Today's Hardware Pulse
Nvidia driver adds DLSS 5 profile options, hinting at next‑gen AI rendering
Nvidia's GeForce Game Ready driver 610.47 introduces three new profile settings—Enable DLSS NR override, Enable DLSS NR SL override, and Override DLSS NR presets—suggesting continued development of its upcoming DLSS 5 neural‑rendering technology. The earlier DLSS 5 reveal sparked debate over AI‑driven image alteration, after which Nvidia fell silent on the feature.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Cyient Semiconductors raises $30M Series A
CERN Burns Ultra‑Small AI Models Into Silicon to Filter LHC Data in Real Time
CERN has integrated ultra‑compact AI models directly into silicon chips, enabling the Level‑1 Trigger to discard 99.98% of LHC collision data in under 50 nanoseconds. The move replaces conventional GPUs with custom FPGA/ASIC implementations, addressing a data stream of up to hundreds of terabytes per second.
Motorola Teases Razr Fold Pre-Orders that Start Pretty Soon
Motorola announced that pre‑orders for its Razr Fold will begin in 15 days, targeting April 11, 2024. The device, unveiled as a FIFA‑edition at Mobile World Congress, marks Motorola’s first book‑style foldable phone. Pricing in Europe is set at €1,999,...
Windows Wrap — 4 Steps to Save the Surface Brand
Microsoft is poised to unveil new Surface devices this spring, but industry analysts warn that the timing is poor for current‑generation buyers. The article argues that Surface’s fragmented launch schedule, processor‑specific feature gating, and lack of standout design risk eroding...
UCL and RAD Publish Study on Quiet Electric Marine Technology
University College London and electric marine propulsion firm RAD have released a peer‑reviewed study demonstrating that RAD’s 40 kW electric outboard reduces underwater noise by up to 43 dB compared with a comparable internal combustion engine. Tests on the River Hamble and...
Your Nearly Full SSD Is Tanking Your Performance—Here's Why
A nearly full NVMe SSD dramatically slows down as free space dwindles, especially beyond the 80%‑filled mark. The author’s tests on a 2 TB drive showed performance throttling at 95% and 89% capacity, with a sharp recovery once usage fell to...
Chinese Team Demonstrates First Silicon Quantum Chip with Full Logical Operations
Researchers at Shenzhen International Quantum Academy have built a silicon quantum processor that executes a complete set of error‑detecting logical operations using four physical qubits. The chip ran a Variational Quantum Eigensolver algorithm on a water molecule, delivering results within...
Creating a DIY Homelab: Fast, Free, and Beginner-Friendly
Dibakar Ghosh shows how to convert a spare PC into a fully functional homelab using ZimaOS, a free, GUI‑driven NAS and home‑server platform. The installation, from downloading the ISO to configuring services, takes about 45 minutes and requires no terminal...
Stop Overpaying for Car Stereos: Budget Android Auto Units Now Rival the Expensive Ones
Budget Android Auto head units priced $90‑$200 now match features of premium models. The author upgraded a 2000s BMW with a $100 unit, gaining wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a 7‑inch touchscreen, backup camera, and steering‑wheel control. These units act...
I Took a Ride in an Nvidia-Powered Autonomous Mercedes at GTC 2026 - and It’s Convinced Me This Is the...
At Nvidia’s GTC 2026 event, a Mercedes CLA equipped with Nvidia’s Hyperion 8 platform completed a 45‑minute autonomous drive through downtown San Jose. The vehicle operated at Level 2, using ten cameras, five radars and Nvidia’s Alpamayo end‑to‑end stack to navigate urban traffic, detect...
Sonos' New Five-Star Speaker Shows How It Can Navigate Its Way Out of that App Debacle
Sonos unveiled its new Play speaker, a portable, high‑fidelity device that aims to restore confidence after a troubled app update and abandoned streaming‑box project. The speaker combines the brand’s renowned multi‑room audio quality with a lightweight, dock‑able design, positioning it...
