Intel's next-generation client CPU staple product, "Nova Lake-S", has reportedly taped out of TSMC's fabs in Taiwan. Our previous speculation from the rumor mill suggested that Intel would utilize its own internal 18A node, with help from TSMC's 2 nm high-volume manufacturing. According to SemiAccurate, Intel has taped out a compute tile on TSMC's N2 node, meaning that Nova Lake-S will likely utilize a mix of 18A and TSMC N2 for its compute tiles. A possible reason for this decision is that Intel is building a chain of fall-backs to rely on in case its 18A node doesn't deliver, or it anticipates demand so high that its internal manufacturing capacity can't provide. Either way, clients can expect the product to be delivered on time in H2 of 2026, but under the hood, some interesting solutions may be present.

As far as the exact date, the time from a tapeout to final product is months away. Right now, the taped-out silicon tile is being powered on in Intel's labs and tested, running various test cases that stress out the silicon for multiple use cases and check for correctness of operation. Typically, power on takes a few weeks to a month to achieve, and final high-volume manufacturing will commence only a few months later. From that point, another two to three months are needed for manufacturing and shipping the product, meaning that Q3 of 2026 is the most likely target for Nova Lake-S. As a reminder, the CPU will combine 52 cores (16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and four LPE-cores) paired with 8,800 MT/s memory controller and Xe3 "Celestial" for graphics rendering and Xe4 "Druid" for media and display duties, making it definitely an interesting product, as well as a difficult manufacturing target due to the heterogenous complexity.

Apple is preparing to release a major update for its Vision Pro headset before the end of the year. Inside, the current M2 chip will be replaced by the newer M4 SoC, built on a 3 nm process from TSMC. That extra shrink brings noticeably better CPU and GPU performance and a more capable neural engine, so you'll see smoother AI-powered features right on the headset. Apple hasn't stopped there, listening to early adopters and revamping the headband with softer padding and better balance to shift weight away from your face. At roughly 600 to 650 grams, the Vision Pro can feel heavy after only a few minutes, and this change should make longer sessions feel much more comfortable.

Behind the scenes, Apple is also working on a wired model called N107 for users who need rock-solid, low-latency connections to a Mac. Consider surgical training or complex CAD design, where even the slightest delay is unacceptable. If you're looking for something lighter and more affordable, Apple has that covered as well. A completely new Vision Pro, under the code name N100, is slated for 2027. By using slimmer lenses and lighter materials, it should shed several hundred grams without skimping on screen clarity or battery life. We expect to hear more about it as the Vision Pro 2 launch gets closer.

Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has announced that its next-generation release will require RISC‑V processors to meet the newly ratified RVA23 profile. This specification, approved back in April, includes full support for Vector Instructions 1.0 and a Hypervisor extension. As Laurine Kirk, security researcher at Google, notes, by setting this higher baseline, Ubuntu 26.04 will no longer run on roughly 90% of existing RISC-V single-board computers, including the popular Raspberry Pi-style boards, unless their hardware is upgraded. Canonical's move puts it in step with Google and Microsoft, both of which have already targeted RVA23 for their RISC‑V builds. This change will drive manufacturers to ship more secure, future-proof silicon, helping to guard against exploits like GhostWrite, a memory-access vulnerability discovered last year in T-Head's XuanTie C910 CPUs.

We discussed RISC-V ecosystem fragmentation with Andrea Gallo, then the CTO and now the CEO of the RISC-V Foundation, regarding the fragmentation within the RISC-V ecosystem. "If you want to claim that you are RISC-V compatible, then there's an architecture compatibility test suite that verifies that you are complying with the ISA. We run the same tests on a golden reference model and compare the signatures of the tests to ensure alignment with the specification." He added that "We just ratified the RVA23 Profile. The newly ratified RVA23 Profile is a major release for the RISC-V software ecosystem and will help accelerate widespread implementation among toolchains and operating systems." For anyone who wants to ship a working RISC-V processor, be it data center or mobile, the RVA23 profile is the one that guarantees no fragmentation and compatibility.

