Latest News - Page 361

NVIDIA had a few hiccups with its original Blackwell-based GB200 NVL72 AI servers, with cloud service providers (CSPs) struggling to ink deals for new "Blackwell Ultra" GB300 AI servers, wanting more "mature" AI GPU solutions instead.

In a new report from Ctee and post on X by @Jukanlosreve, we're hearing that major CSPs like Microsoft and others are moving away from ordering GB300, and after the sour taste that GB200 AI servers left in their mouths, they're ordering mature HGX 8-card series products. Industry insiders analyzed that GB300 samples wouldn't be made available for customer testing until Q4 2025 at the earliest, meaning we could expect a delay for GB300 into 2026.

Microsoft has been rumored to cut its computing power at its data centers, with supply chain insiders reporting that Microsoft was one of the first companies to get their hands on NVIDIA's new GB200 NVL72 AI servers, but "due to poor yields, its customers are forced to join the testing process. Among them, the complexity of deploying the system was far beyond expectations. The installation process took about 5 to 7 working days, and instability and system crashes often occured".

NVIDIA's RTX 5000 laptop GPUs have been keenly awaited by many for quite some time, but it's official - these notebooks are now on sale, although you can't actually buy one yet.

Why not? As VideoCardz reported, breaking down the availability at Newegg in the US, many of these portables are simply out of stock, and some are available for pre-order - but it'll obviously take a while before they're shipped.

How long? Well that depends on the laptop in question as you might guess, but most models are not actually going to be out until April 30, over four weeks away (some are due to ship on April 15, mind, but not many).

Microsoft is working on a new feature for Windows 11 called 'Quick Machine Recovery' which is designed to help companies (or individuals) quickly recover from serious problems with their PCs.

Bleeping Computer spotted the revelation of this tool as one of the elements of Microsoft's Windows Resiliency Initiative, which just as the name suggests aims to make the desktop operating system more bulletproof from gremlins that can cause serious havoc with Windows 11 systems.

The Quick Machine Recovery facility is currently in testing for Windows 11 in the Beta channel (see some screenshots from a well-known Windows Insider, XenoPanther, above), and can be accessed via the Startup menu. (It's in the Advanced Options page, and is labeled as replacing the Startup Repair functionality).

This is DOOM: The Dark Ages, the highly anticipated prequel follow-up to 2020's excellent DOOM Eternal and the third game in the modern DOOM re-imagining from id Software. With its release around the corner for PC and consoles, thanks to Bethesda, we had the chance to go hands-on with a pre-release build of the game and play close to four hours of the intense medieval dark fantasy sci-fi action running in 4K on a GeForce RTX 5080 rig.

As game director Hugo Martin describes, DOOM: The Dark Ages presents a different experience from Eternal's "run and gun" arena-style action to a more grounded "stand and fight" approach. This sees the Slayer move around like an iron tank with a speed boost as he wields a Shield Saw, Flail, Super Shotgun, and arsenal of weaponry. Unlike Eternal, you can feel the weight of each step, adding to the prequel's focus on the Slayer being this ultimate weapon - an unstoppable demon-slaying force.

We immediately noticed this when playing through the game's introductory sequence, which sees the Slayer transported into the midst of a massive battle from an orbiting battle station by some pretty incredible-looking aliens. The art direction and character design are next-level, and the well-directed cinematics present much more DOOM story and lore than we're used to.

GMKtec has announced that its new EVO-X2 AI supercomputing desktop PC will up for pre-order on April 7 in China, powered by AMD's new Ryzen AI Max 300 series "Strix Halo" APUs.

GMK has also revealed the pre-order pricing of its new Mini-PC, with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Point" APU packing 128GB of LPDDR5X memory and 2TB of Gen4 SSD storage costing CNY 14,999 (around $2066 USD or so). Inside, the new Mini-PC will feature the Strix Halo APU with the Radeon 890M GPU with 40 CUs of RDNA 3.5 GPU cores.

