While semiconductors are exempt (for now at least) from Trump's tariffs, other components going into our PCs are not. According to Tom's Hardware, which spoke to multiple system integrators, tariffs are about to hike PC costs by at least 20%, with system integrators hurt the most. The tariff package imposes a 54% rate on Chinese goods, 34% on top of earlier tariffs, and significant duties on Taiwan, South Korea, and Vietnam products. These countries supply essential PC components such as SSDs, RAM, cases, and graphics cards. Wallace Santos, CEO of Maingear, highlighted the immediate effects on production: "Tariffs have a direct impact on our cost structure… which we have to pass down to our customers." He further explained that some suppliers have halted production in China, leading to scarcity and escalating costs. Santos estimates that prices for his PCs will rise "20 to 25% as a result of the tariffs."

Other company leaders express concern over the limited alternatives available. Kelt Reeves, CEO of Falcon Northwest, stated, "Sadly the overwhelming majority of PC component manufacturing is not done in the US and never has been. There's no US alternative supplier for most PC parts." Reeves added that even US-based system integrators are "facing skyrocketing costs" due to the tariffs, which are set to worsen an already challenging market situation caused by ongoing GPU shortages. Jon Bach, CEO of Puget Systems, shared his perspective in a recent blog post, noting that his company might absorb some costs to minimize consumer price increases. However, even before the latest tariff updates, Bach predicted a price rise of "20 to 45 percent by June." Critics of the tariffs warn of broader economic issues. Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, condemned the policy as "massive tax hikes on Americans that will drive inflation, kill jobs on Main Street, and may cause a recession for the US economy." With these tariffs taking effect, the PC industry faces a period of adjustment marked by increased costs and significant supply chain challenges.

MediaTek has introduced the Kompanio Ultra, the latest milestone in AI-powered, high-performance Chromebooks. Leveraging MediaTek's proven expertise in flagship innovation, this powerful new platform brings fantastic on-device AI capabilities, superior computing performance, and industry-leading power efficiency to the newest Chromebook Plus devices. "The Kompanio Ultra underscores our commitment to delivering groundbreaking computing performance and efficiency that MediaTek has shown as a leader in the mobile compute space for many years," said Adam King, Vice President & General Manager of Computing and Multimedia Business at MediaTek. "We worked closely with Google to ensure the newest Chromebook Plus devices enjoy next-generation on-device AI capabilities, superior performance per watt, and immersive multimedia."

The Kompanio Ultra is MediaTek's most powerful Chromebook processor to date, integrating 50 TOPS of AI processing power to enable on-device generative AI experiences. With MediaTek's 8th-generation NPU, users can expect real-time task automation, personalized computing, and seamless AI-enhanced workflows—with local processing for enhanced speed, security, efficiency, and support for AI workloads without an internet connection. Built on the cutting-edge (TSMC) 3 nm process, the Kompanio Ultra features an all-big-core CPU architecture with an Arm Cortex-X925 processor clocked at up to 3.62 GHz, delivering industry-leading single and multithreaded performance. Whether handling intensive applications like video editing, content creation, or high-resolution gaming, this processor ensures smooth, lag-free performance with unmatched multitasking capabilities.

Yesterday, United States President Donald Trump announced a set of tariffs imposed on US trading partners, imposing a series of 10%+ tariffs on partners, calling it a "Liberation Day." Today, we are calculating how much these tariffs will impact consumers and what is most important at TechPowerUp: semiconductors powering our GPUs and CPUs. According to one of the top investment banks, Goldman Sachs, semiconductors are exempt from the reciprocal tariffs that Trump has imposed on Taiwan. However, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment used by makers like TSMC is not exempt and is expected to be hit with the 32% tariffs. This is only half of what Taiwan imposes on imports of US-made goods. For TSMC, the number one maker of GPUs and CPUs, tariffs can be tricky to navigate. While its existing manufacturing facilities use equipment sourced from Dutch ASML and a few US companies like Lam Research and KLA Corporation, it shouldn't be a problem to ship new silicon to the US.

However, if TSMC wants to expand its manufacturing facilities in any country that is not the US, it will have to deal with 32% tariffs on US-sourced silicon manufacturing equipment. For EU-based ASML, things are looking a little different. If over 20% of the equipment is made up of US content, a tariff exemption might apply, potentially reducing import costs. If more than one-fifth of a product's components or value originates from US sources, the equipment may be eligible for tariff relief. ASML's machines include some US components, so determining whether these machines meet the 20% threshold is crucial. If they do, the tariff exemption could help lower costs associated with importing these advanced machines, reaching up to $380 million. For non-US-injected goods, EU entities are subject to 20% tariffs.

