Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Facebook's Linux Ban: A Case of Mistaken Identity?

2025-01-27

Facebook is blocking posts mentioning Linux, even targeting prominent sites like DistroWatch, labeling them as 'cybersecurity threats'. Users report account limitations and post removals. The irony is palpable: Facebook relies heavily on Linux infrastructure and frequently advertises for Linux developers. DistroWatch's appeal to Facebook was rejected, highlighting the potential for AI-driven content moderation to misidentify legitimate content. The incident underscores the challenges of large tech companies in balancing security and freedom of expression, raising questions about the accuracy and fairness of automated systems.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech

Nvidia Phasing Out Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPUs

2025-01-25

Nvidia is phasing out its Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPU architectures, moving them to a legacy driver branch. While CUDA support will remain, these GPUs will no longer receive new feature updates. The announcement marks the end of an era for GTX-series cards, with only the GTX 16-series and newer architectures receiving full support going forward. While game driver support for Maxwell and Pascal currently persists, the timeline for its termination remains unclear. This means no further performance improvements for users of these older cards.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware driver support

Sony Ends Recordable Blu-ray Production After 18 Years

2025-01-24

Sony is ceasing production of recordable Blu-ray discs in February, ending a nearly two-decade run. This also affects MiniDiscs and MiniDV cassettes. While Sony initially planned to continue production for business clients, dwindling consumer demand due to the rise of streaming services made it unsustainable. The article contrasts the convenience of streaming with its drawbacks: lack of ownership, monthly costs, and security concerns. It highlights the advantages of optical media for long-term archival storage and mentions competitors like Pioneer offering century-lasting Blu-ray discs and research into even longer-lasting glass storage.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech Blu-ray Data Storage

Apple to Soon Receive 'Made in America' Chips from TSMC's Arizona Fab

2025-01-14

TSMC's Arizona fab is nearing mass production of chips for Apple, with deliveries expected as early as Q1. This marks a significant step towards US chip independence, previously heavily reliant on Taiwan. While initial chip packaging will still occur in Taiwan, this development mitigates concerns about geopolitical risks and natural disasters disrupting the supply chain. TSMC is actively recruiting American talent and partnering with Arizona State University to foster US chip industry growth.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech Chip Manufacturing

AMD's Beastly Ryzen AI Max+ Debuts: Radical Memory Tech Fuels RDNA 3.5 & Zen 5

2025-01-06

AMD unveiled its 'Strix Halo' Ryzen AI Max series at CES 2025, boasting groundbreaking integrated memory architecture. These APUs pack a 40-core RDNA 3.5 iGPU, delivering monstrous performance for thin-and-light gaming and AI workstations. AMD claims up to 1.4X faster gaming than Intel's Lunar Lake Core Ultra 9 288V, 84% faster rendering than the Apple MacBook M4 Pro, and a staggering 2.2X AI performance advantage over the desktop Nvidia RTX 4090, all while consuming 87% less power. The flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 features 16 cores/32 threads, 40 RDNA 3.5 CUs, and supports up to 128GB of shared memory, dynamically allocated between CPU, GPU, and XDNA 2 NPU. Desktop versions are expected in the future.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware

Raspberry Pi RP2350 Challenge Cracked: Glitch Attack Bypasses Security

2025-01-05

Engineer Aedan Cullen may have won the $20,000 Raspberry Pi and Hextree RP2350 hacking challenge. He achieved this by performing a voltage injection glitch attack on pin 53 of the RP2350 chip. This bypassed multiple security features including Secure Boot, TrustZone, and glitch detectors, allowing him to read the secret stored in the One-Time Programmable (OTP) memory. Cullen's attack exploited a vulnerability to enable the normally disabled RISC-V cores and their debug access port. This demonstrates that even supposedly 'permanently disabled' security features are not foolproof, highlighting the complexities and challenges of hardware security design.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech Hardware Hacking

NATO's Project HEIST: Satellite Backup for Undersea Cables

2025-01-01

In response to a rising number of undersea cable disruptions, NATO is developing Project HEIST, a system for seamless switching between undersea cables and satellites. HEIST will pinpoint cable damage with meter-level accuracy and reroute data to satellite networks in case of disruption. This is crucial, as undersea cables carry over $10 trillion in transactions annually. While satellite bandwidth currently lags behind fiber optics, efforts are underway to upgrade satellite speeds. Furthermore, NATO plans to open-source parts of the project to accelerate development and enhance security against deliberate attacks.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech Undersea Cables Satellite Communication

Radxa Orion O6: World's First Open-Source Armv9 Motherboard Debuts

2024-12-20

Radxa, in collaboration with partners, has unveiled the Radxa Orion O6, claimed as the world's first open-source Armv9 motherboard—more accurately, a single-board computer (SBC). Powered by CIX's CD8180 SoC, it boasts 12 CPU cores (including four Cortex-A720 cores up to 2.8GHz) and an Arm Immortalis G720 GPU, offering impressive performance with 8K video decoding and encoding capabilities and a 30 TOPS NPU. RAM options range from 8GB to 64GB (soldered DDR5-5500). The board is packed with I/O, including multiple M.2 slots, a PCIe x16 slot, and multi-gigabit Ethernet. Currently supporting Debian and Fedora Linux, with Windows and Android support planned. Pricing starts at $200 for the 8GB model.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Single-Board Computer Open-Source Hardware

Ryzen 7 9800X3D Teardown Reveals Mostly Dummy Silicon

2024-12-18

A teardown of AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor reveals a surprising finding: the majority of its volume is comprised of dummy silicon for structural integrity. While the SRAM cache die is significantly smaller than the compute die, AMD has added a substantial layer of dummy silicon above and below to protect the thin, fragile components. This results in a total package thickness of roughly 800µm, with dummy silicon accounting for a staggering 93%. Despite the seemingly wasteful design, it ensures stability and thermal performance. AMD is expected to announce 12-core and 16-core Ryzen 9 X3D processors soon.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware

HDMI 2.2 to Debut at CES 2025 with Higher Resolutions and Refresh Rates

2024-12-14

The HDMI Forum will unveil the new HDMI 2.2 standard at CES 2025 in January. This next-generation standard promises higher bandwidths, resolutions (potentially including 8K at 120Hz and beyond), and refresh rates. The timing coincides with anticipated releases from Nvidia (RTX 50-series) and AMD (Radeon RX 8000-series), suggesting compatibility. A new cable may be required to fully utilize the advancements. This upgrade is poised to significantly enhance consumer experiences with ultra-high-definition media and gaming.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware

Microsoft's Recall Feature Leaks Sensitive Information Despite Security Filters

2024-12-12

Microsoft's Recall feature, designed to record computer activity, has a flawed 'sensitive information filter'. Tests revealed it failed to prevent screenshots containing credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other sensitive data from being saved. While Microsoft promises improvements, the current security vulnerability raises concerns. The AI-powered filter struggles to reliably identify sensitive information, posing a significant security risk.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech security vulnerability