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.

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.

Last week, Acer registered a glut of new graphics card SKUs—an extensive EEC filing revealed several unannounced Nitro and Predator BiFrost Radeon RX 9060 XT models. The AMD board partner seems to be preparing two memory configurations for its lower-end RDNA 4 custom cards: 16 GB and 8 GB (GDDR6). VideoCardz reached out to AIB industry moles, in order to establish whether the aforementioned specification points were concrete. A past weekend report "reconfirms" incoming 16 GB and 8 GB variants. Going back to RDNA 3, Team Red released its Radeon RX 7600 XT GPU in 16 GB form, while the cheaper Radeon RX 7600 made do with a VRAM pool of 8 GB. An unnamed board partner's list of launch day offerings reportedly contains basic technical specs (see screenshot below).

Leaked Radeon RX 9060 XT details show 16 GB GDDR6 and 8 GB GDDR6 variants, with 128-bit memory interfaces. VideoCardz believes that 20 Gbps memory chips will be utilized, as featured on recently launched Radeon RX 9070 series cards. The leaked product list indicates that required juice will be delivered through a lone 8-pin power connector; a minimum PSU requirement suggestion is 500 W, although this could jump up to 550 W for factory overlocked SKUs. A speculative "Navi 48 LE" GPU variant is present within TechPowerUp's GPU database entry for the Radeon RX 9060 XT. VideoCardz reckons that a "Navi 44" GPU would be more appropriate for this class; perhaps derived from a mobile part. The leak suggests the presence of a single HDMI 2.1 port, as well as two DP 2.1 ports—a smaller GPU would have trouble driving more than that. During an official RDNA 4 launch event—held in Beijing, late last month—a Team Red representative announced a loose Q2 2025 launch window for Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards.

A former Respawn Entertainment employee has revealed the recent cancellation of an "unannounced incubation project." The ex-team member's LinkedIn profile post/job-seeking alert (now removed) was widely reported on by games media outlets; leading to speculation regarding the mystery title's origins and identity. The Los Angeles, California-based company created a "new game incubation team" not too long ago—recruitment information from last year pointed to a role description that demanded: "significant professional experience designing multiplayer FPS experiences." Respawn Entertainment operates as a multi-team and multi-location development studio—with branches working on Apex Legends, Star Wars and mystery IPs. The Electronic Arts-owned firm is masterminded by Vince Zampella; a veteran developer of popular first-person shooter franchises. Based on recent official account disclosures, the EA executive is currently tasked with the challenging revival of Battlefield's fortunes.

In 2023, Zampella indicated that he was open to revisiting Respawn's long-dormant Titanfall intellectual property. The second entry in the series underperformed sales-wise when it first launched back in October 2016. Despite a fantastic critical reception and vocal support from Titanfall 2's audience, EA leadership decided to put the franchise on ice. Last March, insiders started to make speculative noise about a revival—Steve Fukuda was mentioned in leaks. His CV lists the helming of development on both Titanfall 1 and 2; as game director. The latest talk of a canceled project was soon linked back to Respawn's rumored "unannounced Titanfall IP" prototype. Respawn's website still advertises the existence of their "new game incubation team," but links lead to recruitment posts for other "active" projects. EA officially announced the shelving of the studio's "Star Wars FPS Action game" around early 2024. Respawn and EA are likely focusing on core franchises for the foreseeable future; their Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel seems to be a safe bet.

Earlier in the week, online chatter pointed to a possible delay in the production of Panther Lake silicon. Well-known industry analyst—Ming-Chi Kuo—has kept tabs on the inner workings of several big semiconductor players. A previous insider tale revealed NVIDIA's allegedly revised "Blackwell" architecture roadmap. Kuo's latest insight focused on Intel and their 18A node process; rumored setbacks have reportedly pushed the launch of next-gen Panther Lake (PTL) mobile processors into 2026. Team Blue leadership has already reacted to the relatively fresh allegations—earlier in the week, John Pitzer sat down with Morgan Stanley Semiconductor Research's Joe Moore. During their conference fireside chat, Intel's Corporate Vice President of Investor Relations addressed recent internet whispers.

