Hardware And Infrastructure AI News & updates this week

Nvidia’s $46.7B Q2 proves the platform, but its next fight is ASIC economics on inference

venturebeat.com • Aug 28, 2025

Behind Nvidia's strong quarterlyu results are ASICs gaining ground in key Nvidia segments, challenging their growth in the quarters to come....

TL;DR

Nvidia reported 56% year-over-year revenue growth in Q2 2026, but faces increasing competition from custom ASICs and growing uncertainty in China due to export controls.

Key Takeaways:

Nvidia's data center revenue reached $41.1 billion, up 56% year over year.
Custom ASICs, led by Broadcom, are gaining ground in key Nvidia segments and challenging their growth in the quarters to come.
Nvidia's platform advantage and ecosystem lock-in are strategic strengths, but may not be enough to counter ASIC competitors' price and performance advantages.

Google Debuts Device-Bound Session Credentials Against Session Hijacking

www.feistyduck.com • Aug 28, 2025

Article URL: https://www.feistyduck.com/newsletter/issue_128_google_debuts_device_bound_session_credentials_against_session_hijacking Comments URL: ht...

TL;DR

Google debuts Device-Bound Session Credentials (DBSC) to protect against session hijacking attacks.

Key Takeaways:

DBSC uses public-key cryptography to bind session credentials to a device, making them inaccessible on other devices.
Google has announced a beta of DBSC in Google Workspace for users running Chrome on Windows.
DBSC has the potential to make session hijacking a thing of the past if adopted by other browser vendors.

NVIDIA Jetson Thor Unlocks Real-Time Reasoning for General Robotics and Physical AI

blogs.nvidia.com • Aug 25, 2025

Robots around the world are about to get a lot smarter as physical AI developers plug in NVIDIA Jetson Thor modules — new robotics computers that can ...

TL;DR

NVIDIA Jetson Thor modules unlock real-time reasoning for general robotics and physical AI by delivering 7.5x more AI compute and 2x more memory than its predecessor, enabling new possibilities for multimodal AI applications.

Key Takeaways:

Jetson Thor modules offer 7.5x more AI compute, 3.1x more CPU performance, and 2x more memory than its predecessor, enabling real-time processing of high-speed sensor data.
The modules are being adopted by companies like Agility Robotics and Boston Dynamics to enhance their humanoid robots' real-time perception and decision-making capabilities.
Jetson Thor supports all popular generative AI frameworks and AI reasoning models with unmatched real-time performance, empowering developers to easily experiment and run inference locally.

AI models need a virtual machine

blog.sigplan.org • Aug 30, 2025

Article URL: https://blog.sigplan.org/2025/08/29/ai-models-need-a-virtual-machine/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45074467 Points:...

TL;DR

AI models require a standardized Virtual Machine (VM) interface to ensure security, isolation, extensibility, and portability, similar to an operating system.

Key Takeaways:

A well-specified AI VM would enforce a clean separation between model logic and integration logic, making models interchangeable components.
A VM specification can enforce safety by design, routing all tool usage and external access through a well-defined interface, and providing built-in access control, audit logs, and fail-safes.
A VM specification could provide transparent performance and resource tracking, verifiability of model output, and enable potential formal proof capabilities for trust.

Framework actually did it: I upgraded a laptop’s entire GPU in just three minutes

www.theverge.com • Aug 29, 2025

On Tuesday, I told you how the modular computer company Framework was finally fulfilling its promise of the "holy grail for gamers" - a laptop with mo...

TL;DR

Framework successfully demonstrated its modular upgrade system for laptops, allowing users to easily swap out their laptop's GPU in under 3 minutes.

Key Takeaways:

The modular system allows for easy swap-out of laptops' GPUs with no technical expertise required.
Framework partnered with Nvidia to create an upgrade that fits and works in an existing laptop, a first for the industry.
The system is expected to become more mainstream, with Framework aiming to deliver future upgrades without being niche.

Dissecting the Apple M1 GPU, the end

rosenzweig.io • Aug 27, 2025

Article URL: https://rosenzweig.io/blog/asahi-gpu-part-n.html Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45034537 Points: 541 # Comments: 110...