Just over two weeks ago, Acer unveiled its brand-new Predator BiFrost and Nitro Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards. Despite being a late contributor to AMD's opening salvo of RDNA 4, the Taiwanese manufacturer made a big impression with its reveal of four premium specced models. In particular, Acer's Predator BiFrost Radeon RX 9070 OC 16 GB and Nitro Radeon RX 9070 XT OC 16 GB SKUs will be joining an elite group of custom options that boast 3100 MHz boost clocks. Mid-March press material did not provide any insight into launch pricing—weeks later, Overclockers UK has opened up pre-orders for the four Predator BiFrost and Nitro RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 cards. Just prior to RDNA 4 launch time, Overclockers UK (OcUK) received plenty of press attention—in particular, their building of a sizable cube out of an impressive quantity of Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 9070 XT retail stock.

The British retailer seemed confident with its pre-kickoff accumulation of various AIB models, but demand quickly outstripped supply on day one. Unfortunately, OcUK has implemented dreaded price hikes across its Radeon RX 9070 Series product listings. Looking at Acer's main competition in the premium custom Radeon RX 9070 XT tier, OcUK has jacked up prices by £20 to £30 (approx.). ASRock's Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi OC model—one of the elite 3.1 GHz boosters—launched at £700 (including VAT, shipping fee is extra), but was adjusted up to £728.99 (~$943 USD) at some point last month. The British store's pre-order price for the "cheaper" Nitro Radeon RX 9070 XT OC SKU is £749.99 (inc. VAT), while the flagship Predator BiFrost costs £779.99 (inc. VAT) for reservation. GIGABYTE's (almost) £800 AORUS RX 9070 XT ELITE model is the only other 3.1 GHz boost-capable option sitting above the £750 mark. Looking at "on paper" information (e.g. aluminium backplates, state-of-the-art cooling, etc.)—Acer's two headliners are impressive offerings, but rival cards already exist with similar credentials at "lower prices." Historically, TechPowerUp's resident GPU reviewer—W1zzard—has not received any graphics card samples from the manufacturer. Perhaps this drought will end in the near future...

Industry insiders posit that TSMC's two flagship fabrication facilities are running ahead of schedule with the development of an advanced 2 nm (N2) process node. A cross-facility mass production phase is tipped to begin later this year, which leaves room for next-level experiments. Taiwan's Economic Daily News has heard supply chain whispers about the Baoshan "P2" plant making internal preparations for a truly cutting edge 1.4 nm-class product. According to the report, unnamed sources have claimed that: "TSMC has made a major breakthrough in the advancement of its 1.4 nm process. (The company) has recently notified suppliers to prepare the necessary equipment for 1.4 nm, and plans to install a trial production 'mini-line' at P2 (Baoshan Fab 20)."

Their Hsinchu-adjacent "Fab 20" site is touted as a leading player in the prototyping of this new technology. Industry moles reckon that "1.4 nm expertise" will eventually trickle over to nearby "P3 and P4 plants" for full production phases. Allegedly, these factories were originally going to be involved in the manufacturing of 2 nm (N2) wafers. Additionally, TSMC's "Fab 25" campus could potentially play host to trial 1.4 nm activities—the Economic Daily News article proposes that four plants based in the Central Taiwan Science Park are pitching in with collaborative work. As interpreted by TrendForce, "P1" could begin "risk trial production" by 2027, followed by full-scale output within the following year.

Going back to the start of this year, TSMC's trial run of a cutting-edge 2 nm (N2) node process was reportedly progressing beyond initial expectations. According to industry moles, two flagship fabrication facilities are "optimistically" tipped to pump out 80,000 units per month (by the end of 2025). This cross-facility total figure was linked to TSMC's Baoshan—located near the Northern Taiwanese city of Hsinchu—and Kaohsiung (in the South) plants. The latest regional reports suggest that the aforementioned trial phase was a resounding success, with pleasing results pointing to an "ahead of schedule" transfer to mass production phases. Insiders previously heard about the Kaohsiung production hub's schedule; with mass production set to start by early 2026—according to fresh rumors, revised calendars have a kick-off window repositioned somewhere in late 2025. Apparently a special "2 nm plant expansion ceremony" took place in that location, earlier today.

