Colorful recently teased its new CVN motherboards series based on the AMD X870 chipset, and now the first model, CVN X870 ARK FROZEN V14, has been listed on the Colorful website. This motherboard marks the debut of Colorful's first-generation graphics card quick-release mechanism, featuring an "ON or OFF" switch placed just below the memory slots. Colorful advertises this proprietary design as being "really safe". The CVN X870 ARK FROZEN V14 motherboard features a standard ATX form factor with a striking white PCB and frost-themed heat dissipation armor. It boasts a 14+2+1 phase power supply design with 80 A DrMOS components and dual 8-pin EPS connectors for CPU power. In terms of memory, it has four DDR5 memory slots supporting up to 192 GB (single slot up to 48 GB) and allows up to 8000 MHz overclocked memory modules.

The PCIe configuration includes a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot directly connected to the CPU with metal reinforcement and quick-release support, a full-length PCIe 4.0 x4 slot (which shares lanes with the third M.2 slot), and a PCIe 4.0 x1 slot. For storage, users get two PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slots directly connected to the CPU and one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot via the chipset, which is mutually exclusive with the second PCIe slot. Additionally, the board includes four SATA III 6 Gbps ports. Networking options include a Realtek RTL8126-CG chip offering 5GbE wired connectivity and a MediaTek MT7925 module supporting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. The Realtek ALC1220 CODEC powers audio. The rear I/O provides HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, multiple USB-A ports, a USB-C port with 40 Gbps bandwidth and DP Alt Mode support, a 5GbE RJ45 port, dual Wi-Fi antenna connectors, an S/PDIF out, and five standard audio jacks. According to ITHome, Colorful previously announced that the CVN X870 ARK FROZEN V14 will begin shipping around mid-April, pricing is yet to be revealed.

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.

As expected, Nintendo's lengthy Switch 2 presentation contained very little technical information—the upcoming hybrid console's feature set, software library and user experience were showcased extensively. A series of leaks and plenty of online speculation—going back to earlier in the decade—pointed to the highly-anticipated Switch successor being based on an NVIDIA hardware foundation. A mysterious "Tegra 239" chipset emerged as the "logical" choice for Nintendo's next-gen system, but company representatives will likely not comment on the exact nature of internal components. Several months after the launch of Wii U, independent analysis (by Chipworks) of the host console's "Latte" GPU core verified a Radeon 4650/4670-class design. To the surprise of many industry watchdogs, a Nintendo employee has officially confirmed Switch 2's support of NVIDIA graphics technologies.

As disclosed to IGN—during a press junket—Takuhiro Dohta (senior director of the firm's Planning & Development Division) stated: "we use DLSS upscaling technology and that's something that we need to use as we develop games. And when it comes to the hardware, it is able to output to a TV at a maximum of 4K. Whether the software developer is going to use that as a native resolution, or get it to upscale is something that the software developer can choose. I think it opens up a lot of options for the software developer to choose from. Yes, the GPU does support ray tracing. As with DLSS, I believe this provides yet another option for the software developers to use and a tool for them." When pressed about the exact origins of the console's beating heart, Dohta deflected responsibility in the direction of Team Green: "Nintendo doesn't share too much on the hardware spec...What we really like to focus on is the value that we can provide to our consumers. But I do believe that our partner—NVIDIA—will be sharing some information." As pointed out by VideoCardz, Nintendo's hardware technical manager only mentioned options for the development side of things, not end user features. Yesterday's Metroid Prime 4: Beyond preview segment indicated that the title's Switch 2 Edition will arrive with four profiles; VideoCardz theorizes that DLSS will be used for differing levels—quality/performance—in handheld or docked operation.

Mark Gurman—Bloomberg's resident soothsayer of Apple inside track info—has disclosed predictive outlooks for next-generation M5 chip-based MacBooks. Early last month, we experienced the launch of the Northern Californian company's M4 MacBook Air series—starting at $999; also available in a refreshing metallic blue finish. The latest iteration of Apple's signature "extra slim" notebook family arrived with decent performance figures. As per usual, press and community attention has turned to a potential successor. Gurman's (March 30) Power On newsletter posited that engineers are already working on M5-powered super slim sequels—he believes that these offerings will arrive early next year, potentially reusing the current generation's 15-inch and 13-inch fanless chassis designs.

