MSI has prepared a new ITX-sized GeForce RTX 5060 8G INSPIRE ITX GPU. This compact powerhouse, coming in a GeForce RTX 5060 8 GB flavor, boasts a core clock that reaches an impressive 2,512 MHz (boost clock of 2,497 MHz), driving 3,840 CUDA cores alongside a substantial 8 GB of GDDR7 memory running at a lightning-fast 28 Gbps on a 128-bit bus. Despite its 145 × 120 × 45 mm dimensions and 581 g weight, the card remains cool thanks to the STORMFORCE FAN design, featuring seven claw-textured blades in a circular arc to maximize airflow quietly, along with a copper-core sunflower radiator heatsink that combines a high-conductivity copper core with a sunflower-style aluminium radiator. A reinforcing backplate with an airflow vent lets exhaust air escape efficiently. Power consumption is 145 W via a single 8-pin connector, and MSI recommends a 550 W PSU. Outputs include three DisplayPort v2.1b ports and one HDMI 2.1b port (up to 4K 480 Hz or 8K 120 Hz with DSC). Users can select either GAMING or SILENT mode in the MSI Center, and overclocking is available through MSI Afterburner.

TSMC has declared that it has no immediate plans to build fabrication plants in the Middle East, reinforcing its strategy to focus on regions where customer demand is strong. Last week's rumors that TSMC might establish a gigafab in the United Arab Emirates have been dismissed by company executives as baseless. CEO CC Wei explained that an expansion into the Gulf does not fit with TSMC's model of locating factories near its largest clients. With ongoing investments in the US, Japan, and Germany, the company aims to serve technology leaders and automotive manufacturers more effectively. Wei added that, without a solid local customer base, building in the Middle East would be impractical. At the same time, TSMC indicated it is reviewing wafer pricing. Fluctuations in the Taiwanese dollar and changing global tariffs were cited as factors under consideration.

According to Wei, long-term agreements could include modest price increases, especially for advanced process nodes, where research and development costs and manufacturing challenges are rising. Looking ahead, TSMC confirmed that the upcoming A14 1.4 nm node wafers are expected to be priced around $45,000 each. This would represent a 50 percent increase over the current 2 nm wafers, which cost about $30,000 apiece. Production of the 1.4 nm node is projected to begin around 2028. Only TSMC's top-tier customers are likely to reserve capacity for this cutting-edge node in its early stages. As demand for advanced semiconductors rises, the company's approach to pricing and geographic focus will be key to maintaining its leadership in the global foundry market.

Minix is launching new Mini PCs in May, designed to simplify digital life. To show our appreciation for customers' support, Minix offers exclusive discounts on popular products, including Wireless Display Series, GaN PD Charger Series, CarPlay Adapters, Mini PCs, and Portable Monitors. These offers will be available until June 3rd.

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The Type-C USB connector has made it a lot easier—at least in theory—to connect devices, but it's not without its faults, especially as it's been hard to know what capabilities both the ports and the cables deliver. The USB-IF has solved most of the issues on the cable side with clearer markings on certified cables, but that still leaves both computers and devices as a gotcha point. Microsoft has now announced that it has a new WHCP (Windows Hardware Compatibility Program) test for Windows 11 laptops that guarantees certain features from a Type-C USB port. No, it doesn't mean all new Windows 11 WHCP laptops will support USB4, which is something of a letdown, but it does guarantee that all USB-C ports on new WHCP laptops will support charging of the laptop and at least DP Alt mode for one display.

As the older USB 3.x standard doesn't support many of the features of USB4, there are several limitations to laptops that lack USB4 support, beyond just data transfer speeds over USB, such as PCIe tunnelling and Thunderbolt 3 support. However, Microsoft mandates Thunderbolt 3 support on all WHCP laptops with USB4 support. USB4 equipped WHCP laptops also have to support 15 W device charging and at least a pair of 4K 60 Hz displays via DP Alt mode. Microsoft's new WHCP testing does at least remove some of the guesswork when buying a new laptop, but until all laptops support USB4, there will still be devices with limited USB Type-C ports in the market.

AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9060 XT has shown up in the news a number of times leading up to the expected retail launch, from AsRock's announcement to a recent Geekbench leak that put the RDNA 4 GPU ahead of the RX 7600 XT by a fair shout. Now, however, we have a gaming benchmark from 3DMark Time Spy showing the RX 9060 XT nearly matching the RX 7700 XT, and those results could still improve as drivers mature and become more stable. The benchmark results are courtesy of u/uesato_hinata, who got their hands on an XFX Swift AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB and posted their results on r/AMD on Reddit.

There are a few caveats to these performance figures, though, since the redditor who shared the results was using beta drivers and a moderate GPU overclock and undervolt—cited as "+200mhz clock offset -40mv undervolt +10% power limit, I can get 3.46Ghz at 199 W". With those performance tweaks, however, the RX 9060 XT puts up a respectable result of 14,210 points in 3DMark Time Spy. For comparison, the average RX 7700 XT scores 15,452 points in the same benchmark. However, it should also be noted that the gaming PC used in the RX 9060 XT benchmark in question was powered by a rather old AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with mismatched DDR4-2133 RAM, meaning there is likely at least some performance left on the table, even if GPU utilization seems consistently high in the 3DMark monitoring chart, indicating there was little bottlenecking limiting the performance. The redditor went on to benchmark the GPU in Black Myth: Wukong, where it managed a 64 FPS average at stock clocks at 1080p, with most settings set to high. Applying the overclock boosted average FPS to a mere 65 FPS, but increased the minimum FPS from 17 to 23. These numbers also won't be representative of the performance for all RX 9060 XT GPUs, since we know that AMD is launching both 8 and 16 GB versions of the RX 9060 XT with different GPU clock speeds for the different memory variants

Acer was late with its contribution of custom RDNA 4 graphics card; introductory press material was issued after the fact, and potential buyers have waited a while for retail stock to reach end destinations. The Taiwanese manufacturer's opening salvo consisted of premium "Predator BiFrost" and sub-flagship "Nitro" overclocked Radeon RX 9070 XT models, but non-XT options did not launch at the same time. This morning, VideoCardz noted the availability of Predator BiFrost RX 9070 OC 16 GB cards in Japan. The company's regional office has opened its direct-to-customer order book; to the tune of 128,800 yen (including sales tax) per unit—converting to roughly ~$902 (USD).

Unlike XT equivalents, Acer's Predator BiFrost OC and Nitro OC RX 9070 models feature two 8-pin power connectors (instead of three units). Currently, the Geizhals/Skinflint price aggregator denotes stock—of both SKUs—being present at e-tailers in Germany and Austria. According to comparisons, the best Predator BiFrost RX 9070 OC deal comes in at €709 (inc. VAT), at GALAXUS. PLAYOX and Office-Partner.de offer the lowest Nitro RX 9070 OC price tags: €669 (inc. VAT), plus €4.99 processing fees. Acer has not publicly disclosed the reasons behind subsequent sluggish launches of its RDNA 4 portfolio. Curiously enough, Yeston—best known for dealing in eccentric card designs—foresaw a post-April stabilization of Radeon RX 9070 series shipments.

