d-Matrix today announced d-Matrix Squadron, a fleet of multi-rack systems offering megawatts of highly efficient inference compute for running AI models with extreme speed and energy efficiency at data center scale. Benefiting from d-Matrix's unique memory-centric compute architecture, Squadron clusters are ideal for AI labs, enterprises, and sovereign organizations with latency-sensitive AI applications including coding, personal agents, cybersecurity, and high-frequency trading.

Developed in partnership with Arista, Broadcom, and Supermicro, Squadron has already been deployed by d-Matrix in its Arizona data center for internal research and development and is now shipping to priority customers for deployment in their own data centers. Additionally, Squadron's building blocks—d-Matrix Corsair servers and d-Matrix Corsair SquadRacks—are now generally available.

CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michał Nowakowski has explained why the studio moved The Witcher 4 from its in-house REDengine to Unreal Engine 5, and he says the messy Cyberpunk 2077 launch wasn't the trigger. Speaking on the Deconstructor of Fun podcast, he called the idea that REDengine caused Cyberpunk's problems a mistaken assumption. He revealed that the switch instead came after an early look at Epic's The Matrix Awakens tech demo. Here's what he said:

"It was not the Cyberpunk launch that convinced us to abandon the REDengine and switch completely to Unreal Engine 5 with the future projects. It was more the moment we got an early scoop of the Matrix demo that Epic made. We then asked ourselves: 'Is UE5 ready to ship a game like we make?' And that's where we came to the table with the guys from Epic. That's where we made the strategic collaboration."

The NVIDIA 12v-2×6 GPU power cable meltdown debacle seems to be something of a cat-and-mouse game, in which GPU board partners and PSU manufacturers keep trying to find workarounds and new safeguards against the GPU cables that have now claimed many a gaming GPU. ASUS's latest GPU Tweak III V2.1.8.0 update adds yet another feature to help save GPUs from potential temperature-induced premature failure.

The GPU Tweak III update adds support for auto-shutdown on GPU models with Power Detector+, which will shut down a system when "persistently high current is detected." ASUS has not shared what the exact parameters are for high current or how long the high current must be sustained before it triggers. Being limited to Power Detector+ GPUs means that auto-shutdown is limited to the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090, ROG Astral LC GeForce RTX 5090, ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080, and ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs.

Discord recently announced its age verification system, which would set all current user accounts to a teen-appropriate account mode by default unless the user's age is verified by an inference model or by submitting a selfie video or government ID. The backlash in online circles was notable, with some decrying the move because of privacy concerns after Discord's age verification partner already suffered a leak in October 2025. The announcement also reportedly resulted in a surge in searches for alternatives to the platform.

According to Google Trends search analytics, the search volumes for "Discord alternative" skyrocketed immediately after the announcement of the new age verification policy on February 9. Popular related searches also show a rise in search popularity for alternatives like Matrix, Root, Stoat (previously Revolt), Ventrilo, and even TeamSpeak, while a post in r/pcmasterrace on Reddit suggesting that gamers need a "proper Discord alternative" has 16,000 upvotes and over 2,000 comments, with most commenters in agreement, and many suggesting Stoat for its open-source development. Others have chimed in lamenting not only the age verification requirements but also the decline in quality of Discord and the aggressive monetization that has become popular on Discord lately.

AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 technology, now known simply as FSR 4, is currently supported in many games, but not across all AMD RDNA GPU generations. In response to an inquiry from Hardware Unboxed, AMD mentioned that it is still uncertain whether official FSR 4 support will be extended to the Radeon RX 7000 series and older GPUs, as the company reportedly has "no updates to share at this time." AMD official product separation stems from its RDNA 4 architecture and the support for 8-bit floating point instructions. While the latest RDNA 4 hardware supports Wave Matrix Multiply Accumulate in FP8 format, older RDNA generations like RDNA 3 and RDNA 2 lack this hardware instruction support and can't process 8-bit floating point data in this format.

