TechPowerUP NEWS

[NextPowerUP]

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveils the apex of esports engineering - the Razer Viper V3 Pro. Crafted in close collaboration with top esports pros, including zekken, Champion and MVP of the recent VALORANT Champions Tour Masters Madrid, this mouse has been battle-tested in the most demanding competitive environments.

"The Viper V3 Pro has transformed my gameplay," said Zachary "zekken" Patrone, Pro VALORANT player for Sentinels. "Its lightweight new design hands me an edge that feels almost unfair. It's a game-changer for esports pros." Redesigned from the inside out to prioritize an ultra-lightweight build and best-in-class performance, the Viper V3 Pro is available in Black and White editions, seamlessly fitting into any competitive setup.
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Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX), the leading innovator of mass-capacity storage solutions, today reported financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended March 29, 2024. "Seagate's March quarter revenue grew 6% and non-GAAP EPS more than doubled over the December quarter as we benefit from improving cloud demand, our strong operating discipline and price execution. This combination sets the foundation for a return to target margin performance as the markets recover," said Dave Mosley, Seagate's chief executive officer.

"This constructive demand backdrop is well-timed as we prepare to ramp our Mozaic products, anchored by industry-leading HAMR technology. HAMR-based products offer compelling economic value for our customers and position Seagate to drive further financial performance gains, as well as capitalize on favorable long-term demand for mass capacity storage."
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[NextPowerUP]

Korean media reports that Samsung Electronics has signed a 4.134 trillion Won ($3 billion) agreement with AMD to supply 12-high HBM3E stacks. AMD uses HBM stacks in its AI and HPC accelerators based on its CDNA architecture. This deal is significant, as it gives analysts some idea of the kind of volumes of AI GPUs AMD is preparing to push into the market, if they know what percent of an AI GPU's bill of materials is made up by memory stacks. AMD has probably negotiated a good price for Samsung's HBM3E 12H stacks, given that rival NVIDIA almost exclusively uses HBM3E made by SK Hynix.

The AI GPU market is expected to heat up with the ramp of NVIDIA's "Hopper" H200 series, the advent of "Blackwell," AMD's MI350X CDNA3, and Intel's Gaudi 3 generative AI accelerator. Samsung debuted its HBM3E 12H memory in February 2024. Each stack features 12 layers, a 50% increase over the first generation of HBM3E, and offers a density of 36 GB per stack. An AMD CDNA3 chip with 8 such stacks would have 288 GB of memory on package. AMD is expected to launch the MI350X in the second half of 2024. The star attraction with this chip is its refreshed GPU tiles built on the TSMC 4 nm EUV foundry node. This seems like the ideal product for AMD to debut HBM3E 12H on.

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[NextPowerUP]

LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it has developed the first-ever Gaming OLED panel with a switchable refresh rate and resolution. The company has begun mass production of the 31.5-inch panel this month, accelerating its push into the high-end gaming display market with new concept products.

This groundbreaking Gaming OLED panel allows users to freely choose between a high refresh rate (FHD 480 Hz) and a high-resolution mode (UHD 240 Hz) depending on the content.
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[NextPowerUP]

A recent Reuters investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting Chinese universities and research institutes may have circumvented US sanctions on high-performance NVIDIA GPUs by purchasing servers containing the restricted chips. The sanctions tightened on November 17, 2023, prohibit the export of advanced NVIDIA GPUs like the consumer GeForce RTX 4090 to China. Despite these restrictions, Reuters found that at least ten China-based organizations acquired servers equipped with the sanctioned NVIDIA GPUs between November 20, 2023, and February 28, 2024. These servers were purchased from major vendors such as Dell, Gigabyte, and Supermicro, raising concerns about potential sanctions evasion. When contacted by Reuters, the companies provided varying responses.

Dell stated that it had not observed any instances of servers with restricted chips being shipped to China and expressed willingness to terminate relationships with resellers found to be violating export control regulations. Gigabyte, on the other hand, stated that it adheres to Taiwanese laws and international regulations. Notably, the sale and purchase of the sanctioned GPUs are not illegal in China. This raises the possibility that the restricted NVIDIA chips may have already been present in the country before the sanctions took effect on November 17, 2023. The findings highlight the challenges in enforcing export controls on advanced technologies, particularly in the realm of high-performance computing hardware. As tensions between the US and China continue to rise, the potential for further tightening of export restrictions on cutting-edge technologies remains a possibility.

