The Hot Take: I guess OK? Is it going to be a google authenticated Microsoft account though?
Microsoft is quietly loosening its grip on the Microsoft account (MSA) requirement. Edge is getting a new option to sign in with a Google account, and we already know that internal teams in the company are working to bring back local account in Windows 11. This may be the first time in 10 years that Microsoft is getting a change of heart when it comes to forcing us to sign in with MSA.
For years, Microsoft pushed MSA hard. You needed one to set up Windows 11, to get the most out of Bing, to claim Rewards points, and to sync anything in Edge.
The company even paid people $1 million to use Bing, a promotion that only worked if you had a Microsoft account, since Bing Rewards cannot be redeemed without one. But something has changed. Microsoft is quietly stepping back from that hard stance, and the most visible sign of it is coming to Edge.
Microsoft Edge will let you sign in with a Google account
Microsoft has added a new entry to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap (Roadmap ID: 565860), confirming that Edge users will be able to sign in to the browser using a Google account. The feature is currently in development and is slated to begin rolling out in July 2026. It will be available on both Windows and macOS.
New Google sign in option in Microsoft Edge
We got early access to a build of Edge where the feature is already live, and in the profile menu, below the existing âSign in to syncâ button, there is now a new âOr sign in withâ section with a Google button. Clicking it opens Googleâs standard sign-in page, which shows the Edge logo and asks you to sign in with your Google account to continue to Microsoft Edge.
Once signed in, the Edge profile card shows your Gmail address, with sync turned on. Your Google account becomes the profile identity, no Microsoft account required.
Signed into Microsoft Edge with a Google account
Note that the UI or behaviours may change as we still have a few more weeks since this rolls out to general public. Of course, this doesnât mean that Microsoft account is being removed, but the Google account login is an addition, not a replacement.
Microsoft says: âUsers can now sign in to Microsoft Edge using a Google account in addition to the Microsoft account from the profile menu and Edge sign-in screen.â
Enterprise administrators can control whether the feature is available using the NonMicrosoftAccountSignInEnabled policy.
Itâs clear that Microsoft is targeting Chrome users. If your passwords, bookmarks, and browsing history are all linked to a Google account, signing into Edge with that same Google account means a far lower barrier to switching. You get all the Microsoft ecosystem perks, vertical tabs, and immersive reader, both of which Google already copied, and my favourite feature, AI Tab Organizer, which Apple copied to Safari.
Anyway, Edge is a good browser, and youâll get to use it without needing a separate Microsoft account just to get started.
Edge already lets you bring your Google data over
Edge has offered Google data import options for quite a while. As we reported back in 2022, Microsoft built a feature that continuously pulls bookmarks and passwords from Chrome into Edge, so switching browsers does not mean losing your saved data.
More recently, Edge has also offered a âYour Google data and services, now in Edgeâ prompt during setup, allowing users to import Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, and more directly into the browser without ever touching Chrome again.
Microsoft Edge shows option to import data from Google
The upcoming Google account sign-in takes that a step further. Instead of just importing Chrome data, users can now anchor their Edge profile to a Google account, making the transition even more seamless for the hundreds of millions of Chrome users.
You could already create a Microsoft account with a Gmail address
There is a lesser-known detail that I feel is worth saying here. Microsoftâs account sign-in page already accepts Gmail addresses. If you type a Gmail ID into the Microsoft account sign-in field and follow the prompts, Microsoft creates a Microsoft account associated with that Gmail address. A Google account with a gmail.com domain becomes a Microsoft account!
Microsoft account with gmail ID
So, in a way, Microsoft has been quietly lowering the Gmail barrier for some time. The only issue was that people did not know about it, or they did not want to create an account of any kind. The upcoming Edge Google sign-in option neatly sidesteps both problems.
