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
GPD’s New MCIO 8i Graphics Dock and Mini PC Support PCIe 5.0 X8 Speeds
GPD unveiled two upcoming consumer devices—a mini PC called the GPD BOX and a graphics dock named the GPD G2—both featuring the MCIO 8i connector that supports PCIe 5.0 x8 links delivering up to 256 Gbps. Model A of the BOX includes the MCIO port, while Model B omits it in favor of a higher‑end Intel Core Ultra X7 processor. The G2 dock houses an 800 W power supply, an RTX 4090‑compatible PCIe x16 slot (limited to eight lanes), and claims only about a 2 % performance penalty versus a native desktop slot. Pricing and launch dates remain undisclosed.
Utah Launches World's Largest Data Center on Military Campus
We need a big campus, 40,000 acres in Utah, with a pipeline running right through it. We're going to build the largest data center in the world there, and because it's near a military site, I would argue the safest...
Here's What We Know About OpenAI's Rumored Smartphone
Analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo reports that OpenAI is exploring a dedicated smartphone, collaborating with MediaTek, Qualcomm and Luxshare on hardware. The device would rely heavily on agentic AI, using a hybrid of on‑device and cloud models to replace conventional apps. OpenAI...
5 Questions About Private 5G for Healthcare Organizations
Private 5G is emerging as a viable alternative to campus Wi‑Fi for hospitals, offering higher device density, lower latency, and deterministic performance. The technology leverages dedicated spectrum, either purchased, leased, or accessed via the FCC’s free General Authorized Access band,...
AI Drives S&P Tech Profits Toward Semiconductors
Macro: AI shifts S&P tech profits to semiconductors. Key: semis ~42% of IT cap, large earnings upgrades; software faces obsolescence. Trade: overweight semiconductors vs software. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
126 New EV Fast Chargers Are Coming To Oregon
Oregon's Climate Office announced the deployment of 126 DC fast‑charging ports across 24 sites along Interstate 84 and highways 20, 26, 97, and 101, funded by NEVI Round 2 grants. Each station will feature at least four 150 kW ports with CCS and NACS connectors and will...
Nvidia’s ‘AI Insurance Policy’ Balances Immediate and Future AI Approaches
Nvidia is diversifying beyond its cloud‑centric AI revenue by promoting on‑device LLMs, real‑time world‑model AI, and GPU‑based quantum simulation. The company highlights ChatRTX for RTX‑30 GPUs, expands AI‑driven digital twins and robotics, and rolls out CUDA‑Q and cuQuantum for quantum...
CATL to Supply Chinese Steelmaker with Batteries and Charging Stations for Electric Mining Trucks and Machinery
Chinese battery leader CAT CATL signed a multi‑year deal with steelmaker Jianlong to equip its mining trucks, heavy trucks, ships and construction equipment with lithium‑ion batteries and integrated charging‑and‑swapping stations. The partnership targets deployment of over 3,000 electric heavy trucks within...
An Acoustic Device Helps Reduce Bycatch of Endangered Black Sea Porpoises
Researchers in Bulgaria conducted a four‑year field trial of acoustic deterrent devices in the Black Sea turbot fishery, where by‑catch kills more than 10,000 harbor porpoises each year. After two early pinger models failed, the German‑engineered PAL Wideband pinger reduced...
Apple's iPhone 18 Could Benefit From a Gaming Performance and Memory Upgrade Despite the RAMaggedon
Rumors from tipster Dan Nystedt suggest the upcoming iPhone 18 will be the first Apple phone to ship with 12 GB of RAM and a new A20 processor built on a 2 nm process. The memory boost would match the iPhone 17 Pro Max, while the...
Big Tech Prioritizes Internal GPUs, Boosting AI Market
Big tech has a challenge where it has more demand for compute than it can service allocating GPUs internally rather than to its cloud customers. That’s very bullish for the AI trade IMO.
Fourth Data Prefetching Championship: Part I
The fourth Data Prefetching Championship (DPC‑4), held with HPCA 2026, showcased a range of innovative prefetching algorithms evaluated against a baseline of Berti at L1D and Pythia at L2 under tight storage budgets. Keynote speakers from Huawei and Google emphasized...
