Pioneer has quietly confirmed that it has ended production of internal and external Blu-ray optical disc drives (ODDs), for computers. Rumors about the cessation of manufacturing activities emerged earlier this month; with a small number of Japanese news outlets publishing reports. Days later, an official company statement turned up in a low-key manner—via the brand's Japanese web portal. As of late April, shares of the Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing (PDDM) subsidiary were transferred to Shanxi Lightchain Technology Industrial Development Co., Ltd. Pioneer's optical disc-related businesses is now owned by the giant (Chinese) Shanxi Group. Commenting on shifting market conditions, a Pioneer Japan representative stated: "while we are moving forward with selection and concentration, centered on our car electronics business, we have come to the decision that it is preferable to advance the optical disc business with a new partner, rather than remaining within our group."

The Pioneer IT Japan webstore is due to close on May 30; as disclosed in a mid-April bulletin. In addition, NotebookCheck highlighted the complete lack of optical drive stock for North American webshop customers. At the time of writing, Pioneer's official Amazon.com presence still offers a small selection of portable slimline models. A chunkier external premium option—the BDR-X13U-S BDXL Blu-ray recorder—was launched only six months ago, so the firm's sudden change of heart is quite surprising. What Hi-Fi? noted that Pioneer's AV/home cinema division has not released any new 4K Blu-ray player products since 2019. Three months ago, Sony shuttered its last optical media factory, in Japan—signalling an end of an era. The vast majority of consumers have turned their backs on physical formats; instead favoring digital/streaming channels. In a refreshing (early 2025) PR piece, Verbatim and I-O DATA expressed their (joint) commitment to producing high-quality optical discs.

Hello everyone! It's finally time—the gates have opened to the Labyrinth Of The Demon King. The game is out now, and to celebrate we've debuted a brand-new launch trailer (see below). Labyrinth Of The Demon King has been an incredible labor of love by the developer—J. R. Hudepohl—and we've extremely excited to finally be able to share it with everyone. The game is out now on Steam, GOG, Switch, PS4 + PS5, and Xbox platforms—there's a 20% discount which will be active for the first 2 weeks.

We'd also like to thank PC Gamer for their glowing review of the game: 81/100! For a first time developer, this is a remarkable achievement. As a reminder, demo save data will not carry over to the main game. We've added a section on the main steam page as a reminder for this for new users as well. Thank you all for your tremendous support, and we hope you enjoy the game! If you do (and we certainly hope you do!) be sure to leave a review—it helps us and the developer a lot. You'll hear from us (Top Hat Studios) again soon—until then, enjoy all the Labyrinth Of The Demon King has to offer! Thank you all again for your support for during development; it feels unreal that the game is finally releasing.

Nintendo's Switch 2 hybrid console is set to arrive early next month (June 5), complete with promised launch prices. Early last month, the company's basic cost of entry for next-gen access—$450 (US)—seemed to be on tenuous ground. Nintendo and its retail partners decided to postpone their opening of pre-orders—affecting excited customers in the United States, then (days later) in Canada. Thanks to political posturing, a number of big industry players had to restrategize. Late last week, Microsoft announced their implementation of global Xbox Series price increases. In April, Sony revealed similar changes for PlayStation 5; restricted to select market territories. Nintendo has allowed a re-opening of Switch 2 pre-orders; gamers can secure core hardware at original MSRPs. Unfortunately, a compromise was made—first-party Switch 2 accessories will be more expensive, on launch day and beyond.

During a recent call with investors, Nintendo's president—Shuntaro Furukawa—confirmed that their core hardware pricing is subject to change. Launch price tags are safe (for the moment); the company will need to radiate some goodwill during their next-gen design's salad days. Commenting on a shifting political landscape, Furukawa-san stated: "at this time, the top priority is to quickly popularize the Switch 2 hardware...If the assumptions regarding tariffs change significantly, we would like to consider what price adjustments we should make, and implement them after considering various factors." Industry analysis has produced a scary projection; worst case scenarios could send tech prices up by roughly 70%. Considering the vintage of Switch 2's alleged internals, gaming hardware enthusiasts have questioned the value offered by this $450 hybrid handheld.