A noted semiconductor business analyst—Ming-Chi Kuo—reckons that recent 2 nm pilot yields have progressed well over the 60% mark, meaning that the involved foundry teams are more than ready to move onto kicking things into high gear. Taiwan's Economic News Daily anticipates significant financial gains, due to TSMC N2 products already being in high demand: "the quarterly revenue in the second half of the year is expected to reach one trillion yuan (~US$30.1 billion) for the first time, and it is poised to challenge the goal of earning twice the share capital in a quarter and rewrite the record for a single quarter." The local publication claims that TSMC Baoshan's "first batch of production capacity" is fully reserved for Apple, while Kaohsiung will take care of orders for other (i.e. less) important customers.

Around RDNA 4's launch period, ASRock's web presences listed an intriguing Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend Dark 16 GB model—seemingly not mentioned in official introductory press material. As covered on TechPowerUp earlier this month, this unusual darkened spin-off of the "traditional white" Steel Legend design received little fanfare—the obvious reason being that gray/black stock was not readied for AMD's March 6 rollout to market. Over the past weekend, VideoCardz put an investigative spotlight on a Hermitage AkiHabara/GDM Japan press release. It turns out that ASRock's Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend Dark SKU will become available early next month, starting with the Japanese "domestic market."

The manufacturer's global website was not updated with a similar PR item, so an international/widespread launch is likely planned for a later date. The "expected market price" upon release is 133,800 yen (including tax), which converts to roughly US$891. Industry watchdogs believe that the Dark variant will roll out "globally" with the exact same price tag as the already launched pale sibling. The Taiwanese brand did not introduce a Radeon RX 9070 (non-XT) Steel Legend Dark overclocked model, to exist alongside their white-hued RX 9070 Steel Legend OC offering. The wallet-friendlier triple-fan ASRock RX 9070 Challenger SKU—in black, with a splash of ARGB—is their only other Navi 48 XT GPU-based option.

Digital Chat Station (DCS)—a tenured leaker of Qualcomm pre-release information—has shared new "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" chipset details. Earlier today, their Weibo feed was updated with a couple of technological predictions. The announced smartphone chip's "SM8850" identifier was disclosed once again, along with the repeated claim that Qualcomm has selected a 3 nm "N3P" node process. Industry watchdogs expect to see the San Diego-headquartered fabless semiconductor designer introduce its next-generation flagship smartphone SoC in October. The current-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite platform was unveiled last Fall; sporting cutting-edge "Oryon" (aka Phoenix) processor cores and an integrated Adreno 830 graphics solution. DCS reckons that the natural successor will reuse a familiar "2 + 6" core configuration; comprised of two prime "big performance" units, and six "normal" performance-tuned units. An Adreno 840 iGPU was listed as DCS's final point of conjecture.

The incoming "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" chipset was mentioned in the same sentence as rumored "Pegasus" cores (Phoenix's sequel)—slightly far-fetched rumors from 2024 suggested Qualcomm's upgraded processor architecture being tested at maximum frequencies of 5.0 GHz (on performance cores). As pointed out by Wccftech, Gen 1's performance cores run at 4.47 GHz (by default). In today's follow-up post, DCS claimed that Qualcomm's: "self-developed CPU architecture is now in the second generation, with a performance setting of over 380 W+." Industry watchdogs reckon that the "Snapdragon 8 Elite 2" chip will be capable of recording 3.8+ million point tallies in AnTuTu V10 gauntlets, thanks to the alleged utilization of ArmV9 architecture. DCS theorized that the speculated "SM8850" SoC will support ARM's Scalable Matrix Extension 1 (SME 1) and Scalable Vector Extension 2 (SVE2) instruction sets.

Coinciding with the launch of GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 "Blackwell" graphics cards earlier in the year, Original Price House and MSI initiated a compelling promotional competition for Taiwanese PC hardware enthusiasts. As covered on TechPowerUp at the end of last week, eager collectors of signature "Lucky Dragon" figurines were seeking the completion of whole "Blind Box Of Lucky" sets. A qualifying quantity—of nine individual/unique designs—would grant access to a "free" MSI GeForce RTX 5080 VANGUARD SOC graphics card; supplied by Original Price House (a regional shop). The promo's original terms proudly proclaimed that "there is no limit to the exchange for a complete set." In a follow-up report, HKEPC Hardware put a spotlight on the campaign's apparent premature end.

