If you're on the Socket AM4 platform, AMD is never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you; never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie, and hurt you. The company is reportedly giving finishing touches to a firecracker of a sub-$200 chip for price-conscious gamers, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. That's right, AMD is bringing 3D V-cache technology to the mid-range, with a new 6-core processor based on the "Zen 3" microarchitecture, but enjoying the gaming performance boost from 96 MB of L3 cache on tap.

AMD already has a 6-core X3D Socket AM4 chip, the Ryzen 5 5600X3D, which joined the product stack a couple of years after AMD's original Ryzen 7 5800X3D took the gaming PC processor scene by storm, matching the then swanky new Core i9-12900K "Alder Lake" despite being based on an older-generation "Zen 3" architecture. Not much else is known about the 5500X3D, except that it could have a lower clock speed than the 5600X3D. Back in November 2023, when news of the 5700X3D first hit the scene, the 5500X3D was rumored to be a 6-core/12-thread chip with 3.00 GHz base frequency and 4.00 GHz maximum boost, compared to the 3.30 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost frequency of the 5600X3D. Given that AMD launched the 5600X3D at $230, AMD could target a sub-$200 price point to wow gamers on AM4, such as $199.

German PC components online retailer Mindfactory is no Amazon, but is meticulously transparent with its sales data to the public, which allows us to gauge consumer interest in products, at least in the European context. AMD last week launched its Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X Socket AM5 desktop processors powered by the latest "Zen 5" microarchitecture, which were met with mixed reviews, with the tech press remarking on very little IPC gain over the previous "Zen 4" generation, which is salvaged somewhat with their better energy efficiency. It's been 5 days since market availability for these two chips, and they aren't exactly flying off the shelves over at Mindfactory.

Remember what we said about Mindfactory being transparent with its sales numbers? The retailer even puts out a counter of how many units of a product it sold, and how many page views a product's store page got. As of this writing (13/8, 15:00 UTC), Mindfactory sold just between 20-30 Ryzen 5 9600X processors, with just under 600 page views for the product. The Ryzen 7 9700X is very slightly better, but not by much—just 30-40 pieces sold, and under 1,200 page views. To give you some context, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which has been out since April 2023, sold close to 68,000 units on this store. HardwareTimes reports that the 9700X is #39 most popular processor on Amazon in August 2024, and #45 on Newegg. We guess what's happening here is a combination of consumers waiting to see how the 9900X and 9700X perform, what the 9000X3D series and Intel's next-generation bring to the table, and favoring previous-gen incumbents such as the 7800X3D, i9-14900K, etc., which have had price cuts over the past several months.

G.Skill, the world's leading brand of performance overclock memory and PC components, is releasing an overclock memory specification with ultra-low latency at DDR5-6400 CL30-39-39-102 in 32 GB (2x 16 GB) kit capacity. This high performance specification will be available under the Trident Z5 RGB and Trident Z5 Royal series with Intel XMP 3.0 overclock profile support, as well as under the Trident Z5 Neo RGB and Trident Z5 Royal Neo series with AMD EXPO overclock profile support.

The G.Skill R&D team strives to push the limits of memory performance, and low latency is a key factor in memory overclocking for enthusiasts and overclockers. Compared to the standard DDR5-4800 CL40, this new DDR5-6400 CL30 specification makes improvements upon the memory speed and latency. And since this is a high-performance specification, it's important to check the compatibility of the motherboard and CPU.

Game Science, the developer behind the highly anticipated action RPG "Black Myth: Wukong," has released a free benchmark tool on Steam for its upcoming game. This standalone application, separate from the main game, allows PC users to evaluate their hardware performance and system compatibility in preparation for the game's launch. The "Black Myth: Wukong Benchmark Tool" offers a unique glimpse into the game's visuals by rendering a real-time in-game sequence. While not playable, it provides valuable insights into how well a user's system will handle the game's demanding graphics and performance requirements. One of the tool's standout features is its customization options. Users can tweak various graphics settings to preview the game's visuals and performance under different configurations. This flexibility allows gamers to find the optimal balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay for their specific hardware setup.

