Speculative NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50-series "GB20X" GPU memory interface details appeared online late last week—as disclosed by the kopite7kimi social media account. The inside information aficionado—at the time—posited that the "memory interface configuration of GB20x (Blackwell) is not much different from that of AD10x (Ada Lovelace)." It was inferred that Team Green's next flagship gaming GPU (GB202) could debut with a 384-bit memory bus—kopite7kimi had "fantasized" about a potentially monstrous 512-bit spec for the "GeForce RTX 5090." A new batch of follow-up tweets—from earlier today—rips apart last week's insights. The alleged Blackwell GPU gaming lineup includes the following SKUs: GB202, GB203, GB205, GB206, GB207.

Kopite7kimi's revised thoughts point to Team Green's flagship model possessing 192 streaming multiprocessors and a 512-bit memory bus. VideoCardz decided to interact with the reliable tipster—their queries were answered promptly: "According to kopite7kimi, there's a possibility that the second-in-line GPU, named GB203, could sport half of that core count. Now the new information is that GB203 might stick to 256-bit memory bus, which would make it half of GB202 in its entirety. What this also means is that there would be no GB20x GPU with 384-bit bus." Additional speculation has NVIDIA selecting a 192-bit bus for the GB205 SKU (AKA GeForce RTX 5070). The GeForce RTX 50-series is expected to arrive later this year—industry experts are already whispering about HPC-oriented Blackwell GPUs being unveiled at next week's GTC 2024 event. A formal gaming family announcement could arrive many months later.

JEDEC is expected to announce a next-gen low-power RAM memory (LPDDR) standard specification by the third quarter of this year. Earlier today, smartphone technology watcher—Revegnus—highlighted insider information disclosed within an ETnews article. The International Semiconductor Standards Organization (JEDEC) has recently concluded negotiations regarding "next-generation mobile RAM standards"—the report posits that: "more than 60 people from memory, system semiconductor, and design asset (IP) companies participated" in a Lisbon, Portugal-situated meeting. A quoted participant stated (to ETnews): "We have held various discussions to confirm the LPDDR6 standard specification...(Details) will be released in the third quarter of this year."

The current generation LPDDR5 standard was secured back in February 2019—noted improvements included 50% performance and 30% power efficiency jumps over LPDDR4. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are in the process of mass-producing incremental improvements—in the form of LPDDR5X and LPDDR5T. A second source stated: "Technology development and standard discussions are taking place in a way to minimize power consumption, which increases along with the increase in data processing." A full-fledged successor is tasked with further enhancing data processing performance. Industry figures anticipate that LPDDR6 will greatly assist in an industry-wide push for "on-device AI" processing. They reckon that "large-scale AI calculations" will become the norm on smartphones, laptops, and tablet PCs. Revegnus has heard (fanciful) whispers about a potential 2024 rollout: "support may be available starting with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, expected to be released as early as the second half of this year." Sensible predictions point to possible commercialization in late 2025, or early 2026.

According to TPU's SSD database, the Microsoft Z1000 M.2 22110 form factor solid-state drive launched back in 2020—last week, well-known hardware tipster, yuuki_ans, leaked a set of photos and specifications. Their March 7 social media post showcases close-ups of a potential enterprise product—sporting a CNEX Labs CNX-2670AA-CB2T controller, Toshiba BiCS4 96-layer eTLC NAND flash dies and 1 GB Micron MT40A1G8SA-075:E DDR4 RAM cache. The mysterious storage device appears to be an engineering sample (PV1.1)—an attached label lists a possible manufacturing date of May 18, 2020, but its part number and serial code are redacted in yuuki's set of photos. PCIe specifications are not disclosed, but experts reckon that a 4.0 standard is present here (given the prototype's age).

The long form factor and presence of a CNEX Labs controller suggest that Microsoft has readied a 960 GB capacity model for usage in data servers. Unoccupied spaces on the board provide evidence of different configurations. Extra BGA mounting points could introduce another DRAM chip, and there is enough room for additional capacitors—via solder pads on both sides of the Z1000's PCB. It is speculated that 2 TB and 4 TB variants exist alongside the leaked 960 GB example—a "broad portfolio" of finalized Z1000 products could be in service right now, but the wider public is unlikely to see these items outside of Microsoft facilities.

