Logitech International today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full Fiscal Year 2024 ended March 31, 2024.

For Q4 Fiscal Year 2024:

• Sales were $1.01 billion, up 5 percent in US dollars and 5 percent in constant currency, compared to Q4 of the prior year.
• GAAP operating income was $130 million, up 235 percent, compared to Q4 of the prior year. Non-GAAP operating income was $159 million, up 93 percent, compared to Q4 of the prior year.
• GAAP earnings per share (EPS) was $1.07, up 312 percent compared to Q4 prior year. Non-GAAP EPS was $0.99, up 98 percent compared to the prior year.
• Cash flow from operations was $239 million, up 10 percent compared to Q4 of the prior year.

For Fiscal Year 2024:

• Sales were $4.30 billion, down 5 percent in US dollars and 6 percent in constant currency, compared to the prior year.
• GAAP operating income was $587 million, up 28 percent compared to the prior year. Non-GAAP operating income was $699 million, up 19 percent compared to the prior year.
• GAAP earnings per share (EPS) was $3.87, up 74 percent compared to the prior year. Non-GAAP EPS was $4.25, up 32 percent compared to the prior year.
• Cash flow from operations was $1.1 billion, up 114 percent compared to the prior year. The year-ending cash balance was more than $1.5 billion. The Company returned $686 million of cash to shareholders through its annual dividend payment and share repurchases.

While everyone has been focused on shipping an AI-enhanced product recently, one tech giant didn't appear to be bothered- Apple. However, according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple is readying an overhaul of its Apple Silicon M-series chips to embed AI processing capabilities at the processor level. As the report indicates, Apple is preparing an update for late 2024 and early 2025 with the M4 series of chips, which will reportedly feature AI processing units similar to those found in other commercial chips. There should be three levels of the M4 series, with the entry-level M4 codenamed Donan, the mid-level M4 chip codenamed Brava, and the high-end M4 chip codenamed Hydra.

Sales of Apple Macs peaked in 2022; the following year was a sharp decline, and sales have continued to be flat since. The new AI PCs for Windows-based systems have been generating hype from all major vendors, hoping to introduce AI features to end users. However, Apple wants to be part of the revolution, and the company has already scheduled the World Wide Developer Conference for June 10th. At WWDC this year, Apple is supposed to show a suite of AI-powered solutions to enable better user experience and increase productivity. With M4 chips getting AI enhancement, the WWDC announcements will get extra hardware accelerations. However, we must wait for the exact announcements before making further assumptions.

SK Hynix Vice President Kitae Kim presides over the company's HBM Sales & Marketing (S&M) department—an official leadership blog profile reveals that the executive played a key role in making the South Korean supplier's high bandwidth memory (HBM) product line "a superstar of the semiconductor memory industry in 2023." Growing demand for powerful AI processors has placed SK Hynix in a more comfortable position, following recessive spells—including a major sales downturn in 2022. NVIDIA is the market leader in AI processing chips, and many of its flagship enterprise designs are fitted with cutting-edge SK Hynix memory modules. Kim noted that his firm has many notable international clients: "HBM is a revolutionary product which has challenged the notion that semiconductor memory is only one part of an overall system...in particular, SK Hynix's HBM has outstanding competitiveness. Our advanced technology is highly sought after by global tech companies."

The VP outlined how artificial intelligence industries are fuelling innovations: "With the diversification and advancement of generative AI services, demand for HBM, an AI memory solution, has also exploded. HBM, with its high-performance and high-capacity characteristics, is a monumental product that shakes the conventional wisdom that memory semiconductors are only a part of the overall system. In particular, SK Hynix HBM's competitiveness is outstanding." Business is booming, so much so that nothing can be added to this year's HBM order books: "Proactively securing customer purchase volumes and negotiating more favorable conditions for our high-quality products are the basics of semiconductor sales operations. With excellent products in hand, it's a matter of speed. Our planned production volume of HBM this year has already sold out. Although 2024 has just begun, we've already started preparing for 2025 to stay ahead of the market."