Microsoft is also rethinking the forced MSA sign-in during Windows 11 setup
Whatâs interesting is that Edge not being strict about a Microsoft account is part of a broader pattern. As we reported three months ago in March 2026, Microsoft is considering dropping the forced Microsoft account sign-in requirement during Windows 11 setup (OOBE).
Scott Hanselman says developers are working to remove requirement to login to MSA
Right now, setting up a fresh Windows 11 PC without a Microsoft account is almost impossible.
Forced to sign in during Windows 11 setup
Windows 11 OOBE had turned into an ad-cluttered slog, with Microsoft account prompts stacked on top of pitches for OneDrive and Copilot. Microsoft acknowledged that the setup needed to be faster and less intrusive. The move to loosen the MSA requirement fits squarely into that effort.
Of course, frustration with the forced Microsoft account in OOBE is not new. Back in November 2025, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Elon Musk both publicly pushed Microsoft to remove the MSA requirement from Windows 11. Fortunately for us, feedback has evidently made its way internally.
The irony of Microsoft opening the door for Google
Bing just crossed 1 billion monthly active users for the first time, as confirmed by CEO Satya Nadella during Microsoftâs Q3 earnings call. With Bing finally gaining footing, it is interesting to see Microsoft now enabling Google account sign-in in the same browser that had long been its vehicle for pushing people toward Microsoft services.
Microsoft has been faking Googleâs homepage on Bing, paid users to switch to Bing through Microsoft Rewards, and has been leaning on every Windows integration possible to keep users in the Microsoft ecosystem. And yet here we are, with Microsoft officially inviting Google account users into Edge. The Edge team probably views this less as a concession and more as a pragmatic move to get Chrome users into Edge first, let them discover the Microsoft ecosystem at their own pace.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is also giving users the option to remove Bing from Windows 11 Search, something we have been asking for years, and the feature is now hidden in latest Insider build.
Credit: Phantomofearth on X
Between loosening Bing in Search, softening the OOBE MSA requirement, and now allowing Google account sign-in in Edge, the software giant is showing a clear shift away from the aggressive lock-in tactics that defined the past few years of Windows, and this gives me hope in the future of the OS.
That said, whether this shift holds or whether it is a calculated goodwill play before the next round of Copilot integrations remains to be seen.
For now, Chrome users who have resisted Edge because of the Microsoft account wall will have one less reason to say no, and that is probably what Microsoft is counting on.
The post Microsoft is killing the Microsoft account lock-in across products, Windows 11 may be next appeared first on Windows Latest
The Hot Take: AMD getting ready for Intel refocus on HPDT?
With Threadripper, it has always been a bit like heavy-haul transport on the motorway: massively overdimensioned for normal users, but for certain workloads exactly the kind of tool where every additional lane matters. Now AMDâs next workstation generation has become tangible for the first time. An entry for âTR6 Mustang Peakâ has appeared in AMDâs [âŚ]
The Hot Take: Snapdragon gets it's own windows. Makes me think they haven't converged code like Apple has with iOS/iPadOS/Mac OS.
Microsoft has finally confirmed what we reported in February 2026: Windows 11 26H2 is shipping this year, and itâs not a major release, as the company is trying to make Windows updates more predictable. It means this yearâs feature update will be similar to Windows 11 25H2 and install via an enablement package (eKB).
Windows 11 hasnât received a major feature update since 2024. Windows 11 24H2 was the last major update, and it was released on October 1, 2024. In 2025, Microsoft rolled out Windows 11 25H2, but it was based on the same underlying platform code as version 24H2, which means it doesnât come with additional features.
In fact, if you use Windows 11 25H2 or 24H2, you have access to the same set of features and improvements, including the monthly cumulative updates. But Windows 11 25H2 reset the OS life cycle, which means itâs supported for an additional year compared to version 24H2.
Windows 11 24H2âs support ends on October 13, 2026, while version 25H2 is supported until October 12, 2027.
