Today's Hardware Pulse
Apollo and Blackstone fund $35B credit line for Anthropic’s TPU acquisition
Apollo Global Management and Blackstone closed a $35 billion private‑credit facility to finance Anthropic’s purchase of Broadcom‑built Google‑designed TPU chips. The financing is expected to add about 1 GW of compute capacity, with deployment slated for Fluidstack data‑center sites by mid‑2024.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Factorial Energy goes public via $1.3B SPAC merger

3 Lessons Learned From Developing a Novel Neurotechnology Device
QuantalX Neuroscience’s Delphi‑MD, a hybrid TMS‑EEG platform powered by AI, received FDA de novo classification in November 2025 and entered commercial launch in February 2026. The device delivers real‑time, age‑adjusted brain‑function assessments by comparing patient data to a cleared normative database. CEO Dr. Iftach Dolev highlighted three hard‑won lessons: start field testing with clinicians early, anticipate workflow disruption when introducing neurofunctional imaging, and navigate the FDA de novo process with seasoned regulatory expertise. These insights aim to guide other med‑tech innovators tackling novel neuro‑diagnostic tools.

50 Mpg in a Nissan Crossover? Testing the New E-Power Hybrid System.
Nissan is debuting a third‑generation E‑Power series‑hybrid system, featuring a 1.5 L turbocharged three‑cylinder engine paired with a 202 hp front electric motor. Tested in a European‑spec Qashqai, the powertrain delivered a mixed‑cycle fuel economy of 47.7 mpg, with potential to exceed 50 mpg...
Mastercam 2026.R2 Delivers GPU-Accelerated Simulation and AI-Powered Assistance
Mastercam unveiled its 2026.R2 update, the second release in a new semi‑annual cadence, delivering GPU‑accelerated simulation and an AI‑driven Copilot assistant. The GPU engine reduces verification times from roughly 90 minutes to just over 22 minutes while preserving accuracy. Copilot...
Arch Platform Technologies, Wacom Integrate Wacom Bridge For Virtual Workflows’
Arch Platform Technologies and Wacom have integrated Wacom Bridge into Arch’s cloud GPU workstation platform, enabling artists to use Wacom pen displays with full driver support and reduced latency. The joint solution, launched on Feb. 24, offers a "local‑like" feel...

National Retail Solutions (NRS) Named Official POS Provider for Krauszer’s Food Stores as Legendary Chain Targets Nationwide Expansion
National Retail Solutions (NRS) has been chosen as the official point‑of‑sale provider for Krauszer’s Food Stores, a historic New Jersey convenience‑store chain with more than 300 locations. The partnership will roll out NRS’s integrated POS platform across all existing stores and...

Dyze Design Patents Modular Motion Control For AM
Dyze Design has filed a patent proposing a modular motion‑control architecture that separates command streams into priority queues and splits telemetry into real‑time and archival channels. The design adds edge‑processing modules for sensors, stepper and BLDC drives, and even a...
Morehouse College Selected as Host Site for NSF Supercomputing Project
Morehouse College has secured an initial $5 million award from the National Science Foundation to host Horizon, a flagship supercomputer within the $457 million Leadership-Class Computing Facility. The project, led by the Texas Advanced Computing Center, will place one of the Southeast’s...
Siemens to Deliver Industry-Leading PCB Test Engineering Solutions
Siemens announced the acquisition of ASTER Technologies, a specialist in PCB test and reliability solutions, to bolster its electronic design automation (EDA) portfolio. ASTER’s design‑for‑test, design‑for‑manufacturing, and design‑for‑reliability tools will be integrated into Siemens’ end‑to‑end digital‑thread platform, enabling earlier validation...
Lemhi Supercomputer Expands Idaho Research Capacity
The Lemhi supercomputer, deployed through a partnership between Idaho National Laboratory and the state’s three public research universities, replaces the aging Falcon system and delivers markedly faster performance. Hosted at INL’s Collaborative Computing Center, Lemhi provides remote, on‑demand high‑performance computing...

This Braun Electric Shaver Is the Best We’ve Ever Tried – and It’s Now £260 Cheaper
The Braun Series 9 Pro+ electric shaver, T3’s top‑rated grooming tool, is now priced at £239.99 after a £260 discount at Boots. Originally £499.99, the deal includes a charging stand, travel case and cleaning brush. The shaver boasts Ultra Thin Precision Blades,...

AM SOLUTIONS INTRODUCES THE M4 BASIC, A COST-EFFECTIVE ENTRY-LEVEL MODEL POST-PROCESSING SYSTEM
AM Solutions, a brand of the Rösler Group, launched the M4 Basic, a compact, cost‑effective vibratory finishing system for additive‑manufactured metal and polymer parts. The unit processes workpieces up to 70 × 70 × 25 mm and combines a 20‑litre rotary vibrator with a 25‑litre...