In a mid-February predictive report, Gurman theorized that Apple was planning a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro design. A radical reimagining of the long-running notebook series—that reportedly utilizes M6 chipsets and OLED panels—is a distant prospect; perhaps later on in 2026. The Cupertino-headquartered megacorp is expected to stick with its traditional release cadence, so 2025's "M5" refresh of MacBook Pro models could trickle out by October. Insiders believe that Apple will reuse existing MacBook Pro shells—the last major redesign occurred back in 2021. According to early February reportage, mass production of the much-rumored M5 chip started at some point earlier in the year. Industry moles posit that a 3 nm (N3P) node process was on the order books, chez TSMC foundries.

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.

Last week, South Korean semiconductor industry moles let slip about the development of an "Exynos 2600" mobile chipset at Samsung Electronics. This speculative flagship processor was linked to the manufacturer's (inevitable) launch of Galaxy S26 smartphone models in early 2026. Despite rumors of the firm's Foundry service making decent progress with their preparation of a cutting-edge 2 nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) node, certain critics reckon that Samsung will be forced into signing another (less than ideal) chip supply deal with Qualcomm. According to The Bell SK's latest news report, Samsung's LSI Division is working with plenty of determination—an alleged main goal being the next wave of top-end Galaxy smartphones deployed next year with in-house tech onboard.

Inside sources propose that Samsung's Exynos 2600 SoC needs to be "finished by the middle of the third quarter of this year," thus ensuring the release of in-house chip-powered Galaxy S26 devices. It is not clear whether this forecast refers to a finalized design or the start of mass production. The latest whispers regarding another proprietary next-gen mobile processor—Exynos 2500—paint a murky picture. Past leaks indicated possible avenues heading towards forthcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7 smartphone models. The latest reports have linked this design to a mature 4 nm process and eventual fitting inside affordable "Galaxy Z Flip FE" Enterprise Edition SKUs. The Bell contacted one of its trusted sources—the unnamed informant observed that everything is in flux: "Exynos 2500 production plan is constantly changing...I thought it was certain, but I heard that the possibility has recently decreased slightly." Reportedly, Samsung employees have their plates full with plenty of simultaneous projects in 2025.

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.

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.

A mysterious HiSilicon Kirin X90 processor was included in a Chinese state report; the official assessment document seems to cover the topics of native CPU reliability and security. Jukanlosreve—a keen watcher of semiconductor industry inside tracks—highlighted the unannounced technology on social media. They alerted TP Huang (aka tphuang) to this discovery, possibly in reaction to the latter's reporting of a wholly Huawei-designed AI laptop. Last week, we heard about a speculated portable enterprise PC series powered by Kunpeng-920 mobile processors. HiSilicon is a Chinese fabless semiconductor firm, operating under Huawei ownership—normally, their Kirin processors are designated as smartphone-based solutions. Industry watchdogs believe that company leadership is paving the way for a new generation of personal and server processors—their current Kunpeng-900 series debuted back in 2019, so natural successors are very likely in the development pipeline. Early last year, insiders proposed that Huawei had prioritized its Ascend 910B AI accelerator chip—despite these rumors, Kirin-related leaks continued to trickle out.

According to industry moles, HiSilicon tends to spread its custom Arm-based Taishan core design across modern Kirin and Kunpeng processor families. Based on Jukanlosreve's initial detective work, Tom's Hardware proposed a plausible outlook for the (leaked) chip's future. Their report theorized: "Huawei's server and PC divisions have been relatively quiet, as evidenced by the lack of new Kunpeng SoC designs. The new Kirin X90, despite its name, could be a possible successor, considering that Huawei is reportedly launching a new 'AI PC' with HarmonyOS next month. It's likely to be fabricated using SMIC's 7 nm process featuring Taishan V120 cores based on either the Armv8 or Armv9 architectures, which are not subject to the US trade ban." Instead of using an old hat Kunpeng-920 SoC, Huawei's forthcoming next-gen "Qingyun" AI laptop could be equipped with a Kirin X90 APU—Tom's Hardware foresees an Apple MacBook-esque "integration of custom hardware and software" with the Chinese tech firm's fully in-house developed model.

