Lenovo announced today that it will be the official power behind the 2026 edition of the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Paris, France. Recognized as the largest esports event globally, the Esports Foundation (EF) has partnered with Lenovo to provide Lenovo Legion gaming desktop PCs, gaming monitors, and everything else players need. All esports athletes will be using their Legion Tower 7i and Tower 5i desktop PCs. This event will take place from July 6 to August 23, featuring around 200 teams and approximately 2,000 esports players competing for the top spot across 24 games and 25 tournaments, with a record-breaking prize pool of over $75 million. New this year, athletes will also be using Legion monitors, not just competing on Legion desktops.

This isn't Lenovo's first involvement with the EWC. In 2025, the company's debut at the event saw over 2,000 Legion machines in use on the tournament floor, in broadcast booths, at creator activations, and throughout the festival grounds. The Legion logo was prominently displayed across all 24 games that year, with the broadcast reaching an estimated 750 million viewers worldwide. Beyond the competition hardware, this partnership has inspired Lenovo to innovate. At CES 2026 earlier this year, the company unveiled the Legion Pro Rollable Concept—a gaming laptop featuring a 16-inch rollable PureSight OLED screen that can expand to 21.5 inches or even a full 24 inches, depending on how much space esports athletes need for training on the go. EWC attendees in Paris will have the opportunity to try it out themselves at the Legion booth.

CPUID has just released HWMonitor version 1.65, which reintroduces the previously abandoned hotspot temperature reading for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series "Blackwell" GPU. When NVIDIA originally launched its "Blackwell" GPU lineup, the company removed the ability for popular utilities like GPU-Z and HWMonitor to access hotspot sensor data, even though the sensor was present on the die. We initially thought it was impossible to access this data again without using NVIDIA's internal tool, Modular Diagnostic Software (MODS), which is not publicly available. However, the latest HWMonitor update has restored this capability. Although we are unsure how the update accomplishes this without public API exposure, which NVIDIA restricted with the RTX 50 series, the software reportedly bypasses this limitation and successfully performs a normal hotspot reading.

An extreme overclocker known as "Madness" on X has already tested the latest HWMonitor version 1.65 on a shunt-modded and water-cooled RTX 5090 GPU, which is drawing over 900 W from the wall. Under the water block, the GPU's hotspot sensor measures around 68°C, while the normal temperature reporting shows a delta of about 17°C, indicating that the reported GPU temperature is around 51°C. Although this delta between the overall GPU die temperature and hotspot temperature isn't ideal, it provides overclockers with more detailed information about their GPUs.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk announced that Tesla had completed the design of its AI5 SoC. Today, we learn that the company will receive these processors from a United States-based Samsung fab located in Taylor, Texas. This means Samsung is preparing to produce the AI5 chip on its SF2 2 nm node on U.S. soil, effectively utilizing the CHIPS Act funding it received to manufacture silicon for domestic companies. As more companies push for domestic manufacturing, Tesla has been working with Samsung and TSMC to leverage their American-based facilities to align the vital parts of the supply chain with the location where the company is based and conducts most of its business.

For Samsung, this is a significant customer win, as Tesla will undertake major volume production in its Taylor fab on the SF2 node. This is one of the first major projects outside of Samsung's usual operations in South Korea, where most of its leading-edge production occurs. Regarding the AI5 chip, Tesla has designed these processors for Full Self-Driving (FSD). The CEO also mentioned that the AI5 chip will offer performance comparable to NVIDIA's "Hopper" architecture, with two AI5 units matching the power of a single "Blackwell" processor. On both the left and right sides, there are two rows of SK hynix LPDDR5X memory modules, each with three modules. This totals 12 LPDDR5X memory modules per AI5 chip. With 16 GB per module, this results in 192 GB of LPDDR5X memory per AI5 SoC. Additionally, Tesla has ambitious plans for nine-month design cycles for the AI6, which will also be part of the joint effort between Samsung, TSMC, and possibly even Intel with its advanced packaging. Musk confirmed that the AI6 and Dojo 3 projects, among other "exciting chips," are currently in progress, suggesting we could see much more custom silicon ASICs in the coming months.

