Tom's Hardware

US gov’t set to ban Huawei intermediary Sophgo over AI chip supplies — partnership skirted US chip sanctions

The U.S. government will add Sophgo, a Chinese tech company, to the Department of Commerce’s Entity List for being an intermediary between blacklisted Huawei and TSMC, reports Reuters. For Sophgo, being placed on the Entity List means that it will no longer be able to procure advanced chips, effectively signaling the end of its operations. On the… Read more

Micron’s HBM4E heralds a new era of customized memory for AI GPUs and beyond

This week, Micron provided an update on its HBM4 and HBM4E programs. The next-generation HBM4 memory, with a 2048-bit interface, is on track for mass production in calendar year 2026, with HBM4E to follow in subsequent years. In addition to offering higher data transfer rates than HBM4, HBM4E will also introduce an option to customize its base die,… Read more

ASRock Challenger Arc B570 lands in the hands of user a month before launch — Reportedly sips just 10W of power at idle and runs a handful of games despite no official driver support

A German retailer mistakenly shipped the ASRock Challenger B570 to a PC Games Hardware forum member on December 14 (Credit: Videocardz); however, testing has been limited by the lack of official drivers. Intel’s newly launched Arc Battlemage GPUs are shaking up the budget market, with the Arc B580 beating Nvidia’s RTX 4060 while costing less… Read more

Core Ultra 9 285K is faster in Linux than in Windows – flagship Arrow Lake chip is 6 to 8% faster on average in Linux

Intel’s new Core Ultra 9 285K launched to a lukewarm reception due to its middling performance, but switching to Linux could fix that. Compared to Windows 11 with the 24H2 update, the 285K ran 6% better on average on Ubuntu 24.10, the latest version according to Phoronix. Upgrading the Linux kernel to 6.13 pushed the… Read more

New AI accelerator slots into an M.2 SSD port — MemryX launches $149 MX3 AI Accelerator Module capable of 24 TOPS

MemryX, a technology start-up originating from the University of Michigan, has launched a $149 M.2 module [PDF] designed to provide efficient AI processing capabilities for compact computing systems. The module targets edge computing applications, where power efficiency and compact design are critical. Packing four MemryX MX3 AI accelerator chips onto a standard M.2 2280 form… Read more

Japanese company makes $16 USB-C cable that rotates 360 degrees — cable is approximately 3 feet long and offers 240W power delivery and USB 2.0 transfer speeds

Sanwa Supply Inc., a leading Japanese company known for building peripherals and other accessories, like the USB foot pedals and MagSafe-like Ethernet cables, has just released a USB-C cable with a connector that bends by 180 degrees and rotates on its axis by 360 degrees. Japanese site ITmedia (machine translated) said that the company offers… Read more

Underwater footage raises suspicions of undersea cable sabotage as European authorities board Chinese ship for investigation

After weeks of investigation on the suspected sabotage by a Chinese bulk carrier on the cutting of two undersea internet cables connecting Finland and Sweden to Central Europe, Denmark facilitated a meeting between the concerned parties and China to allow representatives from Germany, Finland, Denmark, and Germany to board the Yi Peng 3. Reuters said… Read more

China’s CXMT begins producing DDR5 memory — first China-made DDR5 sticks reportedly aimed at consumer PCs

Over the past several days, multiple reports have emerged that various China-based third-party memory module makers have begun selling DDR5 DRAM sticks for enthusiasts based on DDR5 chips produced by the China-based ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). CXMT has never publicly announced its DDR5, so if it mass-produces enough DDR5 chips to sell to third-party module makers, this… Read more

Intel ex-CEO Gelsinger and his CFO slapped with lawsuit over Intel Foundry disclosures — plaintiffs demand Gelsinger surrenders his entire salary earned during his tenure

LR Trust, an Intel shareholder, has filed a lawsuit related to the performance of Intel Foundry and against former and current executives as well as directors of the company (as discovered by The Register). The lawsuit accuses Pat Gelsinger, the former chief executive of Intel, and David Zinsner, an interim co-CEO and CFO of Intel, of… Read more

PlayStation 5 Pro specifications thoroughly explained, ‘FLOPflation’ debunked by PS5 system architect Mark Cerny

PlayStation uploaded a video yesterday of Mark Cerny presenting a PS5 Pro Technical Seminar at Sony Interactive Entertainment HQ. The system architect provided a deep dive into Playstation 5 Pro’s new hardware and chose to clarify some rumors floating around the new console. Mark spent some time addressing “FLOPflation” since an “erroneous 33.5 TFLOPs number”… Read more

Intel terminates x86S initiative — unilateral quest to de-bloat x86 instruction set comes to an end

In the first sign of changes to come after the formation of a new industry group, Intel has confirmed to Tom’s Hardware that it is no longer working on the x86S specification. The decision comes after Intel announced the formation of the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, which brings together Intel, AMD, Google, and numerous other industry stalwarts… Read more

A perfect holiday gift for the racing-sim enthusiast in your life – Thrustmaster’s T248 racing wheel hits an all-time low

This is a great holiday bargain for yourself or a family member who loves racing games or simulations. The step-up from a controller to a racing wheel can really increase immersion in any racing/driving game, from Forza to American Truck Simulator. The Thrustmaster T248 provides haptic force feedback from your choice of games and helps… Read more

Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 gaming PCs listed prematurely for $7,539 and $4,399 at a retailer — Blackwell meets Arrow Lake to power upcoming Predator Orion 7000 PCs from Acer

(Image credit: Nvidia) Premature listings from German retailer Otto.de (Credit: Videocardz) feature upcoming Predator Orion 7000 models from Acer, including the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, priced at $7,539 and $4,399, respectively. As of writing, the listings have been taken down. Remember that the pricing mentioned is not final and is most likely a placeholder…. Read more

AMD’s ‘Golden Rabbit’ GPU reportedly hits ‘end of life’ status — Radeon RX 7900 GRE is no longer available at any retailer

AMD is beginning to retire some of its current-generation RX 7000 series GPUs ahead of its rumored RX 8000 series launch next year. Tweakers reports that several AMD add-in board partners confirmed that the upper mid-range RX 7900 GRE has been declared “end-of-life” and is no longer being produced. We can confirm this: the RX… Read more

Intel Wildcat Lake CPU tooling surfaces in shipping manifests — reportedly adopts next-gen Cougar Cove and Darkmont cores, Intel 18A node

As CPU enthusiasts anticipate Intel’s Panther Lake CPUs next year, the firm is likely working on several other undisclosed projects. One of them is Wildcat Lake, allegedly succeeding the Alder Lake-N “Intel Processor” lineup, catering to the lightweight laptop and mini-PC market (via x86deadandback). While we don’t have more information than a few shipping manifests… Read more