When asked about 18A being developed on schedule, Pitzer responded with: "yes, it is. I mean, I tend to wake up every morning trying to fish through rumors that are coming across on social media about Intel 18A. I want to be very clear. Panther Lake is on track to launch in the second half of this year. That launch date has not changed. We feel really good about the progress that we are making. In fact, if you look at where our yields are on Panther Lake today, they're actually slightly ahead at a similar point in time to Meteor Lake, if you look at the development process for Meteor Lake. I think a couple of weeks ago, there was a technical paper out that actually looked at our SRAM density on Intel 18A that compared well with TSMC's N2. Lots of different metrics you can compare technologies on. I think in general, we think about Intel 18A being an N3 type/N2 sort of comp with the external peers." Panther Lake is set to become the company's first product family that will utilize its own Foundry's 18A node process. Mid-way through February, we heard about the importance of PTL with Intel's portable gaming strategy.

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors are reportedly due to launch mid-way through next week (March 12)—this "unofficial" release date was revealed by JD.com listings. Yesterday's report focused on the popular Chinese e-commerce platform's apparent leaking of Team Red's mid-March schedule. Last month, a local tipster—Golden Pig Upgrade—also alluded to a possible March 12 rollout of 16 and 12-core 3D V-Cache-equipped Zen 5 chips. In a surprise move, JD has started selling Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D units. Earlier today, ITHome spotted updated product pages—JD disclosed that it was prepping an earlier than expected sale: "limited time and limited quantity available at 20:00 (local time) on March 7."

Officially, AMD has only teased a loose March launch window for its latest Ryzen Niners. VideoCardz has kept track of the company's recent announcements, and opines that the Ryzen 9000X3D release strategy is strange one. Embargoes for reviewer and influencers are tipped for lifting on March 11, so JD's premature sale of Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors clashes with this schedule. JD's unusual 20:00 release time was highlighted by VideoCardz; they reckon that the 22:00 hour is a more appropriate kick-off time. It is possible that the limited quantity/short period sale was a mislabeled promotion for pre-orders—something could be lost in translation (see primary screenshot below), but similar events were reported in recent history.

Frequenters of the MindFactory.de webshop have highlighted worrying signs of decline. A telling example was posted to the (German language) PCBaumeister subreddit; where a member queried: "what's going on at MindFactory? Only 12 Intel CPUs, 36 graphics cards (all brands), 30 monitors left on offer. Are they going bankrupt or are they emptying their inventory?" Similar alerts landed across PC hardware discussion boards—regional press outlets started to pay attention once a decent number of observations were tallied. Even VideoCardz started to receive tip-offs from its German readership, regarding MindFactory's very limited selection of previous-gen NVIDIA graphics cards (see screenshot below). According to the latest news articles, higher-end GeForce 40-series models are not listed. Additionally, there is a distinct lack of GeForce 50-series products on the webstore. VideoCardz found plenty of entries for AMD Radeon graphics cards, but nothing newer or more advanced than the RX 7800 XT.

Curious customers have contacted the webshop's service team, regarding low inventory and lack of product variety. A typical response reads as follows: "we (Mindfactory.de) are currently restructuring our store, which is why we have so few items in stock at the moment. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us." Following on from community tips, local media outlets have shared their own investigations—currently, several online sites propose that MindFactory is facing bankruptcy. WinFuture.de's article sports a prominent "Insolvenz—Freie Marktwirtschaft" graphic—translation: "insolvency—free-market capitalism." Igor Wallossek—of Igor's Lab fame—took issue with some of the sensationalistic headlines. He weighed in on this matter: "apparently, bankruptcy is to be filed for next week. I cannot speak about the background, it is extremely sensitive. I have known about it since Friday (February 28)." A dedicated news piece did not appear on igorslab.de, due to the following of an ethical code of conduct.

A mysterious GameSir wireless gaming controller appeared online late last year, courtesy of video footage uploaded by an unidentified tester. The presence of a Steam logo on the leaked device's central "home/guide" button sent speculation activities into overdrive. The so-called GameSir "Steam Deck Controller" was linked back to a teased Xbox-licensed G7 Pro wireless controller—both designs seem to share a white/gray aesthetic and control layout. At CES 2025, TechPowerUp staffers were fortunate enough to experience hands-on time with GameSir's upcoming Xbox-branded flagship model. Curious visitors did not spot any sign of Steam/Valve-related products at the company's Las Vegas booth. Game Tech Talk—a YouTube channel that covers the latest in handheld gadgets—managed to conduct an interview with Betta; GameSir's CEO. Their virtual discussion was uploaded two (or so) days ago; the 28-minute video explores current and forthcoming products.

