In their recent earnings call, Micron commented that they have 96-layer 3D NAND technology on track for volume shipments in the second half of 2018. Most of today's SSDs typically use 32-layer technology, with 64-layer flash chips used in some recent releases like the Crucial MX500. 96-layer is the third generation of 3D NAND and increases storage capacity per chip even further which allows smaller and more energy efficient mobile devices to be built. Of course it will be cheaper too, compared to current-generation 64 layer NAND, which should bring SSD pricing down even more, and of course generally help pricing of consumer products which use flash memory.

The second important note from the presentation is that Micron expects 1X nm (18 nm) DRAM production to exceed that of previous generations before the end of this year. Their next-generation 1Y nm (15/16 nm) DRAM is on track to begin production shipments in the second half of 2018, too. As they noted in a previous event, their product and process roadmap for DRAM 1z looks solid and 1-alpha development programs already under way.

The only other active x86 architecture licensee than AMD, VIA Technologies, is planning a comeback to the x86 processor market, bolstered by R&D investment by Shanghai Zhaoxin Semiconductor. VIA and Zhaoxin have been co-developing the ZX family of x86 processors for rollout in 2018, and at least on paper, the chips appear to have the chops to take on Intel's "Gemini Lake" SoCs. The new VIA-Zhaoxin combine CPU family begins with the KX-5000 "Wudaoku" SoCs launched late-2017. These are full-fledged SoCs, which completely integrate the chipset (including the southrbidge).

The KX-5000 chips feature 4 or 8 CPU cores without SMT, 2.00-2.20 GHz nominal CPU clock, 2.40 GHz boost clock, a dual-channel DDR4 IMC, a PCI-Express gen 3.0 root complex, an integrated graphics core, and platform I/O that includes SATA 6 Gbps, and USB 3.1 gen 2. This chip debuted on only one product from a major OEM, the Lenovo M6200 desktop model launched in China. 2018 could see a broader launch of VIA-Zhaoxin chips, with the KX-6000. While the older chips were built on the 28 nm process, the KX-6000 series will be built on the newer 16 nm process, feature 4 or 8 CPU cores clocked at speeds of up to 3.00 GHz, while retaining the feature-set of the KX-5000 series. These chips could realistically be touted as low-cost alternatives to Intel "Gemini Lake" SoCs, although Zhaoxin is making bold claims about its performance nearing that of AMD Ryzen processors.

GALAX' EU-regional wing KFA2 rolled out the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti EX-SNPR White graphics card. A step above the GTX 1070 Ti EX graphics card, the SNPR White comes with a white metallic cooler shroud, while fan impellers, white LED lighting over the fans, and a white metallic back-plate with RGB LED diffusers. RGB LEDs line the periphery of the back-plate, and the "GeForce GTX" decal on top of the card. The card ships with NVIDIA-reference clock speeds of 1607 MHz core, and 1683 MHz GPU Boost. Its memory ticks at 8.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective).

Drawing power from a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors, the card conditions it using a 7-phase VRM. It uses a custom-design aluminium fin-stack heatsink that's ventilated by a pair of 100 mm fans, which stay off when the card is idling. Display outputs include three DisplayPort 1.4, and one each of HDMI 2.0 and DVI-D. Based on the 16 nm "GP104" silicon, the GTX 1070 Ti features 2,432 CUDA cores, 152 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 8 GB of memory. The KFA2 GeForce GTX 1070 Ti EX-SNPR White is priced at 479€ (including VAT).

It looks like NVIDIA's next performance-segment graphics card, the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, could be launched sooner than expected. A report by NordicHardware, pins its launch date at October 26, 2017; ahead of the "early-November" date which was doing rounds earlier. It's also entirely possible that the card will be launched on October 26, and reviews of the card being posted, but market-availability beginning in November.

Based on the 16 nm "GP106" silicon, the GTX 1070 Ti is being designed to be almost as fast as the GTX 1080. It features 2,432 CUDA cores, 152 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 8 GB of memory. The card is expected to perform (and be priced) within 12 percent of the GTX 1080. Its main competitor from the AMD stable is the Radeon RX Vega 56.

It turns out that NVIDIA is giving the GeForce GTX 1070 more than a minor refresh. The new performance-segment SKU, which is slated to come out just before Holiday 2017, could perform very very close to the GTX 1080, although sufficiently spaced out from the GTX 1080 refresh (featuring 11 Gbps memory). According to specifications leaked by Chinese tech publication MyDrivers, NVIDIA will give this SKU the coveted "Ti" moniker after all, and carve it out from the "GP104" silicon.

