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
Google’s New TPUs and Agent Platform Offer Expanded AI Solutions
At Google Cloud Next, Google unveiled a new generation of Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) split between training‑focused and inference‑optimized chips, promising lower latency and better performance per watt. It also launched the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, which adds orchestration, security and governance tools for managing autonomous AI agents. A partnership with Broadcom introduces Cloud Network Insights for multi‑cloud observability, and Google announced a $750 million fund to accelerate partner AI solution development.
Synopsys Partners with TSMC to Power Next-Generation AI Systems with Silicon Proven IP and Certified EDA Flows
Synopsys announced an expanded partnership with TSMC that integrates AI‑driven EDA flows, silicon‑proven IP, and 3DFabric enablement across the company’s 3 nm, 2 nm and A14/A16 process families. The collaboration delivered the first low‑power M‑PHY v6.0 silicon on TSMC N2P, a 64‑G UCIe...
TSMC Unfolds Map for Process, Packaging Tech
TSMC unveiled its next‑generation roadmap, announcing the 1.4‑nm A14 GAA process for AI data‑center chips in 2028, with A13 and A12 derivatives slated for 2029 that shrink die size by roughly 6%. The company also introduced N2U, a 2‑nm derivative...
The End of the Neutral Stack: Choose Your Ecosystem
The automotive industry is abandoning the long‑standing neutral stack model as OEMs begin locking in compute and software platforms early in the vehicle development cycle. Simultaneously, data‑sovereignty regulations are forcing a split between China and non‑China vehicle architectures. Suppliers that...
LG's First RGB TV Starts at $5,000 and Is Available to Pre-Order Today
LG announced the Micro RGB evo, its first micro‑RGB TV, now available for pre‑order at a starting price of $5,000 for the 75‑inch model. The display builds on Mini‑LED tech by using individually controlled red, green and blue LEDs, delivering...
Google Will Fix an Android XR Bug Leaving Galaxy Headsets ‘Functionally Useless’
Google has confirmed a critical memory‑leak bug in Android XR that is causing severe frame‑rate drops and UI freezes on Samsung’s Galaxy XR headsets. Users on Reddit report the devices becoming functionally useless, with performance degrading over time. Google’s community...
Fresh‑Air Listening for Less: AeroFit 2 Open-Ear Headphones Drop to a Can’t‑Miss Price
Anker’s Soundcore AeroFit 2 open‑ear headphones have been reduced to $79.98, a 38% discount from the original $129.99. The earbuds combine a feather‑light, open‑ear design with up to 10 hours of playback and 42 hours total using the charging case, plus wireless charging....
Meta Announces $1 Billion AI Data Center in Tulsa with Water Sustainability Goals
Meta announced a $1 billion AI‑enabled data center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, covering two million square feet. The campus will host up to 1.5 GW of clean‑energy capacity and will consume significant water for cooling. To offset this, Meta partnered with PhyTech to...
Don't Wait to Buy a MacBook Neo for School - Here's Why
Apple’s MacBook Neo, launched in March, is experiencing severe backorder delays, with shipments now pushed to mid‑May. The shortage stems from a limited supply of the A18 Pro chip, which Apple does not currently produce in volume. Demand is especially...
Leak Suggests Solid Pricing for Steam Machine, but Even that Might Be Too High to Save It
According to a recent leak, Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine is expected to launch in the $650‑$750 range, a reduction from earlier $800‑$900 estimates driven by a recent RAM shortage linked to AI demand. The price places the device on par...
Private 5G Delivers Robust Connectivity for Autonomous Mining Operations
Demand for lithium, copper and nickel is projected to triple by 2030, forcing miners to accelerate smart, autonomous operations. Ericsson's Private 5G delivers industrial‑grade, low‑latency connectivity that functions reliably in underground tunnels and open‑pit sites. Deployments at Newmont's Cadia, Agnico...
The Best Earbuds of 2026: Expert Tested and Reviewed
The 2026 roundup crowns Apple AirPods Pro 3 as the best overall earbuds, highlighting new health sensors, stronger active‑noise cancellation and an IP57 rating without a price hike. Sony’s WF‑1000XM6 is positioned as the top Android choice, thanks to LDAC and...
Google Unveils Two New AI Chips For the 'Agentic Era'
Google unveiled two new Tensor Processing Units—one dedicated to training and another to inference—targeting what it calls the "agentic era" of AI. The training TPU promises 2.8 times the performance of the seventh‑generation Ironwood chip at the same price, while the...
