A Finnish company called Flow Computing is making some very bold claims when it comes to its new IP. The company has developed what it calls a Parallel Processing Unit or a PPU, which the company claims can boost the performance of any CPU by a hundred times its current performance. Furthermore, the company claims that its PPU can double the performance of any current code execution, with no need for any kind of optimisation for its PPU. The PPU can be integrated into new processors, but it can also be designed as a discrete chip that can be added to any current hardware and Flow Computing claims the performance benefits will be the same in both instances.

Flow Computing is a spinoff from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the company emerged from stealth mode last week with around €4 million in funding. Flow Computing doesn't intend to make its PPU by itself, but instead, the company wants to licence its tech to third parties, to give everyone an equal opportunity to take advantage of what's on offer. At this point in time, Flow Computing hasn't made any custom silicon, instead the company has validated its PPU using an FPGA tested against various Intel CPUs. As such, there are numbers to back up its claims and we've provided links below to a whitepaper and an FAQ for those that are interested in doing a deep dive into its claims. Flow Computing appears to have a few different implementations of its PPU, ranging from 16 to 256 cores, with the latter being for high-end computers, but the basic is said to be suitable for something as basic as a smartwatch. Time will tell if Flow Computing will be able to deliver on its claims and it'll be an interesting company to follow.

At Computex 2024, Wizmax, a manufacturer of computer hardware such as cases, headphones, mice, etc., offered an interesting perspective on the inspiration for its computer cases. Diversifying from the regular sleek panels, Wizmax turned to more traditional art when designing its PC case lineup. Starting with the M60-Moon, the case brings a traditional Korean design pattern on its front bezel, carrying a touch of cultural elegance to modern PC setups. This ATX form factor case supports 410 mm-long GPUs and 160 mm-tall CPU coolers. It also includes room for a 360 mm front water cooler, ensuring adequate airflow and cooling performance.

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

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

AMD has reached a significant milestone, capturing a record-high share of the X86 CPU market in the first quarter of 2024, according to the latest report from Mercury Research. This achievement marks a significant step forward for the chipmaker in its long battle against rival Intel's dominance in the crucial computer processor space. The surge was fueled by strong demand for AMD's Ryzen and EPYC processors across consumer and enterprise markets. The Ryzen lineup's compelling price-to-performance ratio has struck a chord with gamers, content creators, and businesses seeking cost-effective computing power without sacrificing capabilities. It secured AMD's 23.9% share, an increase from the previous Q4 of 2023, which has seen a 19.8% market share.

The company has also made major inroads on the data center front with its EPYC server CPUs. AMD's ability to supply capable yet affordable processors has enabled cloud providers and enterprises to scale operations on AMD's platform. Several leading tech giants have embraced EPYC, contributing to AMD's surging server market footprint. Now, it is at 23.6%, a significant increase over the past few years, whereas AMD was just above 10% four years ago in 2020. AMD lost some share to Intel on the mobile PC front due to the Meteor Lake ramp, but it managed to gain a small percentage of the market share of client PCs. As AMD rides the momentum into the second half of 2024, all eyes will be on whether the chipmaker can sustain this trajectory and potentially claim an even larger slice of the x86 CPU pie from Intel in the coming quarters.Below, you can see additional graphs of mobile PC and client PC market share.

NVIDIA today announced its next-generation AI supercomputer—the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD powered by NVIDIA GB200 Grace Blackwell Superchips—for processing trillion-parameter models with constant uptime for superscale generative AI training and inference workloads.

Featuring a new, highly efficient, liquid-cooled rack-scale architecture, the new DGX SuperPOD is built with NVIDIA DGX GB200 systems and provides 11.5 exaflops of AI supercomputing at FP4 precision and 240 terabytes of fast memory—scaling to more with additional racks.

The HPC research projects DEEP-SEA, IO-SEA and RED-SEA are wrapping up this month after a three-year project term. The three projects worked together to develop key technologies for European Exascale supercomputers, based on the Modular Supercomputing Architecture (MSA), a blueprint architecture for highly efficient and scalable heterogeneous Exascale HPC systems. To achieve this, the three projects collaborated on system software and programming environments, data management and storage, as well as interconnects adapted to this architecture. The results of their joint work will be presented at a co-design workshop and poster session at the EuroHPC Summit (Antwerp, 18-21 March, www.eurohpcsummit.eu).