The Hong Kong-based news PC news outlet provided evidence of the event organizers "modification of the rules"—advancing claim/collection deadlines from the (original) May 31, 2025 end date to March 31, 2025. Extra international attention has reportedly "ruined" MSI and Original Price House's local campaign. HKEPC commented on the circumstances: "it is understood that (the shop) originally estimated that the number of Lucky Dragon dolls that can be found in Taiwan is/was limited, but it obviously underestimated the power of the community. Many people bought dolls from all over the world at high prices to participate in the event, resulting in the store being 'overwhelmed with sales'." Last week's report suggested that five completed sets of Lucky Dragon figurines had happily been exchanged for premium-tier MSI GeForce RTX 5080 VANGUARD SOC models. Within the last couple of days, another six "winners" have turned up with qualifying collections of cute toys. According to HKEPC's latest coverage: "this number (of claimants) is already double the original expectation. Therefore, according to the instructions of the manufacturer (MSI), Original Price House has decided to advance the exchange deadline to March 31."

TSMC is reconfiguring its US strategy after a challenging start at its Fab 21 facility near Phoenix, Arizona. The company's initial module took nearly five years to move from groundbreaking to production—far longer than the typical two-year process observed in Taiwan. Early setbacks, including labor issues, rising costs, and cultural differences, slowed progress, but these hurdles have provided valuable lessons. With a clearer understanding of the local construction environment, TSMC plans to speed up future projects. Company executives have identified reliable local contractors and addressed many bottlenecks that once hindered progress. As a result, the Taiwanese maker is gearing up to accelerate construction timelines for its upcoming modules. Notably, TSMC intends to start building its third fab—Fab 21 module 3—this year, aiming for a pace similar to that in Taiwan.

In the current phase, TSMC is finalizing equipment installations for Fab 21 module 1 while laying the groundwork for module 2. The plan is to begin trial production of advanced 3 nm-class chips at module 2 in 2026, with high-volume manufacturing expected to kick off by 2028. The accelerated schedule for module 3 is seen as a pathway to faster production of next-generation chips, including those using the N2-series and A16 process technologies. However, rapid construction is not without risks. A critical concern remains the timely procurement of essential fab tools. Leading suppliers such as ASML and Applied Materials face significant backlogs and capacity constraints, which may delay the delivery of necessary equipment. As TSMC vows to build its US capacity more swiftly, the entire supply chain is watching closely to see if these supply chain challenges can be resolved, ensuring that the company meets its ambitious production timelines while expanding its foothold in the American market.

Kuroutoshikou—a Japanese PC hardware brand—has introduced a special Blade and Soul NEO collaboration Radeon RX 7600 8 GB model. The company's press release goes into great detail about their retail packaging being "decorated with the beautiful characters and gorgeous stages of Blade," but the card itself is not adorned with any fancy illustrations or markings. In fact, the bare black design seems to be borrowed almost directly from PowerColor's Fighter stable (minus two stickers). As pointed out by VideoCardz, Kuroutoshikou already offers a "normal edition" Radeon RX 7600 SKU—minus NCSoft-related material. An exclusive in-game bonus seems to be the main draw here—as disclosed in the company's marketing spiel: "if you purchase this product and apply on the special page, you will receive a campaign code for the limited costume 'Gentleness' that can be used in Blade and Soul NEO."

Kuroutoshikou will deliver their "RD-RX7600-8G/Blade & Soul NEO Collaboration" edition to market on April 4, which could place it in a similar release timeframe with natural successors—AMD and board partners are expected to launch Radeon RX 9060 Series graphics cards in the second quarter of 2025. Surprisingly, the lower end of RDNA 3 keeps generating news articles—PowerColor seems to be working on a "V2" Fighter Radeon RX 7600 SKU, while plenty of China market-exclusive Radeon RX 7650 GRE cards have appeared within the past month or two. A possible surplus of Navi 33 GPUs could explain the sudden "reemergence" of previous-gen hardware. Going back to Kuroutoshikou; their current graphics card portfolio seems to consist of slightly rebranded PowerColor designs for the AMD side of things, while NVIDIA GeForce offerings are rebadged GALAX IPs.

Global fab equipment spending for front-end facilities in 2025 is anticipated to increase by 2% year-over-year (YoY) to $110 billion, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth since 2020, SEMI announced today in its latest quarterly World Fab Forecast report.

Fab equipment spending is projected to rise by 18% in the following year, reaching $130 billion. This growth in investment is driven not only by demand in the high-performance computing (HPC) and memory sectors to support data center expansions, but also by the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI), which is driving up the silicon content required for edge devices.

Late last week, a leak suggested a forthcoming Spectral White Limited Edition refresh of the existing Red Devil Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card design. PowerColor's pale reinterpretation of flagship level hardware appeared online courtesy of an accidental Amazon listing; indicating $899/€929 pricing. The Taiwanese manufacturer's Spectral White product line—historically favoring Hellhound SKUs—is viewed favorably as offering a nearly "all-white" aesthetic; extending to proper coloration of PCB and I/O panel designs.

