Intel has been struggling for a while now, with rumors of an emergency board meeting being held where CEO Pat Gelsinger would outline his plan to turn Intel around (again) and now we're here. Yep, 15,000+ job cuts are on the chopping block for Intel.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has posted a message to employees regarding the next phase of Intel's transformation after his meeting with the Board of Directors last week. Gelsinger said that he and the board have "a lot of work to drive greater efficiency, improve our profitability and enhance our market competitiveness". There were 3 key takeaways from the meeting that Gelsinger highlighted:

One of the first major announcements was that Amazon Web Services (AWS) has chosen Intel Foundry to make custom chips, with a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar framework covering products and wafers from Intel. Intel Foundry will produce an AI fabric chip for AWS on Intel 18A, the company will also make a custom Xeon 6 processor on Intel 3 that builds on the company's existing partnership, which makes Xeon Scalable processors for AWS.

Today, EA demoed its ambitious new experimental AI technology to investors, showing off ideas that could change gaming forever.

During its Investor's Day stream, live service publisher Electronic Arts outlined specific ideas on how to best use generative AI to transform gaming experiences. In one of the AI concepts, dubbed "Imagination to Creation," EA Chief Strategy Officer Mihi Vaidya showed off a video where two gamers used a ChatGPT-like prompt to quickly create an in-game map, mode, and characters--all using EA's first-party asset library. The publisher is mining decades of game files from titles like Battlefield and Apex Legends to help fuel its vision for AI-powered User-Generated Experiences (UGX).

The chat prompt is just an experimental concept, and Vadiya was careful to say that its UGX tools "aren't meant to replace AAA games." EA instead wants to use its Imagination to Creation vision to supplement AAA gaming with a new line of engagement and monetization. "We believe AI is the next great opportunity to unlock new levels of value long-term," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in the stream.

Electronic Arts will use generative AI to completely transform user-generated content and significantly reduce friction in this billion-dollar market.

UGC, or user-generated content, is incredibly popular in gaming--these are the kinds of in-game creations that power Roblox's billion-dollar economy. Major live service publishers want in on the action, and today at its investor's day stream, EA demonstrated a generative AI concept where users can interact with a ChatGPT-like prompt to create in-game levels, designs, and characters.

EA is calling this "Imagination to Creation," and the tools are powered by generative AI that has mined the publisher's resources, games, and content. Rather than UGC, though, EA refers to this as UGX, or User-Generated eXperiences. In the experimental concept, gamers could choose official EA-franchised character models alongside community-created weapons. Parameters like combat options/game modes were also instantly generated via the ChatGPT-like prompt. Once generated, users could drop right into the map and start playing against each other with the set parameters, character designs, etc.

Windows 11 received a new cumulative update last week, but it appears that the September patch gives with one hand, and takes away with another, at least going by some reports of bugs with KB5043076.

The main gift of this patch - outside of the usual security updates - is that it comes with branch prediction code improvements for AMD Ryzen CPUs (Ryzen 7000 and 9000 chips to be precise). These usher in some impressive frame rate boosts indeed, to the tune of 10% on average as we've heard before (with some bigger leaps, too).

The bugs are the downside, of course, and as a report from Windows Latest underlines, there's a fair old smattering of glitches of one sort of another - an unusual number of gremlins in the works, in fact, some of which are (ironically) affecting PC gamers.

Sony's new $700 PlayStation 5 Pro could pack a newly designed radiator-and-fan combo to help cool its powerhouse GPU.

Based on specs alone, the PS5 Pro is likely to use a new-and-improved cooling solution. The Pro sports a beefier GPU with +67% more compute units and onboard AI upscaling tech to facilitate raytracted 4K 60FPS gaming and +45% faster rendering. A side-by-side comparison also reinforces that the Pro has a more robust cooler--CNET's latest video shows that the Pro is noticeably taller than its Slim forebear.

As we reported years ago, the PS5's massive heatsink was the main reason why the console was so big. It's also the reason why the Slim was so small; the Slim uses a much more efficient heatsink design that's been altered over the main 2020 model.