CD PROJEKT RED has confirmed that Cyberpunk 2, previously known as "Project Orion," is now in pre-production. This move follows weeks of initial planning, and the development team is shifting focus toward concrete concept work. During this phase, designers and writers will refine story outlines, build environment layouts, and establish technical specifications before full production begins. One of the goals for Cyberpunk 2 is to expand beyond Night City. According to series creator Mike Pondsmith, players can expect a second city inspired by a ruined, dystopian version of Chicago. This new urban area is intended to evoke a sense of oppression and weariness yet remains rich in detail. By adding another metropolis, CD PROJEKT RED hopes to enhance the game's sense of scale and introduce new social dynamics that contrast with Night City's neon glow.

On the gameplay side, Cyberpunk 2 will deepen its focus on cybernetic enhancements. Drawing on ideas from the original pen-and-paper role-playing game, developers plan to incorporate body modifications that were not included in Cyberpunk 2077. Gamers can look forward to a broader selection of implantable upgrades, ranging from neural interfaces to advanced prosthetics. These new options should diversify character builds and provide players with more freedom when crafting their playstyles, ranging from stealthy infiltration to all-out combat. Despite the excitement, a release date remains far in the future. At this stage, only 96 developers are assigned to Cyberpunk 2, while the majority of CD PROJEKT RED is working on The Witcher 4, which is already in full production. A realistic launch window is around 2030.

Greetings soon-to-be-awakened, today, just about 72 hours before the floodgates open, we can finally share with you that rentable private servers will be available from head start launch on June 5th! We've previously communicated that private servers are for post-launch, but we're happy to share that progress has been faster than expected. We do, however, want to manage expectations about how private servers work in Dune: Awakening. As you know, this is not your typical survival game.

Why private servers work differently in Dune: Awakening
Dune: Awakening is powered by a unique server and world structure, something we went in-depth on in a recent blog post. In short: each server belongs to a World consisting of several other servers, and each of those share the same social hubs and Deep Desert. This allows us to retain a neighborhood-like feel to the Hagga Basin and provide persistent, freeform building, and other server-demanding mechanics you typically see in survival games. We combine this with the large-scale multiplayer mechanics you would expect to find in MMOs where hundreds of players meet each other in social hubs and the Deep Desert to engage in social activities, trade, conflict, and more.

Microsoft has updated its most popular and most basic text editor with some new functionality. In Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels on Windows 11, Microsoft has updated Notepad to version 11.2504.50.0, introducing basic text formatting to its previously simple text editor. Now, it supports Markdown integration, featuring formatted Markdown and Markdown syntax views in the view menu, which allows users to type out Markdown syntax and view it rendered later on. While this may seem like a minor functionality improvement, it is an effort from Microsoft to enrich its basic text editor to a point where it is just enough for lightweight text editing but not close to its flagship Word text editor/processor. As you may recall, Microsoft also recently integrated Copilot, its AI assistant, into Notepad. This update, along with Copilot, will enable users to perform basic text processing with the help of AI, correcting grammar, spelling, and even Markdown syntax mistakes on the fly.

During a recent Computex keynote presentation, Qualcomm announced the next edition of its Snapdragon Summit. This year's event will take place in Hawaii, starting on September 23 and concluding on the 25th. The company's 2024 new product showcase took place last October, so an earlier than expected scheduled follow-up has caused industry observers to raise a collective eyebrow. Insiders foresee an unveiling of Qualcomm's next-gen flagship notebook/slimline laptop processor; mid-April leaks produced a smattering of elevated (generational) performance numbers. Late last week, Roland Quandt weighed in with fresh pre-release theories: "SC8480XP aka SD X2 Elite in testing with 64 GB RAM... looking like (an) 18-core thing, more and more."

Not long ago, the tenured semiconductor industry watcher linked the alleged Snapdragon X2 Elite flagship chip to a SK Hynix 48 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD-equipped SiP (System-in-Package) test platform. Mid-March "import-export database records" pointed to early evaluations of 18-core processor designs. The very best current-gen Snapdragon X Elite SoC leverages a 12-core "Oryon" design. Additional murmurs have driven speculation about diversified Snapdragon X2 Elite chips; allegedly powering desktop applications. Q1'25 rumors suggested the existence of setups configured with 120 mm AIO cooling solutions.

Graphics card vendors are setting up product pages for AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9060 XT ahead of its June 5th release date. Tom's Hardware reports that well-known leaker @momomo_us discovered early retail listings from Central Computers (US) showing preliminary pricing that begins at $319.99. The California-based retailer has posted three ASRock variants of the RX 9060 XT with the Challenger 8 GB priced at $319.99, the Challenger 16 GB at $369.99, and the Steel Legend 16 GB at $389.99. Both Challenger variants carry a $20 premium over AMD's suggested retail pricing for their respective memory configurations, while the Steel Legend brings a $40 markup above MSRP. These higher prices, compared to AMD's MSRP ($299 for the 8 GB version and $349 for the 16 GB model), likely reflect factory overclocking implementations across all three models. VideoCardz also spotted UK retailer Overclockers UK briefly displaying pricing ranging from £289.99 to £359.99 before masking their listings to conceal actual launch pricing.

AMD's RX 9060 XT 8 GB and 16 GB target the mainstream segment competing directly with NVIDIA's RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti. Both RX 9060 XT models are based on the 4 nm "Navi 44" silicon, with upgrades to the latest RDNA 4 architecture and new features such as FSR 4 and the upcoming FSR "Project Redstone" feature set. The company claims that the RX 9060 XT 16 GB should beat the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB by 6% on average, tested across 40 game titles, at 1440p. The RX 9060 XT debuts with official pricing starting at $299 for the 8 GB version and $349 for the 16 GB model.

The undisputed number one princess in the world, Hatsune Miku, has conquered hearts the world over. But her blue hair and blue tie don't have to stay hidden in your WiFi. With the TUF Gaming x Hatsune Miku collection, the world's most famous vocaloid can sing along with you through your gaming peripherals. Special Hatsune Miku editions of the TUF Gaming K3 Gen II gaming keyboard, TUF Gaming H1 Gen II gaming mouse, TUF Gaming Mini Wireless mouse, and TUF Gaming P1 gaming mouse pad bring a cybernetic fusion of Miku's signature blue-green and pink color scheme along with the mechanical-armor aesthetics of TUF Gaming.

Durable, compact, and stylish: The TUF Gaming K3 Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition keyboard
Finished in the Hatsune Miku color scheme, the TUF Gaming K3 Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition gaming keyboard makes a stunning first impression. Miku-themed touches abound across its surfaces, including specialized keycaps for the Enter keys, spacebar, Esc key, and more. Per-key RGB LED illumination with up to 16.8 million colors, customizable through ASUS Aura Sync, lets you personalize the look of the board. But can you truly say from the bottom of your heart that Miku is adorable if you stray too far from her signature colors?

Around mid-April, an insider report suggested that AMD's Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU was capable of boosting up to 3.3 GHz. That specification leak has materialized in real life; across a group of board partner examples. Last week, ASRock confirmed that its triple-fan Radeon RX 9060 XT Steel Legend cards can achieve "boost clocks of up to 3320 MHz." Similarly, Sapphire's overengineered Nitro+ flagship option is reportedly just as capable. XFX has joined in on the fun; as demonstrated by a product landing page that covers several factory overclocked Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB and 8 GB custom card designs.

