TechPowerUP NEWS

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ADATA today launched the Legend 970 PRO line of enthusiast-segment M.2 NVMe Gen 5 SSDs. The drive was showcased at the 2024 Computex, and succeeds the Legend 970 series that the company launched in July 2023. The new Legend 970 PRO retains the product design of the Legend 970, including its active fan-heatsink, but sees updates to both its controller and NAND flash type. The Legend 970 PRO comes in capacities of up to 4 TB, and offers sequential transfer rates of up to 14,000 MB/s reads, with up to 11,000 MB/s writes. In comparison, the original Legend 970 offers up to 10,000 MB/s reads/writes. The 4K random access performance has also gone up, with the Legend 970 PRO offering up to 1.8 million IOPS 4K random reads, and up to 1.3 million IOPS 4K random writes, compared to the 1.4 million IOPS reads/writes of the Legend 970. The company didn't reveal pricing. The drives are backed by 5-year warranties.

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Logitech International today announced financial results for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2025.

• Sales were $1.1 billion, up 12 percent in US dollars and 13 percent in constant currency, compared to Q1 of the prior year.
• GAAP operating income was $153 million, up 96 percent, compared to Q1 of the prior year. Non-GAAP operating income was $182 million, up 67 percent, compared to Q1 of the prior year.
• GAAP earnings per share (EPS) was $0.92, up 136 percent compared to Q1 of the prior year. Non-GAAP EPS was $1.13, up 74 percent compared to Q1 of the prior year.
• Cash flow from operations was $176 million, down 27 percent compared to Q1 of the prior year.

"We started the new fiscal year strong, with high-quality, broad-based growth across all regions and key categories," said Hanneke Faber, Logitech chief executive officer. "Our team continued disciplined execution, as evidenced by excellent gross and operating margin growth. I am pleased to increase our FY25 outlook for both net sales and non-GAAP operating income."
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ASUS today announced an all-new range of servers, workstations and motherboards driven by the power of AMD EPYC 4004 CPUs - heralding next-level performance and density. The new offerings include: ASUS Pro ER100A B6, a compact, 1U rack server. ASUS ExpertCenter Pro ET500A B6, a power-efficient Zen 4 workstation, ASUS Pro WS 665-ACE, a resilient ATX workstation motherboard; and ASUS Pro WS 600M-CL, a compact, chipset-less mATX motherboard for workstation applications.

Engineered specifically for the dynamic needs of small businesses and hosted IT service providers, these business-grade platforms empower high-performance computing in diverse forms, from ready-to-roll workstations to powerful motherboards. Ideal for a variety of applications, from cloud services to dedicated hosting or content delivery, ASUS equipment with AMD EPYC 4004-series processors ensure that that evolving business operations are powered by the performance the modern world demands - and backed by the ASUS expertise enterprise expects.
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Intel on Monday rolled out the first public release of AI Playground, an AI productivity suite the company showcased in its 2024 Computex booth. AI Playground is a well-packaged suite of generative AI applications and a chatbot, which are designed to leverage Intel Arc discrete GPUs with at least 8 GB of video memory. All utilities in the suite are designed under the OpenVINO framework, and take advantage of the XMX cores of Arc A-series discrete GPUs. Currently, only three GPU models from the lineup come with 8 GB or higher amounts of video memory, the A770, A750, and A580; and their mobile variants. The company is working on a variant of the suite that can work on Intel Core Ultra-H series processors, where it uses a combination of the NPU and the iGPU for acceleration. AI Playground is open source. Intel put in effort to make the suite as client-friendly as possible, by giving it a packaged installer that looks after installation of all software dependencies.

Intel AI Playground tools include an image generative AI that can turn prompts into standard or HD images, which is based on Stable Diffusion backed by DreamShaper 8 and Juggernaut XL models. It also supports Phi3, LCM LoRA, and LCM LoRA SDXL. All of these have been optimized for acceleration on Arc "Alchemist" GPUs. The utility also includes an AI image enhancement utility that can be used for upscaling along with detail reconstruction, styling, inpainting and outpainting, and certain kinds of image manipulation. The third most important tool is the text AI chatbot with all popular LLMs.

DOWNLOAD: Intel AI Playground

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BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, storage devices, and IPC products, is excited to introduce the best setup recommendation for home-based Edge AI PC solutions. BIOSTAR's B760M-SILVER motherboard and ARC A750 OC GPU combo serve as the best platform for modern-day content creators who are efficient at supercharging their workload with AI.