Ember’s Self-Heating Smart Mug Is More than $50 Off Ahead of Mother’s Day
Ember is running a Mother’s Day promotion that cuts the price of its Ember Mug 2 smart mug by more than $50. The 14‑ounce version is now $97.49 (down from $149.95) and the 10‑ounce model is $84.47 (down from $129.95)....
NIST Researchers Develop Photonic Chip Packaging
Researchers at NIST have introduced a new packaging method for photonic integrated circuits that uses hydroxide catalysis bonding, an inorganic glass‑like technique originally developed by NASA. The HCB process creates a molecular‑level bond between optical fibers and chips, allowing the...
BioMérieux Unveils BIOFIRE SPOTFIRE Molecular Testing Solution for Biopharma
bioMérieux has launched BIOFIRE SPOTFIRE, a molecular testing system aimed at biopharma quality control. The instrument delivers mycoplasma results in less than an hour, leveraging automated workflows, touchscreen operation, and barcode scanning. Designed to be compact and stackable, it integrates with...
NRD Releases Solid-State Nuclear Battery Power Cell
NRD unveiled its NBV series, a solid‑state betavoltaic nuclear battery powered by nickel‑63. The cell delivers 5 nW to 500 nW of power, with voltages ranging from 1 V to 20 V, in a compact 20 mm × 20 mm × 12 mm package. Designed for ultra‑low‑power electronics, it promises maintenance‑free...
Neurotechnology Spinoff SkyBiometry Launches AI Infrastructure Suite
Lithuania‑based SkyBiometry, a Neurotechnology spinoff, unveiled an AI Factory and a full‑stack infrastructure suite that combines GPU‑rich hardware, private bare‑metal clouds, and managed Kubernetes orchestration. The offering is designed to accelerate large language model training, generative AI, and computer‑vision projects...
Framework Laptop to Get Royalty-Free Oculink Port
Framework announced that its upcoming Laptop 16 will feature a royalty‑free Oculink port, enabling 128 Gbps optical connectivity for eGPUs, NVMe drives and other high‑speed peripherals. The company is releasing an Oculink Dev Kit and plans dedicated graphics and PCIe docks, positioning...
I’ve Been Running With the Apple Watch for 10 Years, but This One Feature Gave Me More Confidence for Race...
Apple’s Watch Pacer feature, introduced in watchOS 9 (2022), provides real‑time visual and audio cues to keep runners on target pace. Runner Jeff Dengate tested it while training for the London Marathon, noting that the green/red bar and Siri alerts helped...
Galaxy Z Fold 7 Is Now Available ‘Re-Newed,’ but It Currently Costs More than a New One
Samsung has broadened its Re‑Newed refurbished program to include the latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 models. The refurbished Fold 7 is priced between $1,699 and $1,879, while the Flip 7 starts at $939, representing discounts of $300‑$620 and $160‑$310 respectively....
HP Chief Commercial Officer: Memory Crunch Unlikely To Ease For ‘Many’ Quarters, ‘Creative’ Offsets Available
HP’s chief commercial officer Dave McQuarrie said the company is now able to honor 30‑day price quotes despite a memory‑chip price surge of roughly 100% quarter‑over‑quarter. The memory crunch, driven by AI‑related data‑center demand, is expected to persist for many...
Framework’s New Focus, New Kit, And RAM Woes
Framework unveiled a revamped Laptop 13 Pro that can be shipped fully assembled with Ubuntu preinstalled, a rare offering for Linux‑focused hardware. The device also features a new haptic trackpad—mirroring MacBook ergonomics—and a larger battery made possible by the slimmer design. Existing...
Frezzi’s PocketLight LED Kit for DJI Osmo Pocket 3: The Perfect Match
Ashley Esqueda, founder of Rowdy Skeleton, tested Frezzi’s PocketLight LED kit with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 while covering CES 2026. The magnetic LED attaches to the camera’s extended‑battery case, delivering adjustable brightness without adding bulk. The kit’s lightweight design let her...
Could Neutral Atoms Take the Lead in Quantum Computing?
A new pre‑print from Oratomic proposes that neutral‑atom quantum computers, which use laser‑tweezed atoms as qubits, could outpace traditional superconducting platforms. The key innovation is dynamic reconfigurability, allowing qubits to be moved into proximity for two‑qubit gates, which dramatically lowers...