Motion-Enhanced Sensor Captures Ultra-High-Resolution Images, Overcoming a Pixel Miniaturization Bottleneck
Researchers at Tsinghua University unveiled a motion‑enhanced image sensor that pairs a conventional digital image sensor with a MEMS actuator to shift the chip by nanometer‑scale increments during exposure. This spatial‑modulation technique decouples sampling resolution from pixel size, delivering a...
Dallas Transit to Invest up to $71.5M in Upgraded Bus Shelters
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is allocating up to $71.5 million to replace its citywide bus shelters with new, climate‑resilient structures. The contract with Tolar Manufacturing will deliver solar‑powered LED lighting, real‑time arrival displays, and a remote‑monitoring platform that alerts staff...
SUSE Launches Industrial Edge Platform Following Losant Acquisition
SUSE unveiled SUSE Industrial Edge, a cloud‑native, low‑code platform built on its Losant acquisition, targeting the industrial "tiny edge" market. The solution runs on SUSE Linux Micro and Kubernetes, supports 90‑95% of industrial protocols, and processes more than 1.2 billion workflow...
PS5, PS5 Pro and PS5 Portal Prices Are Going Up in Southeast Asian Markets
Sony announced price increases for its PS5, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal in Southeast Asia effective May 1. In Singapore the PS5 now costs SGD 849 (≈$620), Malaysia MYR 2,799 (≈$620) and Thailand THB 20,990 (≈$590); the Pro model is priced similarly, while the Philippines and...
Husky A300 Rugged Mobile Manipulator Integration
Clearpath Robotics announced a custom Husky A300 platform equipped with a Universal Robots UR5e collaborative arm. The integration adds a rugged touchscreen interface and a fully enclosed control box to shield electronics in demanding settings. This turnkey system is positioned...
With Ultrasound on a Chip, Butterfly Network Aims for Global Reach
Butterfly Network, under CEO Joe DeVivo, is scaling its chip‑based handheld ultrasound priced around $4,000 to make imaging affordable and portable worldwide. The device replaces costly cart‑based machines ($30,000‑$200,000) with a probe containing 9,000 sensors and AI‑enhanced modes, and the...
Just Buy a Logitech Wireless Mouse — These Are My Favorites
Logitech’s wireless mouse lineup spans premium to budget, offering ergonomic designs, multi‑device pairing, and extensive programmability. The flagship MX Master 4 delivers six customizable buttons, an Action Ring, and a rechargeable battery lasting up to two months. Mid‑range options like the M720 Triathlon...
Enterprises Face New Storage Bottlenecks as AI Grows
Enterprises adopting AI are hitting storage bottlenecks because traditional, transaction‑oriented storage cannot keep up with the massive, unstructured data and unpredictable access patterns of machine‑learning workloads. Vendors are responding by shifting from SATA/SAS SSDs to NVMe flash, deploying NVMe‑over‑Fabrics, and...
AZIO AI Corporation Expands Supplier Ecosystem, Secures Authorized Partnership with Giga Computing to Enhance Scalable AI Infrastructure Strategy
AZIO AI Corporation announced it is now an authorized direct reseller for Giga Computing, the enterprise arm of GIGABYTE, adding NVIDIA HGX platform and liquid‑cooling expertise to its supplier ecosystem. The partnership grants AZIO direct access to high‑density GPU systems...
Intel Warns CPU Prices Could Be the Next to Rise Due to AI Demand
Intel warned that CPU prices are set to climb as AI workloads shift toward inference, increasing server‑side demand. Since March 2026, server CPUs have risen about 20% and consumer chips 5‑10%, with another 8‑10% hike expected in the second half...
Intel Beats Q1 Forecast, Analysts Double Price Target to $95 as Server CPU Demand Soars
Intel reported Q1 revenue of $13.58 billion, eclipsing the $12.32 billion consensus, and posted EPS of $0.29 versus $0.01 expected. HSBC upgraded the stock to buy and raised its price target to $95, while other analysts highlighted a 20% lift in server...
Nigeria Deploys Smart ID Cards to 700 NYSC Corps Members
Nigeria's National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued NFC‑enabled Smart ID cards to 700 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and launched a COPA app to digitise service records. The move, unveiled in Abuja, is part of a broader...