Earlier in the week it was revealed that NVIDIA had distributed next-gen AI GPUs to its most important ecosystem partners and customers—Dell's CEO expressed enthusiasm with his discussion of "Blackwell" B100 and B200 evaluation samples. Team Green's next-gen family of gaming GPUs have received less media attention in early 2024—a mid-February TPU report pointed to a rumored PCIe 6.0 CEM specification for upcoming RTX 50-series cards, but leaks have become uncommon since late last year. Top technology tipster, kopite7kimi, has broken the relative silence on Blackwell's gaming configurations—an early hours tweet posits a slightly underwhelming scenario: "although I still have fantasies about 512 bit, the memory interface configuration of GB20x is not much different from that of AD10x."

Past disclosures have hinted about next-gen NVIDIA gaming GPUs sporting memory interface configurations comparable to the current crop of "Ada Lovelace" models. The latest batch of insider information suggests that Team Green's next flagship GeForce RTX GPU—GB202—will stick with a 384-bit memory bus. The beefiest current-gen GPU AD102—as featured in GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards—is specced with a 384-bit interface. A significant upgrade for GeForce RTX 50xx cards could arrive with a step-up to next-gen GDDR7 memory—kopite7kimi reckons that top GPU designers will stick with 16 Gbit memory chip densities (2 GB). JEDEC officially announced its "GDDR7 Graphics Memory Standard" a couple of days ago. VideoCardz has kindly assembled the latest batch of insider info into a cross-generation comparison table (see below).

A Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite "X1E80100" processor model was leaked in late February—it is likely that several SKUs have been distributed for evaluation purposes. Geekbench Browser is normally a good source of pre-release information—a benched Lenovo "83ED" laptop was spotted last week. That entry outed a "Snapdragon X Elite-X1E78100" processor, sporting twelve cores with maximum frequencies of 3.42 GHz. The latest exposures arrive courtesy of a Baidu forum post. Qualcomm has publicly revealed its "X Elite" range of Nuvia-designed Oryon core CPUs, but insiders have uncovered an additional "X Plus" family—probably a series of less expensive/lower spec alternatives.

The leaked list of SKUs does not include any detailed information—it reconfirms the existence of Qualcomm's top-tier X1E80100 and X1E78100 models and the presence of Adreno iGPUs. Driver information points to Qualcomm's next-gen integrated graphics solutions being readied for modern APIs: DX11, DX12, and OpenGL. The firm's ARM-based mobile PC CPUs are expected to launch within a mid-2024 period, according to the company's official statements—insiders believe that the NPU-enhanced Snapdragon X processors are destined to debut within next-gen "Windows 12" AI-centric notebooks.

Taiwan's Commercial Times has published coverage of a newly launched TSMC recruitment drive—proceedings kicked off last weekend with company representatives heading to the National Taiwan University campus. On the second of March, TSMC set up an outdoor booth on the grounds of Taipei's public research university—where the national comprehensive institute organized a Talent Recruitment Enterprise Expo. Unsurprisingly, TSMC recruiters are seeking potential "talents with high enthusiasm for semiconductors." Ctee's reporter found out that Taiwan's premier foundry is expecting to: "recruit approximately 6,000 new colleagues in Taiwan in 2024, including engineers and technicians." TSMC is reportedly responding to business growth and technology development demands—so much so, that its native manufacturing plants require a fresh influx of workers.

According to Ctee's report, TSMC's March recruitment tour is due to snake through Taiwan and then head over to mainland China: "Tsinghua University, National Cheng Kung University, National Yang-Ming Jiaotong University, Central China University, Zhongxing University, Zhongshan, National Chung Cheng University, Beijing University of Science and Technology, etc., totaling 19 physical activities and four online talent recruitment briefings." A parallel "2024 DNA Summer Internship Program" has also been rolled out: "inviting interested students to join and use internships to personally experience the environment and culture of TSMC." The company's growing global layout also provides opportunities for new employees to work overseas—the article highlights TSMC's newly opened semiconductor fabrication plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan as the preferred choice for "internal employees." The multinational firm's Arizona facilities did not get a shout out, despite recent good news. Reports from mid-2023 suggest that TSMC's core values are at odds with North American work culture.

Electronic Arts revealed a workforce reduction program last week—reportedly impacting around 670 employees—alongside announcements regarding a number of major development project cancellations and reassignments. Laura Miele, President of EA Entertainment and Technology, disclosed that Respawn Entertainment's mysterious "Star Wars FPS Action game" had been axed, with staffers moving onto "new projects based on our owned brands" instead of licensed material. Industry insider reports suggested that an internal Respawn team—not assigned to a "Star Wars: Jedi" sequel—had started work on a Mandalorian/bounty hunter-themed first-person shooter IP. The official announcement of a renewed focus on Respawn's "rich library of owned brands" has generated plenty of internet speculation—Titanfall franchise fans have long demanded a proper third entry in the series. Studio boss, Vince Zampella, has teased revisits in the past—an Axios interview revealed that veteran Titanfall game director, Steve Fukuda, was incubating "something new" with a very small skunkworks-type team.