However, older Radeon GPUs can instead rely on the 8-bit integer (INT8) data formats, which Radeon RX 7000 series fully supports. AMD accidentally leaked FSR 4 INT8 on its AMD GPUOpen platform, showing that FSR 4 on older GPUs is a possibility, which is just kept hidden for now. Later on, ComputerBase tested this leaked library, finding that FSR 4 offers a balance between native image quality and FSR 3.1 performance on both RDNA 3 and RDNA 2 hardware. In tests with Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K on Ultra settings using the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, FSR 4 delivered 11% faster performance than native, but was 16% slower than FSR 3.1. Interestingly, performance may be the reason why AMD is holding these INT8 FPR 4 libraries back, but another point could be product separation.

Flashing alternative vBIOS versions onto GPUs is a common practice used by modders to increase power limits on GPUs, and it has only become more common since NVIDIA started clamping down on overclocking options available to users via software tools. The recently announced ASUS ROG Matrix Platinum has become an attractive source for one such high-wattage vBIOS, although it has proven difficult to get the aforementioned vBIOS onto certain cards. One user on the HardwareLuxx forum, however, has managed to get the 800 W vBIOS from the Matrix Platinum GPU onto an ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 (read our review of the latter here), although the mod only seems to be necessary on the black version of the card.

It turns out that in order to flash the Matrix vBIOS onto the black Astral 5090 required physical modifications to the GPU PCB itself—this is due to the rear-mounted fan being wired with the front middle fan on that particular version of the card, as opposed to on a separate header as it is on the white version. The modification in question involves swapping a pull-down resistor in the serial in signal line of the EEPROM to a pull-up resistor. Obviously, this mod alone requires more than a little bit of soldering experience, but there's also the question of cooling. The stock version of the ROG Astral is designed with a 600 W power limit, and the Matrix vBIOS lifts that to 800 W, so realistically, any overclocking attempts made with the modded card requires an aftermarket cooling solution to handle the increased power and corresponding heat.

Phanteks introduces the Matrix Series, a new era of PC design that blends intelligent LED displays, premium craftsmanship, and high-performance cooling. The lineup includes the Evolv X2 Matrix, XT View Matrix, and Matrix-600 Upgrade Kit, all powered by the Nexlinq App to deliver real-time system stats, animations, and lighting effects while using less than ~3% of CPU resources. Each widget displayed through Nexlinq is fully customizable, allowing users to personalize layout, content, and visuals rather than relying on fixed templates. The Matrix displays are integrated behind a high-quality fabric layer, offering a refined texture that softens and diffuses the LEDs for a premium, ambient glow.

EVOLV X2 MATRIX: FLAGSHIP DISPLAY AND PERFORMANCE
The Evolv X2 Matrix reimagines the desktop by placing a 900-LED matrix display behind soft fabric and floating glass, creating a warm, diffused canvas for lighting, system data, and custom animations. Its vertical cooling architecture directs airflow smoothly to both the GPU and the CPU while preserving a clean and minimalist interior layout. The combination of efficient thermal performance, premium materials, and dynamic visual expression turns the Evolv X2 Matrix into a high-end chassis that feels both functional and artistic.

ASUS has officially denied a recall of its limited edition GeForce RTX 5090 ROG MATRIX graphics card, which was reportedly facing some quality issues. However, ASUS was quick to dispute these claims. In the past, an ASUS reportedly representative informed Swedish e-tailer "Inet" that they had identified a quality issue with the RTX 5090 32 GB ROG Matrix Platinum 30th Anniversary Edition, preventing planned deliveries while they worked on an undated replacement. However, in ComputerBase update from Christian Wefers, part of ASUS Public Relations, the situation is now clearer:

Christian Wefers, ASUS PRThere is no product recall for the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 5090. We proactively adjusted the original timeline to allow additional time for product improvements and to ensure an optimal customer experience. The products will arrive at our partners within the next few days. Availability may vary by region.

