Gigabyte has revealed its first TRX50 motherboard today for AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 7000 Pro and Threadripper 7000 CPUs and to call this board feature packed, would almost be an understatement. The product page is still scant on details, but there's enough there to give us a good idea of what's on offer. The board is a full size ATX board which appears to be somewhere between a high-end consumer board and a workstation board. The heatsink layout isn't as refined as some of Gigabyte's current consumer board, which spoils the overall looks somewhat. With no less than three PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 slots and one PCIe 4.0, one has to wonder if the heatsinks covering the SSDs will be enough, considering how hot PCIe 5.0 drives can get.

The board has a further two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and one PCIe 4.0 x16, so there won't be any need to worry about lack of PCIe lanes per slot here. Somewhat disappointingly, the board only has four DDR5 memory slots, although quad channel support is offered, as well as support for registered DIMMs. The 12 layer PCB also houses a 16+8+4 power phase design, which might be needed based on the expected core count on some of the Threadripper 7000 series CPUs. This is also one of the first boards with onboard USB4 support, with one of the ports offering DisplayPort output, although a DP to DP connection from the graphics card to a DP input on the motherboard is still required. The board also sports a 10 Gbps and a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, WiFi 7, a front header for a 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port and apparently two audio chips, although the list of specs and the board feature image seem to disagree on what's on offer here. The board is likely to be available at the same time as AMD's new Threadripper CPUs.

AMD is expected to launch its Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series processors soon, and we have basic specs of the lineup. Apparently there are two distinct classes of Threadripper processors, similar to the Threadripper 3000 series—one caters to the HEDT segment, and is based on the new AMD Socket TRX5, and the other caters to the workstation market under the Threadripper PRO 7000WX series, and uses a derivative of Socket SP5. There are as many as 7 processor models, all of which are based on the latest AMD "Zen 4" microarchitecture.

The HEDT lineup (Socket TRX5), includes the Ryzen Threadripper 7960X (100-100001352WOF), the Threadripper 7970X (100-100001351WOF), and the Threadripper 7980X (100-100001350WOF). The 7960X is a 24-core/48-thread processor with a maximum boost frequency of 5.30 GHz, and 152 MB of total cache (L2+L3). The 7970X is a 32-core/64-thread model with the same 5.30 GHz maximum boost frequency, and 160 MB of total cache. Leading the pack is the 7980X, a 64-core/128-thread processor that tops out at 5.10 GHz boost, and with 320 MB of total cache. All three models in the HEDT series come with a TDP of 350 W.

EK, the premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to announce the availability of high-end, fully liquid-cooled gaming PCs for the European market. These EK-Fluid Gaming PCs are a work of art, hand-made by the master of custom loop liquid cooling. Aside from being visual masterpieces, their integrated custom cooling enables the user to exploit the maximum of what the latest hardware can offer. By liquid cooling both the CPU and GPU, the PC can easily hit and maintain its highest possible boost frequencies without breaking a sweat.

Plug And Play
Fluid Gaming PCs are the ultimate plug-and-play solution for competitive gamers and enthusiasts to whom gaming isn't just a hobby but a lifestyle. But these PCs are not just geared towards gamers, as there are practically no limits to their utilization. They pack the latest and greatest hardware, including the recently launched Intel Core i9 14th generation CPUs. Besides gaming, they can handle streaming, video editing, and 3D modeling, or can just be a visual showpiece in your office or home. With this new availability in Europe, EK's European customers are just a click away from their next-level custom water-cooled gaming experience with ZERO hassle. The starting EK Fluid Gaming PC lineup for Europe consists of three carefully selected PCs inspired by our Shop The Loop series that include: Zen Lotus, Side Task, and Digital Reef.

Just over a month ago, Gigabyte launched a pair of white motherboards for Intel CPUs and now the company has quietly released a pair of white models for AMD CPUs. The two models are the B650 AORUS Elite AX Ice and the B650M AORUS Elite AX Ice, the main difference being the form factor, as the latter is a microATX board. Besides the white PCB, all of the heatsinks are silver/white in colour, although all the connectors on the boards are black, just as with the Intel boards. The rear I/O shield has also been given the white treatment to better fit into a white case.

