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
HP’s 15.6″ Laptop Is Back On Sale for Under $300 With Free Microsoft 365
HP has reduced the price of its 15.6‑inch laptop to under $300, bundling a one‑year Microsoft 365 subscription. The device ships with 1.1 TB of storage, an Intel Celeron N100 processor, and a 1366×768 HD display. It runs Windows 11 Home in S mode, aimed at students and remote workers seeking an affordable, high‑capacity notebook. The spec‑light configuration balances cost with essential productivity features.
These Are the 5 Features that Make the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Worth It
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8, priced from $350, positions itself as a slimmer, more affordable Wear OS alternative to the Pixel Watch and OnePlus Watch. Its standout appeal lies in the Samsung Health suite, which delivers daily Energy scores, detailed Sleep scores, and...
Power Shortages Threaten Kazakhstan’s $1.9 Billion Data Center Push
Kazakhstan has signed a memorandum to build a Tier IV data center worth up to $1.5 billion, paired with a $400 million, 250 MW gas‑fired power plant. The initiative is a cornerstone of President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev’s plan to position the country as a regional...
Quantum‑dot Spin Qubits Move without Loss, Boosting Scalable Error‑corrected Designs
A research team demonstrated that spin qubits hosted in quantum‑dot structures can be transferred between dots without degrading their quantum state. The breakthrough promises to combine the mass‑manufacturability of semiconductor chips with the flexible connectivity traditionally reserved for atom‑based systems,...
Enphase Energy Unveils 1.25 MW Solid‑State Transformer for AI Data‑Center Racks
Enphase Energy announced its IQ Solid‑State Transformer (IQ SST), a 1.25 MW rack‑scale power block built from 342 semiconductor modules. The system promises 98.5% efficiency, 99.999% availability and the potential to eliminate traditional UPS batteries in AI‑focused data centers.
Nvidia's China Market Share Falls to Zero as Homegrown AI Chipmakers Accelerate
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that U.S. export restrictions have eliminated the company's direct AI chip sales in China, dropping its market share to zero. Chinese firms such as Huawei, Cambricon, Moore Threads and MetaX are rapidly scaling their own...
Teradata Unveils Autonomous Knowledge Platform to Scale Agentic AI
Teradata announced the Autonomous Knowledge Platform, a unified suite that combines AI, analytics and data management to move AI agents from pilot to production. The platform is available now via Teradata Cloud and as an on‑premises Teradata Factory offering, targeting...
Beats Studio Pro Headphones Just Hit a Massive 51% Discount for a Limited Time
Beats Studio Pro headphones are now priced at $169.95, a 51% discount from the regular $349.99. The over‑ear model delivers active noise cancelling, transparency mode, lossless USB‑C audio, personalized spatial audio with head tracking, and up to 40 hours of...
TSMC’s April Revenue Growth Slows to 17.5%, Highlighting AI‑Chip Supply Constraints
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. posted a 17.5% rise in April revenue to $13.1 billion, the slowest monthly expansion since October. The slowdown underscores tightening supply for AI‑focused chips that power enterprise cloud and data‑center workloads.
Best of Show: American Amplifier Technologies EmPower Controller VNA
American Amplifier Technologies’ EmPower Controller VNA captured the Radio World Best of Show award at the 2026 NAB Show. The unit blends SNMP‑based remote monitoring, site automation, and an integrated vector network analyzer into a single chassis. It delivers continuous,...
Speed Wins: Time-to-Compute Becomes Currency
We’ve now mapped more than 25 constraints across the AI compute and power supply chain. Across conversations with operators in nearly every pocket of the industry, the message is consistent: speed is what matters. This may be less about the best...
IFi's New Mini DAC Upgrades Phone Audio Dramatically
iFi's tiny DAC is smaller and lighter than the first generation and delivers an excellent audio upgrade to phones in particular https://t.co/J0SM1W7eaX
The Instax Wide 400 Builds on Instant Photography’s Simplicity and Stretches It, Literally
Fujifilm’s Instax Wide 400 retails for $175 and prints 62 × 99 mm photos, roughly twice the size of Mini frames. The camera is a pure point‑and‑shoot device with automatic flash, focus and exposure, and it includes a close‑up lens attachment and a four‑speed...
