Hardware
Intel Hits One Million High-NA EUV Wafers
Chip giant processes one million High-NA EUV wafers and develops giant photomasks to boost output.
YESTERDAY, STILL WORTH KNOWING
Still
Crunchy.
Chipmakers race for lithography supremacy while gaming hardware and AI funding dominate the headlines.
Intel's Lithography Milestone and Pricing Strategy
Intel has processed one million wafers using High-NA Extreme Ultraviolet lithography tools, a milestone the company claims puts it ahead of the rest of the industry combined. Separately, Intel is advancing a project to create giant 6x12 photomasks to accelerate production and reduce costs. This milestone suggests Intel is moving faster than rivals in adopting the most advanced manufacturing technology, which could help it maintain an edge in producing cutting-edge chips. The giant photomask effort could also lower the cost of making these chips, making them more affordable for consumers.
Despite these manufacturing advances, Intel is reportedly planning a 10% price increase for PC CPUs in October. This move follows a series of staged price increases over the past year and is reportedly intended to improve gross margins rather than grow market share. Industry sources cited by TechPowerUp report that Intel plans to raise the price of PC CPUs by approximately 10% in October. The report also suggests Intel is considering ending its low-margin Small Core product line and cutting a further 5% to 10% of its workforce. If Intel pushes CPU shipments back up toward 200 million units, DIGITIMES estimates its market share could recover to roughly 78%.
AI Hardware and Data Centre Expansion
Arm has introduced its next-generation Neoverse CSS N4 'Ranger' platform, a semi-custom compute subsystem designed for high-performance data centre workloads. The new design leverages TSMC's N3P manufacturing process and significantly expands core density and cache capacity compared to its predecessor. The increased core density and cache capacity of the N4 'Ranger' platform could enable more powerful and efficient data centre accelerators and custom processors. By packing more cores and larger caches onto a single die, cloud providers and OEMs can potentially improve performance-per-watt for demanding workloads like AI inference and high-performance computing.
QNAP has introduced the TVS-hx77AX enterprise hybrid ZFS NAS series, featuring the 16-, 12-, and 8-bay models. These systems are powered by AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors and DDR5 memory, with native NFS over RDMA support designed for AI training, virtualisation, and 4K video collaboration. This launch represents a significant shift for the desktop NAS market, moving away from traditional x86 processors toward the high-performance Zen 4 architecture. The focus on RDMA and DDR5 suggests QNAP is targeting professional workloads like AI training and virtualisation rather than simple file storage.
Gaming Hardware and Software Updates
SteelSeries has launched the Aeon Pro, a wireless controller for Xbox and PC priced at £215. The device features Hall-Effect joysticks and supports seamless switching between Xbox, PC, and Bluetooth devices. The Aeon Pro is a rare example of a pro-grade controller that supports Xbox, PC, and Bluetooth simultaneously, addressing a common pain point for gamers who use multiple platforms. The £215 price point puts it in direct competition with other premium controllers like the Elite Series 2.
Manli has unveiled its 'Unlimited Firepower' (UF) series to mark 30 years in business, introducing two Blackwell architecture graphics cards: the RTX 5060 OC and RTX 5060 Ti OC. Both models share a 2-slot form factor with triple 92 mm fans and 8 GB of GDDR7 memory running at 28 Gbps. The RTX 5060 OC features 3,840 CUDA cores and a 145 W TDP, while the RTX 5060 Ti OC offers 4,608 cores and a 180 W TDP. The G-Sense tilt sensor addresses a common physical issue with heavy graphics cards, potentially preventing damage from sagging.
AI Funding and Gaming Industry Shifts
Mistral AI has closed a €3 billion Series D round, valuing the company at over €21 billion. The funding was led by Samsung, Scaleup Europe, and PSG Equity, marking Europe's largest-ever technology investment. The massive valuation suggests investors believe Mistral can successfully compete in the global AI race, despite its current position behind more established rivals.
Sony Japan has introduced a customer-harassment policy as anger continues over PlayStation's plan to phase out physical game discs by 2028. The company says it will move forward with its no-disc decision despite facing several lawsuits. Sony has threatened to cut off customer support and pursue legal action against individuals it deems to be harassing staff. The move signals a hardening of Sony's stance as the company faces legal challenges and a vocal consumer backlash over its hardware strategy.