This Portable Streaming TV Turns My Patio Into an Entertainment Oasis, and It's $60 Off for Amazon's Spring Sale
Skyworth’s 24‑inch P100 Companion Series portable TV is on sale during Amazon’s Spring Sale, dropping from $450 to $390 with a coupon. The battery‑powered device runs Google TV, includes built‑in Chromecast, and offers up to three hours of unplugged viewing....
How Nvidia Locked AMD Out of the GPU Market (Even when AMD Wins on Paper)
Nvidia continues to dominate the discrete graphics market, commanding roughly 95 % of shipments and enjoying overwhelming brand mindshare. Its proprietary technologies—DLSS, NVENC, and CUDA—remain unavailable to rivals, creating a developer lock‑in that amplifies the advantage. Meanwhile AMD’s Radeon cards, such...
$500 Fiber Optic HDMI Cable Delivers Flawless 48 Gbps Performance Across a Staggering 990 Feet — Crushes 8K at 60...
Ruipro’s active optical HDMI cable delivers full‑fat 48 Gbps bandwidth over up to 990 feet, enabling true 8K 60 Hz and 4K 120 Hz video without compression. The cable uses fiber‑optic strands with a small amount of copper for power and control, converting electrical HDMI signals...
Sony Suspends Sales of Memory Cards
Sony announced an indefinite suspension of sales for its low‑end memory cards, including SDXC, SDHC and Compact Flash Type A and B models. The halt is driven by a severe shortage of NAND flash and SSD components, a bottleneck intensified...
Refresh Your TV Setup This Spring — Save 20% at Antenna’s Direct and Skip the Monthly Bill
Antennas Direct is offering a 20% discount on all antennas and accessories with promo code SPRING26 through April 16. The spring‑time sale targets cord‑cutters who want free over‑the‑air TV for sports, news and primetime shows without a monthly subscription. Shoppers can...
An Update On Electric Vehicle Batteries And Innovations In The Sector
President Trump-backed Congress eliminated the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, triggering an early sales slump, but the ongoing US‑Israel conflict with Iran has revived consumer interest in electric vehicles. At the same time, battery innovators such as BYD and Volvo...
Ominous Surveillance “Scarecrows” Appearing Across America
The U.S. law‑enforcement equipment market, valued at roughly $11.7 billion in 2025, is rapidly expanding as mobile surveillance units—dubbed “COWs” or scarecrows—gain traction nationwide. These solar‑powered, tow‑able trailers mount multiple CCTV cameras and connect to police feeds via cellular or Wi‑Fi,...
Toshiba and LQUOM Collaborate on Long-Distance Quantum Repeater Research
Toshiba Corporation and LQUOM Inc. have launched a 12‑month joint research program to explore quantum repeater technology that could extend the range of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) beyond today’s fiber‑optic limits. The effort, running from March 2026 to March 2027, will evaluate...
Eve Aqua Smart Irrigation Beats Traditional Sprinklers in Spring 2026 Test
The Eve Aqua smart‑irrigation controller, reviewed in spring 2026, is being touted as a superior, low‑maintenance alternative to permanently installed sprinkler systems. Powered by AA batteries that last an entire watering season and integrated with Apple HomeKit, the device promises...
TCL Electronics Posts 15.4% YoY Revenue Rise on Globalisation, Mid‑to‑High‑End Push
TCL Electronics announced a 15.4% year‑on‑year revenue jump to HK$114.58 billion for 2025, powered by its dual‑track globalisation and mid‑to‑high‑end strategy. The growth lifted profit after tax 36.7% and prompted a 56.6% dividend hike, underscoring the company’s B2B scaling success.
Windows Is Quietly Holding Back up to 7GB of Your SSD by Default — Here's How to Reclaim It
Microsoft’s Windows OS automatically allocates up to 7 GB of a system drive as Reserved Storage, a buffer for updates, temporary files, and caches. This feature, introduced in Windows 10 version 1903, appears by default on fresh installations and is most noticeable on...
DJI Pocket 4 Arriving April 2026: Pricing, Specs & Key Features
DJI will unveil the Pocket 4 on April 20, 2026, pricing the base model between $499 and $599 and the Creator Combo at $649‑$749. The camera retains a 1‑inch sensor while adding 4K video at 120 fps and rumored 6K capability, alongside upgraded stabilization...
