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
GlobalFoundries Rolls Out SCALE Silicon‑Photonic Platform to Boost AI and HPC Bandwidth
GlobalFoundries introduced its SCALE silicon‑photonic platform, designed for co‑packaged optics in AI and high‑performance computing. The solution supports 50‑100 Gbps modulators, 8‑ and 16‑wavelength links, and meets the OCI MSA standards, promising faster, more energy‑efficient data‑center interconnects.
Moment Energy Secures $40 M Series B to Build Second‑Life Battery Factory for AI Data Centers
Moment Energy announced a $40 million Series B round led by Evok Innovations, pushing total capital raised past $100 million. The financing will fund the construction of the largest North American second‑life battery factory, targeting the soaring power needs of AI‑driven data...
Broadcom Climbs to Comerica Bank’s Ninth‑largest Holding, Underscoring AI Chip Confidence
Comerica Bank trimmed its Broadcom stake by 4.7% in Q4 yet still owns 950,377 shares worth $328.9 million, making the semiconductor giant its ninth‑largest holding. The move comes amid a wave of institutional buying and analyst upgrades that push Broadcom’s price...
Arm Gains After Push Into AI Data Centers Bolsters Forecast
Arm Holdings Plc posted a robust fiscal Q1 outlook, forecasting revenue of about $1.26 billion and adjusted earnings of $0.40 per share. The figures slightly exceed analysts’ consensus of $1.25 billion revenue and $0.36 earnings. Management highlighted growing demand for its AI‑optimized...
U.S. Navy Achieves 100% Kill Rate with Portable LOCUST Laser on Carrier
The U.S. Navy reported a flawless 100% kill rate for AeroVironment’s LOCUST Laser Weapon System during sea trials aboard the carrier USS George H.W. Bush. The palletized 35‑kW laser destroyed multiple drone threats, demonstrating rapid deployment and resilience in maritime...
IBM, Cleveland Clinic, RIKEN Simulate Record 12,635‑Atom Protein on Quantum Computers
IBM, Cleveland Clinic and Japan’s RIKEN have jointly simulated a 12,635‑atom protein using quantum‑centric supercomputing, a 40‑fold increase over their previous benchmark and a 210‑times accuracy improvement. The work demonstrates that quantum processors can now tackle biologically relevant molecular systems...
Onsemi Q1 2026 Revenue $1.513 Billion, Core Metrics Beat Expectations
onsemi reported Q1 2026 revenue of $1.513 billion, topping the midpoint of its guidance, with GAAP and non‑GAAP gross margins steady at 38.5%. GAAP operating margin fell to 3.5% while non‑GAAP margin held at 19.1%, and diluted EPS was $0.08 GAAP...
AI Pivot: Electrification Infrastructure in Focus
AI‑driven data centers are exposing a critical shortfall in the United States’ power grid, prompting investors to look beyond chip makers toward the physical infrastructure that can deliver 24/7 electricity. ALPS Capital highlights this shift in its Q2 2026 market themes,...
PCIe 8.0 Spec Draft 0.5 Released For 1TB/S Bi-Directional X16 Bandwidth
The PCI‑SIG released draft version 0.5 of the PCIe 8.0 specification, which doubles the x16 bi‑directional bandwidth to 1 TB/s (256 GT/s). PCIe 8.0 retains PAM4 signaling and aims for backward compatibility while exploring new connector designs. The draft also introduces power‑reduction techniques. This...
Joyson Electronics Establishes Solid-State Battery Joint Venture, Targeting Embodied Intelligence
Joyson Electronics and battery specialist Enpower have created a joint venture, Ningbo Junen New Energy Co., to develop solid‑state batteries for embodied intelligence such as robots. The partnership will combine Joyson’s expertise in integrated energy‑management systems with Enpower’s high‑energy‑density solid‑state...
Power Drives the AI Data Center Boom, but Connectivity Cannot Be Overlooked
AI’s super‑cycle is reshaping data‑center strategy as power demand skyrockets, with Omdia forecasting global IT‑load capacity to reach 314 GW by 2030 – a 2.9‑fold rise. To sustain gigawatt‑scale training clusters, operators must adopt “scale across,” a new DCI model that...