The new EVO-X2 AI supercomputing PC powered by the Strix Halo APU uses a dual-turbo fan, paired with a Vapor Chamber heatsink that handles up to 140W of performance. There are tons of I/O on the Mini-PC as well, with USB-C 40Gbps ports, 2.5GbE ethernet, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort, and more.

Scientists are working on a new level of technology that uses the neurons inside of the human brain, merging them with semiconductors (chips) to create something that's no longer constrained by the physical limitations of a microchip.

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have showed off a single, standard silicon transistor that can function like a biological neuron and synapse when operated in a specific, unconventional way. The research team has presented its work as a highly scalable and energy-efficient solution for hardware-based artificial neuron networks (ANNs).

The human brain is an amazing piece of art as it is, with studies showing that the human brain is far more energy-efficient than electronic processors with almost 90 billion neurons that form around 100 trillion connections with each other, and synapses that tune their strength as time goes by, something called synaptic plasticity, which underpins learning and memory.

It looks as though SK hynix has sold out of most of its HBM memory chips for 2026, with all of its 2025 supply exhausted... and with NVIDIA unstoppable with Blackwell Ultra GB300 and its HBM3E, and its next-gen Rubin R100 with HBM4, the South Korean memory leader is swamped, but in the best way possible.

SK hynix held its annual shareholders meeting a couple of days ago, with CEO Kwan Noh-jung revealing that the company has been wrapping up sales discussions of its HBM memory chips for 2026. Kwak said: "We will finalize discussions with customers on next year's HBM volumes by the first half of this year to further strengthen sales stability".

The company recently sent out samples of its next-generation HBM4 memory chips, with mass production expected in the second half of 2025, too. Kwak added: "Despite rising uncertainties in the global economy, major tech companies are increasing investment to gain leadership in AI. Demand for HBM is expected to increase sharply due to demand for GPUs and other chips".

A team of engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have created the world's smallest wireless flying robot that's capable of hovering, changing trajectory, and hitting small targets.

The super-small flying robot is less than 1cm in diameter, weighing in at only 21mg, making it the world's smallest wireless robot that's capable of controlled flight. For a robot to fly, it might have a power source like a battery, as well as electronics for flight control, both of which can be hard to integrate into something so small and lightweight.

In order to overcome this hurdle, the Berkeley engineers used an external magnetic field to power the flying robot and control the flight path. The flying robot is shaped like a small propeller, packing two small magnets. Under the influence of an external magnetic field, these magnets are attracted and repelled, causing the propeller to spin and generate enough lift to raise the flying robot off of the ground. After that, the flight path of the robot can be precisely controlled by modulating the strength of the magnetic field.

SpaceX is hard at work on new Starlink satellite internet dishes that will deliver a huge 1Gbps+ download speeds to users on the ground, up from the 200Mbps average of today.

The company showed off its new 1Gbps capable Starlink dish during a recent webinar for Starlink resellers, according to someone who watched the presentation. SpaceX will not only need to ship out new 1Gbps-ready Starlink dishes, but the Elon Musk-led company will also need to roll out planned upgrades for the Starlink constellation of satellites, using a broader range of radio spectrum for the satellite internet connection.

SpaceX has plans to release new 1Gbps-ready Starlink dishes later this year, but that is dependent on SpaceX's flagship Starship rocket, which can successfully deploy third-generation V3 Starlink satellites. SpaceX President Gwenne Shotwell said back in November 2024: "Next generation, we'll have smaller beams, more capacity per beam, lower latency" with speeds of up to a blistering 2Gbps in the future.

XPG has launched its latest AIO liquid cooler, the high-performance XPG LEVANTE II 360, which is available now. In addition to the dual-chamber pump, which features the thermal efficiency and performance to handle CPUs with up to a 320W TDP, the LEVANTE II 360 also sports a vibrant physical design with infinity mirrors on both the pump and fans.

One excellent DIY feature of the XPG LEVANTE II 360 is that the 3-in-1 single frame ARGB fans are pre-installed, making the installation process easy and less cluttered, thanks to simple and minimal cable management. The fans are optimized for airflow and noise levels, with XPG noting that the XPG LEVANTE II 360 offers quiet cooling, with sound levels kept to around 29 dB(A) on average during intense workloads.

