News: Technology Newshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/page/266/?d=2News: Technology NewsenAMD officially announces the Radeon 6600 XT GPU for 1080p gaminghttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/amd-officially-announces-the-radeon-6600-xt-gpu-for-1080p-gaming-r1522/

AMD officially announces the Radeon 6600 XT GPU for 1080p gaming  

 

After months of leaks and speculations, AMD has finally unveiled the new Radeon 6600 XT GPU as an addition to their existing RDNA2 line-up.

 

The Radeon 6600 XT will act as a successor to the RX 5700 XT and will pack 9.6 teraflops along with 8GB of GDDR6 RAM. Apart from that, the 6600 XT will also support PCIe 4.0 interface and will come with 2048 stream processor (32 compute units). The GPU will have a 128-bit memory bus and a 16Gbps Memory speed. Apart from the hardware, the 6600 XT will also feature Radeon Boost and Radeon Anti-Lag.

 

While the specs are better than 5700 XT, which was marked as a 1440p card, AMD will market the 6600 XT as the "new standard for 1080p". AMD has shared some of the gaming benchmarks that include Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Doom Eternal. The company claims that the 6600 XT will be around 15% faster on average compared to Nvidia's 3060 GPU.

 

1627619247_amd.jpg

 

That being said, AMD plans to sell the 6600 XT at $379 which is about $50 more than the direct competition and only $20 less than Nvidia's 3060Ti. The price will slightly differ for the AIB cards from companies such as Gigabyte and Asus. Unfortunately, AMD will not be releasing the reference design at the moment but cards from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and others will be available from August 11.

 

 

AMD officially announces the Radeon 6600 XT GPU for 1080p gaming

]]>1522Fri, 30 Jul 2021 23:17:39 +0000Time loop hit Outer Wilds is getting an expansion: Echoes of the Eyehttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/time-loop-hit-outer-wilds-is-getting-an-expansion-echoes-of-the-eye-r1507/

Time loop hit Outer Wilds is getting an expansion: Echoes of the Eye 

 

 

Mobius Digital's indie hit Outer Wilds, not to be confused with Obsidian's The Outer Worlds, is getting an expansion. The original game sent players into a time loop set in a universe endlessly repeating a cataclysmic event, and somehow, the story is being made even more intricate with the Echoes of the Eye expansion.

 

The announcement trailer arrived during publisher Annapurna Interactive's first dedicated games showcase. Not much is known about this mysterious expansion other than what Annapurna is sharing in the trailer description, which says:

A strange satellite photo that can’t be explained. A new museum exhibit that marks the trailhead for one last journey into the wilds. Should you pull at the thread and unravel the solar system’s deepest secret, or is some knowledge better left in the dark?

Mobius Digital creative director Alex Beachum also shared a cryptic message before the trailer rolled, saying inquiries by those who've experienced the original story firsthand like why the expansion is being made and how will it fit into the overall narrative are "very good questions." More details will be shared later as the launch gets closer.

Outer Wilds Echoes of the Eye expansion

Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye will be releasing on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on September 28. It was also confirmed this will be the first and only expansion that will reach Outer Wilds. Meanwhile, the base game is coming to the Nintendo Switch sometime this holiday season.

 

 

Time loop hit Outer Wilds is getting an expansion: Echoes of the Eye

]]>1507Thu, 29 Jul 2021 23:40:03 +0000Gigabyte accidentally leaks its own RX 6600 XT series GAMING and EAGLE modelshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/gigabyte-accidentally-leaks-its-own-rx-6600-xt-series-gaming-and-eagle-models-r1506/

Gigabyte accidentally leaks its own RX 6600 XT series GAMING and EAGLE models  

Gigabyte RX 6600 XT series

It seems the official Aorus Spain Twitter account has perhaps inadvertently leaked the company's upcoming Radeon RX 6600 XT models. The handle today has tweeted about the new Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 XT series graphics cards that, at least for now, will be comprising two models, both of them being triple fan versions:

 

  • Radeon RX 6600 XT EAGLE (OC)
  • Radeon RX 6600 XT GAMING (OC)

 

And it seems the company has realized its mistake and the tweet (below) has since been removed, click here for a saved image copy of the tweet.

💥AMD Radeon™ RX 6600 XT graphics cards with AMD RDNA™💥

¡Prepárate para un rendimiento de juego increíble de 1080p!⚡️#RX6600 #AMD #GIGABYTE pic.twitter.com/kQ7zuBAC3h

— Aorus (ES) (@aorus_es) July 29, 2021

This also means that the official announcement related to the RX 6600 XT series is not too far away. While the cards are supposedly launching on the 11th of August, AMD is reportedly said to be unveiling the new Navi 23-based RX 6600 XT first at ChinaJoy 2021 that is being held at the Shanghai International Expo Center from July 30 till August 2 (via @greymon55).

The Radeon RX 6600 XT is purportedly priced at $349 MSRP while its RX 6600 is said to cost $50 less according to a source of ours. However it is rumored that AMD will only release the XT variant for now. The 6600 XT is expected to feature the full Navi 23 chip with 32 CUs or 2,048 stream processors. It will pack 32MB of on-die Infinity Cache and the GPU will be paired with 8GB of GDDR6 memory and fed by a 128-bit memory bus.

 

The Aorus Spain twitter account has also written that the RX 6600 XT series is being aimed at 1080p gaming, something our source had mentioned too.

 

Source and image: Aorus (ES) (Twitter)

 

 

Gigabyte accidentally leaks its own RX 6600 XT series GAMING and EAGLE models

]]>1506Thu, 29 Jul 2021 23:36:52 +0000Putting the PS5’s 10 million sales in contexthttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/putting-the-ps5%E2%80%99s-10-million-sales-in-context-r1503/

Putting the PS5’s 10 million sales in context

In consoles' "race to 10 million," PS5's 248 days is second only to the Wii.

 
PS5-10M.001.jpeg

Fig. 1: The PS5 is among the quickest consoles ever to reach 10 million worldwide sales.

 

PS5-10M.002.jpeg

Fig. 2: Consoles have generally hit 10 million sales more quickly as time has passed and the worldwide player base has increased (though there are exceptions).

 

PS5-10M.003.jpeg

Fig. 3: The sales paces of the PS5 and PS4 are nearly identical at this point in their life cycles.

 

PS5-10M.004.jpeg

Fig. 4: The few true PS5 exclusives have failed to sell as well as early Switch exclusives, on a relative basis.

 

When Sony announced Wednesday that it had sold 10 million PlayStation 5 consoles to consumers, it trumpeted the system as "the fastest-selling console in Sony Interactive Entertainment history." That statement certainly sounds impressive, but it lacks the specificity we need to judge just how impressive the PS5's sales have been so far (despite component shortages that could make the system hard to find into next year).

 

To add more context to Sony's announcement, we looked at how quickly some other recent consoles took to sell their first 10 million systems worldwide. While different launch dates and staggered international launches skew some of these comparisons, the data overall shows that the PS5 is selling as fast or faster than some of the most popular consoles of the recent past.

 

We also looked at newly revealed sales data for PS5 exclusives Returnal and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and compared their sales rates to similar early system-sellers on the Switch.

Sales rates for first ~10M sales

Sony

  • PS1 - 7,723 / day (11.5M in 1,489 days - Source)
  • PS2 - 27,066 / day (10.61M in 392 days - Source)
  • PS3 - 25,373 / day (10.53M in 415 days - Source)
  • PS4 - 37,313 / day (10M in 268 days - Source)
  • PS5 - 40,322 / day (10M in 248 days - Source)

Nintendo

  • GameCube - 15,345 / day (10.45M in 681 days - Source)
  • Wii - 41,569 / day (9.27M in 233 days - Source)
  • Wii U - 10,492 / day (10.01M in 954 days - Source)
  • Switch - 35,211 / day (10M in 284 days - Source)

Microsoft

  • Xbox - 15,878 / day (9.4M in 592 days - Source)
  • Xbox 360 - 24,752 / day (10M shipped in 404 days - Source)
  • Xbox One - 28,169 / day (~10M shipped in 355 days - Source)

PlayStation sales milestones

PS5

  • 4.5M - 49 days
  • 7.8M - 139 days
  • 10M - 248 days

PS4

  • 2.1M - 18 days
  • 4.2M - 46 days
  • 5.3M - 85 days
  • 7M - 142 days
  • 10M - 268 days

PS3

  • 1.68M - 50 days
  • 3.61M - 140 days
  • 4.32M - 231 days
  • 5.63M - 323 days
  • 10.53M - 415 days

Software sales rates

Software sales as a percent of total hardware sales, measured nine to 10 months after launch:

PS5

  • 5.6% - Returnal
  • 11% - Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Switch

 

 

Putting the PS5’s 10 million sales in context

]]>1503Thu, 29 Jul 2021 23:21:52 +0000Sony enables PlayStation 5 SSD upgrades via M.2 slot for beta testershttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/sony-enables-playstation-5-ssd-upgrades-via-m2-slot-for-beta-testers-r1502/

Sony enables PlayStation 5 SSD upgrades via M.2 slot for beta testers  


Sony's PlayStation 5 shipped with a dormant M.2 expansion slot. Months after the launch, the Japanese company is now opening up the M.2 slot to beta testers. Those who like to tinker with their gaming console can boost its internal storage by adding an SSD. If you would like to give it a shot, Sony has provided an elaborate guide with some software and hardware requirements.

 

For starters, PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSDs with capacity ranging from 250 GB to 4 TB are advised to be used with Sony's console. The recommended sequential read speed is 5,500MB/s or faster. More importantly, you can't simply stick any SSD into the PS5. Sony requires it to feature an effective heat dissipation system. You can either go with an SSD with a built-in cooling system or buy an aftermarket cooling solution and add it yourself. However, you will have to ensure the SSD module size including the heatsink element should be less than 110 mm (L) x 25 mm (W) x 11.25 mm (H).

