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NVIDIA Reportedly Progressing Well with "Rubin" AI GPU Development - Insiders Foresee Q3'25 Sampling

Over a year ago, industry moles started chattering about a potential "late 2025" launch of NVIDIA "Rubin" AI accelerators/ GPUs. According to older rumors, one of the successors to current-gen "Blackwell" hardware could debut in chiplet-based "R100" form. Weeks ahead of Christmas 2024, Taiwanese insider reports pointed to Team Green's development of the "Rubin" AI project being sixth months ahead of schedule. Despite this extra positive outlook, experts surmised that the North American giant would not be rushing out shiny new options—especially with the recent arrival of "Blackwell Ultra" products. A lot of leaks seem to be coming from sources at (or adjacent to) TSMC.

Taiwan's top foundry service is reportedly in the "Rubin" equation; with a 3 nm (N3P) node process and CoWoS-L packaging linked to "R100." According to local murmurs, the final "taping out"—of Rubin GPUs and Vera CPUs—is due for completion this month. Trial production is expected run throughout the summer, with initial samples being ready for distribution by September. According to a fresh Ctee TW news report, unnamed supply chain participants reckon that NVIDIA's "new chip development schedule is smoother than before, and mass production (of Rubin and Vera chips) will begin as early as 2026." In theory, the first publicly exhibited final examples could turn up at CES 2026.

TSMC Reportedly Surpasses 90% Production Yield Rate with 2 nm Process

At the tail end of Q1'25, industry whispers suggested that TSMC's premier facilities had completed cutting/leading-edge 2 nm (N2) trial production runs. By early April, company insiders alluded to a confident push into preparations for a futuristic 1.4 nm node at the "P2" Baoshan Plant. This is a very distant prospect; watchdogs envision a 2028 release window. According to expert predictions, cross-facility 2 nm wafer mass production phases are expected to start by the end of this year. Foundry staff seem to be actively pursuing an improvement in yields; earlier guesstimates indicated the crossing of a 70% milestone—good enough for full-blown manufacturing runs.

Fresher musings point to staffers and advanced equipment achieving and stepping just beyond an impressive 90% mark, albeit with silicon intended for "memory products." As of mid-May, Samsung's competing "SF2" product—allegedly—remains in testing phases. South Korean insider news reports posit 2 nm GAA trial yields passing 40%—a significant development for the megacorp's foundry business. Roughly a month ago, (in public) TSMC leadership spoke about an unprecedented demand for 2 nm wafers. Due to rumors of greater than anticipated charges for important TSMC clients, Samsung Semi's top brass is supposedly trying to woo the likes of NVIDIA and Qualcomm.

Client Interest in Samsung Foundry Reportedly Buoyed by Nintendo Switch 2 SoC Production Deal

The Nintendo Switch 2 hybrid console is due to launch globally next Wednesday (June 4). The highly anticipated next-gen handheld is powered by a custom NVIDIA processor. To the surprise of many industry watchdogs, both parties have semi-recently disclosed a couple of technical details regarding their fruitful hardware collaboration. Historically, Nintendo has guarded many aspects of its past generation hardware. Throughout the 2020s, data miners and leakers have unearthed plenty of pre-release information—leading to theories about the Switch 2 chipset's origins. During the Switch 1 era, TSMC was the chosen manufacturing partner. NVIDIA's off-the-shelf Tegra X1 mobile SoC powered the first wave of Nintendo Switch (2017) devices, in 20 nm form. A 2019 revision resulted in Switch Lite and (refreshed) Switch models being equipped with a more efficient 16 nm solution, also present within 2023's premium OLED variant.

Since then, Switch 2's alleged NVIDIA Tegra T239 SoC was linked to a Samsung 8 nm node process. Earlier this month, extremely brave Chinese leakers produced "full die shot" evidence of South Korean foundry origins. Bloomberg insider news articles have implied that Samsung Semi's mature 8 nm FinFET node is better suited—rather than an equivalent TSMC product—for the Switch 2's custom NVIDIA chipset. Unnamed sources have mentioned critical factors; namely stable production and process compatibility. Industry moles reckon that Samsung leadership is actively and aggressively pushing for a longer Switch 2 chipset production deal. Renewed terms could include a future die shrink; pre-launch analysis indicates a sizeable 207 mm² footprint. Beyond foundry biz negotiations, additional murmurs suggest company executives dangling an OLED panel supply agreement. Industry experts have viewed Samsung's key entry—into the gaming console chip market—as a seismic development. A DigiTimes article dives into a so-called "tripartite cooperation"—involving Nintendo, NVIDIA, and the South Korean semiconductor giant. The Samsung Foundry has floundered and struggled in recent times, but is keen to catch up with its arch rival. Fresh rumors have AMD and Sony considering Samsung's chip making channels; possibly with futuristic PlayStation hardware in mind.