When asked about the unannounced "G7 Pro Valve Edition" (aka unofficial Steam Deck Controller), Betta admitted that he was behind last year's leak. This guerilla marketing tactic produced a lot of reactions and feedback from the hardcore gaming controller community; all taken onboard by the young entrepreneur. Betta said that his personal prototype was "hacked together" in order to provide proof of concept to Valve, although he states that GameSir only has a loose relationship with the House of Half-Life. The G7 Pro controller served as a basic foundation for the Steam-oriented variant—with added motion controller capabilities, capacitive stick technology, independently addressable back buttons, and integration into Valve's operating "ecosystem." The fledgling project awaits an official signing-off—with agreements over licensing, branding, software support, etc.—but a firm connection between the two parties is not yet established. Apparently, there were brief interactions during January's CES event. Betta believes that: "people at Valve are pretty hard to reach." GameSir leadership is "figuring out" a plan; they hope to form a direct connection to Valve HQ in the near future.

The Chiphell forum has provided a steady flow of AMD RDNA 4-related leaks—going back to early December; members believed that "Radeon RX 8800 XT" GPUs were imminently entering into a mass production phase. Since then, Team Red and board partners have officially revealed a full deck of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 models—complete with a "modernized" naming scheme. By Christmas (2024), insiders appeared to have working units in their clutches—denizens of Chiphell have continued to dole out pre-release info; even deep into launch week. UNIKO's Hardware picked up on the latest signals; with owners of unnamed custom Radeon RX 9070 XT cards: "calling out bad cooling on GDDR6 VRAM."

As highlighted by Wccftech, NDA-busting disclosures have alluded to commendable GPU thermal measurements—when driven at full load—but several leakers have noted less than stellar results from VRAM temperature readings. Chiphell-sourced GPU-Z screenshots indicate a maximum recorded VRAM temperature of 94℃, with the involved GPU's hotspot hitting a top temp of 79°C. This leaked candidate seems to be a 329 W TBP-rated model. Wccftech observed inconsistencies with the other evaluated sample: "under full load, the GPU temperature at the hot spot reaches a max of 63°C but the memory temperature touches 88°C. The surprising thing to note in the first case is that the TBP is only 237 W, which seems weird considering the Radeon RX 9070 XT (reference spec) starts at a TBP of 260 W. This might be a bug...The user has confirmed that the first one isn't the RX 9070 as one would think, but it is the RX 9070 XT as well." The "guided" upper limit for newer VRAM standards is 95°C, so one of the anonymous custom cards is dancing dangerously in close proximity to the proverbial flame. Certain hardware news outlets reckon that GDDR6X memory will succumb to damage once a 120°C ceiling is hit. Hopefully, these issues are limited to a handful of review samples—a couple of AMD's trusted board partners have opted for Honeywell PTM7950 thermal pads and robust heatpipe formations. Stay tuned to TechPowerUp for W1zzard's incoming RDNA 4-related verdicts.

Inet AB—one of the largest Swedish e-tail stores—has alerted its customer base with foreboding information. NVIDIA and its board partners are expected to launch GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards tomorrow (March 5)—reviews have started to trickle out; including TechPowerUp's freshly-published evaluation of the Founders Edition. According to the Scandinavian shop's blog, they anticipate major supply problems: "unfortunately it looks like we won't be able to release the cards then. This is simply because we don't seem to be getting any cards in stock. Just like with other models in the RTX 50 series, we will release new cards one by one as they land in stock, and only make a fuss in cases where we might receive large deliveries." A week and a half ago, supply chain insiders alluded to significant problems that have reportedly affected GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 production pipelines.

