Microsoft has recently published a new build for the Xbox Insider Program which improves boot times for Xbox Series X/S consoles by up to 5 seconds. The improvement only applies to consoles with Energy Saver mode enabled with the total boot time decreasing from 20s to 15s including a new boot animation that has been reduced from nine seconds down to four. The changes will not impact users who are using Standby mode as the console never fully powers off with this enabled which results in higher power consumption. Microsoft made Energy Saver the default power option for consoles earlier this year so these changes should benefit most users when they are rolled out.

The newest addition to the Razer Blade laptop family, the Blade 14, is now available in the fan-favorite colorway Quartz. The Quartz edition will be available specifically on the Blade 14 model that features the NVIDIA GeForce 3070 Ti Laptop GPU alongside the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor for the best balance between power and portability. Additionally, new models of both the Quartz and Black colorways. Existing Razer Blade 14 2022 models will require a software update to utilize these new features.

The updated USB C ports offer speeds up to 40 Gbps and allow for Thunderbolt functionality, meaning that the Blade 14 can be paired with external GPUs like the Razer Core X Chroma.

Microsoft is planning a speedy launch cycle for its next-generation Windows 12 operating system, with reports pointing to a 2024 release to market. This would give Windows 11 roughly 3 years as the company's latest client OS. It could use a major release like Windows 12 to significantly change the user interface, introduce support for newer types of hardware, as well as newer APIs. At this point, Windows 12 hasn't hit any of the public Insider release cycles, so there are no hints as to what direction the OS's development is headed.

Hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, etc., all run their cloud divisions with a specific goal. To provide their hardware to someone else in a form called instance and have the user pay for it by the hour. However, instances are usually bound by a specific CPU and memory configuration, which you can not configure yourself. But instead, you can only choose from the few available options that are listed. For example, when selecting one virtual CPU core, you get two GB of RAM and can go as high as you want with CPU cores. However, the available RAM will also double, even though you might not need it. When renting an instance, the allocated CPU cores and memory are yours until the instance is turned off.

And it is precisely this that hyperscalers are dealing with. Many instances don't fully utilize their DRAM, making the whole data center usage inefficient. Microsoft Azure, one of the largest cloud providers, measured that 50% of all VMs never touch 50% of their rented memory. This makes memory stranded in a rented VM, making it unusable for anything else.

At Azure, we find that a major contributor to DRAM inefficiency is platform-level memory stranding. Memory stranding occurs when a server's cores are fully rented to virtual machines (VMs), but unrented memory remains. With the cores exhausted, the remaining memory is unrentable on its own, and is thus stranded. Surprisingly, we find that up to 25% of DRAM may become stranded at any given moment.

The recent semiconductor shortage has put an unprecedented amount of focus on the industry. Both commercial and government entities have come to recognize the lack of advanced node semiconductor manufacturing capabilities onshore in the United States. Intel Foundry Services (IFS) entry into the commercial foundry space is poised to change all that. As part of IFS Accelerator program, Intel recently announced their new IFS Cloud Alliance program, with Microsoft Azure as one of the inaugural members.

This is the latest chapter in a partnership between Intel and Microsoft that stretches back decades all the way back to the early days of the personal computer. In the last few years, Intel and Microsoft have collaborated on advancing semiconductor design on the cloud by working together to bring out EDA centric cloud compute such as the FX series on Azure, working with EDA vendors to enhance their software to better take advantage of the elasticity of the Azure cloud, as well as collaborating on a secure cloud-based semiconductor development platform for the US Department of Defense RAMP and RAMP-C programs.

Even as the Russo-Ukrainian war continues grassing with no end in sight, Microsoft has warned that Russia is increasing its cyberwarfare-based attacks against Ukraine and the countries that have vowed to support it against external aggressions. The Redmond-based company says that Russia is increasing the rate and complexity of its attacks not only on government agencies, but also on supporting infrastructures such as think thanks, telecommunications, energy, and defense companies. Even humanitarian groups, which have been tirelessly providing Ukraine's population with the resources needed for bare survival, have been in the sights of the former Soviet Union.

