Cisco and Nutanix have announced a far-reaching global strategic alliance to introduce the Cisco Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix solution, set to be distributed through Cisco's extensive channel network. 

This groundbreaking partnership integrates Nutanix Cloud Platform, encompassing its hyperconverged software suite, with Cisco UCS servers and networking infrastructure. 

The result is hailed as the industry's most comprehensive hyperconverged solution, designed to drive IT modernization and business transformation. 

Jeremy Foster, Cisco Compute's Senior Vice President and General Manager, emphasized the increasing demand for simplified, sustainable, and future-ready solutions from customers. 

He highlighted the partnership's ability to provide a complete solution spanning virtual computer, networking, and storage across both on-premises data centers and public clouds. 

Tarkan Maner, Nutanix's Chief Commercial Officer, echoed Foster's sentiments, emphasizing the need for an integrated hardware and software platform to support flexible application deployment across various environments. 

The partnership aims to deliver an expanded market opportunity for both organizations. 

The Cisco-Nutanix offering integrates Cisco's SaaS-managed UCS computer, networking, and Intersight management with Nutanix's suite of cloud platform solutions. 

This includes Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Manager, Unified Storage, and Desktop Services. The solution will support UCS rack and blade servers, with initial support for C-Series Servers and planned future support for UCS X-Series. 
![b 12.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_12_1_0a79f65b33.webp)
## HyperFlex specter at the feast

While the partnership signals a significant move for both Cisco and Nutanix, questions arise about Cisco's existing hyperconverged offering, HyperFlex HX-Series, which is based on software acquired from HCI vendor Springpath in 2017. Despite the dominance of VMware and Nutanix in the HCI market, Cisco's HyperFlex remains available globally. 

Cisco's VP of product management, DD Dasgupta, previously highlighted efforts to enhance Hyper Flex’s affordability and performance, including the introduction of HyperFlex Express products and nodes built with AMD EPYC processors. However, the role of HyperFlex in the context of the Cisco-Nutanix partnership remains uncertain. 

When questioned about the coexistence of HyperFlex with the new Cisco-Nutanix offering, Cisco reiterated that HyperFlex remains globally available with no changes to its product roadmap. While the partnership expands choice for customers, Cisco affirms its commitment to offering both best-in-class solutions. 

As the Cisco-Nutanix HCI product is expected to be available within three months, the industry eagerly awaits further details about how HyperFlex use cases may differ from the new offering and any potential migration paths between the two platforms. 

Overall, the Cisco-Nutanix partnership signifies a significant shift in the hyperconverged infrastructure landscape, promising customers a comprehensive solution that combines the strengths of both companies. 

With organizations increasingly seeking integrated hardware and software platforms to support their evolving IT needs, this collaboration is poised to address key challenges and drive innovation in the hyperconverged market. 

Cisco and Nutanix have unveiled a transformative global strategic alliance aimed at revolutionizing IT infrastructure. The partnership introduces the Cisco Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix solution, a cutting-edge offering that combines Nutanix's advanced hyperconverged software with Cisco's robust UCS servers and networking infrastructure. 

Cisco and Nutanix Collaboration Sparks HyperFlex Speculation

## Redefining Storage in Hyperconverged Infrastructure

VMware's latest innovation, vSAN Max, is poised to revolutionize the hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) landscape with its groundbreaking approach to storage scalability and flexibility. Departing from the traditional HCI model, vSAN Max introduces a paradigm shift by enabling the separation of storage clusters, allowing organizations to scale storage resources independently of compute resources. 

In the realm of HCI, where compute, storage, and networking are typically tightly integrated within a single chassis, the ability to decouple storage from compute represents a significant advancement. This move reflects a broader industry trend towards disaggregated architectures, where storage resources can be scaled up or down autonomously, providing organizations with unprecedented flexibility and agility in managing their infrastructure. 

## Power of vSAN Max: Key Features and Benefits
![b 13.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_13_1_751fe89937.webp)
VMware’s vSAN Max is built on the vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA), a sophisticated framework first introduced in vSAN v8.0. This architecture allows for the disaggregation of storage resources while maintaining the core benefits of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), such as simplified management and seamless scalability.  

With vSAN ESA, organizations can achieve Petabyte-scale centralized shared storage for their vSphere clusters, catering to a wide range of storage needs across block, file, and object storage. The vSAN Max can scale up to a 24-host cluster, providing up to 8.6PB of capacity and handling up to 3.4 million IOPS, ensuring that organizations can meet growing storage demands without compromising on performance or efficiency.  

Additionally, advanced features like the log-structured file system (vSAN LFS) enable rapid data ingestion and efficient metadata storage. The flexibility to independently scale storage resources allows organizations to optimize their infrastructure based on workload requirements, reducing complexity and improving resource utilization.  

vSAN Max can be deployed within a single site or stretched across two, with seamless management through vCenter Server, using the familiar interface of traditional vSAN deployments. The new vSAN Max offering, set to be available in the second half of fiscal 2024, will be licensed separately from existing vSAN editions on a subscription basis, with licensing encompassing all necessary components to operate a vSAN Max cluster. 

Key highlights of vSAN Max include: 

- Petabyte-scale storage: Up to 8.6PB capacity and 3.4 million IOPS, with a 24-host cluster. 
- Advanced architecture: Built on vSAN ESA, allowing disaggregation of storage and optimized performance. 
- Flexible deployment: Can be deployed within a single site or across two, with familiar management through vCenter Server. 
- Comprehensive licensing: All necessary components included in the licensing package, available on a subscription model. 

VMware's latest innovation, vSAN Max, is set to transform the hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) landscape with its revolutionary approach to storage scalability and flexibility. Breaking away from the traditional HCI model that integrates compute, storage, and networking within a single chassis, vSAN Max introduces a paradigm shift by decoupling storage from compute resources. 

VMware Disrupts HCI with vSAN Max's Innovative Separation


The chip giant aims to supercharge its AI prowess by integrating Mipsology's expertise into its software development arsenal, enhancing inference capabilities across CPUs, GPUs, and adaptive chips. 

This move underscores AMD's strategic push to rival Nvidia's AI supremacy, offering cutting-edge GPUs, CPUs, and adaptive computing solutions tailored for both inferencing and training tasks. 

AMD has made a bold move in its quest to dominate the AI landscape by acquiring French startup Mipsology. This strategic maneuver aims to bolster AMD's AI inference software capabilities, positioning the chip giant for a head-to-head battle with industry titan Nvidia. 

## Mipsology Acquisition: A Strategic Boost for AMD’s AI Ambitions

The announcement, made by the Santa Clara-based company, highlights Mipsology's reputation as a top player in AI software and emphasizes its longstanding partnership with AMD. By joining forces, AMD aims to ramp up customer interactions and significantly enhance its AI software development capabilities, marking a significant milestone in its competitive journey. 

Vamsi Boppana, senior vice president of AMD’s AI group, detailed how the Mipsology team will contribute to the development of AMD's complete AI software stack. Their involvement will expand AMD's open ecosystem of software tools, libraries, and models, facilitating seamless deployment of AI models on AMD hardware. 

While AMD declined to disclose financial details or Mipsology's employee count, Mipsology's forte lies in crafting "plug-and-play" software that enhances AI inference speed sans the need for new tools or alterations to neural network models—a critical element for AI applications. 

Their flagship software, Zebra, focuses on delivering top-tier speed on FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), a capability AMD inherited through its acquisition of Xilinx. 

Inference, a pivotal facet of AI, empowers applications to make predictions and generate responses based on trained models adept at recognizing patterns or objects. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_85dea105de.webp)
## Acquisition Encourages AMD's Ambitious AI Strategy

AMD's acquisition of Mipsology is a key move in its broader strategy to rival Nvidia's dominance in the AI computing arena. This initiative aligns with AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su's vision of offering "leadership GPUs, CPUs, and adaptive computing solutions for AI inferencing and training.

_" Since last year, AMD has been charting a comprehensive AI strategy, which Lisa Su describes as a "multibillion-dollar growth opportunity"_ across cloud, edge, and various intelligent endpoints. 

- In June, AMD unveiled its most significant challenge to Nvidia's powerful AI chips with the Instinct MI300 series, including the MI300X, which Su claims will deliver superior efficiency and cost savings for running Large Language Models compared to Nvidia’s H100 data center GPU. 

- AMD also sees substantial AI potential in FPGA-based products from its Xilinx acquisition, now termed adaptive computing chips. These chips are designed for diverse workloads ranging from small endpoints and edge computers to data centers. 

To effectively compete with Nvidia, AMD needs to attract software developers to its hardware. This has led to the consolidation of its previously separate software development stacks for CPUs, GPUs, and adaptive chips into the AMD Unified AI Stack, aiming to provide a "cohesive AI training and inference interface.

_" Mipsology, founded in 2015 by former Synopsys employees, is expected to play a crucial role in this integration. Known for their "plug-and-play"_ software that accelerates AI inference without requiring new tools or model changes, Mipsology's flagship software Zebra is optimized for FPGAs, a strength AMD gained through its Xilinx acquisition. 

- _"AI is our top strategic priority and a significant driver of incremental silicon demand over the coming decade,"_ wrote Vamsi Boppana, senior vice president of AMD’s AI group. "By welcoming the skilled Mipsology team to AMD, we will continue to strengthen our software capabilities to enable customers worldwide to tap into the vast potential of pervasive AI." 

AMD's acquisition of Mipsology marks a strategic leap in its quest to rival Nvidia's dominance in AI computing. By integrating Mipsology's expertise, AMD aims to supercharge its AI capabilities, particularly in inference, across CPUs, GPUs, and adaptive chips. 

AMD Acquires Mipsology to Boost AI Inference Against Nvidia

## Huawei Introduces Innovative All-Flash OceanStor Pacific Array

Huawei, a prominent player in the storage industry, has unveiled its latest offering: the all-flash OceanStor Pacific array, known as the 9920. 

This release not only expands Huawei's extensive storage product portfolio but also introduces advanced features like compression and ransomware recovery, further solidifying its position in the competitive storage market. 

The OceanStor Pacific 9920 is designed with a revolutionary scale-out architecture, housed in a compact 2RU chassis that accommodates five arrays in one, offering unparalleled versatility to meet diverse workload requirements. 

Whether powered by Arm-based Kunpeng 920 processors or Intel Xeon SP CPUs, the 9920 delivers exceptional performance and scalability, making it a robust choice for modern enterprises. 

Key features of the OceanStor Pacific 9920 include: 

- Scale-out architecture: Designed to house five arrays in a single 2RU chassis. 
- Versatile CPU support: Compatible with both Arm-based Kunpeng 920 processors and Intel Xeon SP CPUs. 
- Advanced capabilities: Includes features like advanced compression and ransomware recovery. 
- Exceptional scalability: Ensures the system can grow and adapt to increasing storage demands. 
![b 14.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_14_1_47e9dd8909.webp)
Data Protection and Recovery 

In terms of power and performance, the 9920 delivers impressive results. Kunpeng-powered configurations offer up to 20GBps bandwidth and 230,000 IOPS, while the Intel H-Series surpasses these figures with speeds of up to 800,000 IOPS.  

This scalability ensures seamless expansion as workload demands increase. Moreover, the array supports a wide array of storage access protocols, including NFS, SMB, POSIX, MPI-IO, HDFS, S3, SCSI, iSCSI, and OpenStack Cinder, ensuring compatibility with diverse applications and environments. 

Data protection and recovery are paramount concerns for enterprises, and the 9920 addresses these with robust features. The array employs erasure coding for data redundancy, offering multiple recovery options to mitigate the impact of drive failures.  

Automatic and concurrent data rebuilding processes ensure rapid recovery rates, minimizing downtime and ensuring business continuity. 

## OceanStor Compression and Ransomware Protection 

Huawei's OceanStor compression technology enhances storage efficiency by intelligently compressing data based on application type. This results in optimized data reduction ratios, particularly for data types such as digital pathology and gene sequencing.  

![b 14.2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_14_2_44b53cfd50.webp)

Additionally, the array incorporates advanced ransomware protection features, including real-time IO pattern monitoring and rapid recovery from attacks, ensuring the integrity and security of critical data assets. 

In conclusion, the introduction of the OceanStor Pacific 9920 represents a significant milestone for Huawei in the storage market. With its innovative design, exceptional performance, and advanced features, the 9920 promises to meet the evolving storage needs of modern enterprises while offering unparalleled reliability and security. 

Huawei has introduced the all-flash OceanStor Pacific 9920, a cutting-edge storage solution featuring advanced compression and ransomware recovery capabilities. Designed with a scale-out architecture and a versatile 2RU chassis, this innovative array supports various CPU types and drive configurations. 

Huawei Unveils 5-in-1 Scale-Out All-Flash Array

## IBM Cloud Strategy and Collaboration

In a bid to assert dominance in the global cloud market, Alan Peacock, IBM Cloud General Manager, articulates IBM's commitment to collaboration, particularly with partners like VMware and Microsoft. Peacock emphasizes IBM's adaptive approach, offering a spectrum of options such as multi-tenancy and managed services for cyber recovery to cater to diverse client requirements.  

This strategic stance resonates positively with solution providers like Evolving Solutions, who value IBM's openness to integration and the provision of bespoke solutions. 

## Fortifying Cloud Solutions Through Expanded VMware Partnership

IBM and VMware have joined forces to introduce a suite of collaborative offerings geared towards enhancing cyber recovery and multi-tenancy capabilities within IBM Cloud. Notable among these offerings is the IBM Cloud Cyber Recovery, now available as a managed service, along with a partner-managed VMware Cross-Cloud service. 

Peacock underscores the significance of meeting client demands for cyber resilience and multi-tenancy, underscoring IBM's commitment to widening the scope of its cloud services portfolio. 
![b 4.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_4_1_8c7086d0f7.webp)
## Deepening AI Collaboration with Microsoft for Enhanced Innovation

IBM's collaboration with Microsoft has taken a significant leap forward with the expansion of their joint efforts to expedite the deployment of generative AI through the Consulting Azure OpenAI Service. This fully managed AI service leverages sophisticated large language models (LLMs) and the extensive expertise of IBM Consulting to empower developers and data scientists alike. 

- The collaboration spans various industries, from automation to personalized content generation and data analysis, showcasing the vast potential applications of this partnership. 
- 
- IBM Consulting, with its robust foundation of Azure certifications and a dedicated Center of Excellence for generative AI, positions itself as a formidable force in enterprise-grade AI technology alongside Microsoft. 

## Driving Innovation and Flexibility in the Cloud Landscape 

IBM's collaborative approach to cloud solutions not only reflects its commitment to innovation but also underscores its dedication to providing flexible and tailored services to clients.  

By fostering strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as VMware and Microsoft, IBM is well-positioned to address the evolving needs of clients across diverse sectors.  

Through offerings like multi-tenancy and managed cyber recovery services, IBM demonstrates its responsiveness to client preferences, further solidifying its position as a leading player in the global cloud market. 

## Empowering Solution Providers for Success

For solution providers like Evolving Solutions, IBM's collaborative stance and commitment to openness provide a fertile ground for innovation and business growth.  

By offering integrated solutions that avoid vendor lock-in and cater to specific client needs, IBM enables its partners to deliver exceptional value and drive positive outcomes for their clients.  

This symbiotic relationship between IBM and its partners serves as a testament to the power of collaboration in driving innovation and success in the ever-evolving cloud landscape. 

IBM is strengthening its position in the global cloud market through strategic collaborations and a customer-centric approach. Alan Peacock, IBM Cloud General Manager, highlights the company's commitment to working closely with partners like VMware and Microsoft to offer tailored solutions that meet diverse client needs. 

IBM's Cloud and AI Soar with VMware-Microsoft Collaboration

In the ever-evolving landscape of the CPU market, the battle for supremacy between industry giants Intel and AMD continues to shape the technological landscape.  

The latest insights from Mercury Research shed light on the intriguing dynamics at play, revealing a nuanced story of gains and losses for both companies across different segments. 

## Intel's Triumph in the PC Arena 

In the realm of personal computing, Intel has staged a remarkable comeback, reclaiming lost ground and solidifying its dominance. Despite facing stiff competition from AMD, Intel's share of the x86 CPU market in PCs surged to 82.7 percent, marking a significant 6.4-point increase from the previous year.  

Dean McCarron, principal analyst at Mercury Research, attributes Intel's remarkable year-on-year share gain to the surge in demand for Chromebooks, which have witnessed a resurgence in recent quarters.  

Meanwhile, AMD's x86 market share in the PC segment experienced only marginal growth, reflecting the intense competition in this space. Despite AMD's efforts to capture market share with its Ryzen lineup, Intel's stronghold in the PC market remains unshakeable, buoyed by its extensive product portfolio and brand recognition. 
![b 7.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_7_1_295303ce0a.webp)
## AMD's Triumph in the Server Realm

While Intel celebrated its gains in the PC arena, AMD emerged as the victor in the fiercely contested server segment. AMD's share of the x86 CPU market in servers witnessed a substantial increase, climbing by 4.6 points year-on-year to reach 18.6 percent, posing a formidable challenge to Intel's dominance in this domain. 

Dean McCarron notes that both Intel and AMD saw increases in their higher-end data center-oriented processors during the second quarter.  

However, Intel's loss of market share can be attributed to lower shipments for single-socket Xeon processors and CPUs optimized for networking and storage workloads. This indicates a shifting landscape in the server market, with AMD gaining ground at Intel's expense. 

## The Intricacies of Market Dynamics

Behind the headline figures lie a complex interplay of factors shaping the CPU market dynamics. McCarron points out that the recent movements in market share are reflective of Intel and AMD's differing inventory corrections, rather than actual sales to end customers.  

Moreover, the surge in demand for Chromebooks, particularly in educational settings, has contributed to the growth of Intel's market share in the PC segment. Erik Stromquist, CEO of CTL, a ChromeOS device vendor, attests to the increased demand for Chromebooks, driven by the need to replace aging devices procured during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

While CTL primarily relies on Intel CPUs for its ChromeOS devices, the company has also begun integrating Arm-based CPUs from MediaTek, signaling a diversification in its product offerings. 
 
## Looking Ahead: Implications and Opportunities

As Intel regains lost ground in the PC arena and AMD consolidates its position in the server market, the CPU landscape is poised for further evolution.  

The ongoing rivalry between these industry titans promises to spur innovation and drive technological advancements, benefiting consumers and businesses alike. 

For Intel, maintaining its dominance in the PC segment while fending off competition from AMD remains a top priority. Meanwhile, AMD seeks to capitalize on its momentum in the server segment and expand its footprint in other domains, leveraging its technological expertise and customer-centric approach. 


In the ever-evolving CPU market, the rivalry between industry titans Intel and AMD continues to drive technological advancements and market dynamics. The latest insights from Mercury Research reveal a complex narrative of victories and challenges for both companies across various segments. 

Intel Gains PC Ground but Loses Server Supremacy to AMD

## Intel Rebounds in Q2 2023, Gaining Market Share with Focus on Low-End Processors
In the second quarter of 2023, Intel staged a remarkable comeback, reclaiming lost market share as the PC market rebounded from a lackluster first quarter, according to insights from market researcher Mercury Research. 

During this period, Intel surged ahead by three percentage points in market share, while AMD experienced a corresponding decline of three points. 

This turnaround was fueled by Intel's strategic focus on meeting demand for low-end processors for Chromebooks, driving robust growth in this segment. 

![2(1).webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_1_3f1db6c1ea.webp)
Mercury Research's quarterly breakdowns reveal a dynamic landscape within the CPU market, with the x86 CPU market witnessing a resurgence. 

Although overall growth rates remained negative year-on-year, the second quarter saw a notable uptick, particularly in desktop and mobile client CPUs, bucking the trend of stagnant growth typical in a normal market cycle. 

Despite a decline in total server CPU shipments, there were signs of resilience within certain segments, notably the processor category catering to large data centers, which experienced marginal growth. 

However, the remaining X86 processor market segment, encompassing Intel's IoT processors and AMD's SoC products, witnessed a downturn, primarily driven by a decline in AMD's SoC shipments as the game console cycle matured. 

In the competitive landscape, AMD managed to gain a slight foothold in the overall client CPU market, with minor gains in both mobile and desktop segments. Conversely, Intel's client share, while lower on a quarterly basis, exhibited strong year-on-year growth, propelled by significant expansion in entry-level mobile CPUs, particularly those utilized in Chromebooks. 

## Arm complicates the picture

The Arm PC CPU market presented a nuanced picture, with complexities arising from Apple's Mac revenues experiencing a downturn, indicative of a decline in Arm CPU shipments from this source. However, the surge in Arm Chromebook CPU shipments counterbalanced this trend, resulting in a relatively flat market overall. 

Overall, Intel's resurgence underscores its ability to adapt to market dynamics and capitalize on emerging opportunities, signaling a promising trajectory in the evolving landscape of CPU technology. 

In the second quarter of 2023, Intel made a significant rebound in the CPU market, reversing its previous setbacks and recapturing lost market share. According to Mercury Research, Intel's strategic focus on low-end processors for Chromebooks played a key role in this turnaround

Intel Stages Comeback, Gains Market Share in Q2

## Revolutionizing IT: Introducing Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure

In today’s complex IT landscape, businesses grapple with unpredictable costs, inconsistent operations, and limited visibility across cloud environments. To address these challenges, we unveiled the Dell APEX Cloud Platform family at Dell Technologies World, sparking excitement among our customers eager to simplify their hybrid cloud experience.

Today, we are thrilled to announce the availability of Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure. 

This is the inaugural offering in the Dell APEX Cloud Platform family and the first Premier Solution for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI. This new Azure Stack HCI category only includes platforms that deliver the fastest time to value for Azure hybrid cloud through the deepest levels of integration with Microsoft.

Dell APEX Cloud Platforms represent next-generation infrastructure, providing consistent operations and greater control over workload placement by extending cloud ecosystems on-premises. 
![b 17.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_17_1_1dbef6998a.webp)

**Strengthening Our Partnership to Simplify Azure On-Premises**

The opportunity to extend Azure cloud services to on-premises environments is significant. According to an ESG study on multicloud application deployment trends, 48% of customers are expanding on-premises deployments. Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Azure offers an optimal solution for bringing Azure to data centers and edge locations.

_“More customers are asking us to bring Azure’s power to their real-world locations, whether in factories, retail stores, or distributed sites. Through our partnership with Dell, we can deliver tailored Azure solutions to these edge locations,”_ 

said Douglas Phillips, Corporate Vice President, Azure Edge + Platform.

_“This new solution provides a seamless cloud-to-edge experience, allowing customers to focus on business transformation rather than infrastructure management.”_

## Enhancing the Azure Hybrid Cloud Experience

The Dell APEX Cloud Platform is designed to address key IT priorities. It simplifies management by ensuring consistent Azure operations across on-premises and public cloud environments via native integration with Azure Arc.

This deep integration and extensive automation, enabled by Dell’s APEX Cloud Platform Foundation Software, significantly reduce deployment steps—by 88%—compared to existing integrated systems, saving customers valuable time.

To ensure customers achieve the fastest time to value and receive comprehensive support, Dell ProSupport Infrastructure Suite offers solution-level support for Dell hardware, system software, and Azure HCI. 

This includes onsite diagnosis, residency, data migration, data disposition, and education services, allowing internal staff to focus on other priorities.

_“Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure marks another milestone in our mission to simplify the hybrid cloud experience,”_

said Jeremy Rader, General Manager, Xeon Market Readiness, Intel. 

_“Based on PowerEdge and Intel’s latest 4th Generation Xeon Scalable processors, the platform delivers a 2x performance improvement for demanding workloads over the previous generation. We’re excited to continue our longstanding collaboration, focusing on innovation and meeting enterprise customer needs.”_

## Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure: Going Above and Beyond
![b 17.2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_17_2_486229a958.webp)

While the new Premier Solutions for Azure Stack HCI category requires high levels of automation, integration, and collaboration with Microsoft, Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure surpasses these requirements with additional capabilities.

- **Lifecycle Management:** Offers near-instantaneous availability of new releases and patches within four hours of a Microsoft release. Single-pane, full-stack lifecycle management ensures the complete infrastructure stack remains compliant.
- **Unique Automation:** Provides automated cluster expansion, enabling rapid addition of on-premises infrastructure to meet workload demands.
- **Edge Offerings:** Soon, specialized nodes based on the Dell PowerEdge XR4000 edge-optimized server platform will be available, extending Azure to the edge with minimized cost, footprint, and complexity.
- **Ultimate Flexibility:** Future support for additional storage configurations with Dell software-defined storage will allow linear scaling of storage resources independently from compute resources, addressing diverse performance and scaling needs.

## Meeting Customer and Partner Needs
![b 17.3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_17_3_772bab966b.webp)

The response from customers and partners has been overwhelmingly positive. Kyndryl, a strategic partner of Dell and Microsoft, is expanding its solutions with managed services for this platform.

_“Kyndryl is helping customers modernize their mission-critical environments to a hybrid cloud model. As a strategic alliance partner with Dell and Microsoft, we’re excited about the Dell APEX Cloud Platform’s availability, providing consistent Azure operation across on-premises and Azure public cloud,”_

said Kevin Powell, Vice President, Private Cloud Services, Kyndryl. 

_“We’re committed to leveraging the latest industry technology innovations from our ecosystem partners to deliver leading-edge hybrid cloud solutions.”_

Existing customers, familiar with the benefits of our automated software, are eager to adopt the APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure to extend their on-premises Azure deployments.

