Intel, Microsoft, and a fabless semiconductor company making analog, mixed-signal, and audio DSP, Cirrus Logic, have collaborated on a new reference laptop design to showcase the upcoming Lunar Lake mobile CPUs. The goal is to enable "cool, quiet, and high-performance" laptops that push the boundaries of efficiency, thickness, and acoustics. The reference design incorporates three key components from Cirrus Logic - the CP9314 power converter chip, CS42L43 audio codec, and CS35L56 amplifier. The CP9314 is the most critical element, using advanced power conversion technology to improve Lunar Lake's power efficiency significantly. This enables thinner and quieter laptops with longer battery life. The codec and amplifier chips also play a role, providing high-quality audio with next-generation features like spatial audio support.

Together, these Cirrus Logic components aim to highlight Lunar Lake's capabilities for efficiency, performance, and immersive experiences in a thin and light form factor. While details remain scarce on the Lunar Lake CPUs themselves, they are expected to arrive later this year, likely in the second half. If the reference laptops live up to their promises, Lunar Lake could help Intel regain leadership in mobile computing efficiency, which has been lacking since the introduction of Apple's M series SoCs, which have superior battery life. With expert collaboration from Microsoft and Cirrus Logic on the peripheral hardware and software, Lunar Lake may usher in a new generation of cool, quiet, and powerful laptops.

TrendForce reports that 3Q23 has been a historic quarter for the world's leading IC design houses as total revenue soared 17.8% to reach a record-breaking US$44.7 billion. This remarkable growth is fueled by a robust season of stockpiling for smartphones and laptops, combined with a rapid acceleration in the shipment of generative AI chips and components. NVIDIA, capitalizing on the AI boom, emerged as the top performer in revenue and market share. Notably, analog IC supplier Cirrus Logic overtook US PMIC manufacturer MPS to snatch the tenth spot, driven by strong demand for smartphone stockpiling.

NVIDIA's revenue soared 45.7% to US$16.5 billion in the third quarter, bolstered by sustained demand for generative AI and LLMs. Its data center business—accounting for nearly 80% of its revenue—was a key driver in this exceptional growth.

TrendForce reports that inventory reduction in Q1 fell short of expectations and coincided with the industry's traditional off-season, leading to overall subdued demand. However, due to new product release and a surge in urgent orders for specialized specifications, Q1 revenue of the global top ten IC design houses remained on par with 4Q22, with a modest QoQ increase of 0.1% for a total revenue of US$33.86 billion. Changes in ranking included Cirrus Logic slipping from the top ten as well as the ninth and tenth positions being replaced by WillSemi and MPS, respectively. The rest of the rankings remained unchanged.

The smartphone supply continues to grapple with overstock, but AI applications are entering a period of rapid growth
Qualcomm witnessed an uptick in its revenue, largely attributed to the launch and subsequent shipments of its latest flagship chip, the Snapdragon 8Gen2. The company saw 6.1% in QoQ growth in its smartphone business, which effectively offset the downturn from its automotive and IoT sectors. As a result, Qualcomm's Q1 revenue increased marginally by 0.6%, cementing its position at the top of the pack with a market share of 23.5%.

The global economy has faced increased inflation risks and downstream inventory corrections in 2H22, which have affected IC design houses faster than wafer foundries, as they are far more sensitive and responsive to market reversals. TrendForce reports that adverse factors such as weak overall consumption, restrictions from China, and the slowdown of corporate IT spending and CSP demand have impacted the revenue performance of the world's top 10 IC design houses in 4Q22, leading to a QoQ decline of 9.2%, or approximately US$33.96 billion.

TrendForce predicts that the revenue of these top 10 companies keep declining—though with a slight convergence—into 1Q23, owing to ongoing inventory corrections across the entire supply chain as well as Q1 being the traditional off-season for consumer demand. Demand will continue to be weak despite new product launches and inventory replenishment in the supply chain.

