Intel Posts Initial GCC Compiler Patches For AI Compute Extensions "ACE"

The Hot Take: I really wonder if this will deflate the Ai bubble even a little bit.

The x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group led by Intel and AMD recently firmed up the AI Compute Extensions (ACE) specification for optimizing x86 for AI computation tasks around matrix multiplication and the like for machine learning workloads. The cross-vendor ACE extension is ultimately a successor to Intel's Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX). Posted to the GCC mailing list today by Intel engineers are the initial patches in preparing the compiler support for ACE...

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Intel expands production of photomasks in California: EUV and High-NA EUV in the focal point

The Hot Take: Intel Ramping things up to play catch up and win volume from TSMC.

Intel this week initiated expansion of its Bowers Campus in Santa Clara, California, in a bid to produce more photomasks (reticles) in the U.S. The company intends to build a new manufacturing facility and a new utility building at the site, which will reinforce the site's position as a key producer of photomasks for Intel.Go deeper with TH Premium: Chipmaking(Image credit: tsmc)A deeper look at the chipmaking supply chainTSMC's $165 billion U.S. investments examinedChina reportedly reverse-engineers EUV toolChina bets on DUV, as EUV blockade…

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I built a Linux container on Windows 11 without Docker Desktop, and Docker users should pay attention

The Hot Take: Nore more docker on Windows? Interesting.

Windows 11 can now build, run, and manage Linux containers on its own, without Docker Desktop in the background. Microsoft calls this WSL Containers, and after installing the preview and running a few real workloads through it, here is what works, what still needs Docker, and how to get it running on your own PC. WSL Container should not be confused with the next version of WSL 2, as we already covered how Microsoft shut down the WSL 3 rumors. It has now shipped as a public preview, so we installed it, built a custom container image from…

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Samsung Chases TSMC With Quantum Computing-Powered Chipmaking as AI Reshapes the Most Critical Step in Fabrication

The Hot Take: Samsung playing catch up and hopefully over take TSMC? Only time will tell.

Korean chip manufacturing giant Samsung is developing simulation technologies for lithography that rely on quantum computing and artificial intelligence, suggests a report from the Korean press. The technology will be used to run simulations of the first stage of the chip manufacturing process, and Samsung will also rely on artificial intelligence to streamline the process. Through the technology, the firm aims to reduce the time and cost of the lithography and etching processes. Samsung Is Developing Algorithms To Boost Its Photolithography,…

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AMD Zen 6 Takes A Page From Intel With New Low-Power Cores

The Hot Take: Oh so the Ultra series aren't just crap then? /smh

It's curious to call this one a leak, exactly, since the original source is direct from AMD and live on the web, but here we go: AMD's Vishal Badole submitted a patch for the Linux Kernel that he describes as adding support for "a Low Power core type, in addition to the existing Performance and Efficiency types." That's pretty clear-cut. Now,

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Microsoft expected to lay off thousands in what has become an annual July restructuring

The Hot Take: Software development world is condensing fast with Ai....

Microsoft is expected to announce another round of layoffs soon. Less than 2.5% of the company's workforce will be affected, according to sources that spoke with Business Insider. Due Microsoft's size, even that small percentage means thousands of people will be affected.An SEC filing from June 30, 2025 showed Microsoft had about 228,000 employees. That figure has fluctuated since then, but it gives a gauge of the size of Microsoft's full-time workforce.Division cuts & AI infrastructureThis round of layoffs will affect thousands of roles…

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Major RAM manufacturers sued for manipulating prices and demand

The Hot Take: About time. I've been saying they should have one for a while.

The big story in computing these days is how an ongoing shortage of RAM (dubbed RAMageddon or the RAMpocalypse) has led to massive increases in hardware costs. The conventional explanation of the situation has been that shortages have been driven by the widespread construction of AI data centers. However, a new lawsuit (Garciaguirre et al. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., et al.) filed against RAM manufacturers Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, alleges that these companies are exploiting market conditions to artificially inflate prices.

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Microsoft denies WSL 3 exists, reveals Windows 11’s WSL Containers ship next week

The Hot Take: Slowly Windows becoming more and more Linux.

Microsoft has shot down the idea that WSL 3 is on the way. The articles that have been calling it WSL 3 mixed up a different feature, WSL Containers, which the company showed at Build 2026 and is now days away from shipping. The correction came straight from the team that builds Windows Subsystem for Linux. TL; DR: WSL 3 does not exist. WSL Containers does, and it shows up in less than a week. Microsoft has officially denied that WSL 3 exists. Craig Loewen, the Product Manager at Microsoft responsible for the Windows Subsystem for…

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