SteelSeries’ Feature-Packed Nova Pro Wireless Headset Is $80 Off
SteelSeries has slashed the price of its Arctis Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset by $80, lowering the list price from $379.99 to $299.99. The discount is part of the Big Spring Sale running through April 1, 2026 and is available at...
Intel's Heracles Chip Accelerates FHE 5,000‑Fold
Fully homomorphic encryption allows you to get information without revealing your personal data, but it’s currently a slow, intensive process. But @Intel’s new Heracles chip speeds up FHE computing 5,000-fold compared to a CPU. https://spectrum.ieee.org/fhe-intel
Ukraine's Battery Storage Outlook Turns Bright
‘Absolutely bright’ future for battery storage in Ukraine #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/QWHIyvrdgG
AMD HIP API Support Is Coming to Folding@Home Near You
Folding@Home announced that support for AMD's HIP API will roll out in the next few weeks. The addition will let AMD GPU owners run the project's protein‑folding simulations without needing NVIDIA hardware. HIP acts as a translation layer, converting CUDA‑based...
TurboQuant Hype over MU, HBM Demand Is Laughable
The use that TurboQuant will crush $MU and HBM demand is almost (but not quite) as dumb as the idea that DeepSeek would kill $NVDA demand. Laughable. 😬😮💨
Buy the Rugged Waterproof Action Cam Now
This rugged, waterproof action cam is perfect for taking on adventures, and now's the time to buy. https://t.co/ejk748AEuk
Google Plans to Back $5B Data Center for Anthropic: Report
Google is arranging up to $5 billion in construction loans for a massive Texas data‑center leased to Anthropic, a key partner in its AI strategy. The 2,800‑acre campus, built by Nexus Data Centers, aims to deliver 500 megawatts by late 2026 with...
Advansor Launches Scalable CO2 Heat Pump for Industrial Heating
Advansor unveils scalable CO2 heat pump for large-scale heating needs #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/d7PjxOi9iC
Holographic Car Windows Show Live Driving Data
Holographic Car Window Projects Real-Time Driving Data — The Future Is Here by @NathieVR #VR #VirtualReality #AR #AugmentedRealit https://t.co/NWdrE0Z5eU
Fake Samsung 990 Pro SSD Is Good Enough to Fool Your Benchmarks
Scammers are selling counterfeit Samsung 990 Pro SSDs that closely mimic the genuine model’s specifications and even report near‑identical read/write speeds in tools like CrystalDiskInfo. The fake drives use a Maxio MAP1602 controller, lack Samsung’s DDR4 cache, and deliver real‑world transfer...
LG G6 Surpasses G5, Excelling Where It Matters
The LG G5 was one of 2025's best OLED TVs — but the LG G6 improves in the right places, even more dramatically than I expected https://t.co/Ox7fapbaZ8
3D‑Printed UFO Levitates Using Wireless Power
DIY Electromagnetic Levitator: #3DPrinted UFO Floats with Wireless Power and LEDs via @WevolverApp #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation https://t.co/lfkHsRVVn9
U.S. Government Bans Foreign‑Made Wi‑Fi Routers Over Security Concerns
The United States announced a ban on the sale and distribution of foreign‑manufactured Wi‑Fi routers, citing national‑security concerns. The move targets equipment from several Asian vendors and could force a rapid shift toward domestically produced networking gear.
Micron Starts Mass Production of HBM4 for Nvidia's Vera Rubin AI Chip
Micron Technology has begun mass production of its fourth‑generation high‑bandwidth memory (HBM4) to power Nvidia's Vera Rubin AI accelerator. The move comes as Micron ramps up a $100 billion semiconductor fab in upstate New York and reports a 196% year‑over‑year revenue...
Helium Shortage Triggers $930 M Warning for IonQ, Rigetti and D‑Wave Stocks
A market alert warning of a $930 million hit to the quantum‑computing sector has pushed IonQ, Rigetti and D‑Wave shares down. The warning stems from a helium supply crunch caused by the Iran‑U.S. conflict, which threatens the low‑temperature environments needed for...