EA Reportedly Closes Cliffhanger Games; Black Panther Project Canceled

Throughout the Spring season, Electronics Arts (EA) has reduced development team numbers across several of its international first-party game development studios. According to a fairly fresh IGN news report, another North American operation has been shutdown. Cliffhanger Games was working on a triple-A Black Panther intellectual property, with Marvel's full approval—as teased back in mid-2023. IGN's inside sources have leaked an email—allegedly authored by Laura Miele, EA Entertainment's president—that was addressed the latest round of layoffs at Cliffhanger Games, and unspecified "mobile and central teams." Apparently these adjustments are necessary; Miele (reportedly) believes that these changes will: "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities...These decisions are hard. They affect people we've worked with, learned from, and shared real moments with. We're doing everything we can to support them—including finding opportunities within EA, where we've had success helping people land in new roles." In recent times, company leadership had openly discussed a move away from licensed IP projects. Supposedly, Miele's email mentions a focus on core EA franchises going forward: The Sims, Skate, Battlefield, and Apex Legends.

eXtas1s, a somewhat unreliable source of inside track info has weighed in with related news. The Spanish leaker shared an offbeat claim: "I have learned that around 400 more layoffs are coming at EA, the total closure of Codemasters HQ, and that those developers will be integrated into EA Sports (F1), and a new Need For Speed that is already in development." Going back to late April, EA declared that an unspecified number of layoffs were underway at Codemasters. Earlier this month, the long-running British racing game specialist had stopped working on the popular WRC franchise. Since then, NACON—a French publication house—has picked up the FIA World Rally Championship license. Within the same time period, an official announcement outlined the cancelation of two unannounced projects at Respawn Entertainment. Prior to cessations, the Los Angeles, California-based outfit was working on two "early stage" titles—insider reports suggested that one of these mystery IPs was some sort of nascent Titanfall title. Interestingly, Respawn's leader—Vince Zampella—is steering the next Battlefield game. Several EA studios have been roped into a multipronged production approach.

HP Reports Fiscal 2025 Second Quarter Results

HP Inc. and its subsidiaries ("HP") announced fiscal 2025 second quarter net revenue of $13.2 billion, up 3.3% (up 4.5% in constant currency) from the prior-year period. "In Q2, we delivered solid revenue growth, led by strong Commercial performance in Personal Systems and continued momentum behind our future of work strategy," said Enrique Lores, President and CEO, HP Inc. "While results in the quarter were impacted by a dynamic regulatory environment, we responded quickly to accelerate the expansion of our manufacturing footprint and further reduce our cost structure. These decisive actions strengthen our foundation and position us to deliver long-term sustainable growth."

"In light of the increased macroeconomic uncertainty, we have adjusted our outlook to reflect moderated demand and the net impact of trade-related costs," said Karen Parkhill, CFO, HP Inc. "We are executing targeted mitigation strategies, and assuming current conditions remain, we expect to fully offset these costs by Q4."

AMD Reportedly Discontinues B650 Motherboard Chipset, Insider Predicts Q3'25 Stock Depletion

Yesterday, members of the Bobantang discussion board disclosed intriguing insider knowledge. According to recent industry murmurs, AMD has informed motherboard manufacturing partners about the discontinuation of B650 chipset production. Chinese media outlets have jumped on this alleged revelation, with Western counterparts quickly joining in on the fun (hours later). ITHome and Unika's Hardware were the first channels to parse info from the Bobantang forum. Since a 2022 launch, Team Red's mid-range B650 board design has remained a firm favorite for many budget-conscious owners of Ryzen 7000 (plus 8000G and 9000) series desktop processors. A "direct" successor—B850—reached retail at the start of this year, but higher price points combined with relatively minor feature set advantages have discouraged a lot of buyers. The likes of ASUS, ASRock, Colorful and Sapphire have released (or previewed) new B650 chipset-based mainboard products in 2025—mostly in microATX form factors.