Data Center Power Demand in Taiwan Set to Surge Eightfold by 2030 - Report
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs forecasts that data‑center power demand will surge eightfold, reaching roughly 1 GW by 2030, driven largely by AI workloads. Overall electricity consumption is expected to rise 13% from 2023 levels, with AI data centers alone projected...
Truist Raises Texas Instruments Target to $278 After Q1 Beat
Truist Financial raised its price target for Texas Instruments (TXN) to $278, up from $225, following the analog‑chip leader's fiscal Q1 earnings beat and upbeat Q2 outlook. The upgrade underscores growing investor confidence in the semiconductor sector as AI and...
Himax to Showcase Industry-Leading High-Contrast Dual-Edge Front-Lit LCoS Microdisplay at SID Display Week 2026
Himax Technologies unveiled a next‑generation high‑contrast dual‑edge front‑lit LCoS microdisplay at SID Display Week 2026 in Los Angeles. The 0.09 c.c. device weighs just 0.2 g, delivers up to 350,000 nits brightness, 1 lumen at 200 mW, and features a 720×720 resolution. Proprietary material and...
Enphase and Evergen Link IQ Batteries to Australian VPP, Boosting Home Grid Services
Enphase Energy announced that its IQ battery line will be integrated with Evergen’s virtual power plant platform in Australia, enabling residential solar‑plus‑storage systems to provide grid services and energy optimisation. The partnership aims to accelerate VPP participation among Australian homeowners...
Rigetti Computing Shares Slide 70% From Peak, Raising Investor Concerns
Rigetti Computing's shares have fallen roughly 70% from their 2023 high, reflecting a sharp retreat after a brief 275% rally last fall. The decline follows a 34% revenue drop to $7.1 million in 2025 and a widening loss of $216 million, sparking...
All in One Bluetooth Audio: A Complete Solution on a TSMC 12nm Single Die
The SemiWiki webinar "All‑in‑One Bluetooth Audio: A Complete Solution on a TSMC 12 nm Single Die" showcases a fully integrated Bluetooth audio system built on TSMC’s 12 nm process. By consolidating RF front‑end, baseband, DSP, memory and power management onto one die,...
Midwest Data Centers: Why some Proposals Succeed and Others Fail
Midwest communities are rapidly embracing data‑center development, with more than 800 towns approving projects and Illinois alone accounting for 229 sites. Proponents cite diversified tax bases, high‑pay jobs, and local business growth, while opponents raise concerns about water use, energy...
60% of Enterprises Are Deploying AI PCs | IDC Report
IDC reports that about 60 % of enterprises are already deploying or planning to buy AI‑enhanced PCs, marking a rapid shift toward on‑device artificial intelligence. Companies are embedding generative AI tools into everyday workflows, leveraging dedicated AI accelerators to run inference...
Apple Set to Overtake Dell as MacBook Shipments Rise Against Market Decline
Apple is projected to ship about 28 million MacBooks in 2026, up from 23 million in 2025, positioning it ahead of Dell for the third‑largest global laptop volume. The overall notebook market is expected to shrink 8% to 181.1 million units as DRAM...
Raspberry Pi Proves Cheap Hardware Fuels Limitless Creativity
Steve Jobs implored: “make something wonderful” I find the story of HOW Eben Upton built Rasberry Pi every bit as interesting as the tiny little computers he makes, “a general purpose programmable computer to fall in love with the unbounded creativity...
Rohlwing: Can RFID Finally Replace the Boot-O-Meter?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted Auburn University Transportation Research Institute a $1.9 million grant to evaluate RFID‑enabled smart‑tire sensors for commercial trucks. The study will examine three scenarios—parked‑truck checks, fixed‑reader depot scans, and continuous in‑motion monitoring—to see if...
Samsung’s Fold 8 Wide Could Fix One of Foldables’ Ugliest Camera Problems
Samsung is rumored to reduce the front‑camera hole‑punch on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its Fold 8 Wide variant from 3.7 mm to 2.5 mm, freeing a few extra millimeters of cover‑screen real estate. Both models will retain a 10‑megapixel selfie sensor, so image...
