ASRock Inc., a global leader in motherboards, graphics cards, mini PCs, and gaming monitors, is once again expanding its product lineup with the launch of power supply units (PSUs) for the DIY market. The new PSU product lineup is available under the well-regarded Taichi, Phantom Gaming, Steel Legend, and Challenger series, designed to meet a wide range of user needs.

ASRock's PSUs are fully compliant with the latest Intel ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards, supporting the instantaneous peak power loads of 200% to 235%. This ensures users receive stable power solutions for future technologies. Featuring native 12V-2x6 cables, the single-line output can deliver up to 600 W, designed to meet the high-power requirements of next-gen premium graphics cards. The dual-color 16-pin connector design enables quick identification, ensuring proper insertion into the GPU's power socket. Furthermore, the Taichi and Phantom Gaming models feature an exclusive embedded NTC sensor that monitors connector temperatures in real-time, activating protection mode if temperatures exceed safe limits, thereby ensuring system safety and stability.

Phison Electronics, a leading innovator in NAND Flash technologies, today announced the newest addition and highest available capacity of the Pascari D-Series data center-optimized SSDs to be showcased at SC24. The Pascari D205V drive is the first PCIe Gen 5 128 TB data center class SSD available for preorder to address shifting storage demands across use cases including AI, media and entertainment (M&E), research and beyond. In a single drive the Pascari D205V offers 122.88 TB of storage, creating a four-to-one capacity advantage over traditional cold storage hard drives while shrinking both physical footprint and OPEX costs.

While the exponential data-deluge continues to strain data center infrastructure, organizations face a tipping point to maximize investment while remaining conscious of footprint, cost efficiency and power consumption. The Pascari D205V read-intensive SSD combines Phison's industry-leading X2 controller and the latest 2 Tb 3D QLC technology engineered to enable unequaled 14,600 MB/s sequential read and 3,000K IOPS random read performance. By doubling both the read speeds against Gen 4 as well as the capacity against the 61.44 TB enterprise SSDs currently available on the market today, the Pascari D205V allows customers to upgrade to larger datasets per server, top-tier capacity-per-watt utilization and unparalleled read performance.

TinyGrad, the company behind the popular TinyBox system, is aiming to commoditize the PetaFLOP. Its latest powerhouse, the TinyBox Pro, is on display on X. This high-performance system boasts an impressive 1.36 PetaFLOPS of FP16 computing power and is based on commercial GPU. The TinyBox Pro configuration features eight NVIDIA RTX 4090 GPUs, surpassing its predecessors with a combined GPU RAM of 192 GB and a memory bandwidth of 8,064 GB/s. This substantial upgrade is complemented by dual AMD Genoa processors and 384 GB of system RAM, delivering a memory bandwidth of 921.6 GB/s. What sets the TinyBox Pro apart is its enterprise-grade architecture. The system utilizes four 2000 W power supplies requiring 200 V+ input, housed in a 4U form factor that spans 31 inches in depth. Despite its compact size, weighing 88 pounds, the unit comes equipped with Supermicro rails for seamless rack integration.

Connectivity options are equally impressive, featuring two open PCIe 5.0 x16 slots that provide extensive expansion capabilities. Storage is managed through a 1 TB boot drive, though this might seem conservative compared to some competitors' offerings. The system runs on Ubuntu 22.04 and is noted for its superior driver quality (compared to commercial AMD GPUs), addressing a common pain point in high-performance computing on commercial hardware. On social media, TinyGrad was very vocal about its fight with the AMD Radeon GPU drivers. However, potential buyers should be prepared for significant noise levels during operation, a trade-off for the remarkable computing power packed into the 4U chassis. With a pre-order price tag of $40,000, the TinyBox Pro positions itself as a serious contender in the professional AI computing market, where regular GPU boxes can cost 100s of thousands of US Dollars. This pricing reflects its enterprise-grade specifications and positions it as an accessible alternative to larger, more expensive computing clusters.

When the initial batch of AMD X870/E motherboards were announced, there were no signs of Mini-ITX motherboards, but now Gigabyte has launched its first X870 Mini-ITX board and it's a bit of a hit and miss in our opinion. The X870I Aorus Pro Ice comes in white, as per the Ice moniker that Gigabyte likes to use for its white products and this might really appeal to some and put others off. Feature wise, we're looking at a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot—as per most Mini-ITX boards—two NVMe M.2 slots, one PCIe 5.0 and one PCIe 4.0, but for some reason, Gigabyte decided that a single USB4 port was enough.