Intel's upcoming "Nova Lake-S" generation of processors is on the horizon, and the company is already making preliminary manufacturing decisions before entering high-volume production. According to a research note from investment bank KeyBanc Capital Markets, Intel initially planned to outsource the main compute tile production for "Nova Lake" to TSMC, utilizing its 2 nm N2 node. The majority of the production, about 60-70%, was to be handled by TSMC, with the remainder produced in-house by Intel Foundry on the 18A node. This meant Intel would dual-source production for its next-generation chip. However, the latest supply chain information suggests that the company now intends to bring the majority of "Nova Lake" compute tile production in-house, with about 80-90% of the tiles being manufactured by Intel Foundry.

This shift comes as Intel's 18A node yields have improved to levels that are finally reliable enough to avoid any product delays, while the company remains fully satisfied with the yield rate and the number of dies that go to waste. Intel has reportedly resolved all yield issues it experienced with its 18A node over the past few months. Our earlier report indicated that the company has addressed these yield issues, making high-volume production of its latest node sustainable from both a manufacturing yield and economic standpoint. For a mature node like 18A, defect rates are now low, around D0=0.1 or D0=0.2, and it is likely that Intel has achieved the lower end of that spectrum due to node advancements and months of high-volume production with "Panther Lake."

European semiconductor independence has been a hot topic recently, and European Union lawmakers, particularly the European Commission, have passed the Chips Act 2.0 to achieve semiconductor manufacturing independence from the rest of the world. Now, only a week after the law has been passed, a German startup has raised capital to work on power semiconductors for next-generation electric vehicles. NexiGO, a Berlin-based startup, aims to focus on Gallium Oxide (Ga₂O₃) to power most of the power electronics needed across Europe. Starting with a €2 million pre-seed funding round, NexiGO plans to tackle the challenge of charging electric vehicles. The company intends to allow much higher voltage band gaps and enable vehicle charging to occur in just 10 minutes, significantly less time than the current 60-minute average achieved with Silicon Carbide or Gallium Nitride.

Interestingly, NexiGO will produce Gallium Oxide semiconductors on epitaxial wafers that are up to 4 inches in size, which is a third of the size of traditional logic and memory wafers made in the 12-inch format. The company has likely assessed that this size is sufficient to manufacture Gallium Oxide at a scale that satisfies domestic electricity transmission needs. For example, charging stations require an ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor to handle massive power surges with little to no loss. Standard semiconductors can't sustain the large voltage, while Gallium Oxide has a bandgap of roughly 4.8 eV, allowing for much lower energy loss in power transmission.

Microsoft has finally addressed one of the biggest pain points in using the modern Windows 11 operating system—the Windows Search Box. What used to be a complicated mess filled with content you didn't care about is now becoming a usable interface, with less visual clutter. Starting with new builds being rolled out to Windows Insiders on the Experimental Channel, Windows 11 will now display fewer results when running a Windows Search, meaning that the visual clutter is mostly gone, as you can see in the picture below. Recent searches are very easy to find, and the Search Box actually does what it is supposed to do. It will now display where the search result comes from, whether it is an application, a setting, a file, a web result, or even a Microsoft Store suggestion. The aim is for the Search Box to finally give users more transparency on what their actual search result is.

Perhaps the most important part of the update is the removal of promotional content. Previously, whenever you made a search in the Search Box, Microsoft would push promotions onto the user, showing related products first. This meant your search experience felt more like an advertising marketplace instead of a genuine search. Importantly, local search matches, like those from apps, settings, or files, are shown first before the web results, tailoring your experience towards a more local indexing of results. Additionally, these search results are customizable, as going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Search allows you to turn off web searches and Microsoft Store searches entirely.

TSMC's revenue reached an impressive 442.68 billion NTD in June 2026, which is about 13.75 billion USD (at the time of writing) for a single month of net revenue. This represents a remarkable 67.9% growth compared to the same month last year, driven by the record AI data center expansion. Month over month, TSMC's revenue increased by 6.2% from May 2026. These figures are impressive, considering that such high double-digit growth for a company already generating billions in revenue is one of the best performances in modern history. Additionally, TSMC generated revenue of 2,404.48 billion NTD, equivalent to about 74.66 billion USD, in the first six months of the year. This marks an increase of 35.6% compared to the first half of 2025, indicating that the trend is expected to continue.

