NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) has received an order for a next-generation supercomputer system from Japan's National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), under the National Research and Development Agency, and the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), part of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences under the Inter-University Research Institute Corporation. The new supercomputer system is scheduled to be operational from July 2025. The next-generation supercomputer system will feature multi-architecture with the latest CPUs and GPUs and will consist of large storage capacity and a high-speed network. This system is expected to be used for various research and development in the field of fusion science research.

Specifically, the system will be used for precise prediction of experiments and creation of operation scenarios in the ITER project, which is being promoted as an international project, and the Satellite Tokamak (JT-60SA) project, which is being promoted as a Broader Approach activity, and for design of DEMO reactors. The DEMO project promotes large-scale numerical calculations for DEMO design and R&D to accelerate the realization of a DEMO reactor that contributes to carbon neutrality. In addition, NIFS will conduct numerical simulation research using the supercomputer for multi-scale and multi-physics systems, including fusion plasmas, to broadly accelerate research on the science and applications of fusion plasmas, and as an Inter-University Research Institute, will provide universities and research institutes nationwide with opportunities for collaborative research using the state-of-the-art supercomputer.

Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), today announced the launch of its new Sharp M Series projectors - the XP-M421W-W and XP-M401H-W. The new M Series projectors are the second Sharp branded projectors developed since the company's joint venture with NEC. The Sharp M Series projectors provide customers with an easy-to-use, lamp-free compact laser projector requiring minimal maintenance. The essential features of the M Series projectors offer a budget-conscious projector replacement for classrooms, meeting spaces and more.

Maintenance Free
Sharp's all new M Series projectors offer an entry solution designed to provide reliable long-term operation at a low total cost of ownership. The projectors are equipped with a reliable laser light source, eliminating the need for recurring lamp replacements, as well as Texas Instruments DLP technology that is designed to be filter free. With no lamp and no filter, the M Series projectors provide users with years of worry-free operation.

Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC), today announced the launch of the new MultiSync DD-EA272U 27" desktop display. This fully featured high resolution LCD display is ideal for users in corporate, finance, healthcare and education.

High-Quality Image Performance
The DD-EA272U features an IPS LCD panel with great viewing angles and an immersive 4K UHD native resolution. With a 3-sided ultra-narrow bezel, the DD-EA272U is designed to eliminate distractions when used in multi-monitor configurations.

Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe introduces the first desktop displays launched under the Sharp brand to evidence its ongoing commitment to Quality, Service and Sustainability. Rooted in the MultiSync legacy of quality and reliability, the two new 27" monitor models, Sharp MultiSync EA272Q and Sharp MultiSync EA272U, are ideally suited for use in corporate offices, home-office scenarios as well as for control room applications.

For detail-rich applications, the high pixel density resolution of the Sharp MultiSync EA272Q (QuadHD) and the Sharp MultiSync EA272U (UltraUHD), coupled with 27-inch active screen area result in expansive digital canvases for the most productive personal workspaces. Users can extend their visual command even further with a near uninterrupted multi-screen configuration with ultra-narrow bezel and DisplayPort OUT daisy-chain. Featuring powerful 90 W USB Type-C connectivity and embedded LAN, the desktop models become fully functioning Docking Hub solutions. With just a single cable to connect notebook/PC to the display whilst powering the device, the workspace remains clear of cable clutter and e-waste is minimised. The displays' sustainable functionalities continue, achieving energy savings of up to 30% by enabling sensor technology to automatically reduce brightness or power down as appropriate to usage scenarios.

The 63rd edition of the TOP500 reveals that Frontier has once again claimed the top spot, despite no longer being the only exascale machine on the list. Additionally, a new system has found its way into the Top 10.

The Frontier system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, USA remains the most powerful system on the list with an HPL score of 1.206 EFlop/s. The system has a total of 8,699,904 combined CPU and GPU cores, an HPE Cray EX architecture that combines 3rd Gen AMD EPYC CPUs optimized for HPC and AI with AMD Instinct MI250X accelerators, and it relies on Cray's Slingshot 11 network for data transfer. On top of that, this machine has an impressive power efficiency rating of 52.93 GFlops/Watt - putting Frontier at the No. 13 spot on the GREEN500.

We are delighted to announce our support for the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot, a vital initiative highlighted in the President's Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. This initiative aligns with our commitment to broaden AI research and spur innovation by providing greater computing resources to AI researchers and engineers in academia and non-profit sectors. We look forward to contributing to the pilot and sharing insights that can help inform the envisioned full-scale NAIRR.

