Axiomtek - a world-renowned leader relentlessly devoted to the research, development, and manufacture of a series of innovative and reliable industrial computer products of high efficiency - is proud to announce the NA346B, a fanless and power-efficient network appliance designed for small office VPN setups and a versatile customer premises equipment (uCPE) solution. With software-defined flexibility, customers can configure the device as a firewall or router, tailoring it to their unique networking needs. Overall, the NA346B delivers reliability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in a compact form factor, making it an excellent choice for secure connectivity solutions in space-constrained environments.

Key Features and Advantages of the NA346B: Power-Efficient, Space-Saving Secure Connectivity Solutions for Small Business Networks

• Compact Palm-Sized Form Factor - The NA346B combines a sleek, space-saving design with flexible functionality, ideal for small offices and areas with limited space. Its compact, aesthetic appearance enhances the ease of installation in various settings.
• Low-Power Consumption Design for a Sustainable Future - Powered by the Intel Celeron processor N3350, the NA346B combines performance with exceptional energy efficiency. Featuring a dual-core architecture and a TDP of under 6 W, this power-efficient processor is ideal for sustainable operations, reducing energy costs while supporting robust performance.

Global technology powerhouse Lenovo Group Limited (together with its subsidiary, "Lenovo" or the "Group") has announced that its subsidiary has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Infinidat Ltd. ("Infinidat"), a global provider of high-end enterprise storage solutions. The acquisition is part of Lenovo's growth strategy to bring differentiated technology solutions to market. This move will further strengthen Lenovo's enterprise storage offerings globally and underscores a commitment to delivering innovative storage solutions that meet the evolving needs of modern data centers.

With the strong storage solutions and research & development capabilities of Infinidat, the transaction will create strategic synergies with the Group's infrastructure solutions business and enterprise storage capabilities.

Thermaltake, a leading PC DIY brand for premium hardware solutions, is proud to announce the release of the TT RGB PLUS 3.0, an upgraded all-in-one software platform designed to enhance the TT RGB PLUS ecosystem. Building on the foundation of its predecessor, the 3.0 version introduces an optimized interface, expanded compatibility, and advanced features to provide seamless system integration and customization for PC enthusiasts. The new software update, scheduled for release in Q1 2025, supports a broader range of products, including the TS120/140 EX RGB Fans (3-Fan Pack), the Toughpower iRGB PLUS 1650 W / 1250 W Titanium, and the MAGFloe and MAGCurve AIO Liquid Coolers.

"Thermaltake's TT RGB PLUS 3.0 software takes system customization to the next level by integrating advanced functionality features and expanding product compatibility," said Kenny Lin, CEO of Thermaltake,"This upgrade reflects our commitment to empowering users with innovative tools for personalized RGB illumination, performance monitoring, and seamless system management. Whether to enhance aesthetics or optimize functionality, TT RGB PLUS 3.0 is designed to meet the diverse needs of PC enthusiasts and gamers."

Over the past year, generative AI has transformed the way people live, work and play, enhancing everything from writing and content creation to gaming, learning and productivity. PC enthusiasts and developers are leading the charge in pushing the boundaries of this groundbreaking technology. Countless times, industry-defining technological breakthroughs have been invented in one place—a garage. This week marks the start of the RTX AI Garage series, which will offer routine content for developers and enthusiasts looking to learn more about NVIDIA NIM microservices and AI Blueprints, and how to build AI agents, creative workflow, digital human, productivity apps and more on AI PCs. Welcome to the RTX AI Garage.

This first installment spotlights announcements made earlier this week at CES, including new AI foundation models available on NVIDIA RTX AI PCs that take digital humans, content creation, productivity and development to the next level. These models—offered as NVIDIA NIM microservices—are powered by new GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs. Built on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, RTX 50 Series GPUs deliver up to 3,352 trillion AI operations per second of performance, 32 GB of VRAM and feature FP4 compute, doubling AI inference performance and enabling generative AI to run locally with a smaller memory footprint.