Like many other global PC hardware retail outlets involved in the sale of "Blackwell" GPUs, Inet has offered helpful guidelines in anticipation of limited shipments: "we hope to start releasing cards and (pre-built) computers with GeForce RTX 5070 in the coming weeks. If you want to buy RTX 5070, we recommend that you keep an eye on inet.se and use 'Notify me' on each product page, then you will receive an email when we release them for order. Keep in mind, however, that many people use this function, so the cards may run out quickly after the email goes out." VideoCardz and Australia's Hardware Unboxed have both predicted a grand battle between GeForce RTX 5070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT cards. Team Green tends to stick to its intended release schedules—according to industry watchdogs—even in the face of mounting problems. The tides could be turning again; recent events have allegedly pushed the global launch of GeForce RTX 5060 cards into April.

The "Medusa" or "Medusa Point" codename started to appear online over the past couple of months. These mysterious AMD projects were linked to next-generation "Zen 6" Ryzen desktop and mobile processor families (respectively). Initially, insiders reckoned that Team Red had selected an RDNA 4-based graphics solution for integration their futuristic new-gen laptop APU design. Two days ago, Golden Pig Upgrade weighed in with a different theory—the veteran leaker believes that provisions have regressed on the "Medusa Point" iGPU front.

Previous reports have suggested that the "Medusa Point" processor's iGPU aspect will utilize up to 16 compute units (CU), based on a theorized count of eight workgroup processors (WGPs) from leaked imagery. The latest insider tip points to the utilization of a non-specific "RDNA 3.x" branch, instead of conjectured RDNA 4 graphics technology. Industry watchdogs hold the belief that AMD will be sticking with RDNA 3.5 for a while—as featured on their current-gen "Zen 5" mobile-oriented Strix Point, Strix Halo and Krackan Point chips. As pointed out by Notebookcheck, Team Red leadership disclosed that RDNA 4 is exclusive to discrete card families (for the time being). RDNA 3.5-equipped APUs have—so far—received a warm welcome; AMD engineers could be reserving development resources for a distant future project.

Samsung's foundry operation has experienced many setbacks over the past six months, according to a steady feed of insider reports. Last November, industry moles leaked details of an apparent abandonment of the company's 3 nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process. Significant yield problems prompted an alleged shift into 2 nm territories, with a next-gen flagship Exynos mobile processor linked to this cutting-edge node. According to a mid-week Chosun Daily article, Samsung and its main rival—TSMC—are in a race to establish decent yields of 2 nm wafers, ahead of predicted "late 2025" mass production kick-offs. The publication's inside track points to the Taiwanese foundry making the most progress (with an estimated 60%), but watchdogs warn that it is too early to bet against the South Korean competitor.

Despite murmurs of current 20 - 30% yields, the Samsung's Hwaseong facility is touted to make "smooth" progress over the coming months. Chosun's sources believe that Samsung engineers struggled to get 3 nm GAA "up to snuff," spending around three years on development endeavors (in vain). In comparison, the making of 2 nm GAA is reported to be less bumpy. A fully upgraded "S3" foundry line is expected to come online by the fourth quarter of this year. An unnamed insider commented on rumors of better than anticipated forward motion chez Samsung Electronics: "there are positive aspects to this as it has shown technological improvements, such as the recent increase in the yield of its 4 nm process by up to 80%." Recent-ish reports suggest that foundry teams have dealt with budget cuts, as well as mounting pressure from company leadership to hit deadlines.

AMD's proper introduction of first wave RDNA 4 graphics cards has focused on Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 models; officially due for retail release next week (March 6). Lower-end options popped up—via naming scheme material—during CES 2025, albeit with little fanfare. According to the latest reports emerging from China's tech press, AMD teased an upcoming Radeon RX 9060 Series launch. TechPowerUp's well-maintained GPU database has listed a speculative Radeon RX 9060 XT 12 GB model since early January; a fresh update has revealed the "theorized" existence of a Team Red "Navi 48 LE" GPU.

As reported earlier today, AMD rolled out a "surprise" in-person Chinese RDNA 4 event—in contrast, Western audiences have just watched an official virtual presentation. According to ITHome and VideoCardz, a Team Red representative slipped in a brief mention of the forthcoming Radeon RX 9060 Series. This announcement was made right at the tail end of the company's presentation (in China); teasing a second quarter 2025 launch window. AMD did not go into great detail—ITHome divulged the company's key goals for forthcoming Radeon RX 9060 cards: "mid-range market, focusing on cost-effectiveness, and aiming to provide high-performance/low-power solutions for 1080p and 1440p gamers." Local insiders reckon that the lower-end of AMD's RDNA 4 lineup will be downgraded with fewer computing units and a pool of 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM. ITHome's sources believe that Radeon RX 9060 TBPs are expected to be somewhere "between 150 W and 200 W." Speculated MSRP info indicates a range of $349 to $449 (USD) pricing.