AMD's openSIL project, a solution for open CPU silicon initialization code aimed at replacing traditional AGESA, has reached another milestone. Back in February, we reported on AMD promising full support for "Turin" and "Phoenix" server and client SoCs. The company initially targeted the end of 2024 for the release of proof-of-concept code, but failed to meet this deadline. A new target was subsequently set for the first half of 2025. As we roll into the second half, AMD openSIL now supports only the EPYC 9005 series Turin server processors, with Phoenix client SoCs still in development. AMD firmware engineers explained: "Currently, the Phoenix openSIL PoC release is still being worked on internally at AMD. We have encountered some delays in obtaining the necessary approvals to open-source the code, which has impacted our timeline. We are actively working to resolve these issues and are making every effort to expedite the process."

The path towards a fully open-source silicon initialization code is difficult, as it can expose many microarchitectural details. These are usually closely protected, as IP from Zen cores is valuable. An AMD engineer also added, "We understand the importance of this project to the open-source community and are committed to delivering it as promised." Nonetheless, the primary goal remains achieving full production readiness with the upcoming Zen 6 architecture. The openSIL project promises to enhance Coreboot support and provide developers with full access to low-level system components.

Intel's next-generation "Oak Stream" platform is preparing to accommodate the upcoming "Diamond Rapids" Xeon CPU generation, and we are receiving more interesting details about the top-end configurations Intel will offer. According to the HEPiX TechWatch working group, the Diamond Rapids Intel Xeon 7 will feature up to 192 P-cores in the top-end SKU, split across four 48-core tiles. Intel has dedicated two primary SKU separators, where some models use eight-channel DDR5 memory, and the top SKUs will arrive with 16-channel DDR5 memory. Using MRDIMM Gen 2 for memory will enable Intel to push transfer rates to 12,800 MT/s per DIMM, providing massive bandwidth across 16 channels and keeping the "Panther Cove" cores busy with sufficient data. Intel planned the SoC to reach up to 500 W in a single socket.

As one of the first mass-produced 18A node products, Diamond Rapids will be the first to support Intel's APX, also featuring numerous improvements to the efficiency of AMX. Intel also plans to embed native support for more floating-point number formats, such as NVIDIA's TF32, and lower-precision FP8. As most of the world's inference is good enough to run on a CPU, Intel aims to accelerate basic inference operations for smaller models, enabling power users to run advanced workloads on CPUs alone. With a 1S, 2S, and 4S LGA 9324 configuration, Diamond Rapids will offer 768 cores in a single server rack, with a power usage of only 2000 W. Supporting external accelerators will be provided via the PCIe Gen 6 connector. Scheduled for arrival in 2026, Intel could time the launch to coincide with its upcoming "Jaguar Shores" AI accelerators, making a perfect pair for a complete AI system.

ASUS IoT, a leader in AIoT solutions, today introduces R680EA-IM-Z, a high-performance industrial ATX motherboard built to empower advanced industrial applications with exceptional processing power and robust reliability. Powered by 14th Gen Intel Core processors, R680EA-IM-Z delivers up to 21%-faster CPU performance, providing the optimal foundation for AI-enabled machine vision, robotics and real-time data analysis.

Optimized for data-heavy industrial workloads, R680EA-IM-Z efficiently handles high-resolution image processing and complex algorithmic tasks. Its advanced computing capability ensures seamless integration into intelligent manufacturing and automation systems - where real-time responsiveness and unwavering reliability are essential.

Monster Hunter Wilds players on PC have recently had a bit of a rough time of things when it comes to performance, with the game's recent Steam reviews seeing a number of players complaining about random stutters, FPS drops, and a general lack of optimization. Even gamers playing on relatively high-end recent GPUs, like the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT report that their experience has been tainted by poor performance, even if the actual game content is good. With the latest Monster Hunter Wilds patch, though, Capcom is attempting to address those performance issues—and the resulting slew of negative reviews—as announced today in a post on X.

