South Korean multinational electronics corporation Samsung Electronics announced the 990 PRO, Samsung’s high-performance nonvolatile memory express (NVMe) SSD based on PCIe 4.0.
In a statement, Samsung Electronics said 990 PRO is optimised for graphically demanding games and other extensive tasks such as 3D rendering, 4K video editing, and data analysis, with lightning-fast speeds and superior power efficiency.
“With continuing innovations in gaming, 4K and 8K technology, as well as AI-driven applications, consumers’ need for high-performance storage is growing exponentially. The 990 PRO provides an optimal balance of speed, power efficiency and reliability, making it an ideal choice for avid gamers and creative professionals seeking uninterrupted work and play,” Samsung Electronics’s Memory Brand Product Biz Team Vice President KyuYoung Lee stated.
Featuring Samsung’s latest V-NAND and a new proprietary controller, Samsung said the 990 PRO series offers the highest speed available from the PCIe 4.0 interface. The company stated that the SSD provides subsequent read and write speeds of up to 7,450 Megabytes per second (MB/s) and 6,900 MB/s, while random read and write speeds come in at up to 1,400K and 1,550 IOPS.
The 990 PRO also brings faster loading times to PCs and consoles for a more immersive gaming experience, the company added.
According to Samsung, their newly developed controller, built on a low-power architect, significantly boosts the SSD’s power efficiency by up to 50 per cent compared to the 980 PRO. The company added that the 990 PRO also uses a nickel coating on the controller and a heat spreader label on the drive for thermal management. Samsung’s Dynamic Thermal Guard technology further ensures that the drive’s temperature stays in the optimal range.
Meanwhile, the 990 PRO with Heatsink version provides an additional layer of thermal control while its RGB lights add more style to the drive.
Samsung said the 990 PRO is an outstanding solution for laptop and desktop upgrades and build-your-own PCs as it provides a significant performance boost while using less power for increased battery life and thermal management.
The 990 PRO will be available starting October 2022, while a version with a 4TB capacity will become available next year.
3D printing technology company Carbon has announced the acquisition of ParaMatter, a software provider for additive manufacturing.
In a statement, Carbon said topology optimisation is now a part of Carbon’s existing software capabilities thanks to the acquisition. Carbon’s technology platform is now expanding to allow product design and development teams to produce better products in less time using a wide range of materials and production systems.
Carbon said the acquisition addresses manufacturing gaps, including limitations of traditional manufacturing processes and constraints in the product development cycle caused by the lack of modern design software that can take advantage of the benefits of additive manufacturing. According to Carbon, it also expands the company’s generative design software capabilities to enable increased automation and the creation of more complex, higher-performance part designs. Carbon added that these benefits build on the introduction of Design Engine™ earlier in the year, which global brands use to automate the process of developing latticed parts of production.
“We recognise the critical role software design tools play in our customers’ digital transformation. For far too long, the designers have settled for software design tools that adhere to the limitations of traditional manufacturing. Many design tools of yesterday are not optimised to take advantage of industry innovations, including advanced 3D printing materials and manufacturing processes. Both Carbon and ParaMatters have shared the same vision to provide modern tools to ensure product development teams can create better products in less time,” said Phil DeSimone, co-founder and member of the Office of the CEO at Carbon.
According to Craig Carlson, Chief of Technology Officer and member of the Office of the CEO at Carbon, software is the foundation of Carbon’s idea-to-production platform, and they believe that ParaMatters’ generative design capabilities are a vital expansion of Carbon’s design software.
ParaMatters Chairman and CEO Robert Yusin stated that the ParaMatters team is proud of the software they’ve built to advance additive manufacturing.
Intel highlights the most recent architectural and packaging innovations that enable 2.5D and 3D tile-based chip designs at Hot Chips 34, ushering in a new era in chipmaking and propelling Moore’s Law forward for years to come.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger shared the company’s path for continuing its pursuit of more powerful compute, providing details from across the company’s upcoming portfolio.
“Combined with other advances like RibbonFET, PowerVia, High NA lithography and developments with 2.5D and 3D packaging, we have an aspiration to move from 100 billion transistors on a package today to 1 trillion by 2030. There has never been a better — to be a technologist. We must all be ambassadors for the crucial role semiconductors play in life today,” Gelsinger said.