Interestingly, the North American board partner has implemented the same clock speeds across triple and dual-fan Swift OC SKUs. Identikit info—of "game clock up to 2780 MHz" and "boost clock up to 3320 MHz"—is mentioned throughout official listings. XFX's new-gen dual-fan Swift design was low-key unveiled during the early days of RDNA 4. VideoCardz reckons that a lot of Team Red AIBs are not going to stick with a baseline 150 W TDP; instead company engineers are opting for ranges between 170 W and 180 W. AMD's maximum TDP ceiling for the Navi 44 (XT) GPU is 182 W. We hope that a decent number of XFX evaluation samples have been shipped to TechPowerUp HQ for review purposes.

Today (June 1) we made a very difficult decision to suspend the development of project Gemini and project Bifrost—the relevant current reports have been released to the market. The suspension of the Gemini project is a consequence of the fact that the Publisher has not presented us with a draft of the subsequent content rider to the Publishing Agreement covering the terms and conditions of further milestones on project Gemini and the lack of communication from the Publisher as to its willingness to continue or terminate the Gemini project.

Project Bifrost was suspended due to the above and the analysis of the Group's cash flow, which showed a lack of prospects for securing organizational resources and funds necessary to continue the production and release of this project. As a result, we have to significantly regroup as a studio and scale down our teams, which hurts the most. We wish to express our deepest regret and sadness over how these events have unfolded and our sincere gratitude for everyone's contribution up to this point.

• Sebastian Wojciechowski, CEO

In a "Public Real-Time Gold Deck" presentation document, Intel has advertised a good number of current and upcoming processor platforms that offer support for Time Coordinated Computing (TCC). Earlier today, InstLatX64 highlighted interesting "in development" technologies that were mentioned on page 34. The PDF was uploaded—for public consumption—mid-way through May, but Team Blue's "TCC Experience" was last revised on September 2024 (according to a footnote). This is fairly dry material; covering edge applications—suitably capable processors are advertised as dealing with a combination: "of real-time workloads and best effort workloads on the same system, by leveraging many silicon and SW optimizations." Interestingly, this TCC support slide confirms the existence of furthest out "Nova Lake-S" desktop and "Nova Lake-U" mobile processors.

Up until last month, Intel's "Nova Lake" next-gen CPU family was a mostly leaked property—an alleged "matching LGA 1954" socket standard was unearthed very recently. Intel leadership anticipates a loose 2026 launch window. Rumors of a 12-core "Bartlett Lake-S" gaming processor turned up online in April (linked to LGA 1700), following continued speculative talk regarding a lineup of "pure P-core" variants. The latest "TCC Experience" roadmap points to "Bartlett Lake-S" processors arriving—before "Panther Lake"—under the banner of "Intel Core Series 2." A "Bartlett Lake-S 12P" category sits just above "Wildcat Lake" on the TCC slide's timeline. The latter seems to be a lower-end mobile CPU range, likely designed with power efficiency in mind.

NVIDIA plans to introduce its first Arm-based "N1/N1x" gaming SoC in Dell's Alienware laptops later this year or early 2026, according to Taiwanese reports. The SoC is being developed with MediaTek, combining an Arm-derived CPU core and NVIDIA's Blackwell GPU architecture. Early rumors suggest that NVIDIA's new SoC will operate within an 80 W to 120 W power range, positioning it among existing high-performance laptop chips. When Qualcomm entered the Arm-based laptop design market with its Snapdragon X-series, it faced challenges because many titles required emulation through Microsoft's Prism framework, leading to compatibility issues and lower frame rates on Arm-based Windows devices. NVIDIA plans to work closely with Microsoft and game developers to ensure that Arm compatibility is present from day one, so every Arm SoC maker will benefit.

Rumors of an Arm-centric NVIDIA chip first appeared in 2023, and recent leaks suggest an engineering prototype already exists. During an earnings presentation earlier this year, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced that the company plans to integrate Arm CPU blocks into AI-oriented hardware, specifically mentioning the Digits compute system. Dell's CEO, Michael Dell, also hinted at a future AI-capable PC collaboration with NVIDIA, fueling speculation that Alienware will be the first to use the new chip. Beyond gaming, the partnership with MediaTek could lead to broader Arm solutions for both desktops and mobile devices. MediaTek is reportedly working on its own Arm-based PC processors, and AMD is exploring Arm architectures for future Surface devices. NVIDIA's entry into this space could turn Dell's Alienware laptops into a practical testbed for high-performance Arm technology in a market long dominated by x86 workforce.

Valve released its latest May 2025 Steam Survey results, and Linux gaming is on the rise. According to Valve, the usage of Linux kernel-based operating systems among Steam users increased by 0.42% to reach 2.69%, marking one of the highest levels the platform has seen. Windows remains the dominant operating system, at 95.45%, with macOS holding 1.85%. However, Linux's growth is significant for open-source enthusiasts. Given the continued expansion of Steam's user base, the absolute number of Linux gamers is likely at an all-time high now, with hopes of continued growth. The infamous year of Linux on the desktop is actually this year's Linux on handheld. In May 2023, Linux accounted for just 1.47 percent of Steam users, rising to 2.32 percent in May 2024 before this latest increase.

This upward trend has been driven in large part by Valve's SteamOS, which is based on Arch Linux and powers the popular Steam Deck handheld console. As more people adopt the Steam Deck and install SteamOS on desktop machines, the Linux gaming community on Steam continues to grow steadily. SteamOS is also expanding to more handheld devices, and more companies are launching and experimenting with handhelds using other Linux distributions. Improvements at the kernel level and enhanced driver support from AMD and Intel have also contributed to this surge. Besides more driver optimization, the Wine-based compatibility layer, Proton, has undergone numerous updates to enhance performance and stability, often achieving comparability with and sometimes outperforming Windows.

The pit lane is open, the cars are in grid formation, and the red lights are off! F1 25 has officially launched and is now in players' hands. We thought this would be a great moment to connect with F1's Creative Director, Gavin Cooper, for an exclusive Q&A. Gavin has been a creative force in game development for decades. He has worked on racing titles since the late '90s and has built a career out of making the most immersive titles with unrivaled authenticity enjoyed by millions of players and fans around the world.

Meanwhile, Formula 1 has surged in popularity around the globe, adding nearly 90 million new fans in 2024 including a rising profile within American pop culture, making it one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide. And F1 25 is the best place for players and fans to interact and celebrate their fandom. In our Q&A, Gavin shares his thoughts on how he and his team create the world's premier racing game, new technology advancements and how it impacts play, working with the community to make the best game possible, the summer blockbuster F1 movie and the game's unique tie-ins, and building a game that celebrates the sport, the fans, and the culture that surrounds it. Let's get into it.

PowerColor introduced four custom Radeon RX 9060 XT options during Computex 2025; consisting of standard black mid-range Hellhound and entry-level Reaper models. The dark 16 GB and 8 GB launch lineup will be joined by Spectral White sibling in the near future. The manufacturer's China website was updated with three pale alternatives at some point last week. Currently, only the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Hellhound Spectral White SKU has made tracks over to the Taiwanese brand's global web presence. The company's Navi 44 XT GPU-based portfolio is not expected to welcome premium-tier Red Devil entries, so the current collection—of seven distinct offerings—will suffice.