What makes the single USB4 port decision even worse is the fact that the board only has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps USB Type-C port and the front panel header is also limited to 10 Gbps. On a brand new board, this is really quite disappointing, but the Pro SKUs are usually feature limited models from Gigabyte. The rest of the ports around the back consists of an HDMI 2.1 port, although it too is limited to 4K 60 Hz output, which again is disappointing—the USB4 port is capable of 4K at 240 Hzvia DP Alt mode—two USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps USB Type-A ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 5 Gbps USB Type-A ports and two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, a 2.5 Gbps RJ45 Ethernet jack, a WiFi antenna connector for the onboard RTL8922AE WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 module and a pair of 3.5 mm audio jacks mounted on a separate PCB. There's also a BIOS flashing button around the back.

MSI, a leading global provider of high-performance server solutions, is excited to showcase its comprehensive lineup of motherboards and servers based on the OCP Modular Hardware System (DC-MHS) architecture at the OCP Global Summit from October 15-17 at booth A6. These cutting-edge solutions represent a breakthrough in server designs, enabling flexible deployments for cloud and high-density data centers. Featured innovations include CXL memory expansion servers and AI-optimized servers, demonstrating MSI's leadership in pushing the boundaries of AI performance and computing power.

DC-MHS Series Motherboards and Servers: Enabling Flexible Deployment in Data Centers
"The rapidly evolving IT landscape requires cloud service providers, large-scale data center operators, and enterprises to handle expanding workloads and future growth with more flexible and powerful infrastructure. MSI's new rage of DC-MHS-based solutions provides the needed flexibility and efficiency for modern data center environments," said Danny Hsu, General Manager of Enterprise Platform Solutions.

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced the availability of its new KIOXIA XD8 Series PCIe 5.0 Enterprise and Datacenter Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) E1.S SSDs. The new drives are the third generation of E1.S SSDs from KIOXIA and are compliant with PCIe 5.0 (32 GT/s x 4) and NVMe 2.0 specifications, and support the Open Compute Project (OCP) Datacenter NVMe SSD v2.5 specification.

Designed for cloud and hyperscale environments, the KIOXIA XD8 Series meets the growing demand for higher performance, enhanced efficiency, and greater scalability in data centers. The new drives empower cloud providers and hyperscalers to optimize their infrastructure, delivering superior performance while maintaining operational efficiency.

GameMax, an emerging brand of PC gaming components including gaming cases and power supply units, introduces the refreshed RGB-Smart Series 80 Plus Gold power supply units now featuring ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards. The GameMax RGB-Smart Series is perfect for RGB lighting enthusiasts with its 140 mm smart ARGB cooling fan. Designed for high-end gaming systems, the GameMax RGB-Smart Series is available in up to 1300 W model. The RGB-Smart PSUs feature native 16-pin 12V-2x6 connector for the latest NVIDIA RTX graphics cards, supporting a maximum power output of 600 W. It also features a fully modular cable design, minimizing cable use for cleaner cable management.

The GameMax RGB-Smart's silent 140 mm ARGB cooling fan supports RGB synchronization via motherboard RGB sync. It supports RGB sync technologies from ASUS, MSI, and GIGABYTE. The refreshed GameMax RGB-Smart ATX 3.1 PCIe 5.1 Series is available in 750 W, 850 W, 1050 W, and 1300 W models—all available in black and white models to color match most PC build themes.

GIGABYTE Technology, one of the top global manufacturers of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, today announced the launch of its revolutionary Z890 motherboards. These next-generation motherboards are set to redefine the standards in performance, AI integration, and user experience for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Powered by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, these motherboards push the boundaries of what's possible in computing.⁠

Infinite Memory Performance
GIGABYTE Z890 lineup equips the D5 Bionic Corsa technology to create phenomenal new peaks in memory performance to DDR5 XMP 9500 and above. A true marvel of AI-enhanced overclocking technology for DDR5 memory, D5 Bionic Corsa boasts four key technologies from software, hardware to firmware side. The AORUS AI SNATCH and AI SNATCH Engine present AI-overclocking for ultimate performance, while AI-Driven PCB Design and HyperTune BIOS deliver AI-design for signal enhancement on motherboards. The AORUS AI SNATCH is an auto-overclocking software by AI model, and enables users to unleash utmost performance with one-click activation. The AI SNATCH Engine is the AI model served as the core of AORUS AI SNATCH software, trained by AI TOP on diverse overclocking datasets to improve precision and optimize performance with stability. The AI-Driven PCB Technology employs AI algorithms to optimize vias, routing and stackups, while the Hypertune BIOS uses AI to optimize MRC and adapt to signals for peak efficiency, significant memory clock boost, and enhanced overall performance.