This Garmin Smartwatch With a 10-Day Battery Is $110 Off Right Now
Garmin’s Venu 3S smartwatch is now priced at $339.99, a $110 (24%) drop from its $449.99 launch price, making it the lowest‑cost point in the Venu lineup. The 41 mm model offers a 1.2‑inch AMOLED display, 8 GB of onboard storage, built‑in...
I Was Eyeing up the New Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5, but the Android Tablet's Price Is Wrong
Lenovo has launched the Legion Tab Gen 5 in the UK, pricing it at £699.99 (about $946). The Android gaming tablet boasts a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor and an 8.8‑inch PureSight display, but its cost exceeds many rivals. Competitors such...
Amazon Upgrades to Gigabit with Its New Fire TV Ethernet Adapter, but There’s a Catch
Amazon has launched a new Fire TV Ethernet adapter that pairs with the 2nd‑gen Fire TV Stick HD’s USB‑C port and is technically capable of Gigabit Ethernet. However, the adapter’s specifications list a maximum of 480 Mbps, reflecting the stick’s likely...
DREXR Upgrade Flight Trials Completed on US Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have completed flight trials of the Digital Receiver Exciter Recorder (DREXR) upgrade on the U.S. Navy’s E‑2D Advanced Hawkeye. DREXR merges the Exciter and Receiver subsystems into a single compact unit, enabling next‑generation radar performance...
Bolt's Zeus Chip Paves Way for Silicon Path Tracing
"Moving from a rasterized pipeline in silicon to path tracing in silicon, at scale, is not an easy thing to do," said Dr. Ian Cutress, chief analyst, More Than Moore. "Bolt Graphics' Zeus test chip is an important first step...
NetApp-Google Cloud Partnership Supports Unified Storage and Sovereign Cloud
NetApp has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud by launching Flex Unified, a managed service that merges file and block storage across all Google Cloud regions. The offering lets enterprises run AI, high‑performance computing and VMware workloads without moving or...
Transforming AI’s Energy Demand Into a Grid Asset
AI needs energy. A lot of it. But the more interesting question is what happens next. In this Earth Day episode of TEQ, Carolina Milanesi sits down with Christopher Wellise (@cwellise), VP of Sustainability at @Equinix, to unpack whether the infrastructure...
Company Introduces Partial Surcharge to Share Memory Costs
"We are partnering with our customers to share in the higher memory costs, by initiating a surcharge, albeit it is a partial cost recovery and without adding gross profit." https://t.co/5Qrl2d4NR8 $CALX
Silicon Photonics Just Gained a Powerful New Ally, and It Could Reshape Next-Generation Data Links
Silicon photonics gains a new integration method as imec demonstrates micro‑transfer printing of thin‑film lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) and lithium tantalate (LiTaO₃) onto a CMOS‑compatible platform. The team achieved a 320 Gb/s unamplified O‑band link over 2 km using a 100 GHz germanium photodiode...
JEDEC Previews LPDDR6 Roadmap Expanding LPDDR Into Data Centers and Processing-in-Memory
JEDEC previewed a next‑generation LPDDR6 roadmap that extends the mobile‑focused memory standard into data‑center and accelerated‑computing markets. The update adds a narrower per‑die interface, flexible metadata handling, and targets 512 GB densities per module. JEDEC is also developing a SOCAMM2 module...
Basel Tram Company Plans Semi-Automated Operation | Railway Gazette
Baselland Transport (BLT) has awarded Stadler Rail a contract to fit its suburban tram network with the Nova Pro communication‑based train control (CBTC) system, marking the next phase of semi‑automated operation. The technology, already in use on the 13 km Waldenburgerbahn...
Silicon Oxide Memory Advances Toward Industrial Use
Did you see this?👇 Silicon Oxide Memory Breakthrough | Lecture 12: From Lab to Industry #science #graphene #pchardware https://t.co/dIvQsIQm8V https://t.co/hZ0KyzJC7S
Adtran's SDG Router Gets Conditional FCC Approval Amid New Ban on Foreign-Made Routers
Adtran announced that its Service Delivery Gateway (SDG) router portfolio has secured conditional approval from the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, exempting the equipment from the agency’s newly imposed ban on foreign‑made routers until October 1 2027. The clearance lets...
Dreame Unveils Nexis AI‑Powered Smart Swim Goggles in Silicon Valley
Dreame AI Glasses Division launched the Nexis smart swim goggles at a Silicon Valley showcase, debuting a MicroLED‑based HyperView HD display, AI‑driven coaching and a 12 mm ultra‑thin comfort fit. The product aims to create a data‑rich underwater experience and expand...