Anthropic, SpaceX Deal Boosts Claude Compute and Points to Space-Based AI
Anthropic has secured full access to SpaceX’s Colossus 1 supercomputer, a 220,000‑GPU system delivering over 300 MW of AI compute. The added capacity will boost performance and raise rate limits for Claude Pro, Claude Max and Claude Code services. The agreement is part of Anthropic’s...
Galaxy Ring 2 Rumors Say No to 2026, Point Us Toward 'an Early' 2027 Reveal
Samsung’s next-generation smart ring, the Galaxy Ring 2, is rumored to miss a 2026 launch and instead debut in early 2027 at the January/February Galaxy Unpacked event. The delay is attributed to Samsung’s push to enhance sleep‑tracking accuracy, temperature sensors, and...
Canadian Government To Spin-Off III-V Foundry Unit
The Canadian government is preparing to spin off the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Center (CPFC) into a stand‑alone commercial entity. CPFC, the nation’s only pure‑play III‑V compound semiconductor foundry, operates a 40,000‑square‑foot facility with an additional 8,000 square feet of clean‑room...
Rare $14K 512GB Mac Studio Available—Will Vanish Fast
B&H currently has a $14,000 SKU of the Mac Studio in stock. It’s the discontinued model with 512GB of RAM. Bet it’s gone by closing time.
Sensors Converge 2026
Sensors Converge 2026 highlighted a surge of AI‑enabled sensor solutions and power‑efficiency breakthroughs. The conference underscored how AI workloads are straining electrical networks, prompting vendors to showcase programmable metasurface optical switches as a scalable fix. Notable product announcements included Posifa Technologies’...
OpenAI Built a Networking Protocol with AMD, Broadcom, Intel, Microsoft, and NVIDIA to Fix AI Supercomputer Bottlenecks
OpenAI announced a new networking protocol, Multipath Reliable Connection (MRC), co‑developed with AMD, Broadcom, Intel, Microsoft and NVIDIA. MRC distributes data packets across hundreds of simultaneous paths, dramatically reducing congestion and enabling microsecond‑scale rerouting when links fail. The protocol can...
Why Optical Circuit Switching Is Becoming Essential for AI Data Centers
Optical circuit switching (OCS) is emerging as a core architecture for AI data centers as GPU clusters grow to tens of thousands of units. By establishing dedicated light paths, OCS removes per‑packet inspection, cutting latency and energy per bit. Recent...
Anthropic Taking Over All Capacity of xAl’s First Memphis Data Center
Anthropic has signed a deal with SpaceX to occupy the entire Colossus 1 data center in Memphis, giving it access to over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs and more than 300 MW of power. The partnership instantly raises usage limits for Claude Pro and...
Sony Vs. Samsung: My Buying Advice After Testing Both Home Theater Systems
Sony and Samsung each offer distinct home‑theater ecosystems. Sony focuses on modular, cinema‑grade audio with PlayStation 5 optimization, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, and a build‑over‑time approach. Samsung delivers all‑in‑one bundles, tight SmartThings integration, and Q‑Symphony syncing for users who want...
The Latest Tile Pro Is Down to $25 — Its Best Price of the Year
Tile’s latest Pro Bluetooth tracker is now on sale for $24.99, its lowest price of the year, available on Amazon and Tile’s website. The device offers a 500‑foot Bluetooth range, a 110‑decibel ring, and a replaceable CR2032 battery lasting about...
Hamilton Unveils Integrated Glucose Sensor, Marks Decade Milestone
Hamilton Company has been coming to @SynBioBeta for years. This year, they showed up with something new. Tyler Schweder from Hamilton's process analytics team walked Gary George through their full upstream workflow: pH, dissolved oxygen, viable cell density, total cell...
Musk Has Never Built a Wafer Fab, but He Wants to Burn $119B on One Anyway
Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced the "Terafab" project, a proposed $119 billion semiconductor fabrication complex in southeast Texas. The first phase alone is budgeted at $55 billion, roughly double Intel’s recent Arizona fab expansion. SpaceX has enlisted Intel as a partner to provide...
