Taiwan earthquake causes estimated $62 million in damage and disruptions for TSMC: Report

Key extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) equipment at TSMC is “safe and sound,” reportsDigiTimes, with production back up to 70 or 80% capacity on the same day as the massiveApril 3 earthquake. The quake and its aftershocks didn’t leave the production facilities unscathed, however: According to the new report, the seismic interruption and the damage incurred will cost TSMC approximately $62 million. While the EUV machines are undamaged, factory beams, columns, walls, and pipelines were damaged during the quake(s) according to unnamed DigiTimes sources....

July 23, 2025 · 3 min · 427 words · Reginald Boyd

TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Eco DDR5-6000 C30 2x16GB Review: Eco-Friendly DDR5 Performance

Tom’s Hardware Verdict Although it may not look like it, the T-Force Vulcan Eco DDR5-6000 C30 is a high-performance memory kit with a low environmental impact thanks to the reutilization of recycled materials. Tight timings Intel XMP 3.0 and AMD EXPO support Recycled aluminum Lower performance on AMD platforms Slightly more expensive than the competition Why you can trust Tom’s HardwareOur expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you....

July 23, 2025 · 5 min · 1026 words · Julia Ingram

Teamgroup unveils 16TB external SSD with speeds up to 1.8 GB/s — T-CREATE EXPERT P32 stores up to 672 minutes of 4K 120 FPS N-RAW video files

Teamgrouprecently revealed its T-CREATE EXPERT P32 external SSD offerings - boasting capacities of up to 16TB to meet all your storage needs. Designed primarily for content creators and power users, the EXPERT P32 tops out at read and write speeds of 1.8 GB/s - and is compatible with USB Type-C and Thunderbolt devices. The EXPERT P32 comes in two flavors: 8TB and 16TB - which should make it the largest external SSD - at least in the mainstream segment - tied with offerings fromSabrent....

July 23, 2025 · 2 min · 403 words · Nicholas Mitchell

This 34-inch curved Asus TUF Gaming monitor is only $249 at Amazon

Finding the right gaming display requires a harmonious blend of specifications and requirements, pair that with a great discount, like this one fromAmazonon theAsus TUF Gaming VG34VQEL1A,and you’ve got a recipe for success. This monitor is for those in the market for a large-scale curved gaming display. It usually goes for around $349 but it’s marked down to just $249 — its lowest price to date, according to the price checking ship of the desert, CamelCamelCamel....

July 23, 2025 · 2 min · 395 words · Melissa Strong

This Raspberry Pi ghost talks to trick-or-treaters using AI

It’s not too late to put together a spookyRaspberry Pi-powered Halloween project, and we’ve got a cool one to share today that’s sure to inspire your inner maker. This one comes to us from maker and developer Nathan from NathanBuildsDIY, who’s created a really coolPi-powered AI ghostnamed Casper that talks to trick-or-treaters. Much like the ghost he’s named after, this ghost is light-hearted and friendly instead of scary. According to Nathan, the idea was to create an interactive ghost who could talk back and forth with trick-or-treaters as they approached the porch....

July 23, 2025 · 2 min · 378 words · Andrew Ramsey

This surprising tool saved my PC build and my sanity -- now it's on sale for $16

This weekend, I was working on a PC build, putting my old CPU and motherboard into a new case to give away to a friend. And then it happened . . . actually, it always happens. I dropped a screw into the case: a black metal screw into a black metal case. If you’ve done your share of PC building, you know that, no matter how many spare screws you have, you can’t leave any rolling around in the case....

July 23, 2025 · 3 min · 609 words · Ernest Miller DDS

Threadripper 9000 CPUs spotted with 16 to 96 Zen 5 cores — Shimada Peak expected to max out at 350W

The upcoming Threadripper 9000 series, codenamed Shimada Peak, has leaked yet again through shipping manifest data (via@Olrak29_on X). A different shipping manifest outed the Zen 5-powered high-end desktop CPUsin significant detailback in August. The latest manifest reveals a couple of previously unknown points about the soon-to-be-released CPUs. The upcoming 96-core flagship, which will likely be called the Threadripper 9980X, has a 350-watt TDP, just like the precedingThreadripper 7980Xhad. The 16-core model that the shipping manifest mentions also has a 350-watt TDP, and while that’s significantly overkill for a CPU with so few cores, all Threadripper 7000 series chips had that 350-watt TDP, so it’s not without precedent....