Earlier this week, Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb addressed rumored goings-on at Respawn. His "Game Mess Mornings 03/04/24" videocast—co-hosted by Emma Fyffe—included a segment dedicated to EA's adjusted development strategies. Grubb reiterated insider information about "Titanfall Legends" getting canned early on last year—allegedly a single-player Apex/Titanfall crossover experience. Giant Bomb's News Editor has reached out to his network of moles—he shared this inside info during Monday's broadcast: "They're not making Titanfall 3. They just straight up aren't. They do have another team that has been kicking around a project that is very early. There's been a very small team in the prototyping phase and now they're going to go to wider. This is a real project now, but still in the prototyping phase. This game, as it stands today, as far as I understand, is a Titanfall game. It's in the Titanfall universe. But everyone I talk to keeps saying, don't get in your mind that it's Titanfall 3, a game with online multiplayer and a single player campaign."

South Korean tech insiders believe that SK Hynix has sent "12-layer DRAM stacked HBM3E (5th generation HBM)" prototype samples to NVIDIA—according a ZDNET.co.kr article, initial examples were shipped out last month. Reports from mid-2023 suggested that Team Green had sampled 8-layer HBM3E (4th gen) units around summer time—with SK Hynix receiving approval notices soon after. Another South Korean media outlet, DealSite, reckons that NVIDIA's memory qualification process has exposed HBM yield problems across a number of manufacturers. SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron are competing fiercely on the HBM3E front—with hopes of getting their respective products attached to NVIDIA's H200 AI GPU. DigiTimes Asia proposed that SK Hynix is ready to "commence mass production of fifth-generation HBM3E" at some point this month.

SK Hynix is believed to be leading the pack—insiders believe that yield rates are good enough to pass early NVIDIA certification, and advanced 12-layer samples are expected to be approved in the near future. ZDNET reckons that SK Hynix's forward momentum has placed it an advantageous position: "(They) supplied 8-layer HBM3E samples in the second half of last year and passed recent testing. Although the official schedule has not been revealed, mass production is expected to begin as early as this month. Furthermore, SK Hynix supplied 12-layer HBM3E samples to NVIDIA last month. This sample is an extremely early version and is mainly used to establish standards and characteristics of new products. SK Hynix calls it UTV (Universal Test Vehicle)... Since Hynix has already completed the performance verification of the 8-layer HBM3E, it is expected that the 12-layer HBM3E test will not take much time." SK Hynix's Vice President recently revealed that his company's 2024 HBM production volumes for were already sold out, and leadership is already preparing innovations for 2025 and beyond.

AMD Linux engineers have been working on "GFX1150" and "GFX1151" targets for a while—official references to "Strix 1/Strix Point" and "Strix Point Halo" have appeared several times on official development channels. Phoronix's head honcho—Michael Larabel—monitors these activities with keen interest, his latest finding indicates that Team Red is preparing open-source RadeonSI/RADV driver support for the GFX1151 IP. Their MESA 24.1 update merges in GPU enablement for possible high-end "Strix Point Halo" laptop processors—tech tipsters believe that these chiplet variants could sport up to sixteen Zen 5 CPU cores and forty RDNA 3.5 GPU cores.

AMD's enablement of the "GFX1150/Strix Point" GPU appeared online late last month—these monolithic laptop chips are alleged to sit below "Strix Point Halo" in Team Red's product hierarchy. Insiders suggest that the best configurations could house twelve Zen 5 CPU cores and sixteen RDNA 3.5 GPU cores. Phoronix posited that the "RDNA 3 refresh" graphics solution: "is just rumored for select APUs, while ultimately we'll see where this GFX 11.5.1 IP is found if for some further upgraded APU or something more special. In any event the open-source Linux driver support is coming together." According to official product roadmaps, the initial batch of "Strix Point" mobile chips are expected ship later this year—representing a proper next-gen upgrade over current "Hawk Point" offerings.

The existence of Intel's upcoming Core i9-14900KS processor has been confirmed by a series of insider leaks and premature retail listings—an "alleged" example was photographed and appeared online right at the start of 2024. French e-tail listings produced evidence of two packages—a traditional retail box version, and a barebones tray option for OEM purposes. Earlier today, the I_Leak_VN social media account uploaded proof of a single "Special Edition" box sitting in an unnamed Vietnamese warehouse—it is not immediately clear whether units have reached retail facilities, or have just arrived on Southeast Asian shores. The embargo-busting post seemingly corroborates global insider information/whispers about distribution networks receiving stock—possibly in preparation for a rumored mid-March launch. VideoCardz believes that Vietnamese customers will be paying roughly $765 a pop—30% pricier than the current cost of 14th Gen Core flagship ownership.