In June, TSMC successfully began high-volume manufacturing of the N2 process. AMD has partnered with TSMC to manufacture its EPYC "Venice" on the 2 nm N2 process, alongside the CoWoS packaging that TSMC's facilities offer. AMD is now a top-tier client at TSMC, utilizing the latest nodes that were typically adopted first by Apple, followed by others. Apple is following AMD with its A20 SoC for iPhones and M6 SoC for MacBooks. TSMC's revenue target for the full year 2026 is expected to significantly surpass the 2025 figures, as the company encourages customers to adopt more advanced built on pricier wafers.

AMD's mid-range Radeon RX 9070 GRE edition graphics card is now available for $499 on Newegg, offering an attractive deal for 1440p gamers. Newegg provides a special discount when you enter your email address, reducing the listed price from $549 to $499, a 9% price cut. This is a good deal considering how expensive GPUs have become recently due to memory shortages driving up prices. Originally launched on June 2nd this year outside of China, AMD set the MSRP at $549, which is still the case for some SKUs at certain retailers. However, prices often exceed this, depending on the location and country.

The Radeon RX 9070 GRE features a Navi 48 XL GPU with 3,072 stream processors across 48 RDNA 4 CUs, paired with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory running on a 192-bit bus. This positions it below the Radeon RX 9070 non-XT, which uses a Navi 48 XT GPU with 3,584 stream processors. Interestingly, this GPU was initially intended as a China-only version, as is typical for the GRE family, but AMD released it worldwide at the beginning of June. With the current discount, the value proposition has improved compared to our earlier reviews. Check out the Newegg link here. Do note we don't have an affiliate program, this post serves as a heads-up for enthusiasts for a good deal.

Chinese memory giant CXMT has been expanding its capacity so rapidly that the company is now able to compete with one of the largest memory manufacturers in the world—Micron. According to analysis from Citrini Research and their proprietary data, CXMT is projected to produce about 350,000 DRAM wafers per month by the end of 2026, assuming all current projects are completed on schedule. This is an impressive figure, especially considering that Micron, one of the "big three" DRAM manufacturers, is currently estimated to produce about 375,000 DRAM wafers per month by the end of 2026, assuming their capacity expansions are fulfilled. Micron has been a memory supplier for decades, while CXMT is a relatively new player that emerged to meet China's domestic needs.

A particularly surprising discovery is that CXMT is constructing its cleanrooms—where the actual silicon is produced—in just around 12 months, whereas the rest of the DRAM manufacturing industry typically takes 21-24 months, nearly a full year longer. The biggest challenge for Chinese memory makers like CXMT is acquiring advanced lithography solutions from around the world, as the United States government has imposed sanctions on the company and placed it on a blacklist, preventing access to modern EUV scanners. Instead, CXMT relies on older DUV lithography tools and uses multi-patterning techniques to work around the lack of EUV technology. Despite this, CXMT is matching Micron's output this year with nearly the same number of DRAM wafers, which is impressive for such a new market entrant.

Cooler Master, a global leader in innovative thermal solutions and PC hardware today announced the HAF II 500, a new high-end airflow case designed to push cooling performance forward while delivering a quieter, more flexible building experience. HAF II 500 is available now for $199.99 in North America from Amazon and Newegg. Availability, pricing, and purchase options vary by region. Please refer to your local Cooler Master website for details.

The HAF II 500 uses Cooler Master's thermal authority to bring together two benefits that often compete in a PC case: stronger cooling and lower operating noise. With a purpose-built thermal architecture powered by oversized extra-thick fans, and a layout designed to support high-performance hardware and cleaner internal routing, the case helps users get more from modern gaming, creative, and compute-intensive systems.