WeRide Expands WRD 3.0 Across Multiple Chip Platforms
WeRide announced that its WRD 3.0 advanced driver assistance system is now compatible with multiple chip platforms, including NVIDIA DRIVE, Qualcomm Snapdragon and SiEngine’s StarLight AD1000. The expansion enables automakers to deploy L2++ ADAS across a range of computing power—from...
How the Walkman, Game Boy, Liquid Death, and Pokémon Became Surprise Hits
The article examines how products like Sony’s Walkman, Nintendo’s Game Boy, Liquid Death, and TikTok became outsized successes by embracing simplicity, constraints, and unexpected user behavior. Japanese innovators repeatedly chose “withered technology” and minimal features to lower cost, boost durability,...
Introducing TrueNAS V160: Versatile Mission-Critical Storage
iXsystems unveiled the TrueNAS V160, an enterprise‑grade storage appliance that blends AMD EPYC‑based compute, up to 768 GB DDR5 memory, and a 24 TiB hybrid flash cache to deliver 60 GB/s throughput. The system supports a flexible mix of NVMe and SAS HDDs...
Hitachi Vantara Releases FY2025 Sustainability Report, Highlighting Leadership in Energy-Efficient Infrastructure for AI-Driven Workloads
Hitachi Vantara released its FY2025 Sustainability Report, showcasing new energy‑efficient infrastructure for AI‑driven workloads, especially the VSP One Block High End platform. The report details expanded lifecycle‑assessment tools, a 50% recycled‑plastic content in storage hardware, and tighter ESG governance that...
The iPhone Fold Could Cut Short the Motorola Razr Fold's Big Moment
Motorola is set to unveil the Razr Fold, its first book‑style foldable, on Wednesday, joining Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google’s Pixel Fold line‑up. The device features an 8.1‑inch internal display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, 6,000 mAh battery and a triple 50‑megapixel rear...
Photonics May Unlock AI’s Data‑Movement Bottleneck
Why Photonics Could Decide the Future of AI Infrastructure Generative AI is turning data movement into one of the biggest constraints in modern data centers. Training clusters now span tens or hundreds of thousands of GPUs. Model sizes have moved beyond 100T...
Apple Could Double Device Count to 4.5 Bn in 15 Years
❝If Mr Ternus does “nothing but keep the ship on course”, Apple could almost double its number of devices from 2.5bn globally to 4.5bn over the next 15 years, reckons Horace Dediu... —The Economist https://asymco.com/2026/04/27/the-economist-interview-hints-at-the-future-direction-of-the-company/
Samsung Wafer Output Drops 58%, Memory Down 18% Amid Labor Dispute
Samsung’s South Korean wafer foundry output plunged 58% and memory production slipped 18% on April 23 after workers at the Pyeongtaek complex missed overnight shifts in protest. The dispute centers on pay and bonus structures; Samsung has offered a 6.2% base‑salary...
Data Center Consolidation Is Becoming a Thing of the Past
I can remember a time not too long ago when both companies and governments were proudly consolidating and reducing their numbers of data centers.... https://t.co/1puJ5UwoJz
Tim Cook's 15-Year Apple: Massive Growth, Mixed Innovations
I wrote about Tim Cook's 15-year run as Apple CEO, from $350B to $4T (and ~300m to 2.5B installed devices). The good (Watch, AirPods, Apple Silicon, Pay, TV+, Maps), the bad (iCar, Siri, app fees, Vision Pro) and the Apple...
Control, Not Capacity, Drives U.S. Home Storage Investment
Control, not capacity, could be the next driver of US residential storage investment #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/HrA33lxPPv
200 MW, 4‑Hour Battery Project Secures Contractors
Contract awarded for new 200 MW, four hour battery project battery secures contractors #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/3IZrAy3vDt https://t.co/5XPAdJJ6yV
Shape‑shifting Wheels Enable Wheelchairs to Conquer Stairs
Shape-Shifting Wheels by KIMM Let Wheelchairs Climb Stairs and Conquer Any Terrain by @spaceandtech_ #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology https://t.co/VuYikbOBi9
VRT Acquires Firm to Boost Liquid Cooling Expertise
$VRT: makes another acquisition to further strengthen its liquid cooling system and engineering expertise. https://t.co/1DyyOBJIc8