A South Korean website, gamma0burst, has combed through many LinkedIn profiles in an attempt to find unintentional technology leaks—last week's investigation targeted big companies including Apple, AMD, Google and Qualcomm. Employee work histories occasionally display confidential project information—gamma0burst's latest "hidden in plain sight" discovery has linked Apple a TSMC 2 nm process node. Late January reports suggested that the American multinational technology corporation was already queued up for an N2 process technology that utilizes gate-all-around (GAA) nanosheet transistors. Information gleaned from a severely redacted screenshot of an Apple employee profile indicates that work has started on 2 nm chip designs, in partnership with Taiwan's premier foundry. Additionally, the portion of revealed text also mentions that this unnamed Apple staffer is/was engaged in "TS3nm" and "TS5nm" designs.

Apple and TSMC's close relationship is well documented—the iPhone/iPad/MacBook maker enjoys preferential access to the latter's best fabrication services. The upcoming M4 and Bionic A18 chipsets have been linked to an "enhanced" 3 nm process node—as mid-February reports suggest. At the time, inside sources proposed that Apple had: "strengthened the AI computing performance of mobile devices and greatly increased the computing power of its own processors, which has simultaneously increased its wafer investment in TSMC. According to industry sources, Apple's wafer production volume for TSMC's 3 nm enhanced version process this year is expected to increase by more than 50% compared with last year, making it firmly the largest customer of TSMC." DigiTimes Asia and MacRumors think that: "Apple is...the first company that will receive chips built on TSMC's future 2 nm process, which is expected to go into production in the second half of 2025. Known simply as 'N2,' it is expected to offer a 10 to 15 percent speed improvement at the same power, or a 25 to 30 percent power reduction at the same speed compared to chips made with the supplier's 3 nm technology."

Samsung and ARM announced a collaborative project last week—the partners are aiming to deliver an "optimized next generation Arm Cortex -X CPU" developed on the latest Gate-All-Around (GAA) process technology. Semiconductor industry watchdogs believe that Samsung Foundry's 3 nm GAA process did not meet sales expectations—reports suggest that many clients decided to pursue advanced three nanometer service options chez TSMC. The South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate is setting its sights forward—with an in-progress SF2 GAAFET process in the pipeline—industry insiders reckon that Samsung leadership is hoping to score a major victory within this next-gen market segment.

Lately, important industry figures have been hyping up Backside Power Supply Delivery Network (BSPDN) technology—recent Intel Foundry Services (IFS) press material lays claim to several technological innovations. A prime example being an ambitious five-nodes-in-four-years (5N4Y) process roadmap that: "remains on track and will deliver the industry's first backside power solution." A Chosun Business report proposes that Samsung is working on Backside Power Supply designs—a possible "game changer" when combined with in-house 2 nm SF2 GAAFET. Early experiments, allegedly, involving two unidentified ARM cores have exceeded expectations—according to Chosun's sources, engineers were able to: "reduce the chip area by 10% and 19%, respectively, and succeeded in improving chip performance and frequency efficiency to a single-digit level." Samsung Foundry could be adjusting its mass production timetables, based on freshly reported technological breakthroughs—SF2 GAAFET + BSPDN designs could arrive before the original targeted year of 2027. Prior to the latest developments, Samsung's BSPDN tech was linked to a futuristic 1.7 nm line.

A handful of Canadian online stores were a good source of pre-release "Raptor Lake Refresh" information in 2023—that tradition continues into the new year, with DirectDial publishing Intel Core i9-14900KS CPU specifications. This premature listing was highlighted by momomo_us, everyone's favorite PC hardware sleuth—prior to this week's discovery, they tracked down two Core i9-14900KS packages in France. The upcoming special edition flagship Raptor Lake Refresh SKU is expected to launch midway through next month—DirectDial's product page mentions that the item is a "New Arrival," with its status listed as "backordered." The BX8071514900KS part code also appeared on PC21 France's online store—confirming that both places will be offering Intel's retail packaged version. Canadian customers could be paying CA$1005 (~$740 USD) on launch day—the French leak outed a possible initial price of €768.34 (~$828 USD).

