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
Berg Insight Says Cellular Connections Reach 53% of Point-of-Sale Terminals Shipped Globally in 2025
More than half of point‑of‑sale terminals shipped in 2025 now include cellular connectivity, according to Berg Insight. The installed base of cellular POS devices reached 184 million units worldwide. Berg Insight projects the segment to expand at a 7.6% compound annual growth rate, reaching 247 million terminals by 2029. This trend reflects rising demand for mobile POS solutions where fixed telecom infrastructure is limited.
AI Demand Drives WD Revenue’s Sky High with More to Come
Western Digital (WD) reported Q3 FY2026 revenue of $3.34 billion, a 46% year‑over‑year increase, driven by surging AI‑related storage demand. Gross margin rose above 50% and operating cash flow jumped to $1.12 billion, while the company lifted its quarterly dividend 20% to...
Everspin Executes $40M Agreement for Mil-Aero MRAM Applications
Everspin Technologies announced a $40 million agreement with a U.S. prime contractor to supply Toggle MRAM process technology and engineering services for Department of War programs. The deal positions Everspin as a subcontractor delivering foundry and engineering support over the next...
The Quiet Revolution in Battery Technology That’s Powering Your Next Artificial Heart
Inspired Energy is spearheading a quiet revolution with smart lithium‑ion battery packs that embed microcontrollers for real‑time monitoring of charge, temperature, and health. The technology targets medical and robotics OEMs, offering FDA‑compliant safety, higher energy density, and dynamic power delivery...
Running Adobe's 1991 PostScript Interpreter in the Browser
A hobbyist project called retro‑ps extracts the 1991 Adobe PostScript interpreter from HP's C2089A cartridge and runs it in a browser via a Motorola 68000 emulator. The ROM, originally designed for LaserJet II/III printers, renders .ps files client‑side without any server involvement....
Zumwalt-Class Destroyers May Receive SPY-6 Radars From Frigates
The U.S. Navy is evaluating a backfit of Raytheon's AN/SPY-6(V)3 radar onto its three Zumwalt-class destroyers, replacing the existing AN/SPY-3. The proposal leverages radar modules originally built for the cancelled Constellation-class frigates and aligns with the broader Zumwalt Enterprise Upgrade...
Lattice Wins 2026 AI Excellence Award for Edge AI
Lattice Semiconductor was named a 2026 AI Excellence Award winner by Business Intelligence Group, recognizing its Edge AI solution built with NVIDIA. The award highlights the combined Lattice CertusPro‑NX Sensor‑to‑Ethernet Bridge board and NVIDIA Holoscan Sensor Bridge, delivering a full‑stack...
Tim Cook Warns About 'Significantly Higher Memory Costs' From June — and Not Surprisingly, Mac Fans Think Price Hikes Are...
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook warned that memory‑chip prices will rise sharply in the June quarter, putting pressure on Mac pricing. The company’s existing RAM inventory is depleting, forcing Apple to consider cost‑pass‑through options. Strong demand for AI‑focused Macs such as...
Microchip Expands Atomic Clock Production Capacity with New Alabama Facility
Microchip Technology has opened a 15,000‑square‑foot manufacturing plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to increase output of atomic‑clock products such as hydrogen masers and high‑performance oscillators. The new facility focuses on ultra‑stable timing solutions that support power‑grid management, 5G networks, satellite communications...
Altera Updates FPGA AI Suite for Edge AI Deployment
Altera has launched FPGA AI Suite 26.1.1, a major upgrade that adds a spatial‑mapping compiler to its AI software platform. The new compiler translates neural networks directly onto FPGA fabric, delivering ASIC‑like inference speed while preserving the re‑programmability of FPGAs....
Textron Awarded DIU Contract to Provide Tsunami USV to U.S. Navy
Textron Systems received a Defense Innovation Unit contract to build and deliver multiple TSUNAMI uncrewed surface vessels for the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Experimentation (FLEX) exercise in Key West, Florida, and three months of joint operations with SOUTHCOM and the Fourth...
REDMI Pad 2 9.7 Is a Dependable Tablet that Gets the Job Done
Redmi’s Pad 2 9.7-inch tablet combines a 2K display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, delivering premium visual smoothness at a budget price. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2, it handles everyday browsing, media consumption, and light productivity without lag....