Keep the supplies moving with the latest piece of hardware for Porters heading out on a new journey - we're excited to reveal the new DualSense wireless controller - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Limited Edition. We worked closely with Kojima Productions on the controller design, customized with the insignia and motto of Drawbridge in vibrant orange. The DualSense wireless controller—Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Limited Edition will be available in limited quantities for a recommended retail price of $84.99 / €84.99 / £74.99 / ¥12,480. Pre-orders start on May 22, 2025, at 10am local time at direct.playstation.com (where available), as well as participating retailers. The exact launch date and availability for the controller may vary by country/region.

The new controller launches on June 26, 2025 on PS5 alongside Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, where players can join Sam and his companions on a mission to save humanity from extinction. Pre-order the Collector's Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition for Early Access from June 24, 2025.

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. is heating up springtime in Boston with can't miss activations at PAX East, including a brand-new demo for FromSoftware, Inc.'s hotly anticipated next game, ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN. The demo will feature large in an immersive theater on the show floor, where popular content creators will enlist players to take on the game's challenging three-player co-op action, and if successful win prizes for everyone the audience. SHADOW LABYRINTH, the 2D action platformer with a surprising Sci-Fi take on the iconic PAC-MAN, will also be at the show as part of the panel "A Platform for Adventure: Metroidvania Game Makers Roundtable." Organized by Bandai Namco, the panel brings together developers, and (subject matter expert) Jeremy Parish as moderator to discuss the resurgence of the genre.

PAX East 2025 takes place May 8 - 11 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is located at the Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. booth (#16055). SHADOW LABYRINTH will be on the panel "A Platform for Adventure: Metroidvania Game Makers Roundtable" taking place at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 10, at the Albatross Theater. For show information, visit: www.bandainamcoent.com/events/pax-east.

You've got to have good fundamentals if you hope to survive the battle for humanity's fate in Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion. That's why we're going to be showing off a series of introductory videos filling you in on the basics of this action-packed sequel's gameplay systems. In this teaser, you not only get a good look at several of the weapon types you can equip on your Arsenal, but what benefits they can provide beyond firepower on the battlefield. It's a harsh planet full of deadly threats, and you'll need every advantage you can get if you hope to survive.

Our "Combat Basics" video is the first in a series of gameplay system introduction trailers releasing for upcoming dark sci-fi action game, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, ahead of its launch for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC via Steam on 5 September, 2025. Offering a detailed view into the armored suit known as the Arsenal, as well as useful on-field tactics, it provides an exciting look at the fast-paced combat, as well as a glimpse of some of the titanic bosses waiting to challenge your skills. Created and produced by Kenichiro Tsukuda and featuring stunning mechanical designs from Shoji Kawamori, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion takes the franchise in a dramatic new direction. Join the Reclaimers in their fight against the Axiom. Humanity's battle for liberation begins now!

HYTE, a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge PC components and peripherals, announced today its continued partnership with ATLUS for its latest HYTE Collection with Metaphor: ReFantazio. Starting today, fans can pre-order a Y70 computer case themed after the game, accompanying keycaps, desk pads, and more—all with an aesthetic that is fit for aspirant royalty! To learn more, and to pre-order these items, head over here. As part of this latest project, HYTE worked closely with the Metaphor: ReFantazio team on the case, keycaps, and desk pad's design to ensure a high-quality product that is authentic to the game's environment and themes. The Metaphor: ReFantazio Y70 case lovingly displays the game's incredible artwork on its glass panels. Fans can also expect in-game elements thoughtfully integrated across the Y70's metal paneling, a custom metal plate that calls back to the game, and a deep mahogany colorway made for this collaboration.

Fans can also pre-order the Metaphor: ReFantazio Keycap Set, which comes with 152 individual keycaps that are fully compatible with ANSI / ISO / JIS WW keyboards. Like with the Y70, in-game elements, typography, and design inspired by the game, along with the deep mahogany colorway, have also been integrated into the keycaps. As part of this lineup, HYTE is also launching three 900 mm x 400 mm Desk Pads, a 60 cm x 45 cm Wall Scroll, and a Metaphor: ReFantazio keychain with a special glowing effect that lets natural backlight shine through - all of which feature the game's impeccable artwork in stunning detail.

The global semiconductor industry is experiencing notable shifts, largely influenced by the rapid expansion of the Mainland China market. From 2010 to 2024, China's share of global semiconductor equipment sales rose significantly, from just 6% in 2010 to 38% in 2024. On the other side McKinsey reports that market shares in Taiwan, Korea and Japan are declining. Taiwan has started to build semiconductor fabs in the US and Europe, while Japan has seen few new fab projects despite TSMC's upcoming Kumamoto plant. At the same time, the US and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa have kept their market shares steady.