Memory and Photonics Stocks Outpace Magnificent 7 as AI Shifts Downstream
Memory chip makers and photonics companies are outperforming almost every Magnificent 7 stock this year. The AI trade is quietly shifting downstream. 🔒 Members-Only https://t.co/psFbwiQSDw
DigiTimes Report Says Motherboard Manufacturers Are in Crisis.
DigiTimes reports a sharp decline in motherboard shipments as the ongoing memory shortage squeezes manufacturers. Asus allegedly shipped only 5 million units in the first half of 2026, far below its 15 million total in 2025, suggesting a roughly 60 percent drop. Higher...
Four Top Soundbars to Elevate Your World Cup
Complete your World Cup experience with an audio upgrade with a new soundbar: here are my four current picks. https://t.co/cqKNsUQrH9
![Review: I Want to Love Belkin’s 3-in-1 Pixel Watch Charging Dock, but Google Ruined It [Gallery]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i0.wp.com/9to5google.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/belkin-pixel-watch-charging-dock-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1){kind=tracking}
Review: I Want to Love Belkin’s 3-in-1 Pixel Watch Charging Dock, but Google Ruined It [Gallery]
Belkin introduced a modular 3‑in‑1 Qi2 charging dock that supports Pixel Watch 1‑3, phones and earbuds, priced at $64.99. The dock features a 25 W wireless pad, a secondary earbud charger, and a pull‑out watch shelf with interchangeable inserts. Reviewers praise...
This Buried Samsung Feature Helps Keep My Galaxy S26 Running Like New
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 includes a hidden Auto restart option within its Device Care suite, allowing users to schedule periodic reboots. The feature, part of Auto Optimization, can be set to reboot on a chosen day and time or when performance...
Your Yarbo Lawnmower Is a Backdoor Into Your Wi-Fi Network
Security researcher Andreas Makris revealed that every Yarbo internet‑connected lawnmower ships with a hard‑coded root password and a persistent backdoor that transmits telemetry, GPS data and Wi‑Fi credentials to the manufacturer’s servers. By exploiting the flaw he accessed data from...
FCC Reverses Course, Allows Software Updates for Foreign-Made Drones and Routers Until 2029 — Agency Says Blocking Security Patches Could...
The Federal Communications Commission has extended temporary waivers that let foreign‑made drones, drone components, and consumer routers continue receiving software and firmware updates through January 1 2029. The original “Covered List” added in late 2025 barred post‑approval changes, risking security gaps for millions...
Maryland Citizens Slapped with $2 Billion Power Grid Upgrade Bill for Out-of-State AI Data Centers — State Complains to Federal...
Maryland’s Office of People’s Counsel has lodged a complaint with FERC demanding that PJM Interconnection stop charging the state $2 billion of its $22 billion grid‑upgrade bill, which would add $1.6 billion to Maryland ratepayers over the next decade. The upgrade is intended...
ZimaBoard V2 Boosts CPU, RAM, Keeps Passive Cooling
Following the original ZimaBoard, version 2 has an improved processor and memory, but the same passively cooled NAS credentials. https://t.co/m8DNLqUpp4
How to Take Control of the AI Data Center Boom and Built It Into Your Own Home in the Future
Home‑based micro data centers are emerging as a niche solution to the AI compute surge, with builders like PulteGroup partnering with Nvidia and Span to install fractional nodes on new houses. Proponents cite land savings, energy‑efficiency and waste‑heat reuse, while...
OnePlus 15R's Giant Battery Outshines Missing Telephoto Lens
Even with a missing telephoto lens, the OnePlus 15R's massive new battery makes it unbeatable in its category. https://t.co/yKXAPmliFe
Why 2026 Is the Year Handheld Gaming PCs Got Real
Handheld gaming PCs have finally broken out of the enthusiast niche in 2026, joining consoles as a mainstream purchase option. Advances in x86 silicon, cooler thermals and OLED displays now deliver desktop‑level performance in a 7‑inch form factor. Battery life...