While there are new monsters, weapons, cosmetics, equipment, and other in-game content, the majority of the focus of the 1.020.00.00 update (full notes here) is on those performance updates. Capcom has changed the way shader compilation works, now making the CPU-intensive task take place the first time you run the game after an update as well updated a slew of upscaler and frame generation changes, primarily adding DLSS 4 and FSR 4 support for GPUs newer than the GeForce RTX 2000 series and AMD Radeon RX 9000 series. The new fix also allows players to mix upscaling and frame generation methods, which should allow players to better tune the game's visuals and performance. Additional fixes to the game include reduced VRAM usage from texture streaming and a more accurate calculation of estimated VRAM consumption. Steam users also now get a notification upon launching Monster Hunter Wilds if they are running an unsupported operating system or out-of-date GPU drivers, or if they are running the game in compatibility mode.

An Apple-first attempt at making an affordable computer is underway. The company is working on a new 13-inch laptop that promises to bring the power of its latest iPhone chip to a more budget-friendly computer. Rather than using one of its custom M‑series processors, this model will run on the A18 Pro, which currently powers the top iPhone lineup. By tapping into existing smartphone-grade CPUs, Apple aims to reduce manufacturing costs without compromising everyday performance for students and casual users. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, mass production could start as early as the late fourth quarter of 2025 or the early first quarter of 2026. The design will resemble a slim MacBook Air, with a screen measuring approximately 13 inches across, a unibody case, revised vents (possibly none), and ports, in smartphones the A18 Pro is passively cooled.

To add some flair, Apple plans to offer the laptop in several colors, like silver, blue, pink, and yellow, similar to its earlier iMac palette. This affordable MacBook is a key component of Apple's strategy to boost desktop and laptop shipments back to their pre-pandemic peak of roughly 25 million units, now projected for 2026. Following a slowdown this year, the company anticipates shipping approximately 20 million MacBooks in 2025. The new 13‑inch model alone is forecast to account for five to seven million of those sales, making it one of Apple's most important products next year. How well the A18 Pro SoC handles the desktop load remains to be seen, but for basic office and everyday tasks, it could be a very usable device. The single-core A18 Pro performance is comparable to the latest M4, but the multi-core performance lags behind, so incorporating a mobile-grade chip will be an interesting addition to Apple's Mac product stack.

In just a few years, AMD has gone from the underdog to Intel's most serious challenger in the server world. Thanks to its EPYC processors, AMD now captures about a third of every dollar spent on server CPUs, up from essentially zero in 2017. Over that same period, Intel's share has slipped from nearly 100% to roughly 63%, signaling a significant shift in what companies choose to power their data centers. The real inflection point came with AMD's Zen architecture: by mid-2020, EPYC had already claimed more than 10% of server-CPU revenues. Meanwhile, Intel's rollout of Sapphire Rapids Xeons encountered delays and manufacturing issues, leaving customers to look elsewhere. By late 2022, AMD was over the 20% mark, and Intel found itself under 75% for the first time in years.

Looking ahead, analysts at IDC and Mercury Research, with data compiled by Bank of America, expect AMD's slice of the revenue pie to grow to about 36% by 2025, while Intel drops to around 55%. Arm-based server chips are also starting to make real inroads, forecast to account for roughly 9% of CPU revenue next year as major cloud providers seek more energy- and cost-efficient options. By 2027, AMD could approach a 40% revenue share, Intel may fall below half the market, and Arm designs could capture 10-12%. Remember that these figures track revenue rather than unit sales: AMD's gains come primarily from high-end, high-core-count processors, whereas Intel still shifts plenty of lower-priced models. With AMD poised to launch its Genoa and Bergamo EPYCs and Intel banking on the upcoming E-core Xeon 6 series to regain its footing, the fight for server-CPU supremacy is far from over. Still, Intel's once-unbeatable lead is clearly under threat.

China's Loongson has introduced its latest server processor family, the LS3C6000 series, its most powerful domestically designed processor. These new chips use Loongson's fourth-generation microarchitecture and pack 16 64-bit superscalar LA664 cores on each die. With simultaneous multi-threading, the single-die "S" model handles 32 logical threads, while the dual-die "D" and quad-die "Q" versions support 64 and 128 threads, respectively. Operating between 2.0 GHz and 2.2 GHz, the family delivers peak double-precision FP64 performance of 844.8 GigaFLOPS for S units, 1.612 TeraFLOPS for D units, and 3.072 TeraFLOPS for Q units. Each core benefits from 64 KB of dedicated instruction cache and 64 KB of data cache, plus a 256 KB private L2 cache, while a shared 32 MB L3 cache serves all cores on a die.