Globalization helped the semiconductor industry grow from 2010 to 2019, during this time Chinese semiconductor companies expanded, with local firms growing by about 21% each year. But growth slowed from 2019 to 2023 because of US sanctions on Huawei which affected its chip division HiSilicon. Even without HiSilicon, China's semiconductor industry still grew by 9-10% in that period. Experts think this growth will continue in the future, a trend that the current US tariffs are only accentuating. China's growing importance in industries like electric vehicles (EVs) and commercial drones is pushing its semiconductor goals even further. In 2023, China accounted for 60% of all new EV registrations around the world. At the same time, political tensions between countries have made China more eager to build a self-reliant domestic semiconductor ecosystem. China is testing a domestic extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system at Huawei's Dongguan facility. The system uses laser-induced discharge plasma technology and is scheduled for trial production in Q3 2025, with mass manufacturing planned for 2026.

Throughout April, Nintendo has navigated choppy waters—not long after the much-anticipated Switch 2 hybrid console's big presentation. Potential customers in the US and Canada experienced an unfortunate delay of pre-order programs—thankfully resolved, as of late last week. The Japanese multinational gaming giant has raised Switch 2 accessory prices—in reaction to "Tariffgate"—but their core next-gen hardware will sell at originally intended levels (hopefully). Despite the company being a global force, a couple of Nintendo's regional distribution networks lack clout. Yesterday, a worrying news report emerged from Costa Rica. Teletica's article outlined a complete absence of Switch 2 and related products across Central American and Caribbean markets. According to insider sources, details were confirmed during: "a private meeting between Nintendo executives and official distributors in the region on Tuesday night (April 29)...The Japanese company announced that there will be no official distribution of consoles, games, or peripherals in these markets throughout 2025." This revelation adds insult to already prominent injuries—even in better-established South American market territories, gamers have voiced concerns about the spotty supply of first-gen Switch products.

As part of the 30th anniversary celebration for Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. is collaborating to bring "Operation Meteor" to Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.'s cross-platform and free-to-play team-based action game Overwatch 2. The iconic Mobile Suits—Wing Gundam Zero (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz), Gundam Epyon (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing), Gundam Deathscythe Hell (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz) and Tallgeese (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)—come to life as Legendary skins for Mercy, Ramattra, Reaper, and Soldier: 76, respectively. The renowned art team at Blizzard Entertainment worked closely with Bandai Namco Entertainment to ensure the perfect blend of Mobile Suits from Gundam Wing meshed with Overwatch 2 heroes. These new Legendary skins are now available to purchase in-game on every platform Overwatch 2 is available on: Windows PC via Battle.net, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch consoles.

An optimistic vision of near-future Earth, Overwatch 2 is about a world worth fighting for, where super soldiers, scientists, cyborgs, and omnics clash for control of real-world-inspired locations from around the globe. Overwatch 2's 43 unique heroes—each armed with potent abilities and weaponry—battle across a variety of lively maps and locales, where players must work together and adapt to a variety of unique situations.

GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards—whether in Founders Edition or AIB custom form—are still in very high demand; certain buyers are even flying into nearby nations to take advantage of even the slightest favorable conditions. This was apparent during launch week—three months ago—with so-called "tourists" queuing up alongside locals in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Day one anti-scalping measures were implemented, but launch stock of GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards was rapidly depleted. According to the latest reports, (mostly) Chinese buyers have been making regular visits to Japan's big electronics retail hub, in Osaka. Up until fairly recently, tax-free circumstances—for non-natives—have made the purchase of flagship NVIDIA "Blackwell" GPU-based gaming GPUs worth the trip, even with the added expense of plane tickets and other overheads.

Additionally, certain outlets actually had units readily available on shelves or behind shop counters. Eventually, stores dropped the whole tax-free thing. This measure did not cause much discouragement; tourists were still willing to pay the extra cost—still reasonable, compared to escalated (global) card prices. As disclosed in a MyDrivers news report, multiple Osaka-based retailers have bolstered their anti-tourist sales methodologies—one visitor spotted an updated placard that stated: "GeForce RTX 5090/RTX 5080 cards are only sold to customers who use it in Japan. If the purchased product is to be taken out of Japan, it will not be sold." VideoCardz believes that this newer "symbolic" countermove will be tricky to enforce; are shop workers going to be tasked with performing "Japanese citizen tests" on a regular basis? Chinese ultra high-end GPU seekers could continue to source units from abroad; the latest rumblings suggest a potential forthcoming ban of NVIDIA's region-exclusive GeForce RTX 5090D model.

