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October 25
- Microsoft responds to Gaming Copilot controversy, says it uses screenshots to understand in-game events, not for training AI models — optional feature can be turned off, but not easily uninstalled
➀ Microsoft clarifies screenshots from Gaming Copilot are used to analyze in-game actions, not for AI training;
➁ The optional feature is enabled by default, requiring PowerShell admin access for full removal;
➂ Users raise privacy concerns over automatic data transmission and limited transparency in settings.
- Ludicrous $6 billion Counter Strike 2 skins market crashes, loses $3 billion overnight — game update destroys inventories, collapses market
➀ Valve's 'small' CS2 update destroyed $3 billion in virtual skin value overnight by making rare items easier to obtain;
➁ The update ignited panic among investors who treated skins as commodities, with inventories losing 50% value in 38 hours;
➂ Controversy emerges over digital ownership as Valve's Terms of Service state users only license items rather than owning them.
- Internet ads firm’s CEO posts wild job description for 'A-players,' draws internet ire
➀ Icon.com, an AI advertising startup, triggered widespread controversy with its extreme job posting targeting 'A-players' that emphasizes 24/7 availability and 'shameless' dedication;
➁ Backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, the company's 'corporate values' include intense grind culture, weekend/night shifts, and a rejection of remote work;
➂ Critics blast the toxic work philosophy, comparing it to predatory capitalism depicted in films like 《Glengarry Glen Ross》, while some view it as a satirical wake-up call for the tech industry.
- IBM's boffins run a nifty quantum error-correction algorithm on standard AMD FPGAs, and it is' 10 times faster than what is needed' — research propels IBM's Starling quantum computer project forward
➀ IBM researchers successfully implemented a quantum error-correction algorithm on AMD FPGAs, achieving real-time processing 10 times faster than required;
➁ This breakthrough accelerates IBM's Starling quantum computer project, potentially shifting its 2029 schedule forward;
➂ The Relay-BP algorithm demonstrates superior flexibility and accuracy in handling quantum computational errors, addressing a key barrier to practical quantum computing.
October 24
- Intrepid modder builds Frame Warp demo from Nvidia Reflex 2 binaries — tech remains mysteriously shelved despite greatly reducing latency
➀ NVIDIA's Reflex 2 with Frame Warp technology, announced at CES 2025, remains unreleased despite showcasing significant latency reduction through spatial reprojection;
➁ Modder PureDark reverse-engineered the tech using leaked files, creating a functional demo that reduces latency by 81% on RTX 5070 Ti but reveals edge distortion artifacts;
➂ Compatibility tests show older GPUs like RTX 2080 Ti struggle with visual flaws, suggesting Frame Warp may require Blackwell's latest Tensor Cores for optimal performance.
- Intel's pivotal 18A process is making steady progress, but still lags behind — yields only set to reach industry standard levels in 2027
➀ Intel's 18A process is progressing steadily but faces low yields, with industry-standard levels projected by 2027;
➁ Panther Lake CPUs will ramp up slowly, prioritizing high-end models to maximize margins;
➂ Intel plans limited 18A capacity expansion, with peak supply anticipated by the decade's end.
- AWS outage post-mortem fingers DNS as the culprit that took out a chunk of the internet and services for days — automation systems race and crash
➀ A multi-day AWS outage, affecting millions of services, originated from a DNS configuration error in DynamoDB that cascaded to EC2 and Network Load Balancer systems.
➀ The root cause was a race condition in DNS updates: outdated automation processes overwrote critical DNS entries, leading to widespread service failures.
➂ Amazon implemented manual fixes and announced systemic safeguards, highlighting the risks of over-reliance on poorly decentralized automation in cloud infrastructure.
- Intel posts return to growth and profitability in Q3 2025, but significant challenges remain — achieves $13.7 billion revenue with $4.1 billion operating profit
➀ Intel reported Q3 2025 revenue of $13.7B (+3% YoY) and $4.1B operating profit, driven largely by one-time asset sales and government funding;
➁ Key divisions showed mixed performance: Client Computing Group revenue rose 7.6% QoQ to $8.5B, while Foundry losses narrowed to $2.3B amid capacity shortages;
➂ Q4 guidance remains cautious ($12.8B-$13.8B revenue), prioritizing data center CPU production as demand outpaces supply.