Without making any official announcement, Colorful silently listed a new AMD B850 microATX (244 mm x 235 mm) motherboard on their Chinese website: the Battle-AX B850M-E Wi-Fi V14. The model is clearly oriented toward entry-level builds and users on a tight budget, a sharp contrast to the CVN B850I Gaming Frozen that Colorful introduced this week. Built around AMD's B850 chipset, it supports the latest AMD AM5 Ryzen 7000, 8000, and 9000 series processors. The two DDR5 dual-channel memory slots can accommodate up to 96 GB (max. 48 GB per slot), with a maximum speed of 7600 MHz (OC) and support for both XMP and EXPO. For storage and expansion, the motherboard offers 2x M.2 slots (1x PCIe 5.0 x4 and 1x PCIe 4.0 x4), one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, and one PCIe 4.0 x4 slot. It also features a Realtek RTL8111K for 1GbE wired connectivity and Intel's AX200 Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connections.

The build is "very spartan," so to speak, with a black PCB, a single 8-pin EPS power connector for the CPU, no integrated I/O rear shield panel or VRM cooling—the only heatsink present is the one covering the AMD B850 chipset. Regarding power delivery, it seems that Colorful used a simple (budget-friendly) 7+2 phase approach. The rear I/O panel offers a surprise: an ancient PS/2 port (just wondering who's going to use it aside from some retro-nostalgic users). Then we have the usual array of connectors, including six USB ports (4x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1), DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0, Gigabit RJ45, two Wi-Fi antenna ports, audio jacks, and one BIOS reset/update button (placed just next to the PS/2 port).

MSI IPC, a global leader in industrial computing solutions, proudly unveils the MS-CF05, V2.0, a high-performance ATX motherboard engineered for industrial automation, edge computing, and embedded applications. Designed to support 14th, 13th, and 12th Gen Intel Core, Pentium, and Celeron processors, the MS-CF05, V2.0 delivers exceptional computing power, scalability, and I/O flexibility, including a PCI slot for legacy support, making it ideal for modern industrial needs.

At Embedded World Germany, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the entry into an agreement to acquire EdgeImpulse Inc., which will enhance its offering for developers and expand its leadership in AI capabilities to power AI-enabled products and services across IoT. The closing of this deal is subject to customary closing conditions. This acquisition is anticipated to complement Qualcomm Technologies' strategic approach to IoT transformation, which includes a comprehensive chipset roadmap, unified software architecture, a suite of services, developer resources, ecosystem partners, comprehensive solutions, and IoT blueprints to address diverse industry needs and challenges.

"We are thrilled about the opportunity to significantly enhance our IoT offerings with Edge Impulse's advanced AI-powered end-to-end platform that will complement our strategic approach to IoT transformation," said Nakul Duggal, group general manager, automotive, industrial and embedded IoT, and cloud computing, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "We anticipate that this acquisition will strengthen our leadership in AI and developer enablement, enhancing our ability to provide comprehensive technology for critical sectors such as retail, security, energy and utilities, supply chain management, and asset management. IoT opens the door for a myriad of opportunities, and success is about building real-world solutions, enabling developers and enterprises with AI capabilities to extract intelligence from data, and providing them with the tools to build the applications and services that will power the digital transformation of industries."

According to Digital Chat Station—a repeat leaker of unannounced Qualcomm hardware—unnamed Android smartphone manufacturers are considering an eSIM-only operating model for future flagship devices. Starting with the iPhone 14 generation (2022), Apple has continued to deliver gadgets that are not reliant on "slotted-in" physical SIM cards. According to industry insiders, competitors could copy the market leader's homework—Digital Chat Station's latest Weibo blog post discusses the space-saving benefits of eSIM operation; being "conducive to lightweight and integrated design." Forthcoming top-tier slimline Android mobile devices are tipped to utilize Qualcomm's rumored second-generation "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" (SM8850) chipset.