Intel's 14th Gen Core i9-14900KS is a "Tetracosa-core (24-Core) 3.20 GHz Processor" according to the DirectDial listing—basic specifications appeared online earlier in the month, so there are no big surprises here: 36 MB L3 Cache, 32 MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processing, 6.2 GHz Overclocking Speed, Socket LGA-1700 and an Intel UHD 770 integrated graphics solution. The i9-14900KS's Thermal Design Power (TDP) max. spec is listed as 150 W, while its Thermal Specification is set at a maximum of 212°F (100°C). A mid-February HKEPC report put the spotlight on leaked OCCT results—the test unit was tracked with a 409 W maximum package power draw at stock speeds—the processor's PL2 power limit was unlocked via BIOS tweaks. High-end PC enthusiasts expected to Team Blue to unveil the selectively-binned special edition SKU at CES 2024—based on past traditions—but their Core i9-14900KS remained under wraps. We hope to see an official unveiling in March.

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, has insisted (on multiple occasions) that leaked Xbox product roadmaps are not a true representation of currently in-progress hardware at the company's Redmond, Washington headquarters. Internal documentation (from 2022) suggested that Microsoft had long term plans for physical media-less next-gen Xbox consoles, as well as a 2024 launch of an "adorably all-digital" Xbox Series X refresh. Early February news reports suggested that a few retail outlets had stopped selling Xbox physical media, due to low sales and a perception that Microsoft's console ecosystem prioritizes digital purchases. Spencer addressed ongoing rumors during a discussion with Game File: "We are supportive of physical media, but we don't have a need to drive that disproportionate to customer demand...We ship games physically and digitally, and we're really just following what the customers are doing. And I think our job in running Xbox is to deliver on the things that a majority of the customers want. And right now, a majority of our customers are buying games digitally."

Exputer's eXtas1s—a tipster specializing in all things Xbox, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard—reckons that the aforementioned Xbox Series X refresh is due to launch this summer: "Microsoft is currently working to release a white-colored Xbox Series X with no disc reader, sources close to eXputer have revealed...This all-digital console is expected to be released sometime between the upcoming months of June and July, but there are chances for a slight delay on that front as well." Allegedly, confidential footage has been distributed within insider networks. The Exputer report suggests that the proposed digital refresh could be "$50 to $100" cheaper than the current MSRP of $499.99 for an Xbox Series X 1 TB model. An improved heatsink and modernized wireless network card are mentioned as possible internal upgrades. Games industry watchdogs reckon that Microsoft is attempting to compete with Sony's digital-only PlayStation 5 models—the Xbox Series S is not considered to be a direct competitor here, due to its lesser specifications.

Last October, Qualcomm introduced Snapdragon X Elite as its most powerful computing processor for PC, but the ARM-based mobile solution is still months away from launch—officially mid-2024. Company leadership has indicated that their custom Oryon CPU—for the "thin-and-light notebook market"—could be hitting retail at the same time as Microsoft's heavily rumored "Windows 12" inauguration. Several PC news outlets have picked up on a mysterious Qualcomm "ZH-WXX" platform appearing on Geekbench Browser—the February 22 entrant seems to be a prototype notebook that sports a "Snapdragon X Elite - X1E80100 - Qualcomm Oryon CPU," and 32 GB of LPDDR5x memory.

There are no next generation operating system revelations here—the system was running a 64-bit install of Windows 11 Insider Preview. Overall Geekbench 6.2.2 tallies are 2574 (single-core), and 12562 (multi-core)—positioning the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite engineering sample just above AMD's Ryzen 9 7940HS top-end mobility-focused "Phoenix" APU in terms of performance. Geekbench Browser's "CPU Information" section identifies the alleged high-end Snapdragon X Elite processor as a "ARMv8 (64-bit) Family 8 Model 1 Revision 201" part. Average clock speeds were listed as 4.01 GHz (base frequency). Cluster 1 seems to contain eight Nuvia-designed Oryon processor cores, while Cluster 2 receives the remaining four units.

Smartphone chipset industry watchdogs believe that the Samsung 3 nm GAA process did not meet customer expectations, due to alleged yield issues. TSMC is seemingly victorious in this segment, as reports suggest that a next-generation 3 nm node production goal of "100,000 monthly wafers by the end of 2024" has been set. Three days ago, Samsung Foundry revealed that it is working on a very advanced SF2 GAAFET process—press outlets in South Korea propose that the manufacturing giant is hoping to outmuscle its main rival in a future 2 nm node category. Tuesday's press introduction stated that a development partnership is set: "to deliver optimized next generation ARM Cortex -X CPU developed on Samsung Foundry's latest Gate-All-Around (GAA) process technology."

