From Tom's Hardware · 40 stories
Gears of War: E-Day Leverages Unreal Engine 5's MegaLights and Shows High CPU Utilization
Gears of War: E-Day, a new title in the Gears saga, is built on Unreal Engine 5 and is the first game to utilize its MegaLights technology, enabling hundreds of dynamic ray-traced light sources in real time. The game also exhibits unusually high CPU utilization, with some CPUs reaching 80-90% usage, and demonstrates clear performance scaling across different CPU models, a departure from most other Unreal Engine 5 titles.
OpenAI Unveils Jalapeño AI Accelerator Chip, Designed with Assistance from Its Own LLMs
OpenAI has introduced Jalapeño, its first AI accelerator chip, which offers up to 13.4 petaflops of 4-bit compute and 232 GB of memory. The chip was designed in under 20 months, with OpenAI's own large language models (LLMs) assisting the design process, enabling a faster development timeline.
Logitech Launches Yeti 2 USB Microphone with AI Noise Reduction and Proximity Sensor
Logitech has released the Yeti 2, an updated version of its Blue Yeti USB microphone, 17 years after the original's launch. The new model includes a 3D proximity sensor for automatic gain and pickup pattern adjustments, AI-powered noise reduction for background sounds, and a 1.3-inch LED display. Priced at $159.99, the Yeti 2 aims to simplify audio recording for podcasters and streamers.
Cloudflare prototypes Zstandard compression in Pingora to save petabytes of cache storage
Cloudflare prototyped a Cache Transcoding system using Zstandard compression within its Pingora proxy, reducing cached asset sizes by two-thirds on average. This system aims to expand effective cache capacity and decrease cross-data center bandwidth usage by trading a minor CPU increase for significant storage savings.
AWS confirms permanent data loss in UAE data center after drone strikes, advises migration
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has confirmed the permanent loss of customer data in its mec1-az2 Availability Zone in the United Arab Emirates, six months after drone strikes impacted its data centers in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. AWS is advising customers to migrate their applications to alternate regions as it cannot restore access to the affected zone and has not provided a full service restoration timeline, impacting regional cloud operations.
Second Complete Map of a Male Fruit Fly Brain Completed by Researchers
Researchers from Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus and Google have completed the connectome, a map of every neuron, in a male fruit fly brain. This achievement provides a new tool for neurobiology research and refines methods for mapping more complex nervous systems, building on a previous map of a female fruit fly brain.
Anthropic Blocks Houthi-Linked Accounts Attempting AI-Assisted Missile Development
Anthropic identified and blocked accounts in Houthi-controlled Yemen that attempted to use its Claude AI model to develop advanced missiles, including a multi-variant hypersonic missile and a warhead with mobile phone hardware for guidance. The users conducted a failed guided rocket test and sought AI assistance to understand the failure, indicating attempts to advance their weapons capabilities.
Sony seeks arbitration for PlayStation Store 'buy' button class action lawsuit
Sony Interactive Entertainment has requested a federal judge to move a class action lawsuit regarding PlayStation Store's "buy" and "purchase" labels into individual arbitration. The lawsuit alleges Sony misleads consumers by using terms like "buy" for revocable game licenses, violating California's digital goods law (AB 2426) which became effective January 1, 2025.
EFF Urges Governor Newsom to Veto California's AB 1709 Social Media Ban for Under-16s
The California legislature passed Assembly Bill 1709 (A.B. 1709), which bans social media use for individuals under 16, prompting the EFF to call for a gubernatorial veto. The EFF argues the bill restricts access to essential information and online communities, particularly for vulnerable youth, and could lead to privacy issues through mandatory age verification.
FBI arrests alleged ringleader in $240 million Bitcoin theft and money laundering scheme
The FBI arrested Malone Lam, an alleged ringleader, and 17 others involved in a $240 million Bitcoin theft from August 2024, which was followed by a spending spree and a sophisticated money laundering operation. This case highlights an increase in cryptocurrency investment fraud complaints to the FBI, which rose by nearly 50% in 2025.
Microsoft introduces Project Zenith for developer-optimized Windows experience
Microsoft announced Project Zenith, a new initiative for developer-optimized Windows devices with 64GB or more unified memory, designed to provide a distraction-free environment and local AI model execution. This project aims to accelerate experimentation for developers by enabling local execution of large language models and reducing reliance on cloud tokens.
Alienware Releases 39-inch 5K Ultrawide OLED Gaming Monitor with High Vertical Resolution
Alienware has released the AW3926QW, a 39-inch ultrawide OLED gaming monitor. It features a 5120x2160 (5K) resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and 2,160 vertical pixels, providing more vertical screen space than typical 34-inch ultrawides. This monitor is noted for its visual clarity and immersive gaming experience.
