Opinion articles

AMD launches the $549 Radeon 9070 and $599 9070 XT: Another fail or great success?

Highly anticipated: AMD has finally launched announced the Radeon RX 9000 series, headlined by the RX 9070 XT and its $599 MSRP. There are some interesting features and architectural details to explore, but we're a bit uncertain about the price based on what AMD has shown so far. On the surface, it looks more like a continuation of AMD's graphics card strategy rather than a significant shift toward providing better value.

Apparently AMD has blocking rights for any acquisition of Intel. If a deal were to happen, what would AMD ask for?

Editor's take: We are frequently asked some version of the question, "Will someone acquire Intel?" At this point, we think it is highly unlikely, but these are unpredictable times. Setting aside all the principal considerations – like money, strategy, and regulatory approval – there are a few other hurdles. Chief among these is Intel's license for x86.

The rise of on-device AI is reshaping the future of PCs and smartphones

Adobe expands generative AI with Firefly video, launching today

We're getting closer to having practical quantum computers - here's what they will be used for

Selling fear: How cybersecurity marketing uses consumer anxiety for profit

Intel's takeover dilemma: A Gordian knot of funding and politics

Editor's take: A takeover of Intel has become a Gordian knot. The company's factories require massive investments – billions of dollars and several years to fix – which most prospective buyers, companies or private equity firms aren't willing to handle. The US government has also poured a lot of money into these factories, making it politically difficult to shut them down. The problem is clear: no one wants the factories, but Intel can't be sold without them.

Samsung cracks the AI puzzle with Galaxy S25, finally

Editor's take: After years of half-filled promises and underwhelming realities, it looks like Samsung has finally succeeded in bringing the kind of seamless experience that we all hoped AI, digital assistants, and agents would or could bring to our mobile devices. Well, to be fair, it's Samsung in conjunction with Google (along with some help from Qualcomm) that's making the magic happen inside the just-launched Galaxy S25.

Are tech tariffs a waste of time?

Nvidia's secret weapon: It's the software, stupid

The big picture: Nvidia's Jensen Huang kickstarted CES this year with his keynote. We listened to it and read a fair amount of analysis since. If you don't have 90 minutes to spare, we can sum it up for you: Nvidia has all the software. Or at least it has more than you do.

Nvidia brings GenAI to the physical world with Cosmos

The real end of Moore's Law and the true cost of a monopoly

AWS refreshes AI story with new Trainium 2 chip, Bedrock upgrades, and SageMaker Studio

What's next for Intel: Split, sell, or shut down the fabs?

In context: Intel has been in play since reporting its disastrous June quarter. Despite turning in a decent quarter last month, the writing has been on the wall for several months that Gelsinger was under pressure. That pressure was coming from all directions – customers, partners, employees, and, not least, the Street. After the company reset guidance in July, the consensus across the financial community was that Intel had to be split in two, and increasingly that Gelsinger had to go.

The unsung heroes of chip sales: field application engineers

The Terminator at 40: the sci-fi cult classic that still shapes how we view the threat of AI

In context: October 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of director James Cameron's science fiction classic, The Terminator – a film that popularised society's fear of machines that can't be reasoned with, and that "absolutely will not stop … until you are dead", as one character memorably puts it.

Hybrid AI will change everything in enterprise computing

Intel vs. TSMC: Why economic factors, not tech, are at the heart of America's chip struggle

Cisco shifts focus to AI with new infrastructure solutions

Arm vs Qualcomm: mutually assured destruction

Qualcomm accelerates automotive AI with Snapdragon's latest chips

Money first, fun last: Former PlayStation president warns of gaming's creative decline

Editor's take: I have felt for years that the video game industry is headed for another crash. I base this opinion on the lack of creativity coming from prominent developers. Bethesda: "Let's make another Skyrim port," or Skyrim in space, as we saw with the overhyped Starfield. Other companies are just as devoid of new ideas, releasing a deluge of remakes instead of something new. I'm not alone in my feelings.