Digital Chat Station reckons that: "SM8850 series phones at the end of the year are testing eSIM. Whether they can be implemented in China is still a question mark. Let's wait and see the iPhone 17 Air. In order to have an ultra-thin body, this phone directly cancels the physical SIM card slot. Either it will be a special phone for the domestic market, or it will get eSIM." The phasing out of physical SIM cards within the Chinese mobile market could be a tricky prospect for local OEMs, but reports suggest that "traditionally-dimensioned" flagship offerings will continue to support the familiar subscriber identity module standard. Physical SIM card purists often point out that the format still provides superior network support range.

Apple's recent unveiling of refreshed Mac Studio models—in "mismatched" M3 Ultra and M4 Max forms—was greeted with a lukewarm reception from press and public. The absence of an M4 Ultra option has disappointed many folks within the high-end Mac buying populace—rumors of a delayed development of Apple's "Mac Studio M4 Ultra model" emerged online last October. The M3 Ultra processor serves as a somewhat dissatisfying stopgap—prior to last week's official announcement, insiders were still actively questioning the existence of said chip. Last week, Apple representatives reportedly informed Ars Technica and Numerama about their "Ultra" tier not reaching "every chip generation." Follow-up articles have suggested that the M4 Max chip design does not feature an UltraFusion connector; thus cutting off a main path to potential M4 Ultra routes.

Based on previous-gen history, Mac-specialist news sites propose the upcoming M3 Ultra chipset being—in effect—the result of two M3 Max chips joined together via Apple's UltraFusion connection system. Further speculation points to the company's engineering department having to start with a blank canvas; involving a speculative monolithic die design. Noted Apple leaker—Mark Gurman—has disclosed additional theories via his paywalled Bloomberg "Power On" newsletter. As interpreted by MacRumors: "Apple is reluctant to develop an M4 Ultra chip from scratch due to production challenges, costs, and the relatively small sales volume of its desktop computers, like the Mac Studio. So, that seems to rule out the only other way in which Apple could have released an M4 Ultra chip." Several media outlets posit that Apple will skip a generation, and instead focus on getting UltraFusion connections working with next-gen "M5" processors. A refreshed Mac Pro lineup is reportedly on the cards; mid-January reports linked the next-gen workstation series to a very powerful "Hidra" chip design.

On Monday (March 3), Qualcomm introduced its Dragonwing FWA Gen 4 Elite model—advertised as the world's first 5G Advanced-capable FWA platform. Inevitably, the company's brand-new Snapdragon X85 5G modem will be compared to a rival design—Apple's proprietary C1 chip launched last month; as featured in the A18 SoC-powered iPhone 16e series. The two companies were closely intertwined for a number of years; with a longer than anticipated co-development of 5G solutions for multiple iPhone product generations. Cristiano Amon—the CEO of Qualcomm—believes that his team's X85 5G design will end up as the victor, when pitched against Apple's C1. In a CNBC-conducted interview, he boasted: "it's the first modem that has so much AI, it actually increases the range of performance of the modem—so the modem can deal with weaker signals. What that will do will set a huge delta between the performance of premium Android devices, and iOS devices, when you compare what Qualcomm can do versus what Apple is doing."

Smartphone industry watchdogs reckon that Apple's C1 model will leverage superior power efficiency; courtesy of the contained modem and receiver being based on TSMC 4 nm and 7 nm processes (respectively). Qualcomm has not revealed the fundamental aspects of its new Snapdragon X85, so it is difficult to project its power consumption habits. Official press material concentrates on two big selling points: downlink speeds up to 12.5 Gbps, and 40 TOPS of NPU processing power. Insiders have posited that the in-house designed C1 modem will make its way into next-gen iPads and Apple wearables—additionally, the development of a successor is rumored. Despite doing less business with Apple, Amon thinks that the future is peachy: "if modem is relevant there's always a place for Qualcomm technology. In the age of AI, modems are going to be more important than they have ever been. And I think that's going to drive consumer preference about do they want the best possible modem in the computer that's in their hand all the time." Qualcomm's chief expects that the supply of Snapdragon 5G Modem‑RF Systems—to Apple—will end in 2027.