Having received much positive feedback from partners and visitors during its first announcement at Computex 2024, Sea Sonic is proud to launch the new Seasonic FOCUS GX (2024) Series. In the footsteps of the popular FOCUS Series power supplies, this new iteration introduces innovative features that aspire to follow the legacy and position the FOCUS GX (2024) at the new Center of Attention.

Introducing a Technological Milestone: OptiSink
The FOCUS GX (2024) was redesigned with a brand new PCB layout and is produced during a new manufacturing process involving automated surface mount technology. Improved design also includes the use of smaller MOSFETs and heat sink components, which increases the internal space within the PSU to promote better airflow. All these enhancements not only improve the overall quality of the FOCUS GX (2024) Series, but also make it more efficient and more reliability in the long run.

After a successful product introduction during Computex 2024, Sea Sonic is now launching the sales of the new PRIME PX-2200 power supply. The Seasonic PRIME Series represents Sea Sonic's pinnacle of engineering, blending cutting-edge design with premium materials and advanced production processes. The latest models showcase digital fan control, modern interleaved PFC (Power Factor Correction), and a patented dual-transformer design running in parallel.

Seasonic's Latest Power Milestone Unveiled
The PRIME PX-2200 stands out above all PRIME units by capable of delivering an impressive 2200 watts of power at 80 Plus Platinum EU 230 V levels. Catering to a wide range of power users, this ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 compatible powerhouse delivers top-quality power combined with long-term reliability for various high-performance applications.

Detailed specifications and a somewhat blurry slide showing off all the details of MSI's upcoming high-end MEG Z890 Unify-X motherboard have leaked courtesy of @ChamberTech_ on X/Twitter. The motherboard is likely to appeal to those looking to squeeze every extra bit of performance out of their new Ultra 200K series CPU when they launch next month. You get support for memory speeds of up to 10,000 MT/s and with only two DIMM slots, it might be able to go even higher with the latest DDR5 CUDIMMs. The board also sports a 110 Ampere 20+1+1+1 VRM design on an eight layer PCB, and it also ships with what MSI calls an OC Tuning Controller, suggesting the board is targeting overclockers.

MSI has included a pair of PCIe 5.0 x16 slots for GPUs that presumably operate in dual x8 mode when both slots are in use, and a third PCIe 4.0 x16 slot that operates in x4 mode, as well as a single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot. There's also no less than six M.2 slots, of which two are PCIe 5.0 and one PCIe 4.0, as well as six SATA ports. Where things get a bit interesting is in the network connectivity, as the slide claims that the board features a 5 Gbps Intel Killer Ethernet interface, which is the first we've heard of such a thing, as well as an Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 module for wireless connectivity.

The first reviews of Silicon Motion's new PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD controller, the SM2508 are starting to appear online, and the good news is that the controller is as power efficient as promised by the company. Tom's hardware has put up their review of a reference design M.2 SSD from Silicon Motion and in their testing, equipped with 1 TB of Kioxia's 162-layer BiCS6 TLC NAND. It easily bests the competition when it comes to power efficiency. In their file copy test, it draws nearly two watts less than its nearest competitor and as much as three watts less than the most power hungry drive. It's still using about one watt more than the best PCIe 4.0 drives, but it goes to show that the production nodes matters, as the SM2508 is produced on a 6 nm node, compared to 12 nm for Phison's E26.

We should point out that the peak power consumption did go over nine watts, but only one of the Phison E26 drives managed to stay below 10 watts here. The most power hungry PCIe 5.0 SSD controller in the test, the InnoGrit IG5666 peaks at nearly 14 watts for comparison. Idle power consumption of the SM2508 is also very good, still drawing more than the PCIe 4.0 drives it was tested against, but far less than any of the other PCIe 5.0 drives. What about performance you ask? The reference drive places itself ahead of all the Phison E26 drives when it comes to sequential file transfers, regardless if it's to or from the drive. Random read IOPS also places right at the top, but it's somewhat behind when it comes to random writes, without being a slow drive by any means. Overall we're looking at a very promising new SSD controller from Silicon Motion with the SM2508 and TPU has also received a sample that is currently undergoing testing, so expect a review here soon.