Memory bandwidth is served by four 72-bit DDR4-3200 channels in the S version and eight channels in larger SKUs, and connectivity comes via 64 PCI Express lanes for S models and 128 lanes for D and Q models, alongside SPI, UART, I²C and GPIO ports. Security is addressed through an integrated SE module with a secondary LA264 core that accelerates SM2, SM3, and SM4 cryptographic functions. Loongson relies on its proprietary Coherent Link interconnect, which uses PCI Express-style links and board-level direct paths to scale up to 256 logical cores in multi-socket systems. Power consumption ranges from 100 to 120 W for S parts, 180 to 200 W for D parts, and 250 to 300 W for Q parts. Loongson suggests that its 16-core S model competes with Intel's (now old) third-generation Xeon Scalable processors, while its 64-core Q model is roughly comparable to the Xeon Platinum 8380 with 40 cores and 80 threads.

Samsung's Exynos 2500 SoC has appeared on Geekbench, this time giving us a clearer indication of what to expect from the upcoming SoC that will power the next generation of Samsung flagship smartphones. There are three total runs that have appeared on Geekbench, putting forward anywhere between 2303 and 2356 points in the single-core Geekbench 6 benchmark and 8062 and 8076 points in the multicore benchmark. Meanwhile, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite in the current-generation Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra manages a single-core score of 2883 and a multicore score or 9518 on the same Geekbench 6 benchmark. Samsung recently made the Exynos 2500 public, with the spec sheet revealing a Samsung Xclipse 950 GPU paired with 10 Arm Cortex CPUs (1× Cortex-X5, 2× Cortex-A725 at 2.74 GHz, 5× Cortex-A725 at 2.36 GHz, and 2× Cortex A520 at 1.8 GHz).

The new SoC is reportedly the first chip to use Samsung's 3 nm GAA process, and leaks suggest that Samsung may be using the new SoC across its entire next-gen global smartphone line-up, starting with the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip 7. This would be a stark departure from previous releases, where the US versions of the Galaxy S line-up featured Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, with the international Galaxy S smartphones packing the in-house Exynos designs. In recent years, however, Samsung has pivoted to using Snapdragon SoCs across all regions.

A research team from Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Germany, alongside AMD Germany, introduced a game-changing approach to procedural tree creation that runs entirely on the GPU, delivering both speed and flexibility, unlike anything we've seen before. Showcased at High-Performance Graphics 2025 in Copenhagen, the new pipeline utilizes DirectX 12 work graphs and mesh nodes to construct detailed tree models on the fly, without any CPU muscle. Artists and developers can tweak more than 150 parameters, everything from seasonal leaf color shifts and branch pruning styles to complex animations and automatic level-of-detail adjustments, all in real-time. When tested on an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, the system generated and pushed unique tree geometries into the geometry buffer in just over three milliseconds. It then automatically tunes detail levels to maintain a target frame rate, effortlessly demonstrating stable 120 FPS under heavy workloads.

Wind effects and environmental interactions update seamlessly, and the CPU's only job is to fill a small set of constants (camera matrices, timestamps, and so on) before dispatching a single work graph. There's no need for continuous host-device chatter or asset streaming, which simplifies integration into existing engines. Perhaps the most eye-opening result is how little memory the transient data consumes. A traditional buffer-heavy approach might need tens of GB, but researcher's demo holds onto just 51 KB of persistent state per frame—a mind-boggling 99.9999% reduction compared to conventional methods. A scratch buffer of up to 1.5 GB is allocated for work-graph execution, though actual usage varies by GPU driver and can be released or reused afterward. Static assets, such as meshes and textures, remain unaffected, leaving future opportunities for neural compression or procedural texturing to further enhance memory savings.

In another breakthrough in single-board computing, AAEON has released the de next-RAP8, the world's smallest board featuring embedded 13th Generation Intel Core Processors, measuring just 3.31" x 2.17" (84 mm x 55 mm). Available with a choice of the Intel Core i7-1365UE, Intel Core i5-1335UE, or Intel Core i3-1315UE, all at 15 W, the de next-RAP8 can leverage up to 10 cores and 12 threads. The board also boasts up to 16 GB of LPDDR5x system memory and Intel Iris Xe graphics.

