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
OpenAI's Profitability Woes Threaten AI‑Powered Marketing Landscape
OpenAI has warned it may miss internal growth targets and could struggle to fund $600 bn of future computing contracts. The announcement rattles investors and raises concerns for marketing firms that depend on OpenAI’s models for content creation and personalization.
QCOM Beats Modest Forecast; Data‑Center Chips Drive Future
$QCOM expectations were modest this week quarter and it delivered. I stand by my assessment that what will move the needle for the company will be its data center entry with a portfolio of XPU, CPU, Custom, and Networking chips. The...
Dyson Just Launched a Travel Version of Its Supersonic Hair Dryer
Dyson has introduced a travel‑size version of its Supersonic hair dryer, priced at $300—$80 cheaper than the flagship model. Weighing just 0.7 lb., it is 32% smaller and 25% lighter than the original, making it airline‑friendly. The unit retains the brand’s...
Why a Generation Raised on iPhones Is Building Its Own Machines
A new wave of DIY portable computers called cyberdecks is gaining traction among Gen Z, who grew up with iPhones. Creators like TikTok influencer Annike Tan build custom devices using Raspberry Pi and repurposed parts, turning everyday objects into functional laptops. The...
ASML Shares Slide 3% as AI Demand Doubts Spark EUV Equipment Volatility
ASML Holding saw its shares drop 3.3% on Tuesday after a Wall Street Journal report that OpenAI missed user and revenue targets, sparking fears of weaker AI‑driven demand for its ultra‑expensive EUV lithography tools. The sell‑off highlights the semiconductor sector’s...
Hydrogen Sensors Help Detect Explosive Conditions in Batteries
Lithium‑ion batteries can suffer thermal runaway, a chain reaction that leads to fire or explosion. Posifa Technologies introduced the MEMS‑based PGS5100 hydrogen sensor, which detects hydrogen concentrations from 0% to 25% with a 100 ms response time and 200 ms warm‑up. Because...
Trackers Will Be Added to Emergency Vehicles at LaGuardia Following Deadly March Collision
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will install transponders on fire trucks and other emergency vehicles at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports after a March 22 runway collision killed two pilots. The devices transmit real‑time location data to...
Nanophotonic Platform Pushes Solid-State Nuclear Clock Accuracy Toward 10⁻¹⁹
Sandro Kraemer and an international team demonstrated a nanophotonic platform that embeds thorium‑229 nuclei in high‑Q fluoride resonators, reaching projected clock accuracy of 10⁻¹⁹. The breakthrough addresses long‑standing signal‑strength limits and charts a path to compact, on‑chip nuclear timekeepers.
4 Stocks Primed to Benefit From the $7 Trillion Data Center Build-Out
AI-driven data‑center construction is projected to require roughly $7 trillion in capex by 2030, according to McKinsey. The surge fuels demand for logic, GPU, and memory chips, positioning Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM), Nvidia (NVDA), Broadcom (AVGO) and Micron (MU) as primary...
Google’s Willow Chip Shows 13,000× Verifiable Quantum Advantage
Google’s Quantum AI team used its new Willow 105‑qubit chip to run the Quantum Echoes algorithm, delivering a 13,000‑fold speedup over the leading supercomputer. The result is the first hardware‑based, verifiable quantum advantage, moving quantum computing toward practical utility.
China Invests $1 Billion in 8,500 Humanoid and Robot Dogs for Power‑Grid Automation
The State Grid Corporation of China has earmarked 6.8 billion yuan (≈$1 billion) to purchase 8,500 AI‑powered robots, including 5,000 robot dogs and thousands of humanoid and dual‑arm units, to inspect and maintain the nation’s ultra‑high‑voltage electricity network. The move signals the...
Battery-Free Smart Home Sensors Are Smaller than a Penny
Georgia Tech researchers have unveiled ultra‑small, battery‑free smart‑home tags that fit on a penny and cost only a few cents each. The metal disks generate a unique ultrasonic pulse when struck, allowing a wearable or nearby device to log door,...