In a statement, Intel stated the industry is entering a new golden age of semiconductors, an era in chipmaking which requires a shift from the traditional foundry model mindset to a systems foundry. According to the company, Intel’s systems foundry model integrates advanced packaging, an open chiplet ecosystem, and software components to assemble and deliver systems in a package that meets the world’s demand for compute power and fully immersive digital experiences. Intel said the company is also addressing industry demand by continuing to advance process technology and tile-based design.
Intel also previewed product architectures from next-generation technologies such as Meteor Lake processor, Arrow Lake processor, Lunar Lake processor, Ponte Vecchio, Xeon D-2700 and 1700 series, and FPGA technology.
According to Intel, Meteor Lake, Arrow Lake, and Lunar Lake processors will revolutionise personal computers with tile-based chip designs that increase manufacturing, power, and performance efficiencies. It is accomplished by stacking discrete CPU, GPU, SoC, and I/O tiles in 3D configurations using Intel’s Foveros interconnect technology. Intel said the platform transformation is bolstered by industry support for the open Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCleTM) specification, which allows chiplet designed and manufactured on different technologies by different vendors to work together when integrated with advanced packaging technologies.
The Intel Data Center GPU, code-named Ponte Vecchio, was built to address compute density across high-performance computing (HPC) and AI supercomputing workloads. According to Intel, it fully utilises Intel’s open software model, using OneAPI to simplify API abstractions and cross-architecture programming. Ponte Vecchio is made up of several complex designs that manifest in tiles, linked together by a combination of embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB) and Foveros advanced packaging technologies. Intel said the high-speed MDFI interconnect enables the package to scale up to two stacks, allowing a single package to contain over 10 billion transistors.
According to Intel, the Xeon D-2700 and 1700 series are designed to address edge use cases for 5G, IoT, enterprise, and cloud applications, with particular consideration to the power and space constraints typical in many real-world implementations. Intel stated that it features cutting-edge compute cores, 100G Ethernet with flexible packet processor, inline crypto acceleration, time coordinated computing (TCC), time-sensitive networking (TSN), and built-in optimisation for AI processes.
Meanwhile, Intel said the FPGA technology remains a powerful and flexible tool for hardware acceleration, with particular promise for radio frequency (RF) applications. Intel has discovered new efficiencies by combining digital and analogue chiplets and chiplets from different process nodes and foundries, reducing development time and maximising flexibility for developers.
Telstra announced their partnership with construction companies Ventia and Fulton Hogan to help build some critical parts of their national fibre optic network.
In a statement, Telstra described its national fibre optic network as 250,000km long and ran across major cities, regional hubs, and remote towns, connecting communities and businesses to the rest of the world with satellite infrastructure and linking their subsea cables.
Earlier this year, Telstra embarked on a five-year journey to boost Australia’s fibre network – improving its size, reach, and bandwidth.
According to Telstra, Ventia will be involved in the first phase of the building program, which will focus on links between Melbourne and Sydney, and Sydney to Wilmington in South Australia. Meanwhile, the company said Fulton Hogan would focus on links between Melbourne and Adelaide, Adelaide and Perth, and Perth to Wilmington in South Australia.
What’s unique about Telstra’s fibre project, according to them, is that each fibre route features a dual cable network. In order to meet the needs of their customers who require point-to-point dark fibre over lengthy distances, the first cable will be an express (inter-city) direct fibre network between capital cities. Additionally, the second cable will offer connectivity via a break-out and access points to regional locations and centres.
Meanwhile, the fibre-optic cables were designed by Prysmian to withstand harsh Australian conditions.
Telstra said Prysmian’s cables house ultra-high capacity, low-latency fibre with whopping transmission rates of 650Gbps, and enable an even more impressive express connectivity between capital cities up to 55Tbps per fibre capacity.
According to the company, the network’s capability has attracted Microsoft as an anchor tenant for their vast cloud infrastructure. For Microsoft, Telstra stated, more bandwidth and reduced latency will help provide the best possible experiences for customers connecting on Microsoft Teams, businesses that rely on the cloud, and its Xbox community.
The project is part of Telstra’s T25 transformation goal for InfraCo to deliver profitable growth and value by improving their infrastructure’s access, utilisation, and scale.
