JEDEC has released its new specification that aims to push down the pricing of the ultra-expensive HBM that powers the fastest AI processors. While the new standard will not help relieve the DRAM shortage as it uses large HBM4 DRAM devices, it can make high-bandwidth memory a bit cheaper as it enables attaching SPHBM4 memory stacks without advanced packaging and using inexpensive organic substrates.
Microsoft announces the biggest "restructure in XBOX history," with 3,200 staff affected
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has announced a year-long plan to reduce the division's staff by over 3,000, with 1,600 being laid off today. Five studios are leaving Xbox.
Intel Readies Two 22-Core "Nova Lake-S" SKUs with 108 MB bLLC Cache for Gaming
According to well-known Intel leaker Jaykihn, Intel is preparing two "Nova Lake-S" CPU models with a 22-core configuration, enhanced by the big Last Level Cache (bLLC). These processors are part of the Core Ultra 5 400S family, and Intel is developing two mid-range configurations, each with 22 cores. Both models will feature 6 "Coyote Cove" P-Cores, 12 "Arctic Wolf" E-Cores, and 4 LPE-Cores. This design includes a single compute die aimed at mid-range gaming rigs. Alongside the 22 cores, Intel plans to add an extra 108 MB of bLLC cache to boost gaming performance, similar to AMD's approach with its Ryzen X3D gaming CPUs, which currently lead in gaming performance. Intel aims to match raw CPU compute power with newer CPU cores and use bLLC to improve latency-sensitive tasks like gaming. The only difference between the two new models is that one is an unlocked 125 W TDP version, part of the "K" overclockable family, while the other is a 65 W base TDP model.
ReactOS Implements First Windows NT6 System Call In Step Toward Vista Compatibility
The ReactOS project that is striving to be the "open-source Windows" with Windows driver and software binary compatibility hit another milestone today. ReactOS to date has primarily targeted Windows NT 5.2 as the architecture from Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 but with an eye toward Windows NT 6.0 for Windows Vista and later compatibility with software. ReactOS has now landed their first NT6 system call...
Sony Ending Discs For All New PlayStation Games Starting In 2028
The move could be a death blow for physical games
The Vera Rubin Telescope Begins Surveying Our Cosmos
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, using the world's largest digital camera to image the entire southern sky every few nights. The project is expected to catalog billions of stars and galaxies, track changing and transient objects, and generate an enormous dataset for studying dark matter, galaxy formation, asteroids, and unexpected cosmic phenomena. The New York Times reports: "This is the end of a 30-year wait," said Phil Marshall, the deputy director of the telescope's operations at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, in a statement to The New York Times. "It's a major milestone for us." Astronomers expect this collection of data, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, to revolutionize their knowledge of our galaxy's birth, the invisible matter permeating the cosmos, what shaped the universe into the structure it has today and more. According to Dr. Marshall, the survey is designed to see everything, "even the things we don't know we're looking for yet," he said. The team behind the observatory, a joint effort funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, unveiled several images of the cosmos that were jampacked with celestial goodness -- a peek at what the Rubin could do -- last year. Since then, scientists have been busy conducting final tests and reviews of the telescope's operations and systems. According to Bob Blum, the director of Rubin operations at the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, the team has also been hard at work ensuring that the telescope can operate reliably in different environmental conditions for the next decade.
WSL container is now available for public preview
At Microsoft Build 2026, we introduced WSL containers, bringing Linux container development directly into Windows through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Containers have become a foundational part of modern development – from cloud-native applications and AI workloads to testing and deployment pipelines and WSL containers simplify this experience by providing a built-in, enterprise-ready way to create, run, and manage Linux containers on Windows, without requiring additional third-party tooling.
China’s hollow-core fiber trial pushes 51.3 Tb/s over 128 miles without signal regeneration —...
Chinese firm Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC) announced on June 16 that it had successfully completed the world’s first field trial of hollow-core fiber (HCF) wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) capable of 1.2 Tb/s per wavelength over an ultra-long unrepeatered span. The trial — conducted in collaboration with state-owned China Telecom and optical equipment maker Dekoli — achieved an unprecedented aggregate transmission capacity of 51.3 Tb/s over roughly 128 miles (206.5 km) without signal regeneration.