However, Game Science has cautioned that due to the complexity and variability of gaming scenarios, the benchmark results may not fully represent the final gaming experience. This caveat shows the tool's role as a guide rather than a definitive measure of performance. The benchmark tool's system requirements offer a clear picture of the hardware needed to run "Black Myth: Wukong." At a minimum, users will need a Windows 10 system with an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and either an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB or AMD Radeon RX 580 8 GB graphics card. For an optimal experience, the recommended specifications include an Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, or Intel Arc A750 graphics card. Interestingly, the benchmark tool supports DLSS, FSR, and XeSS technologies, indicating that the final game will likely include these performance-enhancing features. The developers also strongly recommend using an SSD for storage.

In a recent report by Mercury Research, AMD has shown significant progress in the CPU market during Q2 2024, particularly in the data center and laptop segments. AMD's most notable achievement comes in the server CPU space, where it now holds 24.1% of the market, a 5.6% increase year-over-year, and a 0.5% increase from the previous quarter. This growth is particularly impressive in terms of revenue, with AMD capturing 33.7% of server CPU revenue despite its lower unit share. This suggests that AMD's high-end EPYC processors carry premium prices in the data center market and are most of the unit volume. AMD has also made advancements in the laptop CPU segment, reaching a 20.3% market share. This represents a 1% increase from the previous quarter and a 3.8% rise year-over-year. The company's success in laptops can be attributed to solid demand for its existing products, propelled by Intel's reported supply issues with Meteor Lake processors.

However, AMD experienced a slight setback in the desktop CPU market, losing a 1% share to Intel quarter-over-quarter. AMD now controls 23% of this segment, compared to Intel's 77%. This dip may be due to AMD's preparation for the launch of its new Zen 5-based CPUs in August. Despite AMD's gains, Intel maintains its overall dominance in the CPU market. In the total client PC space, Intel holds a 78.9% market share, with AMD at 21.1%. Intel still holds the majority of revenue and market share on all fronts. However, AMD is executing well, and Intel's financial troubles could be a setback for team blue. More competition at every front is great to see, and we are curious to look at the data from upcoming quarters and analyze how well both of companies perform.

AMD today announced the completion of its acquisition of Silo AI, the largest private AI lab in Europe. The all-cash transaction valued at approximately $665 million furthers the company's commitment to deliver end-to-end AI solutions based on open standards and in strong partnership with the global AI ecosystem. Silo AI brings a team of world-class AI scientists and engineers to AMD experienced in developing cutting-edge AI models, platforms and solutions for large enterprise customers including Allianz, Philips, Rolls-Royce and Unilever. Their expertise spans diverse markets and they have created state-of-the-art open source multilingual Large Language Models (LLMs) including Poro and Viking on AMD platforms. The Silo AI team will join the AMD Artificial Intelligence Group (AIG), led by AMD Senior Vice President Vamsi Boppana.

"AI is our number one strategic priority, and we continue to invest in both the talent and software capabilities to support our growing customer deployments and roadmaps," said Vamsi Boppana, AMD senior vice president, AIG. "The Silo AI team has developed state-of-the-art language models that have been trained at scale on AMD Instinct accelerators and they have broad experience developing and integrating AI models to solve critical problems for end customers. We expect their expertise and software capabilities will directly improve the experience for customers in delivering the best performing AI solutions on AMD platforms."

A critical security flaw known as "Sinkclose" (CVE-2023-31315) has been identified in all AMD processors dating back to 2006, potentially affecting hundreds of millions of devices worldwide. This vulnerability allows malicious actors to exploit the chip architecture, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data. Researchers Enrique Nissim and Krzysztof Okupski, researchers from the security firm IOActive, have revealed that the vulnerability can be exploited through various methods, enabling attackers to extract confidential information from affected systems, including passwords and personal data. The issue is especially concerning, given that it is present in all AMD CPUs made in the last 18 years and their widespread use in both consumer and enterprise environments. However, to exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must possess access to system's kernel. Downloading of malware-infused files can trigger it, so general safety measures are recommended.

