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Science
AI-Designed Photonic Chip Components Do the Same Job in 1/500th the Area
A team from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Harvard University used inverse-design algorithms to shrink wavelength demultiplexers, mode demultiplexers, and mirrors on silicon nitride photonic chips to as little as 1/500th the area of conventional designs, publishing the results in Nature Communications. To the researchers' knowledge, this is the first such demonstration on thick-film silicon nitride, opening a path toward integrated quantum photonics.
August 19, 20268 min read
Tech
Intel's EMIB-T Backlog and HBM Exports: Advanced Packaging Heading Toward 2027
Roughly $1.3 billion worth of HBM headed to Malaysia. Export statistics alone can't pinpoint Intel's orders, but overlaying Penang's capacity expansion with EMIB-T's commercialization stage reveals signs of movement in AI semiconductor back-end processes.
August 19, 20267 min read
Tech
Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Retail Laptop: Up to 87% CPU Lead and 2.4x AI Performance Over Intel/AMD
In a Qualcomm-commissioned comparison of retail laptops, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme machine posted major gains in CPU and AI performance. Intel's machine retains an edge in GPU performance and battery life.
August 19, 20268 min read
Science
Attack Revives Expired Credit Cards Using Two Smartphones
A research team at UMass Amherst has discovered a design flaw unique to Visa's contactless payment kernel: the expiration date is excluded from cryptographic signing. Using two off-the-shelf smartphones, they revived an expired card and successfully completed a transaction at a real store. Mastercard and Amex proved resistant, pointing to the issue as a Visa-specific implementation choice.
August 19, 202611 min read
Science
Could US-Made "99.95% High-Purity Iron" Reshape the Magnet Supply Chain? A New Condition Looms in 2027
Hertha Metals has demonstrated magnet-grade iron at 99.95% purity using domestic US feedstock. Ahead of the 2027 US defense procurement rule, the next hurdles are breaking ground on commercial equipment and securing customer qualification.
August 19, 20267 min read
Tech
DRAM Prices Nearly Double in a Quarter, SSDs Up 50%. Companies' Answer Was "SDS"
An Omdia survey found DRAM prices nearly doubled in Q1 2026, with SSD prices rising more than 50%. 98% of North American IT professionals are considering storage consolidation, and the technology non-adopters focused on most was SDS. This article also examines Kioxia's revenue growth data to verify the structural shift.
August 19, 202613 min read
Tech
Intel Nova Lake Mobile May Skip bLLC, Reportedly Pushed to Razor Lake
Information has surfaced suggesting Intel's Nova Lake mobile may skip large-capacity bLLC. While AMD's large-cache products have taken the lead, a correction has also been made to manufacturing process information.
August 19, 20268 min read
Tech
Apple's New EU Terms: Alternative Distribution Shifts from "€0.50 per Install" to 5% of Sales
Apple is converting its €0.50 charge for alternative distribution in the EU into a 5% commission on eligible digital sales. Effective October 1, the change also revises terms for using both payment options within the App Store and conditions for entering alternative stores.
August 19, 20268 min read
Tech
OpenAI Holds Off Its Largest Frontier RL Run: Next-Gen Model Astra May Have Reached "Critical"
OpenAI cannot rule out that Astra has reached "Critical" cyber capability, and has held off its largest frontier RL run as a result. Monitoring now covers roughly 20% of targeted inference compute, as safety standards are being updated mid-development.
August 19, 20268 min read
Tech
Etched's $700M Raise: What Comes After the First Rack Is Mass Production and Disclosed Performance
Etched has raised $700 million, pushing its valuation to $21 billion. It has delivered its first inference rack to Jane Street, but performance comparisons and disclosure of production scale remain to come.
August 19, 20267 min read