A Sedaily article posits that the company's cutting-edge manufacturing tech has already attracted interest from notable parties: "Samsung Electronics is taking advantage of these advantages to win orders for the 2 nm project. Samsung Electronics took its first step by winning an order to produce a 2 nm AI accelerator from Preferred Networks (PFN), Japan's largest AI company. Qualcomm, the world's largest system semiconductor design company, has entered into discussions with Samsung Electronics' System LSI Division, which designs high-performance chips, to produce 2 nm prototypes." December 2023 news reports suggested that Samsung leadership was considering a 2 nm wafer price discount—in order to stay competitive with competing foundry services. It is possible that Qualcomm is evaluating the 2 nm SF2 GAAFET process for a distant Snapdragon 8 "Gen 5" chipset, while Samsung LSI could be working on a 2 nm "Exynos 2600" SoC design.

A mysterious Qualcomm Snapdragon "SM8635" model emerged earlier this month—courtesy of ever reliable smartphone tech tipster Digital Chat Station. They claimed that the unnamed mobile chipset had posted an AnTuTu score of roughly 1.7 million, with specifications including one Cortex-X4 core clocked at 2.9 GHz and an integrated Adreno 735 GPU. TSMC's 4 nm process node was also mentioned—not a particularly big revelation since the latest Snapdragon flagship is a 4 nm part. Early guess work pointed to possible Snapdragon 8s Gen 2 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Lite guises, but a Geekbench Browser leak indicates that SM8635 is destined to become "Snapdragon 8s Gen 3," in Digital Chat Station's opinion.

A Realme "RMX3851" android device was tested in Geekbench 6.2.2—stated specifications include a 3.01 GHz "Big" Core clock, Adreno 735 GPU, and a 1+3+4 cluster configuration. Many believe that the SM8635 is positioned as a cut-down alternative to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (SM8650-AB), given that Realme specializes in producing value-oriented "near flagship" specced smartphones. Wccftech has spent hands-on time with various Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered devices: "You can see in (Realme's Geekbench entry) that the alleged Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 does not perform on the same level as its elder brother, which scores higher in both single and multi-core. For the sake of reference, I have seen the elder sibling going as high as 2,329 in single-core tests and 7,501 in multi-core tests. So, this chipset is performing at half the speed, but of course, this seems like a device that is not completely ready, so the final scores might improve." Further (insider) leaks or an official Qualcomm announcement will confirm whether the posited "Snapdragon 8s Gen 3" moniker is a good guess, although another leaked chip suggests another path. Roland Quandt reckons that a similarly configured "SM7675" SoC will be joining the Snapdragon 7 Gen family.

Mid-January reportage indicated that LG and Samsung plants in South Korea had commenced construction of next-gen Apple iPad OLED parts—while expert analysis has predicted a second quarter launch of 11 and 13-inch "Pro" tablet models. Omdia—an independent analyst and consultancy firm—has compiled its Apple field research into a forecasted roadmap of various portable products. Company analysts believe that: "LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Display (SDC) are preparing to mass-produce RGB tandem stack and Hybrid OLEDs from their half-Gen 6 fabs. Apple also plans to launch the MacBook Pro with OLED displays in 2026. BOE, LGD, and SDC are preparing their fab investments to produce RGB tandem stack and hybrid OLEDs at half-Gen 8.7 fabs."

9to5Mac's insider network detected whispers of possible Apple tablet physical profile adjustments—suggesting that a larger next-gen iPad Air is in the pipeline, alongside a thinner iPad Pro design update: "(we) first reported last year that Apple has been working on two new versions of the iPad Air, codenamed J507 and J537. While one of these models will look pretty much like the current iPad Air, the other will have a larger display. If true, this will be the first time Apple will offer the iPad Air in two different sizes. And according to our sources, this larger iPad Air will have essentially the same dimensions as the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro, suggesting that the screen size will also be almost identical. The smaller iPad Air is unlikely to have any significant design changes."

ARM's in-progress fifth generation "Blackhawk" Cortex design is allegedly going through a troubled phase of development, according to Chinese insider sources. A Revegnus (@Tech_Reve) social media post highlights ongoing issues: "It's reported that the Cortex X5 architecture is underperforming compared to expectations. It's speculated that the high-frequency power consumption has surged explosively. Therefore, if performance is reduced for lower power consumption, the Geekbench 6 multi-core score of Dimensity 9400 may not achieve a score of 9,400 points." A recent Moor Insights & Strategy analysis piece proposed that "Blackhawk" would become "the most powerful option available at launch" later this year—mobile chipsets leveraging ARM's Cortex-X5 design are touted to face tough next-gen competition from Qualcomm and Apple corners.