The Sinkclose method exploits a little-known capability in AMD processors called TClose. This name is a blend of "TClose" and "Sinkhole," with the latter referring to a previous vulnerability found in Intel's System Management Mode in 2015. AMD chips employ a protective mechanism named TSeg, which blocks operating systems from accessing a specific memory area reserved for System Management Mode (SMM), known as System Management Random Access Memory (SMRAM). However, the TClose feature is designed to maintain backward compatibility with older hardware that might use the same memory addresses as SMRAM. It does this by remapping memory when activated. The security experts discovered that they could manipulate this TClose remapping function using only standard operating system permissions. By doing so, they could deceive the SMM into retrieving altered data, enabling them to redirect the processor and run their own instructions with the high-level privileges of SMM. This technique essentially allows attackers to bypass standard security measures and execute malicious code at one of the most privileged levels of the processor, potentially compromising the entire system.

The demand for AI accelerators is going strong, and the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer, TSMC, has just confirmed that with its July 2024 revenue report. According to its latest July 2024 data, TSMC has reported a consolidated revenue of NT$256.95 billion, or about $7.94 billion at the time of writing. This represents a massive 23.6% jump from June 2024 and a 44.7% from July 2023, when revenue came in at NT$207.869 billion and NT$177.616 billion, respectively. For revenue throughout the year, measured from January to July, TSMC booked NT$1.523 trillion, or about $47 billion at the current rate. For this 7-month period, TSMC's revenue has increased by 30.5% Year-on-Year (YoY), showing great demand and an uptick in the company's production capabilities.

Of course, this is possible thanks to the massive demand driving AI chip sales from various startups and established giants like NVIDIA and AMD. Another vital customer for TSMC is Apple, which produces smartphone and Mac chips at Taiwanese facilities. The solid financial results from TSMC suggest that other fabless chip designers in its ecosystem may also experience positive outcomes in their earnings. It's worth noting that the semiconductor supply chain operates on a long-term planning basis, with arrangements made months in advance. As such, we can expect advanced silicon solutions to reach new customers in the coming months, further driving growth in the sector.

ASRock has released the AGESA 1.2.0.0a patch A BIOS update for its AM5 motherboards, enhancing compatibility and performance for AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors. The update is available for ASRock's AM5 motherboard lineup, including models with X670E, B650E, B650, and A620 chipsets. This new BIOS version allows users to fully leverage the capabilities of the Ryzen 9000 series processors, providing improved system performance and stability.

Users can easily download and install the update from the ASRock official website or use features like BIOS Flashback and Instant Flash. ASRock recommends updating to the latest BIOS version to ensure optimal system compatibility and performance for AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors.

MSI is excited to announce the launch of the latest AMD Ryzen 9000 Series processors, set to debut on the AM5 platform. Powered by advanced 4 nm CPU process technology, the Ryzen 9000 Series promises to revolutionize the computing landscape with unmatched performance, efficiency, and versatility for gamers and content creators. At launch, August 8th, AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, and Ryzen 5 9600X are available while the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X will launch on August 15th. These processors will feature up to 16 cores and 32 threads, with a theoretical maximum boost clock speed of 5.7 GHz, 64 MB of L3 cache, and a maximum TDP of 170 W.

AMD Ryzen 9000 Series will also support PCIe 5.0 for the GPU and M.2 while enhancing DDR5 memory speed. Notably, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X offers approximately 12% better overall performance than the first-gen AMD 3D V-cache CPU. All these processors are compatible with the AM5 socket, and existing AMD 600 Series motherboards and Ryzen 9000 Series processors can seamlessly integrate by updating to the latest BIOS, available on MSI's product support page.