According to Financial Times, a regional court in Düsseldorf, Germany, created a significant setback for Intel on Wednesday, issuing an injunction prohibiting sales of some of its processors due to allegations they infringe on a patent held by R2 Semiconductor. R2, a technology firm based in Palo Alto, California, accused Intel of violating its patent related to processor voltage regulation. The ruling applies to Intel's 10th, 11th, and 12th generation Core processors, known as Ice Lake, Tiger Lake, and Alder Lake, as well as its Ice Lake Xeon server SKUs. Newer processors generations (13th, 14th, etc.) don't infringe the patent. Even though Intel noted that it plans to appeal the decision, the ramifications could extend beyond the company itself. Industry experts warn the court order could lead to a sweeping ban on products containing the disputed Intel chips, including laptops and pre-built PCs from major manufacturers like HP and Dell. R2 has waged an ongoing legal fight across multiple jurisdictions to defend its intellectual property.

After initially filing suit against Intel in the United States, R2 shifted its efforts to Germany and other European countries after its patent was invalidated stateside. Intel strongly denied R2's patent infringement claims, alleging the company's entire business model relies on extracting legal settlements through serial litigation. Intel believes the injunction serves only R2's financial interests while harming consumers, businesses, and the economy. The two firms traded barbs in official statements about the case. R2's CEO, David Fisher, rebuffed Intel's characterization of his company, saying it has only targeted Intel for infringement of its clear IP rights. As the war of words continues, the practical impact of the German court's decision remains uncertain, pending Intel's appeal. However, the preliminary injunction demonstrates the massive financial consequences at stake in battles over technological patents.

GIGABYTE Technology, a pioneer in computer hardware, has taken a significant stride in shaping its European business model. Today, GIGABYTE has broadened its e-commerce platform, shop.gigabyte.eu, by integrating enterprise server and server motherboard solutions into its product portfolio. Being at the forefront of computer hardware manufacturing, GIGABYTE recognizes that it is imperative to expand its presence in the EMEA region to maintain its leadership across all markets. With the introduction of our enterprise-level server and motherboard solutions, we are dedicated to delivering a diverse range of high-performance products directly to our B2B clients.

GIGABYTE offers a complete product portfolio that addresses all workloads from the data center to edge including traditional and emerging workloads in HPC and AI to data analytics, 5G/edge, cloud computing, and more. Our enduring partnerships with key technology leaders ensure that our new products are at the forefront of innovation and launch with new partner platforms. Our systems embody performance, security, scalability, and sustainability. Within the e-commerce product portfolio, we offer a selection of models from our Edge, Rack, GPU, and Storage series. Additionally, the platform provides server motherboards for custom integration. The current selection comprises a mix of solutions tailored to online sales. For more complex solutions, customers can get in touch via the integrated contact form.

According to the latest round of reports, AMD has decided not to include China in the initial global launch of its upcoming Radeon RX 7600 XT graphics card. The RX 7600 XT, featuring 16 GB of memory and based on AMD's next-generation RDNA 3 architecture, was expected to launch soon at a price of around $300. However, the company is currently re-evaluating its Chinese GPU launch strategy due to the runaway success of its existing Radeon RX 6750 Golden Rabbit Edition (GRE) series in the region. The RX 6750 GRE cards with 10 GB and 12 GB configurations retail between $269-$289 in China, offering exceptional value compared to rival NVIDIA RTX models. AMD seems hesitant to risk undercutting sales of its popular RX 6750 GPUs by launching the newer 7600 XT.

While the RX 7600 XT promises more raw performance thanks to advanced RDNA 3 architecture, 6750 GRE, with its RDNA 2 design, seemingly remains efficient enough for most Chinese mainstream gamers. With the RX 6750 GRE still selling strongly in China, AMD has postponed the RX 7600 XT introduction for this key market. Final launch timelines for the 7600 XT in China and globally remain unconfirmed by AMD at time of writing. The company appears to be treading cautiously amidst the shifting competitive landscape.