The Hundred-day war between "extremeness" and "despair" begins..."The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy" is finally out, as of yesterday! Please enjoy this one-of-a-kind work born from the creators' "madness and passion" to your heart's content. Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi join forces for the first time to deliver the ULTIMATE adventure game! 15 students are tasked with defending a school from grotesque monsters for 100 days. Can they make it to the end? And will they survive long enough to uncover the truth? Takumi Sumino is a totally average teenager living in the Tokyo Residential Complex, a place where every day is much like the last and nothing bad ever happens.

All that changes when freakish monsters attack the town and start wreaking havoc. A strange creature calling himself Sirei appears and offers Takumi the power to protect those he holds dear... All he has to do is stab himself in the chest! The next thing he knows, Takumi is in Last Defense Academy, a school in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a wall of otherworldly flames. He and 14 other students have been drafted into the Special Defense Unit, a team tasked with keeping the school safe for the next 100 days. How much are they willing to sacrifice to take back their normal lives and save the world from the grotesque school invaders?

The Japanese manufacturer JAPANNEXT, known for its unique monitor designs with distinctive form factors and specifications, has released the JN-IPS276SDQHD-HSPC6-CMS monitor featuring a 27.6-inch IPS panel with SDQHD resolution (2560 x 2880), providing 2.67 times more display area than Full HD. This vertical-oriented display with a 16:18 aspect ratio came in handy mainly for users who do a lot of coding or work on large documents and spreadsheets, minimizing scrolling. Moreover, the monitor includes a retractable webcam and microphone at the top. Connectivity options include HDMI 2.0 @ 60 Hz, DisplayPort 1.4 @ 60 Hz, audio, and USB Type-C with 65 W power delivery capability.

Technical specifications include 178° viewing angles, 300 cd/m² maximum brightness, 100% sRGB and 97% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, and HDR support. The monitor offers KVM functionality, allowing keyboard and mouse sharing between various connected devices. The display supports PBP mode for simultaneous viewing of two input sources side-by-side or stacked, plus PIP mode for picture-in-picture functionality. Flicker reduction and blue light filtering are also present.

MSI Japan has announced that the PRO Z890-S WiFi Project Zero motherboard with back-routed power connectors will go on sale in Japan on May 2 for ¥42,980 (tax included). It uses Intel's Z890 chipset on an LGA1851 socket and a 12+1+1+1-phase digital power design. The board comes in a white-silver finish and measures 243.84 × 304.8 mm in ATX form factor. Memory support consists of four DDR5-8800 slots (up to 256 GB). Storage options include four SATA 3.0 ports, one PCIe 5.0 × 4 M.2 slot and two PCIe 4.0 × 4 M.2 slots. Expansion slots are one PCIe 5.0 × 16, one PCIe 3.0 × 1 (in ×16 shape) and two PCIe 4.0 × 4 (in ×16 shape). On the networking side, it offers Wi-Fi 7 with up to 5.8 Gbps throughput (via an EZ Antenna) and a 2.5 GbE LAN port using the Realtek 8125D controller. A Thunderbolt 4 header supports up to 40 Gbps connections.

Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC897 codec. A key change from earlier PRO models is that all power, fan, storage and I/O connectors are located on the board's rear. This layout can make cable routing neater if the PC case allows access behind the motherboard tray. MSI has covered the front side of the PCB since there are no connectors there. Although the PRO series is not aimed at high-end overclocking, the BIOS includes one-click overclock presets for CPU and memory. The board also features an EZ PCIe Clip II on the first slot for simpler graphics card removal. In Europe, the PRO Z890-S WiFi PZ is expected to retail for around €365.

MSI, a leading global provider of high-performance server solutions, is bringing AI-driven innovation to Japan IT Week Spring 2025 at Booth #21-2 with high-performance server platforms built for next-generation AI and cloud computing workloads. MSI's NVIDIA MGX AI Servers deliver modular GPU-accelerated computing to optimize AI training and inference, while the Core Compute line of Multi-Node Servers maximize compute density and efficiency for AI inference and cloud service provider workloads. MSI's Open Compute line of ORv3 Servers enhance scalability and thermal efficiency in hyperscale AI deployments. MSI's Enterprise Servers provide balanced compute, storage, and networking for seamless AI workloads across cloud and edge. With deep expertise in system integration and AI-driven infrastructure, MSI is advancing the next generation of intelligent computing solutions to power AI's next leap.