Apple's new budget-friendly iPhone 16e model was introduced earlier this month; potential buyers were eyeing a device (starting at $599) that houses a selectively "binned" A18 mobile chipset. The more expensive iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models were launched last September, with A18 chips on-board; featuring six CPU cores, and five GPU cores. Apple's brand-new 16E smartphone seems to utilize an A18 sub-variant—tech boffins have highlighted this package's reduced GPU core count: of four. The so-called "binned A18" reportedly posted inferior performance figures—15% slower—when lined up against its standard 5-core sibling (in Geekbench 6 Metal tests). The iPhone 16E was released at retail today (February 28), with review embargoes lifted earlier in the week.

A popular portable tech YouTuber—Dave2D (aka Dave Lee)—decided to pit his iPhone 16E sample unit against older technology; contained within the iPhone 15 (2023). The binned A18's 4-core iGPU competed with the A16 Bionic's 5-core integrated graphics solution in a 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited head-to-head. Respective tallies—of 2882 and 3170 points—were recorded for posterity's sake. The more mature chipset (from 2022) managed to surpass its younger sibling by ~10%, according to the scores presented on Dave2D's comparison chart. The video reviewer reckoned that the iPhone 16E's SoC offers "killer performance," despite reservations expressed about the device not offering great value for money. Other outlets have questioned the prowess of Apple's latest step down model. Referencing current-gen 3DMark benchmark results, Wccftech observed: "for those wanting to know the difference between the binned A18 and non-binned variant; the SoC with a 5-core GPU running in the iPhone 16 finishes the benchmark run with an impressive 4007 points, making it a massive 28.04 percent variation between the two (pieces of) silicon. It is an eye-opener to witness such a mammoth performance drop, which also explains why Apple resorted to chip-binning on the iPhone 16e as it would help bring the price down substantially."

Qualcomm has announced its latest mid-range offering, dubbed the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. Compared to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, the improvements on the CPU side are rather modest, with Qualcomm claiming an 11% improvement. The CPU, now based on TSMC N4, packs four ARMv9-based Cortex-A720 P-cores, along with four Cortex-A520 E-cores, making it an 8-core system as tradition. On the GPU side, however, a substantial 29% improvement has been asserted, although the specifics remain under wraps as of this writing.

The chipset can be paired with up to 16 GB of LPDDR5-3200 memory, and displays up to FHD+ at 144 Hz are supported. INT4 support is also present the new NPU, which should allow for decent on-device AI capabilities. Gaming performance should also witness a decent jump, thanks to the aforementioned GPU improvement, paired with Game Super Resolution (upscaling) and Frame Motion Engine (frame generation, every other frame). For connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and 5G (mm Wave, sub-6 GHz) are present. Up to 200 MP single-camera systems are supported, with Snapdragon's LLV (Low Light Vision) technology, Of course, being a budget segment SoC, it would be futile to expect high-end photography capabilities. As for videography, 4k30 and 1080p120 are supported, along with HLG and HDR10.

Last October, Apple introduced its modernized range of MacBook Pro models; featuring the M4 family of chips. Ultra-thin notebook enthusiasts wondered whether the MacBook Air range series would receive similar treatment in the near future. Apple provided an answer around December-time, by accidentally publishing "Mac16,12" and "Mac16,13" machine listings within their macOS Sequoia 15.2 release. MacRumors believed that the referenced models are MacBook Air M4 13-inch and M4 15-inch products. At the time, industry moles suggested that Apple had settled on a possible April (2025) launch window. A fresh follow-up report points to an earlier than anticipated release—MacRumors reckons that a recent leak indicates an "imminent" launch.