Curiously, the two Reaper models seem to differ in terms of clock speeds. As noted by VideoCardz, this specification disparity reflects a recently reported difference between Yeston's Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB and 8 GB GAEA SKUs. Almost akin to patterns exhibited by the Chinese AIB's baseline MSRP conformant products, the PowerColor Reaper 16 GB card seems to boast greater game and boost clock digits when compared to its 8 GB sibling: +90 MHz and 100 MHz (respectively). At first, Yeston's GAEA spec charts were believed to contain placeholder info or anomalous data. The appearances of comparable PowerColor examples indicate an advantageous position for certain 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM-equipped models.

This Sunday, June 8, it's time for another huge double feature. The Xbox Games Showcase 2025 kicks off at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK, immediately followed by The Outer Worlds 2 Direct—a deep-dive into the upcoming sequel to Obsidian Entertainment's award-winning sci-fi RPG. These shows are always an exciting moment for all of us at Xbox, offering a look at brand-new games and updates from across our first-party studios and our incredible partners across the globe. We hope you can join us to watch live. With that in mind, here are all the details you need to know ahead of Sunday.

What time does Xbox Games Showcase begin? The Showcase will take place on Sunday, June 8, beginning at:

• PDT: June 8, 10am
• EDT: June 8, 1pm
• BST: June 8, 6pm
• CEST: June 8, 7pm
• JST: June 9, 2am
• AEST: June 9, 3am

As many will recall, Zotac's GeForce RTX 5090 Solid graphics card series has had a storied career since launching earlier this year. One example served as the progenitor of "ROPGate"—as rooted out by original TechPowerUp investigations. Despite a ban of non-D variants in the region, Zotac GeForce RTX 5090 Solid OC retail units were reportedly available to purchase—via online auctions—in China. Late last week, a disgruntled Alameda County-based customer highlighted their purchase of a very disappointing package.

Taking to the official Micro Center subreddit, member "JamesFerg650" outlined a so-called "backpack scam," and directed frustrations at the long-running computer retail store. A more measured update was shared online later on: "yesterday after work I went to the new Micro Center in Santa Clara for the soft opening. Almost four hours after clock out time, I was home with my brand new Zotac 5090. I was so happy leaving Micro Center, I went out the door without a second thought and drove home smiling and singing along to my (favorite) music. All that build up became the biggest letdown when I opened my box to find three cross-body backpacks inside rather than my 5090."

How NVIDIA's AI factory platform balances maximum performance and minimum latency, optimizing AI inference to power the next industrial revolution. When we prompt generative AI to answer a question or create an image, large language models generate tokens of intelligence that combine to provide the result. One prompt. One set of tokens for the answer. This is called AI inference. Agentic AI uses reasoning to complete tasks. AI agents aren't just providing one-shot answers. They break tasks down into a series of steps, each one a different inference technique. One prompt. Many sets of tokens to complete the job.

The engines of AI inference are called AI factories—massive infrastructures that serve AI to millions of users at once. AI factories generate AI tokens. Their product is intelligence. In the AI era, this intelligence grows revenue and profits. Growing revenue over time depends on how efficient the AI factory can be as it scales. AI factories are the machines of the next industrial revolution.

ASRock, the leading global motherboard, graphics card and mini PC manufacturer, today launched the new Steel Legend and Challenger series graphics cards based on the latest AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU. As the latest member of the AMD Radeon RX 9000 series GPUs, AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT also uses the AMD RDNA 4 architecture, which is equipped with the 3rd Gen ray tracing and 2nd Gen AI accelerators, provides up to 32 AMD RDNA 4 compute units, and supports AMD HYPR-RX, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4 and advanced Frame Generation..., and other AMD's latest exclusive technologies, plus the latest specifications such as DisplayPort 2.1a, PCI Express 5.0, and also a large-capacity up to 16 GB GDDR6 memory. These rich features and specifications provide end users with an excellent AAA gaming experience.

Otherwise, ASRock AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT Series graphics cards also support various ASRock exclusive features, including the Striped Ring/Axial Fan, Air Deflecting Fin, Ultra-fit Heatpipe, Metal Backplate, and Polychrome SYNC technology to provide great cooling efficiency, solid construction and fancy ARGB lighting effects. With these exclusive features, ASRock AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT Series graphics cards are premium choices for gamers and system integrators.

ASUS today announced TUF Gaming Series Five monitors. This latest gaming monitor range offers over 20 models to choose from and features varied specifications to meet different user needs. The competitively-priced Series Five monitors deliver five-star gaming experiences by offering upgrades in five key aspects: Speed boost enables up to 300 Hz refresh rates and 0.3 ms response; ultrasmooth gameplay is enabled via Adaptive Sync technology; vivid colors are delivered with up to 95% DCI-P3 gamut; Gaming AI features offer a competitive edge; and easier control is offered thanks to DisplayWidget Center software.

The flagship TUF Series Five VG27AQML5A boasts a 300 Hz refresh rate and 0.3 ms response time, making it ideal for the most competitive gamers; alternately, VG34WQML5A offers a 250 Hz refresh rate (OC) and 0.5 ms response for ultra-immersive gaming experiences.

Demand for AI accelerators has surged in recent years, putting pressure on suppliers to deliver more high-bandwidth memory to enable faster training and higher token throughput in inference. In response, Intel, SoftBank, and the University of Tokyo have quietly formed a new startup called "Saimemory" to develop an alternative to existing HBM solutions, by also using stacked DRAM. According to sources close to the effort, prototype chips are slated for 2027, with volume production aimed at 2030. The venture will combine Intel's extensive chip design experience with novel memory patents from the University of Tokyo, while SoftBank has pledged approximately ¥3 billion (approximately $21 million) to fund the research. Riken Research Institute and Shinko Electric Industries may also join as investors or technical partners, and the team plans to seek government support to accelerate development.

Traditional HBM relies on through-silicon vias (TSVs) to link multiple DRAM dies and uses a wide-bus interposer to achieve data rates above 1 TB/s. Saimemory's design reorganizes signal routing and refresh management to improve energy efficiency, latency, and performance. As readers may recall, there have been past efforts to introduce a rival stacked DRAM technology, but it has not been successful. For example, the Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC), co-developed by Samsung and Micron Technology around 2011, promised speeds up to fifteen times that of DDR3. Despite initial industry backing through the Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium, Micron discontinued HMC production in 2018 after it failed to gain market adoption. HMC's decline shows the challenge of displacing hard-rooted memory standards like HBM. If the Saimemory succeeds, Intel will likely be the first adopter with its upcoming AI accelerators. Others, such as AMD and NVIDIA, could also be approached by the consortium to get a trial chip. Still, the feasibility of mass deployment will largely depend on availability and yields.

Microsoft has quietly rolled out two updates to its DirectX Agility SDK, and developers are already finding reasons to celebrate. The 1.717-preview release brings Shader Execution Reordering (SER) and Cooperative Vectors to the table, while the 1.616-retail update introduces Opacity Micromaps (OMM) and D3D12 Tiled Resource Tier 4 support. Together, they promise smoother and more efficient ray tracing, as well as improved resource handling. In 1.717-preview, the arrival of Cooperative Vectors means that vector and matrix operations, essential for AI-driven effects, now enjoy dedicated hardware acceleration. Instead of performing complex calculations on the CPU, developers can offload these tasks to the GPU, potentially unlocking richer neural rendering techniques in real time. Additionally, SER provides ray tracing pipelines with a helpful feature: it reorganizes the order in which shader threads execute, reducing wasted cycles caused by thread divergence.