"AI's advancement hinges on performance efficiency, compute density, and workload scalability. MSI's server platforms are engineered to accelerate model training, optimize inference, and maximize resource utilization—ensuring enterprises have the processing power to turn AI potential into real-world impact," said Danny Hsu, General Manager of MSI Enterprise Platform Solutions.

Players will get to fight epic battles in SUPER ROBOT WARS Y, slated to release on 28 of August 2025. Part of the SUPER ROBOT WARS series, the title will bring this grid-based tactical JRPG to PC via Steam. Also, digital pre-orders are now opened for PC via Steam. In SUPER ROBOT WARS Y, players will compete in turn-based tactical combat on grid-based maps while controlling a team of pilots with various abilities. They will get to enjoy fan-favorite units from past games, as well brand-new ones to the franchise, including some appearing on console for the very first time.

Conquer fate and embark on a journey into the new saga in SUPER ROBOT WARS Y. Published by Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. and developed by Bandai Namco Forge Digitals Inc. SUPER ROBOT WARS Y is a grid-based tactical combat RPG that brings mechs and pilots from beloved series like Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury Season 1, Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, SSSS.DYNAZENON, Getter Robo Arc, Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre and more to battle mutual foes. The game will be available on consoles and PC beginning August 28.

An alleged partial close-up capture of the Nintendo Switch 2's chipset has leaked out; courtesy of Kurnal (@Kurnalsalts). This fresh leak is being hyped up as putting an end to all online debate regarding the upcoming hybrid console's technological underpinnings. Despite late 2024/early 2025 reports pointing to a custom NVIDIA "T239" SoC design, certain voices continued to produce conjecture about a more "cutting edge" solution. Surprisingly, Team Green's PR department did issue a statement about the Switch 2 being powered by: "a custom processor featuring an NVIDIA GPU with dedicated RT Cores and Tensor Cores for stunning visuals and AI-driven enhancements."

As expected, Nintendo staffers remained guarded during recent press junkets—in-depth tech talk was deferred in NVIDIA's general direction. Kurnal's sharing of a speculative "T239" partial die shot does not provide any major new revelations or insights—as discussed on the Nintendo Switch 2 Subreddit, tech enthusiasts continue to rely on specification details from the big hack of NVIDIA repositories (three years ago). Newer speculation has focused on Nintendo's choice of foundry—Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter continues to express his personal belief that Nintendo has selected a Samsung 8 nm DUV foundry node. In opposition, certain critics have persisted with a 5 nm EUV node process theory.

PlayStation 5 Pro console—the most innovative PlayStation console to date—elevates gaming experiences to the next level with features like upgraded GPU, advanced ray tracing, and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) - an AI-driven upscaling that delivers super sharp image clarity with high framerate gameplay. Today we're providing a closer look at the console's internal architecture, as Sony Interactive Entertainment engineers Shinya Tsuchida, PS5 Pro Mechanical Design Lead and Shinya Hiromitsu, PS5 Pro Electrical Design Lead, provide a deep-dive into the console's innovative technology and design philosophy.

Note: in this article, we refer to the PlayStation 5 model released in 2020 as the "original PS5," the PS5 released in 2023 as the "current PS5," and the PS5 Pro released in 2024 as the "PS5 Pro." Do not try this at home. Risk of fires, and exposure to electric shock or other injuries. Disassembling your console will invalidate your manufacturer's guarantee.

A first-look trailer for Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate's Fortune, the game's second story pack releasing on May 15, debuted at Star Wars Celebration. A free demo that features select parts of Star Wars Outlaws is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Ubisoft Connect, the Epic Games Store, and Steam. Plus, Star Wars Outlaws is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 4. The new trailer shows Kay Vess embarking on a mysterious adventure where she encounters pirates and lost treasures. Kay and her companion Nix team up with infamous pirate Hondo Ohnaka to face off against Stinger Tash and her Rokana Raiders to uncover the hidden riches within the dangerous Khepi Tomb. Along the way, they'll discover the Miyuki Trade League who offer new rewards for the Trailblazer in exchange for smuggling dangerous goods across the galaxy.