- Virtualized Windows 11 test shows Apple's M5 destroying Intel and AMD's best in single-core benchmark — Chinese enthusiast pits Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Core i9 14900KS against Apple's latest SoC
➀ Apple's M5 achieves record 1600.2 points in CPU-Z single-thread benchmark, 68% faster than Intel i9-14900KS and 85% ahead of AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D;
➁ Multi-thread performance disappoints with 5,976 points, trailing behind modern 12/16-core CPUs due to lack of hyper-threading;
➂ Benchmark conducted through Windows 11 virtualization raises questions about Apple Silicon scheduling efficiency in non-native environments.
October 23
- Tryx Panorama SE 360 ARGB Review: Elegant and quiet, with impressive software
➀ Tryx Panorama SE 360 offers a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED screen with striking 3D effects, surpassing Thermalright's Wonder Vision in visual design;
➁ Despite its $279.99 price tag, it runs 15% quieter and costs $50 less than Thermalright's competing model;
➂ Exclusive Asetek Adela pump and improved Kanali software provide better customization than rivals, though static image burn-in risk remains.
- Newegg has slashed $1,900 from this AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D PC with RX 9070 XT — score an excellent Windows 11 gaming PC for nearly half the price
➀ Newegg offers a pre-built gaming PC with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RX 9070 XT at 47% off ($1,900 discount), now $2,099;
➁ Includes 32GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi X670主板, and bundled Windows 11 for a seamless 4K gaming experience;
➂ Features premium cooling, free peripherals, and one-year warranty, positioning it as a cost-effective alternative to NVIDIA's flagship GPUs.
- Fujitsu defies convention with optical drives in new AMD Ryzen laptop — Blu-ray disk drive clings onto life in Japanese market
➀ Fujitsu launched the FMV Note A77-K3 laptop in Japan with an AMD Ryzen 7 7000-series APU and a built-in Blu-ray drive, combining modern specs with legacy optical media support.
➁ Japan remains a stronghold for optical drives, with reports of surged demand for Blu-ray drives and Windows 11 PCs in Tokyo's Akihabara district.
➂ Other Japan-exclusive laptops, like Dynabook T and NEC Lavie N16, also feature optical drives, reflecting unique market preferences for physical media.
- Trump administration to follow up Intel stake with investment in quantum computing, report claims — tens of millions of CHIPS Act dollars could be paid out to leading companies in exchange for equity
➀ The U.S. government is negotiating equity-for-funding deals with quantum computing companies like Atom Computing and IonQ, leveraging the CHIPS Act to strengthen domestic tech leadership;
➁ Companies seek at least $10 million each via the Commerce Department's Chips R&D Office, with funds redirected from Biden-era programs under Secretary Howard Lutnick;
➂ This initiative mirrors earlier stakes in Intel (9.9%) and MP Materials, aiming to boost national competitiveness in quantum tech while securing future financial returns for taxpayers.
- Google's Quantum Echo algorithm shows world's first practical application of Quantum Computing — Willow 105-qubit chip runs algorithm 13,000x faster than a supercomputer
➀ Google's Willow 105-qubit quantum chip ran the Quantum Echo algorithm 13,000x faster than supercomputers, marking the first verifiable real-world quantum computing application;
➁ The algorithm models Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to analyze atomic magnetic spins, delivering deterministic results validated against classical methods and physical reality;
➂ This breakthrough paves the way for quantum modeling of natural phenomena, with Google advancing to develop stable logical qubits in its next roadmap milestone.
- China releases 'UBIOS' standard to replace UEFI — Huawei-backed BIOS firmware replacement charges China's domestic computing goals
➀ China releases 'UBIOS' as a new BIOS firmware standard to replace UEFI, developed by 13 Chinese firms including Huawei, emphasizing domestic tech independence;
➁ UBIOS offers enhanced support for chiplets, heterogeneous computing, and non-x86 architectures (e.g., ARM, RISC-V), addressing UEFI's limitations;
➂ Part of China's broader strategy to reduce reliance on U.S. tech, aligning with the 'Document 79' mandate for domestic hardware/software adoption by 2027.
October 21
- Atari just resurrected its most potent foe in the console wars from 45 years ago, the Intellivision Spirit — $149 console comes with 45 games, was brought into the Atari fold through IP acquisition last year
➀ Atari launches redesigned Intellivision Sprint console with 45 classic games and modern features like HDMI support and wireless controllers.
