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
I Didn't Know There Were Two Kinds of Network Switches Until I Almost Bought the Wrong One — Here's What...
The article explains that network switches fall into two categories—unmanaged and managed—and why the distinction matters when purchasing. Unmanaged switches are plug‑and‑play devices that cover speeds from 100 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps, making them ideal for most home networks. Managed switches add enterprise‑grade features such as VLAN segmentation, QoS prioritization, redundancy, and port authentication, but they require configuration and cost more. Choosing the right type balances convenience, capability, and budget.
Retina Scan for Diabetes Could Also Reduce Deaths During Pregnancy in Developing Countries
Bill Gates highlighted Remidio's AI‑powered retinal camera that captures high‑resolution eye images in seconds using a smartphone. The device, already deployed in 40 countries for over 15 million diabetes screenings, can also identify early signs of gestational diabetes and pre‑eclampsia without...
Qualcomm Shares Jump $15B on Q2 Beat and 5G/AI Growth Outlook
Qualcomm's shares surged 12% after the chipmaker posted fiscal Q2 results that beat forecasts, highlighted a 38% jump in automotive revenue and outlined a roadmap for custom silicon and AI‑enabled 5G chips. The rally added roughly $15 billion to the company's...
Michigan Townships Clash with Tech Giants Over Hyperscale Data Center Plans
Michigan townships are confronting tech giants over proposed hyperscale data centers, with residents citing water, electricity and noise concerns. At a 600‑person meeting, Saline Township opposed Microsoft’s rezoning request, while unions nationwide tout the projects as a job engine, sparking...
Oura Adds Birth‑Control and Menopause Tracking to Smart Ring
Oura is launching Hormonal Birth Control support and Menopause Insights on its smart ring, beginning May 6. The update lets users log over 20 contraception methods and track menopause symptoms, linking them to temperature, sleep and recovery data.
Park Systems Launches NX1 AFM, Enabling Atomic‑Scale Imaging in Ambient Labs
Park Systems Corp. unveiled the NX1 atomic‑force microscope, a compact system that provides atomic‑scale images in ambient conditions. Developed with Prof. Franz J. Giessibl, the instrument cuts noise by an order of magnitude, making sub‑nanometer imaging routine for research and...
Dyson Launches $1,200 Spot & Scrub AI Robot Vacuum‑mop, Co‑engineered with Third‑party Motor
Dyson unveiled its Spot & Scrub AI robot vacuum‑mop at $1,200, confirming the device uses a partner‑sourced motor rather than a Dyson‑built V10. The move blends Dyson’s AI and dock technology with external hardware to compete with Chinese rivals.
Zombie Tech Drives 67 Million UK Network Attacks, Exposing Outdated Systems
SonicWall’s 2025 UK threat report shows a decade‑old Hikvision IP‑camera vulnerability generated 67 million attack attempts – roughly 20% of all major intrusions. The data underscores how unpatched legacy equipment fuels a surge in AI‑accelerated attacks despite a headline‑level drop in...
An AI Analysis of Qualcomm: The Edge Is Where AI Will Live
Qualcomm is positioning itself as the primary supplier of edge‑AI silicon as artificial intelligence moves from data‑center servers to billions of endpoint devices. The company’s Snapdragon line, built over two decades for power‑efficient inference, targets smartphones, PCs, cars, industrial sensors...
A $7 Raspberry Pi Can Do Something Sony Refuses To: Give the DualSense Wireless Haptics on PC
Modder "awalol" released custom firmware that turns a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W into a wireless dongle for the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller. The dongle enables adaptive triggers and haptic feedback on PC games without the need for a wired connection, a capability Sony has...
Economics of a Megawatt of AI Data Center
Cruseo CEO Lochmiller detailed unit economics for a megawatt of AI data‑center capacity. Up‑front capex averages $59 M per MW, split roughly half for GPUs, CPUs and networking and half for building and power infrastructure. Annual revenue from pure infrastructure leasing...
Eric Schmidt’s Drone Killer Is Now Protecting U.S. Troops in Germany
U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll visited Germany’s USAG Ansbach and formally signed a Merops AS‑3 Surveyor counter‑drone system, highlighting a massive procurement effort that bought 13,000 interceptors in eight days. Each Surveyor unit costs about $15,000, and the Army deployed 10,000...