The B760M-SILVER motherboard carries BIOSTAR's renowned product quality and efficiency in a sleek Micro ATX form. Packed with all the essentials for modern-day computing, it brings the latest DDR5 technology and supports a 12/13/14 Generation Intel Core processor on Intel B760 single-chip architecture. Furthermore, supplementary features such as PCIe 5.0, PCIe 4.0 M.2 (64 Gb/s), and WiFi 6 & 6E modules support, as well as 2.5 GbE LAN port, provide an excellent basis for users to install the best hardware in the market and utilize the maximum performance efficiency out of their system.
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AMD today announced that AMD President Victor Peng is retiring effective August 30, 2024. He will continue to serve on the AMD executive team in an advisory role and support the transition until his retirement date. "Victor re-joined AMD in 2022 following the acquisition of Xilinx and played an important role successfully integrating and scaling our embedded business and leading our cross-company AI strategy," said AMD Chair and CEO Dr. Lisa Su. "Under his leadership, AMD became the industry's #1 provider of FPGA and adaptive computing solutions. On behalf of the AMD Board, executive leadership team and the thousands of employees who have worked with him, I want to thank Victor for his outstanding leadership and wish him the best in his retirement."

Peng retires with over 40 years of experience defining and delivering leadership technologies across FPGAs, SoCs, GPUs and high-performance CPUs. He has served as president at AMD since February 2022 when he rejoined the company after the acquisition of Xilinx, where he spent 14 years, most recently serving as president, CEO and member of the board of directors.
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Pwnage, a leader in premium gaming peripherals, is proud to announce the launch of the ZenBlade 65, a cutting-edge mechanical gaming keyboard fully CNC machined from aerospace-grade aluminum featuring the latest Hall Effect magnetic switches.

Introducing the ZenBlade 65
The ZenBlade 65 represents the ultimate in gaming performance and design. Engineered for serious gamers and enthusiasts, this premium keyboard is precision crafted by fully CNC machining down two solid blocks of aerospace-grade aluminum - providing exceptional durability, acoustics and an aesthetic finish that feels luxurious, sleek, and modern.
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Get the benefits of cutting-edge Thunderbolt 4 technology in a universal docking station that conveniently mounts to your desk, enhanced with a gas-lift arm for one or two (with SB-DSAM) monitors. The Sabrent Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station with Monitor Desk Mount (DS-T4WA) docking station connects through Thunderbolt 4 (TB4) to deliver a TB4 downstream port as well as four USB ports - two 10 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) USB-C ports, one 10 Gbps USB-A port, and one 5 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) USB-A port - to host a wide range of devices. Also built-in is a UHS-II (312MBps) microSD/SD card reader, a 3.5" audio in/out port, and Gigabit Ethernet (1GbE) for fast and reliable wired network connectivity. Dock and expand with ease.

Quickly and conveniently configure your displays to match your work environment. Combine the station with one to three monitors (see note) with output up to 8K@30 Hz (DP/HDMI) or 8K@60 Hz/4K@144 Hz (TB4) singly and 4K@60 Hz (DSC) simultaneously in extended or mirrored display modes. The desired displays may be connected via the HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and TB4 ports. The single arm on this mount, or dual arms with our Upgrade Kit (SB-DSAM), support the standard VESA 75/100 mounting patterns for monitors and displays up to 32" in size and 10 kg/22lbs in weight. The gas-lift controls vertical positioning from 0-650 mm and the arm plate is capable of 360-degree swivel, 90- to -45-degree tilt, and +/- 90-degree rotation for ultimate flexibility.
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AMD today released the first public version of FLM, or Frame Latency Meter, a utility that lets you measure the response time of games with mouse movements. The tool targets advanced gamers, power users, and game developers wanting to optimize whole-system latency or reducing input latency. It measures the time it takes for a mouse movement to translate into a new frame on the screen. Options are included to use frame capture codecs such as AMF (optimized for AMD GPUs) or DXGI (any brand of GPUs). The tool generates detailed latency and effective-framerate statistics that can be exported to CSVs for data analysis. A key difference between FLM and NVIDIA LDAT is that it doesn't rely on "muzzle flashes" on the screens to measure latency, which means your measurement data can span any amount of time without worrying about running out of ammo during your test session.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Frame Latency Meter (FLM) v1.0

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Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) today announced a collaboration with AMD to supply high-performance substrates for hyperscale data center compute applications. These substrates are made in SEMCO's key the technology hub in Busan and the newly built state of the art factory in Vietnam. Market research firm Prismark predicts that the semiconductor substrate market will grow at an average annual rate of about 7%, increasing from 15.2 trillion KRW in 2024 to 20 trillion KRW in 2028. SEMCO's substantial investment of 1.9 trillion KRW in the FCBGA factory underscores its commitment to advancing substrate technology and manufacturing capabilities to meet the highest industry standards and the future technology needs.

