Q.ANT, the leading startup for photonic computing, today announced the launch of its first commercial product - a photonics-based Native Processing Unit (NPU) built on the company's compute architecture LENA - Light Empowered Native Arithmetics. The product is fully compatible with today's existing computing ecosystem as it comes on the industry-standard PCI-Express. The Q.ANT NPU executes complex, non-linear mathematics natively using light instead of electrons, promising to deliver at least 30 times greater energy efficiency and significant computational speed improvements over traditional CMOS technology. Designed for compute-intensive applications such as AI Inference, machine learning, and physics simulation, the Q.ANT NPU has been proven to solve real-world challenges, including number recognition for deep neural network inference (see the recent press release regarding Cloud Access to NPU).

"With our photonic chip technology now available on the standard PCIe interface, we're bringing the incredible power of photonics directly into real-world applications. For us, this is not just a processor—it's a statement of intent: Sustainability and performance can go hand in hand," said Dr. Michael Förtsch, CEO of Q.ANT. "For the first time, developers can create AI applications and explore the capabilities of photonic computing, particularly for complex, nonlinear calculations. For example, experts calculated that one GPT-4 query today uses 10 times more electricity than a regular internet search request. Our photonic computing chips offer the potential to reduce the energy consumption for that query by a factor of 30."

ARBOR Technology has unveiled the boundaries of computing with its latest NUC-sized PC, featuring 34 TOPS of AI computing power driven by Intel Core Ultra processors and Intel Arc Graphics, offering unparalleled performance and efficiency in a compact design.

Experience AI-Accelerated Performance
Experience unparalleled performance and AI acceleration with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors. These cutting-edge chips feature a hybrid architecture that seamlessly blends CPU, GPU, and NPU capabilities, delivering up to a 14% boost in CPU productivity. Immerse yourself in stunning visuals and smooth computing experiences with integrated Intel Arc Graphics. These discrete graphics cards offer exceptional performance and energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen AI MAX 300-series processors, codenamed "Strix Halo," have been on in the news for close to a year now. These mobile processors combine "Zen 5" CPU cores with an oversized iGPU that offers performance rivaling discrete GPUs, with the idea behind these chips being to rival the Apple M3 Pro and M3 Max processors powering MacBook Pros. The "Strix Halo" mobile processor is an MCM that combines one or two "Zen 5" CCDs (some ones featured on "Granite Ridge" desktop processors and "Turin" server processors), with a large SoC die. This die is built either on the 5 nm (TSMC N5) or 4 nm (TSMC N4P) node. It packs a large iGPU based on the RDNA 3.5 graphics architecture, with 40 compute units (CU), and a 50 TOPS-class XDNA 2 NPU carried over from "Strix Point." The memory interface is a 256-bit wide LPDDR5X-8000 for sufficient memory bandwidth for the up to 16 "Zen 5" CPU cores, the 50 TOPS NPU, and the large 40 CU iGPU.

Golden Pig Upgrade leaked what looks like a company slide from a notebook OEM, which reveals the iGPU model names for the various Ryzen AI MAX 300-series SKUs. Leading the pack is the Ryzen AI MAX+ 395. This is a maxed out SKU with a 16-core/32-thread "Zen 5" CPU that uses two CCDs. All 16 cores are full-sized "Zen 5." The CPU has 64 MB of L3 cache (32 MB per CCD), each of the 16 cores has 1 MB of dedicated L2 cache. The iGPU is branded Radeon 8060S, it comes with all 40 CU (2,560 stream processors) enabled, besides 80 AI accelerators, and 40 Ray accelerators. The Ryzen AI MAX 390 is the next processor SKU, it comes with a 12-core/24-thread "Zen 5" CPU. Like the 395, the 390 is a dual-CCD processor, all 12 cores are full-sized "Zen 5." There's 64 MB of L3 cache, and 1 MB of L2 cache per core. The Radeon 8060S graphics solution is the same as the one on the Ryzen AI MAX+ 395, it comes with all 40 CU enabled.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing and storage solutions innovator, today unveiled the compact 1U rackmount 4-bay NAS TS-433eU, which offers small to midsize businesses and organizations an affordable edge storage and backup solution. With a sleek 1U design and a depth only of 11.51 inches (292.3 mm), the TS-433eU easily fits into space-constrained environments. "The TS-433eU offers more than just reliable backup and restore capabilities. Its NPU-empowered processor, 2.5GbE connectivity, and USB storage expansion work together seamlessly in AI-powered photo management, Docker container applications, and surveillance system deployment, meeting diverse business needs" said Jerry Deng, Product Manager at QNAP.