_“Over 5,000 organizations rely on LoopUp to bring global communications to the cloud, supporting flexible work, increasing productivity, simplifying complexity, and reducing costs,”_

said Chris Stanley, VP of Network Operations, LoopUp. 

_“The deep software integration and lifecycle management of Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure will help us scale, deliver cloud telephony innovations faster, and maximize the value of our Azure hybrid deployment.”_

_“As organizations adopt hybrid cloud strategies to power digital experiences, they need efficient solutions to manage it all from edge to core data centers to public cloud,”_

said Olivier Ménez, Marketing Director of Digital Services, Orange Business. 

_“Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure, with its deep integrations and automation, will help us build and manage our customers’ data and applications in hybrid environments easily.”_

Explore more about APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure:
Dell.com/Azure
[Link](https://azurestackhcisolutions.azure.microsoft.com/)/Azure Stack HCI Solutions 

Dell has unveiled the Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure, marking a significant milestone in simplifying hybrid cloud management for businesses. This new platform, part of the Dell APEX Cloud Platform family introduced at Dell Technologies World, is designed to address common IT challenges such as unpredictable costs, inconsistent operations, and limited visibility across cloud environments. 

Dell Launches APEX Cloud for Microsoft Azure

## Global Regulatory Success vs. Chinese Hurdle

Broadcom's ambitious $61 billion bid to acquire VMware has cleared stringent regulatory hurdles worldwide, with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission allowing its investigation to lapse and the European Commission imposing conditions. 

However, the deal now faces a critical challenge from Chinese authorities, casting doubt on its closure just days before Broadcom's set deadline.

## Global Regulatory Triumphs

Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, announced in May 2022 as a $61 billion stock and cash deal, has navigated extensive scrutiny from various international regulators. 

The European Commission, after a thorough investigation, highlighted potential competition concerns among Broadcom's rivals in the chip sector.

Nevertheless, the deal was greenlit with strict conditions, including the establishment of a dispute resolution mechanism monitored by an independent judge for ten years.

This follows Broadcom's prior commitment under a seven-year consent decree in the European Union, aimed at addressing past illegal sales practices.

In the United States, Broadcom faced a rigorous second-request investigation from the Federal Trade Commission and similar scrutiny from the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority.

Despite these challenges, both regulatory bodies ultimately allowed the acquisition to proceed, underscoring Broadcom's ability to overcome complex antitrust concerns on multiple fronts.
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_99a4834b60.webp)

## Chinese Roadblock

Despite Broadcom's triumph elsewhere, its aspirations hit a snag with Chinese authorities, who are now threatening to block the merger. 

This stance is seen as a retaliatory measure against recent U.S. trade policies restricting China's access to advanced semiconductor technologies from companies like Nvidia and Micron. 

These restrictions, aimed at curbing China's technological advancements in AI and military applications, have heightened geopolitical tensions in the tech sector.

The Chinese government's potential obstruction of the Broadcom-VMware deal, despite global regulatory approvals, underscores the increasingly politicized nature of cross-border mergers and acquisitions involving U.S. entities. 

While Chinese officials have not publicly commented on their stance, sources indicate that approvals for U.S.-related M&A deals now involve consultations with key political entities like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Council, amplifying the deal's political sensitivity.


Broadcom's $61 billion bid to acquire VMware has successfully navigated a series of rigorous global regulatory hurdles, clearing significant scrutiny from various international bodies. Despite these victories, the acquisition now faces a crucial challenge from Chinese authorities, raising concerns about its closure just days before Broadcom's set deadline. 

China Tightens Control of Broadcom-VMware Deal Amid U.S. Restrictions


In a significant move to support Japan’s burgeoning semiconductor and AI technology sectors, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced on Monday that the company would make every effort to supply its highly coveted artificial intelligence processors to Japan. 

This announcement comes at a crucial time as Japan endeavors to restore its once-dominant position in the global semiconductor industry and advance its AI capabilities. Nvidia's GPUs, which are integral to AI applications, currently dominate the market.

During a press conference held at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s official residence in Tokyo, Huang emphasized the importance of meeting Japan's needs despite the immense global demand. 

_"Demand is very high, but I promised the prime minister we will do our very, very best to prioritize Japan's requirements for GPUs,"_ Huang told reporters, underscoring his commitment to supporting Japan’s tech ambitions.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_f3fbc1faef.webp)

## Strategic Investments and Revitalization of Japan's Semiconductor Industry 

Huang’s visit to Japan is particularly timely, taking place just two weeks after the country passed a supplementary budget that allocates approximately 2 trillion yen ($13.60 billion) for investment in the semiconductor industry. 

This substantial financial injection is a key component of Japan’s strategic efforts to revitalize its semiconductor sector and develop state-of-the-art AI technology. A portion of these funds is expected to benefit Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, as well as the chip foundry venture Rapidus, which aims to produce cutting-edge chips in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. 

"_The semiconductor industry that Japan is now starting to grow and foster will be able to produce GPUs_," Huang noted, reflecting Nvidia's recognition of Japan's potential to re-establish itself as a significant player in the global semiconductor arena. 

He further emphasized the strategic importance of domestic production, stating, "_Countries like Japan are realizing that you need to own your own data, build your own AI factories, and produce your own AI intelligence_." These comments underscore the critical role of domestic capabilities in ensuring technological and economic sovereignty in the rapidly evolving global tech landscape. 

## A Strategic Partnership for Technological Advancement 

Nvidia’s commitment to Japan is more than just a business decision; it represents a strategic partnership aimed at fostering innovation and growth within Japan's AI sector. As global competition in AI technology continues to intensify, Japan's efforts to rebuild its semiconductor infrastructure and enhance its AI capabilities are essential. Nvidia’s support is anticipated to be a key driver in these endeavors, helping Japan maintain its competitiveness on the global stage. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_af713ffd37.webp)

Huang’s pledge to prioritize Japan’s GPU needs signifies a deepening cooperation between Nvidia and Japan, potentially paving the way for future collaborations in AI and semiconductor technologies. As Japan makes substantial investments in its technological infrastructure, the collaboration with Nvidia could significantly accelerate its progress, ensuring that it remains a formidable competitor in the global market. 

This partnership is set to benefit both Nvidia and Japan, with Nvidia expanding its influence within the Asian market and Japan gaining access to the latest AI technologies necessary for a wide range of applications, from autonomous vehicles to advanced robotics. The mutual advantages of this collaboration highlight the importance of strategic international partnerships in driving technological advancement and economic growth. 

## Footnote 

Nvidia’s commitment to Japan exemplifies the increasing importance of strategic alliances in the tech industry. As nations around the world recognize the critical need to develop and maintain their own technological capabilities, partnerships like the one between Nvidia and Japan are likely to become more common. These collaborations not only foster innovation but also ensure that countries can compete effectively in an increasingly interconnected and competitive global economy. 

Nvidia has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Japan's ambitions in the semiconductor and AI technology sectors. CEO Jensen Huang announced the company’s intent to prioritize supplying its highly demanded AI processors to Japan, as the country strives to regain its leadership in the global semiconductor industry and advance its AI capabilities. 

Nvidia CEO Pledges to Make Japan a Top Priority for AI Processors

## Cisco in Collaborations with Chinese Electric Vehicle Manufacturers Amid Global Expansion 

Cisco is highly optimistic about its expanding business with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) companies as they continue to grow globally. 

According to Ming Wong, Cisco's Vice President and CEO for Greater China, the EV sector represents the second-largest segment for the tech giant in the region, predominantly driven by revenue from manufacturing firms, with electric cars leading the way.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_0fa42c404e.webp)

Despite escalating trade tensions and increased tariffs on Chinese electric car imports by the U.S. and potentially the European Union, Chinese automakers like BYD are actively investing in local factories. 

Cisco is currently collaborating with around 10 electric car manufacturers, supporting their establishment of facilities, offices, and R&D centers abroad.

Wong emphasized that Cisco's EV customers have shown no signs of slowing down their investments due to trade issues. On the contrary, they are pushing forward with their expansion plans, indicating a positive outlook for future growth in the sector.

Shiv Shivaraman from AlixPartners noted uncertainties surrounding the financial impact of such expansions, foreseeing increased capital expenditures related to manufacturing and office facilities due to tariffs.

Cisco has faced challenges in China amid heightened domestic competition and national security concerns impacting foreign firms. 

CEO Chuck Robbins previously highlighted significant business impacts from the U.S.-China trade tensions, with Cisco's revenue in China dropping by 25% annually in late July 2019.

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_da15c8f306.webp)

Looking forward, Cisco's Greater China head Ming Wong expressed optimism about returning to growth this year, focusing on opportunities with both state-owned and non-state-owned enterprises expanding globally. 

He emphasized Cisco's role in connecting various GPU providers in a market constrained by Nvidia's dominance in AI.

Despite a recent 13% decline in Asia-Pacific, Japan, and China revenue, Wong remains positive, citing ongoing growth prospects in the region, particularly in Asia Pacific, which he identifies as Cisco's highest growth area.


Cisco is its expanding business with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) companies as they continue to grow globally. 

Cisco Eyes Growth in China's Electric Vehicle Sector

## Microsoft’s New Surface Laptop: A Game-Changer with AI and Arm-Powered Innovation 

The latest Surface Laptop isn't just another update; it marks Microsoft's debut of a clamshell design powered by Qualcomm chips, signaling its most ambitious move yet towards Windows on Arm.

This time, Microsoft has hit the mark. Every aspect of the new Surface Laptop feels significantly improved. By not only closing the gap with the MacBook Air but also setting a new standard, Microsoft has redefined expectations for a Windows laptop starting at $999.99.

This new Surface Laptop is also among the pioneering Copilot Plus PCs, featuring AI-centric chips that introduce a new era of artificial intelligence capabilities within Windows. Its flagship AI feature, Recall, promises the ability to retrieve memories and moments by capturing screenshots of almost everything you do on your PC. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_4b2e613941.webp)

While Microsoft provided me with a $2,099.99 15-inch Surface Laptop model boasting 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and the powerful 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor, I opted to purchase the $999.99 13.8-inch base model with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and the slightly less potent 10-core Snapdragon X Plus.

Anticipating disappointment, given the historically underwhelming performance of Surface base models, I was pleasantly surprised. The exceptional battery life over the past week has convinced me to stick with the $999.99 Surface Laptop.

Hardware-wise, Microsoft has introduced several subtle yet impactful changes to the Surface Laptop 7th Edition without a major overhaul. Perhaps the most noticeable update is the slightly larger 13.8-inch LCD display, featuring reduced bezels on the sides and top. 

The corners of the display are now rounded, and it supports HDR with Dolby Vision, boasting a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The 15-inch model also follows suit with smaller bezels and rounded corners.

Microsoft has made significant upgrades to the Surface Laptop 7th Edition, including an enhanced 1080p front-facing camera seamlessly integrated into the top of the display, all without the need for a notch. 

## Features

- Microsoft provided a $2,099.99 15-inch Surface Laptop model with 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor. 
- Opted to purchase the $999.99 13.8-inch base model with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 10-core Snapdragon X Plus processor. 
- Initially anticipated disappointment due to historically underwhelming performance of Surface base models. 
- Pleasantly surprised by the exceptional battery life over the past week. 
- Decided to stick with the $999.99 Surface Laptop. 

Hardware-wise, Microsoft has introduced several subtle yet impactful changes to the Surface Laptop 7th Edition without a major overhaul. Perhaps the most noticeable update is the slightly larger 13.8-inch LCD display, featuring reduced bezels on the sides and top. 

The corners of the display are now rounded, and it supports HDR with Dolby Vision, boasting a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The 15-inch model also follows suit with smaller bezels and rounded corners. 

Microsoft has made significant upgrades to the Surface Laptop 7th Edition, including an enhanced 1080p front-facing camera seamlessly integrated into the top of the display, all without the need for a notch. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_c06f785613.webp)

The camera produces surprisingly sharp images for a laptop, impressing enough that a friend asked about my camera setup during a video call. Moreover, this camera supports Windows Hello, enabling effortless logins to the Surface Laptop using facial recognition. 

Another long-awaited addition is the precision haptic trackpad, which provides consistent click feedback across its expansive surface. Fully customizable, the haptic feedback is so subtle and responsive that switching back briefly to an older Surface Laptop 4 trackpad made it feel outdated.  

Both the 13-inch and 15-inch models of the Surface Laptop 7th Edition feature similarly generous trackpad sizes, ensuring a comfortable and spacious experience regardless of your choice. 

Despite some questions about the Copilot integration, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition stands out as a solid choice with its upgraded features and improvements. 

From the enhanced display with HDR support and smaller bezels to the impressive front-facing camera and precision haptic trackpad, Microsoft has made significant strides in refining its flagship laptop. 

Coupled with powerful Snapdragon processors and exceptional battery life, this iteration sets a high standard for Windows laptops in its price range. For users seeking a sleek and capable device that balances performance with innovative features, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition proves to be a compelling option. 

The latest Surface Laptop isn't just another update; it marks Microsoft's debut of a clamshell design powered by Qualcomm chips

Surface Laptop Review: Microsoft's Finest MacBook Air Rival Yet

VAST Data, known for its all-flash storage arrays, has integrated its storage controller software into Nvidia’s BlueField-3 DPUs. 

This integration enables VAST to bring its stored data directly into the core of Nvidia GPU servers, effectively transforming them into powerful AI data engines, according to VAST.

VAST Data, a provider of disaggregated, scale-out, file-based storage systems featuring a single QLC flash tier, has integrated its storage controller software into Nvidia’s BlueField-3 DPUs.

The BlueField-3 platform includes DPUs and SuperNICs, offering capabilities such as RDMA over ROCE at speeds up to 400Gbps and a PCIe gen 5 interface.

Jeff Denworth, co-founder of VAST Data, described the integration in terms of AI factory architecture, emphasizing the parallelism enabled by the VAST Data Platform. He stated, 

_“This new architecture showcases the full potential of our vision for disaggregated data centers, a concept we’ve pursued since the company’s inception.”_

Traditionally hosted on x86 servers, VAST’s storage controller nodes (C-nodes) now leverage the 16 Armv8.2+ A78 Hercules cores embedded in the BlueField-3 card. 

This innovative architecture is currently undergoing testing and initial deployment at CoreWeave, a provider of GPU-as-a-service cloud solutions.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_c88184b619.webp)

VAST Data is emphasizing four key advantages of adopting the BlueField-3 (BF3) controller: 

- Reduced Power and Footprint: By consolidating compute and networking resources, VAST achieves a 70% reduction in power usage and data center footprint compared to previous NVIDIA-powered supercomputers, with a net energy savings exceeding 5%. 
- Dedicated Storage for GPU Servers: Each GPU server now benefits from dedicated and parallel storage and database containers, eliminating contention for data services infrastructure. BlueField-3 allows seamless read and write operations across shared namespaces within the VAST Data system without the need for IO coordination across containers. 
- Enhanced Security: Data and management functions remain secure and isolated from host operating systems, bolstering overall system security. 
- Native Block Storage Services: Leveraging BlueField-3's SNAP feature, VAST provides elastic block storage via NVMe and VirtIO-blk directly to host operating systems. This capability extends beyond VAST-specific implementations to any GPU server equipped with BlueField-3, enabling stateless GPU server configurations. 

In the upcoming VAST OS version 5.2, scheduled for release later this summer 2024, a new feature will be introduced to handle large checkpoint writes more efficiently.  

Specifically, when the SCM drives' fixed capacity is insufficient for a checkpointed AI job, the system will intelligently spill over large, transient writes directly into QLC flash. This enhancement is designed to detect frequent write activity and optimize storage resource usage effectively. 

Overall, these advancements are expected to significantly reduce the hardware requirements for AI training setups.  

Neeloy Bhattacharyya from VAST Data indicated that write-intensive configurations could potentially see a 62% reduction in required hardware within six months.  

This optimization aligns with performance benchmarks set by NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, demonstrating substantial efficiency gains in configuring Scalable Units (SUs) for large-scale AI computations. 


VAST Data, known for its all-flash storage arrays, has integrated its storage controller software into Nvidia’s BlueField-3 DPUs. 

VAST Data Integrates BlueField-3 DPUs for Nvidia GPU Servers

## Dell Launches First PC with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Processor: The New XPS 13 

Dell has recently introduced its first PC equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. This latest version of the XPS 13 boasts enhanced performance, efficiency, and extended battery life. 

Earlier this year, Dell refreshed the design of its XPS 13 lineup, offering models powered by either Intel Core Ultra CPUs or Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processor. 

The Dell XPS 13 featuring the Snapdragon X Elite starts at $1,299.99 and is available for purchase on Dell's website starting today.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_da3a1af5ba.webp)
https://come.ac/UCnD1

Here are the details in bullet points: 

Processor: Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 

**RAM Options:**

- 16GB 
- 32GB 

**Storage Configurations:**

- 512GB 
- 1TB 

**Display Options:**

- FHD+ (1920x1200 resolution) 
- QHD+ (2560x1600 resolution)  

Your choice of display panel should align with your specific workflow and laptop requirements.

Choosing between the Intel Core Ultra and Snapdragon X Elite versions of the XPS 13 depends largely on your specific needs and workflow.

Intel Core Ultra processors are x86 chips, capable of running virtually any application natively. If you heavily rely on business applications or software that may need emulation on a Snapdragon X Elite PC, the Intel Core Ultra model of the XPS 13 would likely be more suitable for you.

On the other hand, Snapdragon X Elite-powered PCs can handle the majority of x86 apps through emulation, although emulated apps may not perform as efficiently as native applications.

Ultimately, your decision should be guided by the types of tasks you regularly perform and whether native application performance or broader compatibility with emulation is more critical to your work or personal use.


Dell has recently introduced its first PC equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor.

Dell XPS 13: Qualcomm X Elite vs. Intel Core Ultra Power Showdown

![udfhsd.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/udfhsd_929bbe21a8.png)
**Surface Lineup: A New Direction?**

It’s safe to say that Microsoft's Surface lineup has felt a bit aimless over the past few years. Instead of revolutionizing Windows PCs with groundbreaking designs, significantly faster processors, or intuitive features, the company has been content with minor spec upgrades year after year. However, the recent push with Copilot+ PCs has brought a breath of fresh air, particularly with the announcement of the new Surface Laptop (7th Edition) and Surface Pro (11th Edition). 

Can artificial intelligence rejuvenate the Surface brand? The Surface Laptop now boasts a bigger and brighter screen, thinner bezels, a higher refresh rate, a haptic touchpad, and a brand-new Qualcomm processor. I’ve spent a few weeks with it, and while it's a solid laptop, the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) doesn't represent as significant a leap forward as Microsoft might suggest.

**Timely Touch-Ups: Display and Build**

With the new Surface Laptop, you can choose between a 13-inch or 15-inch version, akin to Apple's latest MacBook Air models. I tested the 13-inch variant, which has grown slightly to 13.8 inches while maintaining the 3:2 aspect ratio. 

Thanks to thinner bezels, it remains just as portable. The 2K-resolution LCD screen is noticeably brighter, maxing out at 600 nits (up from 400 nits), with a 120-Hz refresh rate that ensures smooth visuals. The Dynamic Refresh Rate feature adjusts between lower and higher refresh rates to conserve battery life.

The screen is generally impressive, offering vivid and sharp visuals even in bright daylight, though brightness often needs to be cranked up past 80 percent under the sun. The touchscreen is responsive, but the lack of a nano-texture or matte finish option means glare can be distracting. 

Microsoft has finally upgraded the 720p webcam to 1080p, essential in 2024, and included Windows Studio Effects, using AI to enhance video call appearances. However, the camera struggles with lighting adjustments, sometimes casting dark shadows before correcting itself.

Another significant improvement is the new haptic touchpad, customizable for feedback intensity or turned off entirely. The haptic feedback at its highest intensity is particularly satisfying, making it a welcome addition.

**Performance and Port Selection**

The Surface Laptop comes with two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports (an additional USB-C compared to its predecessor), a USB-A port, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port for recharging. 

These ports enable support for up to three 4K monitors, which is a notable improvement. The aluminum chassis is slightly heavier than before at 2.96 pounds but remains lightweight and portable. Available in colors like Sapphire, Dune, Platinum, and Black, the laptop offers a range of aesthetic choices.

Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processor, the Surface Laptop claims to be up to 86 percent faster than the Surface Laptop 5 and 58 percent faster than the M3-powered MacBook Air. 

Benchmark results, however, show only small gains over Apple's M3 chipset, and the performance claims seem overblown. For everyday tasks like writing, emails, Slack, and Zoom calls, the laptop performs smoothly with no noticeable difference compared to a MacBook Air with M3.

The transition from Intel to Qualcomm means the CPU architecture is now ARM-based, requiring developers to optimize apps for ARM. Microsoft's Prism emulation software allows Intel-optimized apps to run on ARM-based laptops, ensuring compatibility with popular apps and services.

**Battery Life and AI Features**

The switch to ARM architecture significantly improves battery life. The Surface Laptop easily lasts a full workday, with 6-7 hours of use at 50 percent brightness leaving 20-30 percent battery life remaining. 

A YouTube video playback test at 50 percent brightness showed 37 percent battery life after 14 hours, making this laptop a reliable choice for extended use without needing a charger.

The key selling point of the new Surface machines is their AI capabilities, but integrating these features into daily workflows proved challenging. Windows Studio Effects worked well for background blur and Creative Filters, but the Eye Contact feature, designed to simulate direct eye contact during video calls, failed to deliver. 

CoCreator, a generative AI tool in Paint, produced mixed results, and the less detailed the prompt, the better it performed.

Live Captions provided real-time translations in 44 languages, with mostly accurate results, though it struggled to keep up with fast dialogue. The dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard was a pleasant surprise, making it easy to use the AI chatbot more frequently.

**Final Thoughts: Solid, But Not Groundbreaking**

Despite the AI perks, none significantly impacted day-to-day use. The Surface Laptop (7th Edition) is a solid, lightweight, and reliable machine with great battery life. 

However, it comes at a price, starting at $999 for the Snapdragon X Plus and reaching up to $2,400 for the maxed-out configuration. While it's a good laptop, it’s not the groundbreaking leap forward Microsoft might want you to believe.


It’s safe to say that Microsoft's Surface lineup has felt a bit aimless over the past few years

Elevate Your Everyday with Microsoft Surface Laptop (7th Edition, 2024)

As Intel gears up for the Arrow Lake-S desktop CPU launch, they've discreetly introduced the 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs, known as the "14001" series. These new chips feature only P-cores, entirely omitting E-cores, and are designed for embedded solutions. Interestingly, the flagship model in this series is overclockable.

However, the downside is that these CPUs are exclusively available in an embedded format, which means enthusiasts and mainstream users can't access these unique processors. 

Embedded form factors involve the CPU being installed into a machine by an OEM at the factory, typically sold with the motherboard, making them difficult to replace or upgrade.

The new E-coreless Raptor Lake Refresh lineup includes three Core i9 SKUs, two Core i7 variants, and four Core i5 models. 

Among the nine models, the standout is the flagship Core i9-14901KE. As suggested by its model number, it appears to be an overclockable K-series part. If confirmed, the 14901KE would be one of the rare, if not the only, overclockable embedded processors that Intel has ever produced.

Intel's new lineup is quite unorthodox as it is the first since the 12th Gen not to feature any E-cores. However, there are some advantages to this approach. 

By producing E-coreless chips, Intel can recycle Raptor Lake dies with defective E-cores that are otherwise fully functional. 

This strategy likely aims to repurpose these defective dies, which have likely been accumulating since the 14th Gen launch, allowing Intel to make use of components that might otherwise go to waste.

Intel's new lineup also offers notable benefits for consumers. One major drawback of Intel's modern hybrid architectures is the increased complexity in scheduling tasks on the appropriate core clusters for optimal performance and power efficiency. 

This complexity can sometimes result in OS schedulers assigning workloads to the wrong cores, causing performance issues for users. Furthermore, many workloads don't gain much from E-cores and instead benefit more from having six or eight physical cores (or fewer).

All three Core i9 variants in this new lineup feature eight Raptor Cove P-cores, 16 threads, and 36MB of L3 cache. The primary differences among them lie in clock speed and power consumption (PBP/TDP). 

The flagship i9-14901KE boasts a 125W TDP, a maximum turbo boost clock of 5.8GHz, and a base clock of 3.8 GHz. 

The Core i9-14901E has a significantly lower 65W TDP, with only a slight reduction of 200 MHz in its maximum boost clock, reaching 5.6 GHz, though its base clock drops significantly to 2.8 GHz. 

The i9-14901TE is the most power-efficient variant, with a 45W PBP/TDP, a peak turbo clock speed of 5.5 GHz, and a base clock of 2.3 GHz.
![statss.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/statss_a063506da6.png)

There is little to differentiate the Core i9 models from the Core i7 variants. The two Core i7 SKUs also feature eight cores and 16 threads, but they have slightly lower clock speeds and a minor reduction in L3 cache. 

The Core i7-14701E has a 65W TDP, a turbo frequency of 5.4 GHz, a base frequency of 2.6 GHz, and 33MB of L3 cache. The Core i7-14701TE shares the same core and cache configuration but has a 45W PBP/TDP, a maximum turbo clock of 5.2 GHz, and a base clock of 2.1 GHz.


As Intel gears up for the Arrow Lake-S desktop CPU launch, they've discreetly introduced the 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs, known as the "14001" series.