Your Watch Will One Day Track Blood Pressure
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin demonstrated a non‑contact method for measuring blood pressure by reflecting near‑field radio waves off the wrist. They built a wearable prototype using a patch antenna, circulator and a custom 2.4 GHz integrated circuit...
Google Cloud N4 Series Benchmarks: Google Axion Vs. Intel Xeon Vs. AMD EPYC Performance
Google Cloud’s new N4A series, powered by the in‑house Axion ARM64 processor, was benchmarked against the existing N4 Intel Xeon and N4D AMD EPYC instances. All three tests used 16 vCPU configurations, 400 GB storage and Ubuntu 25.10. The Axion chips lack simultaneous...
Microwave Transmission Equipment Market Flattens Out in 2025
Dell’Oro Group reports that point‑to‑point microwave transmission equipment revenue was flat in 2025 after a strong first half, ending 1% below the prior year. The decline was driven by weakened demand in India and Latin America despite earlier growth expectations....

Finland’s Prenew Secures €1.8 Million to Scale Its Used Gaming PC Marketplace Across Europe
Prenew, an Espoo‑based marketplace for refurbished gaming PCs, has raised €1.8 million in a round led by Antler, with participation from several European VCs and operator syndicates. The funding will finance expansion into new European markets and a hiring surge of...

Silicon Becomes Core Driver of Data Center Networking
#Technology #Thread #Semiconductor #Manufacturing #Data The Semiconductor Data Networking: 1/ - Modern Data Center Networking Is No Longer Just A Software Or Infrastructure Challenge. It Starts With Semiconductor Capability. - Bandwidth Growth, AI Traffic, And Cloud Scale Push Silicon To Become The Core...

Here's How You Can Get a Meta Quest 3 for Just $1 with This Shooting Star of a Bundle
Meta’s latest standalone headset, the Quest 3, ships with a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, 2064 × 2208 per‑eye resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate, positioning it as the market’s most capable consumer VR device. The headset supports a growing library of exclusives such as...
Startech.com Thunderbolt 5 Universal Docking Station Review
StarTech’s Thunderbolt 5 Universal Docking Station offers a surprisingly low‑priced entry into the emerging TB5 ecosystem, retailing around £253. It supports three simultaneous 4K displays, 2.5 GbE Ethernet, and delivers up to 140 W of power to connected laptops. Performance tests show 3,130 MB/s...
Startech.com Thunderbolt 5 Universal Docking Station Review
The Startech Thunderbolt 5 Universal Docking Station delivers high‑bandwidth connectivity, triple‑4K display support, 2.5 GbE networking, and up to 140 W laptop charging at a price well below most competitors. In real‑world tests it handled three external monitors, SSD transfers near 3 GB/s, and...

Teledyne FLIR OEM Launches Lepton XDS at Mobile World Congress; A Compact Thermal‑Visible Camera Module Featuring Patented MSX Technology
Teledyne FLIR OEM unveiled the Lepton XDS at Mobile World Congress, a compact dual‑thermal‑and‑visible camera module that pairs a 160 × 120 radiometric Lepton 3.5 sensor with a five‑megapixel visible imager. The device embeds FLIR’s patented MSX technology, which overlays visible‑image edges onto thermal...
Limiter, LM-118-100W-22DBM
The LM-118-100W-22DBM is a high‑power RF limiter covering 1 to 18 GHz and tolerating up to 100 W continuous wave across –55 °C to +85 °C. It caps leakage at 22 dBm, introduces only 2.6 dB insertion loss, and recovers in 100 ns or less. Housed in a compact...
PS5-Sized Gadget Offers 25 Gbps Fiber‑like Wi‑Fi
Forget Starlink – this PS5-sized device promises to deliver fiber-like 25Gbps internet speeds using invisible beams of light https://www.techradar.com/computing/forget-starlink-this-ps5-sized-device-promises-to-deliver-fiber-like-25gbps-internet-speeds-using-invisible-beams-of-light
Half of This Year's Data Center Projects Likely Delayed
As many as half of the world's data center projects slated to come online this year could face delays. https://t.co/99YJh9NSoo via @axios
Reflective, High Speed, SPST Switch, P1T-500M18G-80-R-SFF-SW21841A-515
Planar Monolithics introduced the P1T‑500M18G‑80‑R‑SFF‑SW21841A‑515, a reflective high‑speed SPST RF switch covering 0.5‑18 GHz. The device delivers ≤ 2.5 dB insertion loss, ≥ 80 dB isolation, and switches in 20 ns while tolerating up to 2 W average (10 W peak) power. Its compact 1.97 × 0.79 × 0.53 in form factor uses...