However, the Ice boards are not identical in terms of specs to their older siblings, as Gigabyte has done a few minor changes that aren't noticeable at first look. Gigabyte has shifted away from using MTK/AMD and Intel WiFi cards and is now using the Realtek RTL8852CE on these new boards. We should mention that Gigabyte are using the RTL8852CE on later revisions of the black versions as well. It's currently unknown when these new boards will be available and how much they'll retail for.

Realizing the full potential of next-generation deep learning requires highly efficient AI infrastructure. For a computing platform to be scalable and cost efficient, optimizing every layer of the AI stack, from algorithms to hardware, is essential. Advances in narrow-precision AI data formats and associated optimized algorithms have been pivotal to this journey, allowing the industry to transition from traditional 32-bit floating point precision to presently only 8 bits of precision (i.e. OCP FP8).

Narrower formats allow silicon to execute more efficient AI calculations per clock cycle, which accelerates model training and inference times. AI models take up less space, which means they require fewer data fetches from memory, and can run with better performance and efficiency. Additionally, fewer bit transfers reduces data movement over the interconnect, which can enhance application performance or cut network costs.

GIGABYTE, a leader in cloud computing and AI server markets, announced a new strategic framework for AI outlining a blueprint for the company's direction in the AI-driven future of the consumer PC market. The framework features three fundamental pillars: offering a comprehensive AI operating platform, implementing AI-based product design, and engaging in the AI ecosystem with the goal of introducing consumers to a new AI-driven experience.

Providing a comprehensive AI operating platform to meet all-end computing applications
GIGABYTE's AI operating platform caters to all-end computing applications, spanning from the cloud to the edge. In the cloud, GIGABYTE's AI servers deliver robust computing power for demanding AI workloads, encompassing generative AI services and machine learning applications like ChatGPT. At the edge, GIGABYTE's consumer products, such as high-performance graphics cards and gaming laptops, furnish users with instant and reliable AI computing power for a diverse array of applications, ranging from real-time video processing to AI-driven gaming. In scenarios involving AI collaboration systems like Microsoft Copilot, GIGABYTE offers a power-saving, secure, and user-friendly AI operating platform explicitly engineered for the next-generation AI processors like NPUs.

There have been several rumours about AMD's upcoming RX 6750 GRE graphics cards, which may or maybe not be limited to the Chinese market. Details have now appeared of not one, but two different RX 6750 GRE SKUs, courtesy of @momomo_us on Twitter/X and it seems like AMD has simply re-branded the RX 6700 XT and RX 6700, adjusted the clock speed minimally and slapped a new cooler on the cards. To call this disappointing would be an understatement, but then again, these cards weren't expected to bring anything new to the table.

The fact that AMD is calling the cards the RX 6750 GRE 10 GB and RX 6750 GRE 12 GB will help confuse consumers as well, especially when you consider the two cards were clearly different SKUs when they launched as the RX 6700 and RX 6700 XT. Now it just looks like one has las VRAM than the other, when in fact it also has a different GPU. At least the pricing difference between the two SKUs is minimal, with the 10 GB model having an MSRP of US$269 and the 12 GB model coming in at a mere $20 more, at US$289. The RX 6700 XT had a launch price of US$479 and still retails for over US$300, which at least makes these refreshed products somewhat more wallet friendly.

Phison Electronics, a global leader in NAND controllers and storage solutions, announced today that the company has expanded its portfolio of PCIe 5.0 high-speed transmission solutions with PCIe 5.0, CXL 2.0 compatible redriver and retimer data signal conditioning IC products. Leveraging the company's deep expertise in PCIe engineering, Phison is the only signal conditioners provider that offers the widest portfolio of multi-channel PCIe 5.0 redriver and retimer solutions and PCIe 5.0 storage solutions designed specifically to meet the data infrastructure demands of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI+ML), edge computing, high-performance computing, and other data-intensive, next-gen applications. At the 2023 Open Compute Project Global Summit, the Phison team is showcasing its expansive PCIe 5.0 portfolio, demonstrating the redriver and retimer technologies alongside other enterprise NAND flash, illustrating a holistic vision for a PCIe 5.0 data ecosystem to address the most demanding applications of the AI-everywhere era.

