Government Announces Dallas Testing Center for 5G Open RAN

The Biden administration has awarded another $42 million to advance development of the 5G Open RAN standard (O-RAN) that has become known as the “Huawei killer.” Administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in the form of a grant, the funding will be used to establish a Dallas testing center and companion satellite facility in the Washington DC area for evaluation and R&D in O-RAN, a standard designed to facilitate interoperability of cellular hardware and software among different wireless providers. The goal is to bring more equipment manufacturers into a market dominated by China’s Huawei. Continue reading Government Announces Dallas Testing Center for 5G Open RAN

CES: Dell Demos Its UltraSharp Curved Thunderbolt Monitors

Dell is showing off two new curved ultrawide monitors at CES. The 5K UltraSharp 40 Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor displays at 5120×2160 and is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified. Starting at $2,400, the ultrawide is the world’s first 40-inch 5K monitor certified for five-star eye comfort, according to Dell. The company also introduced the UltraSharp 34 Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor with 3440×1440 WQHD resolution. In addition to eye comfort, both models feature IPS Black technology and single-cable Thunderbolt 4 connectivity (albeit at different rates with the 40-inch topping out at 140W versus 90W for the junior sibling, at $1,020). Continue reading CES: Dell Demos Its UltraSharp Curved Thunderbolt Monitors

CES: Alienware Intros Updated Laptops, Curved 4K Monitors

Dell’s Alienware has redesigned its gaming laptops with the debut of the m16 R2. It is also coming to market with Pro Line peripherals and two new QD-OLED curved gaming monitors, being showcased this week at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. The new m16 R2 laptop has a slimmed down look, with a reduced heat shelf and Stealth Mode that turns off the glitzy lighting and boisterous sound for gamers who want their portable hardware to perform double duty as a productivity device. The company also unveiled its first competitive gaming peripherals, the Alienware Pro wireless mouse and keyboard. Continue reading CES: Alienware Intros Updated Laptops, Curved 4K Monitors

CES: LG Introduces OLED Display Tech Designed for Gaming

Display manufacturers are giving gamers a big OLED push this year. That means faster refresh rates, a big plus when it comes to action titles, including sports. Samsung has a 32-inch OLED monitor that delivers 4K at 240Hz and 27-inch QHD OLED monitors and panels that clock at 360Hz. LG Display, providing tech to third parties — has debuted a 1440p panel said to be the fastest OLED yet. LG Elecronics’ own UltraGear 32 OLED is the company’s first to use dual refresh technology and has a .03ms response time, processing 4K at 240Hz and 480Hz for 1080p. Continue reading CES: LG Introduces OLED Display Tech Designed for Gaming

AMD’s New AI Chips Get Welcome Reception from Enterprise

AMD is coming to market with a new slate of chips optimized for artificial intelligence, including the AMD Instinct MI300 Series data center AI accelerators, ROCm 6 open software stack with new features for large language models, and Ryzen 8040 Series processors with Ryzen AI. The new offerings have received a welcome reception from customers including Microsoft, Oracle, Meta Platforms and Dell, among others that can benefit from building a strong network of suppliers of AI chips. The market is currently dominated by Nvidia, which is challenged to meet existing demand. Continue reading AMD’s New AI Chips Get Welcome Reception from Enterprise

United Kingdom Investing $273 Million in AI Supercomputing

The UK government plans to invest at least £225 million (about $273 million) in AI supercomputing with the aim of bringing Great Britain into closer parity with AI leaders the U.S. and China. Among the new machines coming online is Dawn, which was built by the University of Cambridge Research Computing Services, Intel and Dell and is being hosted by the Cambridge Open Zettascale Lab. “Dawn Phase 1 represents a huge step forward in AI and simulation capability for the UK, deployed and ready to use now,” said Dr. Paul Calleja, director of Research Computing at Cambridge. Continue reading United Kingdom Investing $273 Million in AI Supercomputing

Qualcomm Teases Its Soon-to-Launch Snapdragon X Series

The name ‘X’ may have received an icy welcome as a social media platform, but Qualcomm is snapping it up with a new line of PC chips called the Snapdragon X series. The “all-new naming architecture” describes a chip anchored by the Qualcomm Oryon CPU, which when combined with its neural processing unit (NPU) will deliver what the company says will be “next-level performance, AI, connectivity and battery life.” The move positions Qualcomm to take on Apple in the bid for AI super chips. Qualcomm acquired the Oryon tech with its 2021 acquisition of Nuvia, founded by former Apple engineers. Continue reading Qualcomm Teases Its Soon-to-Launch Snapdragon X Series