![OnePlus Watch 4 Officially Brings Wear OS 6 in a Titanium Body, Mysterious Launch Plans [Gallery]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i0.wp.com/9to5google.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/04/oneplus-watch-4-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
OnePlus Watch 4 Officially Brings Wear OS 6 in a Titanium Body, Mysterious Launch Plans [Gallery]
OnePlus has quietly added the Watch 4 to its global website, revealing a titanium‑alloy case and Wear OS 6 powered by OxygenOS Watch 8. The device retains the Snapdragon W5 chip, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB storage and a 632 mAh battery that delivers up to 16 days in...
CPSC Reissues Recall of 429,200 Casely MagSafe Power Banks After Fatal Fire
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reannounced an April 2026 recall of 429,200 Casely 5,000‑mAh MagSafe Power Pods after a fire killed a user. The recall, the tenth power‑bank recall in the United States in the past 12 months, follows...
Microchip and Sunny Smartlead Expand ASA-ML Ecosystem with ADAS Camera Collaboration
Microchip Technology and Sunny Smartlead have partnered to broaden the Automotive SerDes Alliance Motion Link (ASA‑ML) ecosystem. Sunny Smartlead will launch ADAS camera modules that integrate Microchip’s VS700 ASA‑ML serializers, promising faster, simpler, and lower‑cost development for automotive OEMs and...
EuroHPC JU Signs Contract to Boost AI Capabilities with IT4LIA AI Factory
EuroHPC Joint Undertaking has signed a €290 million contract with E4 Computer Engineering and Dell Technologies to deliver an AI‑optimized supercomputer for Italy’s IT4LIA AI Factory. The liquid‑cooled system, built on NVIDIA Grace CPUs, Blackwell GPUs and Quantum‑X800 InfiniBand, will exceed...
China's 'Flash' Robot Wins Half‑Marathon, Showcasing AI‑Powered Industrial Automation
China’s humanoid robot Flash crossed the finish line of the 2026 Beijing E‑Town half‑marathon in 50 minutes 26 seconds, beating the human world record. The win underscores rapid advances in AI‑driven sensor data, edge computing and analytics that are reshaping...
Aeluma Shares Jump 8% After NASA Awards Quantum Laser Contract
Aeluma Inc. saw its Nasdaq‑listed shares climb 8.09% to $18.02 after NASA announced a non‑dilutive award to advance the company’s integrated quantum‑dot laser platform. The funding targets data‑center communications and advanced sensing, positioning Aeluma at the forefront of next‑gen high‑performance...
Cerebras Systems Files Nasdaq IPO, Marking Major VC‑Backed AI Chip Exit
Cerebras Systems, the wafer‑scale AI chipmaker backed by top venture firms, filed a Form S‑1 on April 17 to list on Nasdaq under the ticker CBRS. The filing comes after a $20 billion OpenAI partnership, $510 million in 2025 revenue and a...
Project Helix’s AMD GPU Features Zero Customization by Microsoft – Rumor
Industry insider KeplerL2 claims Microsoft’s upcoming Project Helix console will ship with an off‑the‑shelf AMD GPU that receives zero custom modifications. The GPU, based on AMD’s RDNA 5 architecture, will support Neural Arrays and deliver roughly 3,000 TOPS of AI throughput dedicated...
China Pursues Full-Stack AI Strategy, Emphasizing Deployment
.@kyleichan to Congress: “In general, China is pursuing a full-stack approach to accelerating their AI development, from chips and compute to models and applications. They’re focused on not just the best models, but on deployment and diffusion.” https://t.co/YMbOZBt4Id
This Vibrating Pillow Makes Nighttime Emergencies Impossible to Sleep Through
Researchers at Nottingham Trent University have unveiled a smart pillow sleeve that vibrates to alert deaf users of fire, burglar and phone call alarms during sleep. The thin textile incorporates four 3.4 mm × 12.7 mm haptic actuators embedded in yarn and links wirelessly...
A Sony Walkman for the Spotify Era
Sony’s high‑end Walkman NW‑A306 re‑imagines the digital audio player for the Spotify era, offering Android 14, a 3.6‑inch touchscreen, and dedicated hardware that isolates music from phone distractions. The device ships with 32 GB of internal storage, a micro‑SD slot supporting up...