Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Popular：

Virtualization DNS security formal verification reachability analysis compiler errors macro conflict web extension development framework Bitmap Graphics API inconsistencies All Tags

Cerabyte Secures Western Digital Investment for 5000-Year Data Storage

2025-05-12

Cerabyte Secures Western Digital Investment for 5000-Year Data Storage

German data storage startup Cerabyte announced it has received strategic investment from Western Digital, accelerating development of its groundbreaking ceramic-based data storage technology. Boasting a 5000-year lifespan and potentially yottabyte-scale capacity, Cerabyte's technology has undergone extreme testing, proving resilient to heat, water, radiation, and more. Aiming for sub-$1/TB storage by 2030, this partnership promises to bring commercially viable, ultra-long-term data storage solutions to market.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech ceramic storage

13-Year-Old Motherboard Gets Surprise NVMe Boot Support

2025-05-07

13-Year-Old Motherboard Gets Surprise NVMe Boot Support

A Gigabyte B75M-D3H motherboard, released in 2012, received a surprise firmware update (F16f) adding support for booting from M.2 NVMe SSDs. This unexpected feature, absent in the original design, came alongside a fix for the PKfail vulnerability. While performance is limited by PCIe 2.0, the upgrade significantly boosts older systems. The discovery sparked speculation about whether Gigabyte intentionally added this functionality.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware motherboard firmware legacy hardware upgrade

China's Breakthrough: World's First 2D Low-Power GAAFET Transistor

2025-05-04

China's Breakthrough: World's First 2D Low-Power GAAFET Transistor

A Peking University research team published in Nature, announcing the world's first two-dimensional low-power GAAFET transistor. This transistor, based on the novel 2D semiconductor material Bi₂O₂Se, outperforms comparable products from Intel, TSMC, and Samsung. This breakthrough could help China leapfrog in the chip industry, especially given the backdrop of US technological sanctions against China.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech GAAFET transistor 2D semiconductor

Intel's AI Chip Flop: Unexpected Demand for Older CPUs Creates Production Bottleneck

2025-04-25

Intel's AI Chip Flop: Unexpected Demand for Older CPUs Creates Production Bottleneck

Intel's newly launched AI PC chips are underperforming, creating an unexpected shortage of production capacity for its older, cheaper chips. This news comes alongside announced layoffs and a poor financial report that sent the company's stock plummeting. Consumers are opting for less expensive previous-generation Raptor Lake chips over the pricier Lunar Lake and Meteor Lake AI models. The resulting shortage in Intel's 'Intel 7' process node capacity is expected to persist. This unexpected surge in demand for older chips points to a lack of a 'killer app' for AI in the PC market. Intel's Q1 revenue for its Client Computing Group (CCG) fell 8% year-over-year. AMD's upcoming financial results will provide further insight into the market's response.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech production shortage

WD and Microsoft Launch Massive Hard Drive Recycling Program to Reduce Reliance on China for Rare Earths

2025-04-21

WD and Microsoft Launch Massive Hard Drive Recycling Program to Reduce Reliance on China for Rare Earths

Western Digital, in collaboration with Microsoft and recycling partners CMR and PedalPoint Recycling, has launched a large-scale hard drive recycling program to address growing e-waste and rare earth element shortages. The program utilizes acid-free dissolution recycling (ADR) technology to reclaim Rare Earth Oxides (REO), including dysprosium, neodymium, and praseodymium, along with aluminum, steel, gold, palladium, and copper. The recovered REO boasts 99.5% purity and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 95% compared to virgin mining. This initiative aims to lessen the US tech industry's dependence on China for rare earths and promote a circular economy. The program has already successfully recycled 47,000 pounds of hard drives, achieving a reclaim rate exceeding 90%.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech Hard Drive Recycling Rare Earths

Two-Year SSD Data Retention Test: Unexpected Results

2025-04-19

Two-Year SSD Data Retention Test: Unexpected Results

TechTuber HTWingNut conducted a two-year experiment testing the long-term data retention of SSDs. Four 128GB SATA SSDs were used, two new and two heavily used (exceeding their rated TBW). After two years, the new SSDs showed data integrity but a significant increase in error correction codes, indicating potential issues; while the used SSDs experienced file corruption and performance degradation. This highlights the risk of data loss in SSDs even when unplugged for extended periods and underscores the importance of regular backups.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Data Retention Data Integrity