According to South Korea's Money Today, SK hynix is currently engaged in the development of yet another variation of LPDDR5. The mega supplier of DRAM and flash memory chips has publicly disclosed its LPDDR5 Turbo (T) design—going back to late 2023; this iteration was advertised as the "world's fastest mobile memory standard." The first public demonstration of LPDDR5T (10533) was performed at last February's IEEE Solid State Circuit Conference. Currently, the familiar LPDDR5X standard is prevalent throughout commercial channels. Insiders believe that a proposed new "LPDDR5M" design will be released as a lower power alternative to LPDDR5X.

Insiders reckon that the unannounced LPDDR5M standard operates at lower voltages (reportedly 0.98 V), when compared to current offerings (X: 1.05 V). Given the nature of its acronym—Low Power Double Data Rate—this memory type was first devised with efficient operations in mind; ideal for mobile applications. An industry mole proposes that internal company discussions have highlighted a key percentage difference: "at maximum speed, LPDDR5M is ~8% more power efficient than LPDDR5X." The recent Money Today SK news article mentions that older LPDDR4 standards are classed as "legacy products" by company leadership. In contrast, LPDDR5 variants are (allegedly) categorized as "high value-added products." The rumored addition of LPDDR5M is viewed—by regional memory industry watchdogs—as a fortification (and diversification) of SK hynix's strategy; that already encompasses LPDDR5X and LPDDR5T. Tipsters posit that LPDDR5M memory is destined to feature inside next-gen smartphone devices with on-board AI capabilities.

PowerColor's Radeon RX 9070 XT Hellhound model is a known property—in terms of its visual presentation—due to a public unveiling at CES 2025, as well as renders appearing online via official product pages. The Taiwanese manufacturer has decided to update its custom graphics card designs for AMD's incoming RDNA 4 generation—for example; the flagship Red Devil family is also refreshed for 2025. So far, PowerColor has showcased "standard black" Red Devil, Hellhound and Reaper designs. Rumors of additional Spectral White variants were circulating online earlier in the week.

Chinese market-exclusive PowerColor Radeon RX 7650 GRE Reaper models were launched very recently, complete with a Spectral White option. Following this official launch, VideoCardz picked up on inside track information; pointing to possible pale variants of forthcoming RDNA 4-based Red Devil cards. Days later, another PowerColor leak has unearthed an unannounced Spectral White SKU, albeit in Hellhound flavor. This product family usually offers a nice balance of high-end features and favorable pricing; we hope to see concrete details tomorrow. The leaked Hellhound card seems to feature an almost all-white aesthetic; extending to its PCB design and I/O bracket. No major surprises were disclosed in VideoCardz's report, but they noted a potential absence of RGB lighting zones. Previous-gen Hellhounds sport "fixed-color" schemes; enabling blue or purple lighting.

Sapphire's premium NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card model was the subject of several leaks in the recent past—unsurprisingly, gaming GPU detectives gathered evidence of a very high speculative price point. The AIB's top "champagne gold" offering is due for a full unveiling; we expect to see examples tomorrow—AMD will broadcast a special Radeon RX 9070 Series presentation. Within the past 24 hours, VideoCardz received a compelling tip-off—the GPU news specialist was pointed in the direction of TechPowerUp. Currently, the site's VGA BIOS Collection hosts a downloadable "Sapphire 9070 XT 16 GB BIOS (Nitro+)" ROM.

The VGA BIOS build date is listed as "2024-12-13," with the file becoming available to download roughly two days ago (February 25). VideoCardz highlighted interesting "BIOS Internals" information; namely the mentioning of a "Navi48 XTX" GPU variant. Since CES 2025, AMD and its board partners have kept quiet about finer RDNA 4 details, but insiders and leakers have noted the existence of a generic "Navi 48" GPU. TechPowerUp's GPU database listings of AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB and RX 9070 16 GB (non-XT) are freshly updated; reflecting new information sourced from pre-launch VGA BIOS listings. The incoming flagship seems to utilize a "Navi 48 XT" GPU variant (note: not 48 XTX), while its non-XT sibling is (supposedly) based on "Navi 48 XL." VideoCardz has heard whispers of a next-gen "Navi XTXH," industry moles have linked this sub-model to a supposed "higher-end" 32 GB RDNA 4 card. TPU's GPU database also alludes to an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU; just updated with a "Navi 48 LE" designation.