As expected, PowerColor has distributed Limited Edition packages to media and influencer outlets—as evidenced by Overclock3D's very recent showcasing of a sample unit. In response to last week's leak, OC3D's "Tiny" Tom Logan "previewed" the ghostly Red Devil RX 9070 XT variant—he noted that a "performance/review" NDA is still in effect; due to be lifted on April 2. Video coverage explored a slight "bending of the rules," but Logan did not power up his evaluation specimen. As evidenced by the unboxing process, PowerColor has bundled in several Spectral White-tinted accessories—indicating a commendable level of attention to detail. By contrast, the manufacturer's slightly inelegant and contradictory nomenclature is confirmed by outer box labelling—loudly exclaiming: "RED DEVIL Spectral White." Amusingly, Logan and his team have nicknamed this new sub-variant: "White Devil."

A recent study by TechInsights is reshaping the narrative around the cost of semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. According to the survey, processing a 300 mm wafer at TSMC's Fab 21 in Phoenix, Arizona, is only about 10% more expensive than similar operations in Taiwan. This insight challenges earlier assumptions based on TSMC founder Morris Chang's comments, which suggested that high fab-building expenses in Arizona made US chip production financially impractical. G. Dan Hutcheson of TechInsights highlighted that the observed cost difference largely reflects the expenses associated with establishing a brand-new facility. "It costs TSMC less than 10% more to process a 300 mm wafer in Arizona than the same wafer made in Taiwan," he explained. The initial higher costs stem from constructing a fab in an unfamiliar market with a new, sometimes unskilled workforce—a scenario not typical for mature manufacturing sites.

A significant portion of the wafer production cost is driven by equipment, which accounts for well over two-thirds of the total expenses. Leading equipment providers like ASML, Applied Materials, and Lam Research charge similar prices globally, effectively neutralizing geographic disparities. Although US labor costs are higher than in Taiwan, the heavy automation in modern fabs means that labor represents less than 2% of the overall cost. Additional logistics for Fab 21, including the return of wafers to Taiwan for dicing, testing, and packaging, add complexity but only minimally affect the overall expense. With plans to expand domestic packaging capabilities, TSMC's approach is proving to be strategically sound. This fresh perspective suggests that the apparent high cost of US fab construction has been exaggerated. TSMC's $100B investment in American semiconductor manufacturing reflects a calculated decision informed by detailed cost analysis—demonstrating that location-based differences become less significant when the equipment dominates expenses.

Last month, ASRock added two "brand-new" B650M Pro X3D motherboard models to its global website. The Taiwanese manufacturer did not release any press material at the time, so the low-key additions were only spotted by watchful PC hardware news outlets. At the time, ASRock signalled that the eventual launch of "Pro X3D" mainboards would be restricted to certain market regions. Roughly a month later, momomo_us has stumbled across fresh listings in Japan. Yodobashi and Dospara are ready to ship out the ASRock B650M Pro X3D WiFi SKU to local customers. Respective price points—including VAT—are 26,640 yen (~$179 USD), and 23,980 yen (~$161 USD).

Curiously, the B650M Pro X3D series registers as an almost perfect visual match when compared to ASRock's "slightly older" B850M Pro RS mainboard family. Dospara's current price for the B850M Pro RS WiFi SKU is 27,800 yen (~$186.61 USD). This "refreshed" B650M design is up-to-date enough with PCI-E 5.0 support for mounted graphics cards and SSDs. According to the brand's product description: "(our Pro X3D motherboard series) is optimized for AMD Ryzen (9000 and 7000) X3D processors, delivering superior stability, compatibility, and enhanced performance, making it ideal for gaming and creating." Due to apparent confusion between "Pro X3D" and the latest "Pro RS" aesthetic, ASRock is not expected to roll out of with a wide release (of the former).

Taiwan's Original Price House and MSI are running a compelling promotion; involving the trade in of the manufacturer's signature "Lucky Dragon" figurines for a GeForce RTX 5080 VANGUARD SOC graphics card. As reported by HKEPC Hardware, five lucky participants have managed to exchange completed sets—of nine individual toys—for GB203 GPU-based flagships. According to MSI's "Blind Box Of Lucky" landing page, ten exclusive designs—including a rare Maoi secret edition—were produced and then (randomly) bundled into VANGUARD Launch Edition packages. HKEPC outlined conditions: "applicable models include GeForce RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 and RTX 5090. It is limited to only 1,000 pieces worldwide." VideoCardz reckons that majority of Lucky Dragon VANGUARD boxes were sent to reviewers and influencers, so it could be challenging for mere mortals to accumulate a qualifying tally of cute plastic mascots.

