TechPowerUP NEWS

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Save 74% on a Babbel lifetime subscription through May 2 and learn up to 14 new languages, like Spanish, French, Italian, or German. With more than 10 million users worldwide, Babbel is the top-selling language-learning app on the market, and a lifetime subscription is on sale right now. While it usually costs $599, or requires regular payments for a monthly subscription, you can get lifetime access to Babbel for $139.97 on StackSocial through March 17. Users can learn on desktop devices or using the iOS or Android mobile apps. Content can also be downloaded ahead of time for offline access.

Sign up for your Babbel lifetime subscription while they're on sale for $139.97 (reg. $599) until April 3rd at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed.
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[NextPowerUP]

PNY Technologies, a global leader in memory and storage solutions, has expanded its enterprise portfolio through a strategic partnership with PICO, a VR solutions company with independent innovation and R&D capabilities. This partnership highlights PNY's dedication to providing state-of-the-art solutions across a spectrum of applications, from enhancing sports, entertainment, and video consumption to revolutionizing industries such as education, healthcare, and corporate training.

This partnership leverages PICO's XR platform solutions, enhancing PNY's enterprise offerings with unparalleled performance, scalability, and cost efficiency. This move reinforces PNY's position as a key player in the enterprise market.
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AMD has introduced the Ryzen Embedded 8000 Series processors, the first AMD embedded devices to combine NPUs based on the AMD XDNA architecture with traditional CPU and GPU elements, optimized for workload versatility and adaptability targeting industrial AI applications. Embedded solution engineers and developers can harness the processing power and leadership features for a variety of industrial AI applications including machine vision, robotics, and industrial automation. AI is widely used in machine vision applications today to enhance quality control and inspection processes.

AI can also help robots make real-time, route-planning decisions and adapt to dynamic environments. In industrial automation, AI processing helps intelligent edge devices perform complex analysis and decision-making without relying on cloud connectivity. This allows for real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and autonomous control of industrial processes, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing downtime.
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[NextPowerUP]

ASUS ROG just published an interesting post on X/Twitter, previewing a future product: the ROG Mjolnir power station. This portable power solution aims to provide uninterrupted gaming experiences, even in outdoor settings. The ROG Mjolnir boasts interesting features catering to modern outdoorsy gamers' needs. It has four power outlets, allowing users to simultaneously power multiple devices such as gaming laptops, monitors, and peripherals. Additionally, the power station includes two USB Type-A and two USB Type-C ports, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of gaming accessories. Using Nordic mythology as inspiration, the ROG Mjolnir's design pays homage to Thor's hammer, Mjölnir. The sleek and rugged exterior not only looks impressive but also promises durability for outdoor use. As an added bonus, the handle of the power station doubles as a torch or light source, providing convenience in low-light environments.

While ASUS has not yet disclosed the specific capacity options or pricing details for the ROG Mjolnir, the company has confirmed that it will be officially unveiled at the upcoming Computex 2024 event in Taiwan. Gamers can expect to learn more about this interesting power station during the event, which is set to commence on June 4th. With the ROG Mjolnir, ASUS aims to provide gamers with a reliable and portable power solution that complements their gaming on-the-go lifestyle. An interesting quote from legendary Stan Lee is suitable here, which many Marvel universe fans might appreciate: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

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[NextPowerUP]

As we witness Apple's generational updates of the M series of chips, the highly anticipated SKU of the 3rd generation of Apple M series yet-to-be-announced top-of-the-line M3 Ultra chip is growing speculations from industry insiders. The latest round of reports suggests that the M3 Ultra might step away from its predecessor's design, potentially adopting a monolithic architecture without the UltraFusion interconnect technology. In the past, Apple has relied on a dual-chip design for its Ultra variants, using the UltraFusion interconnect to combine two M series Max chips. For example, the second generation M Ultra chip, M2 Ultra, boasts 134 billion transistors across two 510 mm² chips. However, die-shots of the M3 Max have sparked discussions about the absence of dedicated chip space for the UltraFusion interconnect.