A Bobantang member has prophesized two major trends—the first being: "after AMD's B650 chip production line is shut down, its inventory is expected to be large. According to Team Red, the B650M series inventory sales plan will probably end in the third quarter (of 2025)." A second claim was outlined: "it is expected that the digestion time of the tail end stock of AMD's B650 series motherboard will be longer, at least there will be inventory to sell in the second quarter (of this year), but the inventory of B650M chips will become more and more scarce as time goes by." PC hardware watchdogs propose a fall in B850 pricing; likely expertly timed to occur shortly after the complete depletion of predecessor stock—by the fourth quarter of this year.

CXMT Reportedly Diversifying Manufacturing Footprint with HBM3 - Could Expand DDR5 Production

The rising profile of ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) has supposedly attracted international scrutiny as-of-late. Despite dealing in commercial memory product lines—currently DDR5, DDR4, LPDDR5 and LPDDR4X—the Chinese manufacturer could be stepping up its game in the near future. According to a fresh DigiTimes Asia news report, the nation's "top DRAM supplier" could be freeing up production capacity—in favor of enterprise-grade third-gen High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM3). Industry moles believe that a major sacrifice will be made; namely CXMT's DDR4 line. Despite an alleged early 2025 ramping up of related activities, the firm's factories could refocus on new endeavors by mid-2026. Additionally, insiders reckon that company leadership is shifting commercial priorities: "by year-end 2025, DDR5 is expected to make up more than 60% of CXMT's output, alongside LPDDR4/5."

The move into more advanced memory technologies is reportedly the result of government instruction. DigiTimes outlined a new strategy: "as CXMT scales up, it's also shifting rapidly to DDR5. The company only began mass-producing DDR4 in late 2024, yet it's already expected to issue an end-of-life (EOL) notice by the third quarter of 2025. The speed of this pivot and retooling has surprised many across the industry. Industry sources say the sudden shift is policy-driven, as Beijing pushes key chipmakers to accelerate alignment with national goals, especially around AI and cloud infrastructure." Murmurs of CXMT's forthcoming exit from DDR4 production have spread across local chip making businesses; causing a sudden doubling of Nanya-branded 8 Gb DDR4 chip prices in China. The manufacturer's early journey into DDR5 territories looked promising on paper—around January 2025—but the latest DigiTimes report disclosed inside track info regarding troubled quality and yield issues. In particular, initial samples have reportedly exhibited unstable performance when crossing a 60°C (140°F) threshold.

Lenovo Releases Fiscal Year 2024/25 Earnings Report

Lenovo Group Limited, together with its subsidiaries ('the Group'), today announced Q4 and full year results for the fiscal year 2024/25, reporting significant increases in overall group revenue and profit. For the full year, revenue grew 21% year-on-year to US$69.1 billion, marking the Group's second-highest annual revenue in its history. Net income was up 36% year-on-year to US$1.4 billion on a non-Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards (non-HKFRS) basis. The Group's diversified growth engines continue to accelerate, with non-PC revenue mix up nearly five points year-on-year to 47%. All business groups were healthy and strong and met their strategic intent and financial goals, and all sales geographies gained double-digit revenue growth year-on-year, reflecting the strength of the Group's diversified businesses and resilient global footprint.

The results were not only driven by the Group's focus on executing a clear strategy, but also its end-to-end integrated global operations (design, demand forecasting, procurement, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and services), ODM+ manufacturing model, and global resources/local delivery model. Over the past 20 years of operating a global business, Lenovo has established a manufacturing footprint that boasts 30+ manufacturing sites (either in-house or outsourced) in 11 different markets around the world. The combination of these gives the Group maximum flexibility and resilience to navigate through uncertainties and be more adaptive to the market conditions.