All in all, Microsoft has registered attacks 102 organizations from as many as 42 countries. Microsoft's numbers place around 60% of the attacks against NATO members - with the US being one of the favorite targets. Poland too has been particularly affected, being one of the distribution centers for provisions - and a hub for refugees to leave the embattled country. Despite that, Microsoft says only around 29% of the attacks have been successful - likely a testament to both Russia's technological difficulties and the overall reinforced networks and cybersecurity defenses of NATO countries. Even so, resources spent fighting Russia's attacks have an opportunity cost - they can't be spent elsewhere.

Microsoft has discussed upcoming additions to Xbox Cloud Gaming including mouse and keyboard support along with latency improvements during a recent developer event. The current list of Xbox titles supporting keyboard and mouse input is currently quite short but as Microsoft promotes this new feature we would expect this lineup to grow. Microsoft also announced a new Direct Capture feature in their Display Details API that can reduce latency by up to 72 ms to as low as 2 -12 ms compared to 8 - 74 ms with the current pipeline.

This new API does come with some limitations however such as only allowing a maximum resolution of 1440p and not supporting dynamic resolution or HDR yet. These limitations should have a minimal effect on developers as streams are currently limited to 720p on mobile and 1080p on other platforms. Microsoft also plans to launch several new tools soon to assist developers in adding Direct Capture support to their games.

Morgan Brown - Software Engineer @ XboxXbox has been supporting keyboard and mouse for a few years now, and we're working on adding it to streaming for PC users

Today, at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, we went under the hood to share what we've been working on: The next generation of Forza Motorsport to immerse you in the spectacle of racing like you've never seen before. Captured in-game and running on Xbox Series X, we unveiled a brand-new trailer, which debuted alongside the first ever gameplay of Forza Motorsport, showcasing how Maple Valley - a beloved, fan-favorite track since the very first Motorsport game launched in 2005 - is being brought to life in stunning detail and beauty.

In addition to Maple Valley, our trailer introduced players to returning fan-favorite tracks Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and Laguna Seca Raceway. We also revealed Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, a South African track making its Forza Motorsport debut, and the all-new Circuit Hakone set in Japan, an original, high-speed Grand Prix circuit built to showcase the technically advanced, state of the art immersion of the new Forza Motorsport.

Samsung Electronics, today announced that Xbox is joining Samsung Gaming Hub, a new game streaming discovery platform available on 2022 Samsung Smart TVs including Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, QLEDs and 2022 Smart Monitor Series. Samsung Gaming Hub will become the world's first Smart TV platform to include the Xbox app on Smart TVs. With this partnership, Samsung Gaming Hub users are now able to stream over 100 high quality games, through the Xbox app, including blockbuster titles like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. Moreover, they can play new games on day one of release from Xbox Game Studios and enjoy iconic franchises from Bethesda Softworks and more.

Powered by Tizen, Samsung Gaming Hub is a new game streaming discovery platform bridging hardware and software for a better player experience on 2022 Samsung Smart TVs, enabling gamers to instantly access the games they love from industry-leading content partners. In addition to the Xbox app offering hundreds of their favorite games via Xbox Game Pass, gamers can also look forward to an amazing gaming experience with minimized latency and amazing visual graphics thanks to advanced motion enhancements and game-play performance technology across Samsung's 2022 Smart TV lineup and 2022 Smart Monitor Series.

PC OEMs have revealed to market intelligence firm Trendfocus that Microsoft wants them to stop the use of hard-disk drives (HDDs, or mechanical hard-drives) as the main boot device in products powered by Windows 11, from 2023. It's not known how the company will go about enforcing this. One theory holds that it may amend the Minimum System Requirements for the operating system to specify a flash-based storage device, such as an SSD. If push comes to shove, the OS could even refuse to deploy on a machine with an HDD as the boot device.

What's also not known is how this affects SSHDs (hard drives with tiny flash-based storage media and an access-based data-juggling mechanism). Microsoft's decision should come as a boon for entry-level notebook and desktop buyers; as this segment sees OEMs use HDDs as the boot device, the most. There could be a push toward at least DRAMless QLC SSDs, or even single-chip SSDs. Regardless, it's clear that 2.5-inch HDDs are on their way out of the industry. HDD as a technology may still exist in the 3.5-inch form-factor, as they are in high demand from the data-center and surveillance markets as cold storage devices.