➀ The console revives the iconic rivalry from the 1980s, now featuring keypad overlays and compatibility with original controllers.
➂ Pre-orders priced at $149.99 (U.S.) and £119.99 (UK) are available, with shipments expected by early December 2025.
- Trump says Intel has made a 'fortune' and America has made $40 billion after the US invested in ailing chipmaker — Intel has gained $73 billion in market cap since investment
➀ The U.S. government's 10% stake purchase in Intel led to a $73 billion market cap surge, benefiting both Intel and national revenue;
➁ Intel secured a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to supply data center CPUs and integrate GPUs, highlighting renewed industry confidence;
➂ The investment underscores U.S. efforts to strengthen domestic semiconductor sovereignty amid global tech supply chain tensions with China.
- ASML launches revolutionary lithography scanner for advanced 3D chip packaging — Twinscan XT:360 machine quadruples throughput
➀ ASML unveils the industry's first lithography scanner designed specifically for 3D packaging, with quadrupled productivity versus competitors;
➁ The Twinscan XT:260 supports 400nm resolution, handles warped wafers up to 1.7mm thick, and enables 4X reticle-sized interposers without stitching;
➂ This tool bridges the gap between front/back-end processes and accelerates adoption of advanced packaging technologies for AI/HPC applications.
October 20
- Colossal AWS outage breaks the internet — Roblox, Fortnite, Zoom and beyond all crippled
➀ Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a massive outage in the US-EAST-1 Region, causing severe disruptions to DynamoDB APIs and DNS resolution;
➁ Major platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, Zoom, Snapchat, as well as banking apps and AI services, were rendered inaccessible due to AWS dependency;
➂ AWS confirmed gradual recovery but warned of lingering delays due to backlogged requests, spotlighting risks of centralized cloud infrastructure.
- Musk challenges legendary AI researcher Karpathy to an AI coding showdown against Grok 5 — gets a polite 'no' to an IBM Deep Blue-like showdown
➀ Elon Musk proposed a Kasparov vs. Deep Blue-style AI coding contest between xAI's Grok 5 and former OpenAI lead Andrej Karpathy, which Karpathy declined, emphasizing AI as a collaborator;
➁ The challenge follows Karpathy's remarks that AGI remains a decade away and that Grok 5 trails GPT-4 by months, while Musk claims Grok 5 has a 10% AGI probability;
➂ Analysts note Grok 5's credibility hinges on transparent benchmarking akin to DeepMind's competition-grade tests, yet xAI has not yet published formal results.
October 19
- WeCreat Lumos review: Premium and portable
➀ The WeCreat Lumos features dual 10W diode and 3W infrared lasers for versatile engraving on wood, metal, and curved surfaces;
➀ Compact design (15 lbs) with galvo-style mirror system enables portability but limits workspace to 4.5x4.5 inches;
➁ Safety concerns include no automatic shutoff when lid is lifted and lack of included protective goggles, despite Class 4 laser risks.
- OceanGate Titan computers crushed into twisted mass of metal and electronics during catastrophic implosion — investigators find signs of thermal damage, too
➀ The OceanGate Titan submersible's mission computers, composed of three Nuvo-5000LP fanless PCs, were crushed into a 100-pound metal-electronics mass during its 2023 implosion;
➁ Despite finding intact SanDisk memory cards, CT scans and physical extraction revealed deformed SSDs with cracked NAND chips, rendering all data unrecoverable;
➂ Thermal damage and extreme pressure effects highlight the limits of consumer-grade electronics in deep-sea environments.
- BitLocker reportedly auto-locks users' backup drives, causing loss of 3TB of valuable data — Windows automatic disk encryption can permanently lock your drives
➀ A Windows user lost access to 3TB of backup data after BitLocker auto-enabled during a system reset, despite no prior activation.
➁ Microsoft's default BitLocker encryption on Windows 11 (with Microsoft account sign-in) triggered irreversible drive locking, leaving recovery tools ineffective due to AES-256 security.
➂ The incident highlights risks of corporate-mandated security measures and underscores the need for manual encryption checks and key backups.