While the absence of visible interconnect space on early die-shots is not conclusive evidence, as seen with the M1 Max not having visible UltraFusion interconnect and still being a part of M1 Ultra with UltraFusion, industry has led the speculation that the M3 Ultra may indeed feature a monolithic design. Considering that the M3 Max has 92 billion transistors and is estimated to have a die size between 600 and 700 mm², going Ultra with these chips may be pushing the manufacturing limit. Considering the maximum die size limit of 848 mm² for the TSMC N3B process used by Apple, there may not be sufficient space for a dual-chip M3 Ultra design. The potential shift to a monolithic design for the M3 Ultra raises questions about how Apple will scale the chip's performance without the UltraFusion interconnect. Competing solutions, such as NVIDIA's Blackwell GPU, use a high-bandwidth C2C interface to connect two 104 billion transistor chips, achieving a bandwidth of 10 TB/s. In comparison, the M2 Ultra's UltraFusion interconnect provided a bandwidth of 2.5 TB/s.

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[NextPowerUP]

In response to the Taiwan government's "Green Network Project for Natural Landscape Conservation," ADATA Technology and Micron Taiwan announced the joint adoption of the "Taichung Coastal Wetland Conservation Belt" and held a signing ceremony during tree planting in March. ADATA Technology Chairman Simon Chen and Micron Taiwan Chairman Donghui Lu attended in person. Witnessed by Chen Chijung, Deputy Branch Director of the Taichung Branch of the Forest and Nature Conservation Agency, both Chairmen led dozens of employees in rolling up their sleeves in the bright sun to plant saplings, taking concrete action to restore nature and protect native habitats, looking forward to building a sustainable future for Taiwan together through the power of corporations.

Forests are responsible for multiple environmental benefits including water conservation, soil conservation, and carbon sequestration. Global forestation is rapidly disappearing at the rate of millions of hectares per year due to factors such as natural disasters caused by extreme climate and illegal logging. ADATA Technology and Micron Taiwan signed a three-year forestation and adoption plan in Taichung to build a natural fortress for Taiwan's coastline. Under the guidance of the Forest and Nature Conservation Agency, employees experienced the tree planting process and demonstrated their positive attitudes towards forestation and restoration. Simon Chen stated, "ADATA announced the launch of a global reforestation project in 2024. Starting from Taiwan, we hope to expand the reach of greening to the world, mitigate the negative impact of climate change through tree planting, and also strive to claim more green spaces for mankind."
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[NextPowerUP]

MSI, a global leader in high-performance and innovative computing solutions, is excited to announce an upcoming promotion to celebrate the arrival of spring. With the purchase of selected monitors, you can redeem a free dual monitor arm (MSI Ergo Flex), adding springtime joy to your setup. This limited-time offer is not to be missed, so seize the opportunity to upgrade your gaming setup or workplace today.

Spring's arrival calls for a workspace refresh and gaming upgrade! Dual monitors boost productivity, offering ample screen space for multitasking, while monitor arms ensure ergonomic comfort. But the excitement doesn't end there! Dive into immersive gaming with wider views and customized comfort. With MSI Ergo Flex, you'll double your spring delight in both work and play. Don't miss out - elevate your setup today!
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[NextPowerUP]

Sabrent today debuted the Rocket 4 line of DRAMless M.2 NVMe Gen 4 SSDs. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, these drives take advantage of the PCI-Express 4.0 x4 host interface, and provide sequential transfer speeds of up to 7.4 GB/s reads, with up to 6.4 GB/s writes. The drives also offer 4K random access performance of up to 1 million IOPS reads, and 0.95 million IOPS writes. For now, Sabrent is launching 1 TB and 2 TB capacity variants of the Rocket 4, but the company is preparing to launch a larger 4 TB variant soon.

The Sabrent Rocket 4 combines a Phison E27T series DRAMless controller with Kioxia 162-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory (also known as the BiCS 6). There's just a copper foil heat spreader to keep things cool. The 12 nm E27T doesn't run anywhere near as hot as the E18, so you can make do with the heatsink your motherboard includes, or run it the way it is. The 1 TB variant is priced at $99.99, and the 2 TB variant at $199.99. The company didn't reveal pricing of the unreleased 4 TB variant.