US Navy Signs Deal with AI Firm for Training Underwater Drones to Detect Mines in Strait of Hormuz — $100...
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $99.7 million contract to San Francisco‑based AI startup Domino Data Lab to equip its unmanned underwater vehicles with rapid‑learning detection software. The new system will fuse side‑scan sonar and visual data, allowing mine‑hunting algorithms to...
UK Nuclear Space Tech Passes Rocket-Force Testing in Major Milestone
A British nuclear heating unit has cleared a critical rocket‑launch stress test, moving the Generation 5 Americium Radioisotope Heater Unit (Am‑RHU) toward flight‑ready status. The device endured more than 25 g sine vibration, 28 g rms random vibration, and thermal cycling from –70 °C...
Anker’s Discounted 2-in-1 USB-C Cable Is a Great Way to Spend $15
Anker’s braided 2‑in‑1 USB‑C cable, capable of 140 W passthrough charging, has dropped to $14.99 on Amazon and Anker’s website, a $3 discount from its usual price. The four‑foot version retails for $14.99 while a six‑foot model is $17.99, both supporting...
Nvidia Reclaims $5 Trillion Market Cap, Sets Sights on $6‑$10 Trillion
Nvidia's shares jumped more than 21% in April, pushing the chipmaker back above a $5 trillion market valuation. The rebound is tied to strong demand for AI inference chips and projections that the company could reach $6‑$10 trillion in market cap within...
ESS Tech and Alsym Energy Ink $8.5 GWh Sodium‑Ion Battery Deal
Oregon‑based ESS Tech and Massachusetts‑based Alsym Energy have signed a letter of intent to produce 8.5 GWh of sodium‑ion battery cells and modules. The partnership leverages ESS’s flow‑battery manufacturing capacity to scale Alsym’s next‑generation chemistry, promising higher safety and lower total‑cost‑of‑ownership...
Samphire Neuroscience Launches $441 AI‑powered Headband Lutea to Ease PMS
Samphire Neuroscience introduced Lutea, a $441 AI‑enabled wearable headband that delivers neurostimulation to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, aiming to reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms. A 25% discount runs until May 10, positioning the device as a consumer‑focused digital therapeutic for women’s hormonal...
India Rolls Out First Barrier‑Free Toll System on Surat‑Gujarat Highway
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) inaugurated a barrier‑free, cash‑less tolling system at the Choryasi Toll Plaza on NH‑48 near Surat, allowing vehicles to pass at up to 100 km/h without stopping. The Multi‑Lane Free Flow (MLFF) technology uses...
1X Technologies Opens 58,000‑sq‑ft Hayward Factory to Mass‑Produce $20,000 Neo Humanoids
Norwegian robotics startup 1X Technologies has opened a 58,000‑square‑foot factory in Hayward, California, with capacity to produce 10,000 consumer‑grade Neo humanoid robots in its first year and a goal of 100,000 units by 2027. Backed by OpenAI and a $100 million...
Iranian Mohajer-6 Drones Fuel Sudan Civil War, U.S. Busts $70 Million Arms Deal
Iran has supplied Mohajer-6 attack drones to Sudan’s armed forces, widening civilian death tolls in the four‑year conflict. A U.S. federal arrest on April 19 exposed a $70 million brokered sale, underscoring the growing proliferation of Iranian weaponry in proxy wars.
Classical Light Trains Photonic Quantum Machines to 99% Accuracy
A team from Sapienza University of Rome, University of Palermo, Queen’s University Belfast and University of Milan has shown that classical light can train photonic quantum extreme learning machines to reconstruct single‑qubit Pauli observables with over 99% accuracy and to...
Unitree Robotics' G1 Humanoid Glides on Ice and Rollerblades, Showcasing New Balance Tech
Unitree Robotics unveiled its G1 humanoid robot gliding on ice and rollerblades, demonstrating unprecedented balance and real‑time control. The showcase underscores the company's push to merge wheeled efficiency with legged agility, a step toward more versatile embodied AI.