"Phison has focused industry-leading R&D efforts on developing in-house, chip-to-chip communication technologies since the introduction of the PCIe 3.0 protocol, with PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 solutions now in mass production, and PCIe 6.0 solutions now in the design phase," said Michael Wu, President & General Manager, Phison US. "Phison's accumulated experience in high-speed signaling enables our team to deliver retimer and redriver design solutions that are optimized for top signal integration, low power usage, and high temperature endurance, to deliver interface speeds for the most challenging compute environments."

ASRock announced its new Challenger monitor series, including CL25FF and CL27FF models, designed for "Light Gaming" that aim to challenge users' perceptions of business displays, offering a gaming-grade experience with high specifications. The Challenger monitor series boasts a remarkable 100 Hz refresh rate, combining Flicker-Free technology to combat screen flickering and AMD FreeSync technology to eliminate screen tearing. Paired with a wide viewing angle IPS panel that supports low blue light mode, users can expect a smooth, detailed visual experience. The Challenger monitor series is your dependable partner for office tasks and, at the same time, an outstanding choice for gaming and entertainment!

Sharper, Wider Visual Presentation
The CL25FF features a wider 24.5-inch screen than standard 23.8-inch business monitors, while the CL27FF takes it a step further with a 27-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution panel, ensuring sharper and more vivid visual images. Through the utilization of IPS screen technology, the Challenger monitor series presents a heightened sense of reality with vibrant color effects and an expansive 178° wide viewing angle, ensuring users can relish a breathtaking visual experience from every perspective.

With the release of AMD Software Adrenalin drivers version 23.10.1 WHQL, AMD has added Anti-Lag+ support for Counter Strike 2, but it appears that this will only result in a VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) ban. Apparently, the Anti-Lag+ feature is implemented by detouring engine dll functions, and any tampering with CS code will result in a VAC ban.

Valve was keen to note that once AMD ships an update, it will work on identifying affected users and reversing the ban. Luckily, the Anti-Lag+ technology only works on Radeon RX 7000 series RDNA 3 graphics cards, so it could be a limited number of Counter Strike 2 players. The issue comes as a surprise considering that Anti-Lag+ has already been implemented in various games, including competitive ones like Apex Legends, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Fortnite, and others, and only has issues with Counter Strike 2 and its VAC system. Hopefully, AMD will fix the issue pretty soon and we will keep an eye out for an update.

According to the editorial blog post published on the Samsung blog by SangJoon Hwang, Executive Vice President and Head of the DRAM Product & Technology Team at Samsung Electronics, we have information that High-Bandwidth Memory 4 (HBM4) is coming in 2025. In the recent timeline of HBM development, we saw the first appearance of HBM memory in 2015 with the AMD Radeon R9 Fury X. The second-generation HBM2 appeared with NVIDIA Tesla P100 in 2016, and the third-generation HBM3 saw the light of the day with NVIDIA Hopper GH100 GPU in 2022. Currently, Samsung has developed 9.8 Gbps HBM3E memory, which will start sampling to customers soon.

However, Samsung is more ambitious with development timelines this time, and the company expects to announce HBM4 in 2025, possibly with commercial products in the same calendar year. Interestingly, the HBM4 memory will have some technology optimized for high thermal properties, such as non-conductive film (NCF) assembly and hybrid copper bonding (HCB). The NCF is a polymer layer that enhances the stability of micro bumps and TSVs in the chip, so memory solder bump dies are protected from shock. Hybrid copper bonding is an advanced semiconductor packaging method that creates direct copper-to-copper connections between semiconductor components, enabling high-density, 3D-like packaging. It offers high I/O density, enhanced bandwidth, and improved power efficiency. It uses a copper layer as a conductor and oxide insulator instead of regular micro bumps to increase the connection density needed for HBM-like structures.

AMD Ryzen processors with 3D Vertical Cache technology, denoted with the "X3D" brand extension on processor model numbers, are showing unexpected popularity numbers with close to a quarter of respondents to a TechPowerUp Frontpage Poll question saying that they use one. In August, we asked our readers if they use a Ryzen X3D processor. The question was "Are you using an AMD Ryzen X3D CPU with 3D V-Cache?" This was a few months into the launch of the Ryzen 7000X3D processor series that restored the gaming performance leadership for AMD against Intel's 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" processors.

