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
Isolated 15 W and 30 W Converters Cut Complexity
TDK‑Lambda has introduced the CCGS series, a line of isolated DC‑DC converters delivering 15 W or 30 W in compact chassis‑mount (52 × 93 × 23.5 mm) and DIN‑rail (52 × 93 × 31.9 mm) formats. The converters accept 9‑36 V or 18‑76 V inputs and provide selectable single or dual outputs from 3.3 V to 15 V, with adjustable voltage and remote on/off control. They achieve 84‑87 % efficiency, operate from –20 °C to 70 °C, and carry IEC/EN/UL/CSA 62368‑1 certification for use up to 5,000 m altitude. The design eliminates external components, simplifying installation and reducing wiring errors for applications such as semiconductor equipment, factory automation, robotics, rail, test and measurement, and communications.
Wall-Mount 60 W Supplies Save Installation Space
XP Power has launched the AMF60 series, a family of 60 W wall‑mount AC‑DC power supplies housed in an IP42 sealed enclosure. The supplies deliver 12 V, 15 V, 19 V and 24 V outputs up to 5 A, accept 80‑264 VAC input, and feature interchangeable US,...
World’s Largest Sand Battery Survives Its Worst Winter, Ready for Roll Out
Polar Night Energy’s 1 MW/100 MWh sand battery in Pornainen, Finland, survived the harsh 2025‑26 winter, keeping district heating affordable despite electricity prices swinging from $3.30 to $410 per MWh. The system eliminated oil from the town’s heating network and cut CO₂‑equivalent...
CadenceLIVE Unveils Chip Design Challenges and SaaS Tool Power
.@Cadence’s CadenceLIVE Silicon Valley 2026 took place on April 15–16, 2026 in Santa Clara, a week after #GTC2026. Cadence has just put the discussion between @nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang & @Cadence CEO, Anirudh Devgan on YouTube. It’s a great listen...
Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game?
Shield AI unveiled an updated X‑BAT stealth fighter drone at Sea‑Air‑Space 2026, showcasing a tail‑sitting VTOL design controlled by its proprietary “Hivemind” artificial‑intelligence pilot. The drone’s internal payload bays are sized like those of the F‑35, allowing it to carry...
Companies Chase AR Headsets to Amplify Distraction
That is why companies are so eager to develop head mounted AR displays to create even more distraction.
Samsung Announces AI‑Powered Galaxy Glasses and New Clip‑Style Earbuds
Samsung confirmed that an audio‑only AI‑enabled Galaxy Glasses will launch later this year, with a display‑equipped version slated for 2026. The company also teased a new clip‑style earbud, the Galaxy Buds Able, as it doubles down on premium wearables amid...
Mahindra Launches Autonomous Tractor Fleet in Punjab and Haryana
Mahindra & Mahindra has started rolling out a fleet of autonomous tractors across key farming belts in Punjab and Haryana. The self‑driving machines, equipped with LiDAR and computer‑vision sensors, aim to offset rural labor shortages and modernize India's agritech sector.
Nvidia’s Next Big Market
The episode explores NVIDIA’s evolution from a gaming GPU maker to a dominant force in AI and robotics, highlighting Jensen Huang’s strategy of creating "zero‑billion‑dollar" markets—products with no existing customers that later become essential. Guest author Stephen Witt explains how...
This $170 Retro-Style Dock Gives Your Mac Mini a Tiny Screen and Upgradeable Storage
The Wokyis M5 Retro Dock Station adds a 5‑inch secondary display, an M.2 NVMe slot and a full suite of ports to the Mac mini. Two models are offered: a $169.99 base version with 10 Gbps USB‑C and a $339.99 Thunderbolt 5...
The Quirky Old-School Refrigerators Named For A Civil War Gunship
The General Electric Monitor Top refrigerator, introduced in 1927, borrowed its name and iconic cylindrical compressor from the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor. Designed by GE chief engineer Christian Steenstrup, the fridge combined Victorian styling with modern functionality, becoming a visual...
Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra Might Finally Break the 5,000mAh Barrier
Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra adds Qi2 wireless charging, UFS 5.0 storage and a rumored 5,500 mAh battery, yet internal redesigns to accommodate the S Pen and new charging standard limit space and drive incremental upgrades. The handset will ship with either Snapdragon...
Electronics‑Free Smart Lens Monitors Glaucoma and Releases Medication
Researchers have developed a prototype electronics-free smart contact lens that can track glaucoma in real time and deliver drugs in response. https://spectrum.ieee.org/smart-contact-lens-glaucoma-microfluidics
Japan Is Building Military Drones Out of Cardboard, and They're Faster and Cheaper than You'd Expect
Japanese startup Air Kamuy is introducing the AirKamuy 150, a fixed‑wing drone built from corrugated cardboard that costs roughly $3,000 per unit—significantly cheaper than the $10,000 Lucas drone. The design folds flat, can be assembled by hand in about five minutes,...
I Love Everything About Valve's Steam Controller Except This One Major Flaw
Valve’s new Steam Controller impresses with trackpads that double as a mouse and keyboard, long battery life, and virtually no input lag, making it a strong candidate for TV‑PC setups. However, the accompanying Steam software is unintuitive: the default desktop...
SPEC CPU 2026
The SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite has not yet been officially released, as indicated by numerous broken links on the official page. Community member CouncilorIrissa shared an archived version of the overview to preserve the current specifications. The suite includes...
Oppo's Find X9 Ultra Debuts 7,050 mAh Silicon‑Carbon Battery, Threatening Lithium‑Ion Dominance
Oppo has rolled out its Find X9 Ultra flagship equipped with a 7,050 mAh silicon‑carbon battery and 100 W wired charging, a capacity 25‑35% larger than typical lithium‑ion cells. Independent testing shows the device outlasting Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max in a...
From Market Leader to Obscurity: HTC’s Rapid Decline
HTC once held a quarter of the smartphone market. Two years later they had almost nothing left. They went from leading Android to vanishing from the industry’s front line. This is the story of rise and fall of HTC:
Chinese Cart Assistant Moves Using Simple Foot Tilt
Next-Gen Cart Assistant from China Moves with a Simple Foot Tilt by @RealXavier011 #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology #Tech https://t.co/gPLuPz3iSU
PyroDelta’s Thermoelectric Pipes Turn Data‑Center Waste Heat Into Power
PyroDelta Energy announced a new method for growing bismuth telluride crystals that can be molded into thermoelectric pipes, enabling data‑center operators to convert a portion of waste heat into usable electricity. The breakthrough addresses the growing cooling challenge of AI‑driven...
Generative Design Powers One Click Metal Drone Frame
Generative Design Meets Metal #3D Printing: One Click Metal’s #Drone Frame Takes Flight via @WevolverApp #3Dprinted #Technology #Innovation #EmergingTech #TechForGood https://t.co/CSog25pjl3
GameSir G8 Galileo: Wired USB‑C Controller with Hall‑Effect Joysticks
The GameSir G8 Galileo is a wired USB-C mobile controller with full-size grips, Hall effect joysticks and triggers, and a pair of programmable back buttons. https://t.co/yJlMe5Svtl
Inference Is Giving AI Chip Startups a Second Chance to Make Their Mark
AI adoption is moving from model training to inference, creating a fragmented workload landscape. Startups are exploiting this heterogeneity by pairing specialized chips—such as Groq's SRAM‑heavy LPUs—with GPUs for pre‑fill tasks, while others use wafer‑scale or optical accelerators for decode....
IPhone 17 vs iPhone Air: Which Should You Choose?