Sony PS5 SSD requirements

If all this hasn't deterred you from going ahead with the storage expansion process, it is time to ensure your system software is compatible with this feature. At this point, only the beta firmware supports the M.2 slot. So first, head over to this link to register for the PS5 beta program. It is only open for gamers in the US, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany, and France. If you are lucky enough to get selected for the beta program, the next step is to install the beta system software from Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings.

 

Once you have the software ready, the next part requires you to pop open your expensive PS5, which is quite hard to come by due to the global chip shortage. Hence, we recommend heading over to PlayStation.com and carefully follow the steps provided by the manufacturer.

 

 

Sony enables PlayStation 5 SSD upgrades via M.2 slot for beta testers

]]>1502Thu, 29 Jul 2021 23:11:48 +0000Sony has now sold 10 million PlayStation 5 consoleshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/sony-has-now-sold-10-million-playstation-5-consoles-r1487/

Sony has now sold 10 million PlayStation 5 consoles

 

Yesterday, Microsoft reported revenue for the fourth quarter of its 2021 fiscal year. While the company didn't reveal exact sales figures, it did highlight that gaming revenue grew by 11% (7% in Constant Currency (CC)), with hardware revenues increasing by 172% YoY (163% in CC), making the latest Xbox devices the fastest-selling consoles in the Redmond giant's history. Today, Sony has disclosed some sales figures for its PlayStation 5 consoles as well.

 

Sony officially unveiled the pricing for its PlayStation 5 consoles in September 2020, and the machines were made available for purchase in November 2020. Due to strong demand, global chip shortages, and scalpers, the company has struggled to supply retailers with units.

 

However, Reuters now reports that Sony has confirmed to it via email that 10 million PlayStation 5 units have been sold as of July 18, 2021. For reference, it took Sony nine months to sell the same number of PlayStation 4 consoles, which makes the PS5 the company's fastest-selling console lineup in history as well.

 

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan also admitted that the firm is facing difficulties in keeping up with the demand, saying that:

We've built more PlayStations faster than we ever have before which makes me happy. But on the other hand, we're some time from being able to meet all the demand that's out there, which makes me feel bad. Our partners are performing really well for us, but the chip shortage is definitely a challenge that we are all navigating.

Sony also revealed that it has sold 6.5 million copies of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, though it is important to remember that the title is cross-generation. While Microsoft didn't disclose the number of Xbox units sold, Niko Partners' Senior Analyst Daniel Ahmad estimates that a total of 6.5 million Xbox Series X and Series S consoles had been sold as of June 30, 2021. The consoles were made available for purchase on November 10, a few days earlier than the PlayStation 5.

 

Source: Sony via Reuters

 

 

Sony has now sold 10 million PlayStation 5 consoles

]]>1487Wed, 28 Jul 2021 23:24:03 +0000Microsoft Flight Simulator PC update offers massive performance improvementshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/microsoft-flight-simulator-pc-update-offers-massive-performance-improvements-r1474/

Microsoft Flight Simulator PC update offers massive performance improvements

The PC version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, recently ported to Xbox Series X, just got a big update on your computer

 

 

There's a big Microsoft Flight Simulator PC update, and it's almost as if last year's groundbreaking flight sim PC game is determined not to be overshadowed by the news the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles versions just launched. 

 

Microsoft Flight Simulator remains one of the most graphically demanding PC titles ever. While gamers’ reactions to highly anticipated games can grow distorted and polarized, the flight sim’s 2020 release elicited memories of the Crysis launch in 2007. Gamers with medium-to-high-end PCs that can run other modern games on "Ultra" settings reported defaulting to a mere "Medium" on the highly taxing title.

 

Today’s PC update should help remedy those issues. The patch offers "significant performance improvements to make the experience more seamless," according to developer Asobo. These tweaks include much better multi-core processor support, memory and GPU usage, and loading times. The patch also reduces stutters significantly.

 

The developers rewrote part of the engine's architecture to achieve today’s leap forward, as they recounted in a recent Twitch stream.

 

The new Microsoft Flight Simulator PC patch should also improve VR performance, where every little frame-rate hiccup can have a more noticeable effect. The game's PC version supports VR headsets without any additional purchases.

 

Microsoft Flight Simulator jet flying over water

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Analysis: where Microsoft Flight Simulator stands today

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a staggering technical undertaking. Developers mapped out the entire world with Bing Maps, delivering a playable Earth with nearly photorealistic views. The game even includes real-time weather and traffic.

 

In TechRadar's review, we praised the flight sim's incredible graphics, attention to detail, and support for flight sticks and other peripherals. Our complaints were relatively minor, focusing on its difficulty for beginners, confusing range of editions, and widely varying airports.

 

Clearly, the work isn't done on the game, as PC gamers can download the update now or finally check it out on Xbox Game Pass, as it's available through the Microsoft all-you-can-play Netflix-style subscription game service.

 

For more on Microsoft Flight Simulator, you can check out our tips for getting started, along with our flight-stick recommendations.

 

 

Microsoft Flight Simulator PC update offers massive performance improvements

]]>1474Wed, 28 Jul 2021 07:37:26 +0000AMD doubles revenues, CEO Lisa Su confirms Zen 4 and RDNA 3 "on-track" for 2022https://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/amd-doubles-revenues-ceo-lisa-su-confirms-zen-4-and-rdna-3-on-track-for-2022-r1473/

AMD doubles revenues, CEO Lisa Su confirms Zen 4 and RDNA 3 "on-track" for 2022

 

AMD reported its Q2 results last night and the quarter was absolutely massive for the company. The revenue has nearly doubled YoY in both GAAP and non-GAAP terms. Net income and earnings per share, among other things, have also exhibited enormous growth. In GAAP terms, it's around 350% for both the metrics, and the same metrics have grown around 250% in non-GAAP terms. You can find the full earnings detail on the official website here.

 

Aside from this. the company has also shared more details on its upcoming products. More precisely, we have further information on Zen 4, the fourth major iteration of the Zen CPU micro-architecture, as well as Radeon's next-gen RDNA 3 graphics architecture straight from the horse's mouth, the CEO Dr. Lisa Su herself.

 

Su has stated that the company's plan to launch Zen 4-based processors - which will purportedly comprise the Ryzen 7000 series lineup (codenamed "Raphael") - is "on-track" for next year. The upcoming CPUs will be built on an "industry-leading 5nm process technology". Over on the graphics side, RDNA 3 or Navi 3X would also be arriving in 2022, although the company appears to be undecided on what process node to build it on.

 

 

This confirmation ties in nicely with earlier reports about the upcoming Socket AM5 platform and support for DDR5 DRAM technology on Ryzen arriving in 2022.

 

 

AMD doubles revenues, CEO Lisa Su confirms Zen 4 and RDNA 3 "on-track" for 2022

]]>1473Wed, 28 Jul 2021 07:35:01 +0000AMD has finally toppled Intel in this key battlegroundhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/amd-has-finally-toppled-intel-in-this-key-battleground-r1471/

AMD has finally toppled Intel in this key battleground

AMD appears to have taken the lead in workstation CPU sales

 

If you're looking to buy or build a new workstation anytime soon, there's a high possibility that you may end up choosing a processor from AMD as opposed to Intel according to new sales data from Puget Systems.

 

As reported by Wccftech, the US-based custom PC building company from Auburn, Washington recently released its sales and distribution reports for both its AMD and Intel workstations to reveal that AMD processors were present in six out of ten of the custom systems it sold in June of this year.

 

July also looks to be a big month for AMD processors at Puget Systems according to a new blog post from the company's head product developer William George though the month isn't over quite yet.

Per-core performance vs number of cores

George provided further insight on his views regarding the ongoing battle between AMD and Intel in his blog post, saying:

 

“AMD has done a fantastic job of competing with Intel on both performance and price in the last few years, which I hope to see continue for a long time. Intel has been fighting back, and their latest desktop chips give comparable or sometimes even slightly better per-core performance, but they still lag behind with regard to the number of cores available on both desktop and workstation-class processors.”

 

While Puget Systems has been selling more processors from AMD than from Intel, other online retailers show a similar trend including Amazon. The ecommerce giant's list of the Best Sellers in Computer CPU Processors currently contains nine AMD processors and just one Intel processor in the eighth spot.

 

The question remains as to whether or not AMD will continue to dominate the workstation processor market or if Intel's new chips will give the company's Threadripper Pro a run for its money but only time will tell.

 

Via Wccftech

 

 

AMD has finally toppled Intel in this key battleground

]]>1471Wed, 28 Jul 2021 05:00:54 +0000LinkedIn now a $10 billion companyhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/linkedin-now-a-10-billion-company-r1470/ LinkedIn now a $10 billion company

 

Despite being a gigantic company, investors demand Microsoft continue to grow like a start-up, and that often means growth needs to be achieved via acquisition.

 

Today at their earnings call, Microsoft was proud to announce that, 5 years after its acquisition, LinkedIn now pulls in $10 billion in annual revenue, with revenue nearly tripling over the period, and earnings accelerating.

 

Over the quarter, LinkedIn revenue increased 46% driven by Marketing Solutions growth of 97%, with the advertising business pulling in $1  billion per quarter.

 

This is in the background of 774 million members, which Microsoft says are more engaged than ever.

 

Other new $10 billion companies inside Microsoft include gaming and security, both of which passed $10 billion in revenue over the last 3 years.

 

 

LinkedIn now a $10 billion company

]]>1470Wed, 28 Jul 2021 04:57:19 +0000The iPhone 12’s strong momentum helps Apple to another huge quarterhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/the-iphone-12%E2%80%99s-strong-momentum-helps-apple-to-another-huge-quarter-r1461/

The iPhone 12’s strong momentum helps Apple to another huge quarter

Apple’s first 5G phones are still selling well in what’s usually a slow season

 

Apple’s string of record-breaking earnings reports continued on Tuesday, with the company posting a strong fiscal third quarter that saw $81.43 billion in revenue. That’s a year-over-year increase of 36 percent and a new all-time record for the June quarter. It also crushes the $73 billion figure that analysts were expecting. Apple recorded a net quarterly profit of $21.7 billion.