Space-Efficient Cryogenic Sample Storage
Azenta Life Sciences introduced the CryoArc™ Pico Automated Storage System, a compact LN‑2 cryogenic platform that maintains samples at –190 °C. Designed for biobanking, clinical research, and cell‑gene therapy labs, the system integrates barcode‑driven software for sample tracking, chain‑of‑custody, and CFR 21...
Intel Making More GPU Driver Improvements For Crescent Island With Linux 7.2
Intel is advancing driver support for its upcoming Crescent Island Xe3P GPU, a 160 GB‑vRAM inference‑optimized card aimed at enterprise AI workloads. Open‑source engineers have added system‑controller firmware support, OA performance‑monitoring tweaks, GT tuning fixes, and HWMON energy attributes to the...
AMD Secures Multi‑GW AI Chip Deals with OpenAI and Meta, Targets 60% Data‑Center Growth
AMD announced that its AI accelerator chips will be deployed in large volumes for OpenAI and Meta, representing several gigawatts of silicon and a multibillion‑dollar revenue runway. Management projects more than 60% annualized growth in its data‑center business over the...
Samsung Expands Award-Winning Spatial Signage Lineup with Global Launch of 32-Inch Model
Samsung Electronics announced the global launch of a 32‑inch Spatial Signage unit, extending its glasses‑free 3D display lineup to compact retail environments. Weighing 8.5 kg with a slim 49.4 mm profile and FHD portrait resolution, the new model fits shelves, counters and...
Garmin Cuts Epix Pro Gen 2 Price by 50%, Undercutting Samsung and Google
Garmin announced a 50% price cut on its Epix Pro Gen 2 Sapphire Edition, now $500 on Amazon, slashing the $1,000 MSRP. The steep discount positions the health‑focused watch as a compelling alternative to Samsung’s Galaxy Watch and Google’s Pixel Watch...
Google-Anthropic Deal: AI Capacity Now Pre-Sold at Gigawatt Scale
Google is reportedly negotiating a up‑to‑$40 billion investment in Anthropic, coupling cash with a commitment to provide as much as 5 GW of AI compute over the next five years. The initial tranche is $10 billion, with an additional $30 billion tied to Anthropic...
Bosch Begins Delivering Hardware to Kodiak as Autonomous Trucking Moves Toward Production Scale
Bosch has started shipping critical sensors and actuation components to Kodiak AI, accelerating the company’s move toward a production‑grade autonomous trucking platform. Kodiak is already testing Bosch camera samples and integrating them into its proprietary SensorPod hardware modules. The partnership,...
ITS America 2026: Detroit's Smart Roads & Tech Tours
The ITS America 2026 Conference & Expo will take place June 9‑12 at Huntington Place in Detroit, featuring plenary sessions, state Department of Transportation roundtables, and a Future Leaders Program. Attendees can join three off‑site Tech Tours on June 9 for $75...
Park Systems Unveils NX1, First Ambient‑Condition Atomic‑Resolution AFM
Park Systems Corp. has released the NX1, a compact atomic force microscope that achieves true atomic‑resolution imaging in ambient conditions. Developed with Prof. Franz J. Giessibl, the instrument lowers the noise floor by roughly ten‑fold, bringing ultra‑high‑vacuum performance to everyday...
Illuminant Secures $8.4 Million Seed to Bring ‘X‑Ray Vision’ to Surgeons
Illuminant, the Los‑Angeles‑based med‑tech startup behind the Skylight smart surgical lamp, closed an $8.4 million seed round led by Wing 2 Wing Ventures. The funding—half grant money from federal agencies—will accelerate a platform that projects live X‑ray‑like images onto a patient’s skin, targeting...
ABB Robotics Launches New Automated Surface Finishing Cell
ABB Robotics introduced the OmniVance Collaborative Surface Finishing Cell, its first fully automated sanding and polishing solution. The plug‑and‑play system pairs a GoFa collaborative robot with an intuitive tablet interface, eliminating the need for in‑house robotics expertise. It promises up...
Big Tech Is Moving Data Out of the Gulf Through Iraqi Oil Pipelines
U.S. hyperscalers with data centers in the Gulf are routing traffic through a fiber‑optic network that runs alongside Iraqi oil pipelines. The overland Silk Route Transit, built by IQ Networks, offers a faster, more secure alternative to submarine cables that...