We've compared the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air in detail to help you decide which one to buy. https://t.co/YAfhdf4LG3
Inference Revives AI Chip Startups' Market Prospects
Inference is giving AI chip startups a second chance to make their mark https://t.co/Jj2cR4IgwS https://t.co/7sYm6hPqyw
Inference Is Giving AI Chip Startups a Second Chance to Make Their Mark
AI adoption is moving from model training to inference, creating a heterogeneous workload landscape. Startups see an opening to specialize in either pre‑fill or decode phases, where GPUs, LPUs, and wafer‑scale chips excel in different ways. Nvidia’s $20 billion Groq acquihire...
Beyond NAND: Master the Deeper Logic Stack
Pff... NAND gates are for rookies who are too afraid of digging deeper into the stack.
TSMC Unveils 1.6nm A16 Process, Promising 10% Speed Gain and 20% Power Cut for Q4 2026
TSMC said its upcoming A16 1.6nm node will enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026, offering an 8‑10% speed improvement or a 15‑20% power reduction over its current 2nm N2P technology. The announcement positions the company at the...
Chinese Humanoid Robot Pioneer Peng Zhihui Rolls Out 10,000th AgiBot Amid Global Market Surge
Peng Zhihui, co‑founder and CTO of AgiBot, announced the 10,000th humanoid robot leaving its Shanghai line, cementing a 39% share of the worldwide market. The milestone comes as Chinese robotics firms showcase thousands of new applications at the Digital China...
Don’t Wait for WWDC: New Leaks Reveal the M5 Mac Studio Is Delayed Until October
Apple has pushed the launch of its 2026 Mac Studio, powered by the new M5 Ultra chip, from the expected WWDC window to October 2026. The delay is driven by a global shortage of high‑performance memory, a bottleneck intensified by...
Flickstop
SSI Mantra announced the Vimana drone‑based surgical system, a portable platform that launches autonomous drones to deliver sterile operating kits and real‑time tele‑medicine support to frontline combat zones. The system pairs a lightweight surgical module with AI‑driven diagnostics, enabling medics...
EU Accused of Wasting €20B on AI Computing Dreams
The European Union has set aside roughly €20 billion ($21.8 billion) to build four‑to‑five AI "gigafactories"—mega‑scale computing hubs equipped with about 100,000 GPUs each. The initiative, announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, aims to give Europe sovereign compute capacity and...
Anthropic in Early Talks to Buy DRAM-Less AI Inference Chips From UK Startup — Fractile's SRAM Architecture Reduces Need for...
Anthropic is in early talks with UK chip startup Fractile to add a fourth AI inference silicon supplier alongside Nvidia, Google and Amazon. Fractile’s SRAM‑based design eliminates the need for off‑chip DRAM, promising dramatically lower latency and cost. The chips...
U.S. Army Orders Closed-Circuit Wind Tunnel
The U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal issued a solicitation on May 1, 2026 for a closed‑circuit wind tunnel to be installed in the Army Primary Standards Laboratory. The tunnel will support Laser Doppler Velocimetry testing, enabling air‑speed measurements from 0.15 m/s...
Compact Travel Shaver Delivers Power, Misses Trimmer Option
A compact travel shaver with great battery life that performs as advertised — though a trimmer attachment would've been nice for beard-havers. https://t.co/wxBt7C8gYd
Roku and TCL Hit with Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Defective Roku TV Software Updates That Brick Smart Televisions
A federal class action has been filed against Roku Inc. and TCL North America alleging that automatic software updates have bricked thousands of Roku‑powered smart televisions. The complaint targets Roku Select and Plus series as well as TCL 3‑Series through...
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: The “Passport” Design That Makes Other Folds Look Ancient
Samsung will unveil its Galaxy Z Fold 8 series in July 2024, adding three models: the traditional tall Z Fold 8, the new wider Z Wide Fold, and the clamshell Z Flip 8. The Wide Fold introduces a tablet‑like aspect ratio, while both...
The Best Way to Install Your New Video Doorbell
CNET’s step‑by‑step guide explains how to install a video doorbell, covering both wired and battery‑powered options. It details the simple wiring process using existing 16‑24 V doorbell circuits and outlines the battery alternative for renters or quick installs. The article also...