The NAIRR's objective is to democratize access to the computational tools essential for advancing AI in critical areas such as safety, reliability, security, privacy, environmental challenges, infrastructure, health care, and education. Advocating for such a resource has been a longstanding goal of ours, one that promises to equalize the field of AI research and stimulate innovation across diverse sectors. As a commissioner on the National Security Commission on AI (NSCAI), I worked with colleagues on the committee to propose an early conception of the NAIRR, underlining our nation's need for this resource as detailed in the NSCAI Final Report. Concurrently, we enthusiastically supported a university-led initiative pursuing a national computing resource. It's rewarding to see these early ideas and endeavors now materialize into a tangible entity.

AMD's lineup of Radeon and Instinct GPUs, including the flagship RX 7900 XTX/XT, the professional-grade PRO W7900, and the upcoming Instinct MI300, are facing sales prohibitions in China, according to an alleged sales advisory guide from Dell. This restriction mirrors the earlier ban on NVIDIA's RTX 4090, underscoring the increasing export limitations U.S.-based companies face for high-end semiconductor products that could be repurposed for military and strategic applications. Notably, Dell's report lists several AMD Instinct accelerators, which are integral to data center infrastructure, and Radeon GPUs, which are widely used in PCs, indicating the broad impact of the advisory.

The ban includes discrete GPUs like AMD's Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT, which, despite their data-center potential, may still be sold under specific "NEC" eligibility. This status allows for continued sales in restricted regions like sales of NVIDIA's RTX 4090. However, the process to secure NEC eligibility is lengthy, potentially leading to supply shortages and increased GPU prices—a trend already observed with the RX 7900 XTX in China, where it's become a high-end alternative in light of the RTX 4090's scarcity and inflated pricing. The Dell sales advisory also lists that sales of the aforementioned products are banned in 22 countries, including Russia, Iran, Iraq, and others listed below.

Increasing its HPL score from 1.02 Eflop/s in November 2022 to an impressive 1.194 Eflop/s on this list, Frontier was able to improve upon its score after a stagnation between June 2022 and November 2022. Considering exascale was only a goal to aspire to just a few years ago, a roughly 17% increase here is an enormous success. Additionally, Frontier earned a score of 9.95 Eflop/s on the HLP-MxP benchmark, which measures performance for mixed-precision calculation. This is also an increase over the 7.94 EFlop/s that the system achieved on the previous list and nearly 10 times more powerful than the machine's HPL score. Frontier is based on the HPE Cray EX235a architecture and utilizes AMD EPYC 64C 2 GHz processors. It also has 8,699,904 cores and an incredible energy efficiency rating of 52.59 Gflops/watt. It also relies on gigabit ethernet for data transfer.

For more than a decade, Intel and its partners have been on a mission to virtualize the world's networks, from the core to the RAN (radio access network) and out to the edge, moving them from fixed-function hardware onto programmable, software-defined platforms, making networks more agile while driving down their complexity and cost.

Now operators are looking to cross the next chasm in delivering cloud-native functionality for automating, managing and responding to an increasingly diverse mix of data and services, providing organizations with the intelligence needed at the edge of their operations. Today, Intel announced a range of products and solutions driving this transition and broad industry support from leading operators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and independent software vendors (ISVs).

The 60th edition of the TOP500 reveals that the Frontier system is still the only true exascale machine on the list.

With an HPL score of 1.102 EFlop/s, the Frontier machine at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) did not improve upon the score it reached on the June 2022 list. That said, Frontier's near-tripling of the HPL score received by second-place winner is still a major victory for computer science. On top of that, Frontier demonstrated a score of 7.94 EFlop/s on the HPL-MxP benchmark, which measures performance for mixed-precision calculation. Frontier is based on the HPE Cray EX235a architecture and it relies on AMD EPYC 64C 2 GHz processor. The system has 8,730,112 cores and a power efficiency rating of 52.23 gigaflops/watt. It also relies on gigabit ethernet for data transfer.

Supermicro, a Total IT Solution Provider for Cloud, AI/ML, Storage, and 5G/Edge, is announcing that NEC Corporation has selected over 116 Supermicro GPU servers that contain dual socket 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors and each with eight NVIDIA A100 80 GB GPUs. As a result, the Supermicro GPU server line can include the latest and most powerful Intel Xeon scalable processors and the most advanced AI GPUs from NVIDIA.

"Supermicro is thrilled to deliver an additional 580 PFLOPS of AI training power to its worldwide AI installations," said Charles Liang, president, and CEO, Supermicro. "Supermicro GPU servers have been installed at NEC Corporation and are used to conduct state-of-the-art AI research. Our servers are designed for the most demanding AI workloads using the highest-performing CPUs and GPUs. We continue to work with leading customers worldwide to achieve their business objectives faster and more efficiently with our advanced rack-scale server solutions."