Intel Unveils 9 New 14th-Gen CPUs

## AMD's Strategic Move: Integrating Zen 4 and Zen 4c Cores in Ryzen 7040 Laptop CPUs 

AMD has taken a bold step in its CPU design strategy by announcing the introduction of Ryzen 7040 laptop processors that combine two distinct types of processing cores: the high-performance Zen 4 cores and the more energy-efficient Zen 4c cores. 

This move signifies a departure from traditional CPU architecture, marking a significant shift in how AMD approaches laptop processor design, particularly when compared to Intel’s hybrid architecture strategy. 

- The Ryzen 7040 series processors will include models like the Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U. 
- These processors will blend high-performance Zen 4 cores with energy-efficient Zen 4c cores. 
- Zen 4 cores are already featured in current 7040 CPUs and are known for their high performance. 
- Zen 4c cores were originally designed for AMD’s cloud-optimized EPYC 97X4 server processors. 

The combination of Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores is intended to provide a balanced performance profile that optimizes both power efficiency and processing power. 

## Enhancing Core Count and Efficiency for Entry-Level CPUs 
![b 29.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_29_1_70d9e384ab.webp)
One of the key benefits of this integration is the ability to produce entry-level CPUs with higher core counts at reduced costs. 

According to Don Woligroski, AMD’s senior marketing manager, the dual-core strategy allows for greater flexibility in designing CPUs that cater to a wide range of computing needs, from premium to entry-level laptops. 

The Zen 4 cores are known for their focus on delivering maximum performance per core, which has been a cornerstone of AMD’s competitive edge since the launch of the Zen architecture in 2017. 

In contrast, the Zen 4c cores are optimized for efficiency, boasting a smaller size and improved performance-per-watt metrics. 

The Ryzen 5 7545U, for example, will leverage two Zen 4 cores alongside four Zen 4c cores, while the Ryzen 3 7440U will combine one Zen 4 core with three Zen 4c cores. 

This configuration not only enhances multi-threaded performance but also allows AMD to offer more affordable processors without compromising on core count or performance. 

Woligroski emphasized that this dual-core approach could potentially extend beyond entry-level CPUs. AMD is exploring the possibility of integrating Zen 4c cores into premium laptop CPUs in the future, aiming to further enhance multi-threaded performance while maintaining power efficiency. 

However, specific details about these plans remain undisclosed. 

## AMD’s Innovative Approach to Hybrid Architecture 

Unlike Intel’s hybrid architecture, which relies on a hardware-based scheduler to manage task allocation between performance and efficient cores, AMD’s approach with Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores is designed to be more straightforward. It relies solely on the operating system’s scheduler, simplifying integration and operation. 

This strategy eliminates the need for additional hardware overhead, ensuring that tasks are seamlessly managed across the processor’s various core types. 

This architectural choice not only streamlines the CPU design but also makes it easier for software developers and users to benefit from the performance and efficiency gains without needing to rely on specialized hardware features. 

As a result, AMD's approach offers a more flexible and cost-effective solution for balancing power and performance in laptop CPUs. 

As AMD continues to push the boundaries of CPU innovation, the introduction of the Ryzen 7040 series represents a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to cater to the diverse needs of consumers. 

By integrating Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores, AMD is poised to deliver processors that excel in both performance and efficiency, offering a compelling alternative to Intel's hybrid architecture in the competitive landscape of laptop computing. 

AMD is redefining laptop CPU design with the introduction of its Ryzen 7040 series, which uniquely integrates two distinct types of processing cores: high-performance Zen 4 cores and energy-efficient Zen 4c cores. 

AMD Launches Ryzen 7040 CPUs, Claims Edge Over Intel

## Empowering AI Innovation with Lenovo and NVIDIA 

We're excited to participate once again at NVIDIA® GTC! Our ongoing collaboration with NVIDIA continues to drive us, as we focus on delivering innovative solutions for professionals and data scientists. 

Together, we harness the power of GPU-accelerated computing through Lenovo™ ThinkStation™ desktops and ThinkPad™ mobile workstations, empowering advancements in AI and Generative AI. 

The evolving landscapes of data science and Generative AI, particularly with large language models (LLMs), require robust NVIDIA GPUs like the NVIDIA A800 40GB Active, optimized specifically for AI workflows, and the versatile NVIDIA RTX™ 6000 Ada Generation. 

Integrated into Lenovo ThinkStation and ThinkPad systems, these GPUs create secure, personalized supercomputing environments for organizations involved in diverse AI workflows. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_f3b50ea872.webp)

Advanced Solutions for AI and Spatial Computing 

**ThinkPad P16 Gen 2:**

- Features the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU. 
- Embodies cutting-edge technology tailored for demanding professional workloads. 
- Designed to enhance mobile AI development. 
- Provides unmatched computational power for tasks such as LLM fine-tuning. 

**Lenovo's Workstations for Generative AI:**

- Includes the mobile ThinkPad P Series, ideal for on-the-go data scientists. 
- Features the ThinkStation PX, recognized as the fastest and most advanced workstation for AI workflows globally. 
- Offers a highly adaptable portfolio tailored to today’s rigorous AI workloads. 
- Represents the largest collection of AI-Ready products available. 

Lenovo demonstrates its commitment to advancing open-source technologies through significant investments, ensuring rigorous certification across a wide range of NVIDIA Certified Platforms, including 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_7504f9ee57.webp)

 workstations, servers, and edge devices. By expanding support for Linux and open-source initiatives, Lenovo showcases a forward-thinking approach aimed at driving technological innovation and meeting evolving customer needs. 

## Unmatched Productivity and Integration for AI Workflows

In enhancing productivity for AI developers, Lenovo introduces NVIDIA AI Enterprise and NVIDIA AI Workbench integrated into its Workstations. Leveraging the NVIDIA CUDA® compute platform and CUDA-X libraries, these solutions accelerate data processing across various data types. Notably, the NVIDIA RAPIDS™ cuDF library, coupled with an NVIDIA RTX™ 6000 Ada Generation GPU, boosts data scientist productivity using pandas software by up to 110 times, without requiring code modifications. 

The integration of RAPIDS cuDF, NVIDIA AI Workbench, and NVIDIA AI Enterprise within Lenovo's AI workstation portfolio delivers a robust enterprise-class AI developer software platform. This platform optimizes productivity across data science, generative AI, and LLM training and fine-tuning workflows, irrespective of location or execution time. 

With NVIDIA AI Enterprise, Lenovo workstations also support NVIDIA NIM and NeMo Retriever microservices for inference and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), empowering developers to utilize powerful local systems for advanced Generative AI applications. 

In collaboration with NVIDIA, Lenovo offers turnkey solutions for digital twin applications using the Lenovo ThinkStation PX with up to 4x NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation GPUs and NVIDIA ConnextX-6 networking. This initiative simplifies the adoption of NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise, facilitating seamless scalability from individual workstations to data center deployments and driving impactful business outcomes across diverse industries. 

Lenovo's enterprise-class workstations and virtual reality portfolio, including the ThinkStation PX, ThinkReality VRX HMD, and ThinkReality MDM software, cater to intensive CPU, GPU, and system resource demands in spatial computing. This ecosystem supports immersive technologies like AR, VR, MR, AI, and ML, enabling fully interactive and collaborative environments for digital twins and spatial computing applications. 

By integrating leading software solutions such as NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise and NVIDIA CloudXR, Lenovo and NVIDIA provide a validated reference architecture for spatial computing, offering capabilities that distinguish them in the industry. 

Footnote: Lenovo, ThinkStation, and ThinkPad are trademarks of Lenovo. NVIDIA, NVIDIA RTX, NVIDIA Omniverse, NVIDIA CloudXR, and CUDA are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. 



As the AI landscape continues to evolve, Lenovo's partnership with NVIDIA stands at the forefront of technological innovation. This collaboration empowers professionals and data scientists with cutting-edge solutions designed to meet the increasing demands of AI and Generative AI workflows. 

Lenovo AI Workstations Enhance Generative AI with NVIDIA

## Dell Technologies: A 40-Year Journey from Dorm Room Startup to Global Tech Leader 

From a university dorm room to a global technology powerhouse, Dell Technologies has embarked on a bold journey of digital transformation since its founding on May 3, 1984, in Texas by Michael Dell, who serves as founder, chairman, and CEO. 

Over its 40-year history, Dell has evolved into one of the world's largest technology companies, driving innovations in AI, cloud computing, data solutions, and electronics.

As of 2024, Dell Technologies ranks as the third-largest personal computer vendor globally by unit sales, following Lenovo and HP. 

The company's trajectory from startup to industry leader began with Michael Dell's vision to revolutionize how computers were designed, manufactured, and sold. 

By selling directly to customers, Dell aimed to better understand their needs and deliver tailored solutions.

Michael Dell's entrepreneurial spirit and strategic acumen propelled Dell to go public in 1988, setting the stage for rapid expansion.

The company leveraged its growth to establish manufacturing centers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, cementing its global footprint in the technology sector.

Dell Technologies is committed to its founding principles of accessibility and enabling human potential. 

The 2015 acquisition of EMC Corporation enhanced Dell's enterprise capabilities in: 

- Data storage 
- Security 
- Virtualization 
- Analytics 
- Cloud computing 
- Dell is recognized for its ethical practices and strong workplace culture. 

In 2023, Dell unveiled a comprehensive generative AI infrastructure portfolio, showcasing its ongoing innovation. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_4165b4e6f1.webp)

Looking ahead to 2024, Dell Technologies anticipates further advancements in AI and quantum computing, emphasizing the transformative power of data-driven intelligence. 

Collaborations with industry leaders like Meta underscore Dell's commitment to pushing the boundaries of technological innovation, signaling a future where cognitive power becomes increasingly accessible. 

In the words of Michael Dell, "The growth in AI and machine learning intelligence-driven workloads is reshaping industries, offering unprecedented opportunities to reimagine our world and organizational capabilities." 

From a university dorm room to a global technology powerhouse, Dell Technologies has embarked on a bold journey of digital transformation

Dell at 40: Driving Digital Innovation Through the Decades 

Microsoft Build Conference: A Key Moment for AI Innovation Amidst Competitive Advances 

Microsoft's Build developer conference kicks off this week, presenting a prime opportunity for the tech giant to unveil its latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), following recent showcases by OpenAI and Google. 

One area where Microsoft holds a clear advantage in the AI race is its ownership of Windows, which boasts a vast user base across PCs worldwide. 

- CEO Satya Nadella stated that 2024 will see AI become a central feature of every PC. 
- AI is already integrated into Microsoft's Copilot chatbot in Bing and Office. 
- Deeper AI integration into Windows will be a key focus at the Build conference. 
- Build follows Google I/O, where Google introduced its most potent AI model and outlined plans for Gemini AI across computers and phones. 
- OpenAI previously launched the GPT-4o model, which powers Microsoft's Copilot technology, highlighting their strategic partnership. 
- Microsoft faces the challenge of maintaining AI leadership while revitalizing stagnated PC sales. 

Recent analyst notes, such as one from Morgan Stanley on Dell, show optimism for PC market recovery due to strong customer feedback and increased notebook builds. 

Gartner data reflects a slight uptick in PC shipments, aligning with Microsoft CFO Amy Hood's remarks on improved demand. 

Microsoft's new AI tools could incentivize both enterprise and consumer upgrades, potentially boosting revenue per device and enhancing Windows' stickiness. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_9680dbc2a1.webp)

While Microsoft will handle internet-based AI tasks, its PCs will rely on chips from AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm for offline AI jobs, enhancing capabilities such as voice-controlled transcription and more. 

What defines an AI PC? It's the addition of a neural processing unit (NPU), surpassing traditional CPUs with specialized AI capabilities, akin to Apple's use in improving multimedia and voice recognition. 

Intel's Lunar Lake chips with NPUs are slated for late 2024, while Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite with NPU support arrives mid-year. AMD's latest Ryzen Pro is expected soon. 

Microsoft's session on "Next Generation of Windows on Arm" will delve into how Windows runs on Qualcomm chips, contrasting with Intel and AMD variants. 

Qualcomm's Arm-based chips, noted for extended battery life and sleek designs, initially faced limitations but have since evolved to support traditional Windows apps. 

As Microsoft continues to innovate, the path forward for AI-driven PCs looks poised for substantial growth and evolution in the tech landscape. 

 

Microsoft's Build developer conference, kicking off this week, comes at a crucial time as the tech giant seeks to showcase its latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). Following major AI announcements from OpenAI and Google, Microsoft is poised to leverage its unique position in the AI race, particularly through its vast Windows user base. 

Microsoft to Launch AI-Powered PCs at Build Conference

## Intel Unveils 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs: A Focus on Embedded Solutions with E-Core Omission 

As Intel gears up for the Arrow Lake-S desktop CPU launch, they've discreetly introduced the 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs, known as the "14001" series. These new chips feature only P-cores, entirely omitting E-cores, and are designed for embedded solutions. Interestingly, the flagship model in this series is overclockable. 

However, the downside is that these CPUs are exclusively available in an embedded format, which means enthusiasts and mainstream users can't access these unique processors.  

Embedded form factors involve the CPU being installed into a machine by an OEM at the factory, typically sold with the motherboard, making them difficult to replace or upgrade. 

The new E-coreless Raptor Lake Refresh lineup includes three Core i9 SKUs, two Core i7 variants, and four Core i5 models.  

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_a9d0900c88.webp)

Among the nine models, the standout is the flagship Core i9-14901KE. As suggested by its model number, it appears to be an overclockable K-series part. If confirmed, the 14901KE would be one of the rare, if not the only, overclockable embedded processors that Intel has ever produced. 

Intel's new lineup is quite unorthodox as it is the first since the 12th Gen not to feature any E-cores. However, there are some advantages to this approach.  

By producing E-coreless chips, Intel can recycle Raptor Lake dies with defective E-cores that are otherwise fully functional. This strategy likely aims to repurpose these defective dies, which have likely been accumulating since the 14th Gen launch, allowing Intel to make use of components that might otherwise go to waste. 

Intel's new lineup also offers notable benefits for consumers. One major drawback of Intel's modern hybrid architectures is the increased complexity in scheduling tasks on the appropriate core clusters for optimal performance and power efficiency.  

This complexity can sometimes result in OS schedulers assigning workloads to the wrong cores, causing performance issues for users. Furthermore, many workloads don't gain much from E-cores and instead benefit more from having six or eight physical cores (or fewer). 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_16dfe55bb1.webp)

All three Core i9 variants in this new lineup feature eight Raptor Cove P-cores, 16 threads, and 36MB of L3 cache. The primary differences among them lie in clock speed and power consumption (PBP/TDP).  

The flagship i9-14901KE boasts a 125W TDP, a maximum turbo boost clock of 5.8GHz, and a base clock of 3.8 GHz.  

The Core i9-14901E has a significantly lower 65W TDP, with only a slight reduction of 200 MHz in its maximum boost clock, reaching 5.6 GHz, though its base clock drops significantly to 2.8 GHz. 

The i9-14901TE is the most power-efficient variant, with a 45W PBP/TDP, a peak turbo clock speed of 5.5 GHz, and a base clock of 2.3 GHz. 

![4.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/4_6432e437ca.webp)

## Core i7 Models

**Core i7-14701E:** 

- TDP: 65W 
- Turbo Frequency: 5.4 GHz 
- Base Frequency: 2.6 GHz 
- L3 Cache: 33MB 

**Core i7-14701TE:** 

- TDP: 45W PBP/TDP 
- Turbo Frequency: 5.2 GHz 
- Base Frequency: 2.1 GHz 
- L3 Cache: 33MB 

Footnote: The Core i9 models and Core i7 variants differ primarily in clock speeds and L3 cache size, with the Core i7 variants having slightly lower specifications. 


As Intel prepares for the Arrow Lake-S desktop CPU launch, it has quietly introduced the 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs, known as the "14001" series. These new processors exclusively feature P-cores, omitting E-cores entirely, and are designed specifically for embedded solutions. Notably, the flagship model in this series supports overclocking. 

Intel stealthily drops nine 14th-Gen CPUs, ditching E-cores, and introduces the standout Core i9-14901KE

## Dell Posts Record Q2 Revenue on AI-Optimized Server Demand
Dell's server sales surged in the second fiscal quarter of 2025, pushing its revenue up 9 percent year-over-year to $25 billion, with a profit of $841 million—significantly surpassing Nutanix's total quarterly revenue of $524.6 million. However, there was a noted slowdown in hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) sales. 

The company attributed its strong performance to "exceptional demand for AI-optimized servers" alongside growth in traditional server demand during the quarter, which ended on August 2, 2024. 

Jeff Clarke, Dell's Vice Chairman and COO, praised the company's efforts, stating, "We executed exceptionally well in Q2, and I’m incredibly proud of our team’s performance." He also highlighted the revenue milestone as "another record for our servers and networking business." 

**Dell’s second fiscal quarter of 2025** 

- Gross Margin: 21.2%, down from 23.5% last year 
- Operating Cash Flow: $1.3 billion 
- Free Cash Flow: $1.28 billion, compared to $3.1 billion in the previous year 
- Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash: $6.0 billion, down from $7.9 billion last year 
- Diluted Earnings per Share: $1.17, reflecting an 86% year-over-year increase 
- The $1.7 billion reduction in cash and investments was driven by: 
- $1 billion in capital returns 
- Repurchase of 5.5 million shares at an average of $130.03 per share 
- Dividend payment of $0.45 per share 
- $1 billion in net debt repayment during the quarter

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_82af2f1587.webp)

## ISG Soars 38% as CSG Revenue Declines in Q2
Dell's two primary business units, the Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) and Client Solutions Group (CSG), saw contrasting performances. ISG, which includes servers, storage, and networking, posted a 38% year-over-year revenue increase to a record $11.6 billion. 

In contrast, CSG, focused on PCs and related products, experienced a 4% decline in revenue, dropping to $12.4 billion. Within CSG, commercial client revenue remained stable at $10.6 billion, while consumer revenue fell by 22% to $1.9 billion. ISG is now closing in on CSG, potentially surpassing it in revenue after years of CSG maintaining a lead. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_bda7b67929.webp)

ISG's revenue growth was primarily fueled by soaring server sales, with server and networking revenue surging by 80% to reach a record $7.7 billion. However, storage revenue declined by 5%, totaling $4.0 billion. 

![4.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/4_d05f866573.webp)

Dell's AI-driven momentum surged in Q2, with AI-optimized server demand reaching $3.2 billion, up 23% sequentially, and $5.8 billion year-to-date. The AI server pipeline grew substantially, with high expectations for future revenue.  

Dell's core storage products like PowerMax, PowerScale, and PowerStore saw double-digit growth, though hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) struggled due to partner IP declines, offsetting gains elsewhere. CFO Yvonne McGill noted a 6% sequential revenue growth in storage and improved profitability, while demand grew in North America. 

Dell is positioning itself to capitalize on enterprise AI adoption and sovereign AI opportunities, backed by a $174 billion AI hardware and services TAM.  

The company is also leveraging AI internally to boost productivity, including workforce reductions and automating business processes. Clarke emphasized the growing role of AI agents in transforming industries and enhancing individual productivity. 

Dell Technologies is riding a wave of AI-driven growth, significantly boosting its Q2 revenues and positioning itself as a key player in the evolving AI landscape. With AI-optimized server demand soaring and a robust pipeline for future enterprise and sovereign AI opportunities, Dell is making strategic moves to strengthen its foothold in this booming sector. 

Dell's Server Revenue Soars to the Top! 

## AWS to Expand Cloud and AI Capabilities
Amazon’s cloud division has revealed plans to invest £8 billion ($10.45 billion) over the next five years to expand and operate data centers in the U.K., boosting its cloud computing capabilities across the country. 

Announced Wednesday morning in London, the move comes as cloud providers highlight the transformative potential of generative AI, with businesses increasingly seeking to integrate this cutting-edge technology. 

“We’ve observed strong adoption of cloud and AI technologies among British companies, and the U.K. has set forth an ambitious digital strategy,” said Tanuja Randery, AWS’s managing director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, in an interview with CNBC. “This investment will empower our customers to fully leverage cloud computing, as robust data centers are the foundation for delivering these services.” 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_fc848c4541.webp)

## AWS's Bold Expansion Amid AI Advancements and Regulatory Scrutiny

Randery described generative AI as “perhaps the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the advent of the cloud and the internet,” with businesses now exploring its potential through early trials. 

She added, “Companies are examining how AI can drive revenue growth and boost employee productivity, which is absolutely crucial, while also enhancing their ability to compete on a global scale.” 

AWS, alongside other major cloud providers, has been making significant investments in infrastructure like data centers and Nvidia chips to power the training and operation of AI models. These cloud providers then offer AI-driven services to businesses. 

In the U.K., AWS is in direct competition with Microsoft and Google, and this latest investment underscores its ongoing expansion efforts across Europe. Earlier this year, AWS committed to investing 8.8 billion euros into its cloud infrastructure in Germany. 

This investment comes as U.K. regulators closely examine competition in the cloud market, with AWS and Microsoft facing increased scrutiny. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating the dynamics of the U.K. cloud sector. 

Randery noted that AWS is “working collaboratively” with the CMA, but emphasized the importance of balancing regulation with innovation. 

“We engage closely with governments and regulators globally, and while we support regulation, it’s crucial that it remains conducive to fostering innovation,” Randery stated. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled plans to invest £8 billion ($10.45 billion) over the next five years to strengthen its cloud infrastructure in the U.K. This substantial investment, announced in London, aims to bolster AWS’s data center operations and cloud computing services. 

Amazon Commits £8B to Boost Cloud and AI in the UK

## IBM Introduces Faster, Smarter Data Handling 

IBM has revamped its DS8000 mainframe arrays, making them faster and more efficient with the introduction of its tenth-generation models. The two all-flash systems feature enhanced Power9 processors and the latest gen 4 FlashCore Modules (FCM4) with built-in compression and deduplication capabilities. 

The lineup includes the single-frame DS8A10 and the larger multi-frame DS8A50, replacing the DS8910F, DS8950F, and DS8980F models from 2020. 

IBM highlights that the new DS8000 series is designed to handle next-generation data workloads, seamlessly managing AI tasks while integrating with analytics tools to provide valuable insights and predictive capabilities. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_c9d0ef1ccc.webp)

An IBM datasheet reveals that the new DS8000 models offer up to double the storage capacity within the same footprint using FCM4 drives. 

Additionally, they deliver up to 73% more IOPS for high-volume transaction processing, thanks to the new HPFE Gen 3 flash enclosures equipped with FCM4 drives. 

IBM also touts an impressive up to eight nines availability (99.999999%), an improvement from the previous generation's seven nines. 

Data recoverability has seen significant enhancements, with the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) now reduced to two seconds from the previous two to four, and the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) clocking in at under 60 seconds. 

Security remains top-notch with 100% data encryption, further strengthened by Fibre Channel Endpoint Security (IFCES). A side-by-side comparison highlights the clear advancements between the old and new systems. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_58aa663c86.webp)

The new DS8000 models boast an impressive array of features, including: 

- Transparent Cloud Tiering (TCT): Seamlessly integrates with IBM Cloud Object Storage, Amazon S3, RSTOR, and TS7700 VTL as an object storage target. 
- Safeguarded Copy: Enhances data protection with advanced copying capabilities. 
- HyperSwap: Ensures high availability by enabling reads from a secondary site via both FICON and zHyperLink, providing consistent response times and improved workload balancing. 
- Copy Services Manager (CSM): Offers centralized management across two, three, or four-site environments, allowing users to control and monitor Disaster Recovery, High Availability, and Cyber Resiliency features from a single interface. 
- Kubernetes CSI Support: Facilitates integration with containerized applications. 
- Storage Insights: Cloud-based management tool for tracking health, capacity, and performance trends. 

For further details, check out the IBM blog. 

IBM has launched its tenth-generation DS8000 mainframe arrays, delivering significant advancements in speed and efficiency. The new all-flash systems are equipped with enhanced Power9 processors and the latest gen 4 FlashCore Modules (FCM4), which incorporate built-in compression and deduplication features. 

IBM launches innovative tenth-gen DS8000 mainframe arrays! 

## IBM Advances AI Model Training with Proprietary Vela Cluster and Storage Scale Integration 

IBM has made significant strides in AI model training with the development of its proprietary Vela cluster, which is intricately designed using Storage Scale. 

This advanced infrastructure is at the core of IBM's AI endeavors, providing the computational backbone for training the next generation of AI models. Notably, IBM's latest AI studio, watsonx.ai, which became widely available in July 2023, was trained on this very Vela cluster. 

The Vela infrastructure is a testament to IBM’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI technology. Storage Scale, a sophisticated parallel file system, is integral to Vela’s design. It functions as a quasi-cache in front of object storage, dramatically enhancing data input/output (I/O) speeds. 

 This setup ensures that GPUs are consistently engaged, eliminating potential bottlenecks and boosting overall processing efficiency. 
 
 Active File Management (AFM) technology is configured to connect filesets transparently to object storage buckets, representing objects in buckets as files within the file system and pulling data from object storage on demand. When files are written to the file system, AFM eventually migrates them to object storage. 

The total capacity of this Scale parallel file system, encompassing all attached devices, reaches into the hundreds of terabytes. The research paper explains that Scale is deployed in Vela using a disaggregated storage model, with the dedicated Scale storage cluster comprising tens of IBM Cloud Virtual Server Instances (VSIs), each equipped with two 1TB virtual block volumes. These virtual block volumes, hosted on a next-gen cloud-native and high-performance block storage service in IBM Cloud, meet the high throughput demands of model training workloads. 

