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January 23
- SK hynix posts record revenues and profits as AI industry drives surge in HBM3 and HBM3E demand
➀ SK hynix reported record earnings, operating profits, and net income for 2024.
➁ The company attributes its success to increased sales of AI memory products, including HBM3 and HBM3E for the latest accelerators.
➂ SK hynix plans to increase HBM3E supply, develop HBM4, and transition to advanced processes for DDR5 and LPDDR5 production.
- UK reseller claims single-digit RTX 5090 inventory — Flagship GPU could sell out in seconds
➀ A major UK retailer, OCUK, has confirmed that it currently holds less than 10 RTX 5090s in stock.
➁ The RTX 5080 also faces a similar inventory shortage with a few hundred units available.
➂ The scarcity of these GPUs is leading to inflated prices and potential scalping issues.
- Samsung to cut foundry investment in half, to $3.5B, says report — Rivals expected to invest more
➀ Samsung is reportedly cutting its foundry capital expenditure in half to $3.5 billion in 2024, down from $7 billion last year.
➁ This decision is attributed to reduced client demand and efforts to improve efficiency.
➂ In contrast, TSMC and Intel are planning to increase their capital expenditures significantly in 2025.
- In 1991, after a 28-hour coding spree, the efforts of John Carmack 'Doomed' us all
➀ In 1991, John Carmack coded the original id Tech engine for Doom over 28 hours, which changed both gaming and aerospace engineering.
➁ John Carmack's work with Oculus VR and Armadillo Aerospace further cemented his status as an industry pioneer.
➂ The development of id Tech influenced many subsequent games and engines, including Valve's GoldSrc/Source.
- AMD RX 9070 series to benefit from 'maximum performance' tuning ahead of touted March release
➀ AMD plans to release its next-generation Radeon RX 9070-series graphics cards in March.
➁ AMD aims to ensure widespread availability of these cards by working with partners to deliver custom boards.
➂ AMD will focus on optimizing drivers for maximum performance and enabling more FSR 4 titles.
January 22
- Windows 11 Insider Build addresses mouse stuttering, Auto HDR issues, other annoyances
➀ Microsoft has released Windows 11 Build 26100.3025 (KB5050094) through the Release Preview Channel.
➁ The update includes fixes for mouse stuttering and HDR issues.
➂ New features include improved taskbar previews and a 6GHz hotspot option.
- This budget 1080/1440p gaming PC is only $899 at Best Buy -- the MSI Codex Z2 packs an RTX 4060 Ti and AMD Ryzen CPU.
➀ The MSI Codex Z2 gaming PC is currently available for $899 at Best Buy, a $300 discount from its original price of $1199.
➁ It features an AMD Ryzen 5 8400F processor, Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti graphics card, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD.
➂ This budget gaming PC is suitable for 1080p and even some 1440p gaming with its hardware configuration.
- Open AI, Oracle, and SoftBank to invest $500 billion in 'Stargate' AI project
➀ Open AI, Oracle, and SoftBank plan to invest $500 billion in a joint AI project called 'Stargate'.
➁ This project aims to create 100,000 jobs in America and build 20 datacenters.
➂ The announcement was made following a previous $100 billion data center project by OpenAI and Microsoft.
- Nvidia confident that RTX 50 series power connectors unlikely to melt despite higher TDP
➀ Nvidia claims that the RTX 5090 GPUs will not suffer from the melting 16-pin connectors that affected the RTX 4090.
➁ Nvidia made changes to the connector design to address the issue, and the new 12V-2x6 connector seems to have resolved the overheating problem.
➂ Some manufacturers like Zotac and MSI have implemented additional safety features to ensure secure connections.
- China's second largest foundry hires former Intel executive to lead advanced node development
➀ Hua Hong Semiconductor, China's second-largest chip foundry, has appointed Bai Peng as its president to focus on advanced logic chip production.
➁ Bai Peng, with over three decades of experience at Intel, will help Hua Hong shift towards more advanced semiconductor production technologies.
➂ Hua Hong is expanding its production capabilities to include 40nm and above, aiming to become a key player in both legacy and advanced chip markets.
January 21
- Lenovo's grenade-styled external SSD looks certain to delay you at airport security
➀ Lenovo has unveiled a grenade-inspired external SSD, paying homage to the recent film 'Operation Leviathan'.
➁ The product features 1TB of storage, transfer speeds up to 1,050MB/s, and a USB Type-C interface.