The TS-433eU features four 3.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s drive bays, fulfilling business demands in storage, file sharing, synchronization, and data protection for boosted daily work productivity. It also supports efficient backup from various sources, including PCs, servers, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365. Users can also enable remote backup to another NAS or the immutable myQNAPcloud Storage. Snapshots offers comprehensive data protection and recovery, safeguarding against ransomware threats. Additionally, users can run Docker containers on the TS-433eU to deploy various microservices, or create a video surveillance system to safeguard working environments.

MSI launches its latest All-in-One PCs: the Modern AM273QP AI and Modern AM273Q AI Series. These devices integrate the latest Intel Core Ultra processor, featuring Intel AI Boost NPU, along with DDR5 memory, Microsoft Copilot, and the MSI AI Engine.

Enhanced Your Productivity
The Modern AM273Q/QP AI Series features a 27-inch WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS panel that delivers crystal-clear visuals and an immersive viewing experience. Powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra processor with Intel AI Boost NPU, these PCs offer smooth multitasking and advanced AI capabilities. With Microsoft Copilot integration, users can simplify their daily tasks and enhance productivity using intuitive AI-driven features.

At Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, the most powerful and world's fastest mobile system-on-a-chip ever. Our flagship mobile platforms are now taking on the Elite name, showcasing the remarkable progress it represents for the industry. This platform debuts industry leading technologies such as the second generation custom-built Qualcomm Oryon CPU, Qualcomm Adreno GPU and enhanced Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, all of which deliver game changing performance improvements.

These innovations empower the Snapdragon 8 Elite to transform user experiences with their devices - making on-device multi-modal generative AI applications a reality on smartphones powered by Snapdragon. These technologies also fuel many other experiences across camera capabilities, with our most powerful AI-ISP, as well as next level gaming, super-fast web browsing and more.

Lenovo Group announced today the Lenovo ThinkSmart Core Gen 2, one of the first AI-optimized compute device purpose built to run video conferencing room systems. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor with an integrated NPU, the ThinkSmart Core Gen 2 is ready for AI-heavy meeting room workloads to deliver unparalleled performance for intuitive collaboration and enhanced productivity, all in a protected and user-friendly solution.

Smarter AI for All Means Smarter Collaboration
Under Lenovo's vision of Smarter AI for All, the company is dedicated to empowering organizations and individuals to put AI to work for them. While the role of collaboration technology has never been more critical, many customers are continuing to redefine meeting spaces and how work is done. The integration of AI into collaboration tools presents a transformative opportunity to connect people and improve productivity. Lenovo, the global leader in PCs, is bringing more compute power to collaboration.

Minisforum is thrilled to announce the launch of the EliteMini AI370, a powerful mini PC that combines groundbreaking CPU performance with a sleek, compact design. This innovative device is designed to meet the demands of gamers, creators, and tech enthusiasts who need high performance in a small footprint.

The Next-Level Performance
At the core of the EliteMini AI370 is the new AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. Featuring 12 cores and 24 threads, this advanced chip delivers effortless power for gaming and creative applications. It expertly balances high performance and energy efficiency, with integrated AI enhancements that optimize workflows and daily tasks like never before.