Since the poll went live in August, we've seen 31,862 responses. From these, 14,732, or 46% say that they use a classic Ryzen processor (one without 3D V-cache). followed by 9,780 or 31% saying they use an Intel processor; an impressive 4,316 or 14% saying they use a Socket AM4 Ryzen 5000X3D series processor (5800X3D or 5600X3D); followed by 3,034 or 10% saying they use the latest 7000X3D series "Zen 4" processors. The X3D series together make 7,350 votes, or 23%.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, is excited to introduce the best AMD motherboard/GPU combination for professional content creators. BIOSTAR's B650MS2 motherboard, paired with its AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT GPU, is the perfect solution for graphics designers and content creators who desire flawless performance at an attractive price.

The B650MS2 motherboard from BIOSTAR brings features and functionality with globally renowned product quality and durability. Built based on AMD B650 single chip architecture, the B650MS2 is designed to run the latest and greatest AMD Ryzen 7000 series Processors with superior performance. With support for 2-DIMM DDR5 memory up to 96 GB and additional features like PCIe 4.0 M.2 and 2.5 Gigabit LAN, the B650MS2 is an excellent platform for digital creators who prefer a compact system with unparalleled user experience that enhances work efficiency.

ASUS, a global infrastructure solution provider, is excited to announce its participation in the 2023 OCP Global Summit, which is taking place from October 17-19, 2023, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The prestigious annual event brings together industry leaders, innovators and decision-makers from around the world to explore and discuss the latest advancements in open infrastructure and cloud technologies, providing a perfect stage for ASUS to unveil its latest cutting-edge products.

The ASUS theme for the OCP Global Summit is Solutions beyond limits—ASUS empowers AI, cloud, telco and more. We will showcase an array of products:

AMD today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Nod.ai to expand the company's open AI software capabilities. The addition of Nod.ai will bring an experienced team that has developed an industry-leading software technology that accelerates the deployment of AI solutions optimized for AMD Instinct data center accelerators, Ryzen AI processors, EPYC processors, Versal SoCs and Radeon GPUs to AMD. The agreement strongly aligns with the AMD AI growth strategy centered on an open software ecosystem that lowers the barriers of entry for customers through developer tools, libraries and models.

"The acquisition of Nod.ai is expected to significantly enhance our ability to provide AI customers with open software that allows them to easily deploy highly performant AI models tuned for AMD hardware," said Vamsi Boppana, senior vice president, Artificial Intelligence Group at AMD. "The addition of the talented Nod.ai team accelerates our ability to advance open-source compiler technology and enable portable, high-performance AI solutions across the AMD product portfolio. Nod.ai's technologies are already widely deployed in the cloud, at the edge and across a broad range of end point devices today."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today unveiled its latest innovations in analog and logic semiconductor technologies and outlined its blueprint for upcoming technological advancements at its inaugural Samsung System LSI Tech Day 2023 event. Attended by approximately 300 customers and partners at its Samsung Semiconductor U.S. headquarters, the event featured tech sessions led by Samsung executives, covering a wide range of topics from System LSI humanoids to AI and the company's R&D endeavors in the U.S. 11In the opening keynote, Samsung emphasized the company's vision to lead hyper-intelligent, hyper-connected and hyper-data technologies in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era with its comprehensive logic solutions uniquely tailored for various industries.

"Generative AI has quickly emerged as perhaps the most significant trend of the year, demanding more powerful foundational technologies to process data and bring AI to life," said Yong-In Park, President and Head of System LSI Business at Samsung Electronics. "We are paving the path toward a new era of proactive AI, leveraging our Samsung System LSI Humanoid platform, which seamlessly converges our capabilities across a broad spectrum of logic semiconductors, from powerful computational IPs, connectivity solutions to sensors emulating the main five human senses."

AMD is preparing to launch its first APUs on the Socket AM5 desktop platform, with the Ryzen 7000G series. While the company has standardized integrated graphics with the Ryzen 7000 series, it does not consider the regular Ryzen 7000 series "Raphael" processors as APUs. AMD considers APUs to be processors with overpowered iGPUs that are fit for entry-mainstream PC gaming. As was expected for a while now, for the Ryzen 7000G series, AMD is tapping into its 4 nm "Phoenix" monolithic silicon, the same chip that powers the Ryzen 7040 series mobile processors. Proof of "Phoenix" making its way to desktop surfaced with CPU support lists for the latest AGESA SMUs (system management units) compiled by Reous, with the AGESA ComboAM5PI 1.0.8.0 listing support for "Raphael," as well as "Phoenix." Another piece of evidence was an ASUS B650 motherboard support page that listed a UEFI firmware update encapsulating 1.0.8.0, which references an "upcoming CPU."