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[NextPowerUP]

Velocity Micro, the premier builder of award-winning enthusiast desktops, laptops, high performance computing solutions, and professional workstations announces the immediate availability of a line of Linux powered PCs preinstalled with Ubuntu 22.04. Systems are designed for a wide range of customers and use cases such as individual enthusiasts, CAD and content creation professionals, machine learning/AI, and enterprise, to bring the flexibility and security of an open source OS platform into the mainstream. Desktops start at $1,429 with Linux laptops starting at $1,199. Shipments begin immediately.

"We've been preinstalling various flavors of Linux on custom server and workstation builds for years, which has really afforded us the opportunity to get hands-on to learn the OS," said Randy Copeland, President and CEO of Velocity Micro. "We're excited to bring what we've learned to market and introduce our customers to Ubuntu Linux."
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[NextPowerUP]

Over 500 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and barely a week goes by without an incredible new game integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex and advanced ray-traced effects to deliver the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. Gray Zone Warfare, a highly anticipated new tactical shooter, is coming soon with DLSS 3, and the DLSS 3-enhanced Remnant 2 receives a new DLC expansion this week. Plus, Manor Lords, the #1 most wishlisted title on Steam, launches with support for DLSS 2, the latest Mortal Kombat 1 content has dropped and can be enjoyed at a maxed out 60 FPS with DLSS 2, and Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure arrives with day-one DLSS 2 support. Learn more about each announcement below.

Gray Zone Warfare Coming Soon With Support For DLSS 3 & Reflex
MADFINGER Games' Gray Zone Warfare is an immersive tactical FPS with a maximum focus on realism, and is one of Steam's 20 most wishlisted games. Following a mysterious event that took place on an island in Southeast Asia, the entire area has been put under international quarantine. With almost all the civilian population evacuated by the United Nations, three PMCs are tasked by their enigmatic clients to explore the region, uncover its secrets, and bring back anything of value.
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[NextPowerUP]

Today, Lenovo launched its latest mobile workstation offerings meticulously crafted to deliver the exceptional power and performance essential for handling complex workloads. Lenovo's ThinkPad P1 Gen 7, P16v i Gen 2, P16s i Gen 3, and P14s i Gen 5, with their cutting-edge AI technologies, are set to transform the way professionals engage with AI workflows. By collaborating with industry partners, Intel, NVIDIA, and Micron, Lenovo has introduced powerful and performance-packed AI PCs that meet the demands of modern-day AI-intensive tasks. The inclusion of the Intel Core Ultra processors with their integrated neural processing unit (NPU) and NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation GPUs signifies a major advancement in AI technology, boosting overall performance and productivity capabilities.

The latest ThinkPad P series mobile workstations powered by Intel Core Ultra processors and NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation GPUs deliver flexible, high-performance, and energy-efficient AI-ready PCs. The integrated NPU is dedicated to handling light, continuous AI tasks, while the NVIDIA GPU runs more demanding day-to-day AI processing. This combination enables smooth and reliable functioning of AI technologies, serving professionals engaged in diverse tasks ranging from 3D modeling and scene development to AI inferencing and training.
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[NextPowerUP]

According to The Information, in a strategic maneuver to circumvent the constraints imposed by US sanctions, Huawei is accelerating efforts to establish domestic production capabilities for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) within China. This move addresses the limitations that have hampered the company's advancements in AI and high-performance computing (HPC) sectors. HBM technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing the performance of AI and HPC processors by mitigating memory bandwidth bottlenecks. Recognizing its significance, Huawei has assembled a consortium comprising memory manufacturers backed by the Chinese government and prominent semiconductor companies like Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit. This consortium is focused on advancing HBM2 memory technology, which is crucial for Huawei's Ascend-series processors for AI applications.

Huawei's initiative comes at a time when the company faces challenges in accessing HBM from external sources, impacting the availability of its AI processors in the market. Despite facing obstacles such as international regulations restricting the sale of advanced chipmaking equipment to China, Huawei's efforts underscore China's broader push for self-sufficiency in critical technologies essential for AI and supercomputing. By investing in domestic HBM production, Huawei aims to secure a stable supply chain for these vital components, reducing reliance on external suppliers. This strategic shift not only demonstrates Huawei's resilience in navigating geopolitical challenges but also highlights China's determination to strengthen its technological independence in the face of external pressures. As the global tech landscape continues to evolve, Huawei's move to develop homegrown HBM memory could have far-reaching implications for China's AI and HPC capabilities, positioning the country as a significant player in the memory field.

