Me Learning to Scratch
The Korg Handytraxx Play is a $500 battery‑powered, suitcase‑style turntable that folds into a built‑in speaker and fader, targeting users who need a compact DJ solution. Terrence O'Brien of The Verge reports that the device finally enabled him to start...
$28 Point-and-Shoot Camera Is Now Preloaded with Lomo’s Best Film Yet
Lomography has launched a new Simple Use Reloadable LomoChrome Classicolor camera priced under $28, preloaded with its user‑friendly Classicolor 35 mm film. The film delivers natural skin tones and vibrant colors with ISO 200 and 27 exposures, while the camera’s basic point‑and‑shoot...
$235K Grant Boosts Lifesaving Gear for Pa. Ambulance Service
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development awarded a $235,000 grant to the McCandless‑Franklin Park Ambulance Authority. The funds will purchase six LUCAS mechanical chest‑compression devices and a LIFEPAK 35 heart monitor‑defibrillator, which costs about $65,000. Each ambulance will receive...
Walmart Caught In ESL Controversy As Legislators Move Against Digital Shelf Labels
Walmart plans to install electronic shelf labels in all 4,600 U.S. stores by next year, having already equipped roughly half of its locations. The digital tags promise instant price updates, labor savings and improved accuracy. Lawmakers and the United Food...
SolarEdge Outlines Path to 800 V (DC) Data Center Infrastructure
SolarEdge released a white paper outlining a five‑stage roadmap to replace legacy AC power with integrated 800 V DC infrastructure in data centers. The paper highlights that current AC‑to‑DC conversion wastes 10‑30% of input power, limiting AI workload growth. By moving...
(PR) SEMI Projects Double-Digit Growth in Global 300 Mm Fab Equipment Spending for 2026 and 2027
SEMI’s latest 300 mm Fab Outlook projects worldwide fab equipment spending to jump 18% to $133 billion in 2026 and 14% to $151 billion in 2027, marking the first time the market exceeds $150 billion. The surge is driven by exploding AI chip demand...
Edge AI for IoT: Use Cases, Benefits and Deployment Challenges
Edge AI is reshaping IoT by moving data processing and inference from centralized clouds to devices and local gateways. This shift cuts latency, lowers bandwidth consumption, and improves data privacy, enabling real‑time decision‑making even when connectivity is spotty. Core technologies...
FedEx’s Next AI Leap to Feature RFID, Robotics
FedEx announced a multi‑year push to embed artificial intelligence into physical assets such as RFID sensors, robotics and automated trailer unloaders. By 2028 the carrier aims to have AI driving more than half of its core operational workflows, from first‑mile...
AchieVe Pressure Switches
AutomationDirect announced the launch of two new AchieVe mechanical pressure switches – the LPPS series and the S18‑1C model – aimed at rugged industrial applications. The LPPS line handles pressures up to 3,000 psig and delivers a 5 A SPDT relay output,...
Di-Soric Ultrasonic Sensors
AutomationDirect has added di‑soric ultrasonic proximity sensors in 8, 12, 18 and 30 mm tubular sizes plus a 12 mm rectangular model. The sensors deliver contactless distance measurement up to 6,000 mm, feature rugged nickel‑plated brass construction, IP67 protection, and IO‑Link connectivity with...
AI-Focused Positioning Drives Nvidia’s Massive Outperformance over AMD
Nvidia vs AMD over the last 5 years: NVDA: +1,158% AMD: +157% Same industry… completely different outcomes. The difference? Positioning around the AI boom. The market rewards companies that dominate trends—not just participate in them.
Chinese Chipmakers Seize Half of Market as Nvidia Wanes
Chinese chipmakers claim nearly half of local market as Nvidia's lead shrinks Nvidia's share has gone from 95 to basically 0 in the data center, except for legacy GPUs. With H200s on the way, this could change.... https://t.co/KeYmyyAu7C
Cavotec Signs $15b Order for MoorMaster Systems in North America
Cavotec has secured a $15.11 million contract to supply its MoorMaster automated vacuum mooring systems for a specialized North American application. Deliveries are slated between October 2027 and March 2028. The MoorMaster technology promises safer, faster vessel handling while cutting emissions. This deal...
Memory Shortage Will Persist for Years, Says Cantor
$MU Cantor gets it. We don’t have enough and won’t have enough memory for many years. https://t.co/RVEiSu5wgd
Supply Chain Memory Issues Set to Worsen Next Year
Came across some interesting things from supply chain friendlies on memory. And... Not going to get better anytime soon. Next year will be worse than this year.
(PR) Intel to Repurchase 49% Equity Interest in Ireland Fab Joint Venture
Intel announced it will repurchase the 49% equity interest in the Fab 34 joint venture in Ireland from Apollo for $14.2 billion. The stake was originally sold to Apollo‑managed funds in 2024 for $11.2 billion, giving Intel equity‑like capital while preserving balance‑sheet strength....