MSI's new Z890 MPG Carbon motherboard has leaked, ready to rock and roll with Intel's upcoming Core Ultra 200 series "Arrow Lake" desktop CPUs.

The new MSI Z890 MPG Carbon motherboard will join the fleet of Z890 motherboards that MSI has planned for the weeks and months ahead, with Intel launching its Arrow Lake CPUs on October 10 with the current rumors, we won't have much longer to wait.

MSI's new Z890 MPG Carbon motherboard looks virtually identical to the X870 MPG Carbon (X870 = AMD, Z890 = Intel) motherboard, which is a good thing as they look swish. Both of the motherboards roll out with 2.5GbE and 5GbE ethernet connectivity + Wi-Fi 7, while there is a dedicated 8-pin PCIe power connector for high-end graphics cards of the future on the Z890 MPG Carbon (and the X870 MPG Carbon).

James Cameron has been working with and in the water for decades now, starting with Titanic in the mid 90s through to Avatar... but now the Terminator director's next movie is Hiroshima: a real-life story of a man who survived both nuclear blasts in Japan.

Deadline reports that the Aliens and Terminator director has secured the rights to Charles Pellegrino's upcoming historical book Ghosts of Hiroshima, and will use that as well as Pellegrino's previous non-fiction book The Last Train From Hiroshima, as the basis for a single movie about the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Cameron describes The Last Train From Hiroshima as an "uncompromising theatrical film" which will reportedly shoot as soon as he's unlocked from finishing Avatar. Hiroshima will be a movie about a Japanese man that survived the first nuclear bomb dropped in Hiroshima, to catch a ride to Nagasaki, and then survived the second nuclear explosion.

The latest study from the CTIA - The Wireless Association, a non-profit trade organization that represents the wireless communications industry, found wireless data usage across the United States increased the most it ever has in a single year in 2023.

The association published its 2024 Annual Wireless Industry Survey, which states Americans consumed an astonishing 100 trillion megabytes of wireless data throughout 2023, which is 100 billion gigabytes for those who don't want to manually do the conversion. The CTIA states in its survey that last year was the single largest increase it has seen in wireless data usage over a year, with Americans consuming 36% more data compared to the year prior, and nearly double the data in 2021.

The CTIA also found there was a sharp increase in the number of devices that are 5G compatible, which the association attributes to the skyrocketing rise in wireless data usage. According to the survey, nearly 40% of all wireless devices had a 5G connection in 2023, an increase of 34% compared to 2022. In total, there are 558 million wireless connections in the US, which means for every single American, there are 1.6 wireless connections. How? Wireless connections can count for devices such as smartphones, watches, tablets, etc

Microsoft has reportedly deployed robots and artificial intelligence to pull apart defective hard disks to gather the valuable materials within them.

Reports from Tom's Hardware and Blocks & Files revealed Microsoft is using a line of robots paired with artificial intelligence capabilities to disassemble old hard drives used in its data centers. Components within these hard drives are also removed by the robots, which feature AI that has been trained to identify the different screw and components locations on various hard disks. Notably, 90% of the components deemed valuable are recycled, which contributes to Microsoft's overall goal of becoming carbon-negative by 2050.

So, what is a valuable component? According to the reports, each year, between 20 and 70 million hard drives die, and just in 2022, Microsoft shredded two million hard drives. Now, Microsoft is committed to "NoShred" and is aiming to hit a 90% recycle rate with its hard drives. The robots dismantling the drives recover valuable components and materials such as magnets, circuit boards, stainless steel chassis, neodymium, and more. Moreover, these robots are designed to ensure data security by identifying and destroying components that carry data.

Digital Foundry, tech experts who are considered to be the gold standard for deep dives on games and the hardware that powers them, have commented on the recent announcement of the PlayStation 5 Pro and what gamers can expect out of Sony's newest console.

The PS5 Pro announcement has been shrouded in controversy as Sony's showcase of the powerful technology within the upcoming console was widely viewed as lackluster, particularly due to a few factors. Sony showcased the increase in performance with older games, and the differences required a microscope, which was exacerbated by YouTube's compression of its videos. This seemingly disappointing graphical improvement led to many gamers complaining about the price hike to $699 from $499, especially when the PS5 Pro contains the same CPU as the base PS5.