General Devices’ User Spotlight: Inside OB Alert Success at Mercy Medical Center: Faster Response, Better Patient Care
Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts has expanded its use of General Devices’ GD Solution Suite, including e-Bridge and CAREPoint, to replace unreliable radio communications. EMS Coordinator Renee Rochette, a veteran paramedic, reports the platform now handles about 30 e‑Bridge...
A Phone Gizmo for the Post-POTS Era
Angry Audio has launched the Phone Gizmo, a hardware adapter that connects a Yealink SIP desk phone directly to a broadcast console via balanced analog audio, eliminating the need for software drivers. The device offers galvanic isolation for clean audio...
The "Large Format & Optics" Glossary
The article provides a comprehensive glossary of large‑format and optics terminology, covering sensor standards, lens physics, mount types, and on‑set workflow concepts. It outlines a tiered camera list, from "Titan" class 65mm‑plus systems like the ARRI Alexa 265 to full‑frame...
Q-CTRL Claims 3,000x Quantum Speedup for Materials Science Simulations on IBM Quantum Platform
Q-CTRL announced a 3,000‑fold speedup on a materials‑science simulation using the IBM Quantum Platform, completing a 120‑qubit electron‑interaction problem in two minutes versus over 100 hours on the best classical software. The result constitutes the first practical quantum advantage on...
Cisco: AI Growth Is Turning Wi-Fi Into Enterprise Infrastructure
Cisco's 2026 State of Wireless Report shows AI is turning Wi‑Fi into a core enterprise infrastructure. While Wi‑Fi 5 still powers 43% of networks, organizations deploying AI are far more likely (62%) to treat wireless as strategic. The survey finds 78%...
Computer Architecture in an AI-Accelerated World with Jim Ledin
Jim Ledin, CEO of Ledin Engineering, released the third edition of his book Modern Computer Architecture and Organization, adding extensive coverage of AI‑centric hardware. He argues that the prevailing GPU‑only view of AI acceleration is incomplete, highlighting the rise of TPUs,...
University of Southern Denmark, Danfoss and HPE Launch National AI Supercomputer ‘Bitten’
The University of Southern Denmark, together with Danfoss and HPE, has launched "Bitten," a national AI supercomputer that will serve all Danish universities via the UCloud research platform. The system features advanced liquid‑cooling and full heat‑recovery, feeding waste heat into...
Customers Accelerate Orders to Dodge Price Hikes, Supply Risks
While the AI infrastructure business is certainly robust, something I've been suspecting and mentioned in all the manufacturing PMIs (broadly) is the pull forward of ordering to get ahead of price increases and/or supply chain issues. That goes too for...
A Valve Glitch Made Steam Controllers Cheaper for Early Adopters
Valve discovered a billing glitch that omitted sales tax for some early purchasers of its Steam Controller, effectively lowering the $99.99 price by roughly $7 in high‑tax states. The issue was flagged on the Steam subreddit, prompting Valve to confirm...
ICYMI – Microsoft Definitely Never Said You Want 32GB Of RAM To Run Win11
Microsoft quietly removed a blog post that suggested 32 GB of RAM as a “no‑worries” upgrade for Windows 11 gaming, a claim that conflicted with the OS’s official minimum of 4 GB and preferred 8 GB. The deletion followed a wave of backlash from...
AI Compute Shortage Grants Providers Massive Pricing Power
One thing is for certain, the demand for AI compute resources far exceeds the supply, and probably will for the foreseeable future. Probably for a few years at least. Companies are going to have to compete for limited AI resources. They’re...
Semiconductor Returns So High They're Fully Conductors
Semiconductors? With these kinds of returns, I am surprised the group should be called Fully conductors. There's nothing semi about them.
Linux 7.2 To Integrate The AMDGPU "Power Module" To Better Align With Windows
The Linux 7.2 kernel will incorporate a new AMDGPU Display Core (DC) power module that mirrors the power‑management behavior of Windows. The module focuses on backlight control and Panel Self Refresh, aiming for a unified experience across operating systems. Alongside...