## Performance Improvement with Scale-based Storage

**Read Bandwidth:**

- Nearly 40x speedup compared to NFS. 
- 1 GBps with NFS vs. 40 GBps with Scale. 

**Write Bandwidth:**

- Nearly 3x the write bandwidth of IBM COS. 
- 5 GBps with IBM COS vs. 15 GBps with Scale. 

**Impact on AI Training Jobs:**

- Granite-13B used NFS. 
- Granite-8B used Scale. 

**Performance Metrics Based On:**

- Iteration times for AI training jobs. 

Training jobs on Vela can take a month or more to complete, as highlighted in the research paper. 
 The innovation behind Vela’s architecture has been meticulously documented in a research paper that is freely accessible, offering insights into the technology that powers IBM's generative AI model development. 
 
 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_5e716daeab.webp)

Vela is characterized as a sophisticated cluster of CPU/GPU servers that host virtual machines within the IBM Cloud. Initially, the server nodes were equipped with twin-socket systems featuring Cascade Lake Gen 2 Xeon Scalable processors, complemented by 1.5TB of DRAM and 4 x 3.2TB NVMe SSDs. 

These nodes also housed 8 x 80GB Nvidia A100 GPUs, utilizing NVLink and NVSwitch for seamless connectivity. In a subsequent upgrade, the Xeon processors were replaced with the more advanced IceLake processors, further enhancing Vela's computational capabilities. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_062d638f52.webp)

The Vela cluster is interconnected through a 2-level spine-leaf Clos structure, a nonblocking, multistage switching network built on 100Gbps network interfaces. This architecture ensures seamless communication between the nodes. 

The storage drives are accessed via Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) and GPU-direct RDMA (GDR).  

This advanced setup, combining GDR with RoCE, enables GPUs in one system to directly access the memory of GPUs in another system through Ethernet network cards, significantly enhancing data transfer speeds and efficiency. 

The networking subsystem is also equipped with built-in congestion management to maintain optimal performance. 

IBM operates Vela through its Cloud as an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), with Red Hat OpenShift clusters managing tasks across the entire AI lifecycle, from data preparation to model training, adaptation, and deployment. 

The AI training data is stored in object storage, which proved too slow for both reading (job loading) and writing (job checkpointing). To overcome this, IBM implemented Storage Scale as a high-performance file system between the object storage and GPUs, serving as an intermediating cache. 

This allows data to be loaded into GPUs much faster, accelerating the start (or restart) of training jobs, and enables model weights to be checkpointed to the file system at significantly higher speeds compared to writing directly to object storage. 

The unique technology within Storage Scale also facilitates the asynchronous transfer of checkpointed data to object storage, without impeding the progress of training jobs. 

Within Vela, a Scale client cluster runs across GPU nodes in container-native mode using the CNSA edition of Scale. The infrastructure leverages Kubernetes operators to deploy and manage Scale in a cloud-native manner and utilizes a CSI Plugin for provisioning and attaching persistent volumes based on Scale. 

The client cluster, lacking locally attached storage, remotely mounts the file system in the storage cluster. This design allows for independent scaling of compute and storage clusters based on changing workload demands. 

![5.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/5_57fc2f4c8f.webp)

In 2023, Vela underwent a major upgrade with the introduction of the more robust Blue Vela cluster, which went live in April. This new iteration was developed in collaboration with Dell and Nvidia. We’ll delve into the details of this enhanced infrastructure in a forthcoming article. 

 

IBM has achieved a major milestone in AI model training with its proprietary Vela cluster, a sophisticated system built on Storage Scale technology. This cutting-edge infrastructure serves as the foundation for IBM's AI initiatives, enabling the training of next-generation AI models.

IBM Boosts AI Model Training with Storage Scale for Faster Insights

AMD's upcoming Ryzen 9000 chips are set to launch on July 31, but early benchmarks are already surfacing. The Benchleaks bot recently posted results for the Ryzen 7 7900X and Ryzen 5 9600X on X, showing superior performance compared to AMD's and Intel's previous top-generation chips.

These leaked numbers typically originate from PC manufacturers performing final tests on their retail units before release. However, it's important to approach these results with caution, as the final hardware configurations could change before they reach consumers. 

Additionally, the current data comes from just a single test per processor; multiple tests will be necessary to establish the overall performance trends of AMD's latest chips.

**Testing Setup:** 

- Both processors paired with 32GB of DDR5 RAM. 
- Ryzen 7 9700X mounted on an Asus ROG Crosshair X670E Gene motherboard. 
- Ryzen 5 9600X tested on an X670E Hero motherboard. 

**Ryzen 7 9700X Specifications:**

- Cores/Threads: 8 cores, 16 threads. 
- Base Frequency: 3.8 GHz. 
- Max Frequency: 5.54 GHz. 
- L3 Cache: 32MB. 

**Ryzen 5 9600X Specifications:**

- Cores/Threads: 6 cores, 12 threads. 
- Base Frequency: 3.9 GHz. 
- Max Frequency: 5.47 GHz. 
- L3 Cache: 32MB. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_1fdd650e26.webp)

Both Ryzen 9000-series processors outperform the previous generation AMD and Intel chips in single-core score performance despite having a lower base or boost clock, probably owing to AMD’s new Zen 5 architecture. 

Nevertheless, Intel’s 14th-gen chips still outperform them in the multi-core department, especially with their P-core / E-core architecture. 

While the benchmarks may show the general theoretical performance of a processor, how fast your computer will be will still vary with the components you get, plus your luck with the silicon lottery. 

And before you make a long-term purchase of such a significant PC part, you should always wait for benchmarks that put these chips through their paces in both theoretical and real-world applications.  

 

AMD's upcoming Ryzen 9000 chips are set to launch on July 31, but early benchmarks are already surfacing.

AMD Ryzen 9000: 9700X and 9600X Lead in Early Geekbench

## Intel's "Core Ultra 200V" CPUs Leak: A Sneak Peek at the Next-Gen 

Intel's upcoming Lunar Lake "Core Ultra 200V" CPU lineup has surfaced ahead of its official launch, revealing at least nine distinct SKUs. 

The leak, reported by Videocardz, provides detailed specifications for these CPUs, which are tailored for slim and portable devices like laptops, Mini PCs, and gaming handhelds. 

At Computex 2024, several devices powered by Lunar Lake were on display, spanning from laptops to handheld gaming consoles. MSI, a prominent manufacturer, featured Lunar Lake laptops alongside their next-generation Claw 8 AI+ "A2VM" gaming handheld at their booth.

Earlier this month, we conducted a thorough analysis of Intel's Lunar Lake CPUs and Xe2 graphics architecture. Manufacturing Nodes: Intel Lunar Lake CPUs are based on TSMC N3B and TSMC N6 manufacturing nodes. 

Tile-Based Monolithic Chips: Lunar Lake CPUs feature a tile-based monolithic design. 

**Core Configuration:**

- Up to 4 Lion Cove P-Cores 
- Up to 4 Skymont E-Cores 
- AI Engine: Equipped with a new NPU4 AI Engine capable of producing up to 48 TOPS. 
- Core and Thread Count: The top variants of Lunar Lake CPUs have eight cores and eight threads. 
- Hyper-Threading: Intel is moving away from hyper-threading technology in Lunar Lake CPUs. 

**Graphics Capabilities:** 

- Up to eight Xe2 cores with Arc-tier graphics. 
- Evaluated at 17–30 W TDPs. 

**Clock Speeds:**

- CPU clock speeds up to 5.1 GHz. 
- GPU clock speeds up to 2.05 GHz. 
- AI Performance: 
- Maximum AI performance of 67 TOPS for the GPU. 
- A total of 120 TOPS is allocated to the platform. 

Additionally, on-package LPDDR5x memory with 16 GB and 32 GB capacity options will be a first for Intel's Lunar Lake CPUs. 

Regarding the SKUs, it is said that the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V, which has a full 30W TDP (PL1/PL2), is the flagship model. With up to 5.1 GHz speeds, 12 MB of Last-Level Cache, 8 cores, and 8 threads, this CPU is powerful.

The Arc A140V iGPU, which will have 8 Xe2 cores clocked at up to 2.05 GHz, 32 GB of Dual-Rank memory, and the complete 48 NPU, 67 XMX, and 5 CPU TOPS (a total of 120 TOPS) will be present in this chip. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_3afd1e0e53.webp)

Four Core Ultra 7 200V and Core Ultra 5 200V "Lunar Lake" CPUs make up the remainder of the lineup. The remaining models in the lineup have an 8-core, 17W PL1 and 30W PL2 layout & clock frequencies between 4.8 and 5.0 GHz.  

The Arc 140V iGPU included in all Core Ultra 9 and Core Ultra 7 CPUs is identical, although its clock speeds vary, ranging from 1.95 GHz to 2.00 GHz. Both 16 GB and 32 GB versions of the chips will be available, but they are entirely separate SKUs, such as the Core Ultra 7 268V with 32 GB and Core Ultra 7 266V with 16 GB memory. 
  
Additionally, we discussed the Intel Core Ultra 7 268V in this exclusive post. The device was final retail silicon and was observed to have clocks close to 5 GHz. Additionally, it was utilized in the Intel AI DevKit, which will be updated with Lunar Lake CPUs and shipped with them at this time from Panther Lake next year. 

TDP Configuration: The Intel Core Ultra 5 200V "Lunar Lake" CPUs have a similar TDP configuration to other models. 
- Clock Speeds: The clock speeds for these CPUs range from 4.5 to 4.7 GHz. 
- Last-Level Cache (LLC): Limited to 8 MB. 

**Graphics Capabilities:**

- All SKUs of the Arc 130V iGPU are expected to have clock speeds of 1.85 GHz. 
- Up to 7 Xe2 cores. 

**AI Performance:**

- NPU TOPS are rated at 40 TOPS. 
- XMX TOPS are rated at 53 TOPS. 
- The platform's AI performance nears 100 TOPS. 

It is stated that the Arc 130V iGPU has up to seven Xe2 cores and All SKUs have clock rates set at 1.85 GHz. Nearing the 100 platform AI TOPS number, the NPU TOPS are rated at 40 TOPS and 53 XMX TOPS. 

In order to prepare for the holiday season, Intel has stated that the Lunar Lake "Core Ultra 200V" CPUs will be available for purchase in September. Following launch, the portfolio will receive the Microsoft Copilot+ feature update and compete with AMD's Strix Point chips and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X CPUs. 



Intel's upcoming Lunar Lake "Core Ultra 200V" CPU lineup has surfaced ahead of its official launch, revealing powerful processors designed for slim and portable devices like laptops, Mini PCs, and gaming handhelds. The leak provides detailed specifications for nine distinct SKUs, highlighting the top-tier Core Ultra 9 288V model.

Intel Unveils Lunar Lake: Core Ultra 200V Series and Core Ultra 9

## Global Semiconductor Stocks React to Nvidia's Market Fluctuations 
European and Asian chip firms initially saw their stocks drop in response to Nvidia's significant market value loss of over $500 billion over three days. 

Nvidia's shares rebounded by approximately 5.5% by Tuesday 11:40 a.m. ET, leading to a recovery in some semiconductor stocks. 

STMicroelectronics (Switzerland) ended the day with a decline of more than 1.4%. 

ASML (Netherlands), a key player in chip equipment, managed to reverse losses and posted a modest gain of 0.18%. 

ASML is critical in the semiconductor market, producing extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines essential for integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing. 

**In Europe:** 

- Soitec experienced a slight decline of 0.1%. 
- ASMI climbed 0.6% after initially declining. 
- The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed around 0.3% lower. 

Across Asia, semiconductor stocks also faced fluctuation. Taiwanese firm MediaTek saw a decline of 1.8%, and South Korea's Samsung slipped 0.3%. In contrast, TSMC, the world's largest chipmaker, and SK Hynix managed to stay positive, rising 0.5% and 0.9%, respectively. 

Nvidia had seen a significant drop over three days, falling 13% from its recent all-time highs by Monday's close, which marked its second-largest decline of the year. However, the company's shares began to recover early on Tuesday. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_b88c2a9975.webp)

Last week, Nvidia briefly surpassed Apple and Microsoft to become the most valuable U.S. company with a market capitalization exceeding $3.4 trillion. Despite the recent decline, Nvidia emphasized continued high demand for its AI GPUs, driven by major tech firms like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and Meta investing billions in its chips for data centers and cloud services. 

Looking ahead, Nvidia is set to launch its next-generation AI chips, Blackwell, later this year, potentially igniting a new growth phase for the company and its industry partners. 

Global semiconductor stocks experienced volatility on Tuesday following a sharp decline in Nvidia's shares during the previous trading session.

Nvidia's Massive Stock Plunge Rattles Global Chip Market

## IBM Enhances Remote Drive Data Retrieval with "Hyperstore" for Storage Scale 

IBM is developing a "Hyperstore" for Storage Scale to enhance remote drive data retrieval using NVMe over Fabrics, aiming for faster access speeds.

IBM's Storage Scale, an evolution of the GPFS (General Parallel File System), enhances file read and write speeds by enabling parallel operation of file system nodes (servers). 

It utilizes NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF), which extends the PCIe bus protocol across TCP/IP, Fibre Channel, iSCSI, and Ethernet networks, facilitating direct block-level access to storage drives from accessing servers.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_82a2adc981.webp)

According to IBM IT architect Frank Kraemer's LinkedIn post, he finds Tom Lyon's ideas from the "NFS must die" article intriguing, noting IBM's similar direction using NVMe-oF for speed while retaining the traditional file system interface and Erasure Coding (GPFS Native Raid – GNR) for simplicity and reliability.

IBM's forthcoming Storage Scale Hyperstore feature focuses on creating an NVMe-oF performance pool. In an IBM presentation titled "IBM Vendor Update – Storage" at the HPC User Forum, Chris Maestas, Chief Architect for Storage File and Object Systems in IBM’s Data and AI Storage Solutions unit, emphasized the importance of accessing data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments seamlessly. 

Storage Scale facilitates this by providing storage access abstraction with a unified global namespace and acceleration capabilities, as illustrated in their presentation slides.

![4.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/4_e57bc14d32.webp)

Objective: Optimize AI workloads by simulating local storage on GPU compute nodes through NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF). 

- Demonstration: At the SC22 event, IBM showcased this concept using the ESS 3500 with SSDs. 
- Performance: Achieved over 10 million IOPS and hundreds of gigabytes per second throughput for clients. 
- Technology: Utilized an integrated extreme high IOPS storage pool to enable these performance metrics. 
- This successful demonstration has spurred the development of Hyperstore. 

Hyperstore, unveiled at the Spectrum Scale User Group in London last week, operates as a tiered system within Storage Scale. It features an intermediate reliable storage pool leveraging GNR (native declustered RAID), alongside a high-performance pool and local drives on client compute nodes. 

Access to the reliable storage pool is facilitated through Network Shared Disks (NSD), logical groupings of storage disks within a networked file storage system. Storage Scale employs NSD servers to stripe files, storing them as blocks, and allows accessing clients to perform real-time parallel I/O operations. 

The performance pool, a subset of the reliable pool, offers faster access via NVMe-oF, benefiting from a shared cache across all compute nodes. 

Further specifics about Hyperstore will be disclosed in the coming months. 


IBM is advancing its Storage Scale technology with the introduction of "Hyperstore," a new development aimed at improving remote drive data retrieval speeds through NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF). Building on the capabilities of GPFS (General Parallel File System), Storage Scale enhances file read and write performance by leveraging parallel operation across file system nodes. 

IBM Launches Hyperstore for Fast Remote Data Access with NVMe-oF

## MSI's Ryzen AI 300-Powered Laptops at Computex 2024: A Glimpse into AMD's Next-Gen GPU Performance 

An insider has revealed that MSI's Ryzen AI 300-powered laptops showcased at Computex 2024 highlight the significant leap in performance of AMD's next-gen integrated GPU, surpassing the RDNA 3 "Radeon 700M" predecessors. 

It's confirmed that the MSI laptops showcased at Computex 2024 were not final designs and featured engineering silicon of the AMD Ryzen AI 300 chips. 

These laptops predominantly utilized the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU, the flagship model boasting 12 cores based on the Zen 5 architecture, 24 threads, and the top-tier Radeon 890M iGPU with 16 CUs (compute units).

Based on the measurements conducted, the AMD Radeon 800M (890M) with 16 compute units clocked at around 2900 MHz scored over 3600 points in the 3DMark Time Spy Graphics test. 

The Cinebench R23 performance was also conducted and here, the CPU scored over 2000 points in single-core and over 20,000+ points in the multi-threaded test. 

It is reported that the overall CPU performance has improved by over 20% versus the previous generation but no details regarding the TDP were mentioned.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_6ff8fa8cf7.webp)

**AMD Radeon 800M (890M) Performance:**

- Compute Units: 16 
- Clock Speed: Approximately 2900 MHz 
- 3DMark Time Spy Graphics Score: Over 3600 points 
- Cinebench R23 Performance: 
- Single-Core Score: Over 2000 points 
- Multi-Threaded Score: More than 20,000 points 
- Overall Performance Improvement: Over 20% compared to the previous generation 
- TDP Information: Not provided 

A score of over 3600 points places the AMD Radeon 890M iGPU close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (Laptop) GPU. Considering this is an early engineering sample and details about the TDP are unknown, it’s likely that the final performance will be significantly higher. 

We previously reported that the high-end iGPUs could potentially exceed 4000 points in the same 3DMark Time Spy tests. 

For a modestly refreshed architecture, these gains are impressive, and the additional compute units should provide significant benefits for gaming.

These iGPUs will be ideal for various applications, including thin and light platforms, Mini PCs, and handheld devices. 

At Computex 2024, MSI showcased laptops powered by AMD's upcoming Ryzen AI 300 chips, marking a significant leap in performance over their predecessors. Although the laptops featured were not final designs, the engineering silicon used in the demos offered a promising preview of the future. 

AMD Radeon with 3.5 Cores Scores 3600 in 3DMark Time Spy

## HPE Expands GreenLake's Block Storage Capabilities to AWS, Enhances Hybrid Cloud Management with Alletra MP 

HPE has expanded its block storage capabilities to AWS and enhanced its Alletra MP block service.

With this update, GreenLake now enables seamless management of block storage across hybrid cloud environments, including GreenLake Alletra block storage on-premises and in AWS. 

GreenLake, HPE's subscription service for compute, network, and storage, offers Alletra MP, a versatile, scale-out storage solution supporting both block and file workloads depending on the chosen operating system.

Jim O’Dorisio, SVP and GM of HPE Storage, highlighted the significance, stating: 

_“While competitors focus on selling storage as a service, we provide a truly transformative platform-based approach to hybrid cloud management and data storage.”_

Dell, HPE’s primary competitor with its APEX cloud service, introduced APEX Block Storage for Azure last October, supporting AWS and on-premises deployment. GreenLake already supports Microsoft Azure Stack HCI, suggesting an upcoming GreenLake block storage for Azure offering.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_c2b0f15bd2.webp)

HPE has bolstered its Alletra MP with new features including three-site replication for enhanced data protection. Recently unveiled, the Zerto Cyber Resilience Vault further fortifies the resilience of HPE Alletra MP. 

Alan Harper, Director of Corporate Technology at Shawbrook Bank Limited and an HPE 3PAR customer, praised HPE GreenLake for Block Storage for: 

- Delivering 100 percent data availability for mission-critical workloads. 
- Providing scalability to meet expanding data needs. 
- Seamless Transition: Customers can effortlessly migrate data from legacy HPE storage arrays to GreenLake for Block Storage Alletra MP using the 

**GreenLake Data Services Cloud Console, ensuring:**

- Non-disruptive online migration. 
- No need for complex planning or additional tools. 
- Alletra MP Integration with HPE Infosight AIOps: 
- Offers comprehensive cross-stack analytics. 
- Enables proactive identification and mitigation of latency issues across virtual machines, storage, network, compute, and cloud infrastructure. 
- Enhances workload visibility, performance, availability, and resource optimization. 

HPE GreenLake for Private Cloud Business Edition has expanded to support Alletra MP and SimpliVity Gen 11 HCI offerings. HPE GreenLake Block Storage for AWS is set for availability by the end of May 2024, with GreenLake for Private Cloud Business Edition featuring Alletra MP or SimpliVity Gen11 becoming available in July. 



HPE has expanded its block storage capabilities to AWS and enhanced its Alletra MP block service.

HPE Expands GreenLake Block Storage with AWS

##Intel Surpasses 500 AI Models Optimized for Core Ultra Processors, Setting New Standards in PC AI Capabilities 

Intel has announced a milestone achievement with over 500 AI models now optimized to run on the new Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, marking a significant advancement in the AI capabilities of PC processors available today. 

These processors are renowned for delivering enhanced AI experiences, immersive graphics, and extended battery life. 

The achievement underscores Intel's dedication to client AI development, bolstered by framework optimizations and tools like the OpenVINO™ toolkit.

These 500+ models cover a wide array of AI inferencing tasks across CPU, GPU, and NPU platforms, available from leading sources such as OpenVINO Model Zoo, Hugging Face, ONNX Model Zoo, and PyTorch. 

They span diverse categories including language processing, super resolution, object detection, image classification, and computer vision, empowering developers to integrate sophisticated AI features into applications.

Robert Hallock, Intel's Vice President and General Manager of AI and Technical Marketing in the Client Computing Group, emphasized the significance of this achievement, highlighting Intel's commitment to providing the most robust AI toolchain for developers and ensuring reliable AI software solutions for users.

The availability of these optimized AI models on Intel Core Ultra processors not only accelerates the AI PC transformation but also positions these processors as leaders in the market, outpacing competitors in sales growth.

Broad support for AI frameworks and runtimes enables various user-facing AI features: 

- Image enhancement 
- Text summarization 
- Real-time object detection 
- Enhanced overall PC experience 
- AI models are crucial for powering AI-driven applications by: 
- Analyzing data 
- Making informed decisions across media types (text, speech, images) 
- AI models are optimized for Intel Core Ultra processors through OpenVINO, ensuring: 
- Efficient utilization of compute resources 
- Enhanced performance and stability across AI applications  

Intel's continuous efforts to expand its repository of high-performance AI models for Intel Core Ultra processors not only drives innovation in software development but also simplifies the integration of advanced AI capabilities into PC applications, benefiting developers and users alike. 


Intel has reached a significant milestone by optimizing over 500 AI models for its new Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, marking a major advancement in PC AI capabilities. These processors are celebrated for their enhanced AI experiences, immersive graphics, and extended battery life, reflecting Intel's strong commitment to AI development. 

Over 500 AI Models Optimized for Peak Performance on Intel Core Ultra Processors

## IBM and AWS Unveil Amazon RDS for Db2: A Leap Forward in Cloud Database Management 

In a significant advancement in cloud database management, IBM has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to introduce Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) for Db2. Unveiled at the AWS reinvent 

2023, this new service marks a major milestone in optimizing data management specifically for AI-driven workloads. The collaboration aims to enhance how businesses manage their data across hybrid cloud environments, providing a robust solution for the modern data landscape. 

![IBM and AWS Unveil Amazon RDS for Db2 A Leap Forward in Cloud Database Management.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/IBM_and_AWS_Unveil_Amazon_RDS_for_Db2_A_Leap_Forward_in_Cloud_Database_Management_b6858f8d31.webp)

## Streamlining Data Operations for AI-Driven Efficiency 

The integration of Amazon RDS for Db2 offers businesses increased flexibility to manage data whether it resides on-premises, on AWS, or within hybrid setups. 

This versatility is essential for optimizing AI workloads and streamlining data administration. Key service features include automation of database management tasks like provisioning, backups, software updates, and monitoring. 

This automation not only simplifies operations but also facilitates a seamless transition of existing Db2 databases to the cloud. 

Dinesh Nirmal, IBM Software’s Senior Vice President of Products, emphasizes the strategic value of this partnership, noting that it empowers businesses to prepare for the next generation of applications and AI-driven workloads. 

Jeff Carter, AWS’s VP of Databases & Migrations, adds that the collaboration aims to simplify cloud database management, leveraging AWS’s expansive service portfolio to support AI initiatives. 

![Streamlining-Data-Operations-for-AI-Driven-Efficiency.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/Streamlining_Data_Operations_for_AI_Driven_Efficiency_bd8d63c639.webp)

Customers adopting Amazon RDS for Db2 have reported significant benefits, including improved database management efficiency and reduced operational costs. 

An AWS and IDC study highlights that RDS users managed up to 60% more databases per administrator and achieved a 39% reduction in database operational costs over three years. 

The service combines IBM’s expertise in managing mission-critical workloads with AWS’s innovative cloud solutions, offering operational efficiency and scalability, especially beneficial for industries like banking, supply chain, and retail. 

Looking ahead, Amazon RDS for Db2 is set to leverage IBM’s integrated data and AI capabilities on AWS, including a range of databases, data fabric solutions, and AI governance tools. 

This partnership is expected to revolutionize data management for AI-driven initiatives, unlocking new efficiencies and innovation possibilities across various industries. 

**Footnote:** The introduction of Amazon RDS for Db2 represents a significant evolution in cloud database management, underscoring the growing synergy between IBM and AWS in addressing the complexities of AI and data administration. 