Meet oMLX : Apple Silicon’s Fastest Local AI Model Runner
OMLX is an open‑source inference engine built on Apple’s MLX framework that maximizes Apple Silicon’s unified memory and GPU capabilities. By leveraging zero‑copy arrays, lazy computation, and a dual‑layer cache (RAM + SSD), it cuts latency and boosts throughput to 47 tokens...
Nextorage NEM-PAC 2TB SSD Review: A Solid, PS5-Ready Workhorse
The Nextorage NEM‑PAC 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD retails for $289.99 and delivers up to 7,400 MB/s reads and 6,400 MB/s writes, matching the performance of higher‑priced rivals. It uses a Silicon Motion SM2268XT2 controller paired with Samsung 236‑layer TLC NAND and includes a...
Insta360's New Vlog Camera Features Detachable Remote
It looks as though the upcoming vlogging camera from Insta360 will offer a detachable remote control unit. https://t.co/RZCR3W8Oq7
Elon’s Compute Sale Reshapes Anthropic and SpaceX IPO
The All-In pod asked: what would it take to truly "solve" compute for Anthropic/Claude? Elon sold them 300MW of compute to help them in the short term. As usual the conversation was hard to follow, but let me see if I can...
Chinese Team Unveils Largest Cosmological Simulation, Mapping the Universe in Petabytes
A Chinese-led research consortium has released the most expansive cosmological simulation to date, generating petabytes of data equivalent to 500,000 HD movies. The digital universe maps dark matter's cosmic web at unprecedented resolution, offering a new benchmark for theory and...
Quantum Computing Weekly Round-Up: Week Ending May 9, 2026
China’s Origin Quantum unveiled the fourth‑generation Origin Wukong‑180, a superconducting quantum computer equipped with 180 qubits and a fully domestic hardware stack. In parallel, Haiqu introduced HaiquOS, an agentic quantum operating system that blends AI‑driven agents with proprietary middleware to speed...
Anthropic Taps SpaceX's Colossus 1 Supercomputer to Boost Claude Capacity
Anthropic announced a partnership with SpaceX that grants it access to the Colossus 1 data center—over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs and more than 300 MW of compute. The boost will double rate limits for Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans and raise...
Best Budget Gaming Laptops of 2026: The Best Cheap Laptops We've Tested and Benchmarked
Tom's Hardware evaluated the current generation of budget gaming laptops, highlighting that the market under $1,500 now typically ships with Nvidia RTX 5050‑5070 GPUs and the latest Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen 7 processors. The Acer Nitro V 16S AI emerged as the...
Aikido Unveils Offshore AI Platform to Cut Grid Strain with Wind, Batteries and Seawater Cooling
San Francisco‑based Aikido Technologies announced its AO60DC floating platform, which pairs a 15‑18 MW wind turbine, battery storage and seawater‑cooled servers to deliver 10‑12 MW of AI‑grade compute. The proof‑of‑concept is slated for Norway in late 2026, with a commercial UK project...
INIU Pocket Rocket P50 Packs 45W Power in a 160‑Gram Key‑Fob Form Factor
INIU’s Pocket Rocket P50 delivers 45W fast‑charging in a 160‑gram, car‑key‑sized body, claiming the title of the smallest 10,000 mAh power bank. The review confirms its rapid charge rates, dual‑port flexibility, and sophisticated thermal engineering, positioning it as a premium everyday‑carry...
India’s Exports Reach $863 Billion, Fuel Prices Loom as Growth Test
India posted a record $863 billion in total exports for FY 2025‑26, up 4.59% year‑on‑year. The surge is powered by a booming services sector and a 40% jump in electronics, but rising global oil prices threaten to erode consumer spending as petrol...
Uber Rolls Out Driver‑car Program to Harvest AI Training Data for Future Robotaxis
Uber unveiled a plan to equip driver‑owned vehicles with high‑definition sensors that will record real‑world driving data for its future autonomous fleet. The initiative seeks to capture edge‑case scenarios such as stray trash cans and sudden pedestrians, data that synthetic...
Arm Holdings Beats Q1 Forecast, Forecasts $15B AI Revenue, Stock Swings 8%
Arm Holdings reported Q1 2026 revenue of $1.49 bn, topping Street estimates, and announced a $15 bn AI‑related revenue target by fiscal 2031. The upbeat guidance sent the shares up 8% after an initial dip, while analysts raised price targets but kept...