Synology today announced the general availability of ActiveProtect, a new line of data protection appliances that integrate enterprise backup software, server, and backup repository into a unified solution. Designed to simplify complex data protection, ActiveProtect offers comprehensive platform support, advanced security, and scalability, all with a transparent pricing model.

"Data protection should empower businesses, not burden businesses," said Jia-Yu Liu, Executive Vice President at Synology. "ActiveProtect embodies Synology's expertise in hardware and software engineering and insights from close collaboration with customers. We are confident that ActiveProtect will exceed enterprises' expectations for data protection."

Dell Technologies builds on decades of PC innovation with a new, simplified portfolio featuring on-device AI for greater end-user creativity and productivity. To accelerate AI PC adoption across enterprises, Dell also provides developers and IT administrators with the tools to seamlessly build and deploy AI applications to Dell AI PCs.

As the number one provider of commercial AI PCs, Dell expands its portfolio with new product designs, increased performance and battery life, the latest silicon innovation and AI accelerators, and industry-leading capabilities across software, management and sustainability. Dell has unified its brand across PCs, displays, services and accessories to make it even easier for customers to find the right technology solutions they need today and in the future.

According to a recent investigative report, UK-based Imagination Technologies faces allegations of transferring sensitive GPU intellectual property to Chinese companies with potential military connections. The UK-China Transparency organization claims that following its 2020 acquisition by China-controlled investment firm Canyon Bridge, Imagination provided complete access to its GPU IP to Chinese entities with military connections. The report suggests this included sharing detailed architectural documentation typically reserved for premier clients like Apple. At the center of the controversy are Chinese firms Moore Threads and Biren Technology, which have emerged as significant players in China's AI and GPU sectors. The report indicates Moore Threads maintains connections with military GPU suppliers, while Biren Technology has received partial Russian investment.

The organization argues that Canyon Bridge, which has ties to the state-owned China Reform enterprise, helped these technological transfers to benefit China's military-industrial complex. Imagination Technologies has defended its actions, maintaining that all licensing agreements comply with industry standards. The allegations have sparked renewed debate about foreign ownership of strategic technology assets and the effectiveness of current export controls. When Canyon Bridge acquired Imagination in 2020, security experts raised concerns about potential military applications of the firm's technology. UKCT plans to release additional findings, including information from legal disputes involving Imagination's previous management. Rising concerns over technology transfers have prompted governments to reassess export controls and corporate oversight in the semiconductor industry, as nations struggle to balance international commerce with national security priorities. We are yet to see official government response to this situation.

Motherboard vendor ASUS began rolling out UEFI firmware (BIOS) updates to its Intel Z890 motherboards that contain Intel's 0x114 Microcode update for Core Ultra "Arrow Lake-S" desktop processors. The new microcode was touted as bringing in performance gains to gaming workloads across the board, with Intel saying that depending on the configuration, one could expect a "roughly 3-8% performance gain." The company said that motherboard vendors should begin releasing BIOS updates with 0x114 "starting January 2025," however, it seems like ASUS is ready with public "stable" (non-beta) BIOS updates with it. We use a ROG Maximus Z890 Hero in our "Arrow Lake-S" reviews, and so promptly grabbed the version 1203 BIOS from the ASUS website, and put it to the test. This also updates Intel ME (management engine) to v19.0.0.1827.

We added our performance testing numbers to our article from yesterday (December 19, 2024), where we had tested the Core Ultra 9 285K with the latest OS-level patches for Windows 11 24H2. Long story short, we do not notice any notable performance gains with the 0x114 microcode update. 0x114 was touted as providing users with additional performance gains after all the OS- and BIOS configuration related issues had been fixed. In its pre-brief from earlier this week, Intel said that the 0x114 microcode update represented additional performance gain opportunities that the company had discovered in the process of identifying and fixing the reasons why the processors fell significantly behind Intel's performance guidance in their launch reviews in October.