I Tracked the Resale Value of Every Part in My PC Build and This One Really Surprised Me
The article tracks the resale value of SSDs and reveals that prices have surged dramatically, with a 2 TB Sabrent Rocket 4.0 Plus jumping from $310 in 2020 to $997 today. The spike is attributed to soaring AI-driven demand for NAND flash...
Why I Never Wear a Smart Ring During My Workouts
The author argues that smart rings, while comfortable for daily wear and excellent for sleep and recovery monitoring, are ill‑suited for gym workouts. Thick designs interfere with proper grip on pulling exercises, and the rings’ heart‑rate sensors are less accurate...
Apple Gives Up On the Vision Pro After M5 Refresh Flop
Apple has effectively halted further development of its Vision Pro headset after the M5 refresh failed to boost sales. The updated model kept the $3,499 price tag while adding a 120 Hz display, 10% more rendered pixels and roughly 30 extra...
Smallest-of-Its Kind Probe Tracks Several Key Health Signals
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have unveiled a 1.1 mm diameter fiber probe that can simultaneously monitor glucose, lactate, and ethanol in tissue. The mid‑infrared device uses two silver‑halide fibers and a quantum cascade laser to deliver real‑time,...
NORD Decentralized Drives with ASi Interface Offer Seamless System Integration
NORD has launched its NORDAC LINK and NORDAC FLEX decentralized drive products equipped with AS‑Interface (ASi) technology, promising plug‑and‑play integration for new and retrofitted systems. The ASi fieldbus consolidates power and data into a two‑core cable, cutting wiring complexity, commissioning...
Optimum Eyes Virtualization to Bridge the FTTP-HFC Reliability Gap
Optimum Communications is testing network virtualization to narrow the reliability gap between its fiber‑to‑the‑premises (FTTP) and hybrid fiber‑coax (HFC) infrastructures. In West Virginia the company is rolling out a distributed access architecture (DAA) paired with Harmonic’s virtual CMTS (vCMTS), which...
Tested: Best Home EV Chargers for 2026
The 2026 roundup of home EV chargers identifies Emporia Pro as the overall winner, with its load‑balancing feature and sleek design, while Lectron Portable Level 2 earns the best‑budget title. Grizzl‑E Duo stands out as the most affordable dual‑plug solution for...
Former Google and Meta Engineers Build Memory-First AI Server to Challenge Nvidia's GPU Dominance
Former Google and Meta engineers have launched Majestic Labs AI, a startup that raised $100 million to develop a memory‑first server called Prometheus. The system pairs a proprietary AIU processor with up to 128 terabytes of high‑speed DRAM, claiming up to 1,000 times...
Fabric.AI Targets AI Infrastructure Bottlenecks with MicroLED Optical Interconnects
Fabric.AI, formerly StableX Technologies, has launched its Neural I/O chip, a MicroLED‑based optical interconnect designed to eliminate data‑movement bottlenecks in AI compute clusters. Developed with Kopin Corporation, the chip replaces copper and laser links with programmable MicroLED transceivers that deliver...
Camera-Equipped Earbuds Offer Discreet Alternative to Smart Glasses
@UofWA researchers have created VueBuds, a wearable device that adds a camera to your earbuds. Instead of glasses, earbuds are easy to remove when you want privacy and are less intrusive on your face. https://spectrum.ieee.org/smart-earbuds-smart-glasses-privacy
Modder Spends 2 Years Turning the Game Boy Color Into a Watch, and Yes, It Still Plays Cartridges
A hobbyist known as Leggo My Froggo spent two years converting a Game Boy Color into a wrist‑worn device called the Time Frog Color. The watch‑sized console retains the original GBC CPU, uses a custom strap‑integrated battery, and even supports re‑engineered cartridges...
Costco Makes PC Gamer An Unbelievable RAM Deal They Can’t Refuse
Costco surprised shoppers by offering an iBuyPower gaming PC featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 5070 GPU, 32 GB DDR5 RAM and a 2 TB NVMe SSD for just $1,100. The RAM component alone would normally exceed $500, making the bundle a striking value...
Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) Vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: I Tried Both, and There's a Clear Winner
Motorola unveiled the 2026 Razr Ultra, positioning it as the flagship of its new Razr line and a direct challenger to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7. The Ultra boasts a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 16 GB RAM, a 5,000 mAh battery with 68 W TurboPower charging,...