There are software BIOS mods, such as the ASUS XOC BIOS that relaxes software-level power limits, letting ASUS RTX 5090 cards pull "up to 2000 W" of power; and then there are hardware mods, using power shunts directly on the card, which bypass hardware-level power limits. Der8auer discovered something in the middle for the ROG Matrix RTX 5090. This card has two ways you can power it—a conventional 12V-2x6 power connector on the top, and a detachable BTF (GC-HPWR) gold-finger that lets you pair the card with ASUS BTF motherboards that have a power delivery slot along the PEG x16 slot. ASUS made the BTF gold finger on the ROG Matrix RTX 5090 detachable so you can use the card on regular, non-BTF motherboards.

Der8auer learned that by shorting a few sense pins in the BTF gold finger while the card is connected to a 12V-2x6 power source raises the power limit drawn from the connector to 750 W, a 150 W increase over the 600 W (continuous) design limit of the connector. This 750 W isn't exactly an "excursion," because the increased power draw isn't happening within the power spike intervals defined in the PCIe 5.1 CEM specification, but rather, lengthier periods of continuous power draw above 600 W. There are, of course, a couple of catches. You'll need a PSU with fairly high power output and +12 V rail(s) connected to the 12V-2x6, a durable connector, and because the BTF gold finger is being modified, not only is the power source a 12V-2x6 connector, but also the card isn't directly slotted into the PCI-Express x16 slot, rather a PCIe Gen 5-capable riser cable is needed. At this point we don't know if the mod works with other ASUS RTX 5090 BTF cards, such as the ROG Astral RTX 5090 BTF.

AMD on Tuesday unveiled its future "Zen 7" CPU microarchitecture. The company has been pivoting toward making its CPU IP more AI-relevant, so future processing workloads could better leverage the serial processing power of CPUs. Among these, the two important ones are AVX10 and ACE. AVX10 sees a unification of AVX-512 and AVX2 features to improve performance and compatibility across vector math heavy workloads. ACE, or Advanced Matrix Extensions for Matrix Manipulation, is an industry-standard matrix math instruction set that could prove to be relevant to every device ranging from smartphones to servers.

Among the other ISA additions with Zen 7 are FRED (flexible return and event delivery), which replaces the current device interrupt model to reduce system-level latency. Zen 7 also implements ChkTag x86 Memory Tagging to counteract several kinds of memory-level data vulnerabilities caused by buffer overflows and use-after-free errors. FRED in particular was a noteworthy feature Intel was working on for its x86S machine architecture standard.

AI is no longer a feature, it's the foundation of next-generation mobile and consumer technology. Users now expect real-time assistance, seamless communication, or personalized content that is instant, private, and available on device, without compromise. Meeting these expectations requires more than incremental upgrades, it demands a step change that brings performance, privacy and efficiency together in a scalable way.

Introducing Arm Lumex
That's why we're introducing Arm Lumex, our most advanced compute subsystem (CSS) platform, purpose-built to accelerate AI experiences on flagship smartphones and next-gen PCs.

Further expanding SiFive's lead in RISC-V AI IP, the company today launched its 2nd Generation Intelligence family, featuring five new RISC-V-based products designed to accelerate AI workloads across thousands of potential applications. The lineup includes two entirely new products—the X160 Gen 2 and X180 Gen 2—alongside upgraded X280 Gen 2, X390 Gen 2 and XM Gen 2. These new products all feature enhanced scalar, vector and, specifically with XM, matrix processing capabilities designed for modern AI workloads.

The X160 Gen 2 and X180 Gen 2 target far edge compute and IoT applications, achieving high efficiency in a compact footprint and delivering advanced AI functionality to the deeply embedded edge, which is heavily constrained by power and area. Target industries include automotive, autonomous robotics, industrial automation, and smart IoT.