Linux 7.0 Release, Age Verification Laws, Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 & Other April Happenings
April 2026 saw a flurry of open‑source milestones, highlighted by the stable release of Linux 7.0 with expanded hardware support, a self‑healing XFS, and the start of Linux 7.1’s legacy driver cleanup. The new kernel triggered a dramatic PostgreSQL throughput drop, while age‑verification...
Google Home's Camera Feed, Media Controls Get Upgraded in All the Right Ways
Google began rolling out a major update to its Home app and the Gemini for Home early‑access program. The refresh adds dynamic theming and AI‑generated descriptions for smart‑camera feeds to Premium subscribers, while all users receive a streamlined media‑control interface...
Apple Says iPhone 17 'Most Popular Ever' As Sales Soar
Apple reported first‑quarter revenue of $111 bn, a 17% year‑over‑year rise, driven by a record‑breaking iPhone 17 launch. Sales in China surged 28%, making the new model the most popular Apple launch ever. The low‑priced MacBook Neo generated "off the charts" demand,...
Apple Sets Q2 Record Despite iPhone Supply Chain Issues
Apple reported a record $111.1 billion Q2 revenue, up 17% YoY, driven by strong iPhone 17 sales despite supply‑chain constraints on advanced‑node chips. iPhone revenue reached $56.9 billion, while Greater China posted a 28% jump to $20.4 billion, beating forecasts. Services hit an...
MintNeuro and Motif Neurotech Collaborate for Mental Health Therapies
MintNeuro and Motif Neurotech have entered a multi‑year commercial supply agreement to integrate MintNeuro’s low‑power neural interface chips into Motif’s clinical‑stage implant platform. The partnership will support pre‑clinical, early‑clinical and pivotal trials targeting depression, bipolar disorder and treatment‑resistant depression. Motif...
What Next-Gen Chips Might Mean for Data Centers
The data‑center chip market is poised for disruption as new AI‑optimized, energy‑efficient, heat‑tolerant, and offload silicon designs move from labs into racks. While x86 CPUs still dominate, emerging ARM‑based servers, custom cloud chips, and advanced packaging like chiplets promise higher...
The Honor 600 Is a Superb Budget Smartphone with a Premium Camera System and a Battery that Goes on for...
Honor unveiled its 600 and 600 Pro mid‑range smartphones, capping a strong 2026 product run for the Chinese brand. The 600 features a 6.75‑in 120 Hz AMOLED display that can reach 8,000 nits, a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor, and a 200 MP primary camera paired with...
Confinement at Defect Sites Dissociates Ionic‐Liquid Pairs for Brain‐Like Organic Computing
Researchers have integrated a benzoic‑acid‑modified MIL‑125‑NH2 metal‑organic framework (BA‑MOF) with the ionic liquid EMIMTFSI into organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). The intentional defect sites in the porous MOF bind the ionic liquid, suppressing ion diffusion and promoting ion‑pair dissociation, which raises...
How Bright Is Bright Enough for AR in the Real World?
Brightness has become the pivotal performance metric for AR glasses as they transition from lab demos to everyday wear. While indoor environments only demand a few hundred to a thousand nits, outdoor daylight can exceed tens of thousands of lux,...
S27 Base/Plus Split CPUs, Pro/Ultra Snapdragon‑Only
Galaxy S27 series Base and Plus: Exynos and Snapdragon mix Pro and Ultra: Snapdragon Exclusive
Motorola Says Its Razr Is the World’s Number One Flip Phone
Motorola unveiled its refreshed Razr lineup at a Hollywood‑style premiere that featured a fashion show and celebrity appearances. The collection adds colorful flip phones and a new book‑style foldable Razr, priced between $800 and $1,900. Motorola claims the Razr is...
Forsee Power Battery System Powers New Electric Fire Pump
Forsee Power has delivered its GO 1.6 lithium‑ion battery system to Tohatsu for the VM130A electric portable fire pump, slated for launch later this year. The compact, modular pack, originally designed for light electric vehicles, now powers a critical emergency‑response tool...