Valve is making a fortune, as confirmed by the latest data from Alinea Analytics, which estimates Steam has generated an impressive $11.1 billion in revenue in the first half of the year. These numbers are not only record-setting for Valve but also highlight the significant influence Steam has within the gaming community. As a privately-owned company, Valve's revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. However, analysis from Alinea Analytics estimates that the gross revenue for the first six months of the year is $11.1 billion, nearly matching the entire year of 2021 ($11.4 billion), when the COVID pandemic significantly boosted the gaming community as people stayed home for extended periods.

Interestingly, the majority of Steam's revenue comes from older games. The report notes that only 21% of the revenue stream has come from 2026 game releases, while the rest is supported by a catalog of older titles. Perhaps gamers have been saving up to purchase older games or simply waiting for new releases to resolve the initial bugs and issues that often accompany major game launches. The top-selling games in the first half of 2026 include Forza Horizon 6, generating $197.7 million since launch, Resident Evil Requiem with $194.5 million, and Crimson Desert with $190.1 million from game sales. A complete chart with more games is included below.

According to a display industry analyst from South Korea, Nintendo is considering releasing a Switch 2 handheld console with an OLED display. While there has been speculation that Nintendo will announce a Switch 2 OLED version, the company is currently evaluating whether this option is financially feasible. If Nintendo determines that it makes financial sense, the company plans to start development towards the end of this year, with mass production targeted for the end of 2027. This would set an early 2028 goal for the market launch. If the decision is made to proceed, it is likely that Samsung Display will supply a rigid OLED panel for the Switch 2 OLED version. However, there is a significant price difference between the current 1080p LCD panel and a potential rigid OLED touchscreen display, with the LCD version reportedly being much cheaper.

The current situation with tight memory and storage supply isn't helping either, as Nintendo has been forced to increase the Switch 2 cost by about $50, depending on the configuration. NAND Flash and DRAM pricing have been rising, forcing Nintendo to raise costs, which will take effect on September 1st of this year. Additionally, Nintendo would have to pass the extra costs of the OLED panel to consumers, which could range from double to triple digits by the time the Switch 2 OLED version hits the market. If the memory and storage shortage persists, we could see another price hike for the regular LCD version, and the OLED SKU might not make financial sense. Hence, the company is currently debating whether to start development or not.

Intel today announced a €5 billion ($5.7 billion) capital investment at its Leixlip campus in Ireland, marking the next phase in the site's capacity expansion. Global demand for AI and high-performance computing is driving the need for advanced silicon to power AI Factories, and Intel is scaling capacity in Ireland to deliver Intel Xeon 6 and next gen Intel Xeon built on its Intel 3 node. This strategic investment expands current production output, advances research and development activities and utilises capacity across existing cleanroom space, strengthening Europe's semiconductor supply chain and serving industry need.

The expansion involves upgrading existing fabrication facilities and the installation of leading-edge manufacturing equipment. Key infrastructure enhancements include the expansion of the automated track system to integrate disparate campus modules into a singular, high-velocity production environment.

Previously, we reported that Valve's Steam Machine featured a "red line of death" (RLOD) that was mistakenly flagged as a system problem. This issue was actually a simple BIOS glitch that was resolved quickly. Valve has since updated its Q&A and the Steam Machine BIOS to enhance the functionality of the LED strip surrounding the Steam Machine. In their latest communication, Valve confirmed that they are working on a BIOS update that will cause the LED strip to turn red if the CPU or GPU reaches 100°C. At this point, the system will automatically reduce the performance of the CPU or GPU, depending on which component is affected, to protect the system's health. This process, known as thermal throttling, will only occur once the system reaches the 100°C threshold.

Earlier reports indicated that the RLOD appeared on systems with CPU temperatures of 95°C and GPU temperatures of 90°C. However, since the silicon can handle more heat without issues, Valve has been updating the LED strip behavior with the new BIOS update. Because Valve uses a customized AMD processor, the TJ Max, or maximum safe temperature before shutdown, is likely 105°C. Beyond this point, the system will shut down to prevent damage. Under normal operation, the LED light will remain blue, indicating that the RLOD is a serious warning sign when conditions are about to change. Interestingly, Valve's internal Steam Machine cooling system, which includes a heatsink and a fan, is sufficient to keep the Steam Machine running normally. However, factors such as room temperature and the placement of the Steam Machine can affect performance. If the device is placed in a cramped space with limited air circulation, overheating issues may be more persistent. Below is the current setup of the LED light bar, which will get updated soon.