MOONDROP's Blessing2 (and Blessing2:Dusk) IEMs get credited for being a benchmark in the world of in-ear monitors at the $300 price point, having re-defined expectations and besting far more expensive products when it comes to technical and tuning performances. A successor has been hotly anticipated thus and now we have the all-new Blessing 3 coming in at the same $320 price point. It uses a 2 DD/4 BA hybrid driver configuration paired with a see-through resin shell that has greatly improved comfort owing to a smaller shell and nozzle—thus addressing the biggest issue with the Blessing2—and a polished stainless steel nozzle on top. The Blessing 3 uses MOONDROP's VDSF tuning to put forth a neutral/bright tuning that we'll examine in more detail in an upcoming review, but those who can't wait can purchase the product from retailers such as HiFiGo right now.

Releasing alongside is a Bluetooth neckband accessory called LittleWhite. It uses a Cirrus Logic CS4131 DAC and has digital signal processing support integrated with a first-party app to allow for specific MOONDROP wired IEMs to have EQ profiles generated so they all get tuned similarly to hit the desired target easier. This can help significantly as seen in our recent coverage of the MOONDROP Quarks DSP, and MOONDROP promises high quality Bluetooth audio with a long battery life (~12 hours). The LittleWhite supports Bluetooth 5.2 with codecs including aptX and LHDC courtesy the Qualcomm QCC5144 SoC, has integrated microphones for calls, and the app provides parametric EQ support for other IEMs you wish to use wirelessly too. It sells for $89.99 from retailers including HiFiGo for those interested.

Creative Technology launched Sound Blaster X5, its latest USB DAC and amplifier sound card that ticks all the boxes on a discerning audiophile's gear wish list. Decked with class-leading components, breakthrough audio technologies, a comprehensive connectivity profile and sporting a premium look and feel in a sleek build, the X5 simply pulls out all the stops as a compelling audio solution like no other.

Sound Blaster X5 personifies the best of Creative's audio engineering and design expertise, equipped with audiophile-grade components to achieve exceptional audio quality. It is the first Sound Blaster to feature a dual-DAC design - 2 Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs deliver high-resolution lossless playback in 32-bit / 384 kHz over PCM with ultra-high dynamic range of up to 130 dB SNR. These DACs can also decode audio formats in DoP128 and DSD256 for high-fidelity audio streaming. Audio distortion is practically non-existent with an oversampled multi-bit modulator for an incredibly low Total Harmonic Distortion rating of 0.00018%.

Global market intelligence firm TrendForce reports that the revenue generation momentum of the global IC design industry slowed down in 3Q22. The main factors behind this development were the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, the recent COVID-19 lockdowns in China, the ongoing inflation, and clients undergoing inventory corrections. The total revenue of the global top 10 IC design houses came to US$37.38 billion for 3Q22, showing a QoQ decline of 5.3%. Qualcomm remained first place in the ranking of the global top 10 IC design houses by revenue for 3Q22. Broadcom returned to second place by overtaking NVIDIA and AMD, who slipped to third and fourth respectively due to weakening demand for PCs and cryptocurrency mining machines.

Regarding US-based IC design houses that were in the top 10 group for 3Q22, Qualcomm recorded a QoQ increase for the sales of smartphone SoCs and 5G modem chips. It also made gains in the automotive electronics market by expanding its collaborations with partners in the automotive industry. As a result, Qualcomm's 3Q22 revenue figures for mobile and automotive offerings reflected QoQ increases of 6.8% and 22.0% respectively. The revenue growth of these two major product categories offset the marginal decline in the revenue for RF front-end chips. Qualcomm's IC design revenue as a whole climbed up by 5.6% QoQ to US$9.90 billion for 3Q22. The company sat firmly at the top of the ranking.