Memory Chip Prices Surge 50% in Two Weeks
Wow, a respondent to the Dallas Fed's Service Sector report said that the prices they're paying for memory chips have jumped 50% in the last two weeks https://t.co/RdULT0epp4
AIDA64 Download Version 8.25
AIDA64 has launched version 8.25, boosting hardware detection and benchmarking for the latest CPUs and GPUs, including NVIDIA’s RTX 5000‑series. The update expands the sensor database, adds native NVMe support, and refines stress‑testing tools for more consistent results. A new Command Line...
Digital Phase Shifter, PS-100M20G-10B-SFF-MIL-SM
Planar Monolithics introduced the PS‑100M20G‑10B‑SFF‑MIL‑SM, a digitally controlled phase shifter covering 0.1 to 20 GHz. It delivers continuous 0°‑360° phase adjustment with 1024 discrete steps via ten logic inputs. The device features 13 dB insertion loss, ±5° phase‑shift error, and a 500 ns switching speed....
Euro Hosting Giant Hiking Prices by up to 50% From April Fool's Day
Hetzner, one of Europe’s largest hosting providers, announced price hikes of up to 50% effective 1 April. The increases apply to all customers across its data centres in Germany, Finland, the US and Singapore. Hetzner cites soaring hardware costs, memory shortages...

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Zebra Technologies’ AltiZ 3D sensors now power EBI Electric’s Inspector T lumber‑scanning system, delivering an eightfold increase in measurement precision. The AI‑enhanced solution identifies defects such as knots, cracks and rot, enabling manufacturers to boost usable wood yields by up to...

HPE Exposes Juniper Routers to Third-Party AI Agents
HPE announced that its newly acquired Juniper routers will be exposed to third‑party AI agents via a Model Context Protocol, enabling AI‑driven configuration and deployment. The company also introduced the PTX12000 series, scaling up to 518.4 Tbps, and the PTX10002 line...

Press Release: Gilat Receives $39 Million in Orders for Sidewinder ESA
Gilat Satellite Networks announced $39 million in orders for its Sidewinder electronically steered antenna (ESA) in‑flight connectivity terminals from a leading satellite operator, with deliveries slated over the next 12 months. The orders cover both line‑fit and retrofit installations, underscoring airlines'...
Sapphire PURE X870E WIFI 7 Review
Sapphire has unveiled its first X870‑class AM5 motherboard, the PURE X870A WIFI 7, targeting high‑end enthusiasts with a clean white‑and‑silver design. The board features a 16+2+1 VRM delivering 55 A per phase, PCIe 5.0 GPU and M.2 slots, and support for DDR5‑8400 memory. Integrated Wi‑Fi 7,...
Ultra-Wideband Low Noise Amplifier, PEC-42-1G40G-20-12-292FF
PMI‑RF introduced the PEC‑42‑1G40G‑20‑12‑292FF, an ultra‑wideband low‑noise amplifier covering 1 to 40 GHz. The device delivers 42 dB of gain with ±2.5 dB flatness and a 5.5 dB noise figure across the band. Its output‑1 dB compression point reaches 19 dBm at lower frequencies and 17 dBm at higher...

Quantcore Secures £2.5M ($3.4M USD) to Establish Sovereign Niobium-Based Quantum Hardware Manufacturing
Quantcore, a University of Glasgow spin‑out, closed a £2.5 million seed round led by PXN Ventures, Blackfinch Ventures and Scottish Enterprise. The funding will be used to build a sovereign niobium‑based quantum hardware manufacturing line at the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre,...
Hitachi and Pakal Advance Silicon Modules
Hitachi Energy and Pakal Technologies have teamed up to embed Pakal’s IGTO(t) silicon power switch into Hitachi’s high‑voltage power modules. The IGTO(t) promises roughly 30% lower conduction losses than conventional IGBTs, enhancing efficiency across rail, renewable, energy‑storage, AI and data‑centre...

X-365 Precision XY Gantry System Offers Configurable, Affordable Motion for High-Throughput, High-Accuracy Applications
Physik Instrumente (PI) unveiled the X‑365 Precision XY Gantry System, a modular Cartesian robot that delivers nanometer‑class positioning across travel ranges from 200 × 200 mm up to 600 × 800 mm. The platform combines high load capacity with integrated linear‑encoder feedback and EtherCat‑based controller compatibility,...
8-Channel Switch Filter Bank, 8SFB-2G18G-SFF
Planar Monolithics introduced the 8‑channel switch filter bank 8SFB‑2G18G‑SFF, covering 2 GHz to 18 GHz with eight selectable pass‑bands. The unit delivers 8 dB typical insertion loss, 2:1 VSWR, ±0.5 dB ripple and 82.8 dB out‑of‑band rejection. Switching occurs in 200 ns and the device handles...
Compound Semiconductor Materials Market Growing at 14% CAGR to Almost $5.2bn by 2031
Yole Group’s 2026 report projects the global compound‑semiconductor substrate and epiwafer market to grow at a 14% CAGR, reaching roughly $5 bn by 2031. The surge is powered by electrification, AI‑driven data‑center demand, and next‑generation connectivity, with silicon carbide (SiC) anchoring...