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[NextPowerUP]

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) was notified on March 27, 2024, of an unsolicited "mini-tender" offer by Tutanota LLC ("Tutanota"). Pursuant to the offer, which is dated March 18, 2024, Tutanota is offering to purchase up to 150,000 shares of AMD common stock at $200.00 per share, which represents approximately 0.009283% of AMD's outstanding shares. The offer price of $200.00 per share is conditioned on, among other things, the closing price per share of AMD common stock exceeding $200.00 per share on the last trading day before the offer expires. This means that unless this condition is waived by Tutanota, AMD stockholders who tender shares in the offer will receive a below-market price. Tutanota can extend the offer for successive periods of 45 to 180 days until the market price of AMD common stock exceeds the offer price, in which case payment would be delayed beyond the scheduled expiration date of Friday, April 19, 2024.

AMD does not in any way recommend or endorse the Tutanota offer because the offer requires that the closing price for AMD common stock exceed the offer price, and the offer price is subject to numerous additional conditions, including Tutanota obtaining financing for the offer. There is no guarantee the conditions of the offer will be satisfied. AMD is in no way associated with Tutanota, the "mini-tender" offer or the offer documentation. "Mini-tender" offers seek less than 5% of a company's outstanding shares thereby avoiding many procedural and disclosure requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") because they are below the SEC's threshold to provide such disclosure and procedural protections for investors.
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[NextPowerUP]

The expansion of AI technology affects not only the production and demand for graphics cards but also the electricity grid that powers them. Data centers hosting thousands of GPUs are becoming more common, and the industry has been building new facilities for GPU-enhanced servers to serve the need for more AI. However, these powerful GPUs often consume over 500 Watts per single card, and NVIDIA's latest Blackwell B200 GPU has a TGP of 1000 Watts or a single kilowatt. These kilowatt GPUs will be present in data centers with 10s of thousands of cards, resulting in multi-megawatt facilities. To combat the load on the national electricity grid, US President Joe Biden's administration has been discussing with big tech to re-evaluate their power sources, possibly using smaller nuclear plants. According to an Axios interview with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, she has noted that "AI itself isn't a problem because AI could help to solve the problem." However, the problem is the load-bearing of the national electricity grid, which can't sustain the rapid expansion of the AI data centers.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has been reportedly talking with firms, most notably hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, to start considering nuclear fusion and fission power plants to satisfy the need for AI expansion. We have already discussed the plan by Microsoft to embed a nuclear reactor near its data center facility and help manage the load of thousands of GPUs running AI training/inference. However, this time, it is not just Microsoft. Other tech giants are reportedly thinking about nuclear as well. They all need to offload their AI expansion from the US national power grid and develop a nuclear solution. Nuclear power is a mere 20% of the US power sourcing, and DOE is currently financing a Holtec Palisades 800-MW electric nuclear generating station with $1.52 billion in funds for restoration and resumption of service. Microsoft is investing in a Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) microreactor energy strategy, which could be an example for other big tech companies to follow.

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[NextPowerUP]

Thermaltake, a leading PC DIY brand for premium hardware solutions, is pleased to launch the CT120/140 EX ARGB Sync PC Cooling Fan (3-Fan Pack). Thermaltake aims to extend quick magnetic force connections across more fan series, bringing this innovative design to more cooling solutions. The CT EX is a new addition with the advanced MagForce 2.0 for a superior magnetic connection. It also features enhanced cooling capability and 9 addressable LEDs, providing exceptional thermal performance and spectacular lighting effects.

The new MagForce 2.0 Quick Connect Design has two times larger pogo pin contact pads to prevent potential faulty alignment, allowing the CT120/140 EX ARGB Sync to achieve optimal installation efficiency. Attaching the CT EX with the magnetic force design instead of using numerous cables facilitates outstanding cable management and results in a neat interior within the chassis.
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[NextPowerUP]

The ROG Keris II Ace is an ultralight 54-gram ergonomic tri mode gaming mouse with a shape tested by pro FPS players. Equipped with 42,000-dpi ROG AimPoint Pro optical sensor, ROG Optical Micro Switches and ROG SpeedNova wireless technology, the Keris II Ace levels up on ROG impressive polling rate and click latency via the ROG Polling Rate Booster, which enables polling rates up to 4,000 Hz in wireless mode and up to 8000 Hz in wired mode.