NVIDIA Reportedly Postpones SOCAMM Rollout; Could Debut with Next-gen "Rubin" AI GPUs

Around mid-February, South Korean sources alleged that NVIDIA was in the process of developing an innovative new memory form factor. The System on Chip Advanced Memory Module (SOCAMM) design is reportedly a collaborative effort. Team Green's usual set of memory partners—SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron—were mentioned in early 2025 news articles. Just over a month later, official press material revealed a key forthcoming deployment—Micron stated: "(our) SOCAMM (product), a modular LPDDR5X memory solution, was developed in collaboration with NVIDIA to support the NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Superchip. In a (rumored) blow to all involved parties, ZDNet Korea posits that Team Green has postponed the commercialization of their "next-generation low-power DRAM module" IP. According to industry moles, the SOCAMM standard will not debut with this generation of enterprise-focused "Grace-Blackwell" chips. Instead, fresher theories indicate a postponement into next-gen territories—possibly rescheduled to arrive alongside the firm's "Rubin" GPU architecture.

NVIDIA has reportedly sent out notices to major memory partners—(alleged) May 14 updates were received by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix (in South Korea) and Micron (USA). As a result, SOCAMM supply timelines are (apparently) adjusted. A newer "Cordelia" board design—acting as a substrate for GB300 chips, and compatible with SOCAMM—was in the picture. The latest whispers suggest a return to an existing "Bianca" board configuration, that supports current-gen LPDDR memory modules. ZDNet believes that company engineers have run into several obstacles: "Blackwell chips have been continuously experiencing difficulties in securing design and packaging yields. In fact, the 'Cordelia' board is known to have reliability issues, such as data loss, and SOCAMM has reliability issues, such as heat dissipation characteristics." NVIDIA briefly previewed its futuristic "Rubin Ultra" AI GPU design during GTC 2025—on-stage, a "second half of 2027" release window was teased.

Samsung Foundry Reportedly Making Significant Progress with 2 nm GAA Evaluation Phase

South Korean semiconductor insiders and analysts believe that Samsung's Foundry business is catching up with a main rival. Earlier this month, TSMC leadership openly discussed an unprecedented demand for 2 nm wafer products. Industry moles believe that the Taiwan's top chipmaker is still ahead of contenders in nearby nations. As a result of an alleged leading and comfortable position, TSMC is reportedly upgrading its state-of-the-art facilities with brand-new equipment—indicating a push into 1.4 nm fields. According to a fresh Chosun Biz news article, Samsung engineers are in the process of narrowing the gap between their 2 nm Gate-All-Around (GAA)—also known as SF2—manufacturing node process and TSMC's equivalent technology.

Last month, leaks suggested SF2 trial yields passing the ~40% mark—in comparison, a ~60% figure was uttered by TSMC insiders. Chosun Biz's sources claim that the South Korean foundry team is close to getting their "2 nm process performance evaluation" into a crucial final stage. Yesterday's report posits that NVIDIA and Qualcomm are in the equation; these VIP clients are purportedly considering SF2 as a "second channel" option. Chosun Biz reckons that Team Green is sizing up Samsung Foundry flagship tech for next-gen commercial and enterprise GPUs. Meanwhile, the San Diego-based smartphone processor specialist could be eyeing up SF2 (for a future AP). The latest inside track info points to 2 nm GAA trial production runs breaking beyond aforementioned (approximate) 40% yield rates. TSMC 2 nm wafer charges are reportedly greater than expected, so big industry players are allegedly investigating "cheaper" non-Taiwanese production avenues.

MAXSUN Registers Multiple GeForce RTX 5050 8 GB SKUs; Mostly Spanning iCraft Card Range

Earlier today, an unannounced graphics card report focused on Maxsun's alleged registering of custom Arc Xe2 B580 24 GB graphics card models. Olrak29 has uncovered additional intriguing entries—filed with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC)—that provide much-needed and fresh insight into the rumored lowest section of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50-series of "Blackwell" gaming GPU family. In a similar manner, (around mid-February) ZOTAC inadvertently revealed the "general" existence of a GeForce RTX 5050 cards. We have not heard much about this "entry-mainstream" tier in recent times; an incomplete set of specifications was leaked over two months ago.

Maxsun's May 12 (today) logging of an intimidating number of "new" SKUs spans across multiple generations (going back to the GTX 1000 era) and product ranges. Keen-eyed observers have noted the presence of multiple GeForce RTX 5050 identifiers—mostly varying shades of iCraft. "TR" tags could indicate forthcoming Terminator models. The Chinese AIB's existing Transformer lines were (normally) associated with "TF" designations—a smattering of these are present within today's EEC filing. NVIDIA and its board partners are not expected to unveil GeForce RTX 5050 hardware at next week's Computex trade event—instead, GeForce RTX 5060 (non-ti) 8 GB cards (starting at $299) will be a main focus for prospective budget-conscious gamers.