Compute Is Money: Race to Scale Inference Power
Hopefully, it is abundantly clear that Jensen was right when he said compute = $. The race is on to acquire and bring online as much compute as possible as fast as possible. Inference era economics $$$ 🚀
Nearity 360 Alien Camera Revolutionizes Multi‑Person Video Calls
Using a laptop webcam for your video meetings? Yikes. The Nearity 360 Alien Conference Camera, with 4 lenses, mic array & hi-fi speaker is a game changer that supports 10+ person meetings. Here's my demo and review: https://t.co/NL1YWMlGmn #zoom #meet...
Intel, Behind in AI Chips, Bets on Quantum and Neuromorphic Processors
Intel, trailing its rivals in AI accelerators, is betting on quantum and neuromorphic processors to revive its growth. CEO Lip‑Bu Tan named veteran Pushkar Ranade as chief technology officer, tasking him with advancing quantum computing, neuromorphic chips, photonics and novel...
Blink Doorbell 2K+ Adds AI Video Captions for US
The Blink Doorbell 2K+ is available in wired and battery-powered versions, and US subscribers can get AI-generated video descriptions sent to their phones. https://t.co/HSaZ7MDz1V
Exploring CPU, GPU, QPU Convergence in Next‑Gen Supercomputing
Next up. It's @jmchow talking about the conversion of CPUs, GPUs and QPUs..The new super computing. #IBMThink https://t.co/oXRQoukO51
SpaceX May Spend up to $119B on ‘Terafab’ Chip Factory in Texas
SpaceX is weighing a $55 billion initial outlay, potentially rising to $119 billion, to build a vertically integrated semiconductor plant dubbed "Terafab" in Grimes County, Texas. The proposal, filed on the county website, envisions a multi‑phase fab that could eventually generate one...
Discussing AMD, ARM, and NVIDIA on Power Lunch
Thanks @SullyCNBC for having me on Power Lunch to discuss $AMD, $ARM, and $NVDA. https://t.co/lK0BLNhhXg https://t.co/DGfK9M8mn7
AMD Poised to Dominate Expanding Data Center CPU Market
Shared some thoughts on $AMD along with how we see the data center CPU TAM expansion playing out.
We Tested And Loved This Smart Air Purifier, And Now It's 20% Off
Popular Mechanics highlights the Blueair Blue Pure 511i Max as its top smart air purifier, now offered at a 20% discount on Amazon, dropping the price from $140 to $112. The unit is engineered for rooms up to 926 sq ft, delivering rapid filtration...
MDA Space Reports 41 Commitments for CHORUS Ahead of Launch
MDA Space disclosed 41 early customer commitments for its upcoming CHORUS synthetic‑aperture‑radar constellation, comprising nine signed contracts and 32 letters of interest. The two‑satellite system pairs a broad‑area C‑band radar with a high‑resolution X‑band sensor supplied by ICEYE, enabling a...
BALLUFF INC. LAUNCHES THE NEW BVS CA-GW 25GIGE FANLESS, ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND FAST INDUSTRIAL CAMERAS
Balluff Inc. announced the BVS CA‑GW 25GigE family of fanless industrial cameras, featuring up to 24.6 megapixel resolution and frame rates above 100 fps. The cameras employ Sony Pregius sensors, RoCEv2 RDMA over fiber or copper, and consume only 11 W, enabling compact,...
Smart Meters Explained: Will They Raise or Lower Your Energy Costs?
Smart meters are digital devices that record household electricity use in near‑real time and automatically send the data to utilities. Major U.S. utilities such as PG&E, Duke Energy, Southern Company and Xcel Energy are rolling out the technology to cut...
Anthropic to Use All of SpaceX-xAI's Colossus 1 Data Center Compute
Anthropic will lease the entire compute capacity of SpaceX‑xAI’s Colossus 1 data center, unlocking over 300 MW of power and more than 220,000 Nvidia GPUs within a month. The arrangement gives Anthropic control of nearly half of xAI’s total GPU fleet, boosting...
AMD Highlights Instinct MI430X GPU, Future HPC Systems at HPC User Forum
At the HPC User Forum in Austin, AMD unveiled its Instinct MI430X GPU, promising more than 200 teraflops of native FP64 performance—roughly six times the upcoming NVIDIA Rubin chip. The company highlighted the MI430X as a dual‑purpose accelerator for high‑precision...