"Set and Forget" NAS Setups Are a Myth (and They Put Your Data at Risk)
The article debunks the "set‑and‑forget" myth surrounding network‑attached storage (NAS), emphasizing that a NAS demands continuous maintenance unlike cloud services. While a NAS can replace certain cloud functions—media streaming, backups, and personal cloud—it lacks automatic availability, patching, and scaling. Drive...
Turtlebox Ranger Bluetooth Speaker Review: Quality Sound With a Magnetic Personality
CNET gave the Turtlebox Ranger an 8.2/10, highlighting its rugged, magnetic design and surprisingly strong audio for a compact Bluetooth speaker. Weighing 2.4 lb with an IP67 rating, it can be mounted on metal surfaces or tied down, and it delivers...
Police Are Using Surveillance Tech to Stalk Love Interests. Dystopia, Here We Come | Arwa Mahdawi
Flock, a U.S. tech firm supplying automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs), now operates more than 80,000 cameras nationwide, feeding real‑time vehicle location data to law‑enforcement agencies. Investigations by the ACLU and EFF reveal that default contracts let the company share this...
10 Reasons To Pick A Nintendo Switch 2 Over A PS5
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches at $450, undercutting the PS5’s current $650 MSRP after two price hikes. It bundles two Joy‑Con controllers, offers a 7.9‑inch HDR handheld screen and 4K docked performance, and supports easy microSD storage expansion. Nintendo’s first‑party franchises...
5 ESP32 Projects You Can Finish in Under 1 Hour
The article showcases seven ESP32‑based DIY projects that can be assembled in under an hour, ranging from air‑quality monitors to soil‑moisture sensors. It highlights two popular boards—the ESP32‑S3 N16R8 and the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32‑C6—both of which support MicroPython and...
No, This Isn’t a Designer Race Car Bed. It’s a Designer Sim Racing Rig
Italian design firm Teckell has unveiled the Nivola, a high‑end sim racing rig that looks like a luxury race‑car bed. The rig comes in three editions—Heritage, Racing and Aero—featuring premium walnut veneer, carbon‑fiber shells, a 49‑inch 5120×1440 curved display and...
Infrasound Waves Stop Kitchen Fires, but Can They Replace Sprinklers?
Acoustic fire suppression startup Sonic Fire Tech demonstrated an AI‑driven infrasound system that extinguished a kitchen fire in seconds during a live demo in Concord, California. The company touts the technology as a water‑free alternative to residential sprinklers, aiming at...
This Is Why You Won't Buy a Steam Machine in 2026
Valve announced a $100 Steam Controller for May 4 but left the Steam Machine launch date and price blank. The machine’s spec – a six‑core Zen 4 CPU, 28‑CU RDNA 3 GPU, 16 GB DDR5, and up to a 2 TB SSD – looks entry‑level,...
100x Zoom Showdown: Which Phone Wins?
Vivo X300 Ultra vs OPPO Find X9 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 100x Zoom Camera Test Comparison. Which is your pick? 🤔
U.S. Steel Supply Chain: Cleveland Cliffs Dominates Specialty Steel
The Frontier Map substack has a lot of great stuff on infrastructure, such as this post on 'the steel that runs the grid'. Cleveland Cliffs is the sole domestic supplier of the specialty steel; Hitachi, Vernova, and Siemens make...
Triboelectric Wrist Sensor Achieves 98% Accuracy in Detecting Driver Fatigue
Researchers from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Soochow University and the University of Liverpool unveiled a wrist‑worn triboelectric sensor that identifies driver fatigue with 98% accuracy. The device captures weak arterial pulse waves despite tight straps, using engineered microstructures and machine‑learning analysis...
Powerful Older Apple Devices Still Worth Finding
While not the latest models, these powerhouse Apple devices are well-worth checking out - if you can find them. https://t.co/QQy04n810R
Upcoming Fiber Race Promises Biggest Consumer Surplus Ever
This race will produce the largest consumer surplus since WorldCom, JDS Uniphase, Lucent, Alcatel, and Nortel bankrupted themselves building out fiber networks for broadband internet.