Weâre going to see the same approach repeated in 2026. As Windows Latest previously exclusively reported in February 2026, Windows 11 26H2 references have already begun appearing in recent preview builds as an eKB (enablement package), a 200KB update that simply flips the OS version and build number.
Now, in new documentation, Microsoft has said Windows 11 26H2 is being prepared for a fall 2026 rollout, which I believe is October 2026.
âThe next annual update for Windows 11 is coming soonâŚ. continues our focus on delivering a predictable, low-disruption update experience for organizations and IT professionals,â Microsoft noted.
Microsoft usually prefers releasing feature updates in October, but in some cases, it could begin shipping as early as the last week of September or as late as the last week of October, with the majority getting the update during the holiday season.
If youâre already on Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, this yearâs feature update wouldnât feel any different, and itâll install in less than 5 minutes. In fact, the size of enablement packages is typically under 500KB, so in most cases, youâll have your PC updated to Windows 11 26H2 in just 2 minutes.
Windows 11 26H2 requires a single reboot to finish installing, and it does not come with any visible differences.
How long is Windows 11 26H2 supported?
Windows 11 26H2 is supported until October 2028 for Home, Pro, Pro EDU, and Pro for Workstations editions.
In the case of enterprises, if you have Windows 11 Enterprise, Education, or IoT Enterprise, youâll continue to get updates until October 2029.
This is a standard update cycle where consumers get 24 months of support, while businesses get an extra year.
Windows 11 26H2 system requirements
If your device is already on Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, youâll be upgraded to Windows 11 26H2 smoothly later this year. It does not come with any new hardware requirements. It still requires 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 1GHz or faster 64-bit dual-core processor.
However, thereâs another update called Windows 11 26H1, which requires new silicon, such as Nvidia N1 (RTX Spark) and Snapdragon X2. But donât worry, youâre not really missing out on anything. Windows 11 26H1 is based on a new platform release, so itâs different from 24H2, 25H2, or 26H2, but it doesnât come with exclusive features.
In either case, thereâs nothing really new. Windows will be getting new features, but not via these annual updates. Instead, all the major changes will ship every month via cumulative updates. For example, an upcoming Patch Tuesday update will add support for a movable taskbar. A recent Windows update added support for Low Latency Profile, which is a major change.
These types of major changes were previously shipped with annual feature updates, but now theyâre bundled with monthly releases.
I asked Microsoft if thereâs any particular reason why itâs been skipping âmajorâ feature updates in favor of these minor enablement packages for the past two years, and it told me that itâs supposed to make it easier for customers, particularly enterprises.
As a follow-up, I asked if the trend would continue into 2027 with version 27H2, and Microsoft neither denied nor confirmed it.
The post Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2 for fall 2026 release, reveals supported PCs and other details appeared first on Windows Latest
The Hot Take: They're the only manufacturer in an industry they monopolize. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding...
U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick expresses concerns in a conversation with ASML executives that China has an EUV lithography system as ASML denies shipping such scanners to the PRC.
The Hot Take: Making the CPU important again on the x86 platform.
ACE, the upcoming set of x86 Extensions defined by both AMD & Intel, has seen the latest spec release, focusing on AI acceleration. AMD & Intel Focus on AI Acceleration Through Next-Gen x86 Architectures That Are ACE Compliant Last year, Intel and AMD partnered to strengthen the x86 ecosystem through their "x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group" initiative. The plan was to offer a standardized set of features across architectures to make x86 accessible, scalable, and compatible with future requirements. Four key features were announced: FRED, AVX10, ChkTag, and ACE. Now, the latest ACE "AI Compute Extensions" specifications have been published by AMD [âŚ]Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amd-intel-arm-x86-with-ace-matrix-multiply-engines-low-precision-ai-formats-future-cpus/
By ckasprzak | TkOut
| June 19, 2026 | Hardware, Intel
The Hot Take: Interesting, I wonder if this means Intel is going to break into SSD and Memory again to address the "shortages".