As disclosed by HKEPC (a Hong Kong-based organization), one individual has gone to great lengths to complete the set: "a Taiwanese netizen posted in the HKEPC DIY group, hoping to purchase the 'Lucky Dragon' at a high price of NT$4,000 ($121 USD). After inquiry, it was learned that this is related to an event currently being held in Taiwan. As long as you collect 9 different Lucky Around the World Dragons before May 31, 2025 and keep the outer box, Taiwan Original Price House will exchange them for an MSI RTX 5080 VANGUARD graphics card worth NT$43,990 ($1332 USD), and there is no limit to the number of cards you can exchange." As of late January, the editor of Cool PC—a Taiwanese media outlet—was seeking to complete their set of MSI "Lucky Around The World" dragon collectibles. They used their news section to send out a personal request to readers: "when he has collected 9 of them, he can exchange them for a GeForce RTX 5080 at Original Price House!..The editor likes it very much, and is willing to exchange it with the lucky person who has collected a set of 9 different Lucky Around the World Dragons."

Earlier in the week, Apple specialist press outlets picked up on a noted industry analyst's technological forecast for a future iPhone processor design. Jeff Pu—of GF Industries, Hong Kong—predicted that the next-generation A20 SoC would be produced via a TSMC 3 nm (N3P) nodes process. Despite rumors of Apple gaining front row seats at the "2 nm ballgame," the partnership between fabless chip designer and foundry could potentially revisit already covered ground. The A19 chipset was previously linked to N3P (by insiders), with Pu expressing the belief that A20 would utilize the same fundamental lithographic underpinnings; albeit enhanced with TSMC's Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology (for AI improvements).

This morning, MacRumors followed up on their initial news article—they reported that "wires were crossed" at GF Industries, regarding projections for the (2026) iPhone 18 generation. The publication received direct feedback from the man of the hour: "Jeff Pu (lead Apple analyst) has since clarified that he believes the A20 chip will be manufactured with the N2 process, so the information about the chip using the N3P process should be disregarded. Earlier reports had said the A20 chip would be 2 nm, so rumors align again. This is ultimately good news, as it means the A20 chip should have more substantial performance and power efficiency improvements over the A19 chip." Cutting-edge smartphone processor enthusiasts expressed much disappointment when A20 was (regressively) linked to N3P; the latest revisement should instill some joy. According to industry moles, TSMC is making good progress with its cutting-edge 2 nm node process—mass production is expected to start at some point within the second half of 2025.

At CES 2025, ASUS unveiled their elite-tier ROG Crosshair X870E Apex motherboard design. Additionally, early January press material teased another top contender: "ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme is also waiting in the wings, with details to be shared on the way to its expected release in the first quarter (of 2025)." As reported by VideoCardz, the Taiwanese manufacturer seems to be readying its mysterious ultra-premium model for an imminent launch. Last week, HWiNFO v8.23-5685 Beta release notes turned up—revealing the existence of "enhanced sensor monitoring on ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme." Concurrently, a smattering of retail/e-tail listings have turned up in Europe. The lowest observed asking price (including VAT) was €1202.80, courtesy of Max ICT's (Netherlands) premature publishing of a product page.

Hopping across the Atlantic, industry watchdogs noted that Newegg was demanding a cool $749 for ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Apex pre-orders. Potential European customers will likely be greeted by a ~€827 (inc. VAT) price point. Since January, the Republic of Gamers marketing team has kept quiet on the X870E Extreme front. Their fancily-appointed board is still an unknown quantity in many regards; recent retail leaks lack technical information and visual representation. As noted by VideoCardz, time is running out for a Q1 2025 launch. As we head into April, Q2 looms in the near distance.

Over a year ago, industry watchdogs posited that Apple was patiently waiting in line at the front of TSMC's 2 Nanometer GAA "VVIP queue." The securing of cutting-edge manufacturing processes seems to be a consistent priority for the Cupertino, California-headquartered fabless chip designer. Current generation Apple chipsets—at best—utilize TSMC 3 nm (N3E) wafers. Up until very recently, many insiders believed that the projected late 2026 launch of A20 SoC-powered iPhone 18 smartphones would signal a transition to the Taiwanese foundry's advanced 2 nm (N2) node process. Officially, TSMC has roadmapped the start of 2 nm mass production around the second half of 2025.