The new XPG LEVANTE II 360 AIO Liquid Cooler is also universally compatible with various CPUs and sockets, including Intel LGA 1851, LGA 1700, and the latest AMD AM5 sockets.

inZOI is a new take on The Sims-style life simulator that was released into Early Access last week and is currently one of the best-selling titles on the platform. It's a GeForce-friendly title running on Unreal Engine 5 with ray-tracing, DLSS support, and in-game AI characters powered by NVIDIA ACE technologies. However, due to instability issues, the developer recommends that all GeForce RTX 40 Series owners roll back to GeForce Game Ready Driver 566.36 from December 5, 2024, before playing the game.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a new Souls-like action RPG with a dark tone and intense combat that also launched last week. It's another GeForce-friendly title with DLSS 4 support, NVIDIA Reflex, and Frame Generation. However, due to instability issues, the developer recommends that all GeForce RTX 40 Series owners roll back to GeForce Game Ready Driver 566.36 from December 5, 2024, before playing.

With game developers actively recommending that GeForce RTX 40 Series owners roll back to a driver from last year, it sounds like there are serious issues with GeForce Game Ready Drivers from 2025. Hopefully, NVIDIA will formally acknowledge and address this as soon as possible.

HP's new ZBook Ultra 14 workstation laptops are now available for pre-order, rocking AMD's fantastic new Ryzen AI Max+ 300 series "Strix Halo" APUs, with prices starting at around $4000 but pricing scales up to an eye-watering $8250.

On its official website, HP lists the new ZBook Ultra 14 G1a mobile workstation PC Wolf Pro Security Edition, packing the AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro 385 "Strix Halo" APU, the Radeon 8050S "RDNA 3.5" integrated GPU, 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, and 512GB of Gen4 SSD storage for $4296.

HP has a bunch of different configurations with slightly different Strix Halo APUs, with plenty of variants of RAM + SSD upgrades along the way. A higher-end configuration of the ZBook Ultra 14 includes one with the AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro 395 "Strix Halo" APU, 64GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for $5660, however the same laptop but with an upgraded 128GB of RAM and 4TB SSD will cost you $8250... representing a $2590 price increase for 64GB more RAM and 3TB more SSD... ouch.

KLEVV has updated its DDR5 Gaming/OC memory lineup, with new releases that include new color options for its FIT V and BOLT V series RAM, enhanced performance with lower latency RAM options, and "Optimized for AMD" variants across its DDR5 OC models.

The new color variations for its FIV V and BOLT V memory series include an elegant Jet Black edition, which KLEVV explains as a "minimalist and understated aesthetic tailored for creators and professionals". The BOLT V series now features a new pure White edition, which KLEVV says combines a bold, modern aesthetic alongside high-speed performance tailored for gamers.

It's not just looks that KLEVV is updating here, with its CRAS V RGB, URBANE V RGB, BOLT V, and FIT V series with reduced latency, enhancing responsiveness and efficiency. The company's 6000MT/s variants now have lower latencies down into CL26 and CL28, while its 6400MT/s memory is at CL30, depending on the model, ensuring smoother and more efficient operation for demanding applications and gaming.

Intel has confirmed that its next-generation Panther Lake CPUs made on its next-gen in-house Intel 18A process node will be released in 2025, with its next-gen Nova Lake CPU platform launching in 2026.

During its recent annual report to stockholders, there was a letter from Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan who said: "This is strengthening our position as the CPU of choice in a valuable growth market. We will further enhance our position in the second half of this year with the launch of Panther Lake, our lead product on Intel 18A, followed by Nova Lake in 2026".

However, the freshly-minted Intel CEO didn't mention a single word about GPUs... with the company remaining silent on its graphics division since the whisper-quiet launch of Battlemage. We have no idea what the future of graphics is from the company, with the CEO not elaborating on it further.