Today, Intel launched the new Intel Core Ultra 200S series processor family that will scale AI PC capabilities to desktop platforms and usher in the first enthusiast desktop AI PCs. Led by the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 285K, the latest generation of enthusiast desktop processors includes five unlocked desktop processors equipped with up to 8 next-gen Performance-cores (P-cores), the fastest cores available for desktop PCs, and up to 16 next-gen Efficient-cores (E-cores) that altogether result in up to 14% more performance in multi-threaded workloads than the previous generation. The new family are the first NPU-enabled desktop processors for enthusiasts and come with a built-in Xe GPU with state-of-the-art media support.

"The new Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors deliver on our goals to significantly cut power usage while retaining outstanding gaming performance and delivering leadership compute. The result is a cooler and quieter user experience elevated by new AI gaming and creation capabilities enabled by the NPU, and leadership media performance that leverages our growing graphics portfolio." - Robert Hallock, vice president and general manager of AI and Technical Marketing, Client Computing Group.

Our preview of the Intel Core Ultra 2-series Arrow Lake-S desktop processor family is also live

MediaTek today launched the Dimensity 9400, the company's new flagship smartphone chipset optimized for edge-AI applications, immersive gaming, incredible photography, and more. The Dimensity 9400, the fourth and latest in MediaTek's flagship mobile SoC lineup, offers a massive boost in performance with its second-generation All Big Core design built on Arm's v9.2 CPU architecture, combined with the most advanced GPU and NPU for extreme performance in a super power-efficient design.

The Dimensity 9400 adopts MediaTek's second-gen All Big Core design, integrating one Arm Cortex-X925 core operating over 3.62 GHz, combined with 3x Cortex-X4 and 4x Cortex-A720 cores. This design offers 35% faster single-core performance and 28% faster multi-core performance compared to MediaTek's previous generation flagship chipset, the Dimensity 9300. Built on TSMC's second-generation 3 nm process, the Dimensity 9400 is up to 40% more power-efficient than its predecessor, allowing users to enjoy longer battery life.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a global leader in wireless technology innovation, today announced the launch of the Qualcomm Networking Pro A7 Elite, a groundbreaking wireless networking platform set to transform how people will experience their networks with edge AI integration. Leveraging an AI co-processor with 40 TOPS of NPU processing power, the platform delivers elevated Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and networking performance, while also equipping connected devices with powerful and centralized generative AI processing capabilities.

This transformative integration of computing power into the network unlocks opportunities for operators and enterprises to deploy innovative applications and services in areas such as security and surveillance, energy management and automation, personalized virtual assistants, aging in place and health monitoring among others. Edge AI can enhance privacy by processing sensitive information on the gateway, while enabling personalization through contextualized understanding of the environment and immediacy through near real-time responses. This approach unlocks the power of advanced AI for more devices, even legacy ones, enabling a more reliable and harmonized user experience across connected devices.

ASUS, a global leader in technology and innovation, today announced that it has made significant achievements and launched groundbreaking AI innovations following its official takeover of the NUC portfolio from Intel in October 2023. In October 2023, ASUS undertook the significant task of taking over Intel's NUC portfolio and continuing the 10-year legacy of NUCs, which have been deployed to millions of customers worldwide. This marked the first time that ASUS has been involved in such a large-scale industry transition. Over the past year, ASUS seamlessly and successfully transitioned customers from the legacy Intel NUC portfolio to the ASUS NUC portfolio.

ASUS NUCs are now synonymous with top-tier performance, exceptional quality, and reliability. These attributes ensure that ASUS NUCs stand out in the market, offering an alternative to traditional desktops in a compact, mini-sized package, providing users with superior computing solutions that are both innovative and dependable. Whether for professional workloads, gaming, or AI applications, ASUS NUCs deliver the power and stability required for even the most demanding tasks and ensure that users thrive in this new AI era.

BrainChip Holdings Ltd, the world's first commercial producer of ultra-low power, fully digital, event-based, brain-inspired AI, today introduced the Akida Pico, the lowest power acceleration coprocessor that enables the creation of very compact, ultra-low power, portable and intelligent devices for wearable and sensor integrated AI into consumer, healthcare, IoT, defense and wake-up applications.