V-COLOR Technology Inc. is excited to announce the expansion of their product lineup with the launch of the DDR5 MANTA DDR5 XFinity Filler Kit. This powerful combo features speeds ranging from 5600 to 7200 MHz. The SSC 2+2 kit showcases V-COLOR's commitment to innovation and quality, highlighted by the Patented RGB Filler Kit designed specifically for AMD Ryzen systems. It is fully EXPO-Ready, ensuring seamless automatic overclocking. It offers full control over lighting and performance, while being synchronized across motherboards from leading brands like ASUS, ASROCK, GIGABYTE and MSI. The DDR5 MANTA XFinity RGB Filler kit will come with the Lost Ark edition as well the standard edition with capacities of 32 GB (2x16GB) and 48 GB (2x24GB) configuration and will be available in mid-September 2024, providing tech enthusiasts and professionals alike with a remarkable solution for their computing needs.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, IPC solutions, and storage devices, today is excited to announce a brand-new BIOS update for its AMD AM5 motherboards, designed to support AMD's latest Ryzen 9000 series processors, including Ryzen 9 9950X, Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 7 9700X, and Ryzen 5 9600X. Incorporating the latest AMD AGESA 1.2.0.0.a Patch A BIOS update on BIOSTAR official website, BIOSTAR AM5 series motherboards consisting of X870E, X670E, B650E, B650, A620, and A620A are now primed and ready to unleash the full potential of AMD's ZEN 5 processors with superior stability.

AMD's latest Ryzen 9000 series processors, built on the groundbreaking Zen 5 architecture, represent a significant leap forward in computing performance and efficiency. These processors offer up to 16 cores and 32 threads, with clock speeds reaching up to 5.7 GHz. Featuring enhanced IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) performance and advanced Ryzen AI capabilities, the Ryzen 9000 series is engineered to handle intensive gaming, content creation, and professional workloads with ease. The new architecture also introduces improved power efficiency, ensuring cooler operation and lower energy consumption. With these cutting-edge processors, users can experience unprecedented levels of speed, responsiveness, and overall computing power.

Giga Computing, a subsidiary of GIGABYTE and an industry leader in generative AI servers and advanced cooling technologies, today released two GIGABYTE R-series servers (R183-ZK0 and R283-ZK0) with enhanced performance and reliability for cloud services and data-intensive applications. These highly scalable memory capacity servers support AMD EPYC 9004 processors and are ready for select 5th generation AMD EPYC processors with up to 192 CPU cores.

These new GIGABYTE servers are the first and only ones in the market that are one node with two CPUs that support 48 memory DIMMs. GIGABYTE's rich history in motherboard design and engineering with great signal integrity make this possible, a server with 12 TB memory using 256 GB DDR5 3DS RDIMMs. To accommodate a 12-memory channel platform with a 2DPC configuration and without compromising, a new memory layout was developed.

AIC, a global leader in design and manufacturing of industrial-strength servers, in partnership with Unigen Corporation has launched the EB202-CP-UG, an ultra-efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) inference server boasting over 400 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of performance. This innovative server is designed around the robust EB202-CP, a 2U Genoa-based storage server featuring a removable storage cage. By integrating eight Unigen Biscotti E1.S AI modules in place of standard E1.S SSDs, AIC is offering a specialized configuration for AI, the EB202-CP-UG—an air-cooled AI inference server characterized by an exceptional performance-per-watt ratio that ensures long-term cost savings.

"We are excited to partner with AIC to introduce innovative AI solutions," said Paul W. Heng, Founder and CEO of Unigen. "Their commitment to excellence in every product, especially their storage servers, made it clear that our AI technology would integrate seamlessly."