To access Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate's Fortune, players must complete the main storyline in the base game. This second story pack will be automatically accessible and free for Star Wars Outlaws Season Pass owners, or available as a separate purchase. With the release of Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate's Fortune, Ultimate and Deluxe Edition owners also receive the Naboo Nobility and Desert Nomad cosmetic packs. All players will be gifted cosmetic items inspired by Star Wars: Skeleton Crew as part of the Title Update launching alongside A Pirate's Fortune. After downloading and installing the update, the gift will appear in the player's delivery crate on the Trailblazer.

To celebrate the release of Lunar Remastered Collection—out now for PC (Steam), Xbox One (compatible with Xbox Series X|S), PlayStation 4 (compatible with PS5), and Nintendo Switch—I sat down with our Senior Graphic Designer, Amy Nguyen, and talked to her about how this remaster's logo came to be. I asked her about her inspirations, her design process, and more!

Dive into the enchanting worlds of LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete and LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Complete! Tag along on Alex and Hiro's quests and challenge enemies like the Magic Emperor and God of Destruction to save the world from dire peril in two adventures set 1000 years apart from each other! LUNAR Remastered Collection brings together LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete and LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Complete with enhanced graphics, audio, and quality-of-life improvements. Available for the first time on modern consoles, this remastered edition honors the beloved series that has remained in the heart of gamers since its initial release in 1992.

Fujitsu Limited and RIKEN today announced the development of a world-leading 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer, established at the RIKEN RQC-FUJITSU Collaboration Center. This new quantum computer builds upon the advanced technology of the 64-qubit iteration, launched with the support of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in October 2023, and incorporates newly-developed high-density implementation techniques. This announcement marks another crucial step toward the practical application of superconducting quantum computers and unlocking their potential to grapple with some of the world's most complex issues.

Both organizations will integrate the 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer into its platform for hybrid quantum computing lineup and offer it to companies and research institutions globally starting in the first quarter of fiscal 2025. The platform's expansion from 64 to 256 qubits empowers users to tackle more complex challenges, including the analysis of larger molecules and the implementation and demonstration of sophisticated error correction algorithms.

TSMC is speeding up its plans to grow worldwide, the company's Chairman, C.C. Wei is announcing they'll start building their third and fourth fabs in Arizona later this year. This comes after TSMC finished constructing the second Arizona plant while the first fab started volume production in Q4 2024. TSMC wants to open its second factory about six months earlier than planned due to increasing customer demand. The first factory will make 4 nm chips, the second will target 3 nm chips, and the newer ones will work on even smaller N2 and A16 nodes. This rapid expansion is part of TSMC's additional $100 billion investment to build five more semiconductor plants and a research center in the U.S. In total, TSMC will invest $165 billion in the United States.

Besides its US operations, TSMC keeps pushing forward with its worldwide manufacturing plans. Wei dismissed rumors of setbacks at the company's upcoming Kumamoto plant in Japan. He confirmed that their first fab started mass production in late 2024, achieving excellent yields. They plan to begin building a second Japanese facility this year, once the infrastructure is ready. The company's European expansion in Dresden is also on track, with strong backing from both the European Commission and the German federal government. They broke ground at the Dresden site in August 2024 as Europe's first FinFET-capable dedicated foundry operation.

Earlier today, TechPowerUp covered the alleged performance prowess of Huawei's CloudMatrix 384 system super node. According to SemiAnalysis opinion, the system's Ascend 910C AI accelerators are a generation behind—in terms of chip performance—when compared to NVIDIA's GB200 "Blackwell" AI GPU design. SMIC seemed to be in the picture, as Huawei's main fabrication partner—possibly with an in-progress 5 nm node process. Instead, SemiAnalysis has surmised that the Ascend 910C is based on plenty of non-native technologies. Huawei's (current and prior) "aggressive skirting of export controls" has likely enabled the new-gen AI chip's better than expected performance stats. SemiAnalysis documented the early sample's origins: "while the Ascend chip can be fabricated at SMIC, we note that this is a global chip that has HBM from Korea (Samsung), primary wafer production from TSMC (Taiwan), and is fabricated by 10s of billions of wafer fabrication equipment from the US, Netherlands, and Japan...One common misconception is that Huawei's 910C is made in China. It is entirely designed there, but China still relies heavily on foreign production."