As is almost customary by now, ASUS invited select media to attend their presentation of new products during Gamescom. This year, the main focus was on graphics cards, as ASUS celebrates the 30th anniversary of the release of their first graphics card, which closely coincides with the beginning of their partnership with NVIDIA. For this occasion, both Jackie Hsu, Senior Vice President of ASUS, and John Milner, Vice President of GeForce Worldwide Sales of NVIDIA, took the stage to announce the ASUS ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 5090. The main idea behind this generation's Matrix was to combine all the innovations ASUS has conceived over the years on a single card, while emulating the look of the EN9600/9800 GT Matrix, which was the first Matrix released by ASUS.

More specifically, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 5090 comes with a whole assortment of features introduced on previous-generation Matrix cards, along with several novelties of its own. Much like several previous ROG Matrix cards, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 5090 utilizes a three-ounces copper PCB layer, full-copper vapor chamber and heatpipes, as well as copper-aluminium fins for the best possible cooling. In addition, a quad-fan solution sees use on the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 5090, along with a liquid metal thermal compound.

EK, a leader in high-performance liquid cooling solutions, proudly presents the EK-Quantum Vector³ Suprim RTX 5090 - Plexi. This meticulously engineered water block is tailored for MSI's flagship Suprim RTX 5090 graphics card, delivering unparalleled thermal performance and a striking visual appeal.

Next-Generation Cooling for the RTX 5090
At the heart of the Vector³ Suprim RTX 5090 lies an advanced cooling engine, featuring an expanded fin array and optimized coolant flow paths. This design ensures efficient heat dissipation from critical components, including the GPU core, VRAM, and power stages. Complementing this is a custom CNC-machined backplate that not only reinforces the structural integrity of the card but also passively cools PCB hotspots, maintaining optimal performance under load.

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce the EK-Quantum Vector³ FE RTX 5090 - Plexi, our high-performance water block designed exclusively for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition. The EK-Quantum Vector³ FE RTX 5090 is the first water block to support the NVIDIA RTX 5090 Founders Edition three-part PCB design, providing a high-performance, fully enclosed liquid-cooling solution for NVIDIA's most powerful gaming GPU yet. This stunning EK-Quantum Vector³ FE RTX 5090 water block is fully EK-Matrix7 compatible, featuring a signature CNC-machined backplate with a sleek, ribbed design, a custom acrylic top and backlit EK logo. Founders Edition never looked this good.

Unmatched Performance and Cooling Efficiency
The EK-Quantum Vector³ FE RTX 5090 water block delivers high-performance liquid cooling, premium aesthetics, and precision engineering for NVIDIA's flagship RTX 5090 Founders Edition. Inside, you'll find an expanded cooling system, improved pre-cut thermal pads, alongside a precision-engineered gasket system, ensuring optimal heat dissipation for the GPU core, VRAM, and power stages.

Akeana, the company committed to driving dramatic change in semiconductor IP innovation and performance, has announced its official company launch approximately three years after its foundation, having raised over $100 million in capital, with support from A-list investors including Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield, and Fidelity. Today's launch marks the formal availability of the company's expansive line of IP solutions that are uniquely customizable for any workload or application.

Formed by the same team that designed Marvell's ThunderX2 server chips, Akeana offers a variety of IP solutions, including microcontrollers, Android clusters, AI vector cores and subsystems, and compute clusters for networking and data centers. Akeana moves the industry beyond the status quo of legacy vendors and architectures, like Arm, with equitable licensing options and processors that fill and exceed current performance gaps.

ORICO, an industry-leading brand in data storage solutions, is proud to announce the launch of Data Matrix. It's the world's first hybrid storage for revolutionizing instant post-production workflow. With its sleek, Apple-inspired design, it is set to attract content creators, filmmakers and professionals alike, who require high-performance storage solutions to manage 4K/8K content efficiently. Traditional storage solutions often suffer from frequent downtime, slow speeds, and limited space, failing to meet the urgent needs of modern content creators. In cooperation with West Digital (WD), ORICO has designed the Data Matrix to provide a one-stop, cost-efficient production service that balances high speed, large capacity, and strong flexibility. Also, address the concerns about high investment in every 256 GB upgrade for Mac users.