Apple TV HD Declared Obsolete Despite Happy Users
The Apple TV HD is now 'obsolete', even though it's working perfectly fine for happy users. https://t.co/qxH0j5LXWu
AMD Launches First Dual‑3D V‑Cache Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, Targeting High‑end Desktop Workloads
AMD introduced the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition, the industry's first desktop processor with dual 3D V‑Cache, 16 Zen 5 cores and 208 MB of on‑die cache. The chip claims 5‑10% performance lifts in creative and compilation workloads, signaling a shift toward...
Nvidia Shares Surge 3% on AI Chip Demand and Easing Middle East Tensions
Nvidia Corp. stock jumped $5.63, or 3.41%, to around $170.80 after investors saw signs of de‑escalation in the U.S.–Iran conflict and continued record AI chip sales. The rally underscores the mega‑cap’s dominant position in data‑center AI hardware and its outsized...
Why Neoclouds Are Vital to AI Startups
The surge in artificial‑intelligence workloads is driving unprecedented demand for high‑performance GPU compute. Building and maintaining proprietary data centers has become financially prohibitive even for well‑funded labs, prompting many firms to outsource processing to cloud providers. In response, a wave...
Synnex Australia Adds Poly Solutions to HP Portfolio
Synnex Australia has broadened its distribution agreement with HP to incorporate the full Poly collaboration suite, covering audio, video, and voice hardware plus related software and services. The partnership adds pre‑sales expertise, enablement programs, and go‑to‑market support for partners. HP...
CapEx Up for Foundry, Memory
Semiconductor Intelligence projects total industry capital spending to reach $200 billion in 2026, a 20% rise from 2025 and outpacing market growth. TSMC remains the largest spender, targeting $52‑$56 billion, while most other foundries stay flat except GlobalFoundries’ 70% increase. Elon Musk’s...
Flexible Chips – the Missing Link for Mass-Market Consumer IoT
Consumer IoT is expanding beyond niche gadgets, demanding billions of low‑cost, connected components. Traditional silicon chips rely on legacy nodes that are expensive, slow to scale, and increasingly unsustainable. Flexible semiconductors—thin‑film transistors printed on polyimide—offer a dramatically simpler, low‑temperature manufacturing...
Finland's Lappeenranta AI Hub Matches Three Hyperscalers' Power
What to know about plans for one of Europe’s largest AI data centres “The facility in Lappeenranta, Finland 🇫🇮will offer up to 310 megawatts of power, the same as three hyperscaler data centres.” https://t.co/tvYvZDo6mF https://t.co/tDTsB2Bw4L
(PR) NVIDIA Invests $2 Billion in Marvell and Expanded NVLink Fusion Partnership
NVIDIA announced a $2 billion investment in Marvell Technology and an expanded NVLink Fusion partnership. The deal links Marvell’s silicon to NVIDIA’s AI factory and AI‑RAN ecosystem, giving customers broader options for next‑generation infrastructure. Both companies will also co‑develop silicon‑photonic solutions....
Exclusive: In-Orbit Manufacturing Startup Dispatch Emerges From Stealth
Dispatch, a Y Combinator‑backed startup, emerged from stealth with $500,000 seed funding to develop an uncrewed orbital manufacturing station. The company will use in‑house designed, single‑use reentry vehicles to ferry payloads, starting with a 30 kg test flight in 2027 and...
Google Hints at Screenless Fitbit on Curry's Instagram
'I won't spoil it, you'll kind of have to see it for yourself' Google's screenless Fitbit teased on 'performance advisor' Steph Curry's Insta. https://t.co/ENQUYed7SO
Quantum Computers Require Far Fewer Resources to Crack Encryption
Quantum computers need vastly fewer resources than thought to break vital encryption - Ars Technica https://t.co/pLuvHMFLOP
Hexapod Concept for Low-Temperature Quantum Applications
Physik Instrumente (PI) has unveiled a low‑temperature development program featuring a 6‑DOF hexapod nanopositioner designed for cryogenic quantum and photonic applications. The parallel‑kinematics device delivers nanometer‑scale precision, millimeter travel and can move payloads of several hundred grams at temperatures below...
Silvaco Expands Partnership with APEC on Silicon Carbide Power Device Development
Silvaco Group announced an expanded strategic partnership with Taiwan's Advanced Power Electronics Corp (APEC) to deepen the use of its Victory Device, Gateway, and SmartSpice simulation tools. The collaboration gives APEC broader access to Silvaco's TCAD and EDA solutions, aiming...
How Voestalpine’s Integrated System Solutions Can Boost Rail Infrastructure Performance
Voestalpine Railway Systems will showcase its integrated system solutions at InnoTrans 2026, emphasizing a holistic approach that combines high‑quality steel, turnouts, fastenings, sleepers and digital tools. The company tailors these coordinated ecosystems to diverse rail applications, from high‑speed and freight...