IBM and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a transformative new service: Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) for Db2. Revealed at the AWS reinvent  

2023, this partnership represents a significant leap forward in cloud database management, designed to optimize data handling for AI-driven applications. 

IBM and AWS Revolutionize AI Cloud Databases

## VAST Data Rises to Third in U.S. HPC Clustered File Systems, UCAR Survey Reveals
VAST Data has secured a significant foothold in the high-performance computing (HPC) landscape, ranking as the third most utilized clustered file system among academic and government institutions in the United States, as per a recent survey conducted by UCAR. UCAR, representing the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research based in Boulder, Colorado, administers the National Center for Atmospheric Research on behalf of the National Science Foundation.  

The survey, which garnered responses from 54 HPC system professionals within its community, sought insights into the prevailing HPC environments. Notably, Lustre emerged as the most favored clustered file system (54.2 percent), trailed by Spectrum Scale (formerly known as GPFS) at 41.7 percent.  
Following closely behind, VAST Data garnered a notable 33.3 percent, securing its position as a formidable contender. BeeGFS ranked fourth with 10.4 percent, while Panasas and Ceph each accounted for 8.3 percent of the responses. 
![b 11.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_11_1_a2f69317af.webp)
## Weka.io Questions UCAR Survey Methodology Amid Discrepancies in HPC File System Rankings
Among the surveyed US HPC sites, only 2.1 percent reported utilizing Weka.io's file system, a figure mirrored by Qumulo, ZFS, and NetApp. While this snapshot offers insights into VAST Data's standing in the HPC market, it's worth noting that the survey is not comprehensive and may not fully reflect the broader landscape.  

Weka.io raised concerns about the survey's methodology, highlighting its small sample size and potential bias. Colin Gallagher, VP of product marketing at Weka, emphasized the limitations of such surveys for drawing quantitative conclusions due to inherent biases and inaccuracies. Additionally, Gallagher noted that the survey's design conflates technologies, such as categorizing VAST Data as a clustered file system, which may skew results.  

A comparison with a survey by Hyperion Research revealed discrepancies in file system usage, with Lustre leading in parallel file systems, followed by Spectrum Scale, BeeGFS, and Ceph, indicating variations in findings across different surveys. 
![b 11.3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_11_3_0b1a9d99ad.webp)
In the competitive realm of NAS and scale-out file systems, VAST Data has emerged as a notable contender, securing a 5.3 percent share of the market. With 132 respondents affirming its usage in their largest systems, VAST Data's presence underscores its growing recognition and adoption within the industry. 

However, Qumulo surpassed VAST Data, clinching a higher ranking with an 8.3 percent share. Despite this, VAST Data remains competitive, with its percentage matching that of PowerScale (Isilon OneFS).  

This dynamic landscape reflects the diverse array of solutions available to organizations seeking robust storage solutions, with VAST Data positioning itself as a significant player in the NAS and scale-out file system arena. 
![b 11.4.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_11_4_ca45511ec6.webp)
Notably, Weka.io was not represented as an individual supplier in Hyperion's chart, indicating variations in supplier presence across different surveys. 

While the UCAR survey may have yielded different results compared to the Hyperion survey due to factors such as a smaller respondent pool, a focus on atmospheric HPC environments, and variations in survey questions, it's evident that VAST Data is gaining prominence in the HPC market.  

If UCAR's findings hold true, VAST Data has already established a significant presence in the sector. 

VAST Data has made a notable impact in the high-performance computing (HPC) sector, achieving recognition as the third most utilized clustered file system among academic and government institutions in the United States. 

VAST Data Makes Waves in the HPC Scene

## Introduction to AMD's Threadripper 7000 Series 

AMD has unveiled its latest generation of Ryzen Threadripper CPUs, marking a significant return to a bifurcated CPU strategy last seen in the Threadripper 3000 series.  

This strategy includes the Threadripper 7000 series aimed at prosumers and the Threadripper Pro 7000 WX series designed for professional workstations. These CPUs are set to become available on November 21 through major OEMs and system builders, addressing the diverse needs of enthusiasts and professional users alike. 

## Enhanced Features and Performance Specifications 

The Threadripper Pro 7000 WX series brings significant advancements over its predecessors, featuring up to 96 cores and enhanced clock speeds, alongside major improvements in memory bandwidth and PCIe lanes. Designed for high-demand professional applications, this series excels in tasks such as rendering, 3D content creation, and video editing, offering substantial performance gains. 

Key highlights include: 

- Increased Core Count: Up to 96 cores, delivering robust performance for demanding tasks. 
- Enhanced Clock Speeds: Improved processing speeds for faster computations. 
- Memory and PCIe Upgrades: Notable boosts in memory bandwidth and additional PCIe lanes. 
- DDR5 Memory Support: Compatibility with the latest DDR5 memory for improved performance. 
- New sTR5 Socket: Utilizes the new sTR5 socket for better scalability and futureproofing. 
- Flexible Configurations: Platform-specific options for varying memory channels and PCIe lanes, ensuring adaptability in workstation setups. 

AMD's reintroduction of high-end desktop chips responds to customer demand from enthusiasts and professionals seeking more powerful and versatile computing solutions. 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_0f66c9fbaf.webp)
## Competitive Advantage Over Intel's Offerings

AMD has positioned its latest Threadripper CPUs competitively against Intel's Xeon W-3400 series, showcasing substantial performance advantages across a range of workstation applications. This includes significant improvements in rendering speed, 3D modeling, video editing, and other compute-intensive tasks crucial for professional users.  

The performance gains underscore AMD's commitment to meeting the diverse needs of high-performance computing markets, spanning from prosumers seeking advanced desktop capabilities to professionals requiring enterprise-grade features in their workstations. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_80d2c23840.webp)
## Conclusion

The reintroduction of a segmented CPU strategy with the Threadripper 7000 series reflects AMD's strategic response to customer feedback and market demands. By catering to both prosumers and professional users with tailored CPU offerings, AMD aims to regain market share and drive innovation in the high-performance computing sector.  

The enhanced specifications, competitive performance metrics, and broad industry support through OEMs and system builders position AMD's Threadripper CPUs as formidable contenders in the workstation market. 


AMD has introduced its newest Ryzen Threadripper CPUs, signaling a return to its bifurcated CPU strategy reminiscent of the Threadripper 3000 series. The lineup features the Threadripper 7000 series for prosumers and the Threadripper Pro 7000 WX series for professional workstations. 

AMD Launches Threadripper 7000 Series for High-End Desktops

Lambda Labs, a GPU cloud service provider, has chosen VAST Data to manage AI training data across its extensive infrastructure of over 60,000 Nvidia GPU servers in cloud and co-location datacenters.

This agreement closely follows a similar partnership with CoreWeave last month. Like CoreWeave, Lambda Labs is experiencing growing demand for GPU services, particularly for large language model training. 

Lambda Labs offers a scalable GPU cloud, co-location datacenters optimized for GPUs, and customer-owned Echelon hardware systems, all supported by an open source Lambda software stack.

Mitesh Agrawal, Lambda's head of cloud and COO, highlighted that "The VAST Data Platform allows Lambda customers with private cloud setups to seamlessly expand into Lambda's public cloud as workload demands evolve. 

Moving forward, we aim to fully integrate VAST Data Platform features to maximize value for our customers' GPU cloud investments and data."

![111111111111111.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/111111111111111_dab96a0759.png)

VAST Data's partnership with Lambda Labs leverages Nvidia SuperPod certification and its DataBase and DataSpace technologies, providing a unified global namespace for file and object storage across private and public cloud deployments. 

This integration enables seamless data storage, retrieval, and processing for customers within a consistent environment.

Renen Hallak, CEO of VAST Data, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, emphasizing Lambda's leadership in AI cloud architecture. Together, they aim to deliver optimized cloud solutions tailored for AI workloads, enhancing efficiency in large language model (LLM) training and facilitating global collaboration.

VAST Data's DataSpace ensures that customer data remains accessible across Lambda's three environments, supporting hybrid cloud AI data management initiatives. As highlighted by VAST co-founder Jeff Denworth, several major Lambda customers are already poised to benefit from this integrated hybrid cloud approach.

**Bootnote**: Lambda Labs, founded by Michael Balaban and CEO Stephen Balaban in 2012, specializes in deep learning infrastructure, offering Nvidia GPU compute resources and co-location services.

The company has raised $112 million through multiple funding rounds, with plans for additional investment to expand its GPU server systems in response to growing demand, projecting revenues of $250 million for 2023 and $600 million for 2024 amidst the accelerating GenAI market surge.



Lambda Labs, a leading GPU cloud service provider, has selected VAST Data to manage AI training data across its expansive network of over 60,000 Nvidia GPU servers in cloud and co-location datacenters. This partnership, following a recent agreement with CoreWeave, underscores Lambda Labs' response to the growing demand for GPU services, especially for training large language models. 

VAST Data Scores Second GPU Cloud Client with Lambda Labs

VAST Data has launched version 5.0 of its platform software, claiming that customers can save up to 80% on the cost of Amazon’s Elastic File Service (EFS) by opting for VAST’s solution in AWS.

The software drives VAST’s disaggregated storage filers on-premises, utilizing scale-out controller nodes to access scale-out storage nodes built with QLC flash drives over an NVMe fabric. File metadata is stored in storage-class memory to accelerate access.

New features include a data catalog and a hybrid transactional and analytical database. VAST is also developing Data Engine software to create an AI-capable system capable of generating insights independently from data.
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_37e451d2b4.webp)

Jeff Denworth, VAST Data co-founder, stated: _“We’re enabling customers to quickly deploy VAST across AWS regions and establish inter-cluster relationships for data availability, making it easier for cloud-native organizations to leverage the VAST Data Platform.”_

Denworth highlighted, “The VAST Data Platform is the simplest, fastest, most efficient, and secure way for customers to achieve AI-powered insights from their data across private and public clouds.” Initially available on AWS, the platform is expected to extend to Azure and GCP.

Key Features of v5.0:

- Multi-Protocol Namespace on AWS: Integrates multiple protocols (SMB, NFS, S3, and database tables) into a single namespace, eliminating data silos and unnecessary copies.
- Multi-Cluster Manager for AWS Instances: Provides a UI for managing and deploying VAST clusters across private clouds and AWS, supporting cloud bursting workflows and multi-region availability. This allows global data access for AI workflows.
- Intelligent Anomaly Detection: Utilizes machine learning to report anomalous user events and data behaviors, helping detect ransomware attacks and unusual data access patterns in VAST clusters.
- Real-Time Audit Log Analytics: Streams and queries audit logs directly from the VAST DataBase, giving security teams real-time insights into incidents without needing external Security Event and Incident Management (SEIM) systems.
- Enhanced VAST DataBase Performance: Features such as projections and additional predicate pushdown reduce query times.

According to IT Market Strategy analyst Merv Adrian, an AWS customer with 300TB of EFS data incurs a monthly cost of $90,000. By switching to VAST v5 software with 3:1 data reduction, the monthly AWS cost drops to $13,089, with an additional VAST software cost of $6,965, totaling $20,054.

The AWS file services market is becoming increasingly competitive, with EFS facing competition from NetApp, Qumulo, Dell, Weka, and now VAST, all promoting a file fabric concept that spans on-premises and public cloud environments.

For more details, visit VAST’s AWS microsite


VAST Data has unveiled version 5.0 of its platform software, promising significant cost savings for users of Amazon’s Elastic File Service (EFS). With the latest enhancements, including a data catalog and hybrid transactional and analytical database, VAST’s solution offers a powerful alternative for cloud-native organizations. 

VAST Data Offers Major Cost Savings Over Amazon EFS

The IBM Storage Scale System 6000 has been introduced as an upgraded appliance with twice the throughput capability compared to its predecessor, the ESS 3500. 

This system leverages IBM's renowned parallel file system software, formerly known as GPFS, which has established popularity in high-performance computing (HPC) and related environments.

The ESS series integrates scale-up and scale-out capabilities, supporting up to 1,000 appliances, all equipped with IBM's Storage Scale software.

Each node in the current ESS 3500 features 24-slot 2U form factors with dual active controllers, NVMe SSDs or IBM's proprietary Flash Core Modules (FCMs), and high-speed connectivity options such as 100 Gbit Ethernet or 200 Gbit HDR InfiniBand ports, delivering up to 126 GB/sec throughputs per node. 

According to Denis Kennelly, IBM's Storage General Manager, the Storage Scale System 6000 unifies data from core, edge, and cloud environments onto a single platform optimized for GPU-intensive workloads. 

He emphasized the importance of integrating diverse data sources in near real-time, eliminating redundant data copies and continuous data ingestion cycles. 

Kennelly envisions the Storage Scale System 6000 as pivotal in streamlining the information supply chain, consolidating workloads, and facilitating efficient AI training and inferencing on GPU servers.
![b 28.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_28_1_430bc5e6b6.webp)

IBM has upgraded its ESS appliance lineup with the introduction of the Storage Scale System 6000, featuring significant enhancements over its predecessor, the ESS 3500. The new model boasts a larger chassis size, moving from a 24-slot 2RU configuration to a 48-slot 4RU design. It doubles the maximum capacity of raw NAND drives to 30 TB and plans to introduce inline compressing Flash Core Modules (FCMs) offering effective capacities of either 38 TB or 76 TB at a 2:1 compression ratio. 

- PCIe Gen 5 Bus: The Storage Scale System 6000 operates on the PCIe Gen 5 bus, doubling the speed of the ESS 3500's PCIe Gen 4 interconnect. 
- Enhanced Connectivity: Supports faster connectivity options, including 400 Gb InfiniBand (versus 200 Gb InfiniBand in the ESS 3500) and 200 GbitE (versus 100 GbitE in the predecessor). 
- Upgraded Performance: Features upgraded CPUs and increased controller DRAM, elevating the maximum per-chassis data transfer rate from 126 GBps to 256 GBps. 
- NVMe Turbo Tier: Includes an NVMe turbo tier for enhanced speed in transferring small files. 
- GPUDirect Support: Like its predecessor, the 6000 supports Nvidia's GPUDirect protocol, enabling rapid data delivery to Nvidia GPUs by bypassing the CPU. 

According to IBM, the Storage Scale System 6000 outperforms market-leading competitors by 2.5 times, although specific competitors were not named. Current suppliers supporting Nvidia's GPUDirect include Dell (PowerScale), DDN, Huawei, NetApp, Pure Storage, and WekaIO. 
![b 28.2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_28_2_ccea4efd9f.webp)
We anticipate that GPUDirect testing will demonstrate the Storage Scale System 6000 (SSS 6000) as the highest-performing system in GPUDirect data supply on a per-node basis. 

However, it falls short of Huawei's A310 in per-RU performance, with an estimated 64 GBps read bandwidth compared to the A310's superior 80 GBps.
![b 28.3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_28_3_67cacc7cf2.webp)
 

IBM's Storage Scale System 6000 will receive new NVMe Flash Core Modules (FCMs) utilizing QLC (4bits/cell) NAND technology in the first half of 2024. 

- Cost Efficiency: The new FCMs are expected to offer a 70% reduction in cost compared to the current 15.36 TB flash drives used in the ESS 3500. 
- Energy Savings: These FCMs will consume 53% less energy per terabyte than the existing flash drives. 
- Increased Data Density: The 6000 system will store 2.5 times more data within the same floor space as its predecessor. 
- High-Capacity Configuration: Configurations using the upcoming 38 TB FCM drives with up to 2:1 inline compression are projected to achieve 900 TB per rack unit. 
- Comparison to Previous Generation: The previous generation ESS 3500 with 30 TB flash drives yielded 360 TB per rack unit. 

In addition to unveiling these new hardware capabilities, IBM emphasized that the Storage Scale System 6000 can function as a central hub for aggregating data from diverse sources, illustrated in a diagram depicting its role as a global data platform. 

![b 28.4.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_28_4_30d5e5e663.webp)
This capability includes aggregating data from external arrays like Dell PowerScale, NetApp, and Pure Storage, as well as from cloud environments. Moreover, the Storage Scale System 6000 can distribute data to tape systems or the cloud for long-term storage purposes. 

IBM has unveiled the Storage Scale System 6000, an advanced appliance designed to deliver double the throughput of its predecessor, the ESS 3500. This new system builds on IBM's highly regarded parallel file system software, formerly known as GPFS, which is widely adopted in high-performance computing (HPC) and other demanding environments. 

IBM Launches Storage Scale System 6000 for AI


At the VMware Explore event in Barcelona, VMware announced exciting new integrations with MinIO and NetApp, aimed at enhancing object storage capabilities for its managed service provider (MSP) customers.

## NetApp Integration for Sovereign Cloud

NetApp introduced StorageGRID for VMware Sovereign Cloud, utilizing a plugin for VMware Cloud Director Object Storage Extension. 

This integration empowers sovereign cloud customers to securely store, protect, and preserve unstructured data while adhering to global data privacy and residency regulations. 

StorageGRID services are now accessible directly within the familiar VMware Cloud Director interface.

Phil Brotherton, VP of Solutions & Alliances at NetApp, emphasized, _“The integration of NetApp StorageGRID with VMware Sovereign Cloud is a significant achievement for NetApp. It’s a real game changer for our customers managing unstructured data in the cloud who must maintain sovereign control at all times.”_

## MinIO Integration with VMware Cloud Foundation

MinIO announced a technical preview of its object storage integration with VMware Cloud Foundation via VMware Data Services Manager. 

This integration combines VMware Cloud Foundation’s infrastructure with MinIO Object Store to deliver a seamless experience for mission-critical workloads. The MinIO-VMware solution will support various storage options, including vSAN, and any DVS, DHCP, or static IP pools.

MinIO CTO Ugur Tigli highlighted, _“The ability to seamlessly support both virtual machines and Kubernetes provides much-needed flexibility for enterprises to modernize their infrastructure. This solution underscores the critical role of object storage in modern enterprises.”_
![b 32.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_32_1_560de7a839.webp)

## Unified Ecosystem Enhancements

VMware Cloud Director (VCD) facilitates the delivery of VMware services through managed service providers.

It provides secure, isolated, and elastic virtual datacenter resources, including compute, network, storage, and security, in a self-service model. With the addition of NetApp’s StorageGRID, VCD’s ecosystem now includes five major object storage suppliers: Cloudian, Dell ECS, Scality RING, Amazon S3, and NetApp.

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) is a multi-cloud software platform offering hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) that integrates vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and parts of the Aria Suite, along with Tanzu for running containers alongside virtual machines.

## Data Services Manager and MinIO

VMware Data Services Manager provides a data-as-a-service toolkit for the on-demand provisioning and automated management of databases like Microsoft SQL, PostgreSQL, and MySQL in vSphere environments.

MinIO is the first third-party object store to integrate natively with VMware Data Services Manager. 

Vijay Ramachandran, VP of Product Management, Storage and Data Infrastructure for VMware, stated,  _“VMware’s strategy is to make advanced data services, such as the MinIO Object Store, as accessible as we did for computer, networking, and storage. 
Together with MinIO, we’re bringing these capabilities to VMware Cloud Foundation as a natively integrated data service.”_

![b 32.2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_32_2_cf07d7f0a5.webp)

## Additional Enhancements

Recent updates to NetApp ONTAP and ONTAP Tools for vSphere aim to streamline the provisioning, protection, and security of VMware environments on a large scale. 

The redefined architecture with VMware vSphere APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA) simplifies policy-driven operations and enables cloud-like scalability. This API-centric approach facilitates IT teams to integrate with existing tools and build comprehensive workflows efficiently.

These integrations mark a significant step forward in enhancing VMware’s storage capabilities, offering MSP customers more robust and flexible storage solutions.


At the VMware Explore event in Barcelona, VMware unveiled significant new integrations designed to enhance object storage capabilities for managed service provider (MSP) customers. Notably, VMware announced a collaboration with NetApp to introduce StorageGRID for VMware Sovereign Cloud. 

VMware Expands Object Storage with MinIO and NetApp

Dell is pushing the boundaries of data storage and management with its latest innovations centered around the second-generation all-flash PowerScale platform. 

Designed to meet the escalating demands of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI workloads, these advancements underscore Dell's commitment to enhancing performance, scalability, and operational efficiency in modern data environments.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_ac631836f3.webp)

Arthur Lewis, President of Dell's Infrastructure Solutions Group, emphasized the pivotal role of storage performance in achieving successful AI outcomes.

By addressing data access bottlenecks and ensuring fast, efficient, and secure data handling, Dell aims to transform PowerScale into a cornerstone for AI-driven applications. 

The integration of smart scaleout capabilities with the new PowerScale systems promises substantial improvements in performance metrics like streaming reads and writes, leveraging the latest Dell PowerEdge server technology.

Moreover, Dell's upcoming enhancements to its OneFS software will further streamline AI workflows, enabling organizations to accelerate critical processes such as AI model preparation, training, fine-tuning, and inference. 

This strategic move aligns with Dell's goal of providing comprehensive solutions that support the entire AI lifecycle, from data preparation to model deployment.

In collaboration with Nvidia, Dell is validating PowerScale with the DGX SuperPOD, a significant milestone that positions PowerScale as the first Ethernet storage system validated for this high-performance computing platform. 

This validation underscores Dell's commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI infrastructure, enabling seamless integration and optimized performance in AI-intensive environments.

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_edac4ea119.webp)

Beyond hardware and software enhancements, Dell is expanding its ecosystem with strategic partnerships, such as the integration of Dell APEX File Storage with leading cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure and AWS.

This integration enhances Dell's ability to deliver enterprise-class file storage solutions that meet the rigorous demands of AI and machine learning applications, including those utilizing large language models (LLMs) and advanced AI libraries like Databricks' MosaicML.

Looking ahead, Dell's comprehensive roadmap includes the global rollout of next-generation PowerScale systems, OneFS software upgrades, and smart scale-out capabilities in the first half of 2024. 

These innovations are poised to empower enterprises with robust, scalable, and AI-ready storage solutions that drive innovation and competitive advantage in today's data-driven landscape.



Arthur Lewis, President of Dell's Infrastructure Solutions Group, has highlighted the critical importance of storage performance in the success of AI initiatives. By targeting data access bottlenecks and ensuring rapid, efficient, and secure data management, Dell is positioning its PowerScale systems as central to AI-driven applications. 

Dell Aims High with PowerScale SuperPOD Validation

## AI Chip Market with New High-Performance Solutions

In a bold move to challenge Nvidia's dominance in the AI chip arena, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has unveiled a range of advanced hardware and software solutions tailored for artificial intelligence applications. 

The demand for specialized AI hardware has surged, fueled by the increasing adoption of generative AI technologies across various industries. This launch intensifies AMD's competitive stance against Nvidia, the current market leader in the rapidly expanding AI chip sector. 

The global AI chip market, valued at $123 billion in 2023, is projected to soar to $311 billion by 2028, according to research firm MarketsandMarkets. Nvidia currently holds a significant share of this market, with its graphics processing units (GPUs) serving as the backbone of much of the world's AI infrastructure. 

However, AMD, which has traditionally been known for its central processing units (CPUs) and GPUs for personal computers and data centers, is strategically positioning itself to seize a larger portion of this lucrative market. 

At the 2024 Advancing AI event, AMD introduced its latest offerings, including high-performance accelerators, networking components, and the newest AMD EPYC processors. 

These innovations are specifically designed to meet the increasing demand for powerful and efficient AI computing solutions, directly competing with Nvidia’s industry-standard data center GPUs, which are essential for training and deploying large language models used in popular AI applications like ChatGPT. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_d248c3f283.webp)

Celebrating its 55th anniversary, AMD is excited about the potential opportunities presented by this new AI era. The company believes that the true capabilities of AI will only be realized when the technology is widely adopted.

To that end, AMD has made significant acquisitions, including ZT Systems for $4.9 billion and Finnish startup Silo AI for $665 million, as part of its aggressive strategy to expand into the AI infrastructure market. 

_"The data center and AI represent substantial growth opportunities for AMD,"_ stated Dr. Lisa Su, AMD Chair and CEO. "We are gaining strong momentum with our EPYC and AMD Instinct processors across a growing customer base. Looking forward, we anticipate the data center AI accelerator market will expand to $500 billion by 2028. We are dedicated to fostering open innovation at scale through our enhanced silicon, software, network, and cluster-level solutions." 

## Innovations in AI Accelerators

The AMD Instinct MI325X accelerators, built on the cutting-edge CDNA 3 architecture, are specifically engineered for AI tasks, including the training and inference of large language models. 

With the MI300 series accelerators already powering top-tier generative AI platforms from Microsoft, OpenAI, and Meta, AMD claims that the MI325X offers superior performance compared to its rivals. Forrest Norrod, Executive Vice President and General Manager of AMD's Data Center Solutions Business Group, noted, 

_"AMD continues to deliver on our roadmap, providing customers the performance they need and the flexibility they want to bring AI infrastructure to market faster."_

Production shipments of the MI325X are set to commence in the fourth quarter of 2024, with system availability from partners like Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Lenovo expected in the first quarter of 2025. 

AMD also previewed its next-generation Instinct MI350 series accelerators, 
based on the CDNA 4 architecture, slated for release in the second half of 2025. These next-gen products are projected to deliver a remarkable 35 times improvement in inference performance compared to AMD's existing CDNA 3-based accelerators. 

## Advancements in Networking Solutions
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_d500abafa2.webp)
To cater to the networking demands of AI infrastructure, AMD has introduced two groundbreaking products: the Pensando Salina Data Processing Unit (DPU) and the Pensando Pollara 400 Network Interface Card (NIC).  