TL;DR

The Apple M1 GPU has been fully reverse-engineered and open-sourced, enabling Linux users to run their preferred OS on Apple devices with almost all hardware working.

Key Takeaways:

A team led by Hector Martin and other open-source developers reverse-engineered the Apple M1 GPU, paving the way for Linux to run natively on Apple devices.
The project, Asahi Linux, now offers full graphics acceleration, including wireless and audio capabilities, and is capable of running Proton gaming with Direct3D 12 support.
The work done on the M1 GPU has demonstrated the possibility of running conformant OpenGL, OpenGL ES, OpenCL, and Vulkan drivers on Apple platforms.

Framework is working on a giant haptic touchpad, Trackpoint nub, and eGPU for its laptops

www.theverge.com • Aug 26, 2025

Today, Framework announced the second-gen Framework Laptop 16 with two industry firsts: the first Nvidia graphics card upgrade you can perform at home...

TL;DR

Framework announces plans to develop a wide haptic touchpad, eGPU for reuse of GPU modules, and other upgrades for its laptops, while showcasing second-gen Framework Laptop 16 with upgradeable Nvidia graphics and 240W laptop charging over USB-C.

Key Takeaways:

Framework is working on a wide haptic touchpad similar to Apple's MacBooks.
An eGPU for reuse of GPU modules is in development, targeting makers and potentially requiring 3D printing.
The second-gen Framework Laptop 16 includes upgradeable Nvidia graphics and 240W laptop charging over USB-C.

Framework is now selling the first gaming laptop that lets you easily upgrade its GPU — with Nvidia’s blessing

www.theverge.com • Aug 26, 2025

Framework CEO Nirav Patel said he would deliver "the holy grail for gamers" with the Framework Laptop 16. In 2023, he suggested it'd be the first cons...

TL;DR

Framework announces the second-gen Framework Laptop 16, which features an upgradable GPU from both AMD and NVIDIA, promising the promise of a laptop that can be upgraded year after year.

Key Takeaways:

The new Framework Laptop 16 will ship with a mobile Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 8GB that can be swapped in as little as two minutes, with a 30 to 40 percent uplift in performance compared to the original AMD Radeon RX 7700S.
The laptop will also support up to four simultaneous displays, including the internal screen, and has four USB-C ports that can support 240W power input.
Framework is taking preorders for the new laptop starting at $1,499 and will also release the new GPU and other upgrades as individual components for the existing Framework Laptop 16.

IBM and AMD Join Forces to Build the Future of Computing

newsroom.ibm.com • Aug 26, 2025

Companies aim to merge AI accelerators, quantum computers, and high-performance computing to help solve a wide range of the world's most difficult pro...

TL;DR

IBM and AMD join forces to develop next-generation computing architectures based on the combination of quantum computers and high-performance computing.

Key Takeaways:

IBM and AMD are collaborating on scalable, open-source platforms for quantum-centric supercomputing, leveraging IBM's quantum computers and AMD's high-performance computing and AI accelerators.
The joint effort aims to tackle real-world problems at unprecedented speed and scale, leveraging the strengths of quantum and classical computing paradigms.
The partnership could help progress IBM's vision to deliver fault-tolerant quantum computers by the end of this decade, leveraging AMD's real-time error correction capabilities.

Plaud upgrades its card-sized AI note-taker with better range

www.theverge.com • Aug 27, 2025

Plaud, the company behind an AI wearable that actually works, is launching an upgraded version of its credit card-sized note-taking device. Just like ...

The future of AI hardware isn’t one device — it’s an entire ecosystem

www.theverge.com • Aug 29, 2025

I dream of a gadget that can do it all. Instead, when I leave for the office, I pack one or two phones, a portable battery bank, a laptop, a Kindle, a...

TL;DR

Google bets on a diverse ecosystem of AI hardware, rather than a single all-powerful device, to unlock ambient computing and make people's lives easier.

Key Takeaways:

Google views the future of AI hardware as a diverse set of accessories that work together in a personalized way, rather than a single dominant device.
The company is experimenting with various form factors, including wearables, earbuds, and smart glasses, to see what works best.
The goal is to create a seamless, ambient computing experience that anticipates users' needs and makes their lives easier, but this approach may lead to increased gadget clutter.