Now, Digital Foundry has touched on why Sony has decided to opt for the same CPU in the base PS5 for the PS5 Pro, with the experts saying that price, compatibility, and size are some of the reasons why Sony decided to go with the same CPU. More specifically, upgrading the CPU to a later version of the Zen architecture would have increased the price of the console significantly and wouldn't have impacted the graphics capabilities of the console, which was Sony's goal with the PS5 Pro - introduce 4K 60FPS gaming with ray tracing features turned on, precisely the quality of Performance mode in titles.

AMD's new Zen 5-based Ryzen 9 9700X has been overclocked to 6.3GHz using exotic LN2 cooling, beating out the Intel Core i9-14900KF processor overclocked to a whopping 7.1GHz.

The huge achievement was reached by overclocker Skatterbencher, using the new Ryzen 9 9700X to break the OCCT AVX benchmark with a world record 269.35 points, with the 9700X overclocked using LN2 cooling and hitting 6318MHz (6.31GHz).

Skatterbencher tweaked the hell out of the Ryzen 9 9700X processor, where instead of using manual multiplier and voltages, he used a combination of BLCK overclocking, Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO), AMD's Curve Optimizer (with a positive offset), and Curve Shaper to enable Ryzen's Precision Boost algorithm to run at over 6GHz using liquid nitrogen cooling.

TSMC, Micron, and ASE are working on getting deals to secure old display panel plants in Taiwan, and convert them to CoWoS advanced semiconductor packaging facilities to meet the unstoppable AI GPU demand.

In a new media report from Ctee, we're hearing that TSMC and Micron are interested in a HannsTouch factory near TSMC's Fab 18, which was purchased from HannsTouch affiliate, HannStar, back in 2020. TSMC could possibly rent display panel maker Innolux's Fab 5 due to delays with its construction at its new Chiayi CoWoS packaging plants.

Multiple chip makers are reportedly in discussions with Innolux over its Fab 2 which is empty, with ASE rumored to be eyeing off an Innolux plant in Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan, but the plant is sitll in use so the deal probably won't go through.

Japan is stepping ahead of the world in the use of synthetic diamonds to power next-gen semiconductors, offering performance in orders of magnitude beyond current materials, and it's getting closer to commercial viability thanks to advances coming out of Japan.

These new semiconductors are made from synthetic diamond, which has been referred to as the "ultimate semiconductor material" thanks to its beyond-impressive thermal conductivity and electrical strength. Diamond is fantastic to power semiconductors, as it is around 33x stronger in electric strength as an insulator as silicon.

Diamond power semiconductors can also operate in environments around 5x as hot, and theoretically have the capacity to handle around 50,000x as much electricity. Yes... 50,000x the electricity through diamond power semiconductors, all advancing from Japan. Silicon Carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) have received attention recently as the next-gen semiconductor substrates, but the performance on the table with diamond is far better.

Microsoft's games division is being hit on all sides as it battles rising costs and tough operating margin targets.

Xbox's unclear strategy is bewildering developers and employees, sources tell The Verge's Tom Warren, and the layoffs are affecting morale at the games giant. The group is being affected at the top, the bottom, and the sides of its billion-dollar games empire as it attempts to navigate the tumultuous market while trying to guide consumer trends and capitalize on all sectors of its business.

According to the ZeniMax Workers United union, Microsoft has laid off more than 2,500 people across Xbox as it attempts to trim the fat from its $70 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard King. Microsoft's board and corporate c-suite are pressuring the Xbox games division to deliver specific margin and growth targets as Xbox absorbs Activision and tries to spread out in all directions, across all vectors, models, and platforms.

Intel is reportedly working on a next-generation Cobra Cove x86 architecture, which will power future-gen processors with higher performance and power efficiency.

We've been hearing about Royal Core, a project started by chip legend Jim Keller, which was meant to power next-gen Nova Lake and Beast Lake, with Beast Lake Next thrown into that mix but reportedly canceled. Intel is starting the architectural change journey with its upcoming Core Ultra 200 series "Arrow Lake" CPUs, with a focus on single-core performance with the removal of Hyper-Threading.