Tech giant Google is embroiled in a high-stakes legal battle over the alleged infringement of patents related to its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), custom AI accelerator chips used to power machine learning applications. Massachusetts-based startup Singular Computing has accused Google of incorporating architectures described in several of its patents into the design of the TPU without permission. The disputed patents, first filed in 2009, outline computer architectures optimized for executing a high volume of low-precision calculations per cycle - an approach well-suited for neural network-based AI. In a 2019 lawsuit, Singular argues that Google knowingly infringed on these patents in developing its TPU v2 and TPU v3 chips introduced in 2017 and 2018. Singular Computing is seeking between $1.6 billion and $5.19 billion in damages from Google.

Google denies these claims, stating that its TPUs were independently developed over many years. The company is currently appealing to have Singular's patents invalidated, which would undermine the infringement allegations. The high-profile case highlights mounting legal tensions as tech giants race to dominate the burgeoning field of AI hardware. With billions in potential damages at stake, the outcome could have major implications for the competitive landscape in cloud-based machine learning services. As both sides prepare for court, the dispute underscores the massive investments tech leaders like Google make to integrate specialized AI accelerators into their cloud infrastructures. Dominance in this sphere is a crucial strategic advantage as more industries embrace data-hungry neural network applications.

Update 17:25 UTC: According to Reuters, Google and Singular Computing have settled the case with details remaining private for the time being.

With computation potential far beyond current supercomputers, quantum computers are the subject of enthusiastic research and development worldwide. In 2023, Academia Sinica successfully overcame various bottlenecks in the fabrication, control, and measurement of quantum chips. In October, the creation of a 5-qubit superconducting quantum computer developed in Taiwan marked a significant milestone. Starting this week, it will be made available online to project collaborators.

Dr. Chii Dong Chen, Distinguished Research Fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of Physics and Research Center for Applied Sciences, noted that this project is part of the quantum technology special project funded by the National Science and Technology Council. Initially scheduled to build a 3-qubit quantum computer by February of 2024, Academia Sinica's research team surpassed the development schedule approved by the National Science and Technology Council and built a 5-qubit system by October of 2023. The fidelity of the quantum bit logic gates reached an impressive 99.9%.

Cyber Acoustics, a leading manufacturer of reliable and affordable computer peripherals used in schools, businesses, call centers, and homes, today announced the CA Essential Webcam Flex is now shipping and available on CyberAcoustics.com and Amazon.com.

The CA Essential Webcam Flex is the ideal tool to give powerful presentations, conduct authentic live interviews, lead captivating webinars and livestreams, or present engaging demonstrations, via a simple, unobtrusive webcam that's perfect for people spanning industries, professions, interests, and hobbies, as its unique design offers a more collaborative experience for any use.

The recent attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea are affecting not only oil shipments, but also cargo ships from Asia to Europe. All major carriers such as CMA CGM, Cosco, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, MSC and so forth are affected and all have delayed their shipments through the area. A coordinated security action called Operations Prosperity Guardian which includes over half a dozen nations so far, is getting ready to guide shipments through the affected area by Yemen, but it'll lead to slower shipments through the area.

TechPowerUp has already received reports from sources in Taiwan that their products are on some of these ships that are now stuck waiting for naval escorts through the area. However, it appears that there might be shortages of some computer components for the foreseeable future, alongside many other products that are being shipped this route and onwards via the Suez Canal. According to the BBC, it takes 25.5 days on average to ship goods from Taiwan to the Netherlands via the Red Sea and Suez Canal whereas the only alternative route via the Cape of Good Hope takes 34 days and adds extra fuel costs. Regardless of the extra shipping times and costs, it appears some shipping companies are willing to take the longer route to avoid being attacked. This is likely to have a knock on effect on prices for a lot of consumer goods in Europe, so if you haven't bought that hardware you've been holding off getting, now might be as good a time as any.