Revegnus pulled in a rival SoC: "While Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is seen to have minor issues, there is no evidence to support this claim. There might be a problem with low-frequency power consumption not showing clear superiority over ARM's middle cores." Qualcomm's next flagship model is performing admirably according to insiders—an engineering sample managed to score 10,628 points in alleged Geekbench 6 multi-core gauntlets. Late last month prototype clocks were leaked—Digital Chat Station claimed that a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 High-Performance "Big" core was capable of reaching 4.0 GHz. Prior to the latest news, MediaTek's Dimensity 9400 SoC was observed achieving ~10,000 multi-core Geekbench 6 scores—leaked CPU cluster details present a single "Big" Cortex-X5 unit operating alongside three Cortex-X4 cores.

Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based games consultancy Kantan Games was interviewed by CNBC earlier this week—he was invited on-air to provide expert commentary on Sony's freshly revised sales and revenue forecast for PlayStation 5 products. He believes that great forward momentum is best achieved with refreshed hardware, and a well timed launch coinciding with the release of AAA/blockbuster games titles. Last autumn's rollout of slimmer PlayStation 5 consoles was not particularly exciting—with no major bump up in specs or attractive pricing. The development of an inevitable "Pro" variant has circulated around rumor mills for more than a year.

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and AMD are believed to co-operating on a very potent hardware redesign—reports from late last year posited that a semi-custom "Viola" SoC is in the pipeline. A more expensive RDNA 3-upgraded refresh could attract an additional segment of hardcore gamers, but another industry analyst reckons that Sony is unlikely to implement a standard model price cut later this year (based on past trends). George Jijiashvili, senior principal analyst at Omdia, stated: "A scenario where Sony launches a PS5 Pro, but still experiences declining year-on-year hardware sales is very much within the realms of possibility." Serkan Toto (of Kantan Games consultancy) expressed a more optimistic view: "There seems to be a broad consensus in the game industry that Sony is indeed preparing a launch of a PS5 Pro in the second half of 2024...And Sony will want to make sure to have a great piece of hardware ready when GTA VI hits in 2025, a launch that will be a shot in the arm for the entire gaming industry."

Pat Gelsinger—CEO of Intel Corporation—happily revealed late last month, during an earnings call: "Clearwater Forest, our first Intel 18A part for servers has already gone into fab and Panther Lake for clients will be heading into Fab shortly." The former is positioned as the natural successor to Team Blue's many-times-delayed Xeon "Sierra Forest" (all E-Core) processor family. Intel's second generation E-core Xeon "Clearwater Forest" design is expected to launch in 2025, with a deployment of "Darkmont" efficiency-oriented cores. Official product roadmaps and patch notes have revealed basic "Clearwater Forest" information, but we have not seen many leaks. Bionic_Squash has a history of releasing strictly internal Intel presentation slides—Meteor Lake (MTL-S) desktop SKUs were uncovered last April.

Their latest discovery does not include any photo or documented evidence—Bionic_Squash's concise social media post stated: "Clearwater Forest uses 3D stacking with hybrid bonding." This claim points to the possible deployment of Foveros Direct advanced packaging—this technology was expected to be ready at some point within the second half of 2023, although a mid-December technology showcase implied that things were behind schedule. The fanciest "Clearwater Forest" Xeon processors could arrive with a maximum total of 288 E-core count (and 288 threads)—according to Wccftech analysis: "The CPU package is going to consist of a base tile on top of the interposer which is connected through a high-speed I/O, EMIB, and the cores will be sitting on the topmost layer...Foveros Direct technology will allow direct copper-to-copper bonding, enabling low resistance interconnects and around 10-micron bump pitches. Intel itself states that Foveros Direct will blur the boundary between where the wafer ends and the package begins."

The mysterious Zen 6 "Morpheus" processor architecture was leaked accidentally by an AMD engineer's LinkedIn profile—news outlets picked up on this information last April. Naturally, Team Red's next priority is Zen 5—the latest reports suggest that two different chiplet designs are penciled in for mass production within the second quarter of 2024. Last September, insiders claimed that a proposed EPYC 9006 "Venice" CPU series was based on the sixth-gen microarchitecture. Everest/Olrak_29 has revealed various bits of speculative material regarding futuristic "Ryzen Client" processor designs since the start of 2024.