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[NextPowerUP]

Premiered during a showcase on Bilibili streaming platform, this clip contains both cutscenes and location overview, giving a glimpse of in-game story and atmosphere. It's also the first time you can have a taste of the Ukrainian voiceover - the one to be available alongside the English one for everyone to enjoy. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl releases on PC and Xbox Series X/S on September 5, 2024. The game will be available on Game Pass day one, and pre-orders are opened on our website, as well as on Steam and GOG.

"Behold Her! The Zone blossoms, in her own resplendent yet enigmatic and twisted way: luring, gifting, and taking away. Speaking in many voices, both familiar and new. How far to the edge will you go in pursuit of what you seek?"
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[NextPowerUP]

GoDeal24 celebrates the 2024 International Labor Day with great prices on genuine software, so you can upgrade the IT infrastructure of your home-office, small- or medium-business. Get Genuine Windows 11 Pro at just $13.25. Pair it with the most powerful productivity software, Office 2021 Professional Plus, which can be had on its own for $27.25, or in a combo with Windows 11 Pro at $38.59 with a TechPowerUp-exclusive discount code. Save more on multi-PC packs, or on other editions of Windows and Office, and their combos.

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Please use the coupon code SGO62 on the following items, to avail the prices you see here.
Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $34.56 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $28.29 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $38.59 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $34.11

Please use the coupon code SGO50 on the following items.
Buy Visio Professional 2021 at $30.23 | Buy Project Professional 2021 at $33.82 | Buy Windows Server 2022 Standard at $26.13 | Buy Windows Server 2022 Datacenter at $30.75 | Buy Visual Studio 2022 Enterprise at $60.00 | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC at $12.81
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[NextPowerUP]

Hooded Horse and Slavic Magic are delighted to announce that historical city-building and strategy game Manor Lords is available in early access via digital platforms across the world!

With over 3 million wishlists on Steam alone, this highly anticipated game presents players with a vibrant and detailed world inspired by 14th-century medieval life. Featuring a high degree of historical authenticity and a rags-to-riches setting, players will be tasked with growing a humble village into a powerful feudal city. Manor Lords mixes organic city-building systems with intricate production chains that feed into a real-time tactical combat layer where the workers are also the warriors.
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GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, released the latest beta BIOS with Intel Baseline feature on Z790, B760 series motherboards for enhanced stability, regarding the feedback from Intel that high power consumption settings may cause system instability with 13/14th generation CPUs.⁠

GIGABYTE always prioritizes user experience, focusing on both performance and stability. Additionally, as a close ally of Intel, we promptly introduced the Intel Baseline feature with the latest beta BIOS. When using 13th and 14th generation K-SKU CPUs, the Intel Baseline setting will appear in the "Turbo Power Limits" option under "Advanced CPU Settings". After enabling Intel Baseline, the performance will be expected to be limited due to the power setting adjustments.
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Western Digital Corp. today reported fiscal third quarter 2024 financial results.

"As evidenced by our excellent third quarter results, Western Digital continues improving through-cycle profitability and dampening business cycles by leveraging our strategy of developing a diversified portfolio of industry-leading products across a broad range of end markets," said David Goeckeler, Western Digital CEO. "We are in the early innings of unlocking the full potential of this company, and as industry supply and demand dynamics continue to improve, we will remain disciplined around our capital spending and focused on driving innovation and efficiency across our businesses. We are confident in our strategy and the actions we have taken to-date, which successfully position us to capitalize on the promising growth prospects that lie ahead."
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[NextPowerUP]

Fulqrum Publishing and Ukrainian studio Best Way are excited to announce that their highly anticipated RTS title Men of War II releases on May 15, 2024 on PC. A date long-term fans may appreciate, as this marks the 10th anniversary since the full release of Men of War: Assault Squad 2. Following a number of public playtests last year, the team at Best Way opted to spend extra development time to incorporate feedback from the community. The fans will be able to enjoy the fruits of this extra labor at launch, as the game has received numerous technical improvements and bug fixes, as well as balancing and various upgrades to audio-visual quality since the last Open Beta.

Men of War II will launch with three playable nations - the Soviets, Americans and the Third Reich - each with their own narrative campaign, as well as two further Historical campaigns, a dynamic Conquest campaign and a skirmish-like Raid mode. All of the single-player content can also be played in co-op with up to five players, and the game offers extensive PvP and PvE multiplayer options, including ranked match-making for all three battle setups (Battalions, Combined Arms and Classic Mode).
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