Akida Pico accelerates limited use case-specific neural network models to create an ultra-energy efficient, purely digital architecture. Akida Pico enables secure personalization for applications including voice wake detection, keyword spotting, speech noise reduction, audio enhancement, presence detection, personal voice assistant, automatic doorbell, wearable AI, appliance voice interfaces and more.

Some of the first die-shots and annotations of the Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" processor surfaced on the web, thanks to die-shots by GeenWens and Kurnalsalts on Twitter. Be sure to check out our Lunar Lake Technical Deep-dive article to learn the basics of how Lunar Lake is different from "Meteor Lake." Both are disaggregated chiplet-based processors, but Lunar Lake remodels things a bit. All the logic engines of the processor—the CPU, the iGPU, and the NPU, are located in a centralized Compute tile that's built on the TSMC 3 nm process, while all the I/O controllers are spun out to the Platform Controller tile built on TSMC 6 nm, which sit on a Foveros base tile that acts as an interposer, facilitating high-density microscopic connections between the two tiles. The base tile sits on the fiberglass substrate, which also has stacked LPDDR5X memory for either 16 GB or 32 GB of on-package system memory.

The Kurnalsalts annotation provides a good lay of the land for the Compute tile. The most striking aspect of it is the CPU. "Lunar Lake" comes with a 4P+4E core hybrid CPU, but the two kinds of cores do not share a last-level cache or sit in a ringbus, unlike in case of the Compute tile of "Meteor Lake." The four "Lion Cove" P-cores each come with 2.5 MB of dedicated L2 caches, and share a 12 MB L3 cache. The four "Skymont" E-cores are not part of the ringbus connecting the four P-cores, rather they are physically separated, much like the low-power island E-cores on "Meteor Lake." The E-core cluster shares a 4 MB L2 cache among the four E-cores. This E-core cluster is directly connected to the switching fabric of the Compute tile.

Lenovo elevates productivity and enjoyment on-the-go with Chromebook Duet (11", 9) and Chromebook Duet EDU G2, two 10.95-inch convertible laptops with 2K display that balance design and performance. Encased in a full metal chassis with Corning Gorilla Glass for ultimate durability and complemented by a soft protective folio, the Chromebook Duet (11", 9) is a portable companion that entertains, adapts, and encourages you to create. A learning resource for students and teachers, the Chromebook Duet EDU G2 takes durability to the next level with a rugged case and detachable keyboard.

"Modern society is constantly on the move, a challenge to traditional notions of productivity and leisure based on being stationary, while underscoring the necessity of having a portable and efficient laptop," said Benny Zhang, Executive Director and General Manager of Chromebooks in Lenovo's Intelligent Devices Group. "The Lenovo Chromebook Duet and Lenovo Chromebook Duet EDU G2 powered by MediaTek Kompanio 838 processor with AI-enabled NPU are versatile companions for work, play, learning and everything in between."

Microsoft today released the Windows 11 2024 Update to the general user-base. This version of the operating system was being referred to as the Windows 11 "24H2 Update." Since Microsoft moved away from the biannual major release cycle for Windows, 24H2 was set up to be called simply the "2024 Update." Windows 11 2024 Update introduces several new experiences that leverage native AI acceleration on Copilot+ PCs—cool new things like super-resolution for Photos, or generative fill and erase tools in Paint. The update also releases Preview versions of Click to Do, and Windows Recall.

Click to Do is a generative AI-based utility that lets you perform text related actions anywhere (think rephrasing or summarizing something); or perform visual search for an item in a video or photo, using Bing. Windows Recall is a star-attraction, it lets you trace-back steps or actions in any compatible software, by relying on visual snapshots of your work to restore past actions. This should prove particularly useful for creative work. Both Click to Do, and Windows Recall require a Copilot+ PC (a machine with an NPU that has at least 40 AI TOPS of performance on offer). Windows 2024 Update should begin appearing in the Update section of Windows Settings.