 

This quarter is traditionally one of the slower periods for iPhone sales, as consumer interest begins shifting toward the next lineup of devices that Apple is expected to announce in September. But sales were still impressively up — by nearly 50 percent — compared to this time a year ago, reflecting continued momentum for Apple’s first 5G smartphones. Mobile carriers have also continued to aggressively push the iPhone 12 lineup with various promotional discounts and offers.

 

Rumors strongly indicate that the iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max will be iterative upgrades over last year’s phones. The upper-end models could gain a 120Hz display, with the rest of the lineup set for processor enhancements and larger, improved cameras. Apple is also expected to slightly shrink the notch cutout on this year’s iPhones.

 

Mac and iPad sales were both up year over year, by 16.3 percent and 11.9 percent, respectively; CEO Tim Cook said that the Mac had its best June quarter ever, and the iPad’s was its best in “nearly a decade.” In recent months, Apple has shipped a redesigned 24-inch iMac and updated iPad Pro. These devices are the latest to use Apple’s in-house M1 chip, and they rank among some of the most powerful hardware the company has released to date. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a Mini LED display, a technology that is rumored to appear in a revamped MacBook Pro later this year. The 16-inch MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and larger-sized iMac have yet to make the transition to Apple’s own silicon.

 

Apple continues to focus heavily on its services, which hit an all-time revenue high in the June quarter. In an effort to continue fueling Apple Music’s growth, Apple rolled out a new lossless streaming tier and Dolby Atmos spatial audio for its premium music service in June. Ted Lasso, one of Apple TV Plus’ marquee originals, just returned for its second season. And Apple launched podcast subscriptions and channels last month, as well.

 

Beta testing is underway for the next wave of Apple’s major software updates, including iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15, macOS Monterey, and watchOS 8. They’ll all be officially released this fall.

 

Even as business keeps soaring, Apple continues to face significant regulatory scrutiny over antitrust concerns and the company’s commanding influence over the iPhone’s App Store. It’s barely removed from an acrimonious trial with Epic Games. And with the FTC now led by an antitrust pioneer and lawmakers in the United States considering a range of antitrust legislation, CEO Tim Cook reportedly called Speaker Nancy Pelosi to warn against pushing through rushed policies.

 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took an opportunity to criticize Apple for its “walled garden” during his company’s quarterly earnings call on Monday. “I think we do want to emphasize that our goal is to support the advent of sustainable energy,” he said. “It is not to create a walled garden and use that to bludgeon our competitors which is used by some companies.” Musk then faked a cough and said “Apple.” Apple is believed to still be at work on its own electric vehicle, among other projects like augmented reality glasses that are likely to launch much earlier than the car.

 

 

The iPhone 12’s strong momentum helps Apple to another huge quarter

]]>1461Tue, 27 Jul 2021 22:55:57 +0000Microsoft reports weaker Surface and Windows revenue amid global chip shortagehttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/microsoft-reports-weaker-surface-and-windows-revenue-amid-global-chip-shortage-r1460/

Microsoft reports weaker Surface and Windows revenue amid global chip shortage

Cloud and Office save the revenue day

 

Microsoft posted the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2021 financial results today, reporting revenue of $46.2 billion and a net income of $16.5 billion. Revenue is up 21 percent, and net income has increased by 47 percent. While cloud and Office services have boosted Microsoft’s revenues, it’s clear that the global chip shortage is taking its toll elsewhere.

 

With the PC market experiencing its first big growth in 10 years earlier this year, there were some signs recently that laptop and PC sales could be starting to slow again amid a global chip shortage. Microsoft’s Windows results this quarter reflect that.

twarren_210223_4439_0012.jpg
The Surface Pro 7 Plus has been on sale for six months now.
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Windows OEM revenue has declined by three percent, in what Microsoft blames on “supply chain constraints. Windows non-pro OEM revenue also declined four percent, with Windows OEM Pro revenue also down, by 2 percent.

 

Windows commercial products and cloud services revenue has increased 20 percent, though. This includes businesses opting for Microsoft 365, with multi-year agreements and reflects the company’s push towards its bundling of Office and Windows.

 

Microsoft is now planning to boost the PC market with the introduction of Windows 11, which is expected to ship on new devices in October. Windows 11 is a visual overhaul to the operating system, with a new Start menu, updated design, and an overall simplification of Windows.

 

This recent quarter is also the first time we’ve seen the new Surface Laptop 4 combined with sales of the Surface Pro 7 Plus affect overall Surface revenue at Microsoft. Surface revenue has decreased by 20 percent this quarter, “driven by supply constraints” and a strong quarter of Surface sales in the year prior.

vpavic_4275_20201030_0028.jpg
Microsoft’s new Xbox Series consoles are now three quarters into sales.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S consoles are now on their third quarter of sales, after helping grow hardware revenue in recent months. Hardware revenue is up again, as expected, by 172 percent. “We’re all in on games,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during the company’s earnings call today. “The Xbox Series S and X are our fastest selling consoles ever, with more consoles sold life-to-date than any previous generation.”

 

Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue is up by 11 percent, but Xbox content and services revenue has declined by four percent. Microsoft mentions growth in Xbox Game Pass subscriptions and first-party titles offsetting declines from third-party title revenue during a strong quarter in the year prior.

 

Microsoft has not disclosed new Game Pass subscriber numbers, after the company revealed it had 18 million subscribers back in January. Microsoft had been regularly revealing Xbox Game Pass numbers over the past year, but it has now gone two quarters without any updates.

microsoft365consumers.jpg
Microsoft 365 keeps growing on the consumer side.

While Microsoft’s Windows and Surface businesses took a hit this quarter, cloud services, Office, and LinkedIn have all seen impressive revenue growth. Office commercial revenue is up 20 percent, and Office consumer revenue up 18 percent. Overall Microsoft 365 consumer subscribers has also jumped to 51.9 million, a 22 percent increase year-over-year.

 

Server and cloud services revenue grew 34 percent this quarter, with Azure alone up 51 percent. Overall revenue for Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud business was $17.4 billion, 37 percent of Microsoft’s total revenue.

 

LinkedIn continues to grow well for Microsoft, too. LinkedIn revenue is up 46 percent year-over-year, thanks to stronger advertising demand after a dip during the early stages of the pandemic last year. Microsoft says LinkedIn sessions have grown 30 percent, “with record engagement.” Search advertising revenue is also up 53 percent.

 

This has all resulted in LinkedIn becoming a $10 billion annual business for Microsoft. “In the past 3 years, gaming, security, and now LinkedIn, have all surpassed $10 billion in annual revenue,” said Nadella on the company’s earnings call today.

 

Update, July 27th 6:15PM ET: Article updated with comments from Microsoft’s earnings call.

 

 

Microsoft reports weaker Surface and Windows revenue amid global chip shortage

]]>1460Tue, 27 Jul 2021 22:53:41 +0000New games 2021: upcoming game release dates for console and PChttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/new-games-2021-upcoming-game-release-dates-for-console-and-pc-r1459/

New games 2021: upcoming game release dates for console and PC

All the new games in 2021 you won't want to miss

 

 

If you're looking for a list of all the new games coming out in 2021, we’ve got you covered. The first few months of 2021 were relatively quiet for new games releases. But that’s all changed now we’re halfway through the year. More and more big hitters are being confirmed for release sometime in 2021, including the likes of Deathloop, Dying Light 2 and Halo Infinite, as well as many more.

 

It’s already proved to be an exciting year for gaming as developers are pushing the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. However, it's not only the next-gen console owners who will have all the fun this year. The Nintendo Switch is likely to have another strong year, with some highly-anticipated releases on the way to the handheld console - and to the updated Switch OLED too. 

 

What’s more, streaming services like Amazon Luna are also set to improve in 2021, and of course, let’s not forget about PC gaming, which continues to set the standard in both hardware power and flexibility.

 

We know it can be challenging to keep track of which upcoming games are being released and when you can expect them. That’s why we've created this guide – which we regularly update – filled with the new games coming out in 2021 and beyond, so you always know what's on the horizon. 

 

Make sure you check out our dedicated release date lists too, which cover the new PS5 games and new Xbox Series X games, as well as our best PC gaming list. If you’re on a budget and desperate for a new game, take a look at our best free games on Steam, and best free PC games picks.

New games 2021: most-anticipated upcoming games

 

Forza Horizon 5

(Image credit: Playground Games)

New games coming out in July 2021

 

The Ascent

(Image credit: Curve Digital)
  • The Ascent – July 29 (PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Eldest Souls – July 29 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
  • Little Devil Inside - July TBC (PS5, PC, PS4)
  • Chernobylite – July TBC (PS4, Xbox One)

New games coming out in August 2021

 

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

(Image credit: Ember Labs)
  • Lemnis Gate - August 3 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One)
  • Hunter's Arena Legends – August 3 (PS4, PS5)
  • The Falconeer: Warrior Edition – August 5 (PS5, PS4, Switch)
  • The Falconeer: Edge of the World – August 5 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • Godfall – August 10 (PS4)
  • Lawn Mowing Simulator – August 10 (Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • Foreclosed – August 12 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC)
  • Hades - August 13 (PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Humankind - August 17 (PC, Stadia)
  • RiMS Racing – August 19 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One Switch, PC)
  • Twelve Minutes - August 19 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • Madden 22 – August 20 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One)
  • Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut – August 20 (PS4, PS5)
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits - August 24 (PS5, PC, PS4)
  • Aliens: Fireteam Elite – August 24 (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Psychonauts 2 - August 25 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, PS4)
  • Hotel Life – August 26 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch)
  • No More Heroes 3 – August 27 (Switch)
  • KeyWe – August 31 (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)
  • Rustler – August 31 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
  • Maneater: Truth Quest – August 31 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One)
  • ExoMecha - August TBC (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • Soup Pot - August TBC (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)