Designed for drone and robotics applications, the de next-RAP8 hosts two Intel-based RJ-45 ports, one for 2.5GbE and one for 1GbE speeds, alongside two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports on its rear I/O. Rounding off its physical ports are an HDMI 1.2a port and a 12 V DC Jack. The board adds to these with a relatively dense set of pin headers and connectors. Given the board's target application fields being robotics and drones, the most notable inclusions are an 8-bit GPIO, four USB 2.0, and two RS-232/422/285 signals, all of which are available via a 40-pin header on the board's CPU-side. For more industrial use, the de next-RAP8 offers SMBus/I2C as an optional function.

Thanks to a new comparison video from the YouTube channel MxBenchmarkPC, the Paris Tech Demo by Scans Factory is put through its paces on an RTX 5080, running side by side in Unreal Engine 5.6 and version 5.4 with hardware Lumen enabled. That way, we get to see what Epic Games has done with the hardware optimization in the latest release. In GPU‑limited scenarios, the upgrade is immediately clear, with frame rates jumping by as much as 25% thanks to better utilization of graphics resources, even if that means the card draws a bit more power to deliver the boost. When the CPU becomes the bottleneck, Unreal Engine 5.6 really pulls ahead, smoothing out frame-time spikes and delivering up to 35% higher throughput compared to the older build. Beyond the raw numbers, the new version also refines Lumen's visuals. Lighting feels more accurate, and reflections appear crisper while maintaining the same level of shadow and ambient occlusion detail that developers expect.

Unreal Engine 5.6 was officially launched earlier this month, just after Epic Games wrapped its Unreal Fest keynote, where it teased many of these improvements. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing enhancements now shift more of the Lumen global illumination workload onto modern GPUs, and a Fast Geometry Streaming plugin makes loading vast, static worlds feel seamless and stutter-free. Animators will appreciate the revamped motion trails interface, which speeds up keyframe adjustments, and new device profiles automatically tune settings to hit target frame rates on consoles and high‑end PCs. To showcase what's possible, Epic teamed up with CD Projekt Red for a The Witcher IV tech demo that runs at a steady 60 FPS with ray tracing fully enabled on the current-gen PlayStation 5 console. If you're curious to dive in, you can download Unreal Engine 5.6 Paris - Fontaine Saint-Michel Tech Demo today and explore it for yourself on your PC.

Valve has rolled out a significant upgrade to its in-game performance tools with the June 17 Beta client update. Instead of a simple FPS counter, Steam now offers a full Performance Monitor that tracks frame rate alongside CPU and GPU utilization, clock speeds, temperatures, and memory usage. Players can view real-time graphs for each metric or opt for a pared-down display showing only FPS. The overlay also flags when frame-generation features like DLSS or FSR are active, clearly separating true rendered frames from those created by upscaling technology. This clarity helps gamers understand whether a smooth experience results from extra generated frames or genuine improvements in rendering.

Competitive and detail-focused users will appreciate knowing both the true game-frame counts and upscaled FPS so they can fine-tune settings based on actual performance. If the monitor shows full GPU memory, reducing texture quality becomes an obvious fix, and if CPU usage is maxed out, dialing back physics or draw distance may be the answer. Currently, the Performance Monitor is only available to Steam Beta participants. Valve plans to roll out additional metrics over time and notes that not every feature will be compatible with every system from the start. Anyone curious to try the new tools should switch to the beta client and explore the updated overlay options. Once these features reach full release, millions of PC gamers will have powerful diagnostics at their fingertips, making it easier than ever to balance visual quality with smooth performance.

A little over a year has passed since we last heard rumors about AMD releasing a sub-$200 chip for price-conscious gamers, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D for AM4. Well those rumors recently became reality as leaker @Zed__Wang on X spotted it on AMD's website. The "new" AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a six-core, twelve-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture using TSMC's 7 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3 GHz with boost speeds up to 4 GHz (the old 5600X3D runs 3.3 GHz base and 4.4 GHz boost clocks), with a 105 W power budget. The processor features 384 KB of L1 cache, 3 MB of L2 cache, and a substantial 96 MB of L3 cache.