According to the report, the GTX 1070 Ti will be carved out of the "GP104" silicon by disabling just 1 out of 20 streaming multiprocessors, compared to the GTX 1070 desktop, which has 5 out of 20 disabled. This results in a CUDA core count of 2,432, which is just 128 fewer than that of the GTX 1080. The clock speeds of the GTX 1070 Ti are higher than the GTX 1070, too. It comes with a core clock of 1607 MHz, 1683 MHz GPU Boost, and an untouched 8.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory clock. Interestingly, the TDP of this chip is 180W, which is the same as the GTX 1080. NVIDIA will reportedly launch the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti in early-November, 2017, at a price that's 12.5 percent cheaper than the GTX 1080.

Microsoft Sunday dropped its mic with the most powerful game console on paper, the Xbox One X, formerly codenamed "Project Scorpio." The bottom-line of this console is that it enables 4K Ultra HD gaming at 60 Hz. Something like this requires you to spend at least $1,200 on a gaming desktop right now. Unlike a Windows 10 PC that's been put together by various pieces of hardware, the Xbox One X is built on a closed ecosystem that's tightly controlled by Microsoft, with heavily optimized software, and a lot of secret sauce the company won't talk about. The console still puts up some mighty impressive hardware specs on paper.

To begin with, at the heart of the Xbox One X is a semi-custom SoC Microsoft co-developed with AMD, built on TSMC's 16 nm FinFET node (the same one NVIDIA builds its "Pascal" GPUs on). This chip features a GPU with almost quadruple the single-precision floating point compute power as the one which drives the Xbox One. It features 40 Graphics CoreNext (GCN) compute units (2,560 stream processors) based on one of the later versions of GCN (likely "Polaris"). The GPU is clocked at 1172 MHz. The other big component of the SoC is an eight-core CPU based on an unnamed micro-architecture evolved from "Jaguar" rather than "Bulldozer" or even "Zen." The eight cores are arranged in two quad-core units of four cores, each; with 4 MB of L2 cache. The CPU is clocked at 2.30 GHz.

Remember that MX150 mobile graphics card we covered recently? NVIDIA has just let the cat out of the bag, with an announcement that seemingly confirms the specs we were expecting. NVIDIA is selling this mobile GPU's space as the expected IGP-upgrade, citing up to 3x superior performance-per-Watt compared to previous-generation Maxwell-based GeForce 940MX laptops. In other words, GeForce MX150 enables thinner laptops that run applications faster while sipping less power.

Inno3D rolled out a single-slot GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card (model: N105T2-1SDV-M5CM). The card combines NVIDIA reference PCB for the GTX 1050 Ti, with a single slot cooling solution. This cooler consists of a lateral-blower which pushes air through a dense aluminium channel heatsink, with copper base-plate over the GPU. The card relies on the PCI-Express slot for all its power.

Based on the 16 nm GP107 silicon, the GTX 1050 Ti features 768 CUDA cores, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. The Inno3D GTX 1050 Ti single-slot card sticks to NVIDIA-reference clock speeds of 1291 MHz core, 1392 MHz GPU Boost, and 7.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory. Display outputs include one each of DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, and dual-link DVI. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Plextor today announced that it revised the warranty policy of its recently announced EX1 portable solid-state drive to be effective for 5 years, from its existing 3 years. This change is applicable to all products already sold and with retailers as unsold inventory. The EX1 is a series of portable SSDs with 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 host interface, with a single cable handling both power and host connectivity. The drives combine Silicon Motion-made controllers with SK Hynix 16 nm TLC NAND flash memory, and come in capacities of 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, priced at 79€, 119€, and 213€, respectively.

NVIDIA is preparing its next high-end graphics card under the GeForce GTX brand, the GTX 1080 Ti, for launch along the sidelines of the 2017 International CES, early next January. The card will be positioned between the $599-$699 GeForce GTX 1080, and the $1199 TITAN X Pascal, and will be based on the 16 nm "GP102" silicon.

Chinese tech publication Zol.com.cn reports a few possible specifications of the SKU, adding to what we know from an older report. NVIDIA is carving the GTX 1080 Ti out from the GP102 silicon by enabling 26 out of 30 streaming multiprocessors, resulting in a CUDA core count of 3,328. This sets the TMU count at 208. The ROP count is unchanged at 96. The card features a 384-bit wide GDDR5X memory interface (and not the previously-thought GDDR5). It will have an identical memory bandwidth to the TITAN X Pascal, of 480 GB/s. The card will feature 12 GB of standard memory amount. Its GPU clock speeds are expected to be 1503 MHz core, with 1623 MHz GPU Boost.