New games coming out in September 2021

 

Deathloop

(Image credit: Arkane)
  • Lake - September 1 (PC, Xbox Series X/S)
  • WRC 10 – September 2 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One)
  • Kitaria Fables – September 3 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
  • The Medium - September 3 (PS5)
  • Bus Simulator 21 – September 7 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
  • FIST: Forget In Shadow Torch – September 7 (PS4, PS5)
  • Sonic Colors: Ultimate – September 7 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
  • Life is Strange: True Colors - September 10 (Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, Switch)
  • Tales of Arise – September 10 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC PS4, Xbox One)
  • WarioWare: Get It Together! - September 10 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Deathloop - September 14 (PS5, PC)
  • Rainbow Six Extraction – September 16 (PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom Prince's Edition – September 17 (Switch)
  • Aragami 2 – September 17 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
  • NBA 2K22 – September 22 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
  • Sable - September 23 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • Diablo 2 Resurrected - September 23 (PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Lost Judgment – September 24 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot – September 24 (Switch)
  • Death Stranding: Director's Cut – September 24 (PS5)
  • Ghostrunner – September 28 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • In Sound Mind – September 28 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed – September 30 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
  • Astria Ascending - September 30 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Switch, PS4, PS5)
  • Life is Strange Remastered Collection - September 30 (Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, Switch)
  • Blood Bowl 3 – September TBC (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch)

New games coming out in October 2021

 

Far Cry 6

(Image credit: Ubisoft)
  • FIFA 22 – October 1 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
  • Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania - October 5 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Far Cry 6 - October 7 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Stadia)
  • Metroid Dread - October 8 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Nintendo Switch OLED - October 8
  • Back 4 Blood - October 12 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles - October 15 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC_)
  • Battlefield 2042 - October 22 - (Xbox Series X, PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One)
  • The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes – October 22 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - October 26 (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
  • Age of Empires 4 – October 28 (PC)
  • Mario Party Superstars - October 29 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Riders Republic - October 28 (PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Stray - October TBC 2021 (PS5, PC)

New games coming out in November 2021

 

Venba

(Image credit: Visai Games)
  • Just Dance 2022 - November 4 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia)
  • Forza Horizon 5 - November 9 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • GTA 5 – November 11 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • GTA Online – November 11 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Shin Megami Tensei V - November 12 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl - November 19 (Switch)
  • Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker – November 23 (PS5, PS4, PC)
  • Venba - November TBC (PC)

New games coming out in December 2021

 

Dying Light 2 monster

(Image credit: Techland)
  • Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp - December 3 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Dying Light 2 - December 7 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • Shredders – December TBC (Xbox Series X/S)
  • Steam Deck – December TBC 

New games 2021: TBC 2021 and beyond

 

Halo Infinite

(Image credit: 343 Industries)
  • Outer Wilds - Summer 2021 (Switch)
  • Fracked - Summer 2021 (PSVR)
  • The Big Con - Summer 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • After the Fall (VR) - Summer 2021 (PSVR, PC)
  • Omno - Summer 2021 (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch)
  • Halo Infinite – Fall 2021 (PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X)
  • Cruis’n Blast - Fall 2021 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl – Fall 2021 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
  • Anacrusis - Fall 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, PC, Xbox One)
  • Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals – Fall 2021 (PC, Switch)
  • New Call of Duty 2021 - Late 2021
  • Abandoned – Q4 2021 (PS5)
  • Jett: The Far Shore – TBC 2021 (PC, PS5, PS4)
  • Among Us - TBC 2021 (PS4, Xbox One)
  • Adios - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One) 
  • The Artful Escape - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course DLC – TBC 2021 (PC, Xbox One and Switch)
  • Scorn – TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X)
  • Call of Duty: Warzone – TBC 2021 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Fall Guys - TBC 2021 (Xbox One, Switch)
  • SIFU - TBC 2022 (PS4, PS5)
  • Demon Turf - TBC 2021 (Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Song in the Smoke - TBC 2021 (PSVR)
  • Deadly Premonition 2 – TBC 2021 (PC)
  • I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy And The Liar - TBC 2021(PCVR)
  • Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach - TBC 2021 (PS5, PS4, PC)
  • The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe – TBC 2021 (PC)
  • Horizon Forbidden West - TBC 2021 (PS5)
  • Chorus - TBC 2021 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Stadia)
  • Dustborn - TBC 2021 (PS5, PS4, PC)
  • CrossfireX - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Little Witch in the Woods - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Dead Static Drive - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Echo Generation - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Exo One - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • FATAL FRAME: Maiden of Black Water - TBC 2021 (Nintendo Switch)
  • She Dreams Elsewhere - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Warhammer 40K: Darktide - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S)
  • Song of Iron - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • RPG Time - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S)
  • Danganronpa Decadence - TBC 2021 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp - TBC 2021 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Art of Rally - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Tunic - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Total Warhammer 3 - TBC 2021 (PC)
  • Moonglow Bay - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • Way to the Woods - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)
  • Hello Neighbor 2 - TBC 2021 ( Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • The Gunk - TBC 2021 (Xbox Series X/S)
  • Arcadegeddon - TBC 2022 (PS5, PC)
  • Moss: Book II - TBC 2022
  • Ghostwire: Tokyo - TBC 2022 (PS5, PC)
  • Forspoken - January 2022 (PS5, PC)
  • Elden Ring - January 21, 2022 (PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Pokémon Legends: Arceus - January 28, 2022 (Switch)
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl - April 28 2022 (Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • Starfield - November 11, 2022 (Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 - TBC 2022 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Hogwarts Legacy - TBC 2022 (PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC)
  • Gran Turismo 7 - TBC 2022 (PS5)
  • Gotham Knights - TBC 2022 (PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC)
  • Voidtrain - TBC 2022 (PC)
  • Two Point Campus - TBC 2022 (PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • God of War: Ragnarok - TBC 2022 (PS5, PS4)
  • The Lord of the Rings: Gollum - TBC 2022 (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
  • Kerbal Space Program 2 – TBC 2022 (PC, PS4 and Xbox One)
  • Lost Eidolons - TBC 2022 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)
  • Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice - TBC 2022 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC)
  • Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope - TBC 2022 (Nintendo Switch)
  • Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - TBC 2022 ( PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Stadia and Amazon Luna)
  • Pragmata - 2023 TBC (PS5)
  • Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga – TBC (Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • Skull & Bones – TBC
  • Everwild - TBC (Xbox Series X, PC)
  • State of Decay 3 - TBC (Xbox Series X, PC)
  • Zenith (VR) - TBC (PSVR)
  • Forza Motorsport 8 - TBC (PC, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – TBC (PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X and Switch)
  • Diablo Immortal - TBC (Android and iOS devices confirmed so far)
  • Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake - TBC (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) 
  • The Elder Scrolls 6 - TBC
  • Loot River - TBC (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Dragon Age 4 - TBC
  • Indiana Jones - TBC
  • Overwatch 2 - TBC
  • Nobody Saves the World - TBC (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • Diablo 4 - TBC (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • Fable - TBC (Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • Final Fantasy 16 - TBC (PS5)
  • BioShock 4 - TBC 
  • Beyond Good and Evil 2 -  TBC
  • Avowed - TBC (Xbox Series X/S, PC)
  • The Sims 5 - TBC 

 

 

New games 2021: upcoming game release dates for console and PC

]]>1459Tue, 27 Jul 2021 22:50:15 +0000Microsoft Surface Duo 2 leak reveals much-required camera upgradehttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/microsoft-surface-duo-2-leak-reveals-much-required-camera-upgrade-r1453/

Microsoft Surface Duo 2 leak reveals much-required camera upgrade

More than cosmetic updates

 

Microsoft’s Surface Duo was arguably the company’s most ambitious hardware project in recent times. Despite a promising form factor, the phone failed to live up to the expectations due to some drawbacks – camera performance being a major one.

 

Now a fresh leak shows off its sequel - the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 in its full glory and Microsoft seems to have persisted with the design that garnered a positive reaction. After all, why fix that ain’t broken.

 

That said, some cosmetic changes are visible and the most prominent one is the presence of a vertically aligned triple camera setup on the rear panel. The camera bump is now more prominent which suggests that Microsoft might use powerful camera sensors this time around. The phone’s slim form factor also makes the camera bump stand out that much more.

 

 

While the overall design might look fairly similar to the original Surface Duo, however, there are some minor design tweaks like the corners are more rounded than earlier. However, these cosmetic changes are barely noticeable till the time you place both the devices next to each other.

 

Also, the Surface Duo had chunky bezels on the front, thankful, the video claims that the upcoming smartphone may come with a modern design and may have thinner bezels. The metal hinge on the Surface Duo which was liked by many as it allowed users to keep the device partially folded for video calls and media consumption, seems to have been retained.

 

This also confirms the fact that the Surface Duo 2 will continue to sport two separate screens which are in contrast to most other Android makers who’re busy making phones with foldable or rollable displays.

Microsoft Surface Duo 2 launch date

According to the leak, the Surface Duo 2 is expected to launch sometime in September or October and will start retailing right after the launch.

 

This, however, may coincide with multiple other major devices like iPhone 13 series and the new Pixel lineup which is expected to include a foldable Pixel as well. Samsung’s latest foldable phones are slated to launch slightly earlier in August however might start retailing on a global level around the time the Surface Duo hits the market.

 

Last but not the least, the price of Surface Duo was reduced multiple times making it extremely affordable. One of the primary reasons behind the cold response to the Surface Duo was its high price despite the dated hardware. Microsoft is expected to correct his as well and while the Surface Duo 2 may have the latest hardware under the hood, it is expected to be priced aggressively as well.

 

With all these updates in place, we can only hope that Microsoft launches the phone at a global level rather than limiting  it to a handful of countries.