Huawei is likely celebrating milestones on multiple fronts—as reported earlier this month, the Chinese technology manufacture has pulled in record revenues and experienced consistent growth. Additionally, industry insiders believe that things are going well within the company's production pipeline. According to a Financial Times report, Huawei's next-generation AI accelerator model is on the way—the unannounced "Ascend 910C" is touted to directly compete with NVIDIA's H100 AI GPU. Industry moles believe that Huawei has partnered with SMIC for the manufacture of in-house accelerator designs. Whispers suggest a selection of the foundry's 7 nm N+2 process.

The alleged doubling of production yields (within a year)—from 20% to 40%—signals a significant achievement. As reported by FT, this milestone indicates Huawei's Ascend chip production line becoming profitable for the very first time. Two inside sources propose that Huawei and SMIC are targeting a 60% yield goal in the near future. In 2025, leaked plans suggest production tallies of roughly 100,00 Ascend 910C processors, and 300,000 of the current-gen Ascend 910B chip.

A Valve-designed next-gen VR headset is a compelling prospect, but not many details have emerged online since the company's (2022) teasing of new developments. Press outlets noticed a September 2023 registration of a mysterious device in South Korea; following this discovery, many anticipated a steady flow of leaks. Relative silence ensued; brewing speculation that Valve Corporation had shelved another top secret project. Fast-forward to the present day; Gabe Follower—a self-confessed Valve/Half Life 3 tipster—believes that all systems are go for a codenamed "Deckard" VR headset. The amusingly-named leaker (referencing Gabe Newell) claims to have an inside track: "several people have confirmed that Valve is aiming to release new standalone, wireless VR headset (codename Deckard) by the end of 2025. The current price for the full bundle is set to be $1200. Including some "in-house" games (or demos) that are already done. Valve want to give the user the best possible experience without cutting any costs."

The "Index" was Valve's first attempt at cornering the VR gaming market, but the buying public (back in 2019) largely favored rival models. A long-gestating follow-up would need to really "hit it out of the park," when placed against a new generation of competing hardware. Valve's alleged Blade Runner-themed device, was linked to a set of previously leaked VR controllers; codenamed "Roy." Additionally, Gabe Follower reckons that Valve is prepared to make financial sacrifices, in order to establish a foothold within an extremely competitive market: "even at the current price, it will be sold at a loss. A few months ago, we saw leaked models of controllers—Roy—in the SteamVR update. It will be using the same SteamOS from Steam Deck, but adapted for virtual reality. One of the core features is the ability to play flat-screen games that are already playable on Steam Deck, but in VR on a big screen without a PC. The first behind closed doors presentations could start soon."

XFX has not generated much official RDNA 4 noise, ahead of this Friday's special event. The long-term AMD board partner unveiled a pair of mysterious Radeon RX 9070 series cards at CES 2025, but no marketing/hype campaign was launched in the interim. VideoCardz and its insider networks have kept tabs on XFX activities; mostly from retail sources. Their latest report concentrates on custom Radeon RX 9070 XT options; claiming that a grand total of nine SKUs are destined for launch next month. Around mid-February, a Canadian e-tailer inadvertently published a comprehensive selection of unannounced XFX MERCURY, SWIFT, and QUICKSILVER models. Days later, the South Korean and Canadian branches of Amazon uploaded packaging imagery.

VideoCardz has gathered product renders and basic spec information from various retail leaks, as well as inside sources. They believe that XFX has (wisely) dropped its old/odd naming schemes—e.g.: SWFT and QICK—in favor of traditional spellings. The high-end MERCURY population count is (allegedly) four; consisting of two Magnetic Air variants, and two normal editions (sporting non-modular fans). Reportedly, an "M" tag adorns Magnetic Air model retail boxes (refer to images below)—VideoCardz believes that XFX's red-ringed fans indicate detachable functionality, but this color coding is only visible on the black version. As previously reported, XFX's upper-tier Radeon RX 9070 XT custom options are touted to sport the "greatest" factory-set overclock: 3.1 GHz. Press outlets have noted the presence of three 8-pin power connectors in leaked MERCURY renders.