Early internal tests show up to a 2× performance boost in path-traced scenes when SER is enabled. The preview also updates Direct3D's video encoder with a HEVC Reference List extension for longer-term reference frames, a two-pass low-resolution first encode, and built-in PSNR metrics so creators can see exactly how crisp their output really is. The 1.616-retail SDK centers on Opacity Micromaps, a feature designed to handle alpha-tested geometry, such as foliage or chain-link fences, without firing off expensive AnyHit shader calls. With OMM, supported GPUs intelligently skip unnecessary work, and Microsoft's numbers suggest a speedup of as much as 2.3x in path-traced scenes. For example, one NVIDIA demo increased from approximately 55 FPS to around 90 FPS simply by enabling OMM. Today, only NVIDIA's RTX cards have driver-level support for these micromaps, but AMD and Intel are preparing their own updates for the coming months. That same 1.616-retail release also unlocks D3D12 Tiled Resource Tier 4, finally lifting the restriction on packed mipmaps in texture arrays. This means finer-grained texture streaming, less wasted memory, and more creative freedom in writing shader code. NVIDIA has confirmed its support for this tier, Intel's drivers are already shipping, and AMD is aiming to release compatible drivers by early June 2025.

Welcome to the first week of June, which kicks off the summer with a whimper when it comes to new games, courtesy of the Switch 2 launch which seems to be getting all the spotlight when it comes to new game releases. As such, this week's major release is a retro RPG that takes place in the Undertale universe. This is followed by a co-op platform adventurer, your chance to become a 1980's industry tycoon, trying to clear your name after having been accused of murder, take on the role of the hero in a new JRPG and finally you have the chance to explore a long lost underground civilization.

Deltarune / This week's major release / Wednesday 4 June
Dive into the parallel story to Undertale. Fight or spare your way through action-packed battles as you explore a mysterious world alongside an endearing cast of new and familiar characters. Chapters 1-4 will be available on launch, with more planned as free updates. Steam link

It looks as though AMD might be planning to finally commercialize the more affordable version of its Ryzen AI Max APUs that have proven to be capable of powering impressively high-end gaming experiences. The first set of benchmarks of the new Strix Halo APU, dubbed the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385, have appeared on Geekbench, and the new APU is putting up some impressive numbers. AMD originally said that the Strix Halo line-up would be available between Q1 and Q2 2025, so the timing makes sense.

One major difference between the Ryzen AI Max 395 and the 385 is the iGPU, which is downgraded from the Radeon 8060S to the 8050S. When AMD launched the Strix Halo line-up, it revealed that AI Max Pro 385 would have an eight-core CPU paired with 32 graphics cores, instead of the 16-core CPU and 40-core iGPU setup. While we don't yet have GPU benchmark results for the 8050S, the CPU results put up by the APU are impressive on their own, with 2,489 points in the single-core benchmark and 14,136 points in the multicore benchmark. The laptop the new Ryzen silicon was tested in was an HP ZBook Ultra G1a with 32 GB of RAM. The results put the 385 only slightly behind the AI Max+ 395 in certain configurations, but in a similar HP ZBook Ultra G1a laptop, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 comes out ahead of the 385 by as much as 45%. It's unclear just how much laptops with this new Ryzen AI Max Pro 385 APU will cost, but they will almost certainly be cheaper than the current crop of Ryzen AI Max+ laptops, which generally run well north of $2,000.

Soulframe is the next big project from Digital Extremes, and the game studio has been quietly testing a pre-alpha version of the game since 2023. Since then, it has been steadily growing its player base, expanding its pre-alpha test pool in small batches every so often. The last time the pre-alpha test was expanded, Digital Extremes gave away guaranteed Preludes access codes to anyone who signed up and linked their Twitch and Soulframe accounts for a very short time. In a recent announcement, though Digital Extremes revealed that it would be expanding its Soulframe test yet again, although this time players have to put in some leg-work to get it done.

According to the announcement, Digital Extremes will be giving away Soulframe Preludes access keys as Twitch Drops during a June 6 Summer Game Fest stream, which is slated to happen at 6 PM Eastern Time (10 PM UTC). To gain access to the pre-alpha test version of the game, prospective players will need to watch the Twitch stream for at least 30 minutes. In order to claim the Drop, players will also need to create a Soulframe account and link it to their Twitch account ahead of the stream. Anyone who watches The Game Awards's stream at that time for the required 30 minutes from a linked account will be able to claim a Soulframe Preludes access key. Soulframe is a fantasy action RPG set in a mythical world that seems to borrow elements from many places, but from Norse mythology more than anything. It is set in an open world with procedurally generated dungeons, and it asks for a slower, more methodical approach to gameplay than Digital Extremes's hit free-to-play game, Warframe. When Soulframe eventually launches in earnest, it will also be free-to-play, but a launch date has seemingly not been set, despite early talks of a January 2025 launch.

Since the introduction of Windows 10, Microsoft has seemingly had ambitions to consolidate as much control over what gets installed on your PC as possible. A perfect example of this is the push towards using the Microsoft Store to install programs instead of relying on .exe files. The company's latest move in this direction sees Windows start handling more than just system updates. Notably, it seems as though Microsoft is planning to use this new system alongside the Store instead of as a replacement for it. These plans come in spite of Windows updates continuing to cause BSOD issues as recently as April.

According to a Microsoft blog on the topic, Windows will soon start handling everything from driver and firmware updates to app updates. Microsoft explains that the current update and management platforms lead to a fragmented ecosystem: "Updates across the Windows ecosystem can feel like a fragmented experience for IT admins managing applications that have their own update orchestrators (e.g., line of business) and commercial management tools that handle their own download, install, restart, and notifications today," adding that the way things are currently handled causes a number of issues, including CPU and network usage spikes, increased support costs, and a poor user experience due to "confusing or conflicting notifications." Microsoft aims to address this by introducing what it calls the Windows Update orchestration platform.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the upcoming launch of its innovative AI Game Developer Tools on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This milestone marks a significant leap forward for the company, bringing its powerful development solutions to the cloud to enhance scalability, accessibility, and innovation for millions of game creators worldwide.

With 3.32 billion gamers globally and a market projected to reach $424 billion within the next decade, the gaming industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Mobile and cloud gaming are lowering barriers to entry, while AI is transforming virtual worlds into more immersive, intelligent experiences. Razer's AI Game Developer Tools are purpose-built to meet the demands of this dynamic landscape, offering seamless AI integration tailored specifically for game developers and gamers alike. The new tools—Razer Game Assistant, and Razer QA Companion—are part of WYVRN, Razer's next-generation AI-powered gaming ecosystem designed to accelerate and revolutionize game development.

D-DAY! The game is OUT for $4.95! The courtroom is open! Guilty as Sock! is out now, grab your socks and join the chaos. Enter a chaotic courtroom where socks play lawyers, prosecutors, and judges! Use absurd evidence, craft wild arguments, and deliver verdicts in this hilarious online party game. Improvise, strategize, and shout "Objection!"—because in Guilty as Sock!, chaos always wins!