The Salina DPU is designed for the front-end of AI networks, capable of supporting throughput speeds of 400 gigabits per second. Meanwhile, the Pollara 400 is touted as the industry's first Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) ready AI NIC, aimed at enhancing accelerator-to-accelerator communication within back-end networks.  

Both products are currently in sampling with customers and are expected to be available in the first half of 2025. 

## Powering AI with Superior CPUs

- AMD announced the launch of its fifth-generation EPYC processors, codenamed ‘Turin.’
- These processors are positioned as the world’s leading server CPUs for enterprise, AI, and cloud applications.
- The processors utilize advanced Zen 5 core architecture.
- AMD EPYC 9005 Series processors are designed to enhance both performance and energy efficiency.
- Features a top-tier 192-core CPU.
- Delivers up to 2.7 times the performance of competing processors, according to AMD's claims.

Among the new additions to the EPYC 9005 Series is the 64-core AMD EPYC 9575F, specifically optimized for GPU-powered AI solutions requiring robust CPU capabilities. With a boost clock speed of up to 5GHz—compared to competitors' 3.8GHz—this processor promises up to 28% faster processing, ensuring GPUs are efficiently supplied with data for demanding AI workloads. 

_"From powering the fastest supercomputers to supporting leading enterprises and the largest hyperscalers, AMD has earned the trust of customers who value proven performance, innovation, and energy efficiency,"_ remarked Dan McNamara, SVP and General Manager of AMD’s server business.

_"With five generations of timely roadmap execution, AMD has demonstrated its ability to meet the evolving needs of the data center market, establishing a standard for performance, efficiency, and capabilities across cloud, enterprise, and AI workloads."_

 

As the race for dominance in the AI chip market intensifies, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is stepping up its game with a bold array of high-performance hardware and software solutions. In a landscape increasingly defined by the rapid growth of generative AI technologies, AMD's latest offerings are designed to challenge Nvidia's longstanding supremacy. 

AMD unveils advanced CPU and GPU Solutions in Quest for AI Dominance

AMD just revealed that its top-tier processors are about to get even more powerful. The company announced several upgrades to the Ryzen 9000 series, including a significant boost in thermal design power (TDP) for select CPUs, along with core-to-core latency improvements. 

Additionally, AMD now supports faster DDR5 RAM, and that's just the tip of the iceberg from today’s announcements. 

The latest BIOS update, AGESA PI 1.2.0.2, brings several enhancements, but the standout change is the increase in TDP for two Ryzen 9000 CPUs, giving them an extra performance edge. 

The Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X originally had a TDP of 65 watts, which some saw as restrictive compared to the more powerful 120-watt Ryzen 9 9900X and the 170-watt Ryzen 9 9950X. AMD initially aimed these lower-end CPUs at users seeking energy-efficient performance. 

However, to make them more appealing to enthusiasts, AMD has now bumped the TDP of both the 9700X and 9600X to a more robust 105 watts, unlocking greater performance potential. 

Increasing the TDP by over 60% through a firmware update might seem risky, but AMD assures users that the CPUs have been validated to handle the new 105-watt limit.

Even better, this upgrade is covered under warranty, meaning you can safely unlock the extra power without voiding it. However, AMD advises that you'll need an upgraded CPU cooler to manage the additional heat effectively. 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_109197d3a6.webp)

AMD has yet to clarify how the increased TDP will impact clock speeds or overall performance, so reviewers will likely need to retest the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X to gauge these effects. 

However, given the minimal generational improvements from Zen 4 to Zen 5, this TDP adjustment seems promising. 

In addition to the TDP boost, AMD has also addressed core-to-core latency concerns. Early users and reviewers found that the inter-CCD (core complex die) latency on the Ryzen 9000 was about 50% higher than that of the Ryzen 7000. 

Fortunately, those who installed the new firmware last week have confirmed that AMD has resolved this issue, achieving a 50% reduction in latency on the Zen 5, as expected. 

On the hardware side, AMD has introduced EXPO support for DDR5-8000 memory. 

This high-speed RAM is among the best currently available, though most gamers may not require such extreme frequencies. AMD notes that upgrading from DDR5-6000 to DDR5-8000 results in a latency increase of approximately 1 to 2 nanoseconds. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_093d34451f.webp)

AMD also unveiled the new X870 and X870E motherboards, designed to maximize the capabilities of the AM5 socket.

These motherboards will feature full-speed PCIe Gen 5.0 support for both graphics and storage, making them perfectly timed for the upcoming RTX 50-series, which is expected to utilize this interface. 

While benchmarks of the Ryzen 9000 CPUs have typically indicated strong productivity performance, they haven't shown significant gains in gaming. It was discovered that these CPUs were performing about 10% slower than expected. 

However, this should now be addressed with the essential Windows updates that provide branch prediction optimizations. Once these updates are implemented, we'll have a clearer picture of their impact on CPU performance. 

AMD has officially unveiled exciting enhancements to its Ryzen 9000 series processors, promising a new level of performance for enthusiasts and professionals alike. The latest upgrades feature a notable increase in thermal design power (TDP) for select CPUs, resulting in improved processing capabilities and efficiency.

AMD’s Ryzen 9000 CPUs Just Got a Major Speed Boost 

Microsoft announced on Thursday that it is rolling out a significant update to its Windows 11 operating system for PCs. 

Currently, Windows accounts for just 9% of Microsoft's $245 billion in fiscal 2024 revenue, which also includes its acquisitions of Activision Blizzard and Nuance Communications. However, Windows revenue remains highly profitable, and its widespread usage has played a key role in attracting clients to Microsoft's Azure cloud services. As support for the widely used Windows 10 is set to end in October 2025, Microsoft continues to enhance its flagship product. 

Since its launch in 2021, Windows 11 has rapidly gained popularity, with the number of active devices rising 50% year over year, according to CEO Satya Nadella during the company's earnings call in July. 

The upcoming Windows 11 2024 Update, also known as version 24H2, aims to enhance essential PC functions, including file downloads over Wi-Fi, document compression, and energy management. 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_65a6a0f835.webp)
## New Features of Windows 11 Version 24H2

Here are some of the new capabilities you can expect with the upcoming Windows 11 version 24H2: 

- Enhanced Energy Controls: Users will have the ability to reduce their PC's power consumption even when it’s plugged in, regardless of whether it has a battery. 
- Advanced Hearing Aid Support: If you use hearing aids compatible with Bluetooth LE Audio, you can now connect them to your PC to stream audio directly and adjust volume and balance settings easily. 
- Faster Internet Connectivity: The introduction of routers adhering to the Wi-Fi 7 standard will allow for higher data throughput compared to Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. Your PC will be able to maximize these routers’ capabilities for quicker downloads and smoother performance with multiple devices.  
- Simplified Wi-Fi Sharing: You can now generate a QR code within the Settings app that contains your Wi-Fi login information, making it easy to connect other devices to your network. 
- Vibrant Backgrounds: If your display supports high dynamic range (HDR), you can use .JXR file format images as your desktop background, enhancing contrast between light and dark areas. 
- Mobile File Management: By connecting your phone to your PC via Bluetooth, you can access your phone’s files through a dedicated folder in the File Explorer app, providing a wireless alternative to USB connections. 
- Compact Clock Display: Users can minimize the space the clock occupies in the System tray. Navigate to the Settings app, select "Time & language," and enable the new "Show abbreviated time and date" option. 
- File Compression Options: You can easily compress files without needing to download external software. Simply select the files in File Explorer, right-click, hover over "Compress to..." and choose from ZIP, 7z, or TAR formats. You can also access "Additional options" to adjust compression levels and methods. 

## How to Access the New Features

To download version 24H2 of Windows 11, open the Settings app and navigate to Windows Update. The update will be available once Microsoft determines that your device is ready for it. Initially, the 24H2 update will be rolled out to devices running versions 22H2 and 23H2 that have the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” setting enabled in Windows Update. 

Microsoft announced on Thursday that it is rolling out a significant update to its Windows 11 operating system for PCs. 

Currently, Windows accounts for just 9% of Microsoft's $245 billion in fiscal 2024 revenue, which also includes its acquisitions of Activision Blizzard and Nuance Communications. 

Windows 11 Boosts Efficiency, Wi-Fi Performance

Nvidia’s GPUDirect technology has shifted the focus towards optimizing storage array bandwidth. The company's SuperPOD certification for third-party hardware highlights key factors such as bandwidth, latency, scalability, and the ability to handle large datasets. 

Recent updates include WEKA’s SuperPOD certification as of September 4, 2024, and Dell’s certification as of September 5, 2024. 

GPUDirect Storage (GDS) was designed to bypass the traditional host OS and CPU-memory pathways of a storage server or array controller by utilizing direct IO to NVMe storage drives. 

This innovation significantly accelerates read and write operations. Vendors have showcased their GDS performance, offering a clear benchmark for comparison. 

![2.jpg](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_3d2807e1ba.jpg)

## Nvidia’s SuperPOD Certification: Redefining AI Storage Standards 

Over the past few years, we've gathered data from ten suppliers, as shown in the chart above. The AI market is evolving, with a clear distinction between training and inference workloads, the introduction of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and vector search, and the concept of an AI data pipeline. 

Modern AI storage must support all stages of this pipeline and effectively cater to both inference and training data needs. 

Nvidia’s DGX SuperPOD, its largest GPU server, has certified storage suppliers to ensure they offer more than just high-speed data transfer to GPUs. While bandwidth remains important, it is no longer the sole focus. 

The key is to provide a comprehensive performance solution that keeps the SuperPOD operating efficiently while meeting Nvidia’s latency, sustained performance, scalability, large dataset management, and compatibility requirements. 

Performance alone is crucial, but scalability is equally vital. Hari Kannan, Senior Director at Pure Storage, emphasized, “Nvidia SuperPOD certification is centered around performance. SuperPOD guarantees a high level of performance at a massive scale. 

We’ve shared our performance benchmarks with Nvidia, who conducted their own testing to ensure we meet their SuperPOD standards.” These benchmarks are proprietary and not publicly available. 

Currently, six storage suppliers are certified for SuperPOD: DDN with its A³I A1400X2T Lustre array, Dell with PowerScale using Ethernet storage, IBM with Storage Scale System 6000, NetApp with EF600 running BeeGFS, VAST Data with its Data Platform, and WEKA. 

Of these, five offer parallel file system access, while Dell’s PowerScale provides clustered, scale-out OneFS file system. 

![3.jpg](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_ff0cc506d7.jpg)

## Dell Enhances PowerScale; SuperPOD Certification Updates 

Dell is enhancing its PowerScale OneFS operating system with parallel file system support through Project Lightning. This upgrade could further align PowerScale with the performance and scalability requirements for SuperPOD certification. 

Pure Storage and Hitachi Vantara are among the suppliers planning to support SuperPOD. Hitachi Vantara, which already holds BasePOD certification for its VSP One storage, is expected to pursue SuperPOD certification as well. 

We are awaiting confirmation on whether NetApp’s ONTAP AFF arrays will achieve SuperPOD certification and will update this information once available. 

MinIO has stated that its open-source DataPOD object storage can scale to support any number of GPU servers, but it is not seeking SuperPOD certification. SuperPOD certification is focused on file system storage, despite the potential presence of object storage. 

The SuperPOD certification process is more about compatibility than raw performance. 

Nvidia aims to have a variety of storage suppliers certified for SuperPOD access, rather than creating a public benchmark for performance comparison. Consequently, detailed performance metrics for SuperPOD-certified storage suppliers are unlikely to be released. 

 

Dell is upgrading its PowerScale OneFS with parallel file system support through Project Lightning, aiming to better meet SuperPOD performance and scalability standards. Meanwhile, Pure Storage and Hitachi Vantara are set to pursue SuperPOD certification, with NetApp’s status pending. 

NVIDIA measres SuperPOD AI Storage Performance & Power 

## IBM Merges Data Lakehouse and Parallel File System for Advanced AI 

IBM has integrated its watsonx.data and Storage Scale products to create a scalable platform for AI processing and analytics. 

This innovative solution combines data lakehouse capabilities with parallel file system features to deliver exceptional performance for AI workloads. 

The platform boasts enhanced AI performance through GPU Direct Storage (GDS) in partnership with Nvidia, accelerating the training of generative AI models. 

It supports multi-protocol operations for streamlined workflows and offers a unified data platform for both analytics and AI. Additionally, it enables retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) using proprietary customer data. 

IBM’s watsonx.data functions as a data lakehouse, merging the extensive storage and processing power of a data lake with the high performance of a data warehouse. 

Utilizing a scale-out architecture with commodity servers, it handles large volumes of both structured and unstructured data and supports the Apache Iceberg open table format for concurrent access by multiple processing engines. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_abba8956db.webp)

IBM's watsonx.data and Storage Scale have combined their strengths to create an advanced AI processing and analytics platform.

This integrated solution merges the capabilities of a data lakehouse and a parallel file system, aiming to deliver high-performance AI with GPU Direct Storage (GDS) and Nvidia support for faster training of generative AI models. 

## Unified AI Data Platform 

The watsonx.data component acts as a data lakehouse, merging the large-scale storage capabilities of a data lake with the performance of a data warehouse.

It supports the Apache Iceberg open table format for simultaneous data access by various processing engines. 

Storage Scale, originally known as GPFS, serves as the underlying storage layer, providing a high-performance object storage service with its non-containerized High Performance S3 protocol. 

This system supports various protocols, enabling a unified platform for analytics and AI. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_2e0695e9ae.webp)

The architecture involves separate compute and storage layers. Compute tasks are handled by a Red Hat OpenShift container cluster running applications like Presto for SQL queries and Spark for big data processing. 

The storage infrastructure consists of Storage Scale file system clusters, Active File Management (AFM) for data abstraction and acceleration, and S3 data access protocols for high-performance object storage. 

AFM enables data sharing across clusters, creating a global namespace that includes NFS data sources. Remote S3 buckets are virtually integrated into the Storage Scale file system, allowing seamless data access without duplication. 

The integration of NooBaa, an open-source object storage software acquired by Red Hat, enhances Storage Scale with features like caching, tiering, and encryption across hybrid cloud environments. 

IBM's platform supports multiple storage tiers, optimizing both cost and performance, and provides a unified solution for AI training and inference. This approach aligns with IBM's strategy to offer comprehensive software solutions, positioning it alongside other major players in the AI data platform market. 

The watsonx.data and Storage Scale bundle is detailed in an IBM Redbook, highlighting how this integration leverages enterprise storage features for advanced AI applications. 

This innovative solution combines data lakehouse capabilities with parallel file system features to deliver exceptional performance for AI workloads. 

IBM’s Watsonx.data and Storage Scale Supercharge AI


## Nvidia's Revenue Doubles, Driven by AI Demand

Nvidia’s revenue has soared, doubling over the past year, thanks to the surging demand for generative AI. The Santa Clara-based AI chip giant reported a record revenue of $13.5 billion for the second quarter of its 2024 fiscal year, which ended on July 30. 

This marks a 101 percent increase from the same period in the previous fiscal year and an 88 percent rise from the previous quarter. 

Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s co-founder and CEO, attributes this growth to the high demand for the company’s powerful GPUs.  

He explains that many companies are transitioning from CPU-powered data centers to GPU-accelerated ones, which significantly boost performance and efficiency. “The world is transitioning from general-purpose computing to accelerated computing,” Huang said during Nvidia’s earnings call. 
![b 2.1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_2_1_1610276e50.webp)
## Record-Breaking Revenue and Future Projections

- Nvidia surpassed Wall Street’s expectations by $2.4 billion.
- Earnings per share (EPS) were $2.70, beating analyst estimates by 61 cents.
- Nvidia projects third-quarter revenue of $16 billion, plus or minus 2%, representing a 169% increase from the same period last year.
- Despite the impressive year-over-year growth, the third quarter is expected to have a slower sequential growth rate.
- Nvidia's second-quarter growth was primarily driven by its data center business.
- Data center revenue increased 171% year-over-year, reaching $10.3 billion.

Nvidia CFO Colette Kress highlighted that cloud service providers and large consumer internet companies, such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Meta, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud, are major growth drivers, utilizing Nvidia’s HGX platform with H100 and A100 GPUs for generative AI applications. 

## Overcoming Supply Constraints

Nvidia has taken steps to address supply constraints for its popular H100 GPUs by developing and qualifying additional capacities and suppliers for key manufacturing processes. Kress assured that Nvidia's supply will continue to ramp up in the coming quarters, supported by these new capacities and the unveiling of the L40S GPU, a universal accelerator for AI and graphical workloads. 

- The company is also building a significant software business, generating hundreds of millions annually from products like Nvidia AI Enterprise, which is now included with H100 PCIe card purchases. 

- Nvidia’s gaming revenue rebounded in the second quarter, growing 22 percent year-over-year to nearly $2.4 billion, driven by demand for GeForce 40 Series GPUs. 

However, professional visualization revenue declined 24 percent year-over-year to $379 million, despite a 28 percent sequential growth due to stronger enterprise workstation demand. 

The automotive business saw a 15 percent year-over-year increase to $253 million, although it fell 15 percent from the previous quarter due to lower overall auto demand, particularly in China. 
![b 2.3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/b_2_3_45c5f7d551.webp)
## Decline in OEM and Cryptocurrency Mining Revenue

Nvidia did not comment on its OEM and other revenue, which includes Cryptocurrency Mining Processors. This segment saw a 53 percent year-over-year decline and a 14 percent drop from the previous quarter, totaling $66 million. 

In summary, Nvidia’s remarkable revenue growth, driven by the high demand for generative AI, showcases the company’s successful transition to GPU-accelerated data centers and highlights the expanding role of AI in its business strategy. 

Nvidia's revenue has skyrocketed, doubling over the past year due to an overwhelming demand for generative AI technologies. The company reported a record-breaking $13.5 billion in revenue for the second quarter of its 2024 fiscal year, marking a 101 percent year-over-year increase. 

Nvidia's Revenue Skyrockets, Doubling in a Year Thanks to Generative AI Boom! 

In just five years, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's stake in the chipmaker skyrocketed from $3 billion to over $90 billion following a record-breaking rally on Thursday. 

Nvidia reported stellar first-quarter earnings, surpassing expectations with sales surging over 200% for the third consecutive quarter, driven by robust demand for AI processors.

Huang, who owns approximately 86.76 million shares of Nvidia, saw the value of his holdings soar by about $7.7 billion as the stock surged more than 9%, closing at nearly $1,038 per share. 

Over the past five years, Nvidia's shares have surged about 28-fold, fueled by the company's expansion beyond gaming into areas like cloud gaming subscriptions, the metaverse, and cryptocurrency mining chips.

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_5255a99b34.webp)

Pivotal Moment:  

Late 2022 saw the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT. 

Demonstrated the transformative potential of generative AI. 

Significantly boosted demand for Nvidia’s GPUs. 

Increased Investment:  

- Major tech giants intensified their investments in AI research and development. 
- Companies involved include Microsoft, Google, and Meta. 
- Nvidia’s Market Position:  
- Nvidia solidified its position as the leading supplier of AI chips. 
- Commands approximately 80% of the AI chip market. 

Jensen Huang, aged 61, founded Nvidia in 1993 with a focus on developing GPUs for 3D gaming. Under his visionary leadership, Nvidia has diversified its offerings and emerged as a powerhouse in AI technology. 

Today, Huang ranks among the world’s 20 wealthiest individuals, a testament to his instrumental role in Nvidia’s meteoric rise and the company’s pivotal role in shaping the future of AI technology. 

The company's pivotal moment came in late 2022 with the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT, which showcased the transformative potential of generative AI and bolstered demand for Nvidia's GPUs. 

As major tech firms like Microsoft, Google, and Meta intensified their investments in AI research and development, Nvidia solidified its position as the leading supplier of AI chips, capturing about 80% of the market.

Huang, aged 61, founded Nvidia in 1993 with a focus on GPUs for 3D gaming. Under his leadership, the company diversified its offerings and emerged as a powerhouse in AI technology. 

Today, Huang ranks among the world's 20 wealthiest individuals, reflecting his pivotal role in Nvidia's meteoric rise.


In just five years, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's stake in the chipmaker skyrocketed from $3 billion to over $90 billion following a record-breaking rally on Thursday.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's Wealth Soars from $3B to $90B in 5 Years

Microsoft has traditionally been slow to refresh its Surface lineup, particularly following the setbacks experienced with the Surface Duo and Surface Neo. However, this year marks a notable shift, as the tech giant has introduced four distinct Surface products aimed at both business and consumer markets.  

These include the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, Surface **Laptop 7, Surface Pro 10 for Business, and Surface Pro 11,** with the latter currently retailing at **$1,099.99 on Amazon.**

## New Variations for Business Users

This latest generation introduces business-focused variants that showcase distinct differences in processor architecture and design compared to their consumer counterparts. 

This is the first time Microsoft has made such clear distinctions, indicating a strategic shift towards catering specifically to the needs of enterprise customers. 

- Distinct Processor Architectures: The business models feature unique processor architectures, ensuring optimal performance for business applications. 
- Tailored Designs: Differences in design cater to the professional environment, emphasizing durability and functionality. 

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_18219aad99.webp)
## Annual Refresh Cycle

Recent indications suggest that Microsoft may be moving towards an annual refresh cycle for its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop series, particularly for the business models. This commitment to regular updates reflects the growing demand for enhanced technology in the workplace. 

- Annual Updates: Aiming for consistent improvements, Microsoft is likely to release updates for the Surface Pro and Laptop series annually. 
- Targeting Business Needs: This strategy highlights Microsoft's intention to address the evolving requirements of business users. 

## Upcoming Releases

Just days ago, images surfaced that could represent the Surface Laptop 8 for Business, currently under development under the codename '831_WID'. Additionally, reports suggest a new Surface Pro model is being developed under the name '830_QUN', expected to launch as the Surface Pro 12 for Business. 

- Codename Developments: Surface Laptop 8 is known as '831_WID', while the Surface Pro equivalent is '830_QUN'. 
- Release Expectations: Both models are anticipated to make their debut in the near future, further expanding Microsoft's offerings. 
 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_11c43354c4.webp)

## Processor Specifications

Both the Surface Laptop 8 for Business and Surface Pro 12 for Business are expected to feature Core Ultra 5 226V, Core Ultra 7 266V, and Core Ultra 7 268V processors. They will be available in configurations with 16 GB and 32 GB of RAM, providing businesses with flexible options tailored to their performance needs. 

- Advanced Processors: Equipped with high-performance Core Ultra processors, ensuring efficient operation. 
- Memory Options: Variants available in both 16 GB and 32 GB of RAM for enhanced multitasking capabilities. 

## Design Enhancements

Both upcoming models are expected to incorporate design changes that Microsoft initially introduced this year with their ARM-based consumer variants, emphasizing sleek aesthetics combined with functional enhancements for business applications. 

- Modern Aesthetics: New design elements that appeal to professional users while maintaining a modern look. 
- Functionality Improvements: Features designed to enhance productivity in the workplace, such as better keyboard layouts and improved display technology. 

## Future Announcements

Interestingly, these developments coincide with prior reports from reliable sources within Microsoft, which hinted at potential announcements regarding a new Copilot+ or a business-focused event expected around March or April 2025. 

Upcoming Events: Anticipated announcements related to Copilot+ and business strategies may be revealed in early 2025. 

Strategic Focus: These events could emphasize Microsoft's ongoing commitment to innovation in the business technology space. 

Microsoft has long been a significant player in the tech industry, particularly with its Surface lineup, which has evolved to meet the needs of both consumers and business users. After a period of limited updates following challenges with products like the Surface Duo and Surface Neo, the company is making a renewed commitment to its Surface line by introducing four new models this year: the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, Surface Laptop 7, Surface Pro 10 for Business, and Surface Pro 11. 

Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has recently unveiled two new GPUs that decisively position it as the sole credible alternative to Nvidia in the graphics processing unit market. 

The spotlight is on the next-generation MI355X, built on the advanced CDNA4 architecture. With impressive enhancements, the MI355X makes its sibling, the MI325X, appear almost ordinary in comparison. 

## MI355X and MI325X Overview

The MI355X is set to become AMD's flagship GPU, scheduled for release in the latter half of 2025, while the MI325X is slated for production in the fourth quarter and is expected to ship early next year. 

Looking ahead, AMD has plans for the MI400, based on the upcoming "CDNA-Next" architecture, although specifics about this model were not disclosed during the announcement. 

The MI355X is anticipated to deliver significant speed improvements, launching less than a year after the MI325X. Notably, the MI325X boasts an upgrade to HBM3e memory, positioning it as an entry-level AI solution intended to replace the MI300X, which uses HBM3 memory. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_4c041aecfc.webp)

## Features Comparison

Performance Enhancements: The MI355X introduces critical advancements that highlight the MI325X's limitations in modern AI applications. 

- Data Types Support: The MI355X becomes the first AMD GPU to support FP4 and FP6 data types, which Nvidia already accommodates with its Blackwell GPUs. In contrast, the MI325X does not support these data types, placing AMD nearly a year behind Nvidia in this aspect. 
- Focus on Low-to-Mixed Precision: AMD's presentation emphasized low-to-mixed precision computing, with little mention of FP32 or FP64, which are vital for scientific supercomputing. 
- The MI250X previously demonstrated AMD's commitment to FP64, contributing to the success of the Frontier supercomputer, which currently holds the title of the world's fastest on the LINPACK benchmark. 