Royal Cove has been rumored with an interesting introduction: Rentable Units, in its first generation lacking Hyper-Threading, but Royal Cove 1.1 was meant to feature a new method of Hyper-Threading which splits the P-Cores into two smaller cores, while Beast Lake Next used Royal Core 2.0 that was rumored to feature up to 4 threads per P-Core, but these were just rumors... and now we're hearing about Cobra Cove. Let's go.

Bungie is making big changes to Destiny 2's content roadmap to better reflect a tighter budget and more consistent cadence.

Like most game companies that are still around today, Bungie has recently enacted layoffs in a bid to keep costs under control. Bungie is also refining how it releases new Destiny 2 content as part of these cost-saving plans, going for a more systemic approach with multiple updates rather than a major annualized expansion. This new content structure comes months after two big events at Bungie: The launch of Destiny 2's Final Shape expansion, and the layoff of hundreds of Bungie employees.

Interestingly enough, it looks like Destiny 2's new roadmap is a result of "Sony discipline." The PlayStation-maker bought Bungie earlier in 2023 for $3.7 billion, and although Bungie is to remain an independent company within SIE, they're still bound to earnings targets. If Bungie keeps missing these targets, Sony can reportedly dissolve Bungie's board of directors and take full control of the Destiny developer.

Microsoft has committed to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms...so what about Battlefield? EA could make it happen.

The first-gen Nintendo Switch isn't really up to snuff when it comes to running demanding first-person shooters. Sure, we've seen FPS games like Borderlands pop up on the handheld-console hybrid, but the low-spec Tegra X1 isn't an ideal piece of kit to run complex simulations...especially the types we see is games like Battlefield.

But the Switch 2 could be a different story, especially if the rumored specs are correct. A custom version of NVIDIA's Tegra T239 chip combined with beefier RAM and DLSS upscaling could do the trick. In any case, EA and Respawn are certainly interested in Nintendo as a viable platform for Battlefield games--and rightly so, considering the Switch's incredible 143 million-strong installed base.

The next Battlefield game will take direct inspiration from the games that fans liked best: Battlefield 3-4.

EA's new Battlefield game is being led by the largest team in franchise history, and the devs are laser-focused on tapping into what players love and expect from the franchise. The publisher is eager to avoid another Battlefield 2042 catastrophe, which cost the company reputational harm as it slowly adapted the live-only shooter into a more palatable, and better-playing experience.

With Battlefield 6, or whatever Ripple Effect ends up calling it, will take place during the modern era and retain the more cohesive 64-player framework while ditching the rather unnecessary 128-player chaos from BF2042. In a recent interview with IGN, Battlefield head Vince Zampella gave a few new details about what to expect from the new Battlefield.

4A Games, the developer behind the hit Metro video game franchise, will now stay with The Embracer Group as Embracer re-organizes itself into three separate entities.

Following the cancellation of dozens of games, and laying off thousands of employees, The Embracer Group has announced that 4A Games will now stay within the company. A bit ago, Saber Interactive split off of Embracer with the help of company CEO Matthew Karch, who purchased Saber for $247 million.

Metro game dev 4A Games was an option in the buyout deal, but ultimately the studio was not included in the deal. 4A will stay as part of Embracer Group. Interestingly enough, 4A is currently working on two new AAA experiences, one of which is a brand new game set in the best-selling Metro series. One of these games is Metro Awakening--a VR experience--and the other is to be a mainline game that carries the core franchise forward.

Sony has no plans on shifting the main part of its gaming business over to PC or mobile gaming, and rightfully so, considering the billions of dollars that it makes from PlayStation hardware sales.

Console sales are a major part of each of the Big 3's platform strategy. Systems like the Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S are the critical gateway points for game purchases and microtransaction spending, all wrapped up neatly in a digital storefront that has advertising, sales, and even subscriptions. Hardware is the bedrock for Nintendo, Sony, and of course Microsoft.

It should be no surprise then that Sony is not eager to give up on PlayStation any time soon, especially given the company's current earnings performance for the PS5 generation. Even still, it's good to hear that consoles will remain the heart of PlayStation gaming even as Sony pushes further into PC, and eventually, mobile.