The 62nd edition of the TOP500 reveals that the Frontier system retains its top spot and is still the only exascale machine on the list. However, five new or upgraded systems have shaken up the Top 10.

Housed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, USA, Frontier leads the pack with an HPL score of 1.194 EFlop/s - unchanged from the June 2023 list. Frontier utilizes AMD EPYC 64C 2GHz processors and is based on the latest HPE Cray EX235a architecture. The system has a total of 8,699,904 combined CPU and GPU cores. Additionally, Frontier has an impressive power efficiency rating of 52.59 GFlops/watt and relies on HPE's Slingshot 11 network for data transfer.

Today, Lenovo announced the new ThinkStation P8 tower workstation powered by AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7000 WX-Series processors and NVIDIA RTX GPUs. Designed to deliver unparalleled performance, reliability and flexibility for professionals who demand the best from their workstations, the bold new ThinkStation P8 builds on the success of the award-winning P620, the world's first workstation powered by AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO processors. Featuring an optimized thermal design in a versatile Aston Martin inspired chassis, the ThinkStation P8 combines Lenovo's legendary reliability, customer experience and innovation with breakthrough compute architecture courtesy of AMD and NVIDIA. ThinkStation P8 raises the bar for intense workloads across multiple segments focused on outcome-based workflow agility.

"At Lenovo, we understand that our customers need high-quality workstations that can adapt to their changing and diverse needs. That's why we collaborated with AMD and NVIDIA to create the ThinkStation P8, a workstation that combines power, flexibility and enterprise-grade features," said Rob Herman, vice president and general manager, Workstation and Client AI Business Unit, Lenovo. "Designed to offer unparalleled performance and scalability, whether to run complex simulations, render stunning visuals, or develop cutting-edge AI applications, the ThinkStation P8 can handle it all. And with Lenovo's certifications, security and support, you can trust that the ThinkStation P8 will exceed expectations."

Oxide Computer Company today unveiled the world's first commercial Cloud Computer, a true rack-scale system with fully unified hardware and software designed for on-premises cloud computing. The company also announced a $44 million Series A financing round led by Eclipse with participation from Intel Capital, Riot Ventures, Counterpart Ventures, and Rally Ventures to accelerate production for Fortune 1000 enterprises. This brings the company's total financing raised to date to $78 million.

Despite the rapid rise of cloud computing, the vast majority of IT infrastructure today continues to live outside the public cloud in on-premises data centers, where enterprises are forced to cobble together a set of disjointed hardware and software components to run their businesses. Since its inception, Oxide's mission has been to solve this problem, developing the first unified product that delivers the developer experience and operational efficiencies of the public cloud to on-premises environments.

Moore Threads Technology (MTT), a Chinese GPU manufacturer, is reportedly testing its next-generation graphics processors for client PCs and data centers. The products under scrutiny are the MTT S90 for client/gaming computers and the MTT S4000 for data centers. Characterized by their Device IDs, 0301 and 0323, this could imply that these GPUs belong to MTT's 3rd generation GPU lineup. While few details about these GPUs are available, the new Device IDs suggest a possible introduction of a novel microarchitecture following the MTT Chunxiao GPU series. The current generation Chunxiao series, featuring the MTT S70, MTT S80, and MTT S3000, failed to compete effectively with AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA GPUs.

Thanks to @Löschzwerg who found the Device Hunt submission, we see hardware identifiers in PCI ID and USB ID repositories earlier than launch, as this often signals the testing of new chips or drivers by various companies. In the case of MTT, the latest developments are complicated by its recent inclusion on the U.S. Entity List, limiting its access to US-made technologies. This introduces a problem for the company, as they can't access TSMC's facilities for chip production, and will have to turn to domestic production in the likely case, with SMIC being the only leading option to consider.