Samsung Electronics today unveiled the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S10+, Samsung's first tablets purposefully built for AI. The premium hardware includes 14.6-inch and 12.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays—the ideal canvas for the intuitive S Pen bundled with both models. Performance upgrades for the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra include an 18% increase in CPU, 28% increase in GPU and 14% increase in NPU compared to the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

This improved processing power enables faster and more responsive AI features, which are now easily accessible with written prompts using the new Galaxy AI Key on the Book Cover Keyboards to customize AI assistant. Cutting-edge software includes features such as Note Assist and Drawing Assist, optimized for the tablet form factor. The Galaxy Tab S10 series also acts as a home AI device, with a 3D Map View that gives a visual overview of the home and all connected devices to streamline device management across the SmartThings ecosystem. Robust Samsung Knox security ensures data privacy and control, while innovative materials underscore Samsung's commitment to a more sustainable future.

A new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker shows shipments of personal computing devices are expected to grow 2.6% year over year in 2024 to 398.9 million units. The traditional PC market will remain flat in 2024 with 261 million units shipped while the tablet market is forecast to grow 7.2% year over year as a refresh cycle and project investments are expected to drive the market.

For traditional PCs, the global market excluding China is expected to grow 2.8% in 2024 as China continues to suffer through a confluence of macroeconomic challenges, including high youth employment, deflation, and a tumultuous real estate market. However, China's economic concerns have largely impacted just the PC market as tablet demand has proven to be more resilient thanks to Huawei's efforts.

Today at HP Imagine, HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) announced the company's newest innovations, including next-gen AI PCs, AI-enabled video conferencing solutions, and a scalable GPU performance sharing solution for AI developers - all designed to transform the future of work.

"HP is deeply ambitious in its commitment to reshape the way people work, fostering growth, nurturing creativity, and unleashing limitless innovation," said Alex Cho, President of Personal Systems at HP Inc. "We're bringing AI to life and delivering powerful new experiences through our next-gen AI PCs, advanced audio and video solutions, and innovative AI development platform."

A few days ago, we reported on AMD's newest expansion plans for Serbia. The company opened two new engineering design centers with offices in Belgrade and Nis. We were invited to join the opening ceremony and got an exclusive interview with one of AMD's top executives, Andrej Zdravkovic, who is the senior vice president and Chief Software Officer. Previously, we reported on AMD's transition to become a software company. The company has recently tripled its software engineering workforce and is moving some of its best people to support these teams. AMD's plan is spread over a three to five-year timeframe to improve its software ecosystem, accelerating hardware development to launch new products more frequently and to react to changes in software demand. AMD found that to help these expansion efforts, opening new design centers in Serbia would be very advantageous.

We sat down with Andrej Zdravkovic to discuss the purpose of AMD's establishment in Serbia and the future of some products. Zdravkovic is actually an engineer from Serbia, where he completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in electrical engineering from Belgrade University. In 1998, Zdravkovic joined ATI and quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a senior director. During his decade-long tenure, Zdravkovic witnessed a significant industry shift as AMD acquired ATI in 2006. After a brief stint at another company, Zdravkovic returned to AMD in 2015, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a unique perspective on the evolution of the graphics and computing industry.Here is the full interview:

Today, Lenovo announced its newest additions to its Lenovo Yoga and Lenovo IdeaPad portfolios at Lenovo Innovation World 2024, designed to enhance user productivity and creativity through the power of AI. Models include additions to the Lenovo Copilot+ PC portfolio. These new products promise to revolutionize the way consumers create, ideate, and produce, offering a seamless blend of performance and user-centric features. The products—announced at Lenovo's special event in Berlin—include:

• The all-new Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (15", 9), an Intel Evo Edition Copilot+ PC1 powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), the product of a multi-year collaboration with Intel.
• The Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 (14", 9), Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (15", 10) and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (13", 10), Copilot+ PCs powered by AMD Ryzen processors.
• The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (14", 9) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 (14", 9), powered by Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processors.
• Lenovo Creator Zone, a software suite that allows creators to use natural language to ideate and generate images locally with the power of AI.