AMD's lineup of Radeon and Instinct GPUs, including the flagship RX 7900 XTX/XT, the professional-grade PRO W7900, and the upcoming Instinct MI300, are facing sales prohibitions in China, according to an alleged sales advisory guide from Dell. This restriction mirrors the earlier ban on NVIDIA's RTX 4090, underscoring the increasing export limitations U.S.-based companies face for high-end semiconductor products that could be repurposed for military and strategic applications. Notably, Dell's report lists several AMD Instinct accelerators, which are integral to data center infrastructure, and Radeon GPUs, which are widely used in PCs, indicating the broad impact of the advisory.

The ban includes discrete GPUs like AMD's Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT, which, despite their data-center potential, may still be sold under specific "NEC" eligibility. This status allows for continued sales in restricted regions like sales of NVIDIA's RTX 4090. However, the process to secure NEC eligibility is lengthy, potentially leading to supply shortages and increased GPU prices—a trend already observed with the RX 7900 XTX in China, where it's become a high-end alternative in light of the RTX 4090's scarcity and inflated pricing. The Dell sales advisory also lists that sales of the aforementioned products are banned in 22 countries, including Russia, Iran, Iraq, and others listed below.

Logitech International today announced financial results for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2024.

• Sales were $1.06 billion, down 8 percent in US dollars and 9 percent in constant currency, compared to the prior year.
• GAAP operating income was $157 million, up 23 percent compared to the prior year. Non-GAAP operating income was $183 million, up 17 percent compared to the prior year. In the quarter, the Company continued to reduce operating expenses, down 9 percent compared to the prior year, in line with the decline in net sales.
• GAAP earnings per share (EPS) was $0.86, up 72 percent compared to the prior year. Non-GAAP EPS was $1.09, up 30 percent compared to the prior year.
• Cash flow from operations was $223 million, up $150 million compared to the prior year. The quarter-ending cash balance was $1.16 billion. In the quarter, the Company returned $276 million of cash to shareholders through its annual dividend payment and share repurchases.

"The Logitech team stepped up execution this quarter and delivered results that demonstrate the underlying potential of our business," said Guy Gecht, Logitech interim chief executive officer. "We made great progress toward a return to growth and exceeded our pre-pandemic profit levels. Our design-led innovation capabilities were on full display, with 16 new product introductions during the quarter. I'm proud of what our team has accomplished in this challenging environment. We remain focused on developing market leading products, operational excellence, and value creation for shareholders."

Sure, 2023 ain't over yet...but 2024 isn't that far away, and we wanted to share the official Steam events planned for the first few months of next year so you can choose in which events you'd like to participate and plan your promotional activities accordingly. In addition to a quick refresher on Steam events, the events schedule for the first quarter of 2024 is below—including links to documentation with additional details and eligibility criteria—and you can register and start entering discounts now.

For seasonal sales and themed sale events, simply visit your Discount Management page in Steamworks, where you can see upcoming events and which of your games are eligible for each. For Steam Next Fest, visit the registration URL in the event-specific documentation linked below. Not ready to register? Not to worry: we'll send registration invitation emails to the developers of eligible titles about two months prior to each themed sale event and five months prior to each Steam Next Fest.

According to a new research report from the analyst firm Jon Peddie Research (JPR), unit shipments in the add-in board (AIB) market increased in Q2'23 from last quarter, while AMD gained market share. Quarter to quarter, graphics AIB shipments increased modestly, by 2.9%; however, shipments decreased by -36% year to year.

Since Q1 2000, over 2.10 billion graphics cards, worth about $476 billion, have been sold. The market shares for the desktop discrete GPU suppliers shifted in the quarter, as AMD's market share increased from last quarter and Nvidia's share increased from last year. Intel, which entered the AIB market in Q3'22 with the Arc A770 and A750, will start to increase market share in 2024.