July 23, 2025 · 2 min · 409 words · Adam Vaughn

TSMC considering advanced packaging facility in Japan: report -- with two fabs already in the works, this would be a major boost to country's chip industry

Taiwan’s TSMC is exploring the possibility of building an advanced packaging facility in Japan, reportsReuters. The company is about to begin chip production in the island nation, so building an advanced packaging facility is a natural move from TSMC. And if the company proceeds with the plan, it will significantly bolster Japan’s semiconductor industry revival efforts. TSMC is considering the introduction of its chip-on-wafer-on-substrate-series (CoWoS) packaging technology to Japan, the report says....

July 23, 2025 · 2 min · 419 words · Juan Hernandez

TSMC execs allegedly dismissed Sam Altman as ‘podcasting bro’ — OpenAI CEO made absurd requests for 36 fabs for $7 trillion

Last winter, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took a whirlwind tour of the Far East, meeting high-powered execs fromcompanies like TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix. Apparently, hhe didn’t make the best first impression. According to a report in theNew York Times, senior TSMC execs dubbed the OpenAI chief a “podcasting bro” after the meeting(s), following his absurd requests for 36 new chipmaking plants that would cost an astounding $7 trillion. The NYT claims it discussed OpenAI’s negotiations with nine people close to the discussions who wish to remain anonymous....

July 23, 2025 · 4 min · 702 words · Andrew Rich

TSMC's wafer pricing now $18,000 for a 3nm wafer, increased over 3X in 10 years: Analyst

Apple’s A-series smartphone processors have evolved significantly from the A7 (28nm) to the A18 Pro (3nm), gaining more cores, transistors, and features. With each new node, TSMC charged Apple more per wafer, so the price increased from $5,000 for a 28nm wafer with A7 processors to $18,000 for a 3nm-class wafer for A17 and A18-series processors, reportsBen Bajarin, the chief executive and principal analyst at Creative Strategies. Bajarin notes that as Apple’s A-series chips have evolved, their transistor count has consistently increased, starting at 1 billion in the A7 and reaching 20 billion in the A18 Pro....

July 23, 2025 · 4 min · 728 words · Leon Sullivan

UCIe 2.0 specifications standardize management architecture and 3D packaging across different chiplets

The UCIe Consortium on Wednesdayreleased version 2.0 of the UCIe specification, which brings support for standardized management of system architecture across different chiplets and support for industry-standard 3D packaging of chiplets with hybrid bonding and bump pitches of variable sizes. The new specification makes it easier to develop, build, and manage system-in-packages (SiP) containing chiplets from different vendors. For now, SiPs with UCIe chiplets have to use multiple management frameworks for each chiplet if they use chiplets from more than one vendor....

July 23, 2025 · 2 min · 398 words · Teresa Smith

Unreleased Core Ultra 200S CPU has already been delidded — streamer shares beautiful die shots of Intel's upcoming Arrow Lake chip

Less than a week before Intel’sCore Ultra 200S(codenamed Arrow Lake) series debut, someone has already delidded one of Intel’s new Arrow Lake desktop chips. Twitch streamer and enthusiast Madeness727 shared imageson Xof an Arrow Lake-S CPU they delidded, revealing fundamental architectural changes Intel made to its latest chips. Madeness727’s die shots represent the first die shots we have seen of Arrow Lake-S, and they are also high-resolution photos featuring great detail....

July 23, 2025 · 2 min · 417 words · John Castillo

US govt says Cisco gear often targeted in China's Salt Typhoon attacks on 8 telecommunications providers — issues Cisco-specific advice to patch networks to fend off attacks

The U.S. Cybersecurity & InfrastructureSecurityAgency (CISA) released guidelines for network engineers, defenders, and organizations withenterprise-grade networking equipment as part of its continuing investigation into the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) massive cyber espionage campaign. While the agency has releasedgeneral guidelinesfor increased visibility and hardening that apply to any network, it also had a section labeled ‘Cisco-Specific Guidance.’ According to the document, “authoring agencies have observed Cisco-specific features often being targeted by, and associated with, these PRC cyber threat actors’ activity....

July 23, 2025 · 2 min · 382 words · Cheryl Miller