## Advancements in AI Capacity

The MI355X is designed to support large language models with up to 4.2 trillion parameters, outpacing the MI325X's capability of handling 1.8 trillion parameters. The MI355X theoretically achieves a peak performance of 2.3 petaflops in FP16, compared to 1.3 petaflops for the MI325X. 

- In configurations with eight MI355X GPUs, the total peak theoretical performance skyrockets to 20.8 petaflops, compared to 10.4 petaflops for an eight-GPU MI325X setup. 
- Memory and Bandwidth Improvements: Each MI355X GPU comes equipped with 288GB of HBM3e memory, a notable increase from the MI325X's 256GB. 
- The MI355X also features an impressive memory bandwidth of 8TB/s, surpassing the 6TB/s bandwidth of the MI325X, which itself saw only a slight improvement from the MI300X's 5.3TB/s. 
 
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_a5b1399c54.webp)
 
## CPUs and Integration

To further strengthen its GPU offerings, AMD aims to upsell its GPUs alongside the new Epyc 9005 series processors, similar to Nvidia's approach with its Grace Hopper chip that tightly integrates CPUs and GPUs. 

- The Epyc 9005 family, known as Turin, will feature up to 192 CPU cores based on the Zen5c architecture, designed to enhance GPU performance by handling data preparation and pre- and post-processing tasks. 
- Hardware Collaboration: HPE is set to launch the ProLiant Compute XD685, which will support eight MI325X accelerators and two Epyc 9005 CPUs, claiming the capability to train large language models efficiently. 
- The flagship Epyc 9965, priced around $14,813, boasts impressive specifications, including 384MB of L3 cache and 12 DDR5 memory channels. 

As Intel pivots towards creating custom x86 chips to complement Nvidia’s GPUs, AMD remains the only company capable of combining x86 architecture with its own GPUs. This unique positioning may provide AMD a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market. 

 

In a bold move to solidify its position as a formidable contender in the GPU market, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has unveiled two cutting-edge graphics processing units: the MI355X and the MI325X. With the MI355X set to become the flagship model based on the innovative CDNA4 architecture, AMD aims to leapfrog Nvidia's dominance with significant enhancements in performance and capabilities. 

AMD's New MI355X Makes the MI325X Look Like an Amateur

The Intel Xe-LPG+ GPU, specifically the Arc 140T, has recently made its debut on GFX Bench, where it was subjected to a series of benchmarking tests that aim to evaluate its performance against other GPUs in the lineup. 

## Performance Comparison: Arc 140T vs. Arc 140V

In these tests, the Arc 140T has shown promising results, achieving significantly higher scores compared to the Arc 140V. However, it’s essential to take these results with a grain of salt, as GFX Bench may not be the most reliable platform for directly comparing the performance of two GPUs. Various factors can influence benchmark scores, and real-world performance may differ from these synthetic tests. 
 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_48623d1269.webp)
## Specifications and Features

- According to recent leaks, the upcoming Intel Core Ultra 200H CPUs will be equipped with 8 Xe Cores on the majority of models, while the slowest variant will have 7 Xe Cores. 
- This core configuration is expected to enhance the overall graphics performance of these processors. 
- The Arc 140T is set to feature 16 GB of dedicated video memory, providing ample capacity for demanding applications and gaming. 
- The reported clock speed of 2250 MHz also suggests that the Arc 140T is designed for high performance, making it a competitive option in the market. 

## Identifying the Chip Tested

The configuration tested is likely associated with either the Intel Core Ultra 5 255H or the Core Ultra 5 235H. Both of these chips are positioned as mid-range options within the Core Ultra 200H series. 

- For those seeking even greater performance, there are more powerful SKUs available, such as the Core Ultra 7 265H and Core Ultra 9 285H. 
- These models will also utilize the Arc 140T GPU but will boast higher clock speeds, further enhancing their graphical capabilities. 
- Importantly, the Arc 140T will be based on the Alchemist Refresh architecture, which indicates an improvement over the previous generation. 
- Additionally, the support for XMX (Matrix Extensions) will allow for better performance in AI and machine learning tasks, marking a significant step forward in Intel’s GPU offerings. 

## Release Timeline

Intel is gearing up to launch the Core Ultra 200H series in Q1 2025. This release is highly anticipated, as it promises to deliver advanced performance features for gamers and content creators alike. 

- Alongside the 200H series, Intel is also expected to introduce the high-performance Core Ultra 200HX chips during the same timeframe. 
- These chips will feature a significantly higher core configuration compared to the 200H models, further solidifying Intel's commitment to enhancing its position in the competitive GPU market. 

In conclusion, the Intel Arc 140T iGPU represents a noteworthy advancement in Intel’s graphics technology. 

With its competitive specifications and promising performance, it could play a crucial role in Intel’s strategy to capture a larger share of the graphics market, particularly as they continue to refine their offerings with each new generation. 

Intel's Xe-LPG+ GPU, featuring the Arc 140T, has recently appeared on GFX Bench, undergoing a series of benchmark tests to assess its performance relative to other GPUs in the lineup. Early results suggest the Arc 140T outperforms the Arc 140V, delivering significantly higher scores.

Intel Arc 140T iGPU Benchmarked, Surpassing Arc 140V Performance 

## Ashley Gorakhpurwalla to Lead Infrastructure Solutions

Lenovo has hired Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, previously head of Western Digital’s disk drive division, to lead its Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), effective November 11. Gorakhpurwalla will succeed Kirk Skaugen, who led ISG for eight years before leaving in June. 

- ISG oversees Lenovo’s server, storage, and networking products. 
- ISG achieved record revenues of $3.2 billion in Q1 2025. 
- Storage, software, and services grew by over 50% during this period. 
- Despite the revenue growth, ISG posted losses in all four quarters of the year. 
- Gorakhpurwalla is expected to lead efforts to return ISG to profitability. 

Gorakhpurwalla brings extensive experience, having led Dell’s server and infrastructure systems from 2000 to 2019 before joining Western Digital. 

His appointment comes as Lenovo aims to capitalize on the AI boom, with a focus on driving growth and innovation in the infrastructure space.  

Lenovo’s CEO, Yuanqing Yang, emphasized that Gorakhpurwalla’s leadership and experience in scaling multibillion-dollar businesses will be crucial in advancing ISG’s profitability and growth. 

Gorakhpurwalla expressed enthusiasm about joining Lenovo during a transformative period for the industry, with AI playing a central role in the company's future ambitions. 

## Lenovo’s Focus

Under Gorakhpurwalla’s leadership, Lenovo’s ISG will continue its emphasis on AI-driven solutions and server growth. While servers contribute the most revenue to ISG, Lenovo’s storage offerings, including its ThinkSystem DG all-flash, DM hybrid, and DE SAN arrays, also play a critical role.  

![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_d085149292.webp)
Lenovo OEMs NetApp systems for its storage portfolio. 

- The company has a strong presence in mid-tier storage markets. 
- Lenovo holds the top revenue position in IDC’s price bands 1 to 4, which range from under $6,000 to $99,999. 
- Lenovo is not a major player in higher price bands. 
- Dell leads in the enterprise storage market, where Lenovo has limited presence. 

Despite this, Lenovo positions itself as the second-largest mainstream storage supplier globally, just behind Dell and ahead of NetApp.  

The company focuses on mid-tier, high-volume storage solutions for general-purpose workloads, with ambitions to further enhance its standing in the market.  

As AI continues to reshape enterprise infrastructure needs, Lenovo’s ISG aims to leverage its innovations and partnerships to maintain its competitive edge and accelerate future growth. 

Lenovo has hired Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, previously head of Western Digital’s disk drive division, to lead its Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), effective November 11.

Lenovo appoints former WD exec to lead its infrastructure division. 

## Nvidia Partners Expand AI Infrastructure

Nvidia (NVDA.O) is set to supply artificial intelligence processors to several Indian companies, including Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), as part of its strategy to tap into the rapidly growing AI market in India. 

At an AI summit in Mumbai, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that the company will provide its Blackwell AI processors for a one-gigawatt data center being built by Reliance in Gujarat. 

In addition, Nvidia plans to deliver tens of thousands of its Hopper AI chips to support the expansion of large-scale data centers, with partners such as Yotta Data Services and Tata Communications (TATA.NS). 

Huang expressed confidence in India's potential, stating, _"In the future, India will be a country that exports AI,"_ highlighting its rich resources in AI, data, and infrastructure, as well as a large user base. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_504a6ebac0.webp)

Businesses across India, from established companies to startups, are increasingly focused on developing AI models tailored to the country’s diverse languages, enhancing consumer engagement, and improving customer service through AI assistants and content translation. 

With a population exceeding 1.4 billion and affordable internet access, India represents a significant growth opportunity for U.S. tech giants. 

## Nvidia and Reliance

Nvidia's collaboration with Indian IT firm Tech Mahindra (TEML.NS) marks a milestone, as they unveil a new Hindi-language AI model to create a custom AI solution named Indus 2.0, designed for the widely spoken language and its many dialects. 

Nvidia is also partnering with major IT players like Infosys (INFY.NS), TCS (TCS.NS), and Wipro (WIPR.NS) to train around 500,000 developers on deploying AI agents using its technology. 

 
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_bbfac6b4ef.webp)

Reliance and Ola Electric (OLAE.NS) are expected to utilize Nvidia's "Omniverse" simulation technology for virtual testing of factory designs. 

Huang emphasized India's growing AI capabilities, stating that the country is transitioning from being a mere outsourcer to an AI exporter. 

He noted, _"India is already world-class in chip design and AI development."_

The newly introduced Hindi-language AI model aligns with Huang's vision of countries leveraging their own infrastructure and workforce to create inclusive AI solutions. 

Nvidia, which established operations in India nearly 20 years ago, has engineering and design centers in major cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad. 

Last September, Reliance and Nvidia announced plans to develop AI supercomputers in India and create large language models tailored to Indian languages, following a similar partnership with Tata Group. 

Despite the ambitious AI plans, India's chipmaking industry faces challenges, with significant capital and time required to establish semiconductor fabrication facilities. 

While global chip manufacturers are investing in India's semiconductor sector, analysts predict a lengthy journey ahead. 

Huang concluded by acknowledging that, while Nvidia's revenue from India is currently modest, the company's aspirations for growth are substantial. 

Nvidia (NVDA.O) is set to supply artificial intelligence processors to several Indian companies, including Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), as part of its strategy to tap into the rapidly growing AI market in India. 

Nvidia Partners with Indian Companies for AI Chip Supply 

## IBM & Microsoft Azure Marketplace

IBM has launched Targetprocess on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, marking the first product from its Apptio subsidiary to be featured on the platform. 

This initiative is part of an expanded partnership with Microsoft, which plans to add Apptio Costing and Planning to the marketplace in the fourth quarter and Cloudability in the upcoming year. 

Additionally, Microsoft will incorporate Apptio capabilities into various parts of its organization, according to a recent statement from IBM. 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_06b111d6b3.webp)

Targetprocess is designed for portfolio managers and finance teams, helping them plan and manage budgets while aligning workforce resources with technology priorities. 

"Thousands of clients already leverage the Apptio portfolio to optimize their IT investments, but many of our joint customers require the flexibility to utilize it within the Microsoft DevOps platform," stated Nick Otto, IBM’s head of global strategic partnerships.  

“By bringing IBM Targetprocess to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, along with broader availability of other IBM software worldwide, we’re enabling clients to seamlessly support their digital transformation journeys.” 

## Collaboration for Enhanced Efficiency

Microsoft is actively enhancing its marketplace to facilitate easier business interactions for solution providers, allowing them to discover new opportunities and strengthen their relationship with the tech giant.  

Recently, Microsoft started permitting partners to sell professional services on its marketplace across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. 

IBM completed its $4.6 billion acquisition of Apptio in August 2023, further solidifying its position in the market. 

With a vast partner network, IBM ranks sixth on CRN’s 2024 Solution Provider 500 list, while Microsoft boasts over 400,000 partners globally.  
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_02da88e072.webp)

Dinis Couto, Microsoft’s general manager of global systems integrator commercial partners, emphasized that  

“IBM and Microsoft are empowering customers to efficiently utilize IT resources and adapt to evolving technology needs, particularly amid the rise of cloud-based AI innovation.”  

He added that their collaboration will enhance decision-making, boost productivity, and improve IT management for organizations of all sizes. 

Targetprocess seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Azure DevOps, providing easier management and cost savings for customers utilizing Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitments (MACCs).  

It offers comprehensive visibility into Azure DevOps, supports Agile development frameworks, and plays a crucial role in spending and labor allocation. 

## Bottom Line

The expanded IBM-Microsoft partnership means that customers in additional countries, including Australia, Germany, the U.K., Singapore, India, and Spain, can now access IBM software through the Azure Marketplace, further broadening the reach and impact of their innovative solutions. 

IBM has launched Targetprocess on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, marking the first product from its Apptio subsidiary to be featured on the platform. 


IBM and Microsoft partner up bring Apptio to Azure

In a strategic initiative to address the growing complexities of the cybersecurity landscape, CrowdStrike and Fortinet have announced a partnership that integrates CrowdStrike's Falcon platform with Fortinet's FortiGate next-generation firewalls.  

This collaboration is set to deliver comprehensive, end-to-end security that spans networks, applications, and devices, enhancing protection against an evolving threat environment. 

## Unified Security for Modern Challenges

Daniel Bernard, Chief Business Officer at CrowdStrike, and John Maddison, Chief Marketing Officer at Fortinet, shared insights into their collaboration aimed at creating a multi-layered, integrated security solution that leverages the best technologies available.  

Bernard expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, highlighting the thrill of two technology leaders joining forces to tackle customer challenges innovatively.  

He emphasized that this collaboration not only addresses critical gaps between network and endpoint security but also aligns with their shared "partner-first" philosophy, which seeks to effectively scale solutions for both large enterprises and small-to-medium businesses. 

This partnership addresses a significant challenge in contemporary cybersecurity: the limitations of traditional, isolated security tools.  

As Maddison noted, customers are increasingly seeking a best-of-breed approach that enables advanced endpoint protection to seamlessly integrate with robust network security.  

This integration results in a more comprehensive understanding of various threat vectors and enhances the capacity to prevent lateral movement at both the endpoint and network layers. 

## Enhancing Detection with AI

What sets the partnership between CrowdStrike and Fortinet apart is its AI-driven approach, designed to enhance both the speed and accuracy of threat detection. 

The Falcon platform, recognized for its advanced AI and adversary intelligence capabilities, is complemented by Fortinet's FortiGuard AI-powered security services. 

This collaboration enriches telemetry across network and endpoint layers, allowing organizations to swiftly identify and respond to fast-evolving threats in real time. 

Bernard emphasized that the seamless integration of these technologies can significantly reduce the time needed to detect and resolve incidents, which is crucial in today’s high-stakes cyber environment. 

“Our objective is to automate processes as much as possible, minimizing the number of clicks required for customers to act swiftly and efficiently,” he stated. 

## Streamlining Security Operations

A key advantage of the CrowdStrike and Fortinet integration is its potential to simplify security operations.  

Bernard underscored that customers should not have to act as system integrators; instead, they should be able to implement solutions with minimal effort.  

By offering a unified console for monitoring both endpoint and network activity, the partnership seeks to reduce complexity for security teams, fostering a more cohesive and efficient working environment within Security Operations Centers (SOCs). 

Maddison highlighted the significance of this integration in empowering SOC analysts with the necessary visibility for rapid, informed decision-making.  

“Automating threat responses across endpoints and networks is essential,” he noted, adding that by integrating AI-powered insights from both companies into a single operational workflow,  

“we enable teams to respond instantly, whether that involves isolating a device or segmenting network traffic.” 

## Supporting Flexibility and Growth

CrowdStrike and Fortinet recognize the importance of a flexible and open ecosystem that allows customers to create tailored security strategies.  

Maddison pointed out that this flexibility is especially vital for large, regulated enterprises, which often prefer best-of-breed solutions for specific security needs.  

“Customers desire both an endpoint platform and a network platform; they don’t want to manage a myriad of vendors while still needing strong security layers,” he explained. 

Bernard echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that while organizations strive to simplify their security stacks, it is crucial that such consolidation does not compromise effective threat coverage.  

He asserted that this partnership “provides an end-to-end solution that feels cohesive for customers while leveraging the strengths of each technology.” 

## Future Prospects

Looking to the future, both companies are committed to further integrating their AI capabilities and pursuing additional joint innovations.  

The initial focus of the partnership will be on shared threat intelligence and automated response workflows. However, both leaders are enthusiastic about the potential of generative AI to enhance their collaboration. 

“Imagine a SOC analyst accessing insights from both Fortinet and CrowdStrike through conversational AI, receiving comprehensive intelligence that encompasses both network and endpoint data,” Bernard envisioned.  

This unified, AI-driven ecosystem has the potential to significantly improve organizations’ threat prevention and response capabilities. 

## New Standards in Cybersecurity

The collaboration between CrowdStrike and Fortinet establishes a cohesive, AI-enhanced defense strategy that integrates endpoint and network protection.  

By combining their unique strengths, these industry leaders empower organizations to streamline security operations, gain deeper insights, and respond to threats with increased speed and accuracy. 

As Bernard summarized, “This partnership transcends mere integration; it’s about creating a seamless experience that equips organizations to effectively halt breaches.” 

CrowdStrike and Fortinet have announced a partnership that integrates CrowdStrike's Falcon platform with Fortinet's FortiGate next-generation firewalls.  

Fortinet and CrowdStrike unite to block network and endpoint threats! 

## Launch of Gefion: Denmark's New AI Supercomputer

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and King Frederik X of Denmark recently unveiled Gefion, an AI-powered supercomputer equipped with 1,528 H100 AI GPUs, aimed at enhancing quantum computing and medical research.  

This ambitious project reportedly took just six months from announcement to completion, positioning Danish enterprises to better compete on a global scale. 

During the launch event in Copenhagen, Huang emphasized the transformative potential of Gefion, describing it as "a factory of intelligence." He noted that this innovative infrastructure represents a new industry built atop the existing IT landscape.  

Denmark's commitment to fostering a robust domestic AI ecosystem is crucial for leveraging the impactful technology of our time. Huang stated, 

_“The Gefion supercomputer will supercharge the scientists of Denmark with local AI computing infrastructure to drive advancements in life sciences, climate research, and quantum computing.”_ 

Morten Bødskov, Denmark’s Minister for Industry, Business, and Financial Affairs, highlighted that Gefion opens up new opportunities, particularly in the green transition and customized solutions, crucial for navigating the current climate of international competition. 

## Collaborative Efforts and Future Implications

The development of Gefion was significantly influenced by a public-private partnership involving the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO).  

The Novo Nordisk Foundation contributed $87 million towards the initial development costs, while EIFO added $14.5 million. 

The Danish Centre for AI Innovation A/S (DCAI) owns and operates the supercomputer, with Novo Nordisk among the first to utilize its powerful capabilities. 

Huang expressed optimism about the future of computer-aided drug discovery, stating, “The era of computer-aided drug discovery must be within this decade.  

I’m hoping that what the computer did to the technology industry, it will do for digital biology.” Nadia Carlsten, CEO of the Danish Centre for AI Innovation, praised the project’s rapid development, stating,  

_“I am extremely proud of the team that came together... Gefion is the game-changer that many innovators had been waiting for.”_ 

This announcement follows Huang's recent praise for xAI’s achievement in deploying 100,000 H200 AI GPUs in under three weeks, commending Elon Musk for accomplishing in 19 days what would typically take four years. 

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and King Frederik X of Denmark recently unveiled Gefion, an AI-powered supercomputer equipped with 1,528 H100 AI GPUs, aimed at enhancing quantum computing and medical research.  

NVIDIA CEO with Denmark brings Supercomputer with 1,528 H100 GPUs! 

## Microsoft’s Strategic Investment in OpenAI

Microsoft's substantial financial commitment to OpenAI, amounting to nearly $14 billion, has strategically positioned the tech giant at the forefront of the rapidly expanding generative artificial intelligence industry.  

This investment has enabled Microsoft to leverage OpenAI's groundbreaking technologies, particularly the widely acclaimed ChatGPT assistant, which has not only captured public interest but also generated billions in new revenue streams for Microsoft.  
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_e7a832073e.webp)

However, this considerable financial backing comes with inherent risks, as OpenAI is projected to face staggering losses of approximately $5 billion this year before accounting for stock-based compensation.  

Despite these daunting challenges, Microsoft remains optimistic about its partnership with OpenAI, viewing it as a crucial element of its growth strategy that drives the ongoing development of unique intellectual property and innovative solutions in the tech landscape. 

## Navigating Challenges in AI Investment

In the wake of its latest earnings report, which showcased impressive performance metrics, Microsoft has revealed a potential $1.5 billion hit to its income attributed to its ongoing investment in OpenAI.  
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_e0671c9893.webp)

This financial disclosure highlights the complexities involved in navigating the ever-evolving AI landscape, where opportunities and risks coexist. 

While Microsoft continues to integrate OpenAI's advanced AI models across its diverse product offerings and serves as the exclusive cloud provider for the startup, it is also taking proactive measures to explore alternative partnerships and mitigate potential risks.  

The recent announcement from Microsoft’s GitHub subsidiary, allowing developers to utilize AI models from competing companies, reflects a strategic diversification aimed at reducing dependence on a single partner.  

As Microsoft strives to balance the significant rewards associated with its ambitious AI initiatives against the inherent risks, the tech giant remains steadfast in its commitment to leveraging its substantial investment in OpenAI to drive long-term growth, innovation, and leadership within the competitive technology sector. 

Microsoft's significant financial investment of nearly $14 billion in OpenAI has strategically placed the tech giant at the leading edge of the fast-growing generative artificial intelligence sector.

Microsoft’s CFO says the OpenAI investment will impact profits this quarter

## Nvidia Overtakes Apple

In a remarkable turn of events, Nvidia (NVDA.O) has dethroned Apple (AAPL.O) as the world's most valuable company, fueled by an unprecedented rally in its stock price, driven largely by insatiable demand for its specialized artificial intelligence chips. 
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_4e5576f01c.webp)

On Friday, Nvidia's market value briefly soared to an impressive $3.53 trillion, marginally exceeding Apple's $3.52 trillion valuation, as reported by LSEG data. 

- As the trading day concluded, Nvidia's shares increased by 0.8%. 

- Nvidia's overall market value reached $3.47 trillion. 

- Apple’s stock price rose by 0.4%. 

- Apple's market valuation stood at $3.52 trillion. 

This competitive landscape has seen Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft emerge as the tech heavyweights propelling Wall Street to record highs throughout the year, with their market capitalizations remaining neck-and-neck in a closely watched race. 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_76463de93a.webp)

This isn’t the first time Nvidia has captured the title of the world’s most valuable company; in June, it briefly claimed the top spot before being overtaken by Microsoft and Apple.  

The market capitalizations of these three technology giants have remained in close proximity for several months, reflecting the dynamic nature of the tech sector. As it stands, Microsoft’s market value is approximately $3.18 trillion, buoyed by a stock increase of 0.8%. 

Nvidia has solidified its position as the dominant supplier of processors essential for AI computing, emerging as the primary beneficiary in the heated competition among tech titans like Microsoft, Alphabet (GOOGL.O), Meta Platforms (META.O), and others, all vying to dominate the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence technology. 

The impressive rise of Nvidia’s stock, which has surged around 18% so far in October, has been supported by a string of positive gains, particularly following OpenAI's recent announcement of a significant funding round totaling $6.6 billion.  

Additionally, shares of Nvidia and other semiconductor companies experienced a boost on Friday after Western Digital (WDC.O) reported quarterly profits that surpassed analysts’ estimates, fueling optimism about the ongoing demand for data center resources. 

Investment director at AJ Bell, Russ Mould, commented on the situation, stating, "More companies are now integrating artificial intelligence into their daily operations, and the demand for Nvidia chips remains exceptionally robust.  

Nvidia is certainly in a favorable position within the market, and as long as we can avoid a major economic downturn in the United States, there is a prevailing sentiment that businesses will continue to invest heavily in AI capabilities. This ongoing investment creates a strong tailwind for Nvidia's future growth and success in the industry." 

In a remarkable turn of events, Nvidia (NVDA.O) has dethroned Apple (AAPL.O) as the world's most valuable company, fueled by an unprecedented rally in its stock price, driven largely by insatiable demand for its specialized artificial intelligence chips. 

Nvidia surpasses Apple to become the world’s most valuable company.

## Enhancing Storage Capacity for vSphere

VMware by Broadcom has increased the storage capacity limits for its vSphere Foundation bundle, a strategic response to competitor criticisms and an attempt to bolster its position in the market. 

The vSphere Foundation (VVF) package includes key VMware components such as the ESXi hypervisor, VSAN storage, vCenter for virtual machine management, the Tanzu container platform, and parts of the Aria management and automation suite.  
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_191298c8b8.webp)

This bundle aims to offer a more user-friendly alternative to Cloud Foundation (VCF), VMware’s private cloud solution, while providing a more comprehensive set of tools than the vSphere Standard (VVS) package, which is primarily focused on server virtualization. 

Previously, Broadcom's decision to transition VMware's licensing model to subscriptions and per-core pricing imposed a 100 GiB storage limit per core for the vSphere Foundation.  

For many users, this limitation resulted in significantly higher storage costs as they had to license additional cores to accommodate their VSAN data. 