Proving that knights in shining armor, family squabbles and grand tours of your realm never go out of style, Paradox Interactive announced that its hit medieval strategy-role playing game Crusader Kings III has sold 3 million copies of the base game, not counting attached expansion or cosmetic packs. We're excited to share this milestone with our loyal players! You've all helped make this game what it is today through your comments, feedback, and suggestions over the last three years, and we can't thank you enough for the support you've given us and the time you've put into our game.

Hitting this sales milestone three years after its release in September 2020 is testimony to the enduring power of Crusader Kings III as a story-telling experience par excellence, and a strategy game with a wide appeal beyond the stereotypical history fan. Crusader Kings III is the first Paradox grand strategy game for many players, acting as an entry point to a wider world of historical gaming.

We launched PlayStation 5 in November 2020 and the world was in a strange and different place than when we announced the console in 2019. Despite the unprecedented challenges of COVID, our teams and our partners worked diligently to deliver PS5 on time. We continued to face headwinds with the pandemic, and it took months for supply chains to normalize so we could have the inventory to keep up with demand. For more months than I care to remember, we kept thanking our community for their patience while working through these issues. But now PS5 supply is well-stocked and we are seeing that pent up demand finally being met.

With the support of PlayStation fans, we have reached a milestone of 40 million PS5 consoles sold through to gamers since launch. Thank you so much to our community of gamers - without you this would have been an impossible task. PS5 launched with the best catalog of games in our history and the momentum for great content keeps getting stronger. From innovative indie games to AAA blockbusters, there are more than 2,500 PS5 games now available, and it has never been a better time to experience PS5 In the last two months alone, we have seen incredible new games from our partners, including Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo IV, and Street Fighter 6.

ZYGEN NP-01S is a professional esports mouse launched by ZYGEN founder Junya "noppo" Taniguchi and the VAXEE platform. We know that many of our loyal friends have supported us along the way and love the design of the ZYGEN NP-01S and hoped for a wireless version to be released.

The ZYGEN NP-01S Wireless retains the same appearance and button feel as the wired version, while incorporating the optimized VAXEE wireless technology. We recommend interested friends to watch the video for a detailed introduction. For those interested in purchasing, please refer to the sales information below the video.

According to the report from Reuters, Acer has apparently continued shipment of computer hardware to Russia, despite the firm supposedly suspending its operations in the country. With the war in Ukraine, on April 8 of, 2022, Acer published a statement: "Due to recent developments, Acer has decided to suspend its business in Russia." However, today Reuters reports that it has gained access to documents/data of customs that confirm that Acer has shipped computer hardware worth at least 70.4 million US Dollars between the period of April 8, 2022, and March 31, 2023.

Interestingly, Acer is a firm headquartered in Taiwan. However, Switzerland-based Acer Sales International SA entity shipped these units to Russia, thus not violating any Taiwanese sanctions to Russia that are in place. When asked about these shipments, Acer in Taiwan responded: "We strictly adhere to applicable international regulations and trade laws regarding exports to Russia." Additionally, the company stated that the Swiss subsidiary "had not shipped any laptops or desktops to Russia since April 8 last year." Still, instead, it had supplied a "limited number of displays and accessories to the Russian market for civilian daily use while ensuring compliance with international sanctions."

AMD's cheapest Zen 4 X3D processor is shaping up to be its most popular. Sales numbers from Germany's Mindfactory posted by TechEpiphany seemingly shows the recently launched Ryzen 7 7800X3D outselling last year's Ryzen 7 5800X3D nearly 2:1, with 4,720 7800X3Ds selling to the 5800X3D's 2,510 over a few week period. While these figures show sales for only a single region, evidence for this momentum is reflected in other regional retailers as well as some global outlets. On Amazon, for example, the 7800X3D has made a frequent appearance on the top 10 best selling CPUs list, with the rest of the Zen 4 lineup trailing well behind. Newegg reports the 7800X3D to be among the top 5 best selling CPUs on the site at time of writing. Microcenter also shows the 7800X3D and 5800X3D side-by-side in seventh and eighth places respectively for popularity.