DDR5 16GB Prices May Stabilize by 2026—Stay Skeptical
Report even hints at 'DDR5 16GB module prices potentially normalizing by end-2026' — but I really wouldn't get carried away with that idea. https://t.co/DCKYexsGpx
Leil Introduces Leil OS: The Industry’s First HDD-Native Storage Operating System Purpose-Built for the SMR Era
Leil, an Estonian software firm, launched Leil OS – the first storage operating system built specifically for Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) drives. The HDD‑native stack delivers over 95% write efficiency, 99% of theoretical read throughput, and up to 20% extra...
NGX Storage’s Hybrid and All-Flash Series Achieve Official VMware Certification
NGX Storage announced that its Hybrid and All‑Flash storage series have earned official VMware certification and are now listed on the VMware Compatibility Guide. The certification required a rigorous evaluation of integration and interoperability with VMware’s cloud infrastructure. Inclusion in...
Kingston Introduces Next-Gen XTS-AES 256-Bit Hardware-Encrypted Up to 256GB USB Drive
Kingston Digital unveiled the IronKey Locker+ 50 G2, a hardware‑encrypted USB flash drive featuring FIPS 197‑certified XTS‑AES‑256 encryption. The device offers BadUSB protection, brute‑force lockout, and dual admin/user passwords with complex or passphrase modes. Available in 32 GB to 256 GB capacities, it delivers up...
Product Focus: Test and Quality Control
Several manufacturers introduced advanced test and quality‑control solutions aimed at medical‑device production. LK Metrology launched a shop‑floor ready industrial X‑ray CT system that delivers high‑resolution volumetric scans without the need for fixturing. Micro‑Epsilon unveiled the IMS5200‑TH interferometric sensor offering sub‑nanometer...
Novel Sensor Offers Continuous Blood Leakage Monitoring
Researchers at Hanyang University have developed an ultrathin, flexible, wireless sensor that can be integrated directly onto endovascular stent grafts to continuously monitor for Type‑I endoleaks after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. The sensor survives catheter crimping, remains biocompatible, and transmits...
Re-Injection System Rejuvenates Damaged Electronics
Lirpa Labs announced a prototype “re‑injection” system that captures the so‑called magic smoke released when electronic components fail and injects it back into the damaged parts, promising near‑original performance. The method uses specialized capture cells and injector needles, supplemented with...
Sweat-Powered Sticker Turns Drinking Cup Into a Health Sensor
UC San Diego engineers have created a battery‑free electronic sticker that attaches to drinking cups and measures a user’s vitamin C levels from fingertip sweat. The biofuel cell harvests sweat‑derived electricity to power a hydrogel‑based sensor, which wirelessly sends results to...
Designing Continuous Glucose Monitors for Safety, Reliability, and Patient Comfort
Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) have become essential for diabetes care, delivering real‑time glucose data and reducing the need for finger‑stick tests. Engineers face the challenge of creating ultra‑low‑power, miniature devices that remain reliable and safe for 7‑14 days on a...
Sensor Technology Detects Life-Threatening Complications After Intestinal Surgery
Researchers at TU Dresden and Rostock University Hospital have created a fully absorbable, implantable sensor film that can be sewn into intestinal anastomoses during surgery. The device continuously measures tissue impedance and temperature, delivering real‑time alerts when circulatory disorders emerge....
HighPoint Introduces Retimer-Based PCIe Gen5 M.2 Card
HighPoint Technologies launched the Rocket 1604L, a retimer‑based PCIe Gen5 M.2 add‑in card that can host up to four M.2 modules in a 167 mm form factor. The card leverages Astera Labs’ Gen5 retimer technology to maintain signal integrity across bifurcated ×4 lanes...
Zhipu's GLM Matches Foreign Chips on Domestic Hardware
Zhipu accelerates pivot to domestic chips amid AI boom in China "The deep optimisation has enabled the GLM series models to achieve inference efficiency on domestic chips that rivals that of the world's leading foreign chips. --Zhang Peng https://t.co/JFivhulfnU
How AI‑driven Sensors Are Creating Safer, Healthier Schools, Hospitals and Hotels
AI‑driven sensors combine IoT hardware with on‑device machine‑learning to analyze data in real time, allowing instant, automated responses. More than 30% of newly deployed IoT devices now embed AI‑powered sensing, accelerating adoption in high‑traffic sectors. Schools, hospitals and hotels are...
Mouser Adds PolyPhaser RF Surge Protection Products
Mouser Electronics has signed a global distribution agreement with PolyPhaser, an Infinite Electronics subsidiary, to sell its RF surge protection portfolio. The lineup includes coaxial protectors covering frequencies from 400 MHz to 2.5 GHz, with power handling up to 3 kW and surge...