Enphase Announces Distributed Solid-State Transformer for AI Data Centers, Targets 2028 for Volume Deliveries
Enphase announced its IQ Solid‑State Transformer (SST), a modular 1.25 MW power unit that delivers 800 V DC directly to AI‑focused NVIDIA compute racks. The reveal came on a Q1 2026 earnings call that showed a 20.6% YoY revenue decline and the company’s...
RB Industrial Manufacturing Invests in Advanced Keyence Vision System
RB Industrial Manufacturing of Racine, Wisconsin has purchased a Keyence XM‑1540 image dimension measurement system to boost its quality control capabilities. The high‑speed, non‑contact vision system will support the company’s push for AS9100D certification this summer while reinforcing its existing...
We Toured an AI Data Center to See How Our Stock Names Make These Facilities Work
CoreSite’s NY3 AI‑optimized data center in Secaucus illustrates how power, chips, fiber, networking and cooling infrastructure enable the AI boom. Big Tech is slated to spend $608 billion this year on AI data centers, while newcomers like OpenAI and Anthropic are...
Open Compute Project: Delivering an Open Data Center Ecosystem for AI
The Open Compute Project Foundation announced a suite of new open specifications and workstreams aimed at building an end‑to‑end data‑center ecosystem for AI. The releases include a facilities roadmap, low‑voltage DC power distribution, telemetry APIs, Ethernet scale‑up networking, the Open...
Transceivers Boost In-Vehicle Audio Bandwidth
Analog Devices introduced the ADAA245x series of A2B 2.0 automotive audio bus transceivers, delivering 98.3 Mbps full‑duplex bandwidth—four times that of A2B 1.0. The devices support up to 119 audio channels and can tunnel Ethernet data via an Open Alliance SPI interface. They...
Timing Module Enables vRAN Synchronization
Microchip introduced the MD-990-0011-B, an M.2 plug‑in timing module built with Intel for Xeon 6‑SoC server platforms. The module delivers sub‑microsecond synchronization across GNSS, SyncE and PTP networks, targeting 5G virtualized RAN (vRAN) and low‑latency AI workloads. Integrated components include dual...
Don’t Bother with Moto’s New Razr Ultra — Last Year’s Model Is Nearly Half Off and Virtually Identical
Motorola unveiled its 2026 Razr lineup, but the new Razr Ultra delivers only modest upgrades over last year’s model. The 2025 Razr Ultra, particularly the 1 TB version, is now priced around $800—about half its original $1,300 MSRP—through Motorola’s store and...
Colorado's Anti-Repair Bill Is Dead
Colorado's SB26-090, a bill that would have created a "critical infrastructure" exemption to the state's 2024 Right to Repair law, was defeated in a 7‑to‑4 vote by the House committee, halting its progress after passing the Senate. The proposal, backed...
Epson Robots Expands SCARA Lineup with High-Payload LS50C
Epson Robots introduced the LS50C, its largest‑payload SCARA robot, delivering up to 50 kg payload and a 1 m reach in a compact chassis. The model incorporates SafeSense technology, which can reduce reliance on traditional safety guarding after proper risk assessment. Integrated...
The Intel Lunar Lake CPU Performance Gains On Linux Over The Past Year
Benchmarking the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V in a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition shows notable CPU performance gains after a year of Linux updates. The original test on Ubuntu 25.04 used kernel 6.14, GCC 14.2 and Mesa 25.0, while the repeat on...
How To Control Brushless Motors (Part 4): Current Control
Current‑control loops are essential for brushless DC (BLDC) motors, ensuring precise torque and protecting windings from damaging spikes. The industry standard for high‑performance applications is a PI current‑loop, often auto‑tuned, while field‑oriented control (FOC) adds a rotation‑independent frame for higher...
Waaree Energies to Foray Into Semiconductors; Approves ₹10,000 Crore Fundraise
Waaree Energies announced a strategic entry into power semiconductors by transferring its Waaree Semicon unit to the operational subsidiary Waaree Power, a move aimed at building PV‑diode, IGBT and MOSFET capabilities for renewable‑energy and EV applications. The board also approved...