Despite recent troubles with the AM5 platform and Zen 4 X3D processors, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is proving to be quite a success for AMD. The 7800X3D in our review was shown to be one of the most efficient processors we've ever tested, and offered gaming performance at or near the top of the charts across the gauntlet of games and resolutions thrown at it. The staggered release of the 7000X3D lineup, with the 7950X3D and 7900X3D launching first and the 7800X3D launching later, gave early signals that AMD knew what they had and wanted to push as many early adopters away from the better value chip as they could. Pricing for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has been steady since it released, however we've already seen retailers offering discounts on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D, as they presumably struggle to sell as well as the more aggressively positioned 7800X3D.

Guerrilla Games is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a AAA games developer, and has marked the occasion by releasing a very thorough story on the official PlayStation blog as well as an accompanying video (see below). The introduction states: "From our early days with Killzone to the growth of our studio with Horizon, we're grateful you've been on this journey with us so far. Thank you for an incredible 20 years." The first-party Sony PlayStation development studio has risen from humble origins prior to 2003 - as a producer of third-party Nintendo Game Boy titles under the guise of a smaller outfit called the "Lost Boys." The Dutch team had to step up their game in order to embrace the power offered by current-gen consoles at the time: "The year we formed Guerrilla, 2003, was an interesting time for gaming. The PlayStation 2 had launched three years earlier to critical acclaim. People were losing their minds over the technological feats being achieved with all the power it offered (six whole GFLOPS!)."

After working on the very successful Killzone first-person shooter franchise for over a decade, Guerrilla Games decided to move onto the creation of a new I.P - Horizon - and plenty of successful milestones, both critical and financial, have been reached since "Zero Dawn" debuted on the PlayStation 4 back in the Spring of 2017: "As of April 16, 2023, the Horizon franchise has sold through more than 32.7 million units worldwide, of which Horizon Forbidden West has sold through over 8.4 million units. Millions more around the world have discovered Horizon thanks to PlayStation's subscription services and initiatives, including PlayStation Plus, and Play at Home. All told, it's a milestone we never imagined possible twenty years ago when we first started making games."

According to Taiwanese United Daily News, Acer and ASUS are expecting the downturn in PC sales to turn around in the second half of the year. That said, Acer reported its worst results in years for the first quarter this year and ASUS is expected to follow suit, when its first quarter earnings numbers are released on Friday this week. The slow sales for both companies are expected to continue for the first half of 2023, but according to the report, there should be an improvement in the second half of the year.

That said, both companies are betting on improved sales of not just PCs to improve their books, as Acer is hoping to sell more displays, while ASUS is focusing on its component business. ASUS has already seen a small improvement in component sales, which the company is hoping is the first signs of a stabilising components market, with more of its potential customers upgrading their systems. That said, with certain components like graphics cards still being priced at levels that many consumers aren't willing to pay for the performance on offer, it might be a slower recovery than these companies are expecting.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors totaled $119.5 billion during the first quarter of 2023, a decrease of 8.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 and 21.3% less than the first quarter of 2022. Sales for the month of March 2023 increased 0.3% compared to February 2023. Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. SIA represents 99% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.

"Semiconductor sales continued to slip during the first quarter of 2023 due to market cyclicality and macroeconomic headwinds, but month-to-month sales were up in March for the first time in nearly a year, providing optimism for a rebound in the months ahead," said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. Regionally, month-to-month sales increased in Europe (2.7%), Asia Pacific/All Other (2.6%), and China (1.2%), but decreased in Japan (-1.1%) and the Americas (-3.5%). Year-to-year sales decreased across all regions: Europe (-0.7%), Japan (-1.3%), the Americas (-16.4%), Asia Pacific/All Other (-22.2%), and China (-34.1%).