The new Microsoft adaptive accessories provide a highly adaptable, easy-to-use system. Each piece is designed in partnership with the disability community to empower people who may have difficulty using a traditional mouse and keyboard to create their ideal setup, increase productivity, and use their favorite apps more effectively. A traditional mouse and keyboard may pose obstacles for someone with limit mobility. These adaptive accessories can perform a variety of functions, thereby alleviating a pain point for those who find it challenging to get the most out of their PC. The Microsoft adaptive accessories have three main components that empower you to configure, 3D print, and customize your own mouse, keyboard inputs, and shortcuts in ways that work best for your specific needs.

The first component is the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse that you can customize with the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse Tail and Thumb Support, or 3D printed tails, to make a mouse that truly works for you. The Microsoft Adaptive mouse core, tail extension, and thumb support come together to create a traditional mouse that's light and portable. Additionally, the thumb support accessory easily switches sides for left or right-handedness.

In a joint effort to make the web more secure and usable for all, Apple, Google and Microsoft today announced plans to expand support for a common passwordless sign-in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium. The new capability will allow websites and apps to offer consistent, secure, and easy passwordless sign-ins to consumers across devices and platforms. Password-only authentication is one of the biggest security problems on the web, and managing so many passwords is cumbersome for consumers, which often leads consumers to reuse the same ones across services. This practice can lead to costly account takeovers, data breaches, and even stolen identities. While password managers and legacy forms of two-factor authentication offer incremental improvements, there has been industry-wide collaboration to create sign-in technology that is more convenient and more secure.

The expanded standards-based capabilities will give websites and apps the ability to offer an end-to-end passwordless option. Users will sign in through the same action that they take multiple times each day to unlock their devices, such as a simple verification of their fingerprint or face, or a device PIN. This new approach protects against phishing and sign-in will be radically more secure when compared to passwords and legacy multi-factor technologies such as one-time passcodes sent over SMS.

Microsoft is giving final touches to a what it refers to as a groundbreaking new security feature update for the Windows 11 operating system, which should significantly improve application-level security, and safeguard you from malicious apps based on the way they behave. Trouble is, to use the feature, you will have to reinstall your operating system (i.e. a clean reinstall), if you're on the current release of Windows 11, or any build that's older than the one that carries this update.

The Smart App Control feature by default blocks untrusted or uncertified applications from running on your PC, and unlike browser-level protections such as Smart Screen, is baked directly into the OS, and monitors application code at a process level, to detect potentially malicious application behavior. It does this using a combination of code-signing by the application publisher and an AI model for trust within the Microsoft cloud. The OS keeps in touch with the cloud 24x7 (whenever the PC is up), to receive the latest threat intelligence and AI model updates from the cloud. It's very likely that Smart App Control will be part of the next significant version milestone of Windows 11 (such as "22H2"), which means everyone on 22H1 or older will be made to reinstall to use it.

Today, Microsoft launches Azure Virtual Machines (VM) based on the Ampere Altra Cloud Native Processor. This marks an important milestone as developers can now take advantage of these modern high-performance VMs for their existing and greenfield applications. The Ampere Altra processor family leads in performance across a range of broadly deployed cloud workloads and is now making available the Arm architecture on Azure.

Industry leading performance and the most sustainable solution
Cloud users who have pushed the limits of legacy x86 architectures now have a high-performance compute alternative that scales up in a linear fashion and delivers predictable performance even at full utilization. For example, Ampere Altra VMs outperform equivalently sized Intel and AMD instances from the same generation by 39% and 47%, respectively.* In addition to being the high-performance choice, Ampere Altra processors are extremely power efficient, directly reducing users' overall carbon footprint.

The hacking group LAPSUS$ responsible for the recent NVIDIA and Samsung compromises has now allegedly breached Microsoft systems gaining access to the source code for Bing and Cortana. The group temporarily published a screenshot of what looked to be an internal Microsoft developer account with access to folders labeled "Bing_UX", "Bing-Source", and "Cortana" in addition to various other sections. The group had previously posted a message seeking to recruit employees at Microsoft, Apple, and IBM to get remote access to companies systems. Microsoft has confirmed in a statement to Motherboard that they "are aware of the claims and are investigating".

Update Mar 23rd: The hackers have now published a 9 GB torrent file which includes data from over 250 Microsoft projects including 90% of the source code for Bing, and approximately 45% of the source code for Bing Maps and Cortana according to security researchers speaking with BleepingComputer.