Chinese manufacturer UNIS has just unveiled its new S5 and S5 Ultra Gen5 SSDs, rocking the fastest Gen5 SSD read speeds of up to 14.9GB/sec, beating out the Gen5 SSD competition.

UNIS's new S5 family includes the base S5 and S5 Ultra, both falling into the M.2 2280 form factor and PCIe 5.0 x4 interface. They've debuted in China and should reach global markets in the future, especially when they're pushing speeds of up to 14.9GB/sec which beats some of the world's biggest and best SSD makers.

The base model UNIS S5 pushes out up to 14.9GB/sec sequential reads and up to 12.9GB/sec sequential writes, beating out the competition -- Samsung 9100 PRO with 14.8GB/sec and Crutial T705 with 14.5GB/sec -- especially when you consider that UNIS is using an older, unknown 12nm controller and a DRAM-less design.

TSMC at one point wouldn't make any of its advanced chips on US soil, but appears that this could be changing... with the Taiwan giant to make bleeding-edge (A16) 1.6nm chips in Arizona.

Now that President Trump is in office, TSMC's ambitions in the US can grow exponentially and have advanced semiconductor production in the United States. TSMC VP for Global Policy, Peter Cleveland, recently said that TSMC plans to produce chips at its upcoming third semiconductor fab soon under construction in Arizona, to sustain the United States' AI leadership.

TSMC has invested $65 billion into its Arizona semiconductor fabs so far, with plans to have 3 facilities in total, with the first fab responsible for making 4nm chips according to reports. TSMC plans to make higher-end chips including 3nm, 2nm, and possibly its bleeding-edge A16 (1.6nm) chips.

The biggest question in gaming right now is by far "what is the release date for Grand Theft Auto VI," and that question has been partially answered by the CEO of franchise.

Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto franchise has sat down for an interview where he was asked about the secrecy surrounding the launch date for GTA 6, especially considering many competing franchises reveal their release dates so early in their development.

Nintendo has already begun to show the value of its newly announced and launched Nintendo Today app by revealing the release date of its upcoming The Legend of Zelda Movie directed by Wes Ball, the director of The Maze Runner and Kingdom of the Planet of the apes.

The upcoming live-action movie is set to be released on March 26, 2027. Unfortunately, there isn't any more information to reveal on the movie, as we don't know who will be playing any of Nintendo's iconic characters such as Link, Zelda, and Gannondorf.

Additionally, we don't know how much of the movie will be animated versus live-action, but if we use the success of the Super Mario Bros. Movie as an example, we can assume that Nintendo will be attempting to replicate the popularity of that movie with The Legend of Zelda Movie by keeping to the same approximate format.

AMD is reportedly working on releasing its Strix Point APUs to the desktop, under the Ryzen 9000G branding according to the latest rumors.

AMD CEO Lisa Su was recently asked if we'd see the company's new flagship "Strix Halo" APU on the desktop, which she confirmed with "yes, yes, of course!" and now it seems that Strix Point on the desktop will come first with the Ryzen 9000G series APUs.

In a new post on X by leaker @9550pro, we're hearing that there is a new AM5 APU coming and that it should be release in Q4 2025. As it stands, the highest core/thread count we've had on an AMD APU has been 8 cores and 16 threads, but the newer Strix Point APU features 12 cores and 24 threads of Zen 5 processing power (and a far better integrated RDNA 3.5 GPU, and more).

Reports indicate that publishers are wary to set release dates for their games because no one wants to compete against Grand Theft Auto 6.

GTA 6 is set to "save" the games industry by capitalizing on 12 years of hype. Rockstar's new Grand Theft Auto is expected to be so big that it will collectively uplift the console games industry--after all, you can only play it on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S at launch.

There's also the disastrous effect of GTA's wake, and publishers don't want to see their $100 million AAA games get swallowed up. Some companies are even ready to push back their projects just in case GTA 6 does meet its intended Fall 2025 launch timing. Bosses at various publishers tell The Game Business' Chris Dring that they're poised to delay games to steer clear of GTA 6.