MSI is thrilled to introduce a groundbreaking feature on its X870(E) series motherboards. This innovative is designed with gamers and professionals in mind, provides the extra power required for AI computing and GPU-intensive applications. The supplemental PCIe Power feature, equipped with an integrated 8-pin PCIe power connector, delivers additional power for GPUs demanding higher wattage, ensuring they can achieve their peak performance. Paired with the ATX 3.1 power standard, which can hold up to a 2.5x power excursion for enhanced reliability and better power delivery, this feature ensures stable, efficient, and sustained performance, even under heavy loads. Whether gaming or tackling complex applications, this supplemental PCIe Power offers unmatched reliability and stability for the most demanding environments.

What is Supplemental PCIe Power?
Think of it as an extra battery pack for your motherboard. The system's 12 V power on the 24pin power connector from the motherboard basically handles all the PCIe interface, fans and RGB extensions. Still, the supplemental PCIe power ensures everything runs smoothly when your PC is pushed to the limit—like when running very intensive graphical games or maximizing all the fan dissipation for extreme performance.

MSI is excited to announce the launch of the latest AMD Ryzen 9000 Series processors, set to debut on the AM5 platform. Powered by advanced 4 nm CPU process technology, the Ryzen 9000 Series promises to revolutionize the computing landscape with unmatched performance, efficiency, and versatility for gamers and content creators. At launch, August 8th, AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, and Ryzen 5 9600X are available while the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X will launch on August 15th. These processors will feature up to 16 cores and 32 threads, with a theoretical maximum boost clock speed of 5.7 GHz, 64 MB of L3 cache, and a maximum TDP of 170 W.

AMD Ryzen 9000 Series will also support PCIe 5.0 for the GPU and M.2 while enhancing DDR5 memory speed. Notably, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X offers approximately 12% better overall performance than the first-gen AMD 3D V-cache CPU. All these processors are compatible with the AM5 socket, and existing AMD 600 Series motherboards and Ryzen 9000 Series processors can seamlessly integrate by updating to the latest BIOS, available on MSI's product support page.

Today, Solidigm, a leading provider of innovative NAND flash memory solutions, announced the launch of the Solidigm D7-PS1010 and D7-PS1030 data center solid-state drives (SSDs). As the fastest PCIe 5.0 SSDs shipping in volume today, these drives are well suited for the IO intensity found in modern mainstream, mixed, and write-centric workloads.

"The Solidigm D7-PS1010 and D7-PS1030 SSDs were meticulously engineered to meet the increasingly demanding IO requirements across a range of workloads such as general-purpose servers, OLTP, server-based storage, decision support systems and AI/ML," said Greg Matson, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Marketing at Solidigm. "In a world where every watt counts, these drives are PCIe 5.0 done right, not only delivering industry-leading four-corner performance, but also up to 70% better energy efficiency compared to similar drives by other manufacturers."

GameMax, an emerging brand of PC gaming components including gaming cases and power supply units, announces the launch of the GX-1050 PRO BK and GX-1050 PRO WH 80 Plus Platinum power supply units, compliant with the ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards and comes with a native 16-pin 12V-2x6 connectors. The power supply features a powerful 12 V rail designed for high-performance gaming systems supporting the latest high-end NVIDIA RTX graphics cards.

The GameMax GX-1050 PRO WH is the white edition that comes with matching flat white cables. On the other hand, the GameMax GX-1050 PRO BK is the standard black version with flat black cables. The GX PRO WH/BK's modular cable design create neat and clutter-free cable management having only the necessary cables installed.

ScaleFlux, a leader in developing storage and memory technologies, marks its 10th anniversary by sampling its latest NVMe SSDs, the CSD5000 series. Purpose-built for the AI Era, CSD5000 is designed to alleviate bottlenecks in the AI/ML, Cloud, and Data Center computing infrastructure. Getting jobs on and off the GPUs and CPUs rapidly is crucial to reaching optimal utilization of the infrastructure for AI/ML, HPC, AI analytics, and cloud-native computing. "To enable high xPU utilization levels, the storage devices must be up to the tasks of reliably delivering massive amounts of data at blinding speeds and of rapidly and securely storing the checkpoints and outputs, all in a power-efficient manner - exactly what the CSD5000 was designed to do," said ScaleFlux CEO, Hao Zhong. Coinciding with the company's 10th anniversary, this release highlights a decade of remarkable achievements and sets the stage for an exciting future of continued growth and technological advancements.

