Steam On Linux Use Skyrocketed Above 5% In March

The Hot Take: This is good, as Windows 11 is just a pile of poop these days. I'm waiting on native support from game publishing houses, as I hate abstract/emulation layers. We still need the peripheral companies to publish apps to control all those RGB's on our systems and keyboards too.

Valve's March 2026 Steam Survey shows Linux gaming usage jumping to a record 5.33% share -- more than double macOS's 2.35%. Phoronix reports: Steam on Linux was never above 5% and easily an all-time high for the Linux gaming marketshare, especially in absolute numbers. It was a massive 3.1% spike in March while macOS also jumped surprisingly by 1.19% to 2.35%. The Steam Survey numbers show Windows losing 4.28%, down to 92.33%. Part of the jump at least appears to be explained by Valve correcting again the Steam China numbers. Month…

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TSMC plots an Arizona gigafab land grab

The Hot Take: The Fab competition is heating up states side from the look of it.

A new report claims TSMC wants an Arizona “GigaFab” cluster that can rival what it produces in Taiwan. DigiTimes says TSMC’s US plans have already “exceeded expectations” and the outfit is now eyeing a total of 12 fabs. The idea is to mirror the kind of fab network it runs in Hsinchu, Taiwan, only with more cactus and less typhoon risk. The report reckons TSMC’s and Taiwan’s combined US investment could hit half a trillion dollars, with the spending framed as groundwork for something bigger than a couple of token plants. That is a lot of…

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Samsung ramps Texas fab as engineers gather for 2nm push

The Hot Take: So USA looks to be having 3 foundries that will be able to produce 2nm chips. This is great news.

Samsung Electronics has reportedly moved into the equipment installation and testing phase at its foundry in Taylor, Texas, transitioning from construction to operational setup for 2nm production. More than 3,000 engineers from Samsung and global equipment suppliers have begun gathering at the site, according to ET News, signaling the start of large-scale ramp-up activities.

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Intel buyback signals shift beyond austerity as chipmaker regains confidence

The Hot Take: This is GREAT indication that Intel is clawing its way back.

Intel's US$14.2 billion buyback of its Ireland fab stake signals a shift beyond austerity, reflecting improved finances, renewed confidence in AI-driven CPU demand, and a strategic move to regain full control of key manufacturing capacity amid persistent global semiconductor supply constraints.

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Google research suggests encryption technique used by Bitcoin will be cracked by quantum computers around 2029 — search giant says quantum attacks need to be prepared for now

The Hot Take: Interesting. I mean with the limitless compute of quantum computing it's more than possible.

New research from Google suggests that future quantum computers will develop quickly enough to pose a risk to elliptic-curve cryptography, used in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, as soon as 2029, and its researchers say action should be taken now to prepare.

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NVIDIA Adds Auto Shader Compilation Beta to Cut Load Times

The Hot Take: Following intels steps on the Arc? Also, how much space are the pre-compiled shaders going to consume of diskspace?

NVIDIA has introduced a new beta feature called Auto Shader Compilation, or ASC, through the latest NVIDIA App update, and it targets a familiar pain point in modern PC gaming: long initial loading phases and shader compilation stutter in DirectX 12 titles.

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