Dell Partnering with Nvidia and Starburst for GenAI Solutions

Dell Technologies is expanding its Generative AI Solutions portfolio to help enterprise customers add GenAI to their workflow. The expansion includes support for advanced infrastructure and collaborative data solutions that optimize and help secure intelligence gathering and utilization. Dell takes a “validated design” approach to optimization and acceleration, testing different hardware configurations designed to fit the needs of various use cases. Dell has partnered with Nvidia for validated GenAI design for model customization, and with Starburst on data lakehouse solutions that tap multi-cloud data for AI end-use. Continue reading Dell Partnering with Nvidia and Starburst for GenAI Solutions

CES: Nvidia Intros AI Impact on Gaming, Omniverse, Laptops

At Nvidia’s CES 2023 keynote, executives revealed new products and innovations in laptops, gaming, the omniverse, robotics and auto technology. Nvidia senior vice president of gaming Jeff Fisher focused on the company’s AI developments, emphasizing that, “AI will define the future of computing,” and adding that “this has influenced much” of what the company is showing at CES. He highlighted the company’s “new era of laptop computing,” powered by its Ada Lovelace architecture, GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs and new 5th generation Max-Q technologies with DLSS 3 for quadrupled speed. Continue reading CES: Nvidia Intros AI Impact on Gaming, Omniverse, Laptops

Broadcom Targets Software with $61 Billion VMware Purchase

Broadcom announced it will acquire VMware in a cash-and-stock transaction that values VMware at $61 billion. The deal, which expands semiconductor supplier Broadcom into enterprise software, is among the top technology transactions of all time, right behind Microsoft’s pending $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard and Dell’s 2016 acquisition of EMC for $67 billion. Broadcom will also assume $8 billion of VMware debt. The news sent shares of Broadcom up 2 percent and VMware more than 1 percent early Thursday. VMware enterprise products optimize client-side servers as well as cloud servers. Continue reading Broadcom Targets Software with $61 Billion VMware Purchase

Apple’s Next Major Product Could Involve Augmented Reality

Next year, Apple is expected to unveil a glasses-like wearable that will be its big follow-up to the iPhone. This headset is expected to offer layers of information, objects and data spread to augment reality. Although Apple has remained mum on its plans for smart glasses, CEO Tim Cook is not shy about referencing AR and its “critically important” role in the company’s future, in September describing himself to a YouTube influencer as “AR fan #1,” and in a separate interview calling augmented reality one of the “very few profound technologies.” Continue reading Apple’s Next Major Product Could Involve Augmented Reality

Apple Self Service Repair Shop Is Good News for Consumers

In what’s billed as a major triumph in the “right to repair” movement, Apple says it will begin selling the parts and tools to allow people to make their own iPhone repairs. The movement gained momentum in July when the FTC announced it would step up enforcement against tech firms that made gadget repairs difficult for consumers and small businesses. Microsoft, which along with Apple, Google and Amazon had lobbied against the FTC effort, in October announced it was joining Dell, HP and Motorola in getting a jump on “right to repair” legislation. Continue reading Apple Self Service Repair Shop Is Good News for Consumers

Microsoft Reveals Its New Laptops and Dual-Screen Portable

Microsoft unveiled its fall product line including the Surface Duo 2 folding phone, Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Pro X that comes in a Wi-Fi only version. The Duo 2 hits the streets October 21 and the others on October 5. The new devices will no doubt get a bounce from Windows 11, announced earlier this month with rollout to begin later this year. The Duo 2’s rear mounted camera with thee lenses is a welcome upgrade. The previous model had one lens and required that the case be opened and folded backward for taking photos. Another big change is the petite Laptop Studio, which has three modes enabled by a hinged case. Continue reading Microsoft Reveals Its New Laptops and Dual-Screen Portable

Microsoft’s Windows 11 to Launch Oct. 5 as a Free Upgrade

Microsoft will begin its Windows 11 rollout October 5, marking the Seattle-based software giant’s first major operating system release in six years. In addition to AI-powered widgets, Windows 11 upgrades include cloud-based synchronization across multiple devices that allows easy access to recently viewed files, an improved desktop that uses Snap Layouts and Snap Groups to maximize multitasking and taskbar integration of chat in Microsoft Teams, Windows’ in-app videoconferencing, and enhanced sound and design. Continue reading Microsoft’s Windows 11 to Launch Oct. 5 as a Free Upgrade

TSMC to Raise Its Chip Prices as Global Shortage Continues

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) — the world’s largest contract chipmaker — plans to raise prices on its most advanced chips by about 10 percent and less advanced chips by about 20 percent, to take effect late this year or in early 2022. The price hike is taking place during a global shortage of semiconductors that already impacts auto companies including General Motors and Toyota Motor, an array of consumer electronics, and major tech companies such as Apple, which uses TSMC chips in its smartphones. GM closed three North American factories and Toyota will slow production by 40 percent in September. Continue reading TSMC to Raise Its Chip Prices as Global Shortage Continues