 

 

Microsoft Surface Duo 2 leak reveals much-required camera upgrade

]]>1453Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:15:37 +0000Intel will make Qualcomm chips in new foundry dealhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/intel-will-make-qualcomm-chips-in-new-foundry-deal-r1448/

Intel will make Qualcomm chips in new foundry deal

In addition to providing chip packaging for Amazon’s AWS business 

 

Intel has announced its first major customer for its new Intel Foundry Services business: Qualcomm. Best known for designing the Snapdragon chips that power most major Android phones, Qualcomm will start to have its chips manufactured by Intel in the coming years using Intel’s upcoming 20A process.

 

No timeframe has been announced for when the first Intel-made Qualcomm chips will arrive or which of Qualcomm’s products Intel will produce.

Additionally, Amazon’s AWS will be working with Intel Foundry Services, relying on Intel’s packaging solutions (although Intel won’t be directly making chips for Amazon).

Screen_Shot_2021_07_26_at_5.33.38_PM.png

Qualcomm will rely on Intel’s newly announced Intel 20A technology node, scheduled for release in 2024. Intel 20A will introduce a new transistor architecture, RibbonFET, Intel’s first since 2011.

 

Intel previously announced its new foundry business as part of new CEO Pat Gelsinger’s “IDM 2.0” strategy shortly after he took the reins of the company. Intel Foundry Services was a key part of that plan, one that would see Intel expand beyond making its own chips to handle production for third-party companies. Qualcomm and Amazon mark the first — and the highest-profile — partners that Intel has announced so far for IFS, although Gelsinger has previously mentioned that Intel is in talks with over 100 companies for foundry work.

 

 

Intel will make Qualcomm chips in new foundry deal

]]>1448Mon, 26 Jul 2021 22:45:04 +0000Intel has a new architecture roadmap and a plan to retake its chipmaking crown in 2025https://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/intel-has-a-new-architecture-roadmap-and-a-plan-to-retake-its-chipmaking-crown-in-2025-r1447/

Intel has a new architecture roadmap and a plan to retake its chipmaking crown in 2025

All the news from Intel Acclerated

 

Intel is rethinking how it releases — and brands — its semiconductor innovations, CEO Pat Gelsinger announced today at the company’s Intel Accelerated webcast. The announcement includes the broad strokes of the next half-decade of Intel’s processor roadmap, new chip and packaging technologies, and a promise of an “annual cadence of innovation,” with the ultimate goal of seeing Intel retake its leadership in the processor space by 2025.

 

Future Intel products (starting as early as its upcoming 12th Gen Alder Lake chips later this year) will no longer use the nanometer-based node nomenclature that both it and the rest of the chipmaking industry has used for years. Instead, Intel is debuting a new naming scheme that it says will provide “a more accurate view of process nodes across the industry” and how Intel’s products fit into that landscape.

 

How that works in practice is that those new third-generation 10nm chips will be referred to as “Intel 7,” instead of getting some 10nm-based name (like last year’s 10nm SuperFin chips).

 

At first glance, it sounds a lot like a cheap marketing tactic designed to make Intel’s upcoming 10nm chips look more competitive next to products from AMD, which are already on TSMC’s 7nm node, or Apple’s 5nm M1 chips. And while that’s technically true, it’s not as unfair of a comparison as it necessarily looks. In modern semiconductors, node names don’t actually refer to the size of a transistor on a chip: thanks to advances like 3D packaging technologies and the physical realities of semiconductor design, that hasn’t been the case since 1997 (as noted by ExtremeTech).

 

And from a technical perspective, Intel’s 10nm chips are broadly on par with “7nm” branded hardware from competitors like TSMC or Samsung, using similar production technologies and offering comparable transistor density. That’s something that translates to commercial hardware, too: we’ve already seen that Intel’s current 10nm chips are still competitive with AMD’s cutting-edge 7nm Ryzen chips, for example.

 

All that is to say that Intel’s rebranding here isn’t entirely unfair to see, even if it does make it harder to parse when those bigger “node” change advances are happening with the new nomenclature.

Screen_Shot_2021_07_26_at_4.45.01_PM.png
Intel’s updated roadmap and node naming
Image: Intel

Here’s a look at Intel’s new roadmap and what it all actually means.

 

• Intel 7 is the new name for what would have been Intel’s third-generation 10nm technology and the successor to Intel’s 10nm SuperFin (aka Intel’s second-generation 10nm chips, found most notably in its 11th Gen Tiger Lake chips). Intel says that the new Intel 7 hardware will offer approximately 10 percent to 15 percent improvements in performance-per-watt compared to the previous generation — or, as is always the case, improved power efficiency and battery life should hardware manufacturers prefer to keep performance the same.

 

The first Intel 7-based products will show up as early as this year, with the already previewed Alder Lake chips coming at the end of 2021 for consumer products, and the upcoming Sapphire Rapids chips in 2022 for data centers.

 

• Intel 4 is the architecture formally known as Intel’s 7nm process, which Intel infamously was forced to delay out to 2023 last summer following manufacturing issues. Originally planned for 2021, it’s the next major jump in technology for Intel, using EUV (extreme ultraviolet) technology — something already utilized by Samsung and TSMC’s 5nm node products, for comparison. It’ll still use the same broad FinFET transistor architecture that Intel’s been using since 2011. Thanks to all those improvements, Intel 4 is expected to feature a transistor density of about 200-250 million transistors per mm², compared to about 171.30 million transistors per mm² on TSMC’s current 5nm node.

Intel says that Intel 4 will offer an approximately 20 percent jump in performance-per-watt while cutting down on overall area. Production is set for the second half of 2022, with the first Intel 4 products planned for 2023 (Meteor Lake for consumer products, and Granite Rapids for data center).

 

• Intel 3, set for manufacturing in the second half of 2023, is the new name for what would have been a second-generation 7nm product under Intel’s previous naming scheme. Like Intel 4, it’s still a FinFET product, although Intel says it’ll offer additional optimizations and use of EUV for roughly an 18 percent increase in performance-per-watt compared to Intel 4. No release date or product names for Intel 3 chips have been announced yet, but presumably, they won’t be available until 2024.

 

  • Intel 20A is the name for the next generation of Intel technologies that, under the old scheme, would have been the architecture following the formerly branded 7nm node. It’s also the most substantial announcement that Intel made today, technologically speaking, one that will see Intel debut its first new transistor architecture since FinFET in 2011, called “RibbonFET.” The new architecture will mark Intel’s first gate-all-around transistor, a fundamentally new transistor technology for the company that promises greater transistor density and smaller sizes. Additionally, 20A will see the introduction of “PowerVia,” a new technology that allows for wafers to be powered from the back of the chip, instead of requiring power to be rounded to the front.
Screen_Shot_2021_07_26_at_4.46.06_PM.png
A closer look at the coming updates for Intel 20A.
Image: Intel

The “20A” in the title is meant to evoke the “Ångstrom era” of semiconductor design — an Ångstrom being a unit of measurement smaller than nanometer. (20Å = 2nm, although, like the other rebranded Intel names above, Intel 20A doesn’t refer to a specific measurement on the products themselves.)

 

Intel’s 20A isn’t expected to ramp until 2024, and, like Intel 3, it doesn’t have any formally announced release date or products yet.

 

  • Intel 18A is the farthest in the future piece of Intel’s roadmap and will feature the second generation of Intel’s RibbotFET technology for “another major jump in transistor performance.” Intel says that Intel 18A is in development for “early 2025,” and that it expects this generation of technology to re-establish its semiconductor leadership.

 

In addition to all of its process roadmap news, Intel also announced two major updates to its Foveros chip-stacking packaging technologies (the second-generation of which is set to debut in Intel 4’s Meteor Lake in 2023.) Foveros chip stacking combines several hardware elements into a single die, like Intel’s Lakefield chips, which pile together five CPU cores, an integrated GPU, and DRAM into a compact stack to save internal space compared to a traditional design.

 

Screen_Shot_2021_07_26_at_4.47.10_PM.png

Image: Intel

Foveros Omni will allow for more variety in stacked chips by making it easier to mix-and-match tiles, regardless of their specific size — for example, allowing for a base tile that’s smaller than the top tile in a stack. And Foveros Direct will allow for direct copper-to-copper bonding between components, reducing resistance and decreasing bump pitches. Both of the new Foveros technologies are planned for production in 2023.

 

 

Intel’s new names may help the company recontextualize its current and future products more accurately against its competition, but the fact remains that Intel is behind. Even accepting that the Intel 7 is on par with 7nm products from other foundries, those foundries are already past their 7nm chips and on to 5nm hardware. Which means that the companies that rely on those external foundries — like Apple, AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and virtually every other major tech company — can still get chips that are more advanced than Intel’s best work. Apple’s superlative M1 Macs, for example, already use 5nm chips from TSMC — and handily outpace Intel’s comparable products. AMD is rumored to be working on 5nm Zen 4 processors for as early as 2022, too, which could offer similarly concerning competition for Intel from its already encroaching competitor.

 

Even with the ambitious, annual cadence for its roadmap, Intel is playing from behind; it doesn’t expect to fully catch up to the rest of the industry until Intel 20A in 2024. And it doesn’t expect to reclaim leadership in the semiconductor business until 2025 with Intel 18A. And all that assumes that Intel doesn’t hit any more delays or manufacturing snags like the ones that held up both its 10nm and 7nm processes (which arguably put the company in its current situation in the first place).

 

After years of setbacks, though, it’s clear that the revitalized Intel isn’t going down without a fight. But the next few years will see whether its efforts are enough.

 

 

Intel has a new architecture roadmap and a plan to retake its chipmaking crown in 2025

]]>1447Mon, 26 Jul 2021 22:43:02 +0000Super-fast 480Hz monitors could soon be a realityhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/super-fast-480hz-monitors-could-soon-be-a-reality-r1446/

Super-fast 480Hz monitors could soon be a reality

 

Back in 2017, Blur Busters carried out tests on an engineering sample of the first 4K 120Hz panel that could also push 480Hz in a low-resolution 540p mode. The unit was from ZisWorks and these were available at the time in the form of a 28" TN panel (model x28) or a 39" VA one (model x39).