Intel has appointed Seok-Hee Lee, the former chief executive of memory maker SK hynix and battery maker SK On, as executive vice president of Intel Foundry.
By ckasprzak | TkOut
| June 17, 2026 | ARM, Hardware
The Hot Take: I question this very much.
Servers employing x86 chips from AMD and Intel now account for little more than half of server revenue, according to the latest figures from IDC. In its Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker for Q1 2026, the analyst firm says that non-x86 server revenue hit $58.7 billion, representing a startling increase of 107 percent over the same period last year. The results mean that those non-x86 servers make up 47.9 percent of the market revenue, closing in rapidly on the amount of cash spent on x86 boxes. The growth in non-x86 turnover is likely thanks to systems powered by Nvidiaâs AI chips featuring Arm cores. Although there is high demand for these, they also cost a pretty packet compared to an average datacenter box. In fact, IDC noted a stark divide shaping the worldwide server market, which reached $122.6 billion in vendor revenue during this period, a 30.4 percent increase year-on-year. On the one hand, AI infrastructure investment from hyperscalers and large cloud providers is ârunning at a scale that shows no sign of plateauing,â while everything else - the non-accelerated segment - faces a supply-constrained environment, thanks largely to that AI infrastructure spending. As Reg readers will know, memory chipmakers are prioritizing manufacturing capacity for higher margin products for AI servers and GPUs, starving the rest of the market of supply. Component availability, particularly DRAM and NAND flash, is limiting near-term shipment volumes from vendors, IDC says, though order pipelines are strong. Supply of the right chips is therefore the chief limiting factor on server market growth. Revenue for x86 servers still reached $63.9 billion, but this was a decline of 2.9 percent due to those component supply constraints impacting shipment volumes. GPU accelerated servers pulled in $68.9 billion for the vendors, up nearly 25 percent year-on-year, while other accelerated servers surged a massive 122 percent to $17.7 billion. The latter category represents AI systems configured with FPGAs or ASICs rather than GPUs. IDCâs spin on the data is that AI infrastructure adoption is no longer limited to hyperscalers, thanks to developments such as government-led sovereign AI initiatives, while the non-accelerated segment tells a more nuanced story. Although revenue here declined, underlying demand remains strong, but many enterprise customers are holding out against elevated component prices. âCompanies arenât pulling back from infrastructure investment; theyâre just not getting servers as fast as they need them. Longer term, emerging workloads, including agentic applications and physical AI ecosystems, will keep demand elevated well beyond the current cycle,â commented IDC research director Juan Seminara. The firm says it expects to see supply normalization beginning in 2027, with capacity relief coming as chipmakers bring new fabrication plants online. Across the last two decades, non-x86 servers accounted for less than ten percent of revenue, and most of that went to IBM which emerged as the last vendor of proprietary servers as Oracle lost interest in Sun and the likes of HPE decided they couldn't sustain businesses built on exotic architectures. ÂŽ
By ckasprzak | TkOut
| June 17, 2026 | CPU, Hardware
The Hot Take: Well now....
AMD appears to have yanked a memory encryption protection from consumer Ryzen chips, leaving users to play firmware detective.
For those who came in late: a decade ago, AMD added Transparent Secure Memory Encryption (TSME) to higher-end CPUs to protect systems from cold-boot attacks and other physical exploits that can siphon data from memory. The feature encrypts everything stored in RAM, making stolen memory contents useless to attackers with physical access.
Over time, TSME turned up on cheaper Ryzen consumer chips, and privacy-minded users reasonably started treating it as part of the package.
Recently, without warning, that protection vanished from lower-end AMD chips in a way Windows users could not easily detect and Linux users could spot only with some technical faffing.
According to Ars Technica AMD has not explained why TSME worked on these CPUs or fully confirmed the change, saying only that TSME âis a security feature only applied to PRO CPUs as part of AMD PRO Technologies.â
In April, Linux hobbyist Ben Kilpatrick installed a new operating system on a Ryzen 7 9700X system and ran Host Security ID to check firmware and hardware protections. He found HSI reporting âencrypted RAM: not supportedâ, even though TSME had been enabled in BIOS and had previously shown as âencryptedâ.