SEMCO's collaboration with AMD focuses on meeting the unique challenges of integrating multiple semiconductor chips (Chiplets) on a single large substrate. These high-performance substrates, essential for CPU/GPU applications, offer significantly larger surface areas and higher layer counts, providing the dense interconnections required for today's advanced data centers. Compared to standard computer substrates, data center substrates are ten times larger and feature three times more layers, ensuring efficient power delivery and lossless signal integrity between chips. Addressing these challenges, SEMCO's innovative manufacturing processes mitigate issues like warpage to ensure high yields during chip mounting.
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JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, proudly announces upcoming standards for advanced memory modules designed to power the next generation of high-performance computing and AI applications. JEDEC today revealed key details about its upcoming standards for DDR5 Multiplexed Rank Dual Inline Memory Modules (MRDIMM) and a next-generation Compression-Attached Memory Module (CAMM) for LPDDR6. The new MRDIMM and CAMM for LPDDR6 are set to revolutionize the industry with unparalleled bandwidth and memory capacity.

The JEDEC MRDIMM standard is set to deliver up to twice the peak bandwidth of native DRAM, enabling applications to surpass current data rates and achieve new levels of performance. It maintains the same capacity, reliability, availability, serviceability (RAS) features as JEDEC RDIMM. The committee aims to double the bandwidth to 12.8 Gbps and increase the pin speed. MRDIMM is envisioned to support more than two ranks and is being designed to utilize standard DDR5 DIMM components ensuring compatibility with conventional RDIMM systems.
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Technology manufacturer JSAUX announces that, following the success of their FlipGo Pro, winner of the 2024 iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Award, the company has launched a new version, the JSAUX FlipGo Portable Monitor Lite 15.6". This first product in the FlipGo Lite Series sports a market standard size of 15.6" (as compared to the FlipGo Pro models of 13.5 and 16" sizes). The FlipGo Lite will be available on JSAUX's website on early July for $299.

The dual-stacked portable monitor raised more than $1,000,000 in a Kickstarter campaign last February. The FlipGo is a portable monitor for a brave new world, where productivity and efficiency are paramount for digital nomads and remote workers. The new entry in the category, the FlipGo Lite, measures 15.6" and it's especially suitable for Windows computers. Thanks to its UltraView mode, which allows the dual-screen to function as a single monitor, users can grab their hands on a portable monitor that equals a 21" screen.
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Chinese memory manufacturer YMTC has filed a lawsuit against U.S.-based Micron in California, alleging infringement of 11 patents related to 3D NAND Flash and DRAM products. YMTC seeks to halt Micron's sales of the allegedly infringing products in the U.S. and demands royalty payments. Founded in Wuhan, China, in 2016, YMTC is a key player in China's efforts to develop a domestic chip industry. However, in October 2022, the U.S. government placed YMTC on its Entity List, restricting its access to advanced U.S. manufacturing equipment for 3D NAND chips with 128 layers or more.

Before these restrictions, YMTC had obtained certification from Apple for its 128-layer 3D NAND chips, with the US tech giant considering using YMTC chips to reduce costs and diversify its supply chain beyond Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron. The lawsuit specifically targets Micron's 3D NAND Flash products with 96, 128, 176, and 232 layers, as well as certain DDR5 SDRAM products. This legal action follows a similar suit filed by YMTC against Micron in November, alleging infringement of eight U.S. patents related to 3D NAND Flash. With government backing, Chinese firms are increasingly engaging in patent litigation both domestically and internationally. Last year alone, Chinese courts handled over 5,000 technical intellectual property and monopoly cases.

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Cable Matters, an industry leader in connectivity solutions, is excited to announce the integration of Thunderbolt Share technology from Intel into its existing Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station. This enhancement brings unprecedented Windows PC-to-PC connectivity and collaboration capabilities to the popular 16-in-1 docking solution.

Thunderbolt Share is an innovative software application that enables fast and seamless Windows PC-to-PC connectivity. By leveraging the power of Thunderbolt 4, users can now transfer files, share storage devices, and enjoy smooth screen sharing with minimal latency, enhancing productivity and collaboration.
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Lenovo, the global technology powerhouse, today announced the appointment of Dr. Tolga Kurtoglu as the group's new Chief Technology Officer, succeeding Dr. Yong Rui in further accelerating the Group's technology vision and AI leadership.

In addition, Lenovo has announced the formation of a new Emerging Technology Group that will be charged with anticipating emerging trends in technology and turning them into future business growth opportunities. Dr. Yong Rui, who has led Lenovo's research as CTO for the past seven years, becomes President of the Emerging Technology Group.
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