- Stinky thermal paste emits acidic vapors, corrodes copper, 'glues' heatsinks to processors, and permanently damages coolers - SGT-4 TIM is a chemically reactive blend, finds investigation
➀ The South Korean-made Amech SGT-4 thermal paste emits acetic acid vapors, corrodes copper surfaces, and causes permanent damage to CPUs/coolers through 'ant nest corrosion'.
➁ Despite manufacturer claims of RoHS/REACH compliance, chemical analysis reveals its reactive acetoxy-curing formula reduces thermal conductivity by 30% and chemically 'glues' heatsinks to processors.
➂ Community backlash intensifies as the manufacturer dismisses evidence and attacks critics, eroding trust amid widespread reports of hardware damage.
October 18
- Jensen Huang personally delivers DGX Spark Mini PCs to Elon Musk and Sam Altman — separately
➀ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang personally delivered the first DGX Spark AI mini-PCs to Elon Musk and Sam Altman separately, highlighting their rivalry since co-founding OpenAI.
➁ The DGX Spark, powered by Grace Blackwell Superchips, offers 1 petaflop of AI performance and supports models with 200 billion parameters, with a price increase to $3,999.
➂ Huang’s symbolic deliveries extended to top AI researchers at Google, Meta, Microsoft, and others, while partner brands like Dell and Asus offer similar systems without "Jensen-powered" service.
- Power bricks and wall warts for EU market must include detachable USB-C cables by 2028 — New legislation also adds power rating labels for cables
➀ The EU mandates detachable USB-C cables and power rating labels for external power supplies (EPS) by 2028, covering devices like gaming consoles, monitors, and routers;
➁ EPS units must adhere to USB-PD standards, enforce efficiency requirements, and include surge protection for certain categories;
➂ The legislation aims to reduce e-waste and save 1,070 TWh annually by 2030, promoting consumer convenience and sustainability.
- Second-gen Phison SSD controllers hit the market with 14.9 GB/s speeds — TeamGroup Z54E spearheads a new army of PCIe 5.0 drives
➀ TeamGroup launches T-Force Z54E, the first retail SSD with Phison's 6nm E28 controller, offering speeds up to 14.9 GB/s;
➁ The E28 controller enhances power efficiency and challenges Silicon Motion's SM2508 in PCIe 5.0 market dominance;
➂ Z54E utilizes graphene heatsink for thermal management, with 4TB models delivering up to 2,400 TBW endurance and a 5-year warranty.
October 15
- Frore's new LiquidJet coldplates are equipped to handle the spiralling power demands of future AI GPUs — built to handle up to 4.4Kw TDPs, solution could be deployed in power-hungry Feynman data centers
➀ Frore Systems introduced LiquidJet coldplates capable of handling up to 4.4kW TDP, compatible with NVIDIA's Blackwell and next-gen Feynman AI GPUs.
➁ The 3D short-loop jet-channel microstructures reduce pressure loss by 4x and achieve hotspot density of 600W/cm², doubling traditional coldplate performance.
➂ Scalable design supports future processors like Rubin (3.6kW) and integrates flexibility for custom hotspot mapping, improving AI training efficiency and data center PUE.
- Ber8auer rigs up exotic spray cooling for Ryzen 7 9800X3D, but don't get excited just yet — supercomputer cooling method underperforms due to partial IHS coverage
➀ German overclocker Der8auer tested spray cooling on a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU using a makeshift setup, revealing challenges in achieving full IHS coverage.
➁ The experimental cooling method, inspired by supercomputers like Cray X1, relies on non-conductive mist sprayed directly on the chip but underperformed compared to traditional air cooling.
➂ Despite partial success, results highlighted the critical role of nozzle placement and coolant properties, emphasizing spray cooling's niche status in supercomputing.
- DoJ seizes $15 billion in Bitcoin from Cambodian fraudster who ran 'pig butchering' scam using forced labor — accused could face 40 years in prison following department's biggest ever crypto confiscation
➀ The U.S. Department of Justice seized 127,271 Bitcoins (valued at $15B) from Chen Zhi, a Cambodian fraudster accused of orchestrating a 'pig butchering' scam using forced labor;
➀ The operation involved a transnational criminal network spanning 30+ countries, with victims deceived through emotional manipulation and fake investments;
➂ Chen Zhi faces up to 40 years in prison, while his conglomerate 'Prince Group' was officially designated as a criminal organization by U.S. and UK authorities.