 

And while these were generally for DIYers and testers, 480Hz panels could soon become a reality for consumers too as per a report from TFTCentral. According to the report, LG Display as well as AU Optronics (AUO) are allegedly working on such ultra-fast refresh rate panels. They will apparently be ready for production towards the end of 2022 and hence we could see them release these to a wider audience in 2023.

 

Although we are speculating here, such 480Hz displays might be shown off at the CES 2023 similar to how ASUS and Nvidia demonstrated the world's first 360Hz panel in the form of the ROG SWIFT 360Hz PG259QN back in CES 2020.

 

In terms of features, not too many details are known but the report does allege that the LG panel will feature a 24.5-inch 1080p display with support for DisplayHDR 400 and decent color reproduction. Over on AUO's side, the details are even more scarce for its 480Hz panel other than a hint that the display could be a 1080p screen. However, SweClockers adds that the firm is reportedly also working on a 1440p 360Hz panel for a 2021 release.

 

In its test of the ZisWorks panels in 480Hz mode, Blur Busters noted the following improvements:

 

  • Reduced Phantom Array Effect (commonly called ghosting)
  • Reduced Input Lag
  • Improved Persistence of Vision (Sparkler's trail effect)
  • Reduced Motion Blur

 

TFTCentral has also said in its report that LG is purportedly developing a new technology called "IPS Black" that will be able to produce richer blacks on IPS LCDs and reduce the amount of IPS glow exhibited. Apparently, a couple of 4K displays - one 27-inch and the other 31.5-inch - are planned for release in January next year.

 

Source: TFTCentral

 

 

Super-fast 480Hz monitors could soon be a reality

]]>1446Mon, 26 Jul 2021 22:39:18 +0000Intel warns of CPU stock shortages in near futurehttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/intel-warns-of-cpu-stock-shortages-in-near-future-r1420/

Intel warns of CPU stock shortages in near future

Intel CFO says to expect ‘acute’ supply problems in Q3

 

Intel has warned that we are entering a period where the supply of its processors for consumers is going to become thin on the ground, so unfortunately, we can expect trouble ahead on the stock front.

 

In fact, Intel’s chief financial officer, George Davis, has said there will be ‘acute’ supply problems in Q3 (from now through to September), following CEO Pat Gelsinger’s recent observation that the global chip shortage is likely to continue for one or two years, so perhaps until 2023.

 

Davis said on an earnings call (as transcribed by Seeking Alpha😞 “Persistent industry-wide component and substrate shortages are expected to lower CCG (Client Computing Group) revenues sequentially. We expect supply shortages to continue for several quarters but appear to be particularly acute for clients in Q3. In data center, we expect enterprise, government and cloud to show further recovery in Q3.”

Heavyweight priorities

Intel is prioritizing the production of heavyweight processors for the likes of data center use because that’s where the big profits lie (and also due to contracts the chip giant is bound by). Of course, if you only have a certain amount of production capacity, it makes sense to produce the biggest earning CPUs with the beefiest premium. Indeed, we’ve seen this before when Intel has struggled with supply issues, with the firm sacrificing lower-end processors to produce high-end Core models and server chips.

 

The central issue here is a problem with substrate (the base layer of the chip) supply, and as Tom’s Hardware, which picked up on this, points out, the specific issue is with insufficient Ajinomoto ABF substrates. Lacking these, Intel is constrained in terms of the amount of CPUs it can actually make, and while the company has made moves to work on self-sufficiency – finishing production of ABF substrates in-house, and also investing in ABF substrate makers – these efforts won’t have an impact to mitigate shortages until later in the year.

 

Davis said: “We did a really good job of eating up a lot of our substrates, some of which we thought we would have available to us in Q3. He added: “In Q3, we could see we had a real supply challenge, it is acute. But Q4, we are doing everything we can to help our substrate suppliers increase supply, including finishing up some of their manufacturing in our own facilities, which is something we could do with as an IDM [integrated device manufacturer].”

Analysis

While stock shortages are hardly anything new these days, and we’ve previously been told that component supply issues aren’t going away anytime soon – despite some glimmers of hope regarding GPUs – this latest admission from Intel is certainly disappointing.

 

More to the point, the production issues for Q3 being referred to as ‘acute’ and rather serious sounding is an ominous note for those looking to pick up an Intel chip in the near future.

 

Furthermore, remember that Intel is preparing to launch its next-gen Alder Lake CPUs later in 2021. Given the increasing amount of leakage around Alder Lake, and the fact that sample chips are reportedly already being slyly sold over in China, it seems like the 12th-gen processors are on target for a rumored October launch.

 

That’s Q4, of course, where Intel expects matters to pick up a little from Q3, but if Alder Lake turns out to be as promising as the grapevine reckons, it’ll likely be in serious demand. And given what we’re hearing here, it’s not difficult to imagine another situation where CPU stock becomes a struggle to find with new models, and scalpers then getting involved with the usual results and spiralling prices.

 

 

Intel warns of CPU stock shortages in near future

]]>1420Sun, 25 Jul 2021 22:29:24 +0000Microsoft Weekly: Windows 11 testing, future gaming, and HiveNightmare aka SeriousSAMhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/microsoft-weekly-windows-11-testing-future-gaming-and-hivenightmare-aka-serioussam-r1419/

Microsoft Weekly: Windows 11 testing, future gaming, and HiveNightmare aka SeriousSAM 

It’s been a rather busy seven days in Redmond, with new Windows 11 test builds, long-awaited game releases on console, and yet another security vulnerability all being in the news. You can find details about the aforementioned and more below, in your Microsoft digest for the week of July 18 – 24.

Windows 11 testing

It would be prudent to start with some of the news surrounding Microsoft’s next major iteration of Windows.

 

Windows 11 logo white on top of a fractal variant of the Windows 11 default wallpaper

 

For one, there’s the possible release time frame, which was revealed in a document accompanying a recent Intel GPU driver update. In it, Windows 11 is referred to as the October 2021 Update, though it’s possible this may also be a reference to Windows 10 21H2, which should drop around the same time.

 

This timing wouldn’t be too surprising, as October has been the month of choice for the denomination or GA of several H2 updates - barring say 1809, which was quickly pulled following a number of problems, then re-released in December -, or previous major releases like Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

 

As far as the release of the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) variant of Windows 11 is concerned, Microsoft was clear that it is still several years out. The LTSC release that’s about to drop this year will be based on Windows 10 21H2, but the release after that is set to be underpinned by Windows 11. Given the recent change in the LTSC support lifecycle – namely slashing of support from 10 to five years -, there’s still a bit of a wait involved.

 

Until then though, Microsoft is continuing to shed little more light on its Windows 11 design choices, such as the new context menu, or the Teams integration. Sadly, the Store variants for Business and Education will not be supported in Windows 11, though the downloading of Edge from the Store will be.

 

And speaking of, Teams chat can now be tested thanks to Windows 11 Insider build 22000.100, which also adds some taskbar enhancements. Naturally, there are some known issues to keep in mind as always, one of which is the fact that Windows Hello is now broken. Not to worry though, there’s a way to fix it.

 

Finally, in not exactly earth-shattering news, Microsoft has released a new cumulative update to Windows Insiders in the Release Preview ring. This is KB5004296 and should be available for folks running Windows 10 21H1 and 21H2. The only change is a new policy which „creates generic strings and removes branding-specific terms, such as „Windows” or „PC” for IoT Enterprise editions”. In other words, you’ll be seeing phrases like „Getting things ready” instead of „Getting Windows ready”.

Future games

Xbox Series XS controllers on dark grey background

 

On the gaming side of things, there’s a selection of titles now available on Game Pass, including Battlefield V, Cris Tales, Atomicorps, and Raji: An Ancient Epic. In terms of high-profile releases arriving soon, there’s Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, The Ascent, as well as the long-awaited console release of Microsoft Flight Simulator. If those are not your cup of tea, the Deals with Gold are right this way.

 

In other news of future releases, Halo Infinite’s first technical preview will focus on bots, with the kickoff allegedly happening as soon as next weekend. Matches will be 4v4 across the Bazaar, Recharge, and Live Fire maps.

 

Yet another first-party title, this time Fallout 76, is set to get a long-requested feature in a couple of months, namely private servers. Dubbed Fallout Worlds, it will officially arrive in the game in September, but the PTS (Public Test Servers) already have it available, for those interested in testing this out early.

 

Last but not least, we should mention the Dead Space remake announced at EA Play. Rebuilt by Motive Studios from the ground up to use the Frostbite engine, the game is slated to launch across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, though no release date or window was given.

HiveNightmare aka SeriousSAM

Windows 10 logo red on red and dark grey background

 

It seems like Microsoft just can’t catch a break when it comes to security recently. Following the massive Exchange Online exploits in March and April, and the PrintNightmare exploit affecting the Print Spooler Service, there’s now another high-profile security flaw going around.

 

Dubbed HiveNightmare – due to it being a registry vulnerability -, or SeriousSAM (due to the Windows Security Account Manager – or SAM – database being involved), the flaw allows passwords and security keys to be accessed by non-admin users. As such, it would give an attacker access to the SAM, SYSTEM, and SECURITY registry hive files. In the linked post, we’ve detailed how to restrict access to the system32 config file, as well as how to delete Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) shadow copies in order to protect yourself against this.

 

In light of the above, it’s perhaps no surprise that Microsoft chose to acquire CloudKnox Security in order to enhance its unified privileged access capabilities.

 

Unfortunately, the section won’t be ending with any good news, as the July set of updates for Windows 10 has broken printing and scanning via the use of smart cards. This is an unfortunate side effect of the Redmond giant’s attempts at fixing the aforementioned PrintNightmare flaw.

 

And as if that wasn’t enough, fake Windows 11 installers have also started circulating around the web. Unsurprisingly, they are being used for malware distribution.

