During the recent UBS Global Technology Conference, NVIDIA's Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress hinted at the possibility of a partnership with Intel Foundry Services for the production of next-generation chips.
Currently, a significant portion of NVIDIA's Data Center GPUs for AI/HPC and Gaming chips is manufactured by TSMC. However, just one generation ago, Samsung was responsible for building NVIDIA's Gaming GPUs. Samsung played a crucial role in developing Ampere, NVIDIA's GPU family that powers the GeForce RTX 30 "Gaming" graphics cards. Samsung is now aiming to play a more prominent role in NVIDIA's data center revenue, making it a close partner to Team Green.
While TSMC is expected to remain a key partner for NVIDIA in producing Hopper H200 and Blackwell B100 GPUs, NVIDIA is open to expanding its ecosystem of foundry partners. Kress expressed the company's openness to having a third foundry partner, with Intel being a potential candidate. Kress stated, "Would we love a third one? Sure. We would love a third one."
Samsung Foundry has made significant strides in refining its processes and collaborating with NVIDIA over the past two years, making it a reliable supplier. Samsung's extensive range of equipment for semiconductor, memory, and packaging stages gives NVIDIA flexibility and options for its chip production.
Industry sources have mentioned Intel as a potential foundry partner for NVIDIA, and even NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang, has hinted at using Intel's Foundries for upcoming chips. A partnership with NVIDIA would be significant for Intel as the company seeks to expand its portfolio of IFS partners.
Having US-based foundry partners would also benefit NVIDIA and other major chip manufacturers such as AMD and Intel, which rely on TSMC for certain components. However, NVIDIA's CEO believes that achieving supply chain independence in the US is still decades away, and bringing TSMC and other major fabs to the US would be a crucial first step toward that goal.
AMD has released a new version of its drivers, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 23.12.1. lin Edition 23.12.1. This release includes numerous changes and improvements targeted at AMD's graphic solutions. A major update is the complete overhaul of the user interface, especially the "Home" and "Games" tabs in AMD Software. Users can now easily enable HYPR-RX profiles for individual games or globally. Additionally, the games on the "Home" tab will display colorful key art, making the interface more vibrant and attractive.
The drivers also extend the functionality of FRTC, Radeon Super Resolution, Overlay, Record, and Stream to applications using OpenGL. Additionally, the drivers have reactivated the hardware accelerated GPU scheduling feature, but only for the Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs. New Vulkan API extensions have also been included.
This driver release coincides with the launch of "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora," developed in collaboration with AMD. The new driver is expected to enhance performance and visual quality for this game, as well as other contemporary titles.
However, it is important to note that despite significant improvements and the addition of new features, individual compatibility or performance issues may arise on different hardware configurations. Users are advised to review the release notes and feedback from other users before updating their drivers.
Nvidia has released the new GeForce 546.29 WHQL driver, aimed at enhancing gaming experiences in the latest games supporting DLSS 3.5 technology, including "Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition" and "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Season 1." The update also introduces support for "THRONE AND LIBERTY," "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora," and "Fortnite Chapter 5."
This update includes a Resizable BAR profile for "Starfield," aimed at improving performance on GeForce RTX 40 Series and GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs. However, despite the introduction of new features, there remain unresolved issues within the driver. For instance, while an error in "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" was fixed, other problems are still pending resolution.
This release raises questions about the balance between implementing new features and addressing existing issues in Nvidia drivers. It highlights the need for the company to more rigorously address issues to ensure seamless operation and performance in gaming.
Recently, Rockstar Games stunned the gaming community by releasing the long-awaited trailer for the sixth installment of the iconic Grand Theft Auto series (GTA VI). According to an official press release from Take-Two Interactive, the game will initially be available exclusively for next-generation consoles — PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, thus confirming rumors and expectations of fans.
A highlight of the new installment is the storyline set in the fictional state of Leonida, with major events taking place in Vice City. The main characters — Lucia and Jason, a couple caught in a complex situation, will become the first playable characters in the series.
Take-Two also emphasized that the trailer was created using the game engine, without the use of CGI scenes, further demonstrating the capabilities and quality of the new game. At the time of writing this article, the trailer has garnered over 30 million views on YouTube.
It should be noted that the PC version of GTA VI is not expected until at least 2026. Based on the most powerful modern components, the system requirements for PC could include:
Minimum Requirements:
Processor: Intel Core i5-10600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X.
Bitcoin has recently achieved a significant milestone, surpassing the $42,000 mark for the first time since May 2022, setting a new annual high. This resurgence in Bitcoin's value coincides with rising hopes in the US for an earlier reduction in interest rates, as indicated by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's statements. Additionally, rumors about the potential approval of Bitcoin ETFs by the SEC in January next year have further fueled the market's optimism.
This upward trend in Bitcoin has led to a market shakeup, with Coinglass analysts noting that nearly $85 million worth of liquidations occurred during this price surge, predominantly from the closure of short positions. Following Bitcoin's peak at $42,000, a mass sell-off caused its price to revert to around $41,000. This movement was mirrored by other cryptocurrencies, leading to the liquidation of numerous long positions. However, indicators suggest that this upward trend may persist for an extended period.
The broader crypto market is experiencing its highest values since spring 2022, with major cryptocurrencies reaching new annual highs. This universal growth has propelled the total market capitalization to $1.55 trillion, a record high for 2023. These market dynamics are expected to significantly elevate Bitcoin's value and attract retail investors' attention to the crypto industry.