We recommend you to once again read our performance testing article from yesterday, we have updated the performance graphs with 0x114 microcode update numbers, and are in the process of providing additional commentary in the article. Here's a teaser:

Intel Corporation today announced that Eric Meurice, former president, chief executive officer and chairman of ASML Holding N.V., and Steve Sanghi, chairman and interim chief executive officer of Microchip Technology Inc., have been appointed to Intel's board of directors, effective immediately. Both will serve as independent directors.

"Eric and Steve are highly respected leaders in the semiconductor industry whose deep technical expertise, executive experience and operational rigor make them great additions to the Intel board," said Frank D. Yeary, interim executive chair of the Intel board. "As successful CEOs with proven track records of creating shareholder value, they will bring valuable perspectives to the board as the company delivers on its priorities for customers in Intel Products and Intel Foundry, while driving greater efficiency and improving profitability."

ASRock on Monday (25/11) announced that its Z890 chipset motherboards support the new Intel Platform Power Management (PPM) driver version 1007.20240913, which promises an up to 13.23% increase in performance with games and gaming benchmarks, hinting that this could be the much awaited "fix" to the lower-than-expected gaming performance of its Core Ultra "Arrow Lake-S" desktop processors, which was crushed by AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D "Zen 5." As ASRock's announcement was somewhat unclear and raised more questions than answers, we have updated the post accordingly. It turns out there's more to this story, and this PPM driver might not be the magic fix Intel has been touting.

The PPM driver, in theory, enables a closer collaboration between the software and the processor, so it can allocate more power budget to applications that could do with more performance, such as games. Given how much lower the gaming power draw of the Core Ultra 285K is, compared to its predecessor, the Core i9-14900K "Raptor Lake," the obvious vector to Intel to dial up performance for the 285K was expected to be better power budgeting, provided the thermals and physical stability of the processor permit.

Today, Lenovo announced the introduction of ThinkShield Firmware Assurance as part of its portfolio of enterprise-grade cybersecurity solutions. ThinkShield Firmware Assurance is one of the only computer OEM solutions to enable deep visibility and protection below the operating system (OS) by embracing Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) component-level visibility to generate more accurate and actionable risk management insights.

As a security paradigm, ZTA explicitly identifies users and devices to grant appropriate levels of access so a business can operate with less risk and minimal friction. ZTA is a critical framework to reduce risk as organizations endeavor to complete Zero-Trust implementations.

DDN, a leading force in AI data intelligence, today set a new standard in AI and HPC data management with the launch of trailblazing upgrades to its data intelligence platform at Supercomputing 2024 in Atlanta. Built in close collaboration with NVIDIA, these advancements give organizations unmatched power to scale and optimize AI data operations—delivering efficiency, seamless scalability, and the kind of ROI that fuels business growth and innovation.

At the core of this innovation is DDN's deep integration with NVIDIA, bringing unparalleled performance enhancements to AI and HPC workloads. With the debut of DDN's next-generation A³I data platform, the AI400X3 organizations can now achieve a staggering 60 percent performance boost over previous generations. This boost translates to faster AI training, real-time insights, and smoother data processing, giving enterprises the agility to make rapid decisions and gain a competitive edge in today's data-driven landscape.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solutions innovator, has launched an industrial-grade 16-port full 10GbE L2 managed switch, the QSW-IM3216-8S8T. The rugged industrial case provides eight 10GbE SFP+ fiber and eight 10GbE RJ45 Multi-Gig ports, allowing flexible rackmount, desktop, or wall-mounted installations. It can connect NAS, SNMP, and AV-over-IP devices, making it ideal for deployment in a range of environments to achieve factory automation, smart manufacturing, and meet the diverse needs of smart cities, automotive industry, and traffic monitoring.