Dev channel

Logging off

We end today with a Task Manager concept featuring what is perhaps one of the most oft-requested features for the utility.

 

While the Task Manager has certainly evolved over the years from its inception, one of the most often requested features is an option to switch to dark mode. Changes have been made so far in Windows 11 to make the implementation of this theme option a lot more consistent, though legacy apps still don’t respect the dark mode setting.

 

To visualize just how a dark mode for Task Manager would look, Twitter user Jakub (AlurDesign) has put together a concept – seen above – which makes use of the more rounded aesthetic in Windows 11, as well as translucency effects.

 

Of course, it’s a mere concept, but here’s hoping Microsoft sees this and chooses to take at least some design cues from it.

 

Missed any of the previous columns? Check them all out at this link.

 

 

Microsoft Weekly: Windows 11 testing, future gaming, and HiveNightmare aka SeriousSAM

]]>1419Sun, 25 Jul 2021 22:26:45 +0000A man used AI to bring back his deceased fiancé. But the creators of the tech warn it could be dangerous and used to spread misinformation.https://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/a-man-used-ai-to-bring-back-his-deceased-fianc%C3%A9-but-the-creators-of-the-tech-warn-it-could-be-dangerous-and-used-to-spread-misinformation-r1413/ A man used AI to bring back his deceased fiancé. But the creators of the tech warn it could be dangerous and used to spread misinformation.

 

  • A man used artificial intelligence (AI) to create a chatbot that mimicked his late fiancé. 

 

  • The groundbreaking AI technology was designed by Elon Musk's research group OpenAI. 

 

  • OpenAI has long warned that the technology could be used for mass information campaigns. 

 

After Joshua Barbeau's fiancé passed away, he spoke to her for months. Or, rather, he spoke to a chatbot programmed to sound exactly like her. 

 

In a story for the San Francisco Chronicle, Barbeau detailed how Project December, a software that uses artificial intelligence technology to create hyper-realistic chatbots, recreated the experience of speaking with his late fiancé. All he had to do was plug in old messages and give some background information, and suddenly the model could emulate his partner with stunning accuracy.

 

It may sound like a miracle (or a Black Mirror episode), but the AI creators warn that the same technology could be used to fuel mass misinformation campaigns.

 

Project December is powered by GPT-3, an AI model designed by the Elon Musk-backed research group OpenAI. By consuming massive datasets of human-created text (Reddit threads were particularly helpful), GPT-3 can imitate human writing, producing everything from academic papers to letters from former lovers.

 

It's some of the most sophisticated — and dangerous — language-based AI programming to date. 

 

When OpenAI released GPT-2, the predecessor to GPT-3, the group wrote that it can potentially be used in "malicious ways." The organization anticipated bad actors using the technology could automate "abusive or faked content on social media," "generate misleading news articles," or "impersonate others online."  

 

GPT-2 could be used to "unlock new as-yet-unanticipated capabilities for these actors," the group wrote.  

 

OpenAI staggered the release of GPT-2, and still restricts access to the superior GPT-3, in order to "give people time" to learn the "societal implications" of such technology.  

 

Misinformation is already rampant on social media, even with GPT-3 not widely available. A new study found that YouTube's algorithm still pushes misinformation, and the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate recently identified 12 people responsible for sharing 65 percent of COVID-19 conspiracy theories on social media. Dubbed the "Disinformation Dozen," they have millions of followers.  

 

As AI continues to develop, Oren Etzioni, CEO of the non-profit, bioscience research group, Allen Institute, previously told Insider it will only become harder to tell what's real. 

 

"The question 'Is this text or image or video or email authentic?' is going to become increasingly difficult to answer just based on the content alone," he said.

 

Source

]]>1413Sun, 25 Jul 2021 15:05:42 +0000Flying Only with the Heat of the Sunhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/flying-only-with-the-heat-of-the-sun-r1409/ Flying Only with the Heat of the Sun

 

If you picture a flying machine, you probably imagine a craft which is heavier than air, somehow kept aloft with wings or propellers.

 

Heavier-than-air flight dominates discourses about aviation. “Sustainable” crafts are designed to be as light as possible (whilst remaining heavier than air), so that they require less energy from whatever renewable source they use for lift. These machines include human-powered planes such as those using pedals to rotate a propeller. Lighter still are kites and gliders, which remain heavier than air, but rely on air resistance and lighter air around them to fly.

 

Less discussed are flying machines which are lighter than the air they fly through because the weight of their materials and passengers is counterbalanced by the hot air or light gases they contain. [1] Perhaps this is because most of us experience flight in passenger airliners, not Zeppelins. In theory, making lighter-than-air flight sustainable is simple: heat a container full of air with sunlight so that it rises. In January 2020, Leticia Noemi Marqués flew freely in the Aerocene Pacha solar balloon, the first Fédération Aéronautique Internationale certified fully-solar, untethered, manned flight. Previous flights of this kind went uncertified or relied on propane burners or inflation generators [2]. Aerocene Pacha flies on solar energy not from solar panels or batteries but absorbed directly in the envelope (the fabric of the balloon).

 

Solar balloons are a subcategory of hot air balloons, which rise because the hot air inside is less dense than the external air. Hot air and helium balloons were developed in 18th century French experiments. In quick succession in 1783, aeronauts achieved a series of firsts for ballooning. In November, the Montgolfier brothers launched the first animal-carrying hot air balloon (containing a duck, rooster and sheep). In September Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis D’Arlandes were the first people to fly untethered in a hot air balloon. This last balloon flew with the risk that the envelope would ignite from the embers which were used to heat the hot air. [1]

 

The solar balloon invented itself


The solar balloon awaited, latent, within this history. It could be said that the solar balloon invented itself in an accident in 1794, when a hot air balloon in France freed itself from its tethers and rose into the air purely from the heat of the sun. [2] The potential of this phenomena went unnoticed as balloon inventors moved on to design airships powered by the internal combustion engine, like Zeppelins. In the 1960s, Ed Yost refined the hot air balloon with the addition of a propane burner, which the fuel source used most commonly today. The risk of fire continues to haunt recent hot air balloons, prompting alternative designs which do not involve combustion. In the 1990s, Alejandro Uribe adapted the unmanned paper balloons Brazilian communities build for festivals to be fully solar to eliminate the danger of balloon-lit forest fires.

 

Solar balloons rely on the same principle as combustion hot air balloons, but with sunlight absorbed by the envelope to replace the burner. From 1972, Dominic Michaelis designed and tested a series of manned solar balloons with transparent polyester envelopes and black fabric inside to absorb heat. [2] Julian Nott used one of these to successfully fly across the English Channel in 1981. These flights were assisted by propane burners. Tracy Barnes performed the first fully solar balloon flight in 1973, using a tetrahedral-shaped single skin envelope. [3] It is unclear how the balloon was inflated. Aerocene Pacha is the most recent solar balloon flight to be manned, untethered and, ostensibly, entirely independent from fossil fuels. The team inflated the envelope with fans run on pedal power.

 

Manned solar balloons


Manned solar balloons combine the technologies of burner-heated balloons and unmanned solar balloons used in scientific research.

 

An example of the latter was the 1977 Montgolfière Infrarouge (MIR), which circulated in the lower stratosphere, flying on sunlight in the day and infrared at night. [2] Infrared is sufficient to maintain altitudes of around 20 kilometres because the air is so thin. [4]

 

Recent examples use simpler technology – the Heliotrope Solar Hot-Air Balloon costs around 30 dollars to make and can be “ram inflated” by holding the bottom open and walking it to and fro until it fills with air.

 

Researchers have also explored the potential of using tethered solar balloons to generate electricity. One wind-solar system, designed by Robert Grena, is aided by a small pocket of hydrogen and pre-heated by “charging” for a period of time in the sun. [5]

 

When it is released, the balloon unwinds its rope from its windlass, which powers a generator. Wind-power contributes by pulling the balloon, and so the rope, horizontally. Grena proposes systems for deflating the balloon at its peak altitude, so energy is not lost from air or wind resistance as it falls. The simplest of these contraptions consists of rods fixed to the envelope which are held bent by taunt strings for the ascent and straighten when the tension is released for the fall, pulling the envelope shut.

 

Altitude and Distance


Do Aerocene flights and their ilk herald an age in which we are more likely to fly by solar balloon than passenger plane? Julian Nott proved that international travel via (primarily) solar-powered balloon is possible forty years ago, when he crossed the English Channel. Nott flew from a point northwest of Dover to Tournehem sur la Hem near Calais, making the flight distance over 60km.

 

Aerocene’s official world record for solar-balloon flight distance at 2.55km (measured as the crow flies between lift-off and landing points) is less encouraging. Most solar balloon attempts, especially for scientific purposes, have focused on altitude rather than distance, so there is as yet unexplored potential.

 

If solar technology could be made as reliable as propane burners, they could carry passengers across the Pacific, which is the hot air balloon distance record of 7671km, set by Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson in 46 hours and 15 minutes in 1991 (far longer flights have combined hot air with other gas technology). [6] This would rival the human powered flight Guinness World Record of 115 km, set by Kanellos Kanellopoulos in 1988. [7] The problem remains that fully solar balloons need sunlight, and it is rare for the sky to remain unclouded for long journeys. Any transport system based on solar balloons would have to be opportunistic, where pilots wait for safe conditions and perhaps break journeys into short stages.

 

Sources:


[1] Folkes, J. (2008). Balloons, airships and kites – lighter than air: Past, present and future. The Aeronautical Journal (1968), 112(1133), 421-429. doi:10.1017/S0001924000002384

[2] Aerocene Community, 2021. A brief history of Solar Ballooning and Aerocene. [online] Aerocene.org. Available at: <https://aerocene.org/a-brief-solar-ballooning-and-aerocene/#> [Accessed 11 July 2021].