Unlike "Raphael" and "Dragon Range," "Phoenix" is a monolithic processor die built on the TSMC 4 nm foundry node. Its CPU is based on the latest "Zen 4" microarchitecture, and features an 8-core/16-thread configuration, with 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The star attraction here is the iGPU, which is based on the RDNA3 graphics architecture, meets the DirectX 12 Ultimate feature requirements, and is powered by 12 compute units worth 768 stream processors. Unlike "Raphael," the "Phoenix" silicon is known to feature an older PCI-Express Gen 4 root complex, with 24 lanes, so you get a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 PEG slot, one CPU-attached M.2 NVMe slot limited to Gen 4 x4, and a 4-lane chipset bus. "Phoenix" features a dual-channel (4 sub-channel) DDR5 memory controller, with native support for DDR5-5600. A big unknown with the Ryzen 7000G desktop APUs is whether they retain the Ryzen AI feature-set from the Ryzen 7040 series mobile processors.

The first reviews of Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series) are live, and the results are everything we hoped for when we kicked off the product. Reviewers called out the massive jump in graphics performance, increases in battery life, and improvements in multi-core workloads. The integrated graphics capabilities are especially astounding, putting a wide range of recent game titles within reach in a thin, light, portable system. Check out some of what reviewers have to say:

"It immediately jumps to my number one recommendation for software developers looking for a small and portable laptop. But, given how insanely good this laptop is, I'd also strongly recommend those looking for a laptop for school or home or office use, to really consider this one."—JustJosh

SilverStone introduced the XE360-SP5, an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler for AMD Socket SP5, making it fit for servers and workstations based on the EPYC "Genoa" and "Genoa-X" processors, and its upcoming Ryzen Threadripper HEDT processors, assuming AMD sticks to this socket infrastructure. The cooler features a copper water block that's optimized for the chiplet design of Socket SP5 processors, considering the hottest components (the up to twelve "Zen 4" CCDs) are toward the edges, and the central region has the relatively cooler sIOD. The block does not have an integrated pump, which makes it 1U-capable. It measures 92 mm (W) x 25 mm (H) x 118 mm (D). The block is made of nickel-plated copper, with come of its structural parts being made of aluminium.

A set of 46 cm-long coolant tubes connects the block to the 28 mm-thick 360 mm x 120 mm radiator. This radiator has an integrated pump that turns at speeds of up to 4,000 RPM. A set of three SilverStone 120 mm fans comes included, each of these takes in 4-pin PWM input, turns at speeds ranging between 600 to 2,800 RPM, with a noise level of up to 46 dBA, airflow of up to 87.72 CFM, and 3.09 mm H₂O pressure. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Microsoft put up the latest Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 on Windows Update (retail channel). Referenced in KB5030310, this update to Windows 11 has been found to break the usability of the AMD Software application, or the main control panel utility of AMD Software Adrenalin drivers. The latest Windows 11 cumulative update preview causes AMD Software to reset custom user settings upon each system reboot (hard reboot, which reloads drivers and starts a new user session, not fast startup). The bug does not, however, affect the core display driver functionality. It's more likely that this issue will be addressed by an AMD Software update, than having to wait for the next Windows 11 Patch Tuesday.

AMD's Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000 "Storm Peak" CPU series has not received any form of official announcement—we have relied solely on leaks to find out nitty-gritty details about Team Red's Zen 4-based follow-up to the Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000 lineup. Pre-release samples have been landing online at an increased rate—courtesy of benchmark suite database leaks—with various news sites theorizing that AMD is preparing for an autumn launch window. This prediction is seemingly coming into focus, according to the latest information from insiders at AMD and connected supply chains.

Wccftech reckons that an October 19 launch day has been pencilled in: "Our sources have told us that AMD is all set to unveil its Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7000 CPU family on the 19th of October. This marks more than 1.5 years since the introduction of the Zen 3-based Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000 CPUs. The new processors will once again be primarily positioned in the premium workstation segment with limited DIY availability. OEMs will be offering their pre-built designs along with DIY TRX50 motherboards from various manufacturers."