Synology Locks Down Plus Series NAS to Proprietary Hard Drives

2025-04-17

Synology Locks Down Plus Series NAS to Proprietary Hard Drives

Synology's new Plus Series NAS systems, aimed at SMBs and advanced home users, now require the use of Synology-branded hard drives to access the full feature set. While non-Synology drives can be used for storage, crucial features like drive health monitoring, deduplication, lifespan analysis, and automatic firmware updates are disabled. This move, justified by Synology as improving performance and reliability and mitigating risks like recent Seagate fraudulent HDD issues, forces users to buy directly from Synology or certified suppliers. This limits choice and potentially increases costs for smaller businesses. A workaround exists by migrating drives from older systems, but this isn't practical for most users.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware

AMD GPUs Shatter CFD Simulation Record on Frontier Supercomputer

2025-04-13

AMD GPUs Shatter CFD Simulation Record on Frontier Supercomputer

AMD processors powered a new world record in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation using Ansys Fluent on the Frontier supercomputer. A 2.2-billion-cell simulation, previously taking 38.5 hours on 3,700 CPU cores, completed in just 1.5 hours using 1,024 AMD Instinct MI250X accelerators and AMD EPYC CPUs. This 25x speedup highlights AMD's prowess in high-performance computing. However, challenges remain in software support, hindering AMD's ability to fully compete with Nvidia in the AI GPU market, as illustrated by instances like Tiny Corp's preference for Nvidia GPUs due to driver stability.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech Supercomputing CFD Simulation

AmigaOS 3.2.3 Released: Classic OS Gets a Major Update

2025-04-13

AmigaOS 3.2.3 Released: Classic OS Gets a Major Update

AmigaOS 3.2, a classic operating system, receives a significant update with the release of version 3.2.3. Hyperion Entertainment, the current steward of AmigaOS, has incorporated over 50 fixes and enhancements spanning two years. Key improvements include updates to the ReAction widget toolkit and TextEditor. Notably, this update supports classic 68K Amigas with ARM accelerators, and even the most basic A500 can run it. While rumors suggest delays for a new Amiga console, Hyperion denies involvement and expresses willingness to collaborate.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech OS Update

China Unveils GPMI: A Single Cable for 8K Video and Power

2025-04-07

China Unveils GPMI: A Single Cable for 8K Video and Power

The Shenzhen 8K UHD Video Industry Cooperation Alliance, comprising over 50 Chinese companies, launched the General Purpose Media Interface (GPMI), a new wired media communication standard. Designed for 8K video, GPMI aims to reduce cabling needs by combining data and power transmission. Available in Type-B (proprietary connector) and Type-C (USB-C compatible) variants, GPMI boasts impressive bandwidth: Type-C reaches 96 Gbps and delivers 240W, exceeding USB4 and Thunderbolt 4. Type-B pushes this further to 192 Gbps and 480W. Supporting universal control standards like HDMI-CEC, GPMI simplifies 8K setups. Its widespread adoption could revolutionize 8K connectivity, offering a streamlined single-cable solution.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech Video Transmission

Intel Reboots 'Intel Inside': 30 Years Later, the Brand Gets a Reboot

2025-04-03

Thirty years ago, 'Intel Inside' took the world by storm, inextricably linking Intel with the personal computer. Now, at its Vision 2025 event in Las Vegas, Intel has redefined its iconic brand. The new slogan, "That's the power of Intel Inside," not only evokes nostalgia but emphasizes the crucial role Intel, its partners, and customers play in today's world. From its initial focus on processors, to the integrated Centrino platform, and the performance-driven Core series, Intel Inside has evolved alongside technology, ultimately returning to its core brand value: highlighting how Intel technology empowers individuals and the global community. This rebranding reignites the brand's passion.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech

WattWise: Command-Line Power Monitoring and Optimization

2025-04-03

WattWise: Command-Line Power Monitoring and Optimization

A robotics and machine learning engineer has created WattWise, a command-line tool that monitors power usage from a smart plug and adjusts system performance based on electricity pricing. Initially built to manage the power consumption of a high-power EPYC workstation, the monitoring component is now open-source. WattWise uses Home Assistant to display real-time power usage, historical charts, and automatically throttles CPU and GPU performance to reduce costs during peak pricing periods. The power optimization features will be released later.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech power monitoring system optimization

Micron's Price Hike: AI Fuels Memory Chip Surge

2025-03-31

Micron's Price Hike: AI Fuels Memory Chip Surge

Micron Technology has announced price increases for DRAM and NAND flash memory, citing robust demand in the coming years. This price hike, expected to last through 2026, is driven by soaring demand from AI, data centers, and consumer electronics, coupled with supply constraints. A key driver is the surging demand for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), crucial for AI accelerators and next-gen GPUs, fueled by advancements from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. Micron is investing $7 billion in a new HBM assembly facility in Singapore to meet this demand. The resurgence of the PC and smartphone markets further bolsters memory demand, suggesting a sustained upward price trend.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech memory prices

German Railway Still Running on Windows 3.11?

2025-03-30

German Railway Still Running on Windows 3.11?

A German railway company recently posted a job opening for a Windows 3.11 administrator to maintain outdated systems running on 166MHz processors and 8MB of RAM. These systems, used for railway display boards across most of Germany, provide real-time data to driver cabs on high-speed and regional trains. Despite their age, these mission-critical systems remain in use, adhering to a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' philosophy, with an expected lifespan until at least 2030. The job posting sparked online discussion, highlighting the persistence of legacy systems in critical infrastructure.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech German railway

Qualcomm Accuses Arm of Anti-Competitive Practices

2025-03-27

Qualcomm Accuses Arm of Anti-Competitive Practices

Qualcomm has filed antitrust complaints against Arm with regulators in the US, Europe, and South Korea, alleging that Arm is limiting access to its technologies and changing licensing models to harm competition. Arm denies the accusations, framing Qualcomm's actions as a diversion from their ongoing commercial dispute. This follows a recent Delaware court case where Qualcomm won, but Arm is seeking a retrial. The complaints highlight a significant rift between the two tech giants, with Qualcomm seeking to secure access to Arm's crucial technologies.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech

AMD's Gaia: Open-Source LLM for Local Inference on Windows PCs

2025-03-22

AMD's Gaia: Open-Source LLM for Local Inference on Windows PCs

AMD unveils Gaia, an open-source project enabling local LLM execution on Windows machines. Leveraging the Lemonade SDK for inference and optimized for Ryzen AI processors, Gaia utilizes Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) for improved accuracy and context-aware responses. Featuring agents for chatting, YouTube searching, and even joke generation, Gaia offers offline functionality, enhancing security and reducing latency. A strong contender in the burgeoning local LLM space, Gaia provides a compelling alternative to cloud-based solutions.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech

Akira Ransomware Cracked: GPU Brute-Force Method Discovered

2025-03-17

Akira Ransomware Cracked: GPU Brute-Force Method Discovered

Security researcher Tinyhack has discovered a GPU-based brute-force method to decrypt the Akira ransomware. Akira, known for its exorbitant ransom demands (reaching tens of millions of dollars), targets high-profile victims. Using an RTX 4090, Tinyhack cracked encrypted files in 7 days; 16 GPUs reduced this to just over 10 hours. The method exploits four nanosecond timestamps used as seeds in Akira's encryption, brute-forcing to find the precise timestamps and generate decryption keys. Success requires untouched files and local disk storage (NFS complicates decryption). While a significant cybersecurity win, Akira's developers will likely patch this vulnerability quickly.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech GPU brute-force

Bolt Graphics' Zeus GPU: A RISC-V Challenger to Nvidia

2025-03-16

Bolt Graphics' Zeus GPU: A RISC-V Challenger to Nvidia

Bolt Graphics, a California startup, unveiled its Zeus GPU platform based on the open-source RISC-V architecture. In path tracing workloads, Zeus significantly outperforms Nvidia's RTX 5090, boasting up to 10x the speed. However, its performance in traditional rendering and AI tasks remains unclear, and a mature software ecosystem is lacking. Zeus uses a multi-chiplet design, offering various configurations with up to 2TB of memory and built-in high-speed networking, targeting high-performance computing and scientific simulations. Developer kits are slated for late 2025, with mass production in late 2026. Despite significant challenges, Zeus's emergence injects new dynamism into the GPU market.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware

Windows 10's End of Life Leaves Charities in a Bind

2025-03-15

Windows 10's End of Life Leaves Charities in a Bind

With Windows 10's free security updates ending this October, millions of PCs unable to upgrade to Windows 11 face obsolescence. This poses a significant challenge for charities that rely on these older machines. They're faced with a difficult decision: provide insecure Windows 10, switch to Linux, or scrap the computers. While Linux offers a viable alternative, the learning curve for unfamiliar users, especially seniors and students, is steep and could lead to increased tech support issues. The article explores this problem, showcasing different charities' strategies and the resulting e-waste dilemma.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech security updates

RepairTuber Rossmann Slams Brother for Anti-Consumer Printer Practices

2025-03-04

RepairTuber Rossmann Slams Brother for Anti-Consumer Printer Practices

Louis Rossmann, a renowned repair YouTuber, expressed his disappointment with Brother printers in a recent video. He highlighted how Brother is disabling third-party toner cartridges and color registration functionality through firmware updates, harming consumers. Rossmann, who previously recommended Brother printers as a solution to cartridge DRM issues, now retracts his advice. He urges users to keep their printers offline and disable automatic updates to avoid issues. Brother's actions are seen as anti-consumer and raise concerns about individual property rights.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware printer anti-consumer

Framework Expands Beyond Laptops: Desktops and a Student-Focused Convertible Arrive

2025-02-26

Framework Expands Beyond Laptops: Desktops and a Student-Focused Convertible Arrive

Framework unveiled its second-generation products, including an updated Framework Laptop 13 with AMD Ryzen AI 300, a 4.5-liter Mini-ITX desktop powered by Ryzen AI Max and Radeon 8060S graphics, and a new 12-inch convertible laptop aimed at students. The desktop, a significant expansion into a new market, emphasizes customizability and boasts 1440p gaming capabilities. The company highlights the repairability and modularity characteristic of its previous laptops across its new lineup. Prices range from $899 to $1999.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware

Nvidia Quietly Kills 32-bit PhysX Support on RTX 50 Series GPUs

2025-02-19

Nvidia Quietly Kills 32-bit PhysX Support on RTX 50 Series GPUs

Nvidia has silently ended support for 32-bit PhysX on its RTX 50 series GPUs. This game-specific physics technology, popular in the early 2000s, is officially retired due to the deprecation of 32-bit CUDA applications support starting with the RTX 50 series. While no 64-bit PhysX games exist, RTX 50 and later GPUs will lack PhysX support entirely. PhysX, once used in major titles like the Batman Arkham trilogy and Borderlands series, offloaded physics calculations from the CPU to the GPU for performance gains. However, its Nvidia-only nature and inflexibility led to its decline. To use PhysX on RTX 50 series cards, users must now utilize an older GPU dedicated to PhysX.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Game GPU Physics

Acer to Hike Laptop Prices in US by 10% Due to Tariffs

2025-02-18

Acer to Hike Laptop Prices in US by 10% Due to Tariffs

Acer CEO Jason Chen announced a 10% price increase on its laptops in the US starting March 2025, citing upcoming tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. This increase will affect even existing stock, and while Acer is exploring alternative supply chains including US-based production, the immediate impact will be felt by consumers. Other PC manufacturers remain silent, suggesting this might be a harbinger of broader price increases across the market.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Acer Tariffs Laptop Price Increase

SanDisk Unveils 1PB SSD Roadmap and 3D DRAM Challenges

2025-02-18

SanDisk Unveils 1PB SSD Roadmap and 3D DRAM Challenges

At its Investor Day, SanDisk revealed its roadmap for 1PB solid-state drives based on its UltraQLC technology, alongside insights into the challenges of 3D DRAM. UltraQLC combines BICS 8 QLC 3D NAND, a 64-channel controller, and custom firmware for high density, performance, and efficiency. While 1PB SSDs are on the horizon, 3D DRAM faces significant hurdles. SanDisk is exploring alternatives like High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) to address the massive memory demands of AI training.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Solid State Drive