[3] Brown, D., (1974). Sunstat: A Balloon that Rides on Sunbeams. Ballooning, XI(2), pp.5-9. Available at: <https://www.brisbanehotairballooning.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/SunstatArticleinBallooning.pdf> [Accessed 11 July 2021].

[4] Bowman, D., Norman, P., Pauken, M., Albert, S., Dexheimer, D., Yang, X., Krishnamoorthy, S., Komjathy, A. and Cutts, J., (2020). Multihour Stratospheric Flights with the Heliotrope Solar Hot-Air Balloon. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 37(6), pp.1051-1066.

[5] Grena, R., (2013). Solar balloons as mixed solar–wind power systems. Solar Energy, 88, pp.215-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2012.11.021

[6] Åkerstedt, H., n.d. CIA Notable flights and performances: Part 10, 1991-1995. [online] Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Available at: <https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/documents/rpt_10_1991-1995.pdf> [Accessed 11 July 2021].
[7] Guinness World Records., (n.d.). Longest human powered flight (distance). Available at: <https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-human-powered-flight-%28distance%29> [Accessed 11 July 2021].

[8] Reay, D., (1977). “Man-Powered Rotocraft and the Persistence of the ‘Bird-Men’” In: The History of Man-Powered Flight, pp.249-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2013-0-02894-0

 

Source

]]>1409Sun, 25 Jul 2021 14:18:32 +0000Nvidia RTX 4000 ‘Lovelace’ GPUs design finalized, could arrive end 2022https://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/nvidia-rtx-4000-%E2%80%98lovelace%E2%80%99-gpus-design-finalized-could-arrive-end-2022-r1405/

Nvidia RTX 4000 ‘Lovelace’ GPUs design finalized, could arrive end 2022

Set to be built on TMSC 5nm, or maybe even 5nm enhanced

 

Nvidia’s next-gen GeForce graphics cards, presumably RTX 4000 models, are codenamed ‘Lovelace’ (we’ve heard that name before, of course) and have now been finalized, according to the rumor mill.

 

This comes from leaker Greymon on Twitter, who also reckons that the GPUs will be built by TSMC on 5nm – and in a further tweet, the leaker explains that Lovelace products could be made using either TSMC’s straight 5nm process, or perhaps ‘N5P’ (theoretically an enhanced 5nm with better performance).

 

Greymon isn’t sure yet which of these routes Nvidia might travel, and of course, we have to take everything shared here with a good deal of caution, as with anything from the grapevine.

 

There has been some confusion about whether Nvidia might tailor its next-gen graphics cards in reaction to AMD’s RDNA 3 efforts, as VideoCardz, which spotted the above tweet, points out.

Switching tack?

Renown leaker Kopite7kimi has suggested Nvidia could switch tack, from Lovelace to Hopper GPUs – or AD102 to GH202 respectively – depending on how AMD’s MCM architecture shapes up (remember, the rumor mill has suggested it’s going to be employed with RDNA 3 products). MCM or multi-chip module is a chiplet design, as opposed to monolithic (one single chip).

 

Nvidia could still go the MCM route itself, depending on how powerful it looks like the rival RDNA 3 GPUs might be, or that was the suggestion from Kopite7kimi. While spec rumors are definitely pushing it at this stage, Kopite7kimi has also floated the idea that the flagship RTX 4000 card will run with 144 streaming multiprocessors for a maximum of 18,432 CUDA cores.

 

Greymon, however, seems to pretty firmly believe that Lovelace is now locked in for Nvidia as the next-gen range of desktop graphics cards. As for the release date, Greymon tweeted that it will be ‘no earlier’ than the end of 2022, perhaps indicating there’s even a chance it could slip to early 2023.

Analysis

All of this must be treated with a lot more skepticism than normal because it’s very early days for Nvidia’s next-gen GPUs, and as we know, when rumors come far in advance, they are a lot more, shall we say, variable in quality and potential accuracy. Even what Nvidia is currently planning could well change, although Greymon’s main contention here is that the RTX 4000 series has now been finalized, of course.

 

Nvidia purportedly going with TSMC to produce these cards, either on 5nm, or maybe even enhanced 5nm, will be quite a leap, especially with the latter; so the performance boosts coming should be very impressive. Team Green may well be wise to look at pulling all the stops out, though, if AMD’s RDNA 3, due also at the end of 2022 in theory (and on TSMC 5nm), fulfils its promise as outlined on the GPU grapevine. Namely that the low-end next-gen AMD cards will be as good as the most powerful current RDNA 2 cards (like the flagship RX 6900 XT).

 

When you further consider that Intel is entering the graphics card arena, maybe later this year, or earlier on in 2022, with a potentially promising high-end GPU, then it’s easy to see how Nvidia might want to push hard to maintain its undoubted dominance in the desktop market.

 

 

Nvidia RTX 4000 ‘Lovelace’ GPUs design finalized, could arrive end 2022

]]>1405Sat, 24 Jul 2021 22:41:18 +0000Seagate set to launch mass-market 20TB HDDshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/seagate-set-to-launch-mass-market-20tb-hdds-r1391/

Seagate set to launch mass-market 20TB HDDs

Seagate offers multiple technologies in its 20TB drive portfolio

 

Seagate has confirmed plans to launch a 20TB disk based on the cost-effective perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology, in the second half of the current year.

 

The announcement was made by Seagate’s CEO Dave Mosley during the company’s Q2 2021 earnings call.

 

PMR along with shingled magnetic recording (SMR) technologies, are the more cost effective solutions than the heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology that Seagate is using in its current line of 20TB drives that it ships to select partners.  

 

“We extended our HDD technology leadership, as evidenced by Seagate being the first company to commercialize HAMR technology and the first to deliver dual actuator performance drives, which are now shipping in high volume to support multiple customers,”  Mosley said during the call.

20TB battleground 

In response to a question, Mosley said the company is “very aggressive” with the 20 terabyte qualification and is in fact using all the tools in its arsenal to work on different products for different segments of users.

 

“We have a number of different 20 terabyte platforms coming - PMR, SMR, HAMR. There’s a lot of different flavors of them, and they are targeted to different customers so different qualification schedules for each,” noted Mosley.

 

He added that the company is already producing PMR-based 18TB drives in high volumes, and is ramping up to mass produce PMR-based 20TB drives for delivery in the second half of the year.

 

Meanwhile, Mosley noted that the rise of Chia cryptocurrency, which demands more storage for its mining, rather than processing prowess, did increase demand for HDDs.

 

Via Tom’s Hardware

 

 

Seagate set to launch mass-market 20TB HDDs

]]>1391Fri, 23 Jul 2021 21:04:15 +0000Intel says its 10nm production is now exceeding 14nm wafershttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/intel-says-its-10nm-production-is-now-exceeding-14nm-wafers-r1390/

Intel says its 10nm production is now exceeding 14nm wafers

Intel reported its second-quarter (Q2) 2021 financial results last night. Revenue-wise, Team Blue hasn't seen much change in its situation compared to last year's Q2 results. Worrying for Intel is the fact that its data center group (DCG) revenue has been reduced by 9%, probably due to the excellent performance offered by AMD's EPYC server CPUs. The non-GAAP earnings per share overall though have improved by 12%. For those interested, you can find the full earnings report here.

 

Aside from that, the company also had some positive news to share regarding its long-delayed 10nm FinFET process. Pat Gelsinger, the new CEO of Intel has stated the company is "now manufacturing more 10-nanometer wafers than 14-nanometer".

 

Here's his full statement from a call transcript (via Seeking Alpha😞

Under IDM 2.0, our factory network continues to deliver and we are now manufacturing more 10-nanometer wafers than 14-nanometer. As 10-nanometer volumes ramp, economics are improving with 10-nanometer wafer cost 45% lower year-over-year with more to come.

A few years back, Intel had been pretty confident about its 10nm process often touting its advantages against competitors' nodes as well as its own previous processes.

Intel 10nm process advantage over competitors

The company originally hoped to launch the first 10nm-based chip in the form of the Cannon Lake family of processors back in 2015-16. Evidently, that didn't happen and the company was forced to revise its famous "Tick-Tock" cycle to the 'Process-Architecture-Optimization' (PAO).

 

The company finally launched its first 10nm processor with the hybrid Lakefield design which was for mobile. Desktop users are yet to get a taste of Intel's 10nm process but thanks to the improving yields of the node, we would likely see that soon on this form factor too starting with Alder Lake-S.

 

 

Intel says its 10nm production is now exceeding 14nm wafers

]]>1390Fri, 23 Jul 2021 21:02:28 +0000EVGA reportedly suggests very few RTX 3090s have died from running Amazon's New Worldhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/technology-news/evga-reportedly-suggests-very-few-rtx-3090s-have-died-from-running-amazons-new-world-r1389/

EVGA reportedly suggests very few RTX 3090s have died from running Amazon's New World 

A few days ago, Amazon Games' new MMORPG dubbed New World opened for beta testing and reports started pouring in about the game apparently killing Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3090 graphics cards. A large number of models that were bricking seemed to be EVGA models, in particular the FTW3 variants. A patch that would fix the problem by capping frames in the menu screen was promised yesterday by Amazon Games.

 

Andreas Schilling, who is an Editor of German news outlet Hardwareluxx, quizzed EVGA EU about the matter and the vendor has allegedly stated that the reports have hugely overblown the number of RTX 3090 cards that have died as apparently, that number is "in the single digits" only.

 

And much to the shock of those users perhaps whose cards got burned, EVGA has also reportedly stated that the vendor was unable to recreate the situation during its own testing. But the company has assured that it will analyze the bricked cards to try and figure out what could have caused such an issue. The returned GPUs will seemingly be covered under the EVGA Advanced RMA (EAR) Programme.

 

The player base for the game peaked three days ago when such reports of 3090s dying hadn't broken but since the number of players appear to have been affected somewhat by such reports.

 

 

EVGA reportedly suggests very few RTX 3090s have died from running Amazon's New World

]]>1389Fri, 23 Jul 2021 21:00:31 +0000