Ever since the creation of A64FX for the Fugaku supercomputer, Fujitsu has been plotting the development of next-generation CPU design for accelerating AI and general-purpose HPC workloads in the data center. Codenamed Monaka, the CPU is the latest creation for TSMC's 2 nm semiconductor manufacturing node. Based on Armv9-A ISA, the CPU will feature up to 150 cores with Scalable Vector Extensions 2 (SVE2), so it can process a wide variety of vector data sets in parallel. Using a 3D chiplet design, the 150 cores will be split into different dies and placed alongside SRAM and I/O controller. The current width of the SVE2 implementation is unknown.

The CPU is designed to support DDR5 memory and PCIe 6.0 connection for attaching storage and other accelerators. To bring cache coherency among application-specific accelerators, CXL 3.0 is present as well. Interestingly, Monaka is planned to arrive in FY2027, which starts in 2026 on January 1st. The CPU will supposedly use air cooling, meaning the design aims for power efficiency. Additionally, it is essential to note that Monaka is not a processor that will power the post-Fugaku supercomputer. The post-Fugaku supercomputer will use post-Monaka design, likely iterating on the design principles that Monaka uses and refining them for the launch of the post-Fugaku supercomputer scheduled for 2030. Below are the slides from Fujitsu's presentation, in Japenese, which highlight the design goals of the CPU.

Acer Inc. continues its business growth momentum in September and the third quarter of 2023. Acer reported its September consolidated revenues at NT$ 28.06 billion with 29.4% growth month-on-month (MoM) and summed up its preliminary consolidated revenues for Q3'23 at NT$67.47 billion, up 4.0% year-on-year (YoY) and 15.8% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ).

Fault-tolerant quantum computers that offer radical new solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems in medicine, finance and the environment, as well as facilitating a truly widespread use of AI, are driving global interest in quantum technologies. Yet the various timetables that have been established for achieving this paradigm require major breakthroughs and innovations to remain achievable, and none is more pressing than the move from merely physical qubits to those that are fault-tolerant.

In one of the first meaningful steps along this path, scientists from Quantinuum, the world's largest integrated quantum computing company, along with collaborators, have demonstrated the first fault-tolerant method using three logically-encoded qubits on the Quantinuum H1 quantum computer, Powered by Honeywell, to perform a mathematical procedure.

Lenovo has unveiled the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4, setting a new standard for all-in-one (AIO) business desktop computers. Designed to address the needs of modern workplaces and content creators, this powerhouse Windows 11 PC wows with a massive 27-inch QHD display and is equipped with smart features that enhance connectivity, privacy, and usability.

"Modern businesses require more than just a high-performing PC, they need solutions that are smart and intuitive, reliable and efficient, and empowers them to create a multi-device ecosystem seamlessly," said Sanjeev Menon, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Desktop Business in Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "In this evolving hybrid environment, employees use an average of 2.5 devices for work and would like to be provided with both desktops and laptops to allow them to be more productive. Lenovo's ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 is the answer for businesses looking for synergy and to make workspaces more flexible, streamlined, and productive."

Cyber Acoustics, a leading manufacturer of reliable and affordable computer peripherals used in schools, businesses, and homes, today announced the Cyber Acoustics USB and Bluetooth Speaker Bar CA-2890PRO, a compact USB and Bluetooth speaker bar with speakerphone that clamps to most monitors, for a space-saving audio upgrade. The CA-2890PRO joins Cyber Acoustics' speaker bar family that includes the CA-2890 and CA-2890BT, both of which are among Amazon's best-selling computer speakers.

New design delivers surprisingly loud, clear audio from a compact form factor
Featuring a larger cabinet design than its predecessors, the CA-2890PRO was engineered to provide optimized power output whether connected to a USB-C or USB-A port. This larger cabinet delivers greater sound clarity, with accurate mids and clear highs from dual precision acoustic stereo drivers and a rear-facing bass radiator, ensuring high-quality sound for music, movies, and voice or video calls.

The European Commission has re-imposed a fine of around €376.36 million on Intel for a previously established abuse of dominant position in the market for computer chips called x86 central processing units ('CPUs'). Intel engaged in a series of anticompetitive practices aimed at excluding competitors from the relevant market in breach of EU antitrust rules.