The game is officially out now! If you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to join our AWESOME Discord server! A huge thank you for all the support over the past few days, it truly means a lot to us, and we're so happy to see how excited you are about the game's concept! Since we're a very small team, we'll now be focusing all our efforts on improving the full game. That means we won't be updating the demo for a little while.

GALAX's modular "Boomstar" series of GeForce RTX 50-series cards are not well known in the West, but a little bit of global coverage trickled out last month. The Chinese manufacturer often releases regional exclusives, and its latest LUNA (white) and NOX (black) options are prime examples. Lucky owners can attach/detach Boomstar shrouds and cooling fans via a convenient and fully magnetic system. According to their latest teaser/promo material, GALAX seems to be preparing another modular part. A snazzy mirror finish backplate design has turned up online—as pointed out by VideoCardz. So far, published renders show only white examples sporting reflective back surfaces. Current LUNA and NOX SKUs cover GeForce RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 GPU tiers. Unfortunately, NVIDIA's slightly nerfed flagship "Blackwell" chip is no longer available in China—another GeForce RTX 5090D downgrade is pending. Up until recently, GALAX was promoting an impressive Hall of Fame record-breaking lineup. Looking at the other end of Team Green's "Blackwell" gaming GPU spectrum, a GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Boomstar model seems to be in the pipeline.

This Story is Yours. Leave your mark on the world of racing in the newly released F1 25, the official video game of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship. Get ready to create your own F1 stories in fan-favorite My Team mode, with its largest update since its introduction. My Team invites you to take control as the Owner of your own Formula One team, placing more emphasis on managing the fates of both drivers in your team, and the team itself.

Choose your path through the thrilling third chapter of Braking Point, with different objectives for each driver at key moments in the story. In Braking Point, the legacy of the Konnersport team is at stake as a dramatic event throws the team into chaos. New features will let you experience the story your way, including alternative scenarios where you choose which driver to play in key races. F1 25 also lets you design your own team with enhanced customization, push the limits on sub-centimeter accurate LIDAR circuits, and team up for new online co-op events.

Earlier in the week, Yeston revealed a sci-fi/cyberpunk character-themed Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Game Ace SKU. Eager followers of the Chinese brand were wondering whether additional custom designs—based on AMD's Navi 44 XT GPU—were in the pipeline, possibly ready in time for an official June 5 launch. In Yeston's case, they expect to start shipping on June 7—exclusively for the Chinese market. Fortunately, several dual-fan "GAEA" and triple-fan "Game Ace White" models have turned up on Yeston's JD.com storefront. VideoCardz has pored over the fundamentals, and quickly realized that there are key differences—in terms of GPU clock speeds—when cross-referencing entry-level/barebones GAEA 16 GB and 8 GB card specifications.

The latter variant seems to exist as Yeston's absolute baseline MSRP option; its pre-order tag is 2499 RMB, including VAT. Curiously, pre-launch info seems to show the 16 GB sibling (2899 RMB, inc. VAT) possessing elevated boost and game clocks: 3230 MHz and 2620 GHz (respectively). The lesser model makes do with Team Red's reference figures: 3130 MHz and 2530 MHz (respectively). VideoCardz believes that this is an isolated case; they have not stumbled upon similar spec disparities between product family members—be it with other AIBs or within Yeston's stable. It could be safe to assume that Yeston's product pages contain inaccurate or placeholder numbers.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has just turned 10, and CD Projekt Red announced earlier this week that it would be celebrating the game's 10th anniversary with a set of Special Edition Xbox controllers and a slew of live events and memorabilia. Following those announcements, CD Projekt Red has confirmed that it has at least one more content update planned for The Witcher 3. The next, and seemingly the last, The Witcher 3 patch is slated to more or less unify the game's modification scene, bringing cross-platform mod support to the open-world fantasy RPG. CDPR has not confirmed an exact date for the cross-platform mod support update, stating only that it will be available "later this year."

According to a new support page detailing the cross-platform mod support, modders will now be able to publish their mods for The Witcher 3 on a platform called mod.io, which will allow players and modders to upload and download mods across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This will be the only way for consoles to access mods for The Witcher 3, however PC players will still be able to use services like Steam Workshop and Nexus Mods, if they prefer. Unlike with third-party sites, like Nexus Mods, any mods published on mod.io will need to comply with certain guidelines laid out by both the console makers, Sony and Microsoft, and the CD Projekt Red Fan Content Guidelines and User Agreement. For this reason, the mod selection available on consoles will be less expansive than what's available on PC, where restrictions are less of a concern. In a technical sense, the only restrictions modders will face when using mod.io is that any console mods that use scripts will need to be made with CDPR's REDkit mod tools. Meanwhile, texture packs and other bundles can be created using any other tools.

ELDEN RING Nightreign, the standalone multiplayer co-op action survival game by FromSoftware, Inc. and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., is now available to players, having already surpassed the milestone of 2 million units. In the game, players must navigate the twists and turns and various challenges in the harsh and unforgiving world of Limveld—a new land to explore in the ELDEN RING universe.

The game thrusts players into co-op multiplayer PVE combat against a harsh and unforgiving world. Teaming up in squads of three—or daring to go solo—they must outlast a three day-and-night cycle, making split decisions about combat and exploration across a changing map to become strong enough to take down terrifying bosses, including the occasional familiar foe from prior FromSofware games, at the end of each day. ELDEN RING Nightreign is available now in Standard and Deluxe edition as well as a physical Collector's Edition for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

We have not heard much about Intel's much-debated "Arrow Lake-S Refresh" (or ARL-S Refresh) desktop CPU family in the second quarter of this year. Going back to March, Golden Pig Upgrade predicted another revival of Team Blue's troubled mid-gen update—aka the Core Ultra 300 series. A week or two later, Jaykihn—another tenured discloser of inside track info—theorized an upcoming lineup of "-K and -KF only" SKUs. Hardcore PC hardware enthusiasts and overclockers will likely welcome these unlocked offerings, but an alleged lack of "normal" refreshed options will sting certain consumer bases. The ever intrepid momomo_us has discovered an interesting tidbit; bringing and end to two+ months of "Arrow Lake-S Refresh" silence.

A leaked "W880 PCH" workstation-grade motherboard flow diagram mentions support for "Arrow Lake-S Refresh." This is under the banner of "Core Ultra (Series 2) processors up to 125 W TDP." Unsurprisingly, we are looking at repeat business with the current generation's LGA 1851 socket platform. Intel is still working on the "Nova Lake‑S" (NVL‑S) CPU range; serving as a natural successor to their "Arrow Lake-S" desktop lineup. Lately, data miners have unearthed details regarding a matching "LGA 1954" socket type. According to official announcements, "Nova Lake" processors are "on track" to launch somewhere within 2026. Before then, "Arrow Lake-S Refresh" CPUs are expected to arrive later this year—possibly signalling the final tranche of "ARL."