NVIDIA rolled out the GeForce GTX 1060, a new mid-range graphics card starting at US $199 (MSRP), with custom-design cards ranging between $199-229. Based on the 16 nm "GP106" silicon, this card has not just half the memory as the original GTX 1060, but also fewer CUDA cores. The card features 3 GB of memory across its 192-bit GDDR5 memory interface. It features 1,152 of the 1,280 CUDA cores present on the silicon. Other specs include 72 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its core is clocked at 1506 MHz, with 1708 MHz GPU Boost, and 8 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory. The card is targeted at gamers still on 1080p.

NVIDIA today announced the GeForce GTX 10-series for notebooks. The lineup includes three SKUs - the GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, the GTX 1070 Mobile, and the GTX 1060 Mobile. Thanks to huge energy-efficiency gains with the "Pascal" architecture and the new 16 nm silicon fab process, this round of NVIDIA's mobile GPUs aren't "gimped out" in comparison its desktop discrete GPU lineup, in that they SKUs don't feature fewer CUDA cores to their corresponding desktop counterparts.

The lineup begins with the GTX 1080 Mobile. Based on the GP104 silicon, this chip features all 2,560 CUDA cores, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs physically present on the chip. The chip is endowed with 8 GB of 256-bit GDDR5X memory ticking at 10 Gbps. The core clock speeds remain unknown. The GTX 1070 Mobile is an interesting SKU in that it is better endowed than its desktop counterpart. It features 2,048 CUDA cores (the desktop GTX 1070 features 1,920), 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 8 GB of 256-bit GDDR5 memory running at 8 Gbps. This chip features 1443 MHz core, and 1645 MHz GPU Boost. At the bottom of the pile is the GTX 1060 Mobile. Based on the GP106 silicon, this chip features 1,280 CUDA cores, 80 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and 6 GB of 192-bit GDDR5 memory running at 8 Gbps; with clock speeds of 1405 MHz core, with 1569 MHz GPU Boost.

It looks like NVIDIA won't skip the 14 nm process en route sub-10 nm nodes, despite meeting its energy-efficiency targets with the 16 nm FinFET node, after all. The company has reportedly concluded talks with Samsung Electronics, to optically-shrink its current GeForce "Pascal" architecture down to the newer 14 nanometer FinFET node, by Samsung. It's unclear as to whether specific upcoming (unreleased) Pascal GPUs will get 14 nm treatment, or if this is a series-wide die-shrink of the kind NVIDIA did between the 65 nm and 55 nm nodes. The Samsung-made 14 nm "Pascal" GPUs should enter production before year-end.

Microsoft's new slim Xbox One S console achieves its slimness - including its inbuilt power-supply, by significantly reducing thermal load of its key components. This begins at the heart of the console, its SoC. A semi-custom chip by Microsoft and AMD, the SoC powering the Xbox One S is built on the 16 nm FinFET process at TSMC. The chip powering the original Xbox One was built on the same foundry's 28 nm node.

The new SoC isn't merely an optical shrink of the original 28 nm chip down to 16 nm FinFET, Microsoft added a few components to the chip, including an HEVC hardware decoder, hardware CODECs for Blu-ray UHD with HDR; and a revamped display controller with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. The chip also performs 1080p to 4K UHD upscaling, with a native upscaling algorithm. The eSRAM memory bandwidth is increased slightly from 204 GB/s from 219 GB/s.

NVIDIA's flagship graphics card targeted at gamers and PC enthusiasts, the TITAN X Pascal, will be available from today, exclusively through the GeForce website, at this page. NVIDIA will be directly marketing the card. The card is priced at US $1,199 (excl taxes). Based on the 16 nm "GP102," derived from the "Pascal" architecture, the TITAN X Pascal features 3,584 CUDA cores, 224 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and a 384-bit wide GDDR5X memory, holding 12 GB of memory. The chip is clocked at 1417 MHz core, with 1531 MHz GPU Boost, and 10 Gbps memory, working out to 480 GB/s memory bandwidth. Like the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070, the TITAN X Pascal appears to be limited to 2-way SLI.More pictures follow.