"Targeting the Industry 5.0 market which implements AI smart manufacturing, the QSW-IM3216-8S8T assists users in building reliable and secure high-speed 10GbE network infrastructure within an economical budget," said Jerry Deng, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "we also recommend pairing it with the TS-i410X Industrial NAS to create a high-speed data transmission and storage solution for smart factories."

Supermicro shares took a big hit today when Ernst & Young quit as its auditor, making its stock fall over 30%. EY decided to leave because of their worries in July about how Supermicro runs things, shares information, and keeps track of its money. In August, Supermicro delayed its annual report as they were looking over internal financial controls following Hindenburg Research's allegations of accounting manipulation. Ernst & Young's letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about quitting says they can't trust what the company's leaders say anymore. They also don't want their name on the company's financial papers after discovering new information during their check. "We are resigning due to information that has recently come to our attention which has led us to no longer be able to rely on management's and the Audit Committee's representations and to be unwilling to be associated with the financial statements prepared by management."

Supermicro doesn't agree with the accounting firm's decision, and they say fixing these problems won't mean they have to redo any of their financial reports from 2024 or earlier. Commenting on this subject, Nathan Anderson, the founder of Hindenburg, said in a post on X, "As far as auditor statements go, E&Y's SMCI resignation letter is about as strongly worded as I have seen." According to The Wall Street Journal, the Department of Justice is currently looking into the company. Supermicro will present its first quarter fiscal 2025 business update on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. PT.

Asetek announce the appointment of Maja Sand-Grimnitz as vice president (VP) Brand and Digital, and Henrik Lindskou-Mouritsen as VP Global Sales. They bring extensive experience from commercialization of gaming hardware and international sales to drive deployment of Asetek's acclaimed sim racing products and build on the leading position within Liquid Cooling.

"I am pleased to have both Henrik and Maja join Asetek, further strengthening our commercial focus and enabling increased efficiencies by consolidating the management team in Denmark," said André Sloth Eriksen the CEO of Asetek. "We are positioning for significant growth within SimSports and a changing Liquid Cooling market with more direct end-user dialogue over time and potential to capture material revenue synergies across our two business segments under a strong Asetek brand."

As we enter the middle of August, this week's major upcoming release is a 4X space strategy game, where your goal is to rule the galaxy. If that's not your cup of tea, then maybe a fast-paced military RTS or a tactical FPS shooter might be more of your thing. Alternatively you could be cleaning up other people's mess, build a massive production line or kick an inflated pig's bladder around a field. In other words, half of this week's release is some kind of strategy game.

Sins of a Solar Empire II / This week's major release / Thursday 15 August
Sins of a Solar Empire II is the sequel to the critically acclaimed space strategy game that seamlessly blends real-time battle tactics with the depth of 4X. As both emperor and battle commander you must lead one of six playable factions to victory against the threat of extinction! There are no turns. There is no battle mode. There is no strategic mode. It's all one mode and it's all in real-time. Steam Link

A fleet of recent reports have highlighted stability issues affecting Intel's 13th and 14th-generation desktop processors, raising concerns among consumers and industry professionals. The problem, which has gained significant attention over the past few months, is related to the processors' physical degradation over time. Custom PC builder Puget Systems has shared insights from its experience with these processors, revealing a nuanced perspective on the issue. While it has observed an increase in CPU failures, particularly with the 14th-generation chips, its failure rates remain notably lower than those reported by some game development studios and cloud gaming providers, who have cited failure rates as high as 50%. An interesting observation is that Puget Systems recorded a higher failure rate with AMD Ryzen 5000 and Ryzen 7000 series than Intel's 13/14th generation, with most failures happening at Puget's shop rather than the "field" in customers' hands.