Porsche's Wild Curved Display Is The Car Touchscreen Done Right
Porsche’s 2026 Cayenne Electric introduces a 45‑degree curved central touchscreen that repositions the most‑used functions within the driver’s natural reach. The display incorporates a built‑in wrist rest and an adjustable armrest, allowing drivers to interact without excessive eye‑off‑road time. Running on...
Win a Prize by Entering Your Build Into the Inaugural Tom's Hardware Rig Rundown — Submit a Build to Get...
Tom's Hardware announced its inaugural Rig Rundown contest, inviting PC enthusiasts to submit their complete builds for expert evaluation. The competition accepts both new and refurbished components, with a focus on detailed performance analysis and a prize package that includes...
48. Non-Uniform Antenna Arrays and Movable Antennas
In this episode Emil Björnsson and Eric Larson discuss antenna arrays, focusing on the shift from uniform, half‑wavelength spaced grids to more flexible, non‑uniform designs for future massive MIMO and 6G systems. They explain how massive MIMO works—using many more...
Electric Assist Boosts Natural Walking Glide
An Electric Walking Assist System That Enhances Natural Gliding Movement via @ZappyZappy7 #Wearable #Technology #Innovation #EmergingTech https://t.co/1QzvuFtRKy
How Modular Data Centers Are Built: Inside the Factory
Modular data centers are reshaping the $275 billion construction market by delivering fully integrated, container‑sized facilities that can be deployed in roughly eight months, far faster than traditional builds. A partnership between HPE and Contour Advanced Systems combines HPE’s compute expertise...
I Was Amazed That This Oppo Camera Slammed the iPhone 17 Pro in My Tests
CNET’s Andrew Lanxon compared Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro with Oppo’s Find X9 Pro across a series of real‑world photo missions in Edinburgh. Using each phone’s default JPEG mode, the reviewer found the Oppo often produced brighter, more vibrant images with stronger sharpening, while the...
New ALP-X Card Support 128 I/O Channels
Digigram has launched the ALP‑AES67‑128, a PCIe sound card that doubles the I/O capacity of its ALP‑X line to 128 simultaneous recording and playback channels. The card remains fully compliant with AES67, Ravenna, SMPTE ST2110‑30 and ST2022‑7, and adds robust...
I Tried a Scan-to-Cook Meal Delivery Service. Right Now, the Smart Oven Is Free
Tovala pairs a subscription meal service with its Smart Oven Pro, a six‑mode appliance now offered for free when users activate a meal plan with code SPRINGEATS26. Meals cost $10‑$14 each, with $11 shipping per box, and are delivered single‑serve,...
Trump Phone Cleared by FCC, Could Launch Soon
The Trump Phone has actually passed through FCC clearance, which means it might be on the way. https://t.co/1C1WBgJOMf
Spring Deals Match Black Friday Prices at B&H, Adorama
B&H Photo and Adorama have awesome Spring deals this week, including prices that match those from Black Friday. https://t.co/zhU7n5M2jC
The GaN Charger That Wants to Kill Your Travel Power Strip
The UGREEN Nexode 100 W GaN charger packs three USB‑C and one USB‑A port into a 2.7 × 2.7 × 1.3‑inch wall adapter, delivering up to 100 W (5 A) on a single USB‑C connection. Its GaN‑based power conversion keeps the unit compact and cool, while dynamic...
Apple Allocates $400 Million to Boost U.S. Manufacturing Partnerships
Apple announced a $400 million commitment to broaden its U.S. manufacturing partnerships, targeting new production capacity and tighter supply‑chain control. The move underscores the tech giant’s strategy to localise critical components and reduce reliance on overseas factories.
Whoop Expands Wearable Platform to Moms and Family Health Monitoring
Whoop announced a push into family health, pairing its subscription‑based wearable with Quest Diagnostics blood‑test integration and new FDA‑cleared alerts for heart‑rate and blood‑pressure monitoring. The move follows a year of over 100% revenue growth, cash‑flow positivity and a 70%...