According to Jeff Pu—a Hong Kong-based analyst at GF Securities—the speculated A20 (2026) chipset could stick with N3P. Leaks suggest that aspects of Apple's next in line "A19" and "A19 Pro" mobile SoCs could be produced via a 3 nm TSMC process. MacRumors has picked up on additional inside track whispers; about Apple M5 processors (for next-gen iPad Pro models) being based on N3P—"likely due to increased wafer costs." Pu reckons that Apple's engineering team has provisioned a major generational improvement with A20's AI capabilities, courtesy of TSMC's Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology. This significant upgrade is touted to tighten integration between the chip's processor, unified memory, and Neural Engine segments. Revised insider forecasts have positioned A21 chip designs as natural candidates for a shift into 2 nm GAA territories.

Throughout the early months of 2025, PowerColor's new product strategy seemed to signal the retirement of their entry-level "Fighter" graphics card series. A natural replacement—dubbed "Reaper"—was debuted in an official capacity at CES 2025, with AMD's introduction of the new-gen Radeon RX 9070 Series. With the delay of Team Red's RDNA 4 global market release to March 6, the Taiwanese manufacturer proceeded with a launch of custom Radeon RX 7650 GRE Reaper models in China around late February. According to a past weekend VideoCardz news report, PowerColor is expanding its RDNA 3 portfolio once again. Their investigation has unearthed a new Radeon RX 7600 "Fighter V2" model—confusingly, this variant seems to borrow the recently introduced dual-fan Reaper cooling solution.

According to leaked information, PowerColor is expected to launch its "V2" Fighter model to a global buying audience. The AIB's Radeon RX 7650 GRE Reaper cards (in black or white) will continue to serve as Chinese market exclusives. The leaked "RX7600 8G-F/V2" product identifier indicates that PowerColor is keeping its "Fighter" family alive for a little bit longer, perhaps with a designation of cards that utilize older generation architecture. Insiders propose that the incoming PowerColor RX 7600 Fighter V2 model is configured with reference specifications; mirroring version 1.0's credentials. VideoCardz has mocked up speculative packaging (see below); they reckon that a black variant is lined up for an imminent release—the aforementioned product code has cropped up across retail databases.

Around late January, concerned owners of high-end ASUS motherboards uploaded photo and video evidence of alleged physical damage caused by the manufacturer's PCIe "Q-Release Slim" system. Social media and forum posts showed worrying scraping and scratching on graphics card interfaces. The North American branch of ASUS responded to reports with a public service announcement: "in our internal testing and evaluation of the extremely small number of cases reported, we found no damage to the motherboard or graphics card that would affect functionality and/or performance....However, it is important to emphasize that any type of PCIe add-in card will exhibit signs of usage and wear marking after 60 continuous insertions and removals." Rival brands have kept tabs on this sorry situation; many offer similar motherboard-mounted GPU quick release systems. Yesterday, GIGABYTE's Japanese office posted a very "on the nose" demonstration of their EZ Latch Plus design.

The AORUS Japan social media account's "Ultimate PCIe Scratch Test" video involved the repeated insertion and removal of a candidate card from a GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ICE motherboard. An anonymous employee completed one hundred cycles. Upon the experiment's conclusion, the graphics card's interface displayed zero evidence of physical deterioration. The manufacturer's Japanese AORUS branch boasted (via machine translation): "start building your PC with confidence! GIGABYTE's renowned easy DIY and ultra-durable design ensures smooth, hassle-free builds and rock-solid reliability. No more worrying about peeling golden finger contacts or scratches from metal edges." Their sarcastic delivery seemingly pokes fun at ASUS and the "troubled" Q-Release Slim system; it should be noted that it is a relatively new design. As reported back in early February, ASUS China launched an extensive customer support/compensation program. According to user accounts, some very expensive custom GeForce RTX 50-series cards have suffered cosmetic damage on PCIe interfaces. GIGABYTE's Western web presences have joined in on the fun—the AORUS Official social media account delivered a slightly different spin on their overall message: "game on with confidence! With our renowned DIY-friendly and Ultra Durable design, you'll enjoy a smooth, hassle-free build with rock-solid reliability. No more worries about gold finger paint peeling or scratches from metal edges—our design provides complete protection for both your GPU and motherboard."

According to a Reuters technology report, Meta's engineering department is engaged in the testing of their "first in-house chip for training artificial intelligence systems." Two inside sources have declared this significant development milestone; involving a small-scale deployment of early samples. The owner of Facebook could ramp up production, upon initial batches passing muster. Despite a recent-ish showcasing of an open-architecture NVIDIA "Blackwell" GB200 system for enterprise, Meta leadership is reported to be pursuing proprietary solutions. Multiple big players—in the field of artificial intelligence—are attempting to breakaway from a total reliance on Team Green. Last month, press outlets concentrated on OpenAI's alleged finalization of an in-house design, with rumored involvement coming from Broadcom and TSMC.