Introducing the CSD5000: A New Chapter in SSD Storage
Built on the ScaleFlux FX5016 PCIe 5 SSD controller, the CSD5000 series sets a new bar for SSD performance, capacity density, efficiency, and feature set. Expanding upon the innovative write reduction technology and capacity expansion features from the previous generations of ScaleFlux drives, CSD5000 brings unrivaled capabilities to data storage.

Marvell Technology, Inc., a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today launched the Marvell Structera product line of Compute Express Link (CXL) devices that enable cloud data center operators to overcome memory performance and scaling challenges in general-purpose servers.

To address memory-intensive applications, data center operators add extra servers to get higher memory bandwidth and higher memory capacity. The compute capabilities from the added processors are typically not utilized for these applications, making the servers inefficient from cost and power perspectives. The CXL industry standard addresses this challenge by enabling new architectures that can efficiently add memory to general-purpose servers.

What appears to be the full details of all of Intel's upcoming 800-series chipsets have leaked and although we've already seen what the Z890 chipset will offer, no details of the other SKUs have leaked to date. Maybe the biggest news is that there won't be an H870 chipset this time around, according to the leaker @jaykihn0 over at X/Twitter. The full range appears to be Z890, B860 and H810 for consumers, W880 for workstations and Q870 for corporate desktops. That said, the Z890 and W880 are identical in terms of slots and ports, but whereas the W880 gains full ECC support and Intel vPro and remote management, it loses the CPU and bus overclocking features of the Z890. The Q870 loses four chipset PCIe 4.0 lanes, one 20 Gbps or two 10 Gbps USB 3.2 ports, but is otherwise similar to the Z890, minus all the overclocking features, but with Intel vPro and remote management.

The B860 ends up on the chopping block as always and loses not only 10 chipset PCIe lanes compared to the Z890 chipset, but also four lanes from the CPU and four lanes on the DMI interface to the chipset. On top of that bifurcation goes out the window toigether with PCIe RAID and the chipset is only capable of having two 20 Gbps or four 10 Gbps USB 3.2 ports, but at least memory overclocking is still on the table. Finally, the H810 chipset is as basic as it gets, with no extra CPU PCIe lanes beyond the 16 lanes for a graphics card, but they are at least PCIe 5.0 this time around. The chipset itself is only equipped with a mere eight PCIe 4.0 lanes and it gets zero 20 Gbps and two 10 Gbps USB 3.2 ports. Note that all platforms support one or two Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 ports, but it's unclear if this is native support or via an add-on chip. Also note that the USB ports are shared and the maximum count is that for the 5 Gbps ports in the details below, so the Z890 for example, doesn't have 25 USB 3.2 ports in total, but rather only 10. All in all, we'll see a migration to PCIe 5.0 for the x16 slot across the entire 800-series chipset range and from the B860 and up, all chipsets will have a dedicated PCIe 5.0 x4 interface that will most likely be used for an M.2 slot. Also, the PCIe lane count is the maximum, but due to Intel's HSIO layout, some resources will be shared with SATA and Ethernet, which means not all PCIe lanes will be accessible.

Leader in PC gaming components, products and pre-builts, NZXT, has unveiled a new line of products that refine the PC-building experience for gamers. Revealed at Computex 2024, NZXT's new products further highlight its commitment to help gamers obtain a gaming PC in the simplest way possible. Whether gamers decide to build it from scratch, upgrade their existing rig, or purchase a pre-built custom gaming PC, NZXT has them covered. The innovative F-Series RGB Core single-frame fans lead the lineup, a reimagined NZXT H7 Flow and high-performance C-Series ATX 3.1 power supplies converge to make this product reveal one of the best of the year in gaming PC hardware.

As a simpler alternative to modular fan connections and daisy chains, the new F240, F280, and F360 RGB Core single-frame fans combine multiple high-performance fans into a seamless, all-in-one design. The RGB Core single-frame fans simplify installation by reducing the number of cables and screws needed, streamlining the building process and cleaning up the overall look. The single 8-pin cable combines RGB and PWM connections, which can be directly managed via the new NZXT Control Hub (available Q3 2024) or connected to any 5 V ARGB and fan port on a motherboard using a splitter for flexibility.

DeepCool is an agile and versatile well-known brand, so it wasn't a surprise to see new and improved power supplies at their Computex 2024 booth. The first one that drew attention was the DeepCool PX-S Series, marking the brand's debut in the SFX PSU market. This series meets the ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards, uses 105°C full Japanese electrolytic capacitors, comes with sleeved cables, and is available in 650 W, 750 W, 850 W, and 1000 W models (all in an SFX 120 mm long unit).