The 5500X3D's main selling point is its 3D V-Cache technology combined with AM4 socket compatibility for existing systems. If you already have an AM4 system and aren't ready for a complete upgrade, the 5500X3D could be worth considering as a drop-in performance boost. The decision will largely depend on pricing when it becomes available since currently it isn't yet listed on any e-commerce websites. For new builds, a modern AM5 processor like the Ryzen 5 7600X or 9600X would be a better choice, offering more future upgrade paths.

MSI has released the latest AMD AGESA ComboPI-1.2.0.3e BIOS, supporting all AMD AM5 models, including X870, B850, B840, X670, B650, and A620 chipsets. This update not only adds support for upcoming new CPUs, but also enables all AM5 motherboards to support large-capacity 64 GB x4 DRAM chips. MSI motherboards have been optimized for overclocking large-capacity DRAM—compatible with DRAM chips from Micron, Hynix, and Samsung. Even with four 64 GB DRAM fully installed, the system can still achieve a stable overclocking speed of 6000 MT/s, and even up to 6400 MT/s.

In addition, this update optimizes 2DPC 1R capability and includes overclocking enhancements specifically for Samsung's 4Gx8 chips. AGESA 1.2.0.3e has already been rolled out to selected AM5 800 series models, users are able to find the updated BIOS on the MSI website, and MSI will continue to update the remaining AM5 models as soon as possible. Get ready to enjoy the powerful performance brought by memory overclocking!

PEGATRON, a globally recognized Design, Manufacturing, and Service (DMS) provider, is showcasing its latest AI server solutions at GTC Paris 2025. Built on NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, PEGATRON's cutting-edge systems are tailored for AI training, reasoning, and enterprise-scale deployment.

NVIDIA GB300 NVL72
At the forefront is the RA4802-72N2, built on the NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 rack system, featuring 72 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs and 36 NVIDIA Grace CPUs. Designed for AI factories, it boosts output by up to 50X. PEGATRON's in-house developed Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) delivers 310 kW of cooling capacity with redundant hot-swappable pumps, ensuring performance and reliability for mission-critical workloads.

MSI, a global leader in high-performance server solutions, is showcasing its enterprise-grade, high-performance server platforms at ISC 2025, taking place June 10-12 at booth #E12. Built on standardized and modular architectures, MSI's AI servers are designed to power next-generation AI and accelerated computing workloads, enabling enterprises to rapidly advance their AI innovations.

"As AI workloads continue to grow and evolve toward inference-driven applications, we're seeing a significant shift in how enterprises approach AI deployment," said Danny Hsu, General Manager of Enterprise Platform Solutions at MSI. "With modular and standards-based architectures, enterprise data centers can now adopt AI technologies more quickly and cost-effectively than ever before. This marks a new era where AI is not only powerful but also increasingly accessible to businesses of all sizes.

ASUS today joined GTC Paris at VivaTech 2025 as a Gold Sponsor, highlighting its latest portfolio of AI infrastructure solutions and reinforcing its commitment to advancing the AI Factory vision with a full range of NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra solutions, delivering breakthrough performance from large-scale datacenter to personal desktop.

ASUS is also excited to announce a transformative partnership milestone in its partnership with Nebius. Together, the two companies are enabling a new era of AI innovation built on NVIDIA's advanced platforms. Building on the success of the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 platform deployment, ASUS and Nebius are now moving forward with strategic collaborations featuring the next-generation NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 platform. This ongoing initiative underscores ASUS's role as a key enabler in AI infrastructure, committed to delivering scalable, high-performance solutions that help enterprises accelerate AI adoption and innovation.

InstLatX64 has spent a significant chunk of time investigating AMD web presences; last month they unearthed various upcoming "Zen 5" processor families. This morning, a couple of mysterious CPU identifiers—"B50F00, B90F00, BA0F00, and BC0F00"—were highlighted in a social media post. According to screen-captured information, Team Red's Linux team seems to be patching in support for "Zen 6" technologies—InstLatX64 believes that the "B50F00" ID and internal "Weisshorn" codename indicate a successor to AMD's current-gen EPYC "Turin" server-grade processor series (known internally as "Breithorn"). Earlier in the month, a set of AIDA64 Beta update release notes mentioned preliminary support for "next-gen AMD desktop, server and mobile processors."