NVIDIA Reportedly Limiting Press Access to GeForce RTX 5060 Drivers - Suggesting Late Arrival of Reviews

The Hardware Unboxed team has unleashed some of its sarcastic Aussie wit; in response to an alleged manipulation of GeForce RTX 5060 (non-Ti) review day conditions. In an online dig—directed at Team Green leadership—the Australian media outlet's social media account parodied NVIDIA new product decision-making: "we're not hiding the RTX 5060, we're very proud of it and gamers will love it. Also, we're going to launch the RTX 5060 on May 19th during Computex, and although reviewers have cards right now, we won't be releasing the driver until they go on sale." Mid-way through April, Hardware Unboxed's Tim Schiesser voiced his displeasure regarding a complete lack of GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB evaluation samples—only 16 GB variants were sent out to testers. Curious professional reviewers opted into buying these cheaper variants (out of pocket), including TechPowerUp's W1zzard. Our head honcho's reckoning—of a custom Gainward effort—pointed out far too many compromises.

In a follow-up post, Hardware Unboxed's social media rep took a more measured approach with their disapproval of "controlled conditions." Clarifying the "context" of their earlier rant, they explained: "NVIDIA are trying to hide the RTX 5060, just as they did the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB. The strategy here is to release it the week of Computex when most of the tech media are in Taiwan attending the show. They're also blocking reviewers from accessing the driver early to evaluate the RTX 5060 and provide reviews at the time of release. So as it stands I have multiple RTX 5060 samples, and I won't be able to review any of them until about a week after they go on sale." VideoCardz, and other critics/watchers believe that a rumored "rushed" development of GeForce RTX 5060-series cards (Ti and non-Ti) resulted in an uninspiring repeat rollout of 8 GB and 16 GB VRAM configurations—albeit upgraded to GDDR7 standards.

Intel Teases Upcoming Unveiling of "New Arc Pro GPUs" - Insiders Predict "Battlemage" B60 Card

Earlier in the week, reports indicated the potential introduction of an Intel Xe2 "Battlemage" B770 gaming graphics card at Computex 2025. Last night, a Team Blue tweet confirmed forthcoming product unveilings: "new Intel Arc Pro GPUs are on the way. See you in Taipei!" In the months leading up to this important trade event, industry watchdogs have drummed up speculation about "Battlemage's" future (or fate). Whispers of 24 GB VRAM-equipped variants emerged late last year—around late January, these theories were connected to an official leak: "3 new PCI IDs for BMG."

Unsurprisingly, VideoCardz has weighed in with some new inside track info—they propose that one of Intel's upcoming professional options will be an "Arc Pro B60 24 GB" model, aka "Developer Edition" (an alleged in-house reference). Despite Sparkle HQ downplaying recent "rogue claims," a company rep (in China) alluded to a possible May/June release of their own custom 24 GB "Battlemage" productivity-oriented card. VideoCardz has picked up on rumors, regarding the "Arc Pro B60's" internal setup. They propose Team Blue's selection of the familiar "BMG-G21" GPU; as used by their Arc Xe2 B580 12 GB and B570 10 GB designs. According to an unnamed inside source, this professional/workstation variant will stick with the usual 192-bit memory interface. Intel's Computex 2025 new product teaser provided a big clue about the speculated "B60" model's cooling solution.

GlobalFoundries Reports First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc. (GF) today announced preliminary financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

Key First Quarter Financial Highlights
  • Revenue of $1.585 billion
  • Gross margin of 22.4% and Non-IFRS gross margin of 23.9%
  • Operating margin of 9.5% and Non-IFRS operating margin of 13.4%
  • Net income of $211 million and Non-IFRS net income of $189 million
  • Diluted earnings per share of $0.38 and Non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of $0.34

1000+ Xiaomi Employees Reportedly Working on Proprietary "Xring" Chipset Designs

Mid-way through April, a few Asian media outlets proposed a fairly recent formation of Xiaomi's "chip platform department"—most likely operating as part of the Chinese corporation's mobile phone development operation. Industry insiders claimed that this special branch was tasked with the designing of "Xuanjie" chipsets, with added expertise provided by an ex-Qualcomm marketing director. Weeks later, Jukanlosreve has weighed in with alleged new details. The keen tracker—of unannounced flagship smartphone chips and semiconductor business revelations—believes that previous leaks were of merit, but made some corrections.