AMD, with a post on X confirmed the pricing and availability of its new Ryzen 9000 "Granite Ridge" desktop processor models. These were supposed to launch on July 31, but faced a delay, and are now facing a staggered launch. The 8-core Ryzen 7 9700X and 6-core Ryzen 5 9600X will be available from tomorrow, August 8, 2024. The flagship 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X and 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X follow a week later, on August 15. The company also confirmed pricing of the four chips in USD SEP. The Ryzen 9 9950X is confirmed with a $650 price, followed by the Ryzen 9 9900X at $500, the Ryzen 7 9700X at $360, and the Ryzen 5 9600X at $280. These are slightly cheaper than their predecessors, with the 7950X, 7900X, 7700X, and 7600X, launching at $700, $550, $400, and $300, respectively.

MSI, a leading global server provider, is showcasing its new CXL (Compute Express Link)-based server platform powered by 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors at The Future of Memory and Storage 2024, at the Samsung booth (#407) and MemVerge booth (#1251) in the Santa Clara Convention Center from August 6-8. The CXL memory expansion server is designed to enhance In-Memory Database, Electronic Design Automation (EDA), and High Performance Computing (HPC) application performance.

"By adopting innovative CXL technology to expand memory capacity and bandwidth, MSI's CXL memory expansion server integrates cutting-edge technology from AMD EPYC processors, CXL memory devices, and advanced management software," said Danny Hsu, General Manager of Enterprise Platform Solutions. "In collaboration with key players in the CXL ecosystem, including AMD, Samsung, and MemVerge, MSI and its partners are driving CXL technology to meet the demands of high-performance data center computing."

AMD announced the Q3-2024 edition of its "This is Why We Game" bundle. The company is bundling either "Unknown 9 Awakening," or "Warhammer 40000: Space Marine II," or both, with new purchases of select AMD Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards across its add-in board (AIB) partner ecosystem, and AMD Ryzen 7000 series desktop processors. It is also available to notebooks powered by Ryzen 7000S and 7000HS series mobile processors. The bundle is open worldwide (except China and a few other countries). The Japanese edition of this bundle only covers certain higher-end models of Ryzen processors and Radeon RX graphics cards.

Lossless Scaling, an all-in-one paid gaming utility for scaling and frame generation, is set to introduce an outstanding 4x FPS mode to its Lossless Scaling Frame Generation (LSFG) technology. Officially announced in the Lossless Scaling Discord and showcased by the YouTube user Vyathaen, the upcoming 4x FPS mode is expected to arrive in the upscaler's frame generation option within this week. While YouTube videos may not fully capture the experience and benefit of this improvement, beta testers have reported that the latency remains consistent with the current 2x FPS option, ensuring that most games will remain perfectly playable given a sufficiently high base framerate. For those seeking a more comprehensive demonstration, the Lossless Scaling official Discord server features a Cyberpunk 2077 video that better illustrates the capabilities of the 4x FPS mode.

The journey of Lossless Scaling has been marked by continuous innovation since its initial release. Version 2.1, launched in June, introduced a 3x FPS mode, effectively tripling framerates. Additionally, it brought performance optimizations that enhanced the speed of the 2x FPS mode compared to previous iterations. The update also included refinements for scenarios where the final frame rate surpasses the monitor's refresh rate. The software is universally compatible with all GPUs and PC games, including emulated titles, requiring only windowed mode and Windows 10 1903 or newer. While the LSFG frame generation technology and LS1 upscaler are proprietary, for upscaling, users can choose one of the many underlying options depending on their GPU like AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution, NVIDIA Image Scaling, Integer Scaling, Nearest Neighbor, xBR, Anime4K, Sharp Bilinear, Bicubic CAS. Below, you can check out the YouTube video with 4x frame generation example.

AMD is rumored to be readying two new entry-level desktop GPU models in the Radeon RX 7000 series. These are the RX 7400 and the RX 7300, which probably succeed the RX 6500 XT and RX 6400, respectively. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the two are the silicon they're based on. Apparently, AMD is carving the two out from its 6 nm "Navi 33," the same chip it uses for its Radeon RX 7600 and RX 7600 XT SKUs.