Super-light 54-gram weight with ROG Gaming mouse build quality: Ensures quick and precise movements with minimal handling fatigue. Premium quality continues as a hallmark of ROG mice ensuring outstanding fit, finish and feel. PBT L/R buttons also offer superior durability and resistance against wear and shine over time while also offering subtle texture. ROG Polling Rate Booster: Level up beyond ASUS ROG's already impressive 1,000 Hz polling rate performance & stability. The next level awaits for those demanding the lowest input latency. Attach the ROG Polling Rate Booster to enable polling rates up to 4000 Hz in wireless mode and up to 8000 Hz in wired mode. This new level of ultra-high polling rate performance perfectly complements the latest 240 Hz+ ROG gaming monitors.
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[NextPowerUP]

Intel over the weekend released the latest version of the Arc GPU Graphics Drivers. Version 101.5382 WHQL builds incrementally on the 101.5379 Beta from a week prior. It doesn't include any game-specific optimization, but is WHQL-signed, and fixes a couple of issues along the way. To begin with, an issue that caused "Horizon Forbidden West" to show higher than expected game load times has been fixed. Also fixed is an application hang during loading of the 3DMark Speedway benchmark. "Starfield" experiencing a game crash with High or Ultra graphics settings has been fixed. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.5382 WHQL
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In a interesting discovery that sent a series of shockwaves through the Linux community, Andres Freund, Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft, located a malicious backdoor in the widely used compression tool called "xz Utils." The backdoor, introduced in versions 5.6.0 and 5.6.1 of the utility, can break the robust encryption provided by the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, allowing unauthorized access to affected systems. What Andres Freund found is that the latest version of xz Utils is taking 0.5 seconds in SSH on his system, while the older system with the older version took 0.1 seconds for simple processing, prompting the user to investigate and later send a widespread act for caution. While there are no confirmed reports of the backdoored versions being incorporated into production releases of major Linux distributions, the incident has raised serious concerns among users and developers alike.

Red Hat and Debian, two of the most well-known Linux distribution developers, have reported that their recently published beta releases, including Fedora 40, Fedora Rawhide, and Debian testing, unstable, and experimental distributions, used at least one of the affected versions of xz Utils. According to Red Hat officials, the first signs of the backdoor were introduced in a February 23 update, which added obfuscated (unreadable) code to xz Utils. A subsequent update the following day introduced functions for deobfuscating the code and injecting it into code libraries during the utility's update process. The malicious code has been cleverly hidden only in the tarballs, which target upstream releases of Linux distributions.
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Back in the glory days of x86 in the 1990s, you could buy an IBM PC-compatible x86 processor from not just Intel and AMD, but also the likes of Cyrix, IDT, Transmeta, and NEC. Competition among the various x86 licensees propelled innovation through the first half of the 32-bit era, but toward the end of the century, and with the Y2K frenzy looming, the PC processor market saw a slew of consolidations, such as Cyrix and IDT (later Centaur) being acquired by VIA Technology. As of 2000, only two companies made high performance x86 processors, and processors for servers—Intel and AMD, with VIA Technology limiting itself to the entry-level PC market. Then came along Arm Cortex 32-bit, graduating from the embedded computing market to client computing, driven by smartphones.

Intel's main competitor today isn't AMD, it's Arm and its constellation of licensees, such as Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek, and NVIDIA. Over the decades that followed the advent of the iPhone, Arm graduated from smartphones to PCs (eg: Snapdragon X, Apple M3), and servers (eg: Ampere Altra and NVIDIA Grace). Intel seems to have had the sudden realization that Intel Products should open up in the same way as Intel Foundry Services, and that just as IFS in Pat Gelsinger's words aspires to be the "TSMC of America," x86 should aspire to be the "Arm of America." The only way to go about doing this is to adopt an IP licensing model similar to that of Arm, where third parties are licensed the x86 machine architecture, and should pay Intel royalties based on their chip volumes, and other factors such as CPU core counts. Much like Arm, Intel could set up separate licensing models for SoC designers who want Intel's various IA cores as IP blocks, or just the x86 license to design their own cores, like AMD does. Since Intel is a founding member of the UCIe alliance, it could even offer up Compute tiles as chiplets.
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