Given reported greater than expected "new division" headcounts, Xiaomi probably established its "Xring SoC" team a while ago—on this topic, Jukanlosreve divulged: "it operates as a new company; independent of the original parent firm. It's not a small team either—it has over 1000 people. To be honest, I see it as a positive development if a domestically produced chip gets used in a domestically made smartphone and sold globally. I genuinely hope it becomes reality. If Xring succeeds, it might encourage more companies to get involved, and even engineers currently working at major firms could see better pay opportunities."

NVIDIA Dismisses Anthropic's Report of Ludicrous GPU & CPU Smuggling Methods

The first couple of paragraphs within Anthropic's "Securing America's Compute Advantage: (Our) Position on the Diffusion Rule" article are standard fare. Roughly half-way through a read of this policy-related piece, the North American (Amazon-backed) AI startup makes some bizarre claims about the smuggling of AI-oriented products into China. Given ongoing global tensions and growing industry demands, these activities are somewhat expected—but Anthropic leadership described very specific methodologies. As stated within their "Chip Smuggling is a Major Threat" passage: "China has established sophisticated smuggling operations, with documented cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars worth of chips. In some cases, smugglers have employed creative methods to circumvent export controls, including hiding processors in prosthetic baby bumps and packing GPUs alongside live lobsters." Specific bits of hardware were not mentioned in this section, but the author later alludes to the frictionless transfer of thousands of "NVIDIA H100 advanced chips" into Chinese territories.

In a statement issued to CNBC, a Team Green spokesperson dismissed Anthropic's fanciful claims: "American firms should focus on innovation and rise to the challenge, rather than tell tall tales that large, heavy, and sensitive electronics are somehow smuggled in 'baby bumps' or 'alongside' live lobsters." This very public spat has received mainstream attention; with further coverage documenting additional "to and fro" barbs. NVIDIA criticized Anthropic's anti-foreign competition stance: "China, with half of the world's AI researchers, has highly capable AI experts at every layer of the AI stack. America cannot manipulate regulators to capture victory in AI." Amusingly, Anthropic's operations rely heavily on Team Green hardware—many online critics reckon that top US AI companies are jostling for priority access to cutting-edge GPUs/accelerators. In reaction to NVIDIA's dismissal of their report, a company spokesperson retorted with: "Anthropic stands by its recently filed public submission in support of strong and balanced export controls that help secure America's lead in infrastructure development and ensure that the values of freedom and democracy shape the future of AI."

Samsung "Exynos 2500" Variant Tipped as SoC of Choice for "Galaxy Z Flip 7"

Yesterday, Chosun Daily published a news report that alleges a key "Galaxy Z Flip 7-related" decision made by Samsung leadership. According to smartphone industry moles, the oft-leaked/rumored "Exynos 2500" chipset destined to debut in the company's next-gen (horizontal) foldable smartphone design. As stated in the South Korean insider article: "this is the first time that Samsung's own mobile application processor (AP) is being installed in a foldable phone." Prior to 2025, Galaxy Flip Z product lines made use of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. Throughout early 2025, leaks have linked the "troubled" Exynos 2500 mobile processor to futuristic Galaxy Z Flip 7, Fold 7, and affordable "FE" Enterprise Edition models. The emergence of a superior 2 nm "Exynos 2600" flagship chip—apparently tailored for Galaxy S26 devices (2026)—has allegedly relegated the lesser SoC into lower leagues.

Semiconductor industry watchdogs reckon that the "Exynos 2500" will be manufactured via Samsung Foundry's own 3 nm GAA node process (aka SF3). Notebookcheck commented on this odd choice: "industry estimates from earlier suggested (SF3) yields were around 40%, making it less than ideal for mass production. But it seems Samsung decided to proceed anyway to save on costs, and likely give a new lease of life to its struggling foundry business." Jukanlosreve followed up with additional inside knowledge, just after the publication of Chosun Daily's news piece. The keen tracker of foundry-related revelations let slip with this observation: "the Exynos 2500 being used in the Flip 7 is said to be a lower-clocked chip due to its low yield. So it might as well be called the E2500E." Samsung is expected to unveil its Galaxy Z Flip 7 smartphone family during an "Unpacked" July event. Experts believe that Foundry employees will accumulate useful experience from the mass production of 3 nm parts; thus leading to improved output of finalized 2 nm (SF2) production lines.

NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition PCB Layout Leaked By Insider

Over the past weekend, members of the Chiphell discussion board started posting truly NDA-busting photo material—one example made headlines a few days ago. A fairly convincing list of next-gen NVIDIA RTX PRO Blackwell series graphics cards appeared online just over a month ago; only a smattering of physical specimens have emerged since then. As pointed out by interested Chiphellers, Leadtek Chinese language websites have started listing a small selection of upcoming "Blackwell" generation professional SKUs.

The previously leaked PCB design was linked to Leadtek/NVIDIA's "blower-style" RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition 96 GB model. A brave Chiphell forumite has shared shots of another alleged internal component; a shorter PCB design has come to light—in VideoCardz's expert opinion, this stubby unit is destined to be contained within the Leadtek-made (non-Max-Q) RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition enclosure. Official Team Green promotional renders have already presented this darker alternative to existing Founders Edition gaming-oriented siblings. According to VideoCardz, Team Green's Professional Blackwell series review embargo is still in effect and official launch window information is still not a publicly-known quantity. The freshly leaked bare PCB seems to borrow design elements—namely a dual-sided GDDR7 memory module mounting setup—from NVIDIA's familiar GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition model.

Samsung Reportedly Courting HBM4 Supply Interest From Big Players

The vast majority of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) new stories—so far, in 2025—have involved or alluded to new-generation SK hynix and Micron products. As mentioned in recently published Samsung Electronics Q1 financial papers, company engineers are still working on "upcoming enhanced HBM3E products." Late last month, a neighbor/main rival publicly showcased their groundbreaking HBM4 memory solution—indicating a market leading development position. Samsung has officially roadmapped a futuristic "sixth-generation" HBM4 technology, but their immediate focus seems to be a targeted sales expansion of incoming "enhanced HBM3E 12H" products. Previously, the firm's Memory Business has lost HBM3 ground—within AI GPU/accelerator market segments—to key competitors.

Industry insiders believe that company leadership will attempt to regain lost market shares in a post-2025 world. As reported by South Korean news outlets, Kim Jae-joon (VP of Samsung's memory department) stated—during a recent earnings call, with analysts—that his team is: "already collaborating with multiple customers on custom versions based on both HBM4 and the enhanced HBM4E." The initiation of commercial shipments is anticipated at some point in 2026, hinging on mass production starting by the second half of this year. The boss notified listeners about development "running on schedule." A Hankyung article alleges that Samsung HBM4 evaluation samples have been sent out to "NVIDIA, Broadcom, and Google." Wccftech posits a positive early outlook: "Samsung will use its own 4 nm process from the foundry division and utilize the 10 nm 6th-generation 1c DRAM, which is known as one of the highest-end in the market. On paper, (their) HBM4 solution will be on par with competing models (from SK hynix), but we will have to wait and see."

Microsoft Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter Fiscal 2025

Microsoft Corp. today announced the following results for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, as compared to the corresponding period of last fiscal year:
  • Revenue was $70.1 billion and increased 13% (up 15% in constant currency)
  • Operating income was $32.0 billion and increased 16% (up 19% in constant currency)
  • Net income was $25.8 billion and increased 18% (up 19% in constant currency)
  • Diluted earnings per share was $3.46 and increased 18% (up 19% in constant currency)
"Cloud and AI are the essential inputs for every business to expand output, reduce costs, and accelerate growth," said Satya Nadella, chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft. "From AI infra and platforms to apps, we are innovating across the stack to deliver for our customers."

TSMC Reportedly Begins Construction of Third Arizona Production Location

As disclosed in a new press release—issued by the US Commerce Department—TSMC's North American operation has started another expansion. Last month, Taiwan's leading chip foundry committed a substantial $100 billion investment—eventually leading to a greater production footprint in Phoenix, Arizona. Reports suggest that ground has already been broken, in a low-key manner—as of yesterday (April 29)—at a planned third location, only hours after TSMC's receiving of permits—aka a "thumbs up" from the US government. According to local news outlets, key administrative representatives were in attendance to witness the initiation of construction work. TSMC's third plant is destined to pump out cutting-edge products via a 2 nm (N2) process technology, with Apple, NVIDIA and AMD confirmed as "front of the queue" customers. Despite recent fanfare and celebrations, industry analysts reckon that it will take up to a decade for the foundry's North American operation to solidify a dependable supply chain. In the interim, certain elements will require shipping to overseas locations—for packaging and finalization purposes.