In a mid-April (2025) announcement, Dr. Lisa Su and colleagues revealed that their: "next-generation AMD EPYC processor, codenamed 'Venice,' is the first HPC product in the industry to be taped out and brought up on the TSMC advanced 2 nm (N2) process technology." According to an official "data center CPU" roadmap, "Venice" is on track to launch in 2026. Last month, details of "Venice's" supposed mixed configuration of "Zen 6" and "Zen 6C" cores—plus other technical tidbits—were disclosed via a leak. InstLatX64 and other watchdogs reckon that some of the latest identifiers refer to forthcoming "Venice-Dense" designs and unannounced Instinct accelerators.

Intel's "Nova Lake-S" desktop processors are getting the finishing touches, with a likely arrival scheduled for the second half of 2026. As the successor to "Arrow Lake Refresh," Nova Lake-S introduces a modular design that separates graphics and media functions across distinct tiles. This approach builds on experience from "Meteor Lake," which splits its graphics engine from its media and display units onto separate chiplets. For Nova Lake-S, Intel plans to employ two different GPU architectures: Xe3 "Celestial" for graphics rendering and Xe4 "Druid" for media and display duties, all within a single package. Celestial will manage primary 3D rendering and gaming workloads, while Druid will handle display pipelines and hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding. By utilizing a more advanced process node, such as TSMC's 2 nm, Intel can optimize media engine performance without increasing costs for the entire GPU subsystem.

On the CPU side, Nova Lake-S is expected to span four primary SKU tiers. The flagship model could feature 52 cores (16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and four LPE-cores). A 28-core version may target high-end laptops and desktops with eight P-cores, 16 E-cores, and four low-power E-cores. A 16-core variant could serve both the lower-power desktop and laptop segments, featuring four P-cores, eight E-cores, and four low-power E-cores. Finally, an 8-core entry-level part offers four P-cores and four low-power E-cores. Although it remains uncertain whether all SKUs will combine both Xe3 and Xe4 tiles, Intel's tile-based strategy makes it straightforward to mix and match GPU configurations for different market segments. Rumors also suggest that Intel may use its 18A node alongside TSMC's advanced processes for various tile elements. As Panther Lake mobile parts approach the second half of 2025 and Arrow Lake Refresh prepares for its desktop release, Nova Lake-S is the pinnacle of Intel's advanced chip packaging.

Epic Games yesterday introduced Unreal Engine 5.6, a significant update designed to ensure that high-fidelity open-world projects maintain a smooth 60 frames-per-second experience on current-generation consoles, high-end PCs, and capable mobile devices by optimizing key rendering and streaming systems, Unreal Engine 5.6 addresses longstanding performance challenges. A central improvement focuses on hardware-accelerated ray tracing for global illumination. The enhanced system shifts critical processing tasks from the CPU to modern GPUs, allowing developers to create more complex lighting scenarios while preserving a locked 60 FPS frame rate. Combined with streamlined Lumen routines, environments gain richer visual detail without sacrificing performance. Content streaming also receives substantial attention. The new Fast Geometry Streaming plugin, currently in experimental mode, enables the loading of large volumes of static geometry on demand without stuttering.

At runtime, asynchronous physics state creation further smooths transitions, ensuring that expansive levels no longer cause unexpected frame drops. Unreal Engine 5.6 also introduces updated device profiles tailored for current consoles and desktop hardware. These profiles automatically adjust graphics settings to meet performance targets, thereby reducing manual configuration and enabling teams to deliver high-quality visuals at stable frame rates. Unreal Engine 5.6 powers the upcoming The Witcher 4 game, which has been demonstrated on the PlayStation 5 console, running at 60 FPS out of the box, with ray tracing. This signals that game optimizations will finally become the norm again, with more powerful hardware delivering higher FPS at higher resolutions in a beautiful, ray-traced open world.

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.

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.