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an industry analyst known for making accurate predictions about Apple, we have some new information regarding Intel's Sapphire Rapids Xeon processors. As Kuo notes, Intel's major Cloud Service Provider (CSP) client, Microsoft, has notified the supply chain that the company is cutting orders of Sapphire Rapids Xeons by 50-70% in the second half of 2023. Interestingly, Intel's supply chain has notified the company to cut chip orders by around 50% amidst weak server demand. This comes straight after Intel's plans to start shipping Sapphire Rapids processors in the second quarter of 2023 and deliver the highly anticipated lineup to customers.

Additionally, Kuo has stated that Intel isn't only competing for clients with AMD but also with Arm-based CPUs. Microsoft also plans to start buying Arm-based server processors made by Ampere Computing in the first half of 2024. This will reduce Microsoft's dependence on x86 architecture and induce higher competition in the market, especially if other CSPs follow.

Video game industry expert Jeff Grubb made some interesting remarks during a live recording of his Game Mess Decides podcast - yesterday's episode included plenty of talk about the Xbox and PC platform exclusive Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm-based action game. The Tango Gameworks developed title was first announced on January 25 of this year, and in an unusual move for Xbox (plus Bethesda Softworks) the colorfully cel-shaded action adventure experience was released worldwide that same day. According to Grubb this obtuse bit of marketing strategy has not paid off well, in pure unit sales figures, from the parent company's perspective: "(Hi-Fi Rush) didn't make the money it needed to make." Bethesda has stated that the game had achieved a maximum player base number in the 2 million range (by March 1) - this likely includes a significant chunk of customers accessing Hi-Fi Rush through the Game Pass subscription service. Exact sales figures for Japanese studio-developed title in terms of digital sales have not been divulged.

Grubb continued his stream of inside knowledge: "Based on what I've heard, it just straight up didn't make the money it needed to make. It got good reviews, and the buzz was good, so where do you put the blame for something like that?" Several online publications and games industry tipsters on social media have since pounced to spread Grubb's words - so much so that it was enough to grab the attention of one Aaron Greenberg, vice president of Xbox Games marketing. In a response to criticisms aimed at the gaming divisions poor marketing effort he stated: "Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn't be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release." Greenberg was thanked for providing a response, yet hindsight is 20/20 - could a traditional physical release of the game have helped boost paying customer uptake? The sensitive matter of a wider console release is another interesting topic of conversation - Tango Gameworks has multi-platform development experience and Hi-Fi Rush would appear to be a very suitable game for a PlayStation-oriented audience. Microsoft has received criticism for making (over time) its Bethesda game lineup exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem (Game Pass and Windows included).

US authorities have imposed a $300 million penalty on Seagate Technology Holdings plc, a market leader in data storage solutions, for an alleged violation of export controls. The US Commerce Department has investigated the California-based company's business dealings with Chinese hardware firm Huawei Technologies Co. Limited, specifically for the sale of hard disk drives to operations within mainland China. It has found that Seagate has broken the "foreign direct product (FDP) rule" that was established by the US Government back in 2020. Seagate is said to have sold approximately 7.4 million hard drive units to Huawei after the period in which the new rulings took effect - the total value of these shipments was estimated in the region of $1.1 billion.

The US government's serving of a civil penalty to Seagate appears to be part of a larger drive to prevent North American tech companies from selling advanced computer equipment to Chinese firms. Two other suppliers (not named) of storage solutions had agreed to the government imposed terms and ceased trade with Huawei in 2020. In contrast, Seagate has seemingly become a record breaking heretic according to a statement released yesterday by the Bureau of Industry (BIS) and Security: "This historic foreign direct product enforcement case and settlement represents the largest standalone administrative penalty in BIS history. Today's resolution also includes a multi-year audit requirement and a five-year suspended Denial Order. In August 2020, the Bureau of Industry and Security imposed controls over certain foreign-produced items related to Huawei. Despite this, in September 2020, Seagate announced it would continue to do business with Huawei. Seagate did so despite the fact that its only two competitors had stopped selling HDDs to Huawei, resulting in Seagate becoming Huawei's sole source provider of HDDs."