Another fresh power supply line is the DeepCool PN-M, certified as Gold by Cybenetics and 80 Plus, which features dedicated 12 V 2x6, 5x EPS/PCIe ports, uses 105°C full Japanese electrolytic capacitors, and sleeved cables. It is available in 650 W, 750 W, 850 W, 1000 W, and 1200 W models, meeting the ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards.

As a global leader in NAND controllers and NAND storage solutions, Phison showcases a range of innovative storage products and AI solutions during Computex (June 4-7, 2024). The rising demand for generative AI applications aligns with Phison's growth in AI solutions under the aiDAPTIV+ and new Pro Suite products that address market trends and bring new technological experiences to the industry.

This year Computex 2024 is focusing on AI Computing, Advanced Connectivity, Future Mobility, Immersive Reality, Sustainability, and Innovations.

During Computex 2024, GIGABYTE unveiled its new "AI TOP" series designed to empower users to develop and run AI applications locally on their systems. The AI TOP lineup includes AI-optimized motherboards, graphics cards, and complete system solutions. The flagship motherboard is called TRX50 AI TOP, which boasts support for AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 7000 PRO and a regular series of CPUs. The flagship TRX50 AI TOP motherboard features a special VRM design with beefy heatsinks, four PCIe 5.0 x16 slots for quad-GPU setup, eight-channel DDR5 memory with room for eight DIMMs, and a few M.2 PCIe Gen 5 slots. Next in the AI TOP line is the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AI TOP edition. Formed as a blower-style cooler, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AI TOP is envisioned for tight spaces and parallel installation with other GPUs to accelerate local AI development and inference.

Supposedly, there will be more AI TOP motherboards and GPUs than what is showcased. GIGABYTE may have an AI TOP makeover for Intel's upcoming Z890 AORUS Xtreme, and there could be more GPUs in the future with the blower-style AI TOP design. The goal of AI TOP series is optimization for AI workloads, which require lots of GPUs and lots of memory, like the TRX50 AI TOP motherboard shows.

TrendForce reports that a reduction in supplier production has led to unmet demand for high-capacity orders since 4Q23. Combined with procurement strategies aimed at building low-cost inventory, this has driven orders and significantly boosted enterprise SSD revenue, which reached US$3.758 billion in 1Q24—a staggering 62.9% QoQ increase.

TrendForce further highlights that demand for high-capacity, driven by AI servers, has surged. North American clients increasingly adopt high-capacity QLC SSDs to replace HDDs, leading to over 20% growth in Q2 enterprise SSD bit procurement. This has also driven up Q2 enterprise SSD contract prices by more than 20%, with revenue expected to grow by another 20%.

The rollout of SiPearl's much-anticipated Rhea processor for European supercomputers has been pushed back by a year to 2025, but the delay comes with a silver lining - a significant upgrade in core count and potential performance. Originally slated to arrive in 2024 with 72 cores, the homegrown high-performance chip will now pack 80 cores when it eventually launches. This decisive move by SiPearl and its partners is a strategic choice to ensure the utmost quality and capabilities for the flagship European processor. The additional 12 months will allow the engineering teams to further refine the chip's architecture, carry out extensive testing, and optimize software stacks to take full advantage of Rhea's computing power. Now called the Rhea1, the chip is a crucial component of the European Processor Initiative's mission to develop domestic high-performance computing technologies and reduce reliance on foreign processors. Supercomputer-scale simulations spanning climate science, drug discovery, energy research and more all require astonishing amounts of raw compute grunt.

By scaling up to 80 cores based on the latest Arm Neoverse V1, Rhea1 aims to go toe-to-toe with the world's most powerful processors optimized for supercomputing workloads. The SiPearl wants to utilize TSCM's N6 manufacturing process. The CPU will have 256-bit DDR5 memory connections, 104 PCIe 5.0 lanes, and four stacks of HBM2E memory. The roadmap shift also provides more time for the expansive European supercomputing ecosystem to prepare robust software stacks tailored for the upgraded Rhea silicon. Ensuring a smooth deployment with existing models and enabling future breakthroughs are top priorities. While the delay is a setback for SiPearl's launch schedule, the substantial upgrade could pay significant dividends for Europe's ambitions to join the elite ranks of worldwide supercomputer power. All eyes will be on Rhea's delivery in 2025, mainly from Europe's governments, which are funding the project.