Intel's 18A node is officially space-grade, according to documentation on Intel's website. A document that initially went unnoticed has been published, detailing a new "Starfire" generation of processors built on the 18A node and designed for space operations. Intel has designated two SKUs for orbital computing, each equipped with four P-Cores and four LPE-Cores, resulting in an eight-core SoC design. One is optimized for low-power operations with clocks adjusted for efficiency, while the other is designed for performance. The Low Power edition tunes its four P-Cores to 1.0 GHz, while the four LPE-Cores run at 850 MHz. For the Performance version, Intel has increased the frequency of P-Cores to 3.1 GHz, with LPE-Cores reaching up to 2.1 GHz.

Both SKUs feature a GPU tile built on the Intel 3 node, which includes 4 Xe cores with 64 EUs. On the Low Power SKU, these Xe cores operate between 800 MHz and 1.0 GHz, while the Performance SKU boosts this to 2.0 GHz. The total package for the Low Power version remains at 10 W TDP, while the Performance SKU is capped at 35 W TDP. Additionally, Intel includes an NPU on both versions, with a compute capability of 45 TOPS on the Low Power version and up to 75 TOPS on the Performance SKU using INT8 precision. Beyond specifications, "Starfire" can operate within a T-Junction range from -55°C to 125°C. This range, alongside TID, SEL, and SEE radiation hardening certifications, introduces the first 18A silicon to space, ideal for orbital computation. Intel targets this quarter, Q3, for samples.

Apple has recently overhauled its entire M-Series chip plans, scrapping the launch of the M6 Pro and M6 Max processors and jumping straight to the M7 series. While the base M6 SoC is expected to launch, Apple is moving into the M7 series without the M6 Pro/Max variants, with plans to offer some of the most powerful computing solutions in the market. Apple is testing the M6 SoC in the base MacBook Pro model, featuring many improvements in CPU microarchitecture and NPU performance for local AI processing. Reportedly, memory is also being upgraded for higher bandwidth, now targeting around 200 GB/s, up from 123 GB/s in the current base M5 SoC. The integrated GPU will see a 20% increase in core count, featuring 12 GPU cores in the M6, which will be a noticeable improvement from the current 10-core configuration in the M5.

However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, in the PowerOn newsletter, confirmed that Apple's plans for the M7 Ultra chip include much faster local AI with more CPU, GPU, and NPU power, as well as a total memory capacity of 1.5 TB, a configuration only seen on the Mac Pro desktop systems. Next year's base M7 processor is expected to arrive in the first half of 2027 and will also upgrade memory bandwidth to about 240 GB/s. This is supposed to be the first Intel-manufactured Apple Silicon design, utilizing the 18A-P node. The M7 Pro and M7 Max will arrive in late 2027 with much higher bandwidth and performance. An M7 Ultra version will follow in 2028 for Mac Studio, which will be a 1.5 TB DRAM machine. With that unified memory, local model development and heavier tasks will be supported without hassle.

MSI Afterburner has been experimenting with a voltage/frequency curve editor that includes a heat map. This feature helps users understand the exact frequency their GPU achieves when given a certain voltage level. According to MSI Afterburner developer "Unwinder," the next beta release of this popular utility will allow users to record and visualize the V/F heat map by pressing "M" on their keyboard while in the editor. Once recorded, users can observe the NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU Boost algorithm in action and see how the GPU switches to different voltage points based on frequency scaling. This process follows the pre-defined V/F curve set for GPU frequency scaling and boosting when needed.

The developer also noted that starting with the "Blackwell" architecture, NVIDIA improved its dynamic voltage frequency scaling (DVFS) within the GPU Boost algorithm. In older architectures, GPU Boost would jump between target V/F points without intermediate values. However, starting with "Blackwell," the curve is much more gradual, and the V/F targets switch up to 1,000 times faster than before, thanks to the DVFS improvements. In the MSI Afterburner beta, this can be seen with a heat map that uses gradients of yellow to indicate the most frequently hit GPU V/F curve points. Below is the GeForce RTX 5090 boosting pattern recorded by the MSI Afterburner beta.