Portable Pi-Powered Tactical SDR System Jams Drones

2025-02-16

Portable Pi-Powered Tactical SDR System Jams Drones

Maker Media-Grizzly created a portable Raspberry Pi-based software-defined radio (SDR) system called D.E.S.E.R.T. This handy device functions as a mobile SDR and, with the flip of a switch, can disable nearby drones. Powered by a Raspberry Pi 4B (though compatible with other models), it features a keyboard, power LED, USB port, LCD display, and a prominent 'DE-AUTH' switch for drone jamming (legality varies by location). The system's source code is not yet public but is planned for release on GitHub.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Drone Jammer

Western Digital Bets Big on HAMR for 100TB HDDs by 2030

2025-02-14

Western Digital Bets Big on HAMR for 100TB HDDs by 2030

Western Digital announced its roadmap to adopt Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology for its HDDs, starting late 2026, aiming for 80TB-100TB drives by 2030. This marks a shift away from their previously championed MAMR technology. Initial HAMR drives, with 36TB (CMR) and 44TB (UltraSMR) capacities, will launch in 2026, with mass production slated for the first half of 2027. Two hyperscalers are already testing these drives. This breakthrough promises to more than double hard drive storage capacity within the next few years.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Hard Drive Technology Western Digital

Global PC Performance Drops for the First Time: PassMark Data Reveals Unexpected Trend

2025-02-11

Global PC Performance Drops for the First Time: PassMark Data Reveals Unexpected Trend

PassMark's latest data reveals a surprising downturn: for the first time ever, the average global PC processor performance has dropped, breaking a long-standing trend of yearly increases. Laptop performance fell by 3.4%, while desktop performance saw a 0.5% decrease. Despite recent releases from AMD and Intel, actual performance gains have been minimal, falling short of expectations. PassMark speculates that factors such as users switching to more affordable machines, Windows 11 performance issues, and bloatware could be contributing to this unexpected decline. However, the exact cause remains undetermined, and future data may show changes.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware PC Performance

RTX 5090 Meltdown Investigation: Uneven Current Distribution Points to Design Flaw

2025-02-11

RTX 5090 Meltdown Investigation: Uneven Current Distribution Points to Design Flaw

YouTuber Der8auer investigated a recent RTX 5090 graphics card meltdown. While many blamed the use of a third-party 16-pin power cable, Der8auer's tests revealed uneven current distribution in the 12VHPWR connector, even with official cables. One wire carried over 22A, exceeding safety limits and reaching temperatures over 150°C, causing the meltdown. This isn't isolated; it suggests a potential design flaw in Nvidia's 12VHPWR connector requiring further investigation and improvement.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware GPU meltdown

AMD Q4 2024 Earnings: Datacenter Dominance, but Gaming Slumps

2025-02-06

AMD Q4 2024 Earnings: Datacenter Dominance, but Gaming Slumps

AMD reported impressive Q4 2024 and full-year results, with total revenue reaching $7.658 billion, a 24% year-over-year increase. The datacenter business was a standout performer, achieving record revenue of $3.86 billion, surpassing Intel for the first time and establishing AMD as the leading datacenter CPU vendor. However, sales of Instinct MI300-series GPUs fell slightly short of expectations. The client business saw strong growth, with revenue up 58% year-over-year. Conversely, the gaming segment experienced a significant downturn, with revenue plummeting 59% year-over-year. The embedded segment also saw a moderate decline. Overall, 2024 was a record year for AMD, but the weakness in the gaming sector is a concern.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech earnings report

Huawei's Ascend 910C: A Contender in the AI Chip Race?

2025-02-05

Huawei's Ascend 910C: A Contender in the AI Chip Race?

Huawei's Ascend 910C AI training chip, while lagging behind Nvidia's offerings in large model training, achieves 60% of the H100's inference performance, according to DeepSeek research. Further optimizations can improve its efficiency. Despite US sanctions and technological limitations, the Ascend 910C reduces China's reliance on Nvidia GPUs. However, long-term training stability remains a weakness, requiring further improvements in Huawei's hardware and software stack to compete globally.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech Huawei Ascend

← Previous 1 2 3 Next →