NVIDIA's upcoming mid-range GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB model is almost ready for launch, according to recent reports. Industry moles reckon that GB205 GPU-based specimens are already in the clutches of press and influencer outlets; review embargoes are due to be lifted on March 4, for $549 MSRP conformant SKUs (as disclosed by a VideoCardz source). Last week, we heard whispers about Team Green's (allegedly) troubled production cycle for incoming GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 models.

Insiders insist that these issues have caused a delay; many believed that NVIDIA had (prior) plans for a February GeForce RTX 5070 launch. A revised schedule was leaked to VideoCardz; the publication posits that GeForce RTX 5070 cards will launch at retail on March 5, with non-MSRP ($549+) reviews projected to go live on the same day. Based on various leaks, NVIDIA and AMD will likely clash with their respective new offerings. Right now, reviewers could be dealing with sizable piles of competing Team Green and Team Red hardware. Graphics card enthusiasts will be looking forward to incoming comparisons—GeForce RTX 5070 and its Ti sibling versus Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT).

Late last week, AMD posted a helpful reminder; a special RDNA 4 Friday (February 28) event is on the calendar. Additionally, they quietly confirmed that the upcoming launch of Radeon RX 9070 series graphics cards will not include reference/MBA models. Team Red enthusiasts and other interested parties are anticipating an official unveiling of performance data, technical specifications, and decisive pricing. Recent leaks have produced speculative figures for various board partner options, but industry whispers suggest that AMD's guide MSRP has fluctuated over the past couple of weeks. An almost definitive answer has arrived online, courtesy of another VideoCardz investigative piece.

The article does not class the latest pre-release disclosure as a true "leak," VideoCardz believes that their sharing of AMD press briefing slides serves as an intriguing teaser. The report dismisses yet another case of pre-launch retail spillage: "there are many rumors about relatively high prices for the RX 9070 series. For instance, a Reddit thread allegedly shows prices from Best Buy's internal system, with prices starting at $739 (see screenshot below)... From what we have been told and shared during the media briefing, AMD showed one slide that may confirm where the prices will be. The Radeon RX 9070 series is focusing on a sub-$700 price point, and AMD wants their cards to be 'more accessible.' AMD says that 85% of gamers buy cards below $700, and this is what the RDNA 4 series will focus on." Another leaked presentation slide indicates that Team Red is targeting higher resolutions (1440p and 4K), better performance; especially with "ray tracing games," as well as "easy upgrades." The last point emphasizes drop-in 8-pin power connector options. ASRock and Sapphire appear to be breaking away from this traditional connection mold with their upcoming premium-tier designs, but the majority of AIB cards are expected to stick with a tried and trusted solution.

Almost five years ago, SK hynix announced a planned $9 billion acquisition of Intel's NAND flash memory and storage business. The semiconductor giant's takeover process has been a gradual affair; the first phase was complete by the end of 2021, with Asian governing bodies—just before Christmas—giving clearance to absorb Chinese facilities. Within this time frame, the South Korean giant pulled in Team Blue's SSD NAND design and R&D departments—thus establishing the "Solidigm" entity. According to a new Businesskorea report, SK hynix is about to pay off a final installment; allegedly $2.235 billion.

Industry insiders believe that SK hynix's takeover of Intel NAND and storage properties will be completed by next month. This (rumored) March time fortification will place SK hynix in direct competition with a nearby rival: Samsung. Businesskorea believes that recent expansions signal a "competitive edge"—targeting increased demand for enterprise SSD products. Google and Meta are reportedly engaged in widespread upgrading of data center facilities. The local publication reckons that: "SK Hynix plans to capitalize on this trend by strengthening its position in the market and leveraging AI to drive innovation and growth." The aforementioned absorption of Intel intellectual property (IP) plus R&D resources is viewed as a crucial move in reinforcing an already solid foundation.