IonQ, a leader in quantum computing, today announced that it had signed an agreement with Microsoft to bring IonQ Aria to the Azure Quantum platform. The partnership will add IonQ Aria, the company's latest quantum system, to the cloud platform which already features IonQ's prior generation of systems among the lineup of available hardware. IonQ Aria is IonQ's most advanced commercially available quantum computer. Featuring 20 Algorithmic Qubits (#AQ), it is also the industry's most powerful quantum computer based on standard application-oriented industry benchmarks. Through this partnership, anyone with an internet connection will be able to harness IonQ Aria's abilities, furthering the democratization of quantum computing.

"We're excited to bring IonQ Aria's leading capabilities to more customers through Microsoft Azure and our Expanded Beta program," said IonQ President and CEO Peter Chapman. "We believe the future of quantum computing relies on getting the power of today's systems into the hands of as many people as possible, and building on our existing partnership with Microsoft is an important step along that path."

Microsoft officially launched the DirectStorage API on the Windows PC platform, on Monday. The API enables direct data interactions between the GPU, graphics memory, and a storage device, so games have a more direct path to stream game assets to the graphics hardware. The API is compatible both with Windows 10 and Windows 11, although Microsoft is recommending the latter, for "in-built storage optimizations." Also, unlike previously reported, you don't necessarily need an NVMe-based storage device, such as an M.2 SSD with PCIe/NVMe interface. Even a SATA SSD with AHCI protocol will do. Microsoft is, however, recommending the use of an NVMe SSD for the best performance.

There is, however, a wrinkle. Microsoft isn't launching a killer feature of the DirectStorage API yet, which is GPU-accelerated asset decompression. This feature allowed GPUs to use compute shaders to decompress game assets that are stored in compressed asset libraries on the disk. Most games store their local assets this way, to conserve their disk footprint. Without this feature, unless there's special game code from the developer's end to utilize GPGPU for asset decompression; compressed game assets still have to rope in the CPU, and lengthen the pipeline. Microsoft stated that enabling GPU-accelerated decompression is "next on their roadmap."

Intel, along with Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE), AMD, Arm, Google Cloud, Meta, Microsoft Corp., Qualcomm Inc., Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., have announced the establishment of an industry consortium to promote an open die-to-die interconnect standard called Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe). Building on its work on the open Advanced Interface Bus (AIB), Intel developed the UCIe standard and donated it to the group of founding members as an open specification that defines the interconnect between chiplets within a package, enabling an open chiplet ecosystem and ubiquitous interconnect at the package level.

"Integrating multiple chiplets in a package to deliver product innovation across market segments is the future of the semiconductor industry and a pillar of Intel's IDM 2.0 strategy," said Sandra Rivera, executive vice president and general manager of the Datacenter and Artificial Intelligence Group at Intel. "Critical to this future is an open chiplet ecosystem with key industry partners working together under the UCIe Consortium toward a common goal of transforming the way the industry delivers new products and continues to deliver on the promise of Moore's Law."

Microsoft Flight Simulator has recently been added to Xbox Cloud Gaming meaning that the title can now be enjoyed on more devices including Xbox One, iOS/Android devices, and low-powered computers. Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly Project xCloud) is a game streaming service from Microsoft that allows players with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to stream a selection of 100+ Xbox games on supported devices. The addition of Microsoft Flight Simulator to the program will allow previous generation Xbox One consoles to play the game provided a suitably fast internet connection is available.

Today, during Mobile World Congress 2022, Qualcomm Incorporated President and Chief Executive Officer, Cristiano Amon highlighted how Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is continuing to bring best-in-case experiences to enterprise PCs and drive the convergence of the PC and mobile to increase productivity, connectivity, and security from anywhere. During last month's Consumer Electronics Show, the Company announced that over 200 enterprise customers were testing or deploying Windows 11 on Snapdragon laptops and 2-in-1 devices. Today, Amon outlined how strategic relationships with Microsoft, Lenovo, and many other ecosystem leaders are helping deliver the next generation of enterprise-ready PCs, powered by Snapdragon. Utilizing its global relationships, Qualcomm Technologies continues to lead the PC industry's inevitable transition to innovative and modern solutions from the portfolio of Snapdragon compute platforms.Quotes from key collaborators that Qualcomm Technologies is working with to drive innovation for always on, always connected enterprise PCs through Snapdragon Compute Platforms can be found here.