CFexpress Type-B slot delivers an impressive 1500 MB/s import speed during pre-production, reducing the Mac import time by 95%. The 312 MB/s SD V4.0 card reader supports UHS-II 4K video capture. After filming, Digital Imaging Technicians (DIT) can import the camera source files into Data Matrix, transcode videos, save and start 8K 3D video editing instantly. On-site personnel can immediately output the footage from the Data Matrix to a large screen via HDMI (8K @ 30 Hz) for detailed viewing and confirmation, resulting in clearer image quality. The team can also perform initial edits on-site using Thunderbolt 4/3/USB4 significantly reducing the post-production team's workload.To back the project, visit the Kickstarter page.

EK, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, is rolling out a brand-new water block built from the ground up for the LGA 1700 socket, explicitly designed for delidded Intel Core CPUs. It bears improvements that benefit 14th-generation CPUs and shares almost no parts with the previously released Intel Direct Die water block. It includes a purpose-developed cold plate, cooling fin structure, and mounting mechanism. It relies on standoffs positioned at the four corners of the water block to ensure optimal contact with the CPU, eliminating concerns about applying too much or too little pressure on the bare CPU die, just like the AM5 Direct Die water block. EK's latest water block features EK-Matrix7 compatibility, meaning the product's height and port distance are managed in 7 mm increments for easier loop planning and precise results.

EK-Quantum Velocity² Direct Die D-RGB - 1700 Core Edition
This new direct die LGA 1700 water block is built from scratch and made to squeeze every bit of performance out of the 14th-generation Intel Core CPUs. The top is seethrough glass-like acrylic, with rich D-RGB illumination behind the window, which is riddled with aluminium bars going over the top and two G1/4" extenders that interrupt the flow of the black-anodized aluminium bars. These G1/4" extenders are standard Torque micro extenders. They can be replaced by other products from the EK-Quantum Torque Micro series, be it extenders of different finish, HDP or HDC fittings.

EK, a leader in premium liquid cooling solutions, proudly unveils the EK-Quantum Momentum² Quad RAM Module Set D-RGB, an advanced cooling solution meticulously designed for effective thermal management of DDR4 and DDR5 memory modules. This comprehensive set includes a water block capable of covering four RAM sticks with aluminium heatsinks, integrating high-quality cooling efficiency with dynamic RGB lighting to enhance both the performance and visual appeal of any high-end computing setup. The system is specifically engineered to support configurations with four RAM sticks, optimizing cooling for modern high-performance memory arrays.

Enhanced Cooling and Sophisticated Design
The EK-Quantum Momentum² Quad RAM Module Set D-RGB accommodates both single and double-sided DDR4 and DDR5 memory modules, ensuring versatility across different RAM configurations. It features four sleek, black, anodized aluminium heatsinks with an elox finish for enhanced durability and corrosion resistance. This treatment not only improves the heatsinks' appearance but also boosts their thermal conductivity and cooling effectiveness.

Samsung Electronics continues to redefine the boundaries of immersive gaming with the Odyssey Neo G9 (G95NC), which has garnered widespread acclaim and numerous awards for its unparalleled performance and innovation. The Odyssey Neo G9 set a new standard with its 57-inch Dual UHD display, combining unmatched visual clarity with cutting-edge technology to deliver an immersive gaming experience as well as boosts in productivity. This state-of-the-art monitor is the equivalent of having two 32-inch monitors in one unit, with a 1000R curved screen for maximum immersion.

With Quantum Matrix Technology, coupled with a lightning-fast 240 Hz refresh rate and 1 ms response time, the Odyssey Neo G9 also offers vibrant visuals, precise control and seamless action in every frame. The Odyssey Neo G9 has received high marks from media, such as Newsweek and Techaeris, with the latter recognizing it as the "world's first dual UHD monitor that delivers in spades." In fact, the Odyssey Neo G9 earned a spot in Techaeris' 'Best of 2023' category, underscoring the Odyssey Neo G9's impressive performance and features that make the monitor a standout choice for gamers.