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor will head to retail next month—a March 12 launch day is rumored—but a handful of folks seem to have early samples in their possession. Reviewers and online influencers have been tasked with evaluating pre-launch silicon, albeit under strict conditions; i.e. no leaking. Inevitably, NDA-shredding material has seeped out—yesterday, we reported on an alleged sample's ASUS Silicon Prediction rating. Following that, a Bulgarian system integrator/hardware retailer decided to upload Cinebench R23 and PCMark Time Spy results to Facebook. Evidence of this latest leak was scrubbed at the source, but VideoCardz preserved crucial details.

The publication noticed distinguishable QR and serial codes in PCbuild.bg's social media post; so tracing activities could sniff out points of origin. As expected, the leaked benchmark data points were compared to Ryzen 9 9950X and 7950X3D scores. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D sample recorded a score of 17,324 points in 3DMark Time Spy, as well as 2279 points (single-core) and 42,423 points (multi-core) in Cinebench R23. Notebookcheck observed that the pre-launch candidate came: "out ahead of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D in both counts, even if the gaming win is less than significant. Comparing the images of the benchmark results to our in-house testing and benchmark database shows the 9950X3D beating the 7950X3D by nearly 17% in Cinebench multicore." When compared to its non-3D V-Cache equivalent, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D leverages a slight performance advantage. A blurry shot of PCbuild.bg's HWiNFO session shows the leaked processor's core clock speeds; going up to 5.7 GHz (turbo) on a single CCD (non-X3D). The X3D-equipped portion seems capable of going up to 5.54 GHz.

Earlier in the year, we heard about TSMC being ahead of the game with its speculated trial production run of cutting-edge 2 nm (N2) silicon. Taiwan's premier foundry company is reportedly prepping its Baoshan and Kaohsiung plants for full-on manufacturing of next-gen chips. The latest insider whispers propose that TSMC is making "rapid" progress on the 2 nm (N2) front, as company engineers have moved onto an "intensive" trial production phase. Taiwan's Economic Daily News has picked up on compelling projections from industry moles; the Hsinchu Baoshan facility's current monthly production capacity is (allegedly) around 5000 to 10,000 2 nm wafers. The other 2 nm-specialist site—Kaohsiung—has reportedly moved into a small-scale appraisal phase.

TSMC declined to comment on recently leaked data points, but they released a general statement (to UDN), emphasizing that: "(our) 2 nm process technology is progressing well and will go into mass production as scheduled in the second half of this year." The Baoshan plant could ramp up to 25,000 2 nm wafers per month, once it moves into a mass production phase. Combined with the same estimated output from its sister site (Kaohsiung), insiders reckon that the combined total could reach 50,000 units per month. Following a predicted successful "second phase" transition, TSMC's most advanced facilities have a "chance" to pump out 80,000 2 nm parts (combined total). The latest murmurs suggest that this milestone could be achieved by the end of 2025. Industry watchdogs believe that Apple will have first access dibs on TSMC's upcoming cutting-edge offerings.

Recent reports indicate that evaluation samples of AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors have circulated to global press and influencer outlets. Leaks are expected to trickle out, going all the way up to a rumored March 11 lifting of review embargoes. Late last week, we reported on a double NDA-busting test system; utilizing Team Red's upcoming 16-core 3D V-Cache-equipped flagship gaming CPU, and a Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU. HXL (aka 9550pro) unearthed another example—their weekend sleuthing activities pointed to an alleged ASUS Silicon Prediction (SP) rating of 120. This tally was (reportedly) produced by a Ryzen 9 9950X3D sample unit. The predictive rating system sniffs out a candidate processor's quality and overclock potential.

An off-screen capture of an unidentified tester's UEFI BIOS session was posted to social media—the "MBEC-X870-0130" identifier points to a non-specific X870-based ASUS motherboard model. Leaked diagnostic information clearly shows a "Ryzen 9 9950X3D" processor (base clock 4.3 GHz) powering this particular test build. Its 120 ASUS SP score was cross-referenced with tallies shared by owners of Ryzen 7 9800X3D processors. As observed by VideoCardz, various examples of AMD's reigning gaming champion scored within the typical range of 113 to 118. The upcoming 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 12-core 9900X3D parts are predicted to offer only mild benefits (in gaming environs) over their 8-core sibling; so any sign of superiority will be celebrated as a victory.