These products are the latest examples of Lenovo's commitment to leading the industry in providing cutting-edge technology, exceptional user experiences, and enhanced creativity and productivity to consumers around the globe.

Lenovo, a global leader in technology innovation, proudly announces a series of groundbreaking products at Lenovo Innovation World 2024, each designed to redefine the future of professional computing and artificial intelligence. At a special event hosted in Berlin, the highlights include the newly designed premium Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), and the innovative Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC proof of concept. Lenovo also featured the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 and the all new ThinkBook 16 Gen 7+ powered by the latest AMD Ryzen AI processors. Additionally, Lenovo introduced the ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 powered by the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor. Together, these innovations showcase Lenovo's commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology, exceptional user experiences, and enhanced productivity and creativity for enterprise customers.

Lenovo also announced AI PC Fast Start, a solution designed to help organizations swiftly transition to AI-ready devices, maximizing ROI through AI-powered advisory and simplified deployment. Backed by Lenovo's award-winning support, these services accelerate AI adoption and ensure seamless implementation.

Lenovo, a global leader in technology innovation, announced its latest advancements at Lenovo Innovation World 2024, unveiling a series of AI PC devices, including ThinkPad, ThinkBook, Yoga, and IdeaPad laptops, designed to transform both enterprise and consumer user experiences.

AI PC Era
AI PCs are set to revolutionize computing as their relevance grows, with 60% of PCs shipped by 2027 anticipated to be AI-capable. Lenovo's AI PCs are at the forefront of this transformation, leveraging natural interactions, personalized large language models, and advanced computing architectures. These innovations make computing more personal by tailoring experiences to individual users, more productive by enhancing workflow efficiency, and more protected by integrating robust security features into AI-driven systems.

Durabook, the global rugged mobile solutions brand owned by Twinhead International Corporation, today announced significant updates to its S14I semi-rugged laptop, expanding its product line supporting modern-day data-intensive tasks. With the performance of Intel Core Ultra processor, this AI-powered 14" semi-rugged laptop exceeds expectations by delivering a powerful, premium performance and exceptional user experience.

Durabook also produces the Z14I fully rugged laptop, the world's most durable and reliable fully rugged PC designed specifically to support demanding AI applications in the field. Twinhead's CEO, Fred Kao, said: "AI technology has emerged as an important tool to handle and maximise data and create new, more capable and powerful systems. Durabook aims to equip our mobile computing devices with optimum capability for professional users in the field. Our customers can exploit these advancements to their advantage and greatest benefit with laptop solutions delivering up to 100 TOPS with AI accelerator."

ASUS today announced that it showcased its latest technological innovations at the Always Incredible Media Day for IFA 2024 in Berlin, Germany. The company highlighted its commitment to its Ubiquitous AI. Incredible Possibilities vision by unveiling a new portfolio of next-generation ASUS Copilot+ PCs. Equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), they deliver style, robust features and functionality, robust connectivity and heighten levels of performance alongside AI capabilities. ASUS has harnessed the full potential of Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) in the latest ASUS NUC mini PC. This new model outperforms the competition with superior performance, while maintaining an impressively compact design and robust array of connections and expansion support. With an integrated NPU delivering up to 48 TOPS, it enabled on-device AI capabilities. The NUC 14 Pro Ai will receive a free update to Copilot+ PC experiences when available.

The company's collaboration with Intel has been key in bringing these cutting-edge devices to life. "The powerful Intel Core Ultra processors at the heart of our latest Zenbook, Vivobook, ExpertBook laptops, and NUC Mini PC deliver unmatched performance and enable a wide range of AI experiences," said Rangoon Chang, ASUS Corporate Vice President, Consumer Business Unit. "With these new devices, together we are empowering users to harness the full potential of AI to enjoy smarter, more intuitive computing."