Intel today announced the first phase of its plans to invest as much as 80 billion euros in the European Union over the next decade along the entire semiconductor value chain - from research and development (R&D) to manufacturing to state-of-the art packaging technologies. Today's announcement includes plans to invest an initial 17 billion euros into a leading-edge semiconductor fab mega-site in Germany, to create a new R&D and design hub in France, and to invest in R&D, manufacturing and foundry services in Ireland, Italy, Poland and Spain. With this landmark investment, Intel plans to bring its most advanced technology to Europe, creating a next-generation European chip ecosystem and addressing the need for a more balanced and resilient supply chain.

Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, said: "Our planned investments are a major step both for Intel and for Europe. The EU Chips Act will empower private companies and governments to work together to drastically advance Europe's position in the semiconductor sector. This broad initiative will boost Europe's R&D innovation and bring leading-edge manufacturing to the region for the benefit of our customers and partners around the world. We are committed to playing an essential role in shaping Europe's digital future for decades to come."

NVIDIA today announced NVIDIA Quantum-2, the next generation of its InfiniBand networking platform, which offers the extreme performance, broad accessibility and strong security needed by cloud computing providers and supercomputing centers.

The most advanced end-to-end networking platform ever built, NVIDIA Quantum-2 is a 400 Gbps InfiniBand networking platform that consists of the NVIDIA Quantum-2 switch, the ConnectX-7 network adapter, the BlueField-3 data processing unit (DPU) and all the software that supports the new architecture.

Sharp NEC Display Solutions, a global leader in the projector and display market, today announced the availability of its E Series to its dvLED portfolio. The E Series offers a wide array of available pixel pitches, from 1.2 mm to 1.8 mm, and is ideal for indoor installations in corporate, education and House of Worship environments for customers looking to upgrade current digital signage.

dvLED walls offer larger, brighter images compared to single LCD display options, and can be built in virtually any configuration. Like building blocks, dvLED solutions are able to be built to fit a specific space or purpose, and are designed without seams for one continuous image. "Installing a dvLED wall depends on a wide range of factors, and we work with our customers to develop a cost-effective, long-term signage solution," said Mark Miller, product specialist for Sharp NEC Display Solutions. "Our new E Series is ideal for the customer that needs an impactful digital signage solution at a lower price point, with the backing of an exceptional product warranty and customer service of a company like Sharp/NEC."

NVIDIA today announced that the Italian inter-university consortium CINECA—one of the world's most important supercomputing centers—will use the company's accelerated computing platform to build the world's fastest AI supercomputer.

The new "Leonardo" system, built with Atos, is expected to deliver 10 exaflops of FP16 AI performance to enable advanced AI and HPC converged application use cases. Featuring nearly 14,000 NVIDIA Ampere architecture-based GPUs and NVIDIA Mellanox HDR 200 Gb/s InfiniBand networking, Leonardo will propel Italy as the global leader in AI and high performance computing research and innovation.

Intel today unveiled the suite of new security features for the upcoming 3rd generation Intel Xeon Scalable platform, code-named "Ice Lake." Intel is doubling down on its Security First Pledge, bringing its pioneering and proven Intel Software Guard Extension (Intel SGX) to the full spectrum of Ice Lake platforms, along with new features that include Intel Total Memory Encryption (Intel TME), Intel Platform Firmware Resilience (Intel PFR) and new cryptographic accelerators to strengthen the platform and improve the overall confidentiality and integrity of data.

Data is a critical asset both in terms of the business value it may yield and the personal information that must be protected, so cybersecurity is a top concern. The security features in Ice Lake enable Intel's customers to develop solutions that help improve their security posture and reduce risks related to privacy and compliance, such as regulated data in financial services and healthcare.

NEC has just announced a new laptop sporting an AMD Ryzen 7 Extreme Edition CPU. The NEC Lavie N15 is only available in a single color on its AMD configuration, but there's also an Intel Core i7-10510U option available in three different color options. The interesting part about this Ryzen 7 Extreme Edition is that there's nothing even remotely extreme about it, as far as can be told: it's shipping with the exact same specifications and frequencies as the non-Extreme Ryzen 7 4800U: 8 cores, 16 threads, 1.8 GHz base and 4.2 GHz boost.

The first hints towards the existence of such a CPU surfaced back in May. At the time, the leaked Futuremark database entry which identified the CPU as a mobile Ryzen 7 Extreme Edition painted the base clock at 1.8 GHz with a 4.3 GHz Boost. Apparently, that meagre 100 MHz top frequency increase has since been scaled back. It's extremely unclear if there is any performance or power efficiency benefit to this Extreme Edition CPU (it could be a cherry-picked version with better thermal and electric characteristics than the average 4800U), or if there are some increased allowances in the TDP compared to the 15 W 4800U (typically set with TDPs of 15 W, though the cTDP supports a 10-25 W range). Or it could be just a NEC-specific version of an AMD CPU to improve market perception and reception - a rebadged 4800U, if you will.