Apple’s $599 MacBook SE Leak: Why It’s Swapping M-Series for the A18 Pro Chip
Apple is reportedly developing an entry‑level MacBook SE priced between $599 and $799, aimed at students and budget‑conscious users. The device will feature a minimalist design with a 12.9‑ or 13.3‑inch display, limited USB‑C ports, and 8 GB of RAM with...
Digital Attenuator, DTA-200M18G-100-CD-EXT
Planar Monolithics introduced the DTA‑200M18G‑100‑CD‑EXT, an 8‑bit digitally tuned attenuator covering 0.2 to 18 GHz. It offers a massive 100 dB attenuation range with ±3 dB accuracy and flatness throughout. The device features fast switching (1 µs on, 0.5 µs off), a maximum insertion loss of 12 dB,...

Anritsu, Qualcomm to Present Pre-6G 7 GHz Device Testing at MWC
Qualcomm and Anritsu will showcase a pre‑6G mobile‑device test case operating at 7.125 GHz during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The demonstration uses an upgraded Anritsu MT8000A test station, extending its RF hardware to cover 7‑16 GHz, thereby adding support for lower...

Wear OS Can Now Send Life-Saving Earthquake Alerts without Your Phone
Google is rolling out Play Services v26.07, enabling Wear OS smartwatches to receive earthquake alerts without a paired phone. The update works server‑side and activates on cellular or Wi‑Fi‑connected watches, leveraging built‑in gyroscopes and accelerometers to detect seismic activity. By removing...
AMD's HIP Moves To Using LLVM's New Offload Driver By Default
AMD’s HIP runtime will now use LLVM’s new offload driver by default starting with LLVM 23, aligning it with CUDA and OpenMP offloading paths. The modern driver offers a unified interface, device‑side LTO, static library support, and cross‑platform compatibility. Previously, HIP...

SoftBank Corp. Subsidiary SAIMEMORY and Intel Collaborate to Commercialize Next-Generation Memory Technology
SoftBank’s wholly owned subsidiary SAIMEMORY has signed a joint development agreement with Intel to bring Z‑Angle Memory (ZAM) to market. The partnership leverages Intel’s Next‑Gen DRAM Bonding (NGDB) research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Memory Technology program. Prototypes...

Xinnor Named Startup of the Year at StorageNewsletter Awards 2026
StorageNewsletter announced Xinnor as Startup of the Year at its inaugural 2026 awards, selected from more than 100 entries across 11 categories. The jury highlighted Xinnor’s pure‑software approach to large‑scale data protection, a segment gaining urgency as AI and high‑performance...

DigitalOcean Elevates Its Agentic Inference Cloud with GPU Droplets Powered by AMD Instinct MI350X GPUs
DigitalOcean has launched GPU Droplets powered by AMD Instinct MI350X GPUs, enhancing its agentic inference cloud for production AI workloads. The MI350X, built on CDNA‑4, delivers lower latency, higher token‑generation throughput and doubles request throughput while cutting inference costs by 50%...

Speedata Partners with Nebul to Bring High-Performance Big Data and AI Analytics to European Sovereign Cloud
Speedata Ltd. announced a partnership with Nebul to integrate its purpose‑built Analytics Processing Unit (APU) into Nebul’s European sovereign cloud. The APU claims up to 100× performance gains over CPUs and GPUs for Apache Spark workloads, cutting server counts and...

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Which Flagship Reigns Supreme?
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max represent the 2026 flagship duopoly, each championing a distinct design and ecosystem philosophy. Samsung leans on a brighter 3,000‑nit Dynamic AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 200 MP camera and...

Credo Technology’s Toucan PCIe Retimer Achieves PCI‑SIG Compliance
Credo Technology announced that its 7 nm Toucan PCIe retimer has achieved PCI‑SIG compliance at 32.0 GT/s, meeting PCIe 5.0 speed specifications while being ready for PCIe 6.0 and future 7.0 roadmaps. The compliance validation confirms interoperability, signal integrity, and low‑power operation across standard...

Qualstar Certifies ATTO XstreamCORE 8100T for Integration with Its Q-Series Tape Libraries
Qualstar and ATTO announced certification of ATTO’s XstreamCORE 8100T Intelligent Bridge with the full Q‑Series tape‑library portfolio, from Q8 to Q1000+. The bridge converts up to four SAS‑connected LTO‑8/9/10 drives into dual 10 Gb Ethernet iSCSI links, letting libraries attach to standard...