EK, the premium water-cooling gear manufacturer, is launching a new universal distribution plate - EK-QuantumX Loophole Distroplate D5 PWM. The distro features an entire wall filled with ports, allowing users to pick the ones that fit their unique build perfectly. As the waterway has no prebuilt inner channels but rather an "open space" internal structure, the user can custom-route tubes from one port to another within the distro itself using micro 90-degree angled adapters and micro HDP or HDC fittings. This unprecedented flexibility and customizability is also reflected in the universal mounting on 140 mm fan mounting holes, enabling compatibility with almost any modern PC case. This product does not feature any LED illumination.

The EK-QuantumX Loophole Distroplate D5 PWM is a custom water-cooling reservoir, routing, and pump solution that can be mounted on 140 mm fan patterns inside the chassis (provided there's enough room for it in the case). It is unique in the sense that there are no pre-made channels for coolant routing. Instead, the channels are built by the user. The distro can be mounted on practically any 280 mm (2x140mm) mounting point, and with angled brackets (sold separately), users can mount it 90° to a 120 mm or 140 mm fan mount. It is part of the QuantumX Line aimed at enthusiasts who wish to stand out. The product comes in two finishes: Silver and Black.

EK, the leading manufacturer of premium liquid cooling gear, is excited to announce full compatibility of the EK-Quantum Velocity² D-RGB 1700 and Magnitude 1700 water blocks with the recently unveiled Intel 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs and the upcoming new Z790 motherboards. The Raptor Lake refresh series CPUs feature faster cores for improved multi-tasking, gaming, streaming, and more - up to 6 GHz, with an unmatched overclocking experience. Of course, a capable cooling solution is paramount for the CPU to boost to these high frequencies. This is where EK's Quantum water blocks come in.

The EK-Quantum Velocity² water blocks mark the first EK product series to feature EK-Matrix7 compatibility. Since its launch, this innovative product has garnered multiple design and performance accolades. These water blocks use a socket-specific cooling engine to ensure the best performance and optimal flow with low restrictions on every platform. Since the Z790X platform is based on the LGA1700 socket, the EK-Quantum Velocity² 1700 water blocks are fully compatible with the CPU socket and IHS geometry of Intel 14th Gen Core CPUs. The same goes for the EK-Quantum Magnitude 1700, which fits the Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs perfectly.

ASUS has been teasing their first-ever ROG-aligned liquid metal thermal compound-cooled solution since the start of summer, in the form of a truly flagship Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB graphics card. Their late May reveal boasted about the importance of bleeding edge technology and a continuation of their Matrix product line's "special" legacy. A third quarter 2023 launch window was outlined—today they have narrowed that timeline down to a specific date—September 19. The ASUS ROG North American branch posted on its socials: "The wait is almost over!😎 Count down to the official launch of our flagship graphics card - the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090. 🔥" A live stream has been organized to coincide with the headliner's retail debut (Sept 19th, 9:00 AM | New York and Sept 19th, 9:00 PM | Taipei).

Exact pricing is likely to be announced during launch day proceedings, but industry experts are setting expectations at $2000+. The fancy Matrix trimmings and highly selective binning process of Ada Lovelace silicon will come at a steep premium. The ASUS marketing talk from May boasted: "No reason to beat around the bush: the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 has the highest boost clocks of any RTX 4090 on the planet. Featuring a custom-engineered coldplate that captures heat not only from the RTX 4090 GPU die, but also the VRMs and memory chips, this card has even more headroom to push its clocks higher, for longer, allowing us to bin only the absolute best dies for this showpiece graphics card. In addition, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 features an ROG first: liquid metal thermal compound on a graphics card."