The "Navi 33" monolithic silicon is based on the RDNA 3 graphics architecture, and has 16 workgroup processors (WGPs), or 32 compute units (CU), worth 2,048 stream processors, 64 AI accelerators, 32 Ray accelerators, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The silicon is maxed out in the RX 7600 and RX 7600 XT, and we haven't seen anything to suggest the existence of a desktop RX 7500, which means the RX 7400 and RX 7300 could be heavily cut down from the chip, with AMD reducing not just the CU count, but even the 128-bit GDDR6 memory bus width.

A fleet of recent reports have highlighted stability issues affecting Intel's 13th and 14th-generation desktop processors, raising concerns among consumers and industry professionals. The problem, which has gained significant attention over the past few months, is related to the processors' physical degradation over time. Custom PC builder Puget Systems has shared insights from its experience with these processors, revealing a nuanced perspective on the issue. While it has observed an increase in CPU failures, particularly with the 14th-generation chips, its failure rates remain notably lower than those reported by some game development studios and cloud gaming providers, who have cited failure rates as high as 50%. An interesting observation is that Puget Systems recorded a higher failure rate with AMD Ryzen 5000 and Ryzen 7000 series than Intel's 13/14th generation, with most failures happening at Puget's shop rather than the "field" in customers' hands.

Puget Systems attributes their more modest failure rates of Intel processors to their conservative approach to power management settings. By adhering strictly to Intel's specifications and developing their own power settings that don't hurt performance, they've managed to mitigate some of the stability issues plaguing other users. Intel has acknowledged the problem and announced plans to release a microcode patch by mid-August, with extended warranty program. This update is expected to prevent further degradation but may not reverse existing damage. Despite the elevated failure rates, Puget Systems' data shows that the issue, while concerning, still needs to be at critical levels for their operations. The company reports that failure rates for 13th and 14th gen Intel processors, while higher than ideal, are still lower than those they experienced with Intel's 11th gen chips and some AMD Ryzen processors. In response to the situation, Puget Systems is taking several steps, including maintaining its current power management practices, promptly validating Intel's upcoming microcode update, and extending warranties for affected customers. Below, you can see failure rates by month, by Intel's Core generation, as well as by "shop" vs "field" testing.

NVIDIA has reportedly been hit with a US Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust probe over the tactics the company allegedly employs to sell or lease its AI GPUs and data-center networking equipment, "The Information" reported. Shares of the NVIDIA stock fell 3.6% in the pre-market trading on Friday (08/02). The main complainants behind the probe appear to be a special interest group among the customers of AI GPUs, and not NVIDIA's competitors in the AI GPU industry per se. US Senator Elizabeth Warren and US progressives have been most vocal about calling upon the DOJ to investigate antitrust allegations against NVIDIA.

Meanwhile, US officials are reportedly reaching out to NVIDIA's competitors, including AMD and Intel, to gather information about the complaints. NVIDIA holds 80% of the AI GPU market, while AMD, and to a much lesser extent, Intel, have received spillover demand for AI GPUs. "The Information" report says that the complaint alleges NVIDIA pressured cloud customers to buy "multiple products". We don't know what this means, one theory holds that NVIDIA is getting them to commit to buying multiple generations of products (eg: Ampere, Hopper, and over to Blackwell); while another holds that it's getting them to buy multiple kinds of products, which include not just the AI GPUs, but also NVIDIA's first-party server systems and networking equipment. Yet another theory holds that it is bundle first-party software and services to go with the hardware, far beyond the basic software needed to get the hardware to work.

ASUS is betting bigger on game consoles or PCs built like consoles. The company in 2023 introduced the first ROG Z13 Flow, a gaming-grade tablet, powered by a 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" processor and mid-tier RTX 40-series "Ada" discrete mobile GPU. The 2025 ROG Z13 Flow is a 13-inch, 16:10 tablet with an integrated kickstand. You can use it like a handheld with touch controls, or place it on a surface and use conventional gaming peripherals, such as keyboard+mouse, or a game controller. Since the device is meant to provide a AAA gaming experience, it packs some serious kit.