Analyst firm Yole Group has predicted that SSD sales revenues will grow to $67 billion in the year 2028, generated by 472 million unit sales - indicating a very healthy outlook in the long term. However, their predictions for market performance in 2023 appear to be less cheerful for manufacturers of NAND flash memory. The SSD market dynamic was positive in 2021 and the starting months of 2022, but demand has dropped sharply since then due to a number of factors including global inflation, geopolitical tensions, and inventory digestion at electronics manufacturers. Sales revenues in 2022 totaled $29 billion (352 million units), down from $34 billion (400 million units) in 2021 - demonstrating a 14% year-to-year decline.

The continued weakening of global demand in 2023 will have an effect on SSD sales revenues, and the Yole Group has foreseen troublesome outcomes for manufacturers. The average selling price of NAND memory and solid-state drive units has been on the decline in the recent quarters, caused by sluggish demand and a surplus of stock. Despite the grim outlook in the short term, the research body is predicting a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 15% between 2022 and 2028 for the overall size of the SSD market.

CD Projekt has revealed that 2022 was its second-best year in terms of financial results - it cites an uptick in sales of action role-playing shooter Cyberpunk 2077 as the main reason behind the nice boost to its earnings - around $222 million in revenue, leading to about $80 million in net profit. The Cyberpunk intellectual property has expanded beyond the scope of the video games format and onto the small screen - evidently a combination of the Netflix anime series adaptation and continued efforts into polishing and expanding the game has spread a positive word of mouth. The company states: "In 2022 CD PROJEKT RED carried out intensive work on Cyberpunk 2077, which resulted in successive updates and the next-gen console edition of the game. An important event was the well-received Netflix premiere of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. It attracted many new players to the game, and convinced many others to revisit Night City."

Adam Kiciński, CEO of CD PROJEKT was buoyed by these results and set expectations for continuations in both fields in the future: "The popularity of the series and the positive reception of the update, released a week before the premiere, had a notable effect on Cyberpunk sales and general sentiment around the game, as evidenced by gamers' reviews. This is a clear sign that deeper involvement in our franchises and expanding their reach is the right way to go. Another important event supporting the Cyberpunk franchise will be the release of Phantom Liberty - a large expansion scheduled for this year."

While AMD Radeon PC discrete GPUs have a lot of catching up to do against NVIDIA GeForce products in terms of market-share, the two companies' quarterly revenue figures paint a very different picture. For Q4 2022, AMD pushed $1.644 billion in GPU products encompassing all its markets, namely the semicustom chips powering Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles; and AMD Radeon products. In the same period, NVIDIA raked in $1.831 billion in revenues from semicustom chips powering Nintendo Switch console, GeForce NOW cloud-gaming service, and NVIDIA GeForce products. In purely revenue terms, AMD is bringing in 89% the revenue of NVIDIA from client graphics IP, which begins to explain how AMD is a major player in this market.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced global semiconductor industry sales totaled $573.5 billion in 2022, the highest-ever annual total and an increase of 3.2% compared to the 2021 total of $555.9 billion. Sales slowed during the second half of the year, however. Fourth-quarter sales of $130.2 billion were 14.7% less than the total from the fourth quarter of 2021 and 7.7% lower than the total from third quarter of 2022. And global sales for the month of December 2022 were $43.4 billion, a decrease of 4.4% compared to November 2022 total. Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. SIA represents 99% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.

"The global semiconductor market experienced significant ups and downs in 2022, with record-high sales early in the year followed by a cyclical downturn taking hold later in the year," said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. "Despite short-term fluctuations in sales due to market cyclicality and macroeconomic conditions, the long-term outlook for the semiconductor market remains incredibly strong, due to the ever-increasing role of chips in making the world smarter, more efficient, and better connected."