Today, Google announced its next generation of Chromebook devices, called the Chromebook Plus, said to improve upon the legacy set by Chromebooks over a decade ago. Starting at an enticing price point of $399, this new breed of Chromebooks integrates powerful AI capabilities and a range of built-in Google apps. Notably, it features tools like the Google Photos Magic Eraser and web-based Adobe Photoshop, positioning itself as a dynamic tool for productivity and creative exploration. In collaboration with hardware manufacturers such as Acer, ASUS, HP, and Lenovo, Google is launching a lineup of eight Chromebook Plus devices on the launch date, with more possibly coming in the future.

Each model boasts improved hardware configurations over the regular Chromebook, including processors like the Intel Core i3 12th Gen or the AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series, a minimum of 8 GB RAM, and 128 GB storage. Users are also in for a visual treat with a 1080p IPS display, ensuring crisp visuals for entertainment and work. And for the modern remote workforce, video conferencing gets a substantial upgrade. Every Chromebook Plus comes equipped with a 1080p camera and utilizes AI enhancements to elevate video call clarity, with compatibility spanning various platforms, including Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. Set to be available from October 8, 2023, in the US and October 9 in Canada and Europe, the Chromebook Plus is positioning itself as the go-to device for many users. On the other hand, the AI features are slated for arrival in 2024, when companies ensure their software is compatible.Below you can see the upcoming models.

AMD Radeon RX 7900 series enthusiast-segment graphics cards now start at a street price of $719. A PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 XT Hellhound custom-design graphics card is listed on Newegg for $749, with a coupon code that shaves a further $30 off, bringing it down to this new low price. At this price, the RX 7900 XT offers significantly higher performance per Dollar than the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which starts at $799, and is tested to offer around 5% lower performance than the RX 7900 XT.

Meanwhile, prices of AMD's flagship graphics card, the RX 7900 XTX, has been on a downward slope, too, with a PowerColor RX 7900 XTX Red Devil premium custom-design card being listed for as low as $889 with a coupon discount. This would space the RX 7900 XTX at least $200 apart from the cheapest GeForce RTX 4080, which is starting at $1,089.

Kevin Scott, Microsoft's chief technology officer was interviewed at last week's Code Conference (organized by Vox Media), where he was happy to reveal that his company is having an easier time acquiring Team Green's popular HPC GPU hardware: "Demand was far exceeding the supply of GPU capacity that the whole ecosystem could produce...That is resolving. It's still tight, but it's getting better every week, and we've got more good news ahead of us than bad on that front, which is great." Microsoft is investing heavily into its internal artificial intelligence endeavors and external interests alike (they are a main backer of OpenAI's ChatGPT system). Having a healthy budget certainly helps, but Scott has previously described his experience in this field as "a terrible job" spanning five years of misery (as of May 2023).

Last week's follow-up conversation on-stage in Dana Point, California revealed that conditions have improved since springtime: "It's easier now than when we talked last time." The improved supply circumstances have made his "job of adjudicating these very gnarly conflicts less terrible." Industry reports have Microsoft secretly working on proprietary AI chips with an unnamed partner—CNBC pinpointed Arm as a likely candidate—Scott acknowledged that something is happening behind-the-scenes but it will not be ready imminently: "I'm not confirming anything, but I will say that we've got a pretty substantial silicon investment that we've had for years...And the thing that we will do is we'll make sure that we're making the best choices for how we build these systems, using whatever options we have available. And the best option that's been available during the last handful of years has been NVIDIA."

Acer today launched the company's first Chromebook Plus laptops, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 and Acer Chromebook Plus 514, debuting with Google's Chromebook Plus initiative that offers a new tier of Chromebook performance, emphasizing better hardware designs with upgraded displays and cameras, and paired with new productivity, creativity, and multimedia capabilities.

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 and Acer Chromebook Plus 514 both have the hardware and technology features customers need to stay productive, entertained and connected. These new models are powered by modern high-performance processors, and high-resolution IPS displays and 1080p crystal clear cameras flanked by narrow bezels to keep the focus on the vibrant visuals.