DE-CIX Expands New York Metro Connectivity with Architecture Upgrades
DE‑CIX has completed a major upgrade of its New York metro platform, moving to a quad‑node architecture with two core nodes in New York City and two in New Jersey. The modernization adds support for 400 Gigabit Ethernet ports and introduces ROADM‑based smart switching...
TSMC N2 May Be Delayed, No Adoption Yet
Has anyone asked TSMC whether N2 is delayed? Please note that TSMC excels at incremental improvements. But TSMC N2 is not incremental. It is a major leap from FinFET to GAA/nanosheet. We know that customers such as Bitmain and AMD were expected...
IO Interactive Clarifies Design of 007 First Light Controller
IO Interactive has addressed criticism of the design of the 007 First Light limited-edition DualSense wireless controller, confirming it's not what some fans think. https://t.co/iVLnVNuVNe
Latest Issue of Semiconductor Today Now Available
Semiconductor Today released its April 2026 issue, a free monthly magazine covering the latest advances in compound semiconductors and advanced silicon materials. The issue features articles on gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, nitrides, silicon carbide, silicon‑germanium and related devices, including nano‑ridge lasers...
Mac Mini Should Be Marketed as Personal AI Hub
Apple has more powerful hardware in more pockets than anyone on Earth. Why isn't every Mac Mini marketed as your personal AI computer?
Apple Holds Up Amid RAM Shortage—Risk Looms
Apple has weathered the RAM storm pretty well so far, but that could change before long. https://t.co/P9WKxBX6R7
ASX Runners of the Week: 1414, Pathkey.AI, Eclipse & European Lithium
Australian battery‑tech firm 1414 Degrees saw its share price jump 217% after demonstrating a SiNIL nanoparticle anode that delivers 530 mAh/g—about 50% more capacity than conventional graphite—targeting defence drones. Pathkey.AI rallied 92% on its acquisition of Singapore’s Chipforge, expanding its AI...
Centralized Data Centers Free Homes From Bulky Computers
a data center is just a building with computers in it the alternative is having to have those computers taking up space in people’s homes it makes sense to just put them in a building together and let people connect...
Athos Silicon Shifts Strategy for Autonomous Driving Chip
Enjoyed my visit to Athos Silicon a short while back - thanks Charnjiv and François for explaining the change in strategy for your autonomous driving chip: https://t.co/RvcUKRnGF7
MSI Launches MS-CF27 Compact SBC With Quad 2.5G LAN and DDR5
MSI’s IPC division unveiled the MS‑CF27, a 3.5‑inch single‑board computer aimed at industrial edge applications. The board supports Intel’s low‑power Alder Lake N, Twin Lake N and Amston Lake processors and offers a single DDR5 SO‑DIMM slot for up to 32 GB of RAM. Connectivity is...
Project Eternal Turns Antigravity Drones Into Time Machines
Antigravity has launched Project Eternal, leveraging its sub‑250‑gram A1 drone with a 360° camera to create immersive digital twins of heritage sites and everyday locations. The initiative partners with 3D Gaussian Splatting platform Splatica and nonprofit CyArk, offering 1,000 free...
Start Up No.2664: AI Outdoes ER Doctors on Triage, How Token Spend Is Rocketing, Meta Fires Smart Glass Observers, and...
A Harvard trial showed OpenAI’s o1 model diagnosed 67% of emergency‑room cases, outpacing doctors at 50‑55%. Meanwhile, token consumption for AI coding tools has surged ten‑fold, with some engineers spending $500 daily on Claude Code. The Iran‑driven halt of high‑purity...
Hypercraft Unveils Software-Defined & Autonomous UGV for Tactical Operations
Hypercraft has launched Razorback, a software‑defined autonomous unmanned ground vehicle built on a diesel‑hybrid electric powertrain that delivers up to 300 hp and a 38 kW exportable power bus. The UGV can haul a 2,400‑lb payload for 280 miles at 60 mph while providing...
Advantech Brings Agentic AI to Jetson Thor Edge Platforms
Advantech unveiled its MIC‑AI series, a family of edge platforms built on NVIDIA Jetson Thor modules that can run generative and agentic AI workloads directly in factories and autonomous machines. The lineup includes MIC‑743, MIC‑742, MIC‑741 systems and MIB‑741, MIB‑742...