Shuhei Yoshida, the former head of Sony Entertainment, has decried the outsized impact of game subscription services, essentially saying that they had the potential to stifle innovation and put too much emphasis on AAA and first-party games and make it even more difficult for indie developers to break into the scene. In an interview with Game Developer, Yoshida shared his concerns about the rise of subscription services, adding that Sony's approach was less harmful than Xbox Game Pass, specifically because Sony wasn't trying to launch AAA titles straight to the subscription model like Xbox is.

Yoshida's implication is that Sony's model of allowing games to have a traditional release before going to PlayStation Plus is likely a healthier approach than the day-one AAA launches that became popular on Xbox Game Pass. His concerns boil down to the aforementioned issues with innovation, saying that "what [type] of games can be created will be dictated by the owner of the subscription services," and adding that "the big companies dictate what games can be created, I don't think that will advance the industry," however he also takes issue with the financial side of things, implying that, if gamers have day-one access to games on subscription services, they won't want to pay up-front for games. This last point has implications for innovation as much as his former thought, because if game developers depend on subscription services for launches, it might make them more averse to trying new things. These comments seem all the more relevant in a modern gaming landscape, where indie developers seem to be largely responsible for pushing the envelope. You simply need to look at the popularity of games like Hades, Terraria, or the roguelike and survival-craft genre in general for evidence of such.

Retro enthusiasts will be pleased to know that the legendary brand Atari is doing well and remains strong, as the company has announced preliminary revenue of approximately $36 million for fiscal year 2025, an increase of 60% from the previous year that marked the company's highest revenue level in over a decade. This was mainly due to the Games Division which generated about $29 million in revenue. Atari implemented in 2022 a retro-centered strategy which now seems to be starting to pay off. The company released several titles including remakes of classic games such as Yars Rising and Breakout Beyond. The beloved Roller Coaster Tycoon franchise is now available on new platforms including Nintendo Switch. Atari also made some interesting acquisitions. Through Digital Eclipse, they've released titles such as the playable documentary Tetris Forever, while also releasing Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, Volgarr the Viking II, two DLCs for Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind. Meanwhile, the Nightdive Studios contributed with successful releases such as PO'ed, Killing Time, and The Thing: Remastered.

In the hardware area, Atari launched the Atari 7800+ retro console with 10 new game cartridges, continuing its cartridge-based platform expansion. In the future Atari plans to launch new hardware projects to expand the Atari "Plus" platform. The company also secured new partnerships, including collaboration with Netflix for mobile and cloud gaming distribution. Recent acquisitions include the Intellivision brand and game catalog, plus publishing rights for several modern indie titles under the relaunched Infogrames label. So for those retro-nostalgic gamers and Atari fans, there's at least a shiny pixelated light, as Wade Rosen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, believes that the best is yet to come: "By focusing on areas where we have both a passion for the product and a competitive edge, we are building solid momentum which I believe will lead to lasting success in the years to come."

This week at the Electronic Components Technology Conference (ECTC), Intel introduced EMIB-T, an important upgrade to its embedded multi-die interconnect bridge packaging. First showcased at the Intel Foundry Direct Connect 2025 event, EMIB-T incorporates through-silicon vias (TSVs) and high-power metal-insulator-metal capacitors into the existing EMIB structure. According to Dr. Rahul Manepalli, Intel Fellow and vice president of Substrate Packaging Development, these changes allow a more reliable power supply and stronger communication between separate chiplets. Conventional EMIB designs have struggled with voltage drops because of their cantilevered power delivery paths. In contrast, EMIB-T routes power directly through TSVs from the package substrate to each chiplet connection. The integrated capacitors compensate for fast voltage fluctuations and preserve signal integrity.

This improvement will be critical for next-generation memory, such as HBM4 and HBM4e, where data rates of 32 Gb/s per pin or more are expected over a UCIe interface. Intel has confirmed that the first EMIB-T packages will match the current energy efficiency of around 0.25 picojoules per bit while offering higher interconnect density. The company plans to reduce the bump pitch below today's standard of 45 micrometers. Beginning in 2026, Intel intends to produce EMIB-based packages measuring 120 by 120 millimeters, roughly eight times the size of a single reticle. These large substrates could integrate up to twelve stacks of high-bandwidth memory alongside multiple compute chiplets, all connected by more than twenty EMIB bridges. Looking further ahead, Intel expects to push package dimensions to 120 by 180 millimeters by 2028. Such designs could accommodate more than 24 memory stacks, eight compute chiplets, and 38 or more EMIB bridges. These developments closely mirror similar plans announced by TSMC for its CoWoS technology. In addition to EMIB-T, Intel also presented a redesigned heat spreader that reduces voids in the thermal interface material by approximately 25%, as well as a new thermal-compression bonding process that minimizes warping in large package substrates.

Hello adventurers! 👋 We're thrilled to announce that...Nice Day for Fishing is OUT NOW on Steam! Jump into Viva La Dirt League's Epic NPC Man world as Baelin the NPC Fisherman, exploring the waters of Azerim! When all adventurers in the town mysteriously vanish, you'll need to save Honeywood from something lurking in the deep...

Nice Day for Fishing - Key Features:

• Explore the Epic NPC Man world like never before: Explore the enchanting lands of Azerim above land and beneath the waves. Adventure through Honeywood Forest to the Azerim coast, where you'll encounter new quests, people to save and new fish to catch.

Three weeks ago, Kurnal and Geekerwan dived deep into Nintendo's alleged Switch 2 chipset. The very brave Chinese leakers are notorious for their acquiring of pre-release and early silicon samples. Last week, their collective attention turned to a brand-new Xiaomi mobile chip: the XRING 01. After months of insider murmurs and official teasers, the smartphone giant recently unveiled its proprietary flagship SoC. According to industry moles, Xiaomi has invested a lot of manpower into a special chip design entity—leadership likely wants to avoid a repeat of prior first-party developed disappointments. Despite rumors of disappointing prototype performance figures, mid-May Geekbench results pointed to the emergent XRING 01 mobile chip being up there with Qualcomm's dominant Snapdragon 8 Elite platform. Die shot analysis has confirmed Xiaomi's selection of a TSMC 3 nm "N3E" node process; also utilized by the latest Apple, Qualcomm and MediaTek flagships. Overall die size is 114.48 mm² (10.8 x 10.6 mm), with 109.5 mm² of used area; comparable to Apple's A18 Pro SoC footprint (refer to Geekerwan's comparison shot, below).

Unlike nearby rivals, the XRING 01 seems to not sport an integrated 5G modem. Notebookcheck surmised: "it is rumored to use an external radio from MediaTek. It isn't located on the actual die itself, and likely a contributing factor to why its size is so small." Annotations indicate the presence of off-the-shelf/licensed Arm CPU cores (ten in total): two Cortex-X925 units, four Cortex-A725 units, two Cortex-A725 units, and two Cortex-A520 units. Additionally, an Arm Immortalis-G925 MP16 iGPU was identified. A 6-core NPU—with 16 MB of cache—was highlighted, but it is not clear whether this is a proprietary effort or something bought in. Observers have noted the absence of SLC cache. GSMArena posited: "the Geekerwan team speculates that (Xiaomi's) omission of the SLC has hurt GPU efficiency—it's pretty fast, but it uses more power than the Dimensity GPU at peak performance. The more efficient CPU combined with the fact that the GPU rarely runs at full tilt makes for pretty good overall efficiency in real-life gaming tests." The XRING department's debut product is impressive, but industry watchdogs are looking forward to refined variants or full-fledged successors.