Seagate Technology Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results

Seagate Technology Holdings plc (the "Company" or "Seagate"), a leading innovator of mass-capacity data storage, today reported financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended March 28, 2025.

"Seagate delivered another solid quarter of profitable year-on-year growth and margin expansion, elevating our non-GAAP EPS to the top of our guidance range. Our performance underscores the structural enhancements we've made to our business model and healthy supply/demand environment for mass capacity storage," said Dave Mosley, Seagate's chief executive officer. "We remain focused on executing our HAMR product ramp to support ongoing cloud customer demand. While we navigate the current dynamic macroeconomic environment, we are confident that our technology leadership, resilient financial model and solid industry fundamentals will drive profitable growth through 2025 and beyond," Mosley concluded.

LG Display Reports First Quarter 2025 Results

LG Display today reported unaudited earnings results based on consolidated K-IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) for the three-month period ending March 31, 2025.
  • Revenues in the first quarter of 2025 decreased by 23% to KRW 6,065 billion from KRW 7,833 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 and increased by 15% from KRW 5,253 billion in the first quarter of 2024.
  • Operating profit in the first quarter of 2025 recorded KRW 33.5 billion. This compares with the operating profit of KRW 83.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 and with the operating loss of KRW 469 billion in the first quarter of 2024.
  • EBITDA profit in the first quarter of 2025 was KRW 1,231 billion, compared with EBITDA profit of KRW 1,306 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 and with EBITDA profit of KRW 810 billion in the first quarter of 2024.
  • Net loss in the first quarter of 2025 was KRW 237 billion, compared with the net loss of 839 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 and with the net loss of KRW 761 billion in the first quarter of 2024.
LG Display recorded KRW 6.065 trillion in revenues and KRW 33.5 billion in operating profit in the first quarter of 2025.

Report: Global PC Shipments Up 6.7% YoY in Q1 2025 Amid US Tariff Anticipation

Global PC shipments grew 6.7% YoY in Q1 2025 to reach 61.4 million units, according to Counterpoint Research's preliminary data. The growth was mainly driven by PC vendors accelerating shipments ahead of US tariffs and the increasing adoption of AI-enabled PCs amid the end of Windows 10 support. However, this surge may be short-lived, as inventory levels are likely to stabilize in the next few weeks. The impact of the US tariffs is expected to dampen the growth momentum in 2025.

Apple and Lenovo delivered strong performances in the quarter, largely due to new product launches and market dynamics. Apple experienced 17% YoY growth in shipments, driven by its AI-capable M4-based MacBook series. Lenovo's 11% growth reflected its expansion into AI-enabled PCs and its diversified product portfolio. Lenovo remained the brand with the largest market share during the quarter. HP and Dell, on the other hand, benefited from the US market pull-ins during the quarter, with 6% and 4% YoY growth respectively, and maintained their second and third places in Q1. We also found that the pull-ins happened for other major brands too ahead of the tariff uncertainty, leading to the market share further consolidating around major brands.

AMD Reportedly Delays Radeon RX 9070 GRE Release; Insiders Theorize Revised Q4'25 Launch

A part of AMD's enthusiast fanbase scoffed at the prospect of a rumored Radeon RX 9070 GRE 12 GB model arriving ahead of—officially teased—lower end RDNA 4 options. This new generation's "Great Radeon Edition" seemed to be heading into mass production; according to insider track information. Last week, fairly legitimate specifications leaked out and TechPowerUp's GPU-Z utility was updated with support for this slightly mysterious Navi 48 GPU-based gaming card. Members of the Board Channels forum have heard fresh whispers from industry moles—most likely from AIBs—regarding a possible delay of Team Red's Radeon RX 9070 GRE design. Alleged initial plans suggested an original release at retail; on May 8. Further conjecture points to a revised Q4 2025 launch window—perhaps just before November 11. The same Board Channel report also mentioned an expedited rollout of AMD's Radeon RX 9060 XT cards—earlier theories signalled an early June (aka post-Computex 2025) arrival, but insiders now posit May 18.
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