Puget Systems attributes their more modest failure rates of Intel processors to their conservative approach to power management settings. By adhering strictly to Intel's specifications and developing their own power settings that don't hurt performance, they've managed to mitigate some of the stability issues plaguing other users. Intel has acknowledged the problem and announced plans to release a microcode patch by mid-August, with extended warranty program. This update is expected to prevent further degradation but may not reverse existing damage. Despite the elevated failure rates, Puget Systems' data shows that the issue, while concerning, still needs to be at critical levels for their operations. The company reports that failure rates for 13th and 14th gen Intel processors, while higher than ideal, are still lower than those they experienced with Intel's 11th gen chips and some AMD Ryzen processors. In response to the situation, Puget Systems is taking several steps, including maintaining its current power management practices, promptly validating Intel's upcoming microcode update, and extending warranties for affected customers. Below, you can see failure rates by month, by Intel's Core generation, as well as by "shop" vs "field" testing.

As we enter the last full week of July, we return to our regular summer scheduling with yet another week without any big releases. This week's major release involves building a fortress to protect your people from endless horrors. This is followed by some crime investigation, managing race cars, climbing mountains, defending the earth and finally hoarding some masks. It's by no means a terrible week of new games, just nothing that's likely to blow your mind.

Cataclismo / This week's major release / Monday 22 July / Early Access
Lead the last survivors in the aftermath of the Cataclismo as a corrupted world seeks to destroy all that remains of humanity. Build fortresses brick by brick, designing intricate, towering structures of wood and stone to fend off waves of Horrors as they attempt to overwhelm your band of survivors. Command powerful units in their stalwart defense, coordinating their varied capabilities as you race from breach to breach. Steam link

0patch plans to combat Microsoft's ending Windows 10 support by offering unofficial security updates for the 2015 operating system. Microsoft is ending Windows 10 security updates on October 14, 2025, after which the OS will stop receiving patches for vulnerabilities. The Redmond giant will provide you with an option to update your Windows 10 build, however, with a hefty fee slapped. Extended Security Updates (ESU) pricing structure follows a tiered model that doubles each year. From October 2025 to October 2026, the cost is $61 per device. The following year, from October 2026 to October 2027, the price increases to $122 per device. In the final year, spanning October 2027 to October 2028, the cost rises to $244 per device. For users planning to maintain Windows 10 until October 2028, the total expense over the three-year period would amount to $427 per device.

However, 0patch, a company focused on providing unofficial security updates for Windows OSes, will provide Windows 10 users with free and paid security updates post-end of service. Their system focuses on delivering targeted "micropatches" for critical vulnerabilities that emerge after Microsoft's official support ends. These micropatches are designed to be extremely precise and minimal, often consisting of just a few CPU instructions. A key feature of 0patch's approach is its non-invasive nature. The patches are applied directly to running processes in the computer's memory, leaving the original Microsoft files untouched. This method allows for rapid deployment of security fixes without requiring system reboots or interrupting user activities. The patching process is designed to be seamless and virtually unnoticeable to users. For instance, a user working on a document wouldn't experience any disruption while a micropatch is being applied. This approach is particularly beneficial for servers, where continuous uptime is crucial, as patches can be implemented without any downtime.

At Computex 2024, QNAP drew attendees' attention with their booth showcasing the QSW-M3224-24T 1U rackmount Ethernet network switch. Designed as a cost-effective solution, this switch boasts an impressive array of 24 10G Ethernet RJ45 ports, specifically catering to storage nodes like NAS that need to be connected to it. QNAP's emphasis on providing a comprehensive networking solution was evident from the switch's support for a suite of their proprietary technologies.

One of the key features highlighted was the QSS Pro 4.0.0 L3 Lite system management software, which streamlines network administration tasks. Additionally, the switch offers IGMP snooping capabilities, enabling efficient handling of AV-over-IP configurations. QNAP's Qfinder Pro utility further simplifies network management by allowing administrators to easily locate locally attached QNAP devices by their IP addresses. Notably, the QSW-M3224-24T also supports multi-chassis link aggregation group (MC-LAG) technology, ensuring network redundancy and enhancing overall reliability.