Yesterday, the publication discovered intriguing information online; posted by an anonymous source on X. Based on said leak, MacRumors reports that the updated MacBook Air models: "will be equipped with Apple's T8132 chip." Apple's internal reference code points to both 13-inch and 15-inch models housing a 10-core M4 chipset (part number: APL1206). Mark Gurman—Bloomberg's resident technology guru—has picked up on signs of dwindling current-gen MacBook Air M3 stock. His weekend detective work suggests that successors are only weeks away from launch.

At the end of January, Samsung Electronics released their financial results for the fourth quarter and the fiscal year 2024. Smartphone tech watchdogs paid close to attention to the South Korean giant's accompanying earnings call. The recently released Galaxy S25 smartphone family is, exclusively, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipsets—insiders believe that Samsung opted out of utilizing proprietary chip designs (for this generation) due to missed production goals. Late last year, inside sources pointed to the foundry's allegedly problematic 3 nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process node. Follow-up reports suggest that Samsung engineers have moved onto developing a 2 nm manufacturing process, possibly linked to a re-designed Exynos 2500 flagship mobile processor.

Brian Ma, a technology industry analyst, extracted relevant information from Samsung's recent earnings meeting—several press outlets have picked up on his brief social media post. The IDC employee stated: "Samsung System LSI just mentioned in its earnings call that it's optimizing Exynos 2500 and 'aiming' to secure design wins for mobile models scheduled for release in 2H" The rumor mill has proposed that new "Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7" smartphone models are currently in the development pipeline—coincidental timing indicates that the two devices could launch later in 2025, potentially with next-gen flagship Exynos SoCs onboard. Tipsters reckon that the Exynos 2500 is configured with a 10-core cluster, and its integrated graphics solution will be an AMD RDNA 3.5-enabled Xclipse 950 model.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 processor family was outed last autumn—online sources revealed an Iceland-themed "Project Glymur" moniker, as well as the "SC8480XP" SKU codename. At the time, leakers suggested that Qualcomm engineers had started testing early samples around July/August—further speculation pointed to "Snapdragon X Elite Gen 2" chipsets being evaluated on desktop platforms.

Yesterday, Everest (aka Olrak29_) discovered another SKU—their social media post included an intriguing screenshot, extracted from a shipping manifest. The image's contents reveals the existence of an "Ultra Premium" model, with part number: X2-000-096. Qualcomm has publicly acknowledged that it is working on successors, for launch in 2025—its third generation of "Oryon" CPU cores are lined up for inclusion in the next-gen AI PC project. Second-gen "Oryon" cores are reserved for smartphone platforms. The leaked "Ultra Premium" chip could sit in a new product tier—possibly positioned above the already established high-end "Elite" range.

Last week, Samsung introduced its brand-new Galaxy S25 smartphone series—press material focused largely on various implementations of AI features, but industry watchdogs noted the crucial selection of Qualcomm-designed processors. A "first-of-its-kind customized Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy chipset" is the natural choice for this generation of Samsung flagship phones, given that proprietary Exynos designs have reportedly missed the mark (yet again). Samik Chatterjee—a J.P. Morgan analyst—believes that the latest collaboration will swell Qualcomm's revenues; he predicts a gain of $2 billion (USD). Snapdragon 8 Elite processors are utilized by the entire range of globally-released Galaxy S25 models.

The previous-gen S24 series featured a mix of Qualcomm-designed chips and Samsung Exynos silicon (for different regional markets)—market analysis estimates a total of 40 million unit shipments back in 2024. Previously, Qualcomm had a 70% share of Galaxy S24 chipsets—fast-forwarding to the present day, it becomes 100% with the rollout of Galaxy S25. Late last year, press outlets posited that the South Korean company's foundry division had moved on from a "problematic" 3 nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process. Samsung's flagship-tier Exynos 2500 SoC was linked to this node, but insiders reckon that alternative external production avenues were explored—most notably with an arch-rival: TSMC. Industry moles reckon that Samsung's leadership has slashed foundry budgets for 2025—reports from last week suggest investments being halved, as teams move onto two nanometer processes.