NEC Corporation, a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies, and D-Wave Systems Inc., the leader in quantum computing systems, software and services, today announced that they have begun joint activities to combine the compute power of NEC's systems with the quantum computing power of D-Wave's systems, software and cloud service to bring those combined capabilities to customers in Japan. NEC has made a US$10 million investment in D-Wave in connection with this initiative.

The two companies will work together on the development of hybrid quantum/classical technologies and services that combine the best features of classical computers and quantum computers; the development of new hybrid applications that make use of those services; and joint marketing and sales go-to-market activities to promote quantum computing.

NEC today announced the launch of the MultiSync PA311D, a new 31-inch IPS wide color gamut display with a 4K (4096x2160) resolution. "The MultiSync PA311D will take its place as our flagship monitor in the PA Series of professional desktop displays," said Kevin Christopherson, Director of Product Marketing at NEC Display Solutions. "It provides higher resolution, along with better black levels and contrast. Further, the PA311D includes USB-C connectivity with 65 W charging and several new cutting-edge features to meet the color-critical needs of professional graphic designers, photographers and video producers."

Global industrial and IoT hardware manufacturer Logic Supply has combined the latest vision processing, security protocols, wireless communication technologies, and proven cloud architectures to create the Karbon 300 rugged fanless computer. The system has been engineered to help innovators overcome the limitations of deploying reliable computer hardware in challenging environments.

"Computing at the edge is increasingly at the core of today's Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT solutions," says Logic Supply VP of Products Murat Erdogan. "These devices are being deployed in environments that would quickly destroy traditional computer hardware. The builders and creators we work with require a careful combination of connectivity, processing and environmental protections. With Karbon 300, we're providing the ideal mix of capabilities to help make the next generation of industry-shaping innovation a reality, and enable innovators to truly challenge what's possible."

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the V554Q, a large-format 4K UHD display packed with commercial-grade features and a slim new design to blend into any environment. Like other new models in the C & V Series, the V554Q features an industry-best anti-reflective high haze coating, full external control and network capabilities through LAN, and SpectraView Engine Technology, which allows for complete color control.

"We've listened to our customers in designing the V554Q to be the best 55-inch display tailored for commercial and corporate signage needs," said Ben Hardy, Senior Product Manager at NEC Display Solutions. "The V554Q has best-in-class, high-haze anti-glare coating, updated connectivity, and both landscape and portrait orientation support to seamlessly fit any digital signage environment."

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the availability of the 27" MultiSync EA271U, a full-featured, business-class desktop display delivering superior 4K UHD image quality and enhanced USB-C connectivity.

The EA271U features a 3-sided ultra-narrow bezel of just 1.00mm, designed to eliminate distractions while delivering a large desktop workspace that enhances productivity for high-end corporate and small-business customers. The EA271U is also compatible with NEC Display's SprectraViewII color calibration tool, which is ideal for healthcare and education users who need advanced imaging quality.

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial displays and projectors, today announced the availability of two new desktop monitors: the MultiSync EA271Q and MultiSync P243W.

"The 27" MultiSync EA271Q significantly updates our popular E275WMi monitor, and the 24" MultiSync P243W refreshes the P242W," said Art Marshall, Senior Product Manager for Desktop Displays at NEC Display Solutions. "These two new models provide users sleeker, more productive monitors and show our ongoing commitment to technological innovation and to helping our customers improve their workflows."

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the launch of the MultiSync PA271Q, a new professional 27-inch wide color gamut monitor.

"The MultiSync PA271Q replaces the PA272W, one of our most popular professional wide color gamut desktop displays," said Art Marshall, Senior Product Manager for Desktop Displays at NEC Display Solutions. "It provides much better black levels and contrast, and new cutting-edge features have been added to provide improved color coverage to meet the color-critical needs of the print production, digital photography, photo editing, and video production markets, among others."

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the launch of two 27-inch desktop monitors, the MultiSync E271N and the MultiSync EA271F.

"The MultiSync E271N and the MultiSync EA271F are packed with essential features and designed with business users in mind," said Art Marshall, Senior Product Manager for Desktop Displays at NEC Display Solutions. "Both of these models provide a large desktop workspace with Full HD resolution; lower pixel density, which makes text easier to read; and a three-sided narrow bezel design, which results in fewer distractions."