Motorola Razr Fold Perfectly Scales Flip Phone Formula
We went hands-on with the Motorola Razr Fold, and it feels like Moto's excellent flip phone formula finally scaled up https://www.techradar.com/phones/i-went-hands-on-with-the-motorola-razr-fold-and-it-feels-like-motos-flip-phone-lessons-finally-scaled-up
AWS Hits 28% Growth, Chips Hit $20B Run Rate
$AMZN “AWS is growing 28% (our fastest growth in 15 quarters) on a very large base, our chips business topped a $20 billion revenue run rate (growing triple digits year-over-year)" Folks were hoping for 30+ % but still growing.
Decision on QTS' Planned Expansion of Data Center in East Windsor, New Jersey, Postponed
The East Windsor Township Planning Board delayed a vote on QTS Data Centers’ request to build a second data‑center on its 52‑acre, 70 MW site, pushing the decision to the May 4 meeting. Residents raised concerns about utility costs, noise and vibration,...
AI‑Driven 3D Skin Scanning Offers Precise Insights
Next-Gen #3D Skin Scanning Powered by #AI Delivers Precision Insights by @MarchUnofficial #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation #Tech #TechForGood https://t.co/BvUDlt0IiN
Generational Semiconductor Breakthrough: New Material Transforms Industries
Introducing new materials into industrial processes can be a revolution for customers across industries. In the semiconductor space for example, a new, gamechanging material is introduced about once in a generation... https://t.co/wgKZN1tLZ1
Designing in Situ Power Stations for Future Mars Missions
A Chinese research team published a conceptual design for an in‑situ power station that would turn the thin, CO₂‑rich Martian atmosphere into heat and electricity for future crewed missions. The proposal combines atmospheric capture, a micro‑nuclear reactor, lithium‑Mars‑gas batteries, and...
Smart Fridge Uses Robotic Arm and Biometrics for Health
The refrigerator has a robotic arm to organize your food, and uses biometric data to help you meet your health goals. https://t.co/RkIfvBl5Ux
Sodium‑ion BESS Chemistries Compared Across Industry Leaders
Sodium-ion for BESS: chemistries and battery products from CATL, Envision, BYD, Hithium & HiNA compared #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/LFgi3DiHgk
Chargebyte’s CCL MCS Brings ISO 15118-20 over Ethernet to Megawatt Charging for Heavy-Duty EVs
Chargebyte unveiled its Charge Control L MCS (CCL MCS) at ACT Expo, a stand‑alone controller that implements the full ISO 15118‑20 communication and safety stack for Megawatt Charging System (MCS) trucks, buses and heavy machinery. The unit uses dual NXP S32K146 processors and communicates over...
Fyne Audio's Sleek Monitors Achieve Ultra‑high SPL
Fyne Audio's new monitors and sub deliver very high SPL in a design made to "visually disappear" https://t.co/sIXB3f6OjS
BlockchAIn Outlines $9.9bn Plan for 715MW Data Center Portfolio
BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure announced a $9.9 billion, five‑year plan to build a 715 MW U.S. data‑center portfolio focused on blockchain mining, AI GPU hosting, and high‑performance computing. The pipeline covers nine sites across South Carolina, Minnesota and Texas, with the first phases...
New Nitride Magnets Let Electricity Flip Hidden Spin Patterns
Researchers have identified wurtzite‑type nitride compounds MnSiN₂ and MnGeN₂ as room‑temperature multiferroic altermagnets. First‑principles calculations show that reversing their ferroelectric polarization also reverses the non‑relativistic spin splitting, providing electric control of hidden spin patterns. The intrinsic switching barriers are 0.96 eV...
Kensington Launches FIDO2 Level 2 NFC Security Keys for Tap-Based Mobile Authentication
Kensington, a division of ACCO Brands, has introduced two NFC‑enabled security keys that achieve FIDO2 Level 2 certification, the highest tier in the FIDO Alliance’s authenticator program. The VeriMark NFC+ USB‑C and USB‑A models support both USB and tap‑based authentication, allowing...