Earlier in the week, ASRock debuted its Intel B860/H810 and full range of AMD B850 motherboards—the TechPowerUp team headed across CES 2025's showroom floor to check whether the Taiwanese manufacturer had some of these newly announced products on display. Various white Steel Legend models were present, including an intriguing B850 mainboard sample sporting ASRock's back mount design (BMD). The B860M Pro BMD board was not in sight (or not captured on camera)—according to a press release from earlier in the week, BMD had its premiere on this Intel-based solution.

AsRock reps happily showed off two Intel B860-chipset Steel Legend boards with traditional all-front facing connectors—an ATX option as well as an M-ATX (B860M) model were examined from close-up. A Phantom Gaming B860 Lightning Wi-Fi model was presented to TechPowerUp—its darker aesthetic contrasts sharply when lined up against its pale Steel Legend neighbors.

Earlier today, ASUS uploaded a first sneak peek of several upcoming AMD AM5 motherboards—which we assume will feature the B850 and B840 chipsets—which according to the post on Facebook, will be launching within a couple of weeks. The boards will most likely be on display at CES, which kicks off on the 7th of January. The picture is obfuscated for obvious reasons, but what is clear is that there will be several different SKUs from all of ASUS' typical sub-brands such as TUF Gaming and ROG.

What we can also make out is that there will be at least one Mini-ITX board and one micro-ATX board, with the latter being the TUF Gaming branded board. We tried to clean up the picture a bit, but ASUS has managed to hide all details of possible models names and most of the text is kind of hard to make out. Nothing really sticks out in terms of features, although it's clear we'll end up seeing some higher-end B850 boards, judging by the fact that there are at least three ROG Strix SKUs coming. The question is if there's a market for these boards, considering the B850 chipset is pretty much the same as the B650E chipset, but with optional PCIe 5.0 support for the M.2 slots and no USB4, unlike its X870 counterpart.

Update Jan 1st: ASUS posted a picture of their upcoming mid-range Intel boards on Facebook as well, but as with the AMD boards, ASUS obfuscated the image, although not quite as badly this time around. For its Intel lineup, there's also a lower-end Prime board included, in addition to the TUF Gaming and ROG Strix boards. ASUS didn't reveal any launch window for the Intel boards.

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced that it has delivered the industry's first complete memory interface chipset solutions for the second-generation DDR5 Multi-Capacity Rank Dual In-Line Memory Modules (MRDIMMs).

The new DDR5 MRDIMMs are needed to keep pace with the ever-increasing memory bandwidth demands of Artificial Intelligence (AI), High-Performance Compute (HPC) and other data center applications. They deliver operating speeds up to 12,800 Mega Transfers Per Second (MT/s), a 1.35x improvement in memory bandwidth over first-generation solutions. Renesas has been instrumental in the design, development and deployment of the new MRDIMMs, collaborating with industry leaders including CPU and memory providers, along with end customers.

According to Bloomberg, Arm Holding PLC, the holding company behind the Arm instruction set and Arm chip designs, just issued a 60-day notice period of license retirement to Qualcomm, its long-time partner. The UK-based ISA provider has notified Qualcomm that it will cancel the Arm ISA architectural license agreement after the contract-mandated 60-day notice. The issues between the two arose in 2022, just a year after Qualcomm acquired Nuvia and its IP. Arm filed a lawsuit claiming that the reason was "Qualcomm attempted to transfer Nuvia licenses without Arm's consent, which is a standard restriction under Arm's license agreements." To transfer Nuvia core licensing, Qualcomm would need to ask Arm first and create a new licensing deal.

The licensing reworking came just in time when Qualcomm experienced its biggest expansion. The new Snapdragon 8 Elite is being used in the mobile sector, the Snapdragon X Elite/Plus is being used in Copilot+ PCs, and the automotive sector is also getting the new Snapdragon Cockpit/Ride Elite chipsets. Most of that is centered around Nuvia Oryon core IP, a high-performance, low-power design. Arm's representatives declined to comment on this move for Bloomberg, while a Qualcomm spokesman noted that the British company was trying to "strong-arm a longtime partner."