Turtle Beach WaveFront ISA Sound Cards Seeing Suspend/Resume Support On Linux In 2026
Linux kernel development in 2026 has revived support for legacy ISA sound cards, with suspend and resume functionality now being added for the Turtle Beach WaveFront series. A patch queued in the for‑next branch will land in Linux 7.2, extending power‑management...
Ranking: Best All-Around Laptops Reviewed by Notebookcheck
Notebookcheck’s April 2026 ranking spotlights the premium multimedia laptops that blend powerful CPUs, dedicated GPUs and high‑resolution displays for creators and power users. The list is led by the Lenovo ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 and RTX 5070, while Apple’s MacBook Pro 16 M5 Pro and...
Nvidia Teams with Oklo to Power AI Data Centers with Compact Nuclear Reactors
Nvidia has partnered with nuclear‑tech firm Oklo and Los Alamos National Laboratory to use AI‑driven simulations for faster fuel development in Oklo's compact reactors. The collaboration aims to create a reliable, carbon‑free power source for AI data centers, addressing the...
PlayStation 6 Launch Pushed to 2028‑2029 as AI‑driven RAM Shortage Bites
Sony Interactive Entertainment is reportedly postponing the PlayStation 6 launch to 2028 or 2029 because of a global shortage of high‑bandwidth RAM driven by AI data‑center demand. Leaks suggest a major hardware leap—Zen 6 CPU, RDNA 5 GPU, 30 GB DDR7 memory—and a...
Infleqtion Goes Public via SPAC, Stock Opens at $14.25 with $2.6B Market Cap
Infleqtion (INFQ) completed a SPAC merger on Feb. 17, debuting at $14.25 per share and a $2.57 billion market value. The pure‑play cold‑atom quantum firm aims to lift 2026 revenue to $40 million while it expands government‑backed sensor and timing contracts.
Verizon Offers Galaxy S26 Bundle with No Trade‑in, Extra Devices
Verizon's latest deal on the Galaxy S26 waives the trade-in criteria, gets you up to four devices for cheap, and even throws in a tablet and smartwatch. https://t.co/GTrSOTOeEr
Building AI Infrastructure Communities Can Actually Support
AI's rapid expansion is prompting a wave of new data‑center projects, but more than $64 billion worth have been delayed or cancelled after local communities objected to the expected electricity, water and air‑quality impacts. The opposition stems from real experiences of...
Southwest Flight Delayed Over an Hour as Humanoid Robot Bebop Triggers Safety Checks
Southwest Airlines postponed a Oakland‑San Diego flight for over an hour when a 70‑pound humanoid robot, Bebop, boarded with a lithium battery larger than the carrier’s allowed size. Elite Event Robotics, the robot’s operator, is working to replace the battery...
Microsoft Retracts 32GB RAM Recommendation After Gamer Backlash
A new Microsoft blog post recommended 32GB of RAM for serious gamers, but after user backlash, it's gone again. https://t.co/AUp52yCbV8
This Mind-Reading Beanie Could Make Keyboards Obsolete
Palo Alto startup Sabi has unveiled a wearable brain‑computer interface that looks like a beanie. The hat embeds up to 100,000 tiny EEG sensors and claims to convert thoughts into typed text at roughly 30 words per minute. Unlike invasive...
Coway Airmega Mighty2 Review: The Sequel Is Better Than the Original
Coway launched the Airmega Mighty2, an upgraded version of its best‑selling affordable air purifier. The new model expands coverage to 1,800 sq ft per hour, doubles filter lifespan to 12 months, and adds a real‑time AQI display with a MegaScan laser sensor. It...
Capacity Planning Modeling: Using Little's Law to Predict Hardware Needs
The post explains how Little’s Law (L = λW) provides a precise framework for capacity planning by tying together concurrency, request rate, and latency. Using a 500 RPS API with 200 ms response time, it shows that 100 concurrent requests are required, and that...