IonQ Touted as Top Long‑Term Quantum Computing Stock Amid 755% Revenue Surge
IonQ was highlighted as the premier quantum‑computing stock for patient investors after reporting a 755% year‑over‑year revenue increase to nearly $65 million and raising its full‑year revenue outlook to $260‑$270 million. Analysts point to the company’s accuracy lead and its first 256‑qubit...
Lunar Outpost Secures $30 Million Series B to Mass‑Produce Moon Rovers
Lunar Outpost announced the close of a $30 million Series B round led by Industrious Ventures, funding the ramp‑up of its Pegasus and Eagle rover lines for upcoming Artemis‑era missions. The financing arrives as NASA readies a $20 billion, seven‑year push for a...
Robotera Raises over $200 Million to Accelerate Humanoid Robot Deployments
Robotera, the Beijing‑based humanoid robot maker, closed a financing round of more than $200 million led by SF Group. The capital will fund rapid commercialization across logistics, automotive, electronics and service sectors, expanding the company’s global footprint.
China’s Chip Imports Surge to $50B, Oil Stalls
If you want to sell to China, it sure helps to make chips -- at least right now. April chips imports topped USD 50b Note the lack of any bounce in oil imports in dollars terms as well 1/ https://t.co/sc6I5sL5uw
MacOS 27 Threatens to Bury Time Capsule, FOSS Brings a Shovel
Apple’s upcoming macOS 27 is expected to drop Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) support, which will prevent existing Time Capsules from functioning as network backup targets. The change follows a trend that began with macOS 26’s network Time Machine issues and...
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Vs. Galaxy Z Flip 7: Maybe Not Worth the Wait?
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 8 is slated for a July 22, 2026 launch, promising a slimmer chassis, a new Exynos 2600 2 nm processor and out‑of‑the‑box Qi2 magnetic charging. The device retains the same 6.9‑inch inner and 4.1‑inch cover OLED panels, 4,300 mAh battery and 50 MP...
LS Electric Launches Beyond X Safety Offering with XSC Safety PLC, XSR Safety Relays
LS Electric introduced the Beyond X Safety lineup, featuring the XSC Safety PLC and XSR Safety Relays. The compact XSC controller delivers 16 safety inputs, four OSSD outputs and high‑density I/O, while the modular XSR relays offer customizable hardwired safety...
Best Live-Captioning Smart Glasses (2026), WIRED Tested
WIRED tested five live‑captioning smart glasses and found the Even Realities G2 to be the clear winner. Priced at $599, the G2 offers real‑time transcription in 35 languages, AI‑generated summaries, and a 10‑hour battery, but it relies on an internet connection...
Broadcom Reportedly Won't Build OpenAI's Custom Chip Unless Microsoft Buys 40 Percent of Them
OpenAI is pursuing its own AI accelerator, codenamed Nexus, with Broadcom as the chip designer. The first‑phase development, dubbed "Jalapeno," carries an estimated price tag of $18 billion, but Broadcom will only fund production if Microsoft commits to buying roughly 40%...
Supermicro-Tied Execs Used Thailand Government Entity to Ship Nvidia AI GPUs to China — Report Alleges Chinese Web Giant Alibaba...
A Bloomberg investigation links Supermicro executives to a $2.5 billion scheme that diverted restricted Nvidia AI GPUs to China using a Thailand‑based entity. The intermediary, identified as Obon Corp., is alleged to have routed H200‑based servers to Chinese internet giant Alibaba,...
TSMC and Sony Form Joint Venture to Build Next‑Gen Image Sensors in Kumamoto
TSMC and Sony Semiconductor Solutions signed a non‑binding MOU to create a joint venture in Kumamoto, Japan, focused on next‑generation image sensors. Sony will hold a majority stake and the partnership will combine Sony’s sensor design expertise with TSMC’s advanced...
Micron’s $50 B Idaho Fab Expansion Triggers Water‑Use Alarm
Micron announced a $50 billion expansion in Boise, Idaho, that will add two new semiconductor fabs and push daily water consumption from 4.7 million to over 10 million gallons. The plan has drawn sharp criticism from local residents and regulators who warn the...