Lenovo Unveils Yoga Pro 9n and Yoga 9n 2-in-1 Laptops with NVIDIA RTX Spark
Lenovo introduced two new Yoga laptops, the Yoga Pro 9n and Yoga 9n 2-in-1, featuring NVIDIA's RTX Spark chip. These devices, announced at IFA, are designed for AI workloads, creative tasks, and general productivity, with configurations offering up to 128GB of unified memory and up to 4TB of SSD storage. The RTX Spark chip integrates NVIDIA's Grace CPU with a Blackwell RTX GPU, providing on-device AI processing capabilities.
Microsoft Investigates August Windows Updates Causing Gaming Issues on Windows 11
Microsoft is investigating reports that the August 2026 Windows updates (KB5121003) are preventing some games from launching or causing crashes on Windows 11, versions 25H2 and 24H2. This issue affects titles like ARC Raiders and MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, leading to freezes, unexpected closures, and errors for affected users.
IBM unveils mainframe chip supporting both Arm and Z workloads on same cores
IBM announced a new mainframe processor that can natively execute both IBM's instruction set and Arm's, switching between them in nanoseconds. This development allows enterprises to run Arm-native Linux software, including AI frameworks, alongside traditional z/OS transaction-processing workloads on the same chip.
Bill Gates Proposes 'Human Reserved' Jobs and AI Taxation Amidst AI Upheaval Concerns
Bill Gates, in an essay titled "The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make are critical," proposed the concept of "human reserved" jobs to protect certain sectors from AI displacement. He also suggested taxing AI tokens and expressed concern that governments are unprepared for the broad impact of AI, which he believes will lead to one of the most turbulent times in human history.
HoverAir Unveils Versa, a Hybrid Gimbal Camera and Self-Flying Drone
HoverAir introduced Versa, a new device that combines a three-axis gimbal camera with a drone. The Versa functions as a stabilized pocket camera and can magnetically attach to a foldable drone body for autonomous aerial footage, aiming to simplify content creation for vloggers and filmmakers.
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Logitech for Not Refunding Customers Over Trump-Era Tariffs
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Logitech by law firm CPM, seeking refunds for customers who paid higher prices due to tariffs imposed during the Trump administration. The US Supreme Court ruled these tariffs illegal and ordered refunds to manufacturers, but companies have not passed these savings to consumers.
LG Display Unveils FLiPP OLED Manufacturing Method for Brighter, Longer-Lasting Panels
LG Display introduced FLiPP, a new OLED manufacturing method that eliminates the need for fine metal masks, resulting in panels that are brighter, more efficient, and have extended lifespans. This technology could enable OLED displays of various sizes, from small wearables to large TVs, and will first be applied to IT products.
Google acquires Spirit Airlines operational data for AI model training
Google purchased a dataset from the defunct Spirit Airlines for $10 million to use in training its AI models. This acquisition provides Google with a large volume of real-world operational and business data, excluding personally identifiable information, to enhance its AI capabilities.
Google Plans to Move All Pixel Production Out of China by 2027
Google reportedly plans to shift all Pixel phone, watch, and earbud production out of China by 2027, moving manufacturing to Vietnam and India. This move aims to diversify its supply chain and capitalize on existing manufacturing ecosystems in other regions.
Nine PBS Regains Access to 50TB Archive After Cloud Vendor Ceases Operations
Nine PBS, a St. Louis public television station, lost access to 50TB of archival data after its cloud storage vendor, Open Source Storage (OSS), ceased operations. A judge has since ordered Iron Mountain, the data center physically housing the data, to provide Nine PBS access to the physical devices containing its 70-year archive, which includes irreplaceable historical content.
Plaintiff Used Hidden AI Prompt Injections in Court Filings to Influence Case Outcome
Matthew Elliott, a self-represented litigant in a Connecticut court, embedded hidden prompt injections in two official court filings against the New York Bariatric Group. These instructions, formatted in tiny white text, were designed to manipulate any AI model reviewing the documents to favor his position and were discovered due to unusual white space, leading to a show cause order from the judge.
53% of Americans Oppose AI Data Centers in Their Neighborhoods
A recent Redfin survey reveals that 53% of U.S. residents are opposed to building AI data centers in their local areas, citing concerns over resource strain and community disruption. This opposition arises despite potential benefits, such as increased local tax revenue and education spending in areas with established data centers.
AMD's Q2 Revenue Jumps 50% to $11.5 Billion Driven by Data Center Growth
AMD reported a 50% year-over-year increase in second-quarter revenue, reaching $11.5 billion, primarily due to a 107% surge in data center sales to $6.7 billion. This growth was attributed to demand for AI capacity and sales of Epyc CPUs and Instinct GPUs, while gaming revenue declined by 31% to $779 million.
SpaceX to Remove Unpermitted xAI Data Center Turbines by July 2027
SpaceX announced it will remove 69 unpermitted gas turbines powering its xAI data centers near Memphis by July 2027. This follows lawsuits from groups like the NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center regarding the turbines' operation without federal permits, and the company will transition to a permanent 1.2 gigawatt natural gas power plant.