Despite China's premiere foundry business making pleasing in-roads with a theorized "7 nm N+2" manufacturing test line, Huawei has seemingly grown impatient with native immature production options. Today's SemiAnalysis article presents a decent dose of inside knowledge: "while SMIC does have 7 nm, the vast majority of Ascend 910B and 910C are made with TSMC's 7 nm. In fact, the US Government, TechInsights, and others have acquired Ascend 910B and 910C and every single one used TSMC dies. Huawei was able to circumvent the sanctions on them against TSMC by purchasing ~$500 million of 7 nm wafers through another company, Sophgo...It is rumored Huawei continues to receive wafers from TSMC via another 3rd party firm, but we cannot verify this rumor." Another (fabless) Chinese chip design firm—Xiaomi—appears to still have direct/unrestricted access to TSMC manufacturing lines, albeit not for enterprise-grade AI products.

Up until very recently, the microSD Express format was viewed as a commercial disappointment for involved manufacturers and suppliers. Potential buyers were not attracted to premium price points; as demanded by designs that can leverage (up to) 900 MB/s read speeds. Hermitage Akihabara—a Japanese electronics and computer hardware chain—has tracked an alarmingly sharp climb in demand for microSD Express products. The popular retailer documented this recent trend across several articles, with last week's investigation diving deep into units selling: "at a rate of 337.62 cards per hour!" The upcoming launch of a highly-anticipated mainstream gaming device has seemingly sharply driven up sales of a largely forgotten storage format. Hermitage Akihabara explored this unprecedented turnaround in fortunes: "Nintendo's influence is amazing. The 'microSD Express card,' which had hardly any sales due to lack of use, sold out in an instant as soon as it was announced that it would be used in the Nintendo Switch 2. It was sold out not only in (our) Akihabara shops but also on EC sites nationwide, and it caused such a stir that it was even covered in the general news."

Hermitage Akihabara expects to replenish its stock within a non-specific timeframe—but prices could remain "quite high," due to manufacturers (reportedly) being fairly conservative with production output. The store's "behind the scenes of the microSD Express card sellout" news piece outlined some compelling data points: "our mail order service received a large number of orders. According to the calculations made by the mail order staff, they were selling at a rate of 5.63 units per minute, or 337.62 units per hour, which was also a surprise. Of course, we didn't have that much stock, but it seems that we were selling as much as we had. One interesting thing is that most of the buyers ordered only one copy. At most, three copies were purchased, and more than 80% of people ordered one copy. Most of the buyers were pure users who wanted to save one to use with the Switch 2." As reported earlier in the month, Lexar has readied the world's first 1 TB microSD Express card. Their $199.99 (MSRP) 1 TB PLAY PRO microSDXC Express model is already available to purchase, months in advance of Switch 2's global launch date (June 5). Industry insiders believe that Samsung is collaborating with Nintendo on an "official" range of microSD Express cards.

Late last week, the Chinese ASUS branch started to tease a forthcoming ROG and TUF Gaming x Hatsune Miku collection. Eagle-eyed PC gaming hardware watchdogs spotted an intriguing custom GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB graphics card model within a messy pile of colorful brand-new products. The manufacturer has teamed up with Crypton Future Media; this collaboration is advertised as bringing "a cybernetic fusion to gaming." Initial announcements focused on peripherals, but shortly thereafter the partners unveiled a Hatsune Miku-themed pre-built system. VideoCardz spent its weekend investigating the mysterious new "RTX 5060 Ti O8G" design. A follow-up article pulled information and imagery from Tony Wu's "world premiere" bilibili video—the general manager of ASUS China showcased various upcoming products, including a relevant white triple-fan graphics card.

According to reports, Wu did not disclose an exact model name—NVIDIA and board partners are expected to make new entrants "official" at some point this week. Wu's demonstration unit was visually matched up to the teased "RTX 5060 Ti O8G" card. Additionally, Wu and colleagues presented the entire Hatsune Miku product line during a major press conference; last Saturday (April 12) in Changsha. Many items have already launched to market, through JD.com. Naturally, pricing and availability details were not mentioned during their "GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB OC" segment. The factory overclocked "RTX 50-series" card's unique white design is outfitted with a single 8-pin power connector; suggesting a tentative entry level price bracket. The backplate is decorated with mascot illustrations—TechPowerUp and other media outlets have noticed an uptick in "cute girl" drawings turning up on housings and retail packaging. ZOTAC joined in on the fun very recently; as reported last week.