After a successful launch of its MOONRIVER 2 portable DAC/amplifier (review coming up on TechPowerUp), MOONDROP announced a cut-down version using the same dual Cirrus Logic CS43131 DAC chips and dual crystal oscillators, but in a dongle form factor. Making the DAWN quite novel in the dongle market is the output adopting a 4.4 mm balanced TRRS connector rather than the usual 3.5 mm audio jack, meaning you will have to get adapters or go with headphones/earphones that use 4.4 mm cables. In return, this fully balanced connection provides some truly excellent and independently verified metrics including an SNR of 132 dB and THD+N 0.00017% with up to 4 Vrms output in high gain that translates to an output power of 230 mW@32 Ω and 54 mW@300 Ω to easily drive the vast majority of consumer headphones even, let alone earphones/IEMs. The MOONDROP DAWN with its aluminium alloy shell weighs under 14 g, measures 120 x 16.4 mm, can decode PCM playback up to 32-bit/768 kHz and native DSD256, and costs $70 from the likes of HiFiGo and SHENZHENAUDIO for those interested.

According to the latest TrendForce statistics, the top ten IC designers worldwide posted a combined revenue of US$39.43 billion in 1Q22, or 44% growth YoY. Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Broadcom ranked in the top three. After the acquisition of Xilinx, AMD surpassed MediaTek in the fourth position. In addition, according to TrendForce tracking of IC design industry trends, revenue generated by Will Semiconductor and Cirrus Logic was enough to be included in the top ten for the first time.

Benefiting from growth performance in handsets and RF front-end divisions in addition to its IoT and automotive divisions in 1Q22, Qualcomm's quarterly revenue reached US$9.55 billion, or 52% growth YoY, ranking number one in the world. The expanded application of GPUs in data centers boosted this portion of NVIDIA's revenue to 45.4%, surpassing the 45% accounted for by its gaming business, combining for a total revenue of US$7.9 billion, or 53% growth YoY. Broadcom's revenue from semiconductor solutions is substantial, including network chips, broadband communication chips, and storage and bridging chips. Its business has maintained stable sales performance, with revenue reaching US$6.11 billion, or 26% growth YoY. After the addition of Xilinx, AMD's revenue reached US$5.89 billion, or 71% growth YoY. However, even excluding Xilinx, due to strong sales in its enterprise, embedded and semi-customized divisions, AMD's own business revenue still hit an all-time high of US$5.33 billion.

What's this? A new high-end internal sound-card launch? From EVGA? We must be dreaming! The NU-Audio internal sound card is the most unexpected product from our visit to EVGA's suite on Monday. Developed in partnership with British audiophile hardware maker Audio Note and sold under the EVGA badge, the NU-Audio is a full-height internal sound card with PCI-Express 2.0 x1 bus interface. At its heart is an XMOS xCORE 200 PCIe audio processor with an Azalia-like pipeline. The main DAC is an Asahi Kasei AK4493, fronted by an Analog Devices OP275 OPAMP for the main headphones channel, and AD8056 for the line-out channel.

The card has some serious input chops as output, with the main line-in powered by an Asahi Kasei AK5572, and a Cirrus Logic CS53456 for the microphone-in channel. As an analog sound card, you only get 2 channels. You'll need optical TOSLINK for 5.1 channels. A combination of WIMA and Audio Note electrolytic capacitors are used across the card. The electrical area is ground-layer isolated, draws power from a SATA power input, and uses a Texas Instruments TPS7A47 voltage regulator. All connections between the electrical and audio areas are filtered, and copper EMI shielding covers vital audio components, in addition to the outer shroud. The PCB itself is chunky (possibly 4-layer with 2 oz copper layers).

ASUS today announced Xonar U7 MKII, a high-quality USB sound card and headphone amplifier. The compact Xonar U7 MKII is an upgraded version of the acclaimed Xonar U7 and features true 7.1-channel,192kHz/24-bit high-definition (HD) surround-sound output for incredible audio performance. Xonar U7 MKII comes with ASUS Sonic Studio, a software utility with an intuitive single-screen interface that provides complete control over a wide range of audio features, and Sonic Radar Pro, a feature for gamers that visually maps in-game sounds in first-person shooter (FPS) games to provide a competitive advantage.