HP OmniBook Ultra 14 Review: Powerful Snapdragon Performance at a High Price
The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 laptop leverages the Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, providing strong performance and battery life but with some drawbacks. Despite its premium build and innovative design, the $2,900 price, bloatware, and lack of certain ports may deter potential buyers.
Geekbench 7 Released with New Media Workloads and Redesigned Multi-Core Testing
Primate Labs has released Geekbench 7, an update to its cross-platform benchmarking tool, featuring new video and audio encoding/decoding tests, larger datasets, and a redesigned multi-core test that mirrors real-world application behavior. This update aims to provide more accurate performance measurements for modern CPUs and GPUs across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
TSMC to Invest Additional $100 Billion for 2nm Chip Fabs in Arizona
TSMC is set to expand its U.S. operations by investing an additional $100 billion in building at least four new advanced chip fabs in Arizona. This move aims to increase domestic production capacity amid rising U.S. demand and government support. However, challenges remain regarding the production of advanced chips and the economic impact on TSMC's margins.
SpaceX Launches Starlink V5 Dish with Smaller, Lighter Design
SpaceX unveiled its Starlink V5 residential dish, featuring a reduced size and improved energy efficiency, available in select regions. It allows for maximum speeds of up to 375 Mbps, slightly lower than the V4's 400 Mbps, making it suitable for home internet use. The dish is not for in-motion usage, unlike the upcoming Starlink Mini. This release may lower user costs due to its energy efficiency.
Florida Man Arrested for Cryptocurrency Theft via Steam Game Malware
Zyaire Wilkins was arrested for allegedly using malware-laden games on Steam to steal $220,000 in cryptocurrency. The operation infected about 8,000 devices and targeted 80 crypto wallets from May 2024 to February 2026. This highlights security risks in digital distribution platforms like Steam.
Microsoft's Carbon Emissions Increase 25% in 2025 Due to AI Datacenter Expansion
Microsoft's 2026 Sustainability Report shows a 25% rise in carbon emissions in 2025, reaching 34 million metric tons primarily due to AI and datacenter growth. This challenges Microsoft's commitment to being carbon-negative by 2030. The company cites datacenter expansion and reduced reliance on renewable energy certificates as key factors.
EU Parliament Revives Chat Control 1.0 Allowing CSAM Scans Until 2028
The European Parliament has approved a procedure to revive the expired 'Chat Control 1.0' regulation, permitting tech companies to scan digital communications for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) until 2028. Despite previous rejections, the law was reinstated through a legal maneuver requiring an absolute majority to block it. The regulation raises significant privacy concerns, but excludes encrypted messaging services.
Anthropic Discovers Internal 'J-Space' in Claude AI Model Resembling Conscious Thought
Anthropic's research identifies a 'J-space' in its Claude AI, mirroring certain aspects of human conscious processing. This discovery reveals internal reasoning capabilities similar to human cognition, raising discussions on AI interpretability and safety monitoring.
Fi Ultra Pet Tracker Introduces Starlink Satellite Connectivity for Wider Coverage
Fi has launched the Fi Ultra pet tracker featuring T-Mobile's Starlink satellite service for expanded coverage beyond cellular towers, providing continuous GPS tracking across the US. Despite its enhanced connectivity, the device has a reduced battery life of two days and costs $199 plus an annual fee. This advancement is significant for pet owners needing reliable location tracking in remote or cellular-dead zones.
Xbox Tests Disc-to-Digital Feature for Physical Game Collections
Microsoft has started testing a disc-to-digital feature for Xbox, enabling owners to convert Xbox One and Series X/S physical games to digital formats. This comes amid a rise in digital gaming, aligning with industry trends after Sony's decision to halt physical game disc production by 2028.
Germany rules YMTC's 3D NAND patent infringement claims against Micron are valid
A German court issued injunctions against Micron, ruling it infringed on two of YMTC's 3D NAND technology patents. This decision could impact Micron's supply in Germany and the broader European NAND market, escalating a multi-year global legal dispute between the two memory manufacturers.
Consultancy tests DeepSeek V4.1 Flash on Nvidia H200s, finds it more expensive than Claude
The Call Center Doctors rented Nvidia H200 hardware to test DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, finding that running it on rented hardware was more expensive and less efficient than using Claude's API for their specific coding agent workload. The test aimed to verify claims of DeepSeek being significantly cheaper than Claude, but revealed that high re-read token volume made the hardware-based solution impractical.
Sony launched the world's first consumer CD player, the CDP-101, in Japan in 1982
Sony released the CDP-101, the first consumer CD player, in Japan on October 1, 1982, priced at JPY 168,000. This launch initiated the compact disc digital audio era, offering consumers a new format for music playback with promises of improved sound quality and durability over vinyl and cassette tapes.
Xbox's Disc-to-Digital Feature Result of 15-Year Development and Disc Identification
Xbox recently announced a disc-to-digital feature, allowing users to convert physical Xbox One game discs into digital copies. This capability stems from a decision made 15 years ago by Microsoft to uniquely identify discs, enabling game preservation and potential future digital ownership models.