Apparently, the 2025 ASUS ROG Z13 Flow will implement AMD's upcoming "Strix Halo" processor that packs up to 16 "Zen 5" CPU cores, and an oversized iGPU with 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units (2,560 stream processors), and a 256-bit LPDDR5 memory interface, besides a 50 TOPS-class NPU to qualify for Copilot+ AI PC rating. Such a chip would meet the hardware goals of the ROG Z13 Flow, and eliminate the need for a discrete GPU, letting ASUS reduce the mainboard size. The power management of "Strix Halo" would see the CPU and SoC given a roughly 30 W budget, and the iGPU roughly 80 W. Its cooling solution focuses squarely on the "Strix Halo" chip, with no other major chip on the device (the SoC is wired out to serve all chipset functions, no FCH needed).

Official Ryzen 9000-series pricing has leaked just ahead of the launch, courtesy of Newegg and BestBuy in the US. Serial leaker @momomo_us over at X/Twitter managed to snap screenshots of the pricing before it was removed by the retailers. This might've been because of a mixup, since the Ryzen 9000-series was supposed to launch today, before being pushed back to the 8th and 14th of August respectively, depending on the SKU. Admittedly the pricing might still change, but it's highly likely that the leaked pricing is AMD's MSRP for the four new CPUs, as both of the retailers have listed identical pricing for the four SKUs.

The good news for prospective buyers of the new CPUs is that AMD has lowered the pricing across the board compared to the launch pricing for the Ryzen 7000-series, especially at the higher-end. The Ryzen 5 9600X should have an MSRP of US$279, followed by US$359 for the Ryzen 7 9700X. That's US$20 and US$40 lower than their Ryzen 7000-series counterparts respectively. The Ryzen 9 9900X should retail for US$449, followed by US$599 for the Ryzen 9 9950, both US$100 less than their Ryzen 7000-series counterparts. This could in part be due to the expected X3D parts coming at a later point in time and AMD now knowing it has to offer the non X3D SKUs for a more competitive price point.

According to sources close to Bloomberg, Intel plans to cut 10,000 jobs from its global workforce. The news comes amid heavy pressure on the semiconductor giant, which has been on a steady decline over the years, while other industry rivals like AMD and NVIDIA have been rising and taking market share in various areas from Intel. It is reported that Intel currently has 110,000 employees globally, and reducing the workforce by 10,000 would net Intel around 100,000 global employees left. These figures exclude employees from spun-out units like Altera FPGA company, which is under Intel's ownership. Intel's aim to reduce its workforce is expected to come with a significant cost benefit to the company, with projected savings of $10 billion by 2025.

The news isn't yet official, but it is expected to see the light of the day as soon as this week. As Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger invests heavily into the fab construction and development of next-generation products, there have been a few notes that Intel would have to overcome some challenges shortly to reach its long-term goals like more advanced silicon manufacturing facilities and new products for AI/HPC and client sector. One of those short-term measures is reducing the workforce to cut down expenses. Intel has reduced its workforce before. In 2022, the company announced reduced spending in non-critical areas and reducing the workforce, and in 2023, cut the workforce by 5% to 124,800 employees last year, only to be left with 110,000 employees in 2024.

AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) today announced revenue for the second quarter of 2024 of $5.8 billion, gross margin of 49%, operating income of $269 million, net income of $265 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.16. On a non-GAAP(*) basis, gross margin was 53%, operating income was $1.3 billion, net income was $1.1 billion and diluted earnings per share was $0.69.

"We delivered strong revenue and earnings growth in the second quarter driven by record Data Center segment revenue," said AMD Chair and CEO Dr. Lisa Su. "Our AI business continued accelerating and we are well positioned to deliver strong revenue growth in the second half of the year led by demand for Instinct, EPYC and Ryzen processors. The rapid advances in generative AI are driving demand for more compute in every market, creating significant growth opportunities as we deliver leadership AI solutions across our business."