The 62nd edition of the TOP500 reveals that the Frontier system retains its top spot and is still the only exascale machine on the list. However, five new or upgraded systems have shaken up the Top 10.

Housed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, USA, Frontier leads the pack with an HPL score of 1.194 EFlop/s - unchanged from the June 2023 list. Frontier utilizes AMD EPYC 64C 2GHz processors and is based on the latest HPE Cray EX235a architecture. The system has a total of 8,699,904 combined CPU and GPU cores. Additionally, Frontier has an impressive power efficiency rating of 52.59 GFlops/watt and relies on HPE's Slingshot 11 network for data transfer.

IQM Quantum Computers (IQM), a global leader in building quantum computers, today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to advance future hybrid quantum applications through NVIDIA CUDA Quantum, an open-source platform for integrating and programming quantum processing units in one system. As part of this collaboration, users of IQM's quantum processing units across enterprises and research institutions can program and develop the next generation of hybrid quantum-classical applications with NVIDIA CUDA Quantum.

The collaboration aims to accelerate the development and utilization of quantum computing in various applications, fostering innovation, collaboration, and potential breakthroughs in science and industry. Leading institutions, such as CSC - IT Centre for Science and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, plan to utilise CUDA Quantum on VTT's 5-qubit quantum computer developed in co-innovation partnership by IQM and VTT.

innish esports company UNEVN has launched a new gaming setup meant for professional e-athletes and professionals-to-be. The new setup called BASE is designed to make organizing boot camps easier, improve performance, and help players move ahead in their career. BASE is a portable gaming setup that comes with a high-end computer, screen, keyboard, mouse, and the gaming desk itself. The setup can be put together in minutes, and it is easy to transport.

UNEVN was founded by brothers Aleksi and Santeri Rinkinen together with Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka, one of the most famous Dota players in the world. Vainikka is a former world champion in Dota 2. "One of the biggest challenges for professional e-athletes is having to deal with insufficient tournament setups that often disregard the importance of ergonomics. We've designed the setup with a smooth gaming performance in mind. BASE is portable and easy to transport, and it is compatible with various components. With our gear, players can maximize their performance and focus fully on what matters most - winning," explains CEO Aleksi Rinkinen.

Remedy Entertainment announced last month, via a FAQ, that it plans to keep Alan Wake 2 exclusive to digital platforms for an October 17 (this year) release, with no consideration given to customers demanding physical copies. Eurogamer questioned the game's creative director Sam Lake, and director Kyle Rowley at Summer Games Fest (earlier this month)—the site's reporter demanded a more detailed explanation regarding the long-anticipated sequel's eschewing of physical media. Lake responded first: "Yeah, it is digital only, and kind of coming to this idea, both from Remedy and Epic's perspective, that's our current thinking. It just felt it makes sense for this, and the timing felt right." His colleague, Rowley added further insight: "As creatives obviously, by going digital-only it does allow us more time to polish the game. Like, a significant number of weeks actually. Because otherwise, the game that goes on the disc, obviously it has to be playable without a patch. We didn't want to release something that we weren't proud of basically, and that we didn't want players to play. So hopefully this way we can give you a better version of the game."

The gaming community has debated at length about the temporary nature of digital releases—termination of online services and changes in ownership rights have resulted in certain titles becoming completely inaccessible to players/fans. Preservationists have fought hard for the continued release of physical media, but some publishers have resorted to bundling a download code in a disc-less retail box. Remedy Entertainment's FAQ proposes that digital platforms provide a more cost effective option for customers: "There are many reasons for this. For one, a large number of players have shifted to digital only. You can buy a Sony PlayStation 5 without a disc drive and Microsoft's Xbox Series S is a digital only console. It is not uncommon to release modern games as digital-only...Secondly, not releasing a disc helps keep the price of the game at $59.99 / €59.99 and the PC version at $49.99 / €49.99...Finally, we did not want to ship a disc product and have it require a download for the game - we do not think this would make for a great experience either."

Today Japan's Sega Sammy Holdings Incorporated declared its intention to fully acquire Finnish development studio Rovio Entertainment Oyj in a buyout valued at a cool $776 million. The Helsinki-based developer, responsible for creating the Angry Birds video game franchise, has agreed to Sega Sammy's terms - and Rovio share values have climbed as a result of this announcement. The deal is expected to be finalized in the late summer or early autumn of this year, and signals an ambition on Sega's part to gain prominence in the mobile gaming world. Rovio had previously turned down a proposed takeover by Playtika - an Israeli company specializing in digital entertainment - for $735 million, late last month.

Angry Birds was the first mobile game to be downloaded one billion times, according to figures released by Rovio, so Sega has acquired a solid intellectual property that has also expanded into the movie world (two animated features) and endless merchandising avenues (toys, clothing and other accessories). Commenting on the buyout, Haruki Satomi, President and Group CEO, Representative Director of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. said: "Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been Sega's long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field."

What do a Wizard, a Thief, and a Knight have in Common? Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy will take Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief, and Pontius the Knight on their most action-packed journey in their fifth outing - and is set to to become the best Trine game of the series! Puzzles will change difficulty according to the number of players, the game also offers a skill quest system, and new tactical multi-phase boss fights!

This 2.5D puzzle-platforming game full of adventures is set in a fantastical fairytale world, offering players twenty beautifully designed levels to explore, from glistening gemstone caverns to perilous underwater passageways. But beware, the three Heroes are pitted against dastardly and duplicitous villains, who will stop at nothing to seize control of the kingdom!