➂ Experts warn that such weapon-styled accessories could cause unnecessary delays during airport security checks.
- E-ink screen performance hits 60 Hz with 10.3-inch portable touchscreen monitor from Dasung
➀ Dasung, a Chinese e-ink manufacturer, has launched the Paperlike 103, a 10.3-inch e-ink display with a 60 Hz refresh rate.
➁ This new device offers a 1,874 x 1,404 pixels resolution, providing a 4:3 aspect ratio suitable for productivity tasks such as reading and typing.
➂ Despite its progress, e-ink displays still lag behind LED displays in terms of color accuracy and HDR capabilities.
- Bambu Lab: We’re not Bricking Your X1-Carbon
➀ Bambu Lab announced new security measures for its popular X1-Carbon 3D printers, causing concerns among the community about potential restrictions on third-party accessories.
➁ In response to the backlash, Bambu Lab issued an apology and clarified that none of the community's fears were true, including the removal of third-party filament usage.
➂ Bambu Lab plans to introduce a 'developer mode' in the new firmware, which will allow advanced users more control over their printers but may limit customer support.
- TSMC restores operations after magnitude 6.4 quake halts production in Taiwan
➀ A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Southern Taiwan, causing TSMC to halt production and evacuate workers.
➁ Post-earthquake inspections confirmed the safety of TSMC's facilities, allowing operations to resume gradually.
➂ Despite the resilience shown, TSMC remains vulnerable to major disasters, which could affect the global supply chain for electronic devices.
- AMD Radeon RX 9070 series graphics cards global rollout set for March, confirms AMD exec
➀ AMD has confirmed that the upcoming RX 9070 series GPUs will be released globally in March.
➁ The RX 9070 series will feature AMD's next-generation RDNA 4 architecture, built on TSMC's 4nm process with advanced AI and ray tracing capabilities.
➂ The new GPUs are expected to compete directly with Nvidia's RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti, targeting the mid-range GPU market.
January 20
- MSI's upcoming RTX 50-series GPUs to feature yellow-tipped 16-pin power adapters
➀ MSI is planning to include yellow-tipped 16-pin power adapters with its upcoming Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards.
➁ These adapters are designed to provide a visual guide to ensure proper connection and prevent overheating and melting issues observed with previous adapters.
➂ MSI's redesigned adapters aim to enhance user confidence and safety, expanding this feature across its range of power supplies.
- Liquid Web VPS Hosting Review: Very Fast
➀ Liquid Web offers high-performance VPS hosting but at a premium price.
➁ The Managed VPS plans come with extensive features and no database size limits.
➂ Performance tests show Liquid Web surpasses other hosts in speed and reliability.
- NATO deploys 'sea drones' to safeguard undersea cable infrastructure
➀ NATO launches Operation Baltic Sentry to protect undersea power and communication cables in the Baltic Sea from sabotage.
➁ At least 20 uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) will be deployed alongside naval ships and maritime patrol aircraft.
➂ This move follows recent incidents involving Russian and Chinese-affiliated vessels suspected of damaging critical undersea cables.
- Nvidia's mid-January GPU driver update addresses several vulnerabilities and exploits
➀ NVIDIA has released updates to its GPU display driver and VGPU software addressing a total of seven security vulnerabilities.
➁ Two of these vulnerabilities are high-severity, enabling information disclosure, data tampering, and denial of service.
➂ The latest driver updates resolve all these issues, with specific version requirements for Windows users.
- Nvidia hints DLSS 4 Frame Generation may extend support to past GPUs, including RTX 30 Series
➀ Nvidia's VP of Applied Deep Learning Research, Bryan Catanzaro, hinted in an interview at CES 2025 that DLSS 4 might be extended to support older Nvidia GPUs, such as the RTX 30 series.
➁ This move could eliminate the need for third-party frame generation solutions for owners of older GeForce cards.
➂ While the exact timeline is uncertain, the potential for improved frame pacing and reduced frame pacing variability is promising for older hardware.
January 19
- Vertigo Mk1 3D printer crowdfunder touts auto-eject, bed-clearing, and more for $2,250
➀ The Vertigo Mk1 3D printer is currently on Kickstarter and boasts auto-eject and bed-clearing features, priced at $2,250 for the Hardware Kit.
➁ It also includes other features like automatic bed leveling, rapid thermal bed, and active chamber heat soak.