Competitors have capitalized on this issue, promoting their offerings as more cost-effective alternatives to VMware by highlighting lower storage expenses.  
In response, VMware has now raised the per-core storage limit to 250 GiB, a change intended to mitigate such competitive advantages. However, the price of vSphere Foundation has also increased by 11% to reflect the enhanced storage capacity. 

Broadcom has made other significant changes, consolidating VMware’s product lineup to just three main offerings: VCF, VVF, and VVS.
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_25a232a553.webp)

Recently, they introduced a new option: VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus. This bundle includes advanced features such as VM encryption, the vSphere Distributed Switch, and Storage DRS tools, which allow organizations to manage their virtual machines independently from their storage devices. 

The vendor stated that the increased storage allowance would provide customers with a more powerful and valuable enterprise-class hyperconverged infrastructure solution for managing virtual machines and containers while optimizing IT infrastructure.  

Users will need to reassess their cost calculations to understand the implications of these changes fully. 

VMware by Broadcom has increased the storage capacity limits for its vSphere Foundation bundle, a strategic response to competitor criticisms and an attempt to bolster its position in the market. 

Broadcom's VMware Updates vSphere Foundation Storage and Prices 

## AI Infrastructure Pods for Enterprises

Cisco has launched its AI infrastructure solution, named Pods, aimed at enterprises seeking a certified technology stack for AI inference— the process of fine-tuning AI models for specific tasks. 

These Pods were introduced during Cisco's Partner Summit in Los Angeles and will be available for ordering starting in November. 

Each Pod configuration will vary in terms of CPU count and the inclusion of Nvidia H100 and H200 Tensor Core GPUs. 
![1.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/1_175114e8d3.webp)

All configurations are built within the Cisco UCS X-Series Modular System, which can be managed and monitored using Cisco's cloud-based Intersight software.  

This offering is particularly suited for organizations that prefer on-premises data management for security and compliance reasons, as noted by Michael Leone, an analyst at TechTarget's Enterprise Strategy Group. 

Cisco’s strategy mirrors that of competitors like Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Lenovo, all of whom are developing validated and pre-integrated stacks to facilitate AI applications. Leone remarked, "This is the opportunity for all traditional infrastructure vendors," highlighting the growing trend in the industry. 

## Enhancements for AI Workloads

The Pods are designed to support AI model inference, particularly through techniques like retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), allowing businesses to utilize their private data for tasks such as fraud detection, text summarization, personal digital assistants, and medical image analysis. 

The UCS X-Series Modular system for the Pods features a 7RU UCS X9508 chassis that can accommodate up to eight UCS X-Series M7 computing servers and four X440p PCIe nodes, supporting a maximum of 16 Nvidia GPUs. Key components of the system include: 

- UCS 9108 Intelligent Fabric Module: Provides up to 100 Gbps connectivity per computing node with eight uplink ports (25 Gbps SFP28 or 100 Gbps QSFP28). 

- UCS 6536 Switch: A 1RU device offering 10/25/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel with 7.42 Tbps throughput across 36 ports. 

- UCS X9416 X-Fabric Module: Facilitates direct PCIe connections from each computing node to the GPUs. 

Each Pod will also come with Intersight access and a subscription to Nvidia's AI Enterprise (NVAIE) software suite and the HPC-X software toolkit, which are essential for fine-tuning pre-trained models and optimizing high-performance computing applications.  
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_e50a909a75.webp)

Additionally, licensing for the Red Hat OpenShift platform is included to enable the development and deployment of AI applications across hybrid cloud environments, with optional storage solutions available from NetApp or Pure Storage. 

In conjunction with the Pods, Cisco has introduced the UCS C885A M8 server, specifically designed to run AI workloads on GPUs, capable of supporting up to eight Nvidia GPUs. Orders for the UCS C885A M8 are now open, with expected shipping by the end of the year. 

As enterprises increasingly adopt generative AI, a recent global survey by the Enterprise Strategy Group revealed that 30% of organizations are in the mature or early production stages of GenAI applications, while 33% are in pilot or proof-of-concept phases.  

To support these applications, companies will need to upgrade their servers, storage, and networking infrastructure, as integrating existing components for optimal AI performance can be challenging. 

Cisco has launched its AI infrastructure solution, named Pods, aimed at enterprises seeking a certified technology stack for AI inference— the process of fine-tuning AI models for specific tasks. 

Cisco Unveils 'Pods' – Integrated AI Infrastructure Solution 

## VMware Workstation to Transition

VMware Workstation is set to shift away from its proprietary virtualization framework in favor of utilizing the upstream Linux Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) for its virtualization needs.  
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_92b454e8f1.webp)

This transition was recently announced following a series of kernel patches submitted to the Linux kernel mailing list by Zack Rusin, an engineer at Broadcom (formerly VMware). 

The patch series, titled "KVM: x86: Small changes to support VMware guests," outlines necessary modifications to enable VMware products to operate seamlessly on KVM. 

## The proposed changes include:

VMware Backdoor Enablement: Currently, enabling the VMware backdoor requires kernel boot parameters, affecting all virtual machines (VMs) on a host. 

The new proposal introduces a capability that allows the VMware backdoor to be enabled on a per-VM basis while maintaining the existing boot parameter as the default setting. 

Forwarding Hypercalls to Userspace: To accommodate the numerous hypercalls that VMware guests send from userspace, the proposal adds a capability to forward these hypercalls. 

Although this practice is generally discouraged, it is deemed necessary for practicality, as handling all hypercalls in the kernel would be impractical. 

Broadcom has confirmed that this transition to KVM is indeed underway, although no specific timeline has been established.  

The pace of the transition will depend on the speed at which the required KVM changes can be integrated into the Linux kernel and subsequently adopted by major Linux distributions.  

As such, it may be well into 2025 before an official transition is realized, particularly for non-rolling-release distributions that need to update to new kernel versions. 

While it may seem surprising for VMware to abandon its proprietary virtualization code, this move represents a significant achievement for the upstream KVM community.  

VMware Workstation is expected to remain a commercial product, offering free personal use, rather than transitioning entirely to an open-source model. 

However, the shift to using open-source KVM code for its core virtualization functions marks a noteworthy milestone in the industry. 

Additionally, Broadcom clarified that while KVM will handle CPU virtualization, existing VMware virtual devices for graphics and other functionalities will continue to be utilized.  

Furthermore, on macOS and Windows platforms, VMware has already transitioned to using the native CPU virtualization frameworks. 

VMware Workstation is set to shift away from its proprietary virtualization framework in favor of utilizing the upstream Linux Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) for its virtualization needs.  

VMware Workstation Transitioning from Proprietary Code to Upstream KVM 

## A Powerful Gaming Laptop

For those seeking a high-performance gaming laptop without breaking the bank, the Dell G16 (7630) emerges as an impressive option priced at just $949. This laptop boasts an array of features that make it a strong contender in the budget gaming segment. 

At its current price, the Dell G16 offers outstanding performance powered by an Intel Core i7-1365HX processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. The combination ensures that gamers can enjoy a seamless experience across a variety of titles.  
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_2f6b40c722.webp)

The 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 display with a 240Hz refresh rate provides sharp visuals and smooth gameplay, making it ideal for competitive gaming. 

For those who seek even greater performance, the Dell G16 also offers an upgrade option to the Intel Core i9-13900HX for $1,199 or a configuration with the RTX 4070 and 32GB of RAM for $1,399. 

These options, however, maintain the same level of value as the base model when considering current sales. 

## Design and Build Quality

The design of the Dell G16 (7630) features a white deck that houses a mechanical keyboard set on a lowered platform, supported by a stylish V-shaped vent design across the chassis.  

The laptop's overall dimensions measure 14.05 x 11.37 x 1.01 inches and it weighs in at 6 pounds, making it one of the heavier and bulkier options available. Despite its heft, the bezels surrounding the display are relatively slim, enhancing the visual experience. 

## Connectivity Options

The Dell G16 is equipped with a variety of ports to accommodate diverse connectivity needs, including: 

- 1x Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 
 
- 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports 

- 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port with DisplayPort 

- 1x HDMI 2.1 port 

- 1x RJ45 Ethernet port 

- 1x headphone jack 

These ports ensure that users have ample options for connecting peripherals and external displays. 

## Benchmark Performance
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_59210c49aa.webp)
In benchmark testing, the Dell G16 (7630) achieved a Geekbench 6.3 overall performance score of 11,209, significantly outperforming the average budget gaming laptop score of 5,966. 

 However, it did lag behind competitors such as the TUF Gaming A14 (12,055), Helios Neo 16 (16,730), and Legion Pro 5 (17,585), which feature more powerful processors. 

In practical application, the Dell G16 excelled in video transcoding, completing a 4K to 1080p conversion in 4 minutes and 19 seconds, which is faster than the average time of 5:21 for budget laptops. 

Nonetheless, it fell short compared to the Helios Neo 16 (3:10) and Legion Pro 5 (3:06). 

The laptop's 1TB SSD recorded an impressive transfer rate of 1,719 megabytes per second, surpassing the average budget gaming laptop's speed of 1,345 MBps and the TUF Gaming A14's rate of 1,339 MBps. However, it remained slower than the Helios Neo 16 (2,121 MBps) and Legion Pro 5 (1,933 MBps). 

## Conclusion

The Dell G16 (7630) stands out as an excellent choice for gamers looking for a robust laptop at an accessible price. With its powerful components, high-refresh-rate display, and solid design, it competes well against other gaming laptops in its class. 

Whether for casual gaming or more competitive play, the Dell G16 delivers exceptional value that is hard to ignore. 


For those seeking a high-performance gaming laptop without breaking the bank, the Dell G16 (7630) emerges as an impressive option priced at just $949. This laptop boasts an array of features that make it a strong contender in the budget gaming segment.

Dell G16 (7630) Review: The Best Budget Gaming Laptop in Years 

Microsoft is upgrading its Windows Hello authentication system, which includes facial and fingerprint recognition, in Windows 11.

This overhaul is currently in beta testing with Windows Insiders and introduces visual updates, new iconography, and enhancements to passkeys.

## Improved User Interface Across Platforms

The redesigned Windows Hello interface will not only be visible on the Windows 11 login screen but also when users utilize passkeys to access websites and applications. 
![2.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_2ccc118c70.png)

The Windows team stated, “We redesigned Windows security credential user experiences for passkey, creating a cleaner experience that supports secure and quick authentication.”

This improvement allows users to switch between authentication methods and select passkeys or devices with greater ease.

## Streamlining Passkey Usage

While Microsoft has already integrated passkeys into Windows 11, the existing process for using a passkey from a mobile device requires scanning QR codes and involves an outdated user interface. 

The upcoming changes will greatly enhance the sign-in experience for passkeys and Microsoft account authentication as part of this comprehensive Windows Hello update.

## New API for Third-Party Integration

To facilitate a smoother experience, Microsoft has developed a new API for third-party password and passkey managers. 

This integration will enable developers to connect directly to the modern Windows Hello experience. 

Additionally, Windows 11 users will be able to use passkeys from mobile devices to authenticate with applications and websites on their PCs. 
![3.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_796667c765.png)

Users will also have the option to save passkeys in third-party applications or sync them with their Microsoft account.

## Beta Testing and Future Rollout

The new Windows Hello experience is currently being tested in the beta channel (23H2) and is expected to be available in the dev channel (24H2) once builds resume. 

Microsoft anticipates that this updated Windows Hello UI will be rolled out to all Windows 11 users in the coming months, significantly enhancing the authentication process.

Microsoft is upgrading its Windows Hello authentication system, which includes facial and fingerprint recognition, in Windows 11.

Experience Microsoft’s Updated Windows Hello UI 

Intel is retracting one of its most significant changes to laptop chips in recent years. 

The upcoming Lunar Lake laptops, which initially eliminated the use of memory sticks in favor of fixed RAM on the processor package, are now being reassessed. 

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger admitted this approach was a financial misstep, and the company has decided to abandon it moving forward, with potential cuts to desktop GPUs also on the table.

## The Return to Traditional Design

Future Intel chip generations, such as Panther Lake and Nova Lake, will revert to a more conventional design that features memory off-package. 

Gelsinger stated, “It’s not a good way to run the business, so it really is for us a one-off with Lunar Lake.” 
![2.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_dd27ac3d0d.png)

This means that while the CPU and I/O capabilities will remain integrated, the main memory will be sourced externally.

Despite promoting Lunar Lake's on-package memory as a competitive edge for enhancing laptop battery life—claiming it reduced data transfer power consumption by 40%—Gelsinger revealed that this model was more of an experiment than a foundational design. 

Initially intended as a niche product for high performance and battery efficiency, Lunar Lake’s role shifted dramatically with the rise of AI PCs, leading to greater volume expectations.

## Challenges and Cost Implications

However, Lunar Lake became problematic for Intel due to its heavy reliance on external partners for memory chips and wafers from TSMC. 

During a previous earnings call, Intel’s CFO highlighted that the costs associated with Lunar Lake were hindering the company's recovery efforts, and although it hasn't reached sales of 100 million units, it represented a significant part of Intel's product mix.

## The Future of Intel's Graphics Division

In addition to reevaluating its laptop chip strategy, Gelsinger indicated that Intel's discrete GPU efforts might also face downsizing. 
![3.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_9a678680a2.png)

He emphasized a shift towards more integrated graphics capabilities, suggesting that the market's need for dedicated graphics cards is diminishing.

This would not be entirely unexpected, as Intel's standalone gaming graphics cards have seen limited success and have primarily targeted the ultra-budget segment, an area increasingly challenged by AMD.

The potential discontinuation of dedicated graphics cards could be disappointing for gamers who have been awaiting Intel's next-generation Battlemage dGPUs, especially since the company's Arc graphics initiatives, including Battlemage, have made strides in improving integrated graphics performance in laptops.

Intel is retracting one of its most significant changes to laptop chips in recent years. 


Future Intel Laptops to Feature Memory Sticks Again 

Dell Technologies has announced significant upgrades to its PowerMax storage arrays, aimed at delivering faster and more efficient input and output rates for mission-critical applications. 

According to Josh Lee, chief technology officer at Dell platinum partner VirtuIT, these enhancements are vital for applications with the highest performance demands. 

“Any efficiencies that lower the cost-per-terabyte and improve input/output costs are excellent news for customers,” he explained.

## Key Features of the Upgrades

The latest PowerMax enhancements include three times faster connectivity via Ethernet, enabling backups of up to one petabyte of data daily. 

Additionally, Dell has achieved an impressive 92 percent RAID efficiency, optimizing overall storage performance. 
![2.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_2764d61722.png)

These upgrades are accessible on select models, including the high-end 8500, through a software update to PowerMax 10.2, which is backwards compatible. 

This allows partners to provide enhanced storage and data throughput for their clients’ essential data and workloads.

## AI Integration for Improved Functionality

Varun Chhabra, senior vice president of product marketing at Dell Technologies, emphasized the integration of AI into the PowerMax system, which simplifies alerting, learns customer workloads, and adjusts health checks and thresholds accordingly. 

“No other vendor in the world has the comprehensive capabilities across storage, servers, networking, and data protection that Dell possesses,” Chhabra stated. 

He believes the evolving deployment of AI will be a significant differentiator for customers.

## Advancements in PowerScale Products

In addition to PowerMax upgrades, Dell also introduced enhancements to its PowerScale products, designed for storing unstructured data, which is increasingly utilized by AI models for various applications, including text, audio, and video inference. 

The new arrays demonstrate 63 percent faster data movement, support high-speed 200 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and InfiniBand, and have doubled drive density, accommodating QLC drives of up to 61 terabytes. 
![3.png](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_f0dbb24e63.png)

Dell claims that these advancements can reduce data center storage footprints by half while improving unstructured data search capabilities across billions of files and exabytes of data.

## The Importance of Speed and Networking

For industry experts like Lee, the emphasis is on speed. He noted, “We’re excited to see the density and high-speed networking available. 

The more high-speed Ethernet options available, the more this will penetrate the medium business space, as Ethernet tends to be more affordable than InfiniBand.”

Both PowerScale and PowerMax products fall under Dell's Partner First For Storage initiative, highlighting the crucial role of partners in the ecosystem.

Chhabra stressed that Dell cannot operate in isolation, stating, “The role of partners in this space is absolutely critical. 

We collaborate closely with our ecosystem, including channel and delivery partners, to deliver these capabilities.” 

He highlighted the importance of system integrators in strategizing, implementing, and managing the deployment of these solutions throughout their lifecycle.

Dell Technologies has announced significant upgrades to its PowerMax storage arrays, aimed at delivering faster and more efficient input and output rates for mission-critical applications. 

Dell PowerMax and PowerScale Gain Significant AI Enhancements 

According to Steam's October hardware survey, AMD's Radeon RX 6600 has edged out the older Polaris-based RX 580 to become the most widely used AMD GPU among Steam users for the second consecutive month.  

Despite this achievement, the RX 6600 is yet to break into Steam's top 30 most-used GPUs list. AMD's overall share of the dedicated GPU market remains stagnant at 15%, with Nvidia commanding a substantial 77.37%. 

## Nvidia Dominates GPU Rankings

The most popular GPU on Steam remains Nvidia's RTX 3060, boasting a 7.46% adoption rate. This is followed by the mobile and desktop versions of the RTX 4060, with respective adoption rates of 5.61% and 5.25%.  

Meanwhile, the RX 6600, leading AMD's lineup, is used by 0.98% of Steam gamers, placing it at the 34th position on the list.  

Given that the RX 6600 is nearly three years old, this ranking underscores AMD's uphill battle against Nvidia, which has several RTX 40 (Ada Lovelace) series GPUs in the top 10 despite criticisms over their pricing. 

![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_8d553e2ae8.webp)

## RDNA 3 Struggles to Gain Traction

These survey findings raise questions about why gamers are hesitant to adopt AMD's RDNA 3 architecture. Notably, the RX 7600—successor to the RX 6600—has not secured a spot in the rankings, despite reduced stock of the RX 6600 in the market.  

One possible reason is that the RX 7600 did not offer significant performance improvements over the RX 6600, making it less appealing to gamers.  

The surge of used RX 6600 units in the secondhand market, largely a result of the recent GPU mining boom, may have also contributed to the current market dynamics. 

## AMD's Pricing Strategy

Steam’s data, while not encompassing the entire PC market, highlights a clear trend: gamers overwhelmingly prefer Nvidia, with 77.37% of users choosing an Nvidia GPU.  

This trend suggests that AMD’s pricing strategy may need an overhaul, especially as the market shows strong demand for budget-friendly yet powerful GPUs.  
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_a2a432ff51.webp)
The competitive landscape points to an opportunity for AMD to focus on more attractive pricing for its next-generation products. 

## RX 8000 Series: A New Hope for AMD

Looking ahead, AMD has announced that its Radeon RX 8000 series (based on RDNA 4 architecture) will launch in early 2025, likely coinciding with CES 2025.  

Following the challenges faced by its current lineup, AMD plans to focus on producing high-volume mid-range GPUs to appeal to budget-conscious gamers. This strategic shift could be a crucial move to recapture market share and strengthen AMD's position in the GPU landscape. 

According to Steam's October hardware survey, AMD's Radeon RX 6600 has edged out the older Polaris-based RX 580 to become the most widely used AMD GPU among Steam users for the second consecutive month.  

AMD's RX 6600 Edges Out as the Top Red Team GPU Among Steam Gamers 

Intel has unveiled impressive benchmarks for its flagship Core Ultra 9 285H "Arrow Lake" CPU, indicating significant advancements in performance compared to its predecessor, the Meteor Lake chips.  

This latest development comes as the tech community anticipates the CES 2025 debut of various next-generation products, with laptop manufacturers preparing to showcase their latest innovations. 

## Performance Gains

According to the leaked benchmarks from Geekbench, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H has demonstrated an impressive performance increase of up to 28% over the Core Ultra 9 185H "Meteor Lake".  

This remarkable uplift in both single-core and multi-core performance underscores Intel’s ongoing commitment to delivering powerful and efficient processors for a range of computing needs. 

As the CES 2025 event draws closer, it is clear that Intel is positioning itself to make a significant impact in the market with this latest offering. 

## Specifications Overview

Delving into the specifications of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, it is noteworthy that this CPU is part of the Arrow Lake or Core Ultra Series 2 lineup.  

The processor boasts a total of 16 cores, which are configured in a unique arrangement of 6 Performance (P) Cores and 10 Efficiency (E) Cores, yielding a total of 16 threads.  

Operating at a base clock speed of 3.70 GHz, the CPU can reach a remarkable boost clock of 5.4 GHz, providing the necessary speed for demanding applications and multitasking scenarios.  

Additionally, the Core Ultra 9 285H is equipped with a 24 MB cache, allowing for quicker access to frequently used data and enhancing overall performance.  

Although this CPU operates at a higher clock speed than its Meteor Lake counterpart, it should be noted that it has fewer threads (16 vs. 22), which may influence its performance characteristics depending on specific workloads. 

## Testing Configuration

The benchmarks were conducted using the Dell Pro Max 16 (MC16250) laptop, a machine designed to harness the full capabilities of the Core Ultra 9 285H.  

This testing configuration includes 64 GB of DDR5-6400 memory, ensuring that the CPU can operate efficiently and effectively under heavy loads. As an "H" series SKU, the Core Ultra 9 285H operates within a Thermal Design Power (TDP) range of 35–45 Watts, with a maximum turbo power (MTP) of up to 115W.  

This range indicates that the CPU can deliver high performance while maintaining manageable power consumption levels. 

 Furthermore, the laptop is anticipated to feature an RTX 40 GPU alongside Intel's upgraded Xe-LPG+ integrated graphics, providing robust graphical performance for gaming and creative tasks.  

Looking ahead, the system is also expected to support the upcoming NVIDIA RTX 50 series, showcasing Intel's commitment to future-proofing its technology. 

## Benchmark Results

In terms of performance metrics, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H achieved impressive results, scoring 2665 points in single-core tests and 15,330 points in multi-core tests.  

These figures are a significant step up from the Core Ultra 9 185H, which scored 2241 points in single-core and 11,948 points in multi-core tests. This substantial performance improvement not only highlights the capabilities of the Core Ultra 9 285H but also reinforces Intel's ongoing evolution in CPU technology.  

As users increasingly demand higher performance for tasks ranging from gaming to content creation, the Core Ultra 9 285H stands poised to meet and exceed those expectations. 

## Conclusion

In summary, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H "Arrow Lake" CPU showcases remarkable advancements in both specifications and performance, making it a noteworthy addition to Intel's lineup.  

With its powerful architecture and significant performance gains over previous generations, this CPU is set to play a crucial role in the upcoming wave of laptops and computing devices.  

As the technology landscape continues to evolve, Intel's commitment to innovation positions it as a leader in the industry, ready to meet the challenges and demands of the future. 

Intel has unveiled impressive benchmarks for its flagship Core Ultra 9 285H "Arrow Lake" CPU, indicating significant advancements in performance compared to its predecessor, the Meteor Lake chips.  

Intel Core Ultra 9 285H in Dell Pro Max 16: 28% Faster Than 185H 

## Nvidia Leads Market Surge

In October, Nvidia spearheaded a remarkable surge in market capitalization among global companies, fueled by robust demand for its innovative supercomputing artificial intelligence chips as more organizations adopt AI in their operations.

The company's market capitalization climbed by 9.3%, reaching $3.26 trillion. Meanwhile, its key supplier, TSMC, also enjoyed significant growth, with its market value increasing 6.5% to $832.8 billion. 
![2.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/2_30ab50d03c.webp)

These gains followed TSMC's impressive third-quarter earnings report, which surpassed expectations, alongside a strong outlook for continued AI demand.

In a notable shift, Apple briefly relinquished its status as the top global market cap holder to Nvidia, experiencing a 3% decline to $3.4 trillion amid modest growth projections and weak sales in China. However, Apple managed to rebound shortly thereafter.

Conversely, the market values of Meta Platforms and Microsoft experienced declines in October, as both companies issued warnings about rising costs associated with AI development.

## Economic Concerns

Mark Haefele, chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, remains optimistic about the future of AI, encouraging investors to view near-term market volatility as an opportunity to increase their stake in high-quality AI stocks. 

He stated, "We continue to favor select semiconductor firms and major tech companies, anticipating our AI portfolio will achieve earnings growth of 35% in 2024 and 25% in 2025."
![3.webp](https://strapiassets.blr1.digitaloceanspaces.com/3_250844564d.webp)
In the Asian markets, Tencent Holdings saw a 9% decrease in its market value, dropping to $483 billion in October. 

This decline was part of a broader downturn in Chinese shares, influenced by sluggish economic indicators, geopolitical tensions, and a pause among investors to evaluate potential government support measures.

In the U.S., drug manufacturer Eli Lilly experienced a 6.45% decrease in its market capitalization, falling to $787.6 billion. 

This decline was attributed to quarterly sales of its popular weight-loss and diabetes medications, which failed to meet Wall Street's expectations, leading to a sharp drop in its stock price.

Nvidia spearheaded a remarkable surge in market capitalization among global companies, fueled by robust demand for its innovative supercomputing artificial intelligence chips as more organizations adopt AI in their operations.

Infrastructure Solutions

Our Partners

Compute & Hyperconverged

Endpoint Devices

Networking

Data Storage

One Call Can Save You Weeks of Research!

Blogs & Unlock Insights

Canada

USA

Qatar

Communication & Connectivity

Data Analytics and AI Services