On June 5th, Vanguard and NXP announced plans to jointly establish VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (VSMC) in Singapore to build a 12-inch wafer plant. TrendForce posits that this move reflects the trend of global supply chains shifting "Out of China, Out of Taiwan"(OOC/OOT), with Taiwanese companies accelerating their overseas expansion to improve regional capacity flexibility and competitiveness.

TrendForce noted that the semiconductor supply chain has been diversifying over the past two years to mitigate geopolitical and pandemic-related risks, forming two major segments: China's domestic supply chain and a non-China supply chain. Recent US tariff increases have accelerated this shift, leading to increased orders from American customers.

Developer SpaceRocket Games and publisher Toplitz Productions announce Permafrost, an exciting new addition to the survival game genre and one with a chilling narrative; Permafrost thrusts players into a bleak, open-world urban landscape where survival is not just a choice—it's a necessity.

In the wake of the cataclysmic 'shattering', an apocalyptic moon phase phenomenon, humanity finds itself teetering on the brink of extinction as the world succumbs to an eternal deep freeze. The game reveals the collapse of existing political and economic structures and the deadly winter cold that has resulted in the deaths of billions of people.

Overseer Games are excited to announce that Kaiserpunk will participate in Steam Next Fest, which will run from June 10th - 17th. Experience the innovative blend of city-building and grand strategy firsthand with the first-ever Kaiserpunk demo, launching before Next Fest on June 3rd. Download the demo ahead of Next Fest and wishlist it on Steam.

In Kaiserpunk, you'll be thrust into an alternate history forged by the fires of the WWI and WWII era. As a returning soldier from the frontlines, you find your city-state in ruins. The mantle of leadership falls upon you. Now, it's your responsibility to rebuild, manage resources, forge alliances, and make strategic decisions that will shape your nation's destiny. Are you ready to reshape history?

"The Earth is Blue," said Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey into space. With two-thirds of its surface covered in water, Earth is a planet that exuberates its blue radiance in the dark space. However, today, the scarcity of water is a challenge that planet Earth is confronted with. For some, this may be hard to understand. What happened to our blue planet Earth? To put in numbers, more than 97% of the water on Earth consists of seawater, with another 2% locked in ice caps. That only leaves a mere 1% of water available for our daily use. The problem lies in the fact that this 1% of water is gradually becoming scarcer due to reasons such as climate change, environmental pollution, and population growth, leading to increased water stress. 'Water stress' is quantified by the proportion of water demand to the available water resources on an annual basis, indicating the severity of water scarcity as the stress index rises. Higher stress indexes signify experiencing severe water scarcity.

The semiconductor ecosystem, unsustainable without water
Because water stress issues transcend national boundaries, various stakeholders including international organizations and governments work to negotiate water resource management strategies and promote collaboration. UN designates March 22nd as an annual "World Water Day" to raise awareness about the severity of water scarcity running various campaigns. Now, it's imperative for companies to also take responsibility for the water resources given and pursue sustainable management.

Audio-Technica U.S. Incorporated, recently announced the formation of a new logistical operations company, Technica Logistics Inc. The announcement was made by Mr. Manabu Aoki, Audio-Technica Director and CEO/President of Audio-Technica U.S. Inc., and underscores A-T's long-term strategic business plan for ongoing growth and expansion in the coming years. "This new company is formed to supply enhanced service to our customers and consumers," stated Aoki. "This change will take advantage of Audio-Technica's past experience and success in warehouse and distribution operations, as well as its unprecedented dedication to customer support and service."

Technica Logistics Inc. will begin operation on April 1, 2024, and Mr. Michael Fuller, who has been with Audio-Technica for over 15 years, has been named as the Managing Director. The company plans to have approximately 40 employees throughout the U.S. and will have its headquarters at the Audio-Technica campus in Stow, Ohio, and the mailing address at 4701 Hudson Drive, Stow, OH.