The latest postings to social media posit that AMD has selected an RDNA 5-based integrated graphics solution (possibly occupying a tile), thus "skipping RDNA 4" on their "Medusa" lineup of Ryzen Client processors. Leaked Microsoft documents revealed that its Xbox hardware design division was considering RDNA 5 for next-gen console specs. Medusa's CPU aspect is allegedly populated by Zen 6 "Morpheus" cores—as claimed in a January tweet. A new package design was also riffed on at the time: "Yes, I have teased this before...Medusa will use 2.5D interconnect with a much higher bandwidth," instead of a "traditional" multi-die design. Industry speculation has AMD's Zen 6 client architecture linked to a loose 2025/2026 launch window.

Japan's Jiji news agency has cottoned onto a major computer memory industry rumble—a Friday Reuters report suggests that Kioxia has offered an olive branch to SK Hynix, perhaps in a renewed push to get its proposed (and once rejected) merger with Western Digital over the finishing line. The South Korean memory manufacturing juggernaut took great issue with the suggested formation of a mighty Japanese-American 3D NAND memory chip conglomerate—SK Hynix's opposition reportedly placed great pressure on Western Digital (WD), and discussions with Kioxia ended last October.

Kioxia is seemingly eager to resume talks with WD, but requires a thumbs up from SK Hynix—according to Jiji's insider source(s), the Tokyo-headquartered manufacturer is prepared to offer its South Korean rival a nice non-volatile memory production deal. Kioxia's best Japanese 3D NAND fabrication facilities could play host to SK Hynix designs, although it is too early to tell whether this bid has been accepted. The Yokkaichi and Kitakami plants are set to receive a 150 billion yen Government subsidy—Kioxia and WD's joint venture is expected to move into cutting-edge semiconductor production. The Japanese government is hoping to secure its native operations in times of industry flux.

We are likely to see even more Intel Core i9-14900KS pre-release leaks as its rumored mid-March launch window approaches—hardware sleuth, momomo_us, has spent the weekend following any Team Blue breadcrumb trails. Their latest discovery points to "BX8071514900KS" and "CM8071504820506" product codes, and two listings on PC21 France's web shop. Intel seems to be offering its upcoming limited edition Raptor Lake Refresh über-flagship unit in two different guises—the first being a traditional boxed package, and the second appears to be a tray option (for system integrators). As pointed out by VideoCardz, it is not unusual to see OEM parts reach retail channels—similar cases have leaked in the past. The no frills tray choice: "offers a more cost-effective option for users who don't require fancy packaging or bundled coolers, making it a budget-friendly choice for the new CPU."

The Core i9-14900KS is far from being a wallet friendly prospect, yet the untimely listings indicate that the OEM option shaves off a grand total of €16 (~$17.25) when lined up against its fancy boxed sibling. The French retailer states that both items are on order, with zero stock in their warehouses. The boxed Core i9-14900KS seems to cost €768.34 (~$828) including taxes, while the tray variant's entry indicates a charge of €752.62 (~$811), with VAT factored in. These leaked prices are subject to change—perhaps the current figures are based on a distributor's pre-launch estimation. PC21 France does not display any pricing for the already released Core i9-14900K and 14900KF SKUs, but VideoCardz has checked other retail listings in the country—they reckon that the gulf between "K" and "KS" is €146 (best case scenario).

Murmurings of a delayed Nintendo "Switch 2" release schedule appeared online earlier this week—Brazilian games journalist, Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe, made claims during an "OX do Controle" videocast—based on insider information. Additionally, he broke the bad news on social media: "Nobody wants to hear this, but this one is pretty intense. After consulting five sources from three different continents, all echoing basically the same thing, we can reveal (that) the launch of the Switch's successor should only happen in 2025." Several global news outlets have performed their own investigations, following up on OX do Controle's declaration.

Eurogamer reached out to its network of "trusty" insiders—their Friday evening update stated that: "(we) can now corroborate the earlier reports/whispers that the Switch 2, once destined for release later in 2024, is now set for Q1 2025...The console's launch moving into early next year—but still within the coming financial year—is designed to ensure Switch 2's launch line-up features as many titles as possible, Eurogamer understands." Video Games Chronicle's Andy Robinson has similarly checked in with his pool of industry spies: "VGC has heard from multiple sources who said Nintendo has told publishers its next console will now launch in Q1 2025. According to the sources, third-party game companies were recently briefed on an internal delay in Nintendo's next-gen launch timing, from late 2024 to early the following year. One publishing source suggested the delay was so that Nintendo could prepare stronger first-party software for the console. It's possible the next-gen Nintendo console will now follow a similar timeline to the Switch, which was released in March but announced the previous year."