Moreh Hits DGX A100‑Class LLM Inference on Tenstorrent Galaxy, Slashing AI Hardware Costs
Moreh announced that its MoAI Inference Framework runs large language models on Tenstorrent’s Galaxy Wormhole system at performance equal to or better than NVIDIA’s DGX A100, while reducing high‑bandwidth memory expenses. The breakthrough was demonstrated at Tenstorrent’s TT‑Deploy launch in...
All Viable Accelerators Could Win Hyperscaler Adoption.
I maintain my thesis that all viable compute (in this context accelerators) has a chance of being adopted by hyperscalers and frontier labs. Hence why @cerebras is getting more attention and now @tenstorrent. BUT, @AMD has more upside, and maybe...
Rain‑Ready Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 Performs Anywhere
I took the Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 on a rainy trip, and its features and design ensured it was just as useful outdoors as on the dining table https://t.co/eiKumgJzGX
Advantest Introduces Pin Scale 5000B Digital Test Solution
Advantest unveiled the Pin Scale 5000B digital test card, boosting vector memory and delivering up to 5 Gbps bandwidth for AI and HPC semiconductor testing. The solution supports chiplet‑based and heterogeneous architectures, enabling concurrent testing of multiple IP cores with a...
Wireless Base Station Delivers Tight, Low‑distortion Audio
A wireless, base station model with similarities to Nacon’s existing R5 that impresses with tight, distinctive, low-distortion audio. https://t.co/zpNqTchYbu
Reviving Old PCs Gains Unexpected Popularity
There's a new option for giving new life to an aging computer, and it's apparently as popular as it should be. https://t.co/9T0ALcnEvJ
Arteris and MIPS Partner
Arteris and MIPS, a GlobalFoundries subsidiary, have announced a collaboration to speed the creation of physical AI computing platforms. MIPS will incorporate Arteris’ FlexGen smart NoC IP and Magillem SoC integration automation tools into its RISC‑V processor offerings, targeting high‑growth...
Instant Automated Support Restores Oura Ring Battery Quickly
Okay - @ouraring battery life went from 5-7 days down to less than a day. Opened their in-app chat, and in less than a minute they checked the diagnostics of the ring directly, and ordered a replacement - i think...
JBL Tour One M3 Receives Major Sound Upgrade
The JBL Tour One M3 just got a major update with a new sound at the fore — I spoke with JBL about the changes, and heard them for myself. https://t.co/RuUR7yAktU
AGI Infinity Reveals Patent‑ready Optical Architecture
AGI Infinity announced that its patent‑ready "Wires to Waves" platform has completed two simulations confirming that holographic optical conductors (HOC) and holographic optical transistors (HOT) can operate together in a fully volumetric 3‑D construct. The technology seeks to replace selected...
Nikon Teases Full‑Frame Fixed‑Lens Compact, Specs Spark Curiosity
Nikon is being tipped to release a fixed-lens full-frame compact camera that could rival the Fujifilm X100VI, Ricoh GR IV, Sony RX1R III, and Leica Q3, but its rumored specs make for, let's just say, interesting reading https://t.co/0QUwwqHI7D
US Bans Foreign‑made Routers over Security Concerns
What You Need to Know About the Foreign-Made Router Ban in the US https://t.co/6hCZLPWOgi https://t.co/a16QQa1vNK
Infineon Contributes Industrialisation Know-How to European Quantum Pilot Lines
Infineon Technologies is contributing its semiconductor‑manufacturing expertise to three European quantum pilot lines—CHAMP‑ION (ion‑trap chips), SUPREME (superconducting qubits) and SPINS (CMOS‑based quantum nano‑systems). The initiatives, backed by the EU Chips for Europe programme, aim to move quantum hardware from laboratory...
CEA-Leti to Present Advances in Next-Gen Chip Integration at ECTC 2026
CEA‑Leti will showcase breakthrough hybrid‑bonding technologies at ECTC 2026, including a die‑to‑wafer test vehicle with a 1 µm pitch and ultra‑low‑temperature annealing down to 100 °C. The research targets ultra‑fine vertical interconnects that overcome the scaling limits of traditional micro‑bump approaches. Presentations also...