AR/VR device shipments revised up to 14.19 million units in 2022, with an annual growth rate of 43.9%, according to TrendForce research. Growth momentum will come from increased demand for remote interactivity stemming from the pandemic, as well as Oculus Quest 2's price reduction strategy. Microsoft HoloLens 2 and Oculus Quest 2 are first in market share for AR and VR, respectively.

According to TrendForce, the topic of the Metaverse has driven brands to actively plan for and stimulate product shipment performance. However, the AR/VR device market has yet to experienced explosive growth due to two factors: component shortages and the difficulty of developing new technologies. In addition, cosmetic and size considerations have made the more optically and technically difficult Pancake design the first choice for new high-end products. Furthermore, various embedded tracking feedback technologies key to enhancing the user's immersive experience such as eye tracking and 6DoF further affect the development progress of a new product as a whole. Since there are no new foreboding products on the horizon, TrendForce believes, no other branded products have a chance at supplanting the current mainstream status of Oculus or Microsoft until at least 2023.

AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) today announced revenue for the fourth quarter of 2021 of $4.8 billion, operating income of $1.2 billion, net income of $974 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.80. On a non-GAAP basis, operating income was $1.3 billion, net income was $1.1 billion and diluted earnings per share was $0.92. For full year 2021, the company reported revenue of $16.4 billion, operating income of $3.6 billion, net income of $3.2 billion and diluted earnings per share of $2.57. On a non-GAAP basis, operating income was $4.1 billion, net income was $3.4 billion and diluted earnings per share was $2.79.

"2021 was an outstanding year for AMD with record annual revenue and profitability," said AMD President and CEO Dr. Lisa Su. "Each of our businesses performed extremely well, with data center revenue doubling year-over-year driven by growing adoption of AMD EPYC processors across cloud and enterprise customers. We expect another year of significant growth in 2022 as we ramp our current portfolio and launch our next generation of PC, gaming and data center products."

With three billion people actively playing games today, and fueled by a new generation steeped in the joys of interactive entertainment, gaming is now the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment. Today, Microsoft Corp. announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc., a leader in game development and interactive entertainment content publisher. This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft's gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.

Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion, inclusive of Activision Blizzard's net cash. When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. The planned acquisition includes iconic franchises from the Activision, Blizzard and King studios like "Warcraft," "Diablo," "Overwatch," "Call of Duty" and "Candy Crush," in addition to global eSports activities through Major League Gaming. The company has studios around the word with nearly 10,000 employees.

Leading gaming accessory maker Turtle Beach Corporation today announced the brand's award-winning VelocityOne Flight simulation control system has been restocked and is now available. VelocityOne Flight is one of Turtle Beach's most pre-ordered products and has sold-out multiple times due to strong demand since its initial release in November 2021. The only modern all-in-one flight control system, VelocityOne Flight delivers a new level of realism and simplicity for gamers taking to the virtual skies on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. Paired with its unbeatable MSRP of $379.95, VelocityOne Flight has received an abundance of critical acclaim, driving continued interest in Turtle Beach's groundbreaking flight simulation control system. With today's restock announcement, fans can now get their hands on VelocityOne Flight and effortlessly guide their favorite aircraft into the sky.

"As the first entry in a growing portfolio of simulation products, our team produced the best all-in-one flight control system for Xbox and PC and I'm pleased to see their hard work and dedication being recognized by critics and fans alike," said Juergen Stark, Chairman and CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. "It is clear that we delivered a remarkable flight sim controller, and we're excited to now be able to have more fliers take to the skies with the VelocityOne Flight."

Intel over the weekend stated that it has resolved the game DRM compatibility issues its 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" processors were facing with certain games running on older versions of the Denuvo DRM solution. The company said that it has worked with both game developers and Microsoft, to address the issues. Gamers should look forward to OS updates as well as game patches, in the coming days. In was revealed back in October 2021, in the run up to the Core "Alder Lake" debut, that the processors face severe compatibility issues with games that use certain older versions of DRM solutions, due mainly to the processor's new hybrid CPU core architecture.