ASUS Xonar U7 MKII retains the compact USB-powered design that was a highlight of the original Xonar U7 and delivers true 7.1-channel, 192kHz/24-bit HD audio, outperforming most available USB-powered audio devices. With a high-quality Cirrus Logic CS4398 digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and exclusive ASUS Hyper Grounding technology, Xonar U7 MKII has a 114dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), ensuring ultra-pure sound for the best listening experiences. The small size of Xonar U7 MKII takes up minimal room on a desk, and makes it easily portable, so laptop users can enjoy great-sounding audio anywhere.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced Maximus VIII Extreme/Assembly and Matrix GTX 980 Ti, our flagship Z170 gaming motherboard primed for epic gaming performance and overclocking, and the enthusiast graphics card that delivers record-breaking performance and extreme overclocking potential - both finessed with ROG's all-new futuristic Plasma Copper scheme for color-matched extreme gaming and overclocking rigs.

Introducing the stunning Plasma Copper color scheme, ASUS ROG's Global Marketing Director, Derek Yu, said: "To be ROG is to be the rebel. To be ROG is to break every rule. We are rebellious ROG, breaking our own rules to envision a new future. A future forged with striking distinction. ROG is red. ROG is black. And now ROG is also Plasma Copper: elite assemblies for elite gamers. This is our mark of invincibility - and the new emblem of dominance for the world's best gamers."

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced Maximus VII Formula and Maximus VII Formula/Watch Dogs, Z97 chipset-based ATX gaming motherboards ready for the latest 4th-, new 4th- and 5th-generation Intel Core processors - codenamed 'Haswell', 'Haswell Refresh', 'Haswell Refresh K-Series' ('Devil's Canyon') and 'Broadwell' - and engineered with many new and exclusive ROG game-boosting features.

The Maximus VII Formula series supports dual-channel up to DDR 3300+ (OC) memory, and quad-GPU SLI and 3-way CrossFireX for gaming rigs with multiple graphics-processing units (multi-GPU). The new motherboard series also includes two SATA Express and ten SATA 3.0 connectors, as well as eight USB 3.0 and six USB 2.0 ports.

MSI, world leading in motherboard technology, is pleased to announce its unleashing of the Z97 GAMING 9 AC motherboard to the public. The Z97 GAMING 9 AC from MSI is a custom designed motherboard, decorated with luscious new heat-sinks and unique Dragon Armor that highlight an arsenal of new features found on the board. It's masterpiece being Xtreme Audio DAC, a premium dedicated onboard sound card with specially selected high quality audio components, set up and tuned by professionals delivering 120dB Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR) 192kHz / 32-Bit of purest sound quality for studio-grade Hi-Fi solutions and gaming headgear. The MSI Z97 GAMING 9 AC also comes with an Intel Wi-Fi AC module with Bluetooth 4.0 and Intel WiDi support.

Having superior sound quality while gaming is the decisive factor between a kilI or be killed. The MSI Z97 GAMING 9 AC motherboard comes with a premium Hi-Fi sound card, delivering 192kHz / 32-Bit 120 dB SNR bit-perfect audio quality, onboard! Premium audio components like a C-Media HD Audio Processor, Wolfson WM8741 DAC and Texas Instruments TPA6120A2 amplifier are selected for the truly amazing sound quality. Enjoy pure sound quality and a breathtaking, never heard before, gaming sound experience that gives you the upper hand on your enemy.

Cirrus Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ : CRUS) and Wolfson Microelectronics plc (LSE : WLF or WLF.L) today announced the terms of a recommended transaction under which Cirrus Logic would acquire Wolfson at a price of £2.35 per share in cash, implying an enterprise value of £278 million, or approximately $467 million. The transaction, if approved, is expected to strengthen Cirrus Logic's ability to expand its customer base with highly differentiated, end-to-end audio solutions for portable audio applications. The transaction will be financed by a combination of existing cash on Cirrus Logic's balance sheet and $225 million in debt funding.

"Wolfson has a rich history of audio innovation, a broad catalog of audio products and a first class customer list," said Jason Rhode, Cirrus Logic President and Chief Executive Officer. "This acquisition strengthens Cirrus Logic's core business as a leader in audio signal processing components, enhances our ability to differentiate our products with software, and adds new product categories such as MEMS microphones to our portfolio."