AMD has reportedly been testing a new and highly anticipated FSR multi-frame generation (MFG) technology for its Radeon RX GPUs. This information comes from a third-party software called RadeonTuner, which allows access to Radeon driver settings without using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition application. RadeonTuner has revealed that AMD is already incorporating preliminary support for multi-frame generation into its Radeon drivers, though the feature remains hidden until the software is finalized. According to the tool's developer, AMD often places placeholders for features like this well in advance of their release, indicating that the company is extensively testing the multi-frame generation feature with options for 1x to 8x variants, which are expected to be available once the feature is fully developed.

One user attempted to enable the multi-frame generation feature using the latest driver installation and a Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics card to see if it could work with any game. However, the user discovered that the feature is currently non-functional, as AMD has not yet released the necessary model to support multi-frame generation at any setting. This suggests that only the placeholder for the feature has been included, with no underlying driver support to make it operational. Even when testing games that frequently receive FSR updates, such as Forza Horizon 6, Pragmata, Resident Evil 9, Crimson Desert, and Death Stranding 2, the feature could not be activated. It seems we are still months away from the final release of multi-frame generation support.

It seems that NVIDIA's removal of the hotspot temperature sensor from the GeForce RTX 50 series "Blackwell" GPUs is not permanent, as the sensor data can still be accessed and the actual sensor is physically present. However, this is only possible with NVIDIA's internal tool called Modular Diagnostic Software (MODS), which isn't available to the public. According to Brazilian repair specialist Paulo Gomes, NVIDIA's MODS tool can still access the hotspot sensor. Readers may recall that back in January 2025, when the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU was reviewed, it was confirmed that NVIDIA had indeed removed the hotspot sensor reading API from "Blackwell." However, the company has kept access to "GPU Temperature" and "Memory Temperature" features for measuring the overall GPU temperature and its memory, making up for the absence of the hotspot sensor by keeping other features available.

For those who want to access the hotspot sensor on NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series, Paulo Gomes shows that it is possible through the use of MODS, which is an internal tool available only to NVIDIA employees in testing labs. Some builds have been circulating among repair technicians. The tool requires a bootable Linux drive and likely specific packages, making it difficult for the average enthusiast to set up. By connecting the tool from a remote server, the repair crew discovered that NVIDIA's thermal limit of 107°C had been reached five times in some hotspots on the GPU die, despite the average GPU temperature of the tested GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5070 Ti being around 68°C.

According to a new review of the ThinkBook 14 G9 from Notebookcheck, Lenovo has started shipping its German laptop configurations with SSDs made by YMTC for the first time. This is significant news, considering that SSD prices have been skyrocketing in recent months due to a massive shortage of NAND Flash storage modules. These modules have traditionally depended on a few manufacturers like Samsung, SK hynix, Micron, Kioxia, and others. However, Chinese company YMTC has entered the market and begun volume production of its Xtacking 4.0 technology, offering 1 TB TLC or 2 TB QLC storage modules, which is disrupting the balance in the global NAND Flash supply chain.

Previously, Lenovo used DRAM from another Chinese supplier, CXMT, only for Chinese laptop models. This marks the first time YMTC-made NAND Flash has been included in a laptop sold outside mainland China. YMTC has achieved performance that is decent enough for NAND Flash, with sufficient capacity for major laptop OEMs like Lenovo to start shipping this NAND Flash without waiting for capacity from other storage module makers. In Notebookcheck's testing, the ThinkBook 14 G9 SKU uses a 512 GB NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 2242 SSD, with sequential read speeds of 3,950 MB/s and write speeds of 2,514 MB/s. While this is considered below average for an office laptop, it is adequate for getting the job done and helps ease the global supply chain shortage slightly.

Update July 14, 12:45 UTC: Lenovo contacted us to clarify that the only laptop SKUs getting the YMTC SSD are models sold in Germany, with the configurations made for the United States continuing with regular, non-YMTC SSDs.