Kilpatrickâs digging led MSI engineers to test consumer Ryzen chips on MSI and Gigabyte boards, where older AGESA firmware enabled TSME but newer AGESA 1.2.7.0 showed it as unsupported.
Pro Ryzen chips supported TSME across motherboard brands and firmware versions, which rather spoiled the idea that this was just a random board-level wobble.
âThe big outstanding question is whether this is a deliberate policy decision by AMD to restrict TSME to PRO chips, or an unintentional regression that was introduced in AGESA 1.2.7.0,â Kilpatrick told Ars.
After Kilpatrick filed a bug report on AMDâs public engineering GitHub, AMD fellow software engineer Tom Lendacky suggested toggling the BIOS option and then speaking to MSI if that failed.
AMD senior principal software engineer Mario Limonciello gave similar advice, telling him: âIf it still doesnât work; then yes please report it to your board vendor to debug.â
Kilpatrick later said MSI had been told by AMD that TSME was officially supported only on PRO processors, and tests showed TSME active on a Ryzen 9945 PRO but off on a consumer Ryzen 9800X3D.
MSIâs ABL dump comparisons reportedly showed the internal AGESA flag DfIsTsmeEnabled returning FALSE for consumer chips, even when TSME was set to AUTO or ENABLED in BIOS.
Kilpatrick pressed AMD on whether this was a silicon limitation or a firmware policy decision, because one is fixed and the other could be changed.
Limonciello replied: âMy apologies, but I donât have any more information to share on this topic.â
This is embarrassing as Lendacky said in 2020 that a consumer Ryzen 3700X âshould support TSMEâ, and in 2025 recommended using it if the BIOS exposed the option.
Silicon-level security expert Joe Fitzgerald said: âBut I really feel like an explanation should be in order, even if it was âTSME was never supposed to be supported. We did ship some firmwares that erroneously enabled it, but you shouldnât use them since we canât guarantee itâll work properly.ââ
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The Hot Take: I really hope something comes soon to alleviate all this nonsense AI is causing.
US-based AI company, Tensordyne, has announced the successful tape-out of its Napier chip, which it claims to demolish NVIDIA's Blackwell & Rubin chips with leading token throughput and efficiency. Tensordyneâs new Napier AI Chip arrives with one clear mission: to make NVIDIAâs Blackwell and Rubin chips look considerably less impressive The Napier chip will be the core component of the Tensordyne Napier TDN system, which is designed in collaboration with Broadcom and HPE Juniper Networks. The Napier platform has one goal: to unify AI through novel logarithmic AI math, a tightly integrated memory architecture, and a high-performance scale-up interconnect that [âŚ]Read full article at https://wccftech.com/tensordyne-3nm-napier-ai-chip-13x-higher-token-throughput-blackwell-blazes-past-rubin/
The Hot Take: This is an interesting collaboration between the two seeing intel keeps saying they're not going to stop GPU development.
Intel's Serpent Lake SoCs featuring NVIDIA's RTX GPU tiles as integrated graphics are expected to roll out by Q1 2028. Intel & NVIDIA's Co-Developed Serpent Lake SoCs Featuring Next-Gen CPU & GPU Architectures Rumored For Q1 2028 Last year, Intel announced that it was working with NVIDIA on a custom SoC that would incorporate NVIDIA's RTX GPU tiles. Intel stated that these SoCs will power a wide range of PCs that require the integration of these levels of CPUs & GPUs together into a single package. It looks like we have our first timeline of when these SoCs will be [âŚ]Read full article at https://wccftech.com/intel-serpent-lake-socs-with-nvidia-rtx-gpu-tiles-reportedly-arrive-in-q1-2028/