For those of you who are new to the game, Atomfall is an action-survival mystery set in the UK. The story takes place five years after the real-life events of the 1957 Windscale Disaster in the North of England. In the world of Atomfall, a quarantine zone has been established around the Atom Plant and no one has been allowed in or out for five years. Life and society have changed and adapted under these trying circumstances and gangs of strange folk now wander the countryside.

You wake up in a bunker with no idea who you are or how you got there. Given the circumstances you have little choice but to set out on a journey to discover what really happened at Windscale and maybe try to find out who you are in the process. The Wicked Isle expansion adds a whole new location, with its own set of characters and enemies as well as additional leads, weapons, skills, items and multiple new endings for the main game.

Last week, AMD introduced its Radeon AI PRO R9700 32 GB professional graphics card—representing the RDNA 4 generation's first foray into non-gaming territories. The TechPowerUp team encountered board partner variants on the showroom floor, with GIGABYTE and ASRock exhibiting samples with blower-style cooling solutions. At the time, Team Red's reference design was only visible in promotional/artistic renders. According to the company's official product page, this particular model is "not available for purchase." AMD made similar claims during the early days of—related Navi 48 GPU-based—Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 cards. Months later, Chinese hardware enthusiasts picked up physical "Made-By-AMD" (MBA) examples via murky second hand market channels.

At some point this week, PowerColor's web presences were updated with a semi-familiar sight: an almost direct interpretation of the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 reference card. The Taiwanese AIB has removed "AI" and "PRO R9700" text from their variant's shroud design, and applied a customary "PowerColor" logo and symbol sticker onto the lone blower fan's face. VideoCardz believes that pre-announcement renders and specification leaks had caused confusion across insider networks—hence the emergence of "Radeon RX 9070 XT(X) 32 GB" rumors, within the first quarter of 2025. PowerColor did not showcase its pro-grade at the recently concluded Computex trade event—instead, company representatives were tasked with hyping up incoming custom Radeon RX 9060 XT gaming cards, and a mysterious "REVA" prototype. At the time of writing, PowerColor has not issued any Radeon AI PRO R9700-related press material. AMD and manufacturing partners are expected to launch finalized products in July.

LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of chassis and PC accessories, expands the UNI FAN series with the new UNI FAN SL-INFINITY Wireless. Designed for ultimate customization, the new fans feature three independently controlled lighting zones and two sides of unique styles, thanks to different dual-layered infinity mirror designs on each side. The flexible receiver can connect to either side for easy installation. An upgraded 4-pin cable ensures that the fans are instantly recognized as PWM devices in the BIOS, with a built-in tail PWM cable delivering extra power when needed. Reducing the clutter even further, L-Wireless SYNC 2.4 GHz technology enables full wireless control of ARGB lighting and fan speeds.

Limitless Lighting and Dual-Sided Design
The UNI FAN SL-INFINITY Wireless introduces three independently controlled lighting zones, allowing users to unlock new levels of customization when designing their build. Each side of the fan features a distinct double infinity mirror design, enabling users to showcase two different visual styles based on orientation. Whether facing one side or the other, the SL-INFINITY Wireless ensures stunning visuals from every angle. Lighting effects are fully customizable via the updated L-Connect 3 software.

Ready for a front-row seat to the next scientific revolution? That's the idea behind Doudna—a groundbreaking supercomputer announced today at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. The system represents a major national investment in advancing U.S. high-performance computing (HPC) leadership, ensuring U.S. researchers have access to cutting-edge tools to address global challenges. "It will advance scientific discovery from chemistry to physics to biology and all powered by—unleashing this power—of artificial intelligence," U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (pictured above) said at today's event.

Also known as NERSC-10, Doudna is named for Nobel laureate and CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna. The next-generation system announced today is designed not just for speed but for impact. Powered by Dell Technologies infrastructure with the NVIDIA Vera Rubin architecture, and set to launch in 2026, Doudna is tailored for real-time discovery across the U.S. Department of Energy's most urgent scientific missions. It's poised to catapult American researchers to the forefront of critical scientific breakthroughs, fostering innovation and securing the nation's competitive edge in key technological fields.

According to the latest rumor mill, AMD is preparing Radeon AI PRO R9700, a new GPU designed specifically for the Chinese market. The new Radeon AI PRO R9700 GPU will feature deliberately handicapped performance parameters that comply with the most recent US export regulations while still supporting the local industry's needs for tasks such as on-device inference and model fine-tuning. To adhere to Washington's restrictions, AMD has reduced the chip's compute throughput to remain below the critical threshold for controlled exports, yet it retains 32 GB of high-bandwidth frame buffer memory and full PCIe Gen 5 connectivity. These specifications are intended to ensure efficient data transfer, and when multiple R9700 cards are deployed together, they can deliver substantial processing capability despite the lower power per card.

This China-specific strategy follows a challenging period for AMD in that region, including an $800 million charge related to its MI308 accelerator after it was blocked under earlier rules. NVIDIA has also suffered, losing an estimated $5.5 billion in revenue when its H20 series was barred, and seeing its Chinese market share drop from roughly 90 percent in 2021 to about 50 percent today. These developments have created an opening for AMD to compete on both price and supply reliability. AMD's approach mirrors NVIDIA's release of a restricted-performance version of its Blackwell-architecture B20 GPU for China. Priced more competitively than previous China-compliant offerings, the Radeon AI PRO R9700 will arrive in the third quarter of 2025 alongside NVIDIA's B20. AMD intends to present its full AI silicon roadmap at the Advancing AI Summit on June 12, positioning the R9700 as a targeted solution for enterprises and research institutions rather than for hyperscale cloud environments.

Lisuan Technology announced this week on its official WeChat channel that it has successfully powered on its prototype G100 graphics card. The company describes the G100 as China's first domestically designed 6 nm GPU, marking a significant milestone in its effort to challenge established industry players. With the first silicon now operational, Lisuan is moving into driver development, software validation, and broader system integration testing. Although Lisuan has provided few formal specifications, rumors indicate that SMIC is fabbing the G100 die, currently the only Chinese foundry capable of producing a 6 nm node under US export restrictions. Rumors describe the performance as being on par with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4060 in mid-range gaming tests, alongside generous onboard memory, efficient power consumption, and support for DirectX 12, Vulkan 1.3, and OpenGL 4.6. If accurate, these features could position the G100 for both gaming and general-purpose GPU workloads.

Founded in late 2021 by a team of former Silicon Valley engineers with more than 25 years of collective chip-design experience, Lisuan Technology is among the youngest entrants in China's graphics-chip sector. It follows Biren Technology (established in 2019) and Moore Threads (established in 2020) in their pursuit of a homegrown alternative to foreign GPU offerings. Beijing's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency has encouraged such ventures, and Lisuan insists its TrueGPU architecture is fully developed in-house rather than licensed from outside sources. The G100 was initially slated for a 2023 launch but encountered financial headwinds that nearly forced Lisuan into bankruptcy in 2024. A $27.7 million capital injection from the parent company, Dongxin Semiconductor, kept development on track through tape-out and early risk-production trials. Lisuan now plans to ship small volumes of G100 cards in the third quarter of 2025, with mass availability more likely in 2026.