Following the surprise TITAN X Pascal launch slated for 2nd August, it looks like NVIDIA product development cycle is running on steroids, with reports emerging of the company accelerating its next-generation "Volta" architecture debut to May 2017, along the sidelines of next year's GTC. The architecture was originally scheduled to make its debut in 2018.

Much like "Pascal," the "Volta" architecture could first debut with HPC products, before moving on to the consumer graphics segment. NVIDIA could also retain the 16 nm FinFET+ process at TSMC for Volta. Stacked on-package memory such as HBM2 could be more readily available by 2017, and could hit sizable volumes towards the end of the year, making it ripe for implementation in high-volume consumer products.

In a show of shock and awe, NVIDIA today announced its flagship graphics card based on the "Pascal" architecture, the GeForce GTX TITAN X Pascal. Market availability of the card is scheduled for August 2, 2016, priced at US $1,199. Based on the 16 nm "GP102" silicon, this graphics card is endowed with 3,584 CUDA cores spread across 56 streaming multiprocessors, 224 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and a 384-bit GDDR5X memory interface, holding 12 GB of memory.

The core is clocked at 1417 MHz, with 1531 MHz GPU Boost, and 10 Gbps memory, churning out 480 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The card draws power from a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors, the GPU's TDP is rated at 250W. NVIDIA claims that the GTX TITAN X Pascal is up to 60 percent faster than the GTX TITAN X (Maxwell), and up to 3 times faster than the original GeForce GTX TITAN.

NVIDIA announced availability of the GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card. Targeted at the Radeon RX 480, the GTX 1060 is priced at USD $249, however, its own Founders Edition (reference) card is priced at $299, and available exclusively from the company website. The GTX 1060 is based on the new 16 nm GP106 silicon, featuring 1,280 CUDA cores, 80 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and a 192-bit GDDR5 memory interface, holding 6 GB of memory.

The core on the GTX 1060 is clocked at 1506 MHz, with a maximum GPU Boost frequency of 1709 MHz, and 8 Gbps memory, which puts out 192 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The card draws power from a single 6-pin PCIe power connector, as the chip's TDP is rated at just 120W. You get most of the features NVIDIA introduced with the "Pascal" architecture, but the biggest change is lack of NVIDIA SLI support. Even custom-design cards will lack SLI support. NVIDIA's add-in card (AIC) partners will launch their offerings today, alongside the Founders Edition SKUs.

NVIDIA today announced its third desktop consumer graphics card based on the "Pascal" architecture, the GeForce GTX 1060. NVIDIA aims to strike a price-performance sweetspot, by pricing this card aggressively at US $249 (MSRP), with its reference "Founders Edition" variant priced at $299. To make sure two of these cards at $500 don't cannibalize the $599-699 GTX 1080, NVIDIA didn't even give this card 2-way SLI support. Retail availability of the cards will commence from 19th July, 2016. NVIDIA claims that the GTX 1060 performs on-par with the GeForce GTX 980 from the previous generation.

The GeForce GTX 1060 is based on the new 16 nm "GP106" silicon, the company's third ASIC based on this architecture after GP100 and GP104. It features 1,280 CUDA cores spread across ten streaming multiprocessors, 80 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and a 192-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 6 GB of memory. The card draws power from a single 6-pin PCIe power connector, as the GPU's TDP is rated at just 120W. The core is clocked up to 1.70 GHz, and the memory at 8 Gbps, at which it belts out 192 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Display outputs include three DisplayPorts 1.4, one HDMI 2.0b, and a DVI.

NVIDIA's more economically significant graphics card based on the "Pascal" architecture, the GeForce GTX 1070, goes on sale from today (10/06). The card starts at US $379, with NVIDIA selling the reference-design board for a $70 premium, as the GTX 1070 Founders Edition, priced at $449. With NVIDIA claiming performance levels higher than the previous-generation $999 GeForce GTX Titan X, the GTX 1070 could prove to be the gateway to 4K Ultra HD gaming with reasonably high eye-candy.

Based on the 16 nm "GP104" silicon, the GeForce GTX 1070 features 1,920 CUDA cores, 120 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and a 256-bit GDDR5 memory interface, holding 8 GB of memory. The core ticks at 1506 MHz, with a GPU Boost frequency of 1683 MHz, while the memory runs at 2000 MHz (actual), 8 GHz (GDDR5-effective), yielding a memory bandwidth of 256 GB/s. Display outputs include three DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.0b, and a dual-link DVI-D.

NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, which NVIDIA is pinning its summer upgrade revenue on, is shaping up to be faster than the previous-generation enthusiast GeForce GTX TITAN X. 3DMark FireStrike numbers scored by VideoCardz reveal that averaged across three popular resolutions - 1080p (FireStrike standard), 1440p (FireStrike Advanced), and 4K (FireStrike Ultra), the GTX 1070 is about 3 percent faster than the GTX TITAN X.

At FireStrike (standard), the GTX 1070 scored 17557 points, versus 17396 points of the GTX TITAN X; 8327 points at FireStrike Advanced against 7989; and 4078 points at FireStrike Ultra against 3862, respectively. The performance lead is highest at 4K Ultra HD. Based on the 16 nm GP104 silicon, the GeForce GTX 1070 features 1,920 CUDA cores, 120 TMUs, and 8 GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 8.00 GHz (256 GB/s). The MSRP for this SKU is set at $379, although its reference design board will be sold at a $70 premium, for $449, when the card goes on sale this 10th June.

Here are some of the first pictures of the reference GeForce GTX 1080 PCB. NVIDIA is selling the reference-design card at a $100 premium, branded as "Founders Edition." Pictures reveal the PCB to be less crowded than the GTX 980 reference PCB. The PCB appears to feature a 6-phase VRM with DrMOS chips, drawing power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector; the 16 nm GP104 ASIC, with a smaller die than the one featured on the 28 nm GM204, neighbored by eight 8 Gbit GDDR5X memory chips, which feature smaller packages than the ones GDDR5 chips usually come in. We wish someone zoomed in on its VRM controller.

After launching its shockingly fast (claimed) GeForce GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 graphics cards, NVIDIA posted specifications of the former. The two are based on NVIDIA's swanky new 16 nm "GP104" silicon, derived from its "Pascal" GPU architecture. The architecture is detailed in our older article, here. The GeForce GTX 1080 leads the pack, featuring four graphics processing clusters, holding 2,560 CUDA cores. The core runs at a scorching 1607 MHz, with a GPU Boost frequency of 1733 MHz. In one of its demos, NVIDIA overclocked this chip to over 2100 MHz, on its reference air cooling, and the GPU barely scraped 67 °C under stress. The GTX 1080 features a 256-bit wide GDDR5X memory interface, holding 8 GB of memory. The memory is clocked at 2500 MHz (10 GHz effective), working out to a memory bandwidth of 320 GB/s.

API support includes DirectX 12 (feature-level 12_1), OpenGL 4.5, and Vulkan. Display outputs include three DisplayPort 1.4 connectors, one HDMI 2.0b, and one dual-link DVI. The reference-design card is 10.5-inch long, and double-slot. It draws power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, and its typical board power is rated at 180W. With the GeForce "Pascal" family, instead of caving in to DirectX 12 native multi-GPU, NVIDIA developed its SLI technology further, with the new SLI HB (high-bandwidth) bridge standard. It's essentially a 2-way bridge in which both SLI fingers of the card are used. This doubles bandwidth between the two cards, allowing higher display resolutions, and multi-display setups between high-resolution monitors. The GeForce GTX 1080 will be available from May 27, 2016, starting at US $599. The $379 GTX 1070 specifications will be revealed closer to its June 10, 2016 market availability.

Hot on the heels of the GeForce GTX 1080, the company also announced its second fastest GPU, the GeForce GTX 1070. Based on the same 16 nm GP104 silicon as the GTX 1080, the GTX 1070 features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, and has 3 quarters the single precision performance (6.5 TFLOP/s vs. 9 TFLOP/s) of the GTX 1080. NVIDIA claims that just as the GTX 1080 is faster than the GTX 980 SLI, the GTX 1070 is faster than the GTX TITAN X, making it the second fastest GPU in existence. Available on June 10, the GTX 1070 will be priced at US $379, with a "founder's edition" (reference-design) card going for $449.

NVIDIA announced its next-generation GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card. Based on the "Pascal" architecture, this chip is built on the 16 nm FinFET process. It uses GDDR5X memory at 10 GHz (GDDR5-effective) clock speed. NVIDIA announced major improvements to the VRM that drives graphics cards, that increases switching efficiency. NVIDIA announced that the GeForce GTX 1080 is faster than a GeForce GTX 980 SLI, and a GeForce GTX TITAN X. The air-cooled GTX 1080 runs at a very high clock speed or 2.11 GHz, with 10 GHz memory clocks, at a temperature of 67 degrees C. Available on May 27, it's priced at $599.More pictures after the break.