With today's decision, we are re-imposing a €376.36 million fine on Intel for having abused its dominant position in the computer chips market. Intel paid its customers to limit, delay or cancel the sale of products containing computer chips of its main rival. This is illegal under our competition rules. Our decision shows the Commission's commitment to ensure that very serious antitrust breaches do not go unsanctioned. - Commissioner Didier Reynders, in charge of competition policy

Cooler Master, a global leader in designing and manufacturing innovative gaming peripherals and computer components, is thrilled to announce a historic partnership with CAPCOM to launch an exclusive line of Street Fighter 6-themed components and peripherals. This collaboration celebrates the launch of the latest addition to the Street Fighter franchise. Inspired by the game's new characters and universe, Cooler Master has meticulously designed a range of peripherals incorporating iconic character colors and RGB lighting for an immersive gaming experience.

"Cooler Master and Capcom share nearly the same rich history and longevity in our respective fields, making this partnership a natural blend of talent, innovation, and a deep understanding of our audience," said Jimmy Sha, CEO, Cooler Master. "With Capcom, we've created products that reflect the heart and soul of Street Fighter 6, offering fans a unique opportunity to incorporate their love for the game into their gaming setups."

NVIDIA today announced an extensive collaboration with Tata Group to deliver AI computing infrastructure and platforms for developing AI solutions. The collaboration will bring state-of-the-art AI capabilities within reach to thousands of organizations, businesses and AI researchers, and hundreds of startups in India. The companies will work together to build an AI supercomputer powered by the next-generation NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip to achieve performance that is best in class.

"The global generative AI race is in full steam," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "Data centers worldwide are shifting to GPU computing to build energy-efficient infrastructure to support the exponential demand for generative AI.

Acer Inc. announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2023: consolidated revenues were NT$58.26 billion with 11.1% growth quarter-on-quarter (QoQ); gross profits reached NT$6.26 billion with 10.7% margin; operating income was NT$1.05 billion, up 338.6% QoQ; net income was NT$1.39 billion, up 170.2% QoQ; and earnings per share was NT$0.46 in Q2'23 and NT$0.64 in 1H'23.

The company has weathered the post-pandemic industry stress test. Acer's computer business has bottomed out around May this year, while new graphic cards and connectivity products have reached markets. Acer's computers, displays, and most of the other businesses have all contributed toward revenues and profitability. With 10 public subsidiaries and more to come, Acer is progressively enhancing its corporate resilience.

[Editor's note: NT$1.39 Billion is around US$43.9 million]

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a leading provider of industrial computing solutions, unveils the SI-624-AI industrial AI computer, which won the Embedded Computing Design's Embedded World 2023 Best in Show Award in Germany. This recognition highlights the exceptional performance and innovation of the rugged system in the field of AI deep learning.

The SI-624-AI is designed to meet the demands of high-speed multiple tasks for artificial neural network applications. Powered by the 12th Gen Intel Core CPU and incorporating the NVIDIA Ampere Architecture MXM GPU, this cutting-edge system delivers image processing capabilities that enable real-time analysis of visual data, enhancing automation, quality control, and overall production efficiency for AIoT applications in smart factory, retail, transportation or medical fields. It is suitable for use as a digital signage control system in mission-critical control rooms in transportation networks, smart retail, healthcare, or AI education where remote AI data analysis capabilities are required.

NEO Semiconductor, a leading developer of innovative technologies for 3D NAND flash and DRAM memory, today announced its participation at Flash Memory Summit 2023, taking place in person in Santa Clara, California, on August 8-10. CEO, Andy Hsu, will deliver a keynote address titled "New Architectures which will Drive Future 3D NAND and 3D DRAM Solutions" on August 9th at 11:40 a.m. Pacific Time.

Earlier this year, Neo Semiconductor announced the launch of its ground-breaking technology, 3D X-DRAM. This development is the world's first 3D NAND-like DRAM cell array that is targeted to solve DRAM's capacity bottleneck and replace the entire 2D DRAM market. 3D X-DRAM can be manufactured using the existing 3D NAND flash memory process with minor changes, significantly reducing the time and cost spent developing a new 3D process. During the keynote, Mr. Hsu will reveal the 3D X-DRAM process flow and technical details.