Meanwhile, the recent surge in Bitcoin and the overall crypto market could impact the GPU market, especially amidst the ongoing AI boom. Nvidia is experiencing a massive demand for its GPUs, which are well-suited for AI tasks, leading to a potential shortage and price hikes. This demand is particularly high in China, where Nvidia's modified AI-capable chips are in great demand. Prices for some Nvidia models have soared up to $36,500. This AI-driven demand, coupled with the potential continuation of the crypto market's upward trend, could lead to further strains on the GPU supply, echoing the previous shortages caused by cryptocurrency mining.
As we approach the end of 2023, Steam, the popular gaming platform by Valve, is set for significant changes. Starting January 1, 2024, Steam will officially discontinue support for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1. This move marks the end of an era for these older operating systems, as users will no longer be able to run the Steam Client on them. This decision aligns with the evolving technology landscape and the need for more secure and advanced operating systems.
Simultaneously, Valve has released its November 2023 statistics, offering a glimpse into the hardware preferences of its user base. The top five graphics cards among Steam users highlight NVIDIA's dominance in the market. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 leads the pack with 4.89% of users, closely followed by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 and GTX 1060, with 4.61% and 4.20% respectively. The list also includes the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU and the RTX 2060, indicating a diverse range of gaming setups and preferences among Steam's vast user community.
The impending discontinuation of support for older Windows versions and the latest hardware statistics reflect Steam's commitment to advancing with technological trends. Users of older Windows versions are advised to upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows 11 to continue enjoying the vast library of games and services offered by Steam.
This transition period is a critical moment for Steam users still operating on older systems. It emphasizes the importance of staying updated with software to ensure compatibility and security. The shift also highlights the dynamic nature of the gaming industry, constantly evolving to incorporate the latest technological advancements.
Looking ahead, Steam's decision to phase out support for older Windows versions is a significant step towards a more modern, secure, and efficient gaming experience. As the platform continues to grow and adapt, users can expect ongoing enhancements and updates that align with the latest hardware and software innovations.
In recent news, a significant number of Call of Duty players using NVIDIA's GeForce NOW cloud gaming service have encountered an unexpected and distressing issue - they are being banned from the game. This problem appears to be caused by a glitch within the GeForce NOW service, which is mistakenly identifying the use of the cloud gaming platform as a form of cheating.
GeForce NOW, developed by NVIDIA, is a service that allows gamers to stream and play their favorite games, like Call of Duty, on less powerful hardware by accessing virtual machines hosted in the cloud. This service aims to provide a high-quality gaming experience, but the recent glitch has led to a wave of unwarranted bans, leaving many players frustrated and confused.
The issue was first reported by players on various online platforms, including Reddit, and has since gained considerable attention in the gaming community. Players affected by this glitch have shared their experiences of being wrongly tagged as cheaters by the game's anti-cheat systems, resulting in their accounts being banned.
This situation has prompted a response from both NVIDIA and the developers of Call of Duty, who are likely working on a fix to resolve this issue. In the meantime, Call of Duty players who use GeForce NOW are advised to exercise caution and stay updated on the situation through official channels.
This incident highlights the complexities and challenges of cloud gaming services and their integration with traditional gaming platforms. It serves as a reminder of the importance of robust testing and quality assurance in the rapidly evolving world of online gaming.
The ASUS ROG Ally handheld console, popular among gamers, has received a custom modification by SlickBuys Mods and Repairs, significantly enhancing its performance. Initially equipped with 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory at 6400 MT/s, the modded version now boasts LPDDR5X memory with a capacity of 32 GB and a speed of 7500 MT/s. This breakthrough in modding opens new possibilities for enhancing portable gaming systems.
The modification involves replacing four memory modules and reprogramming the BIOS chip to support the updated capacity and speed. Although exact performance improvement data is lacking, significant enhancements, especially in games using the integrated AMD Phoenix RDNA3 graphics, are expected. However, it's important to note that such a modification requires specialized skills and equipment, and also voids the device's warranty.
These upgrades highlight the trend towards DIY modifications in the portable device industry, similar to modern laptops.
Japanese company Sycom has released a new model in the GeForce RTX 4000 series - the quad-slot GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Silent Master. This model is notable for using fans from Noctua, renowned for their quality and reliability. The RTX 4070 Ti Silent Master is the third in Sycom's Silent Master series, which already includes the RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 Ti models.
The Silent Master series is characterized by each graphics card having a specialized cooling system. Interestingly, Sycom offers these cards exclusively as part of their pre-built gaming computers, not selling them separately. This allows the company to control the quality and performance of the entire system.
The appearance of the new RTX 4070 Ti Silent Master is markedly different from standard models on the market. It lacks RGB lighting and features Noctua's signature brown-beige fans. These fans are mounted over a large radiator, ensuring effective cooling.
The card's design was developed in collaboration with Nagao Industry, which created a special metal frame for the graphics card. Each frame is handcrafted, emphasizing the uniqueness and exclusivity of the product.
Sycom also claims a low noise level for the graphics card. The officially stated noise level is on average less than 31.4 dB and 43.6 dB under high load. The Silent Master cooling system provides a temperature that is at least 5°C lower compared to standard coolers.
Users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 are encountering an unexpected issue – the HP Smart app is installing itself without their permission. This phenomenon has caused confusion and concern, particularly among those who have no HP devices.
Microsoft has taken notice of the user complaints and is currently investigating the cause of this unsolicited installation. The company has not yet provided a detailed explanation, but they are expected to address the issue soon.
The situation is further complicated by reports that the app is not just appearing on physical computers, but also on virtual machines. This has happened even after fresh installations of Windows, adding to the users' surprise.
This incident raises broader questions about the security and autonomy of Windows updates. The automatic inclusion of third-party applications without user consent is a significant concern for many.
As the situation unfolds, the Windows user community is eagerly awaiting further clarification from Microsoft. The resolution of this issue will be crucial in maintaining trust in the Windows ecosystem.