➂ Despite being expensive, the Vertigo Mk1 aims to provide a solution for mass production with minimal human intervention.
- Doom ported to a standalone Microsoft Word document — plays well but there's no sound
➀ A software engineer named Wojciech Graj has successfully ported the classic game Doom into a standalone Microsoft Word document.
➁ The document, which is 6.6MB in size, can be run on x86 systems with modern Microsoft Office installations.
➂ Despite the successful port, there is currently no sound in the game, and users need to bypass security warnings to enable the VBA macro in the document.
- The Asus RX 9070 XT TUF Gaming has allegedly been unboxed, suggesting ready stock at retailers
➀ A retailer in Ukraine has unboxed the Asus Radeon RX 9070 XT TUF Gaming, suggesting the GPU may be available at retailers ahead of its official launch.
➁ The GPU features a triple-fan design, 16GB of memory, and PCIe 5.0 support. It is expected to offer 4,096 Stream Processors and reach boost clocks near 3 GHz.
➂ The GPU's affordability will be crucial for its success, with expectations that it will cost around $500.
- RayNeo Air 2s Review: Truly basic AR glasses saved by affordable pricing
➀ Tom's Hardware reviewed the RayNeo Air 2s, a pair of augmented reality glasses from TCL's RayNeo subsidiary.
➁ The Air 2s offers attractive design and wide compatibility but lacks advanced features and has mediocre audio quality.
➂ Despite its drawbacks, the Air 2s is priced competitively, making it a good value for those seeking AR glasses.
- Trump administration will back CHIPS and Science Act hints outgoing Commerce Secretary
➀ The incoming U.S. Commerce Secretary supports the CHIPS and Science Act, indicating continuity despite political changes.
➁ Major semiconductor companies like Intel, GlobalFoundries, TSMC, Texas Instruments, and Samsung Foundry are investing heavily in U.S. fabs.
➂ Despite support from the new Commerce Secretary, some in Trump's team criticize the rapid distribution of funds before the transition.
January 18
- Thunderbolt 5 dock comes with built-in PCIe 4.0 SSD and four TB5 ports — pricing starts at $399
➀ Sonnet Technologies has announced the Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock, featuring a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD and 6,100 MB/s data transfer speeds.
➁ The dock supports multiple Thunderbolt 5 ports, USB 3.2, Ethernet, and various other connectivity options.
➂ Pricing for the Echo 13 starts at $399 for the 1TB model, with higher-capacity versions available at different prices.
- AMD Ryzen 5 7400F sells for $115 in China — US availability and pricing remains a mystery
➀ AMD has quietly launched the Ryzen 5 7400F CPU in China with a price of $115.90 (including 13% VAT).
➁ The Ryzen 5 7400F is more affordable than the Ryzen 5 7500F and the upcoming Phoenix-based Ryzen 5 8400F.
➂ The Ryzen 5 7400F has specifications nearly identical to the Ryzen 5 7500F but with a slightly lower boost clock.
- Montech’s Heritage Pro case is like a designer handbag for your Micro ATX PC
➀ Montech's Heritage Pro case combines leather, glass, and steel in a unique design reminiscent of a designer handbag.
➁ The case supports full-size ATX power supplies, large graphics cards, and rear-connector motherboards, making it suitable for high-end builds.
➂ Despite its premium feel, the case lacks some thoughtful design elements such as easy-to-clean dust filters and RGB fans.
- RTX 5090 beats RTX 4090 by 36% in the Blender benchmark — RTX 5090D is 40% faster than RTX 4090D
➀ Nvidia's upcoming RTX 5090 and RTX 5090D GPUs have shown up in the Blender benchmark database, demonstrating a significant performance increase over the RTX 4090.
➁ The RTX 5090 is approximately 36% faster than the RTX 4090, and the RTX 5090D is 40% faster than the RTX 4090D in the same benchmark.
➂ Despite the promising numbers, the limited sample size and lack of detailed system information make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the actual performance of these GPUs.
- Intel's Arrow Lake fix doesn't 'fix' overall gaming performance or match the company's bad marketing claims - Core Ultra 200S still trails AMD and previous-gen chips
➀ Intel's fix for Arrow Lake chips does not improve overall gaming performance.
➁ The Core Ultra 9 285K performs worse than previous-generation chips in gaming.
➂ Intel's claims about performance gains are misleading and do not align with real-world testing results.