One of the Reuters industry moles believes that Meta has signed up with TSMC—supposedly, the Taiwanese foundry was responsible for the production of test batches. Tom's Hardware reckons that Meta and Broadcom were working together with the tape out of the social media giant's "first AI training accelerator." Development of the company's "Meta Training and Inference Accelerator" (MTIA) series has stretched back a couple of years—according to Reuters, this multi-part project: "had a wobbly start for years, and at one point scrapped a chip at a similar phase of development...Meta last year, started using an MTIA chip to perform inference, or the process involved in running an AI system as users interact with it, for the recommendation systems that determine which content shows up on Facebook and Instagram news feeds." Leadership is reportedly aiming to get custom silicon solutions up and running for AI training by next year. Past examples of MTIA hardware were deployed with open-source RISC-V cores (for inference tasks), but is not clear whether this architecture will form the basis of Meta's latest AI chip design.

One of COMPUTEX's organizers, TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council), announced that NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang will deliver the first keynote at COMPUTEX 2025, outlining the latest advancements and breakthroughs in AI and accelerated computing technologies.

The keynote will take place at the Taipei Music Center and be livestreamed at 11 a.m. Taiwan Time on Monday, May 19 (Sunday, May 18, 8 p.m. PT), with a replay available on COMPUTEX Keynote website.

Supply chain insiders believe that NVIDIA's "Blackwell Ultra" GB300 AI chip design will get a formal introduction at next week's GTC 2025 conference. Jensen Huang's keynote presentation is scheduled—the company's calendar is marked with a very important date: Tuesday, March 18. Team Green's chief has already revealed a couple of Blackwell B300 series details to investors; a recent earnings call touched upon the subject of a second half (of 2025) launch window. Industry moles have put spotlights on the GB300 GPU's alleged energy hungry nature. According to inside tracks, power consumption has "significantly" increased when compared to a slightly older equivalent; NVIDIA's less refined "Blackwell" GB200 design.

A Taiwan Economic Daily news article predicts an upcoming "second cooling revolution," due to reports of "Blackwell Ultra" parts demanding greater heat dissipation solutions. Supply chain leakers have suggested effective countermeasures—in the form of fully liquid-cooled systems: "not only will more water cooling plates be introduced, but the use of water cooling quick connectors will increase four times compared to GB200." The pre-Christmas 2024 news cycle proposed a 1400 W TDP rating. Involved "Taiwanese cooling giants" are expected to pull in tidy sums of money from the supply of optimal heat dissipating gear, with local "water-cooling quick-connector" manufacturers also tipped to benefit greatly. The UDN report pulled quotes from a variety of regional cooling specialists; the consensus being that involved partners are struggling to keep up with demand across GB200 and GB300 product lines.

Leadtek has expanded its graphics card lineup into GeForce RTX 50-series territory, with a quiet introduction of three new generation WinFast models. We have not heard much—gaming-wise—from the Taiwanese manufacturer in recent years. Going back to Computex 2023, TechPowerUp staffers inspected several GeForce RTX 40-series offerings. Leadtek is involved in the production of NVIDIA professional graphics solutions—for data science and HPC workload purposes. Curiously, Team Green press material tends to only lightly mention its manufacturing partner's involvement. The newest WinFast entries have rolled out with "Blackwell" silicon and refreshed enclosures. As reported by VideoCardz, Leadtek has focused mainly on Asian PC gaming markets over the past decade—so the brand-new WinFast RTX 5090 HURRICANE 32G, RTX 5080 HURRICANE 16G, and RTX 5070 Ti HURRICANE 16G models are not expected to arrive on Western shores.

The 2025 WinFast HURRICANE package utilizes a triple-fan array paired with a robust heatsink design, and a "revamped" metal backplate. A total of ten heat pipes are advertised as providing strong heat dissipation—Leadtek's product description goes into more detail: "three 10 mm and seven 8 mm heat pipes, along with large aluminium fins and a vapor chamber base, quickly and efficiently dissipate heat." The three freshly introduced models all conform to NVIDIA reference specifications, so the HURRICANE cooling solution seems to be a bit over-engineered for purpose. Price details are not available at the time of writing, and an official press release is not present on Leadtek's website. The WinFast RTX 5090 HURRICANE card seems to sport a chunkier shroud, when lined up against its less powerful siblings. Leadtek has decorated its flagship with "Esports" ARGB lighting strips, while the RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti variants make do with silver-ish accents instead.