In a statement, Rackspace Technology said the company was named a Leader in the 2022 ISG Provider Lens – Microsoft Ecosystems Partners Quadrant Report U.S. for its Cloud services which focused on managed Services for Azure and its long-standing reputation in the market. According to the company, the Rackspace Technology customer relationship gives customers access to a pod, or group of nine architects and cloud engineers, who work as an extension to the customers’ teams as they evolve to cloud-native, allowing the company to achieve the Leader position.
ISG, a leading global technology research and advisory firm, and the ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant reports provide detailed data and market analysis of leading service providers to guide enterprise buyers in selecting the appropriate sourcing partners.
Rackspace Technology stated that the 2022 ISG Provider Lens – Microsoft Ecosystems Partners Quadrant Report U.S. focuses on what ISG considers to be the most critical in 2022 for the five key areas of the Microsoft ecosystem in the United States: Managed Services for Azure, Microsoft 365 Services, SAP on Azure Services, Dynamics 365 Services, and Power Platform Services.
Ultimate Ears, a brand of Logitech, has expanded its lineup of portable Bluetooth speakers. The expansion includes the release of WONDERBOOM 3 and a new colour for HYPERBOOM.
WONDERBOOM 3
Made with 100 per cent polyester fabric and a minimum of certified 31 per cent post-consumer recycled plastics, Logitech said Ultra Ears WONDERBOOM 3 is an ultraportable speaker with 360° sound and an audio quality that lasts up to 14 hours with a full-stereo boom. According to Logitech, the speaker also has an IP67 rating which means it is waterproof, dustproof, and floats.
WONDERBOOM 3 will come in four colours at its launch: Joyous Bright (Grey), Hyper Pink, Performance Blue, and Active Black. The speaker also features 40 metres (or 131 feet) of Bluetooth range and a handy loop so users can take it everywhere. Two wireless WONDERBOOM 3 can also be paired up for an even bigger sound.
HYPERBOOM
HYPERBOOM also received an upgrade with an all-new white version. According to Logitech, HYPERBOOM offers a wide dynamic range and a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 24 hours. Logitech added that the speaker also supports four input sources – two Bluetooth, one 3.5 mm auxiliary, and one optical audio – so users can play music from their phones, laptop, or gaming console.
Logitech said HYPERBOOM received an IPX4 rating which means it is resistant to water splashes from any direction. Users can also use the speaker as a phone charger by plugging it into HYPERBOOM’s USB charge-out port, and with the use of One-Touch Music Control, users can play, pause, and skip tracks directly on the speaker.
“These speakers are beloved for a reason. Not only do they have incredible sound, they make music a social, shared experience – and now with the recycled materials used in WONDERBOOM 3, we’re taking steps to reduce the product’s carbon footprint,” Ultimate Ears General Manager Jonah Staw said.
Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 3 will be released in August 2022 in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and in January 2023 in Latin America. Meanwhile, the HYPERBOOM white SKU will be available in select countries beginning in September 2022.
GIGABYTE Z690 Motherboards Recognized for Design Excellence in Innovation and Visuals
Media Release by AORUS gaming
GIGABYTE motherboards are proven winners with their strong presence in the major international design awards. This year, the prestigious honor again went to GIGABYTE with the Z690 AORUS gaming and AERO creator series motherboards.
A total of five products, including Z690 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE, Z690 AORUS XTREME, Z690 AORUS MASTER, Z690 AERO D, and Z690 AERO G, have won the Red Dot and iF Design Awards respectively, once again demonstrating GIGABYTE’s profound design capabilities in PC hardware.
With their robust power delivery, top-notch thermal solution, versatile expandability, and exclusive memory overclocking, GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS gaming series motherboards lead the class in every aspect, providing a perfect foundation for pairing with the powerful Intel’s latest-gen processors. In terms of aesthetics, the AORUS family further stands out among numerous competitions with a series of sophisticated exteriors and modern design languages.
The Red Dot Design Award also recognized GIGABYTE’s innovative motherboard design for the third consecutive year. This year, the winners are the two creator-focused Z690 AERO series motherboards. Unlike conventional design that is primarily dark, the AERO series motherboards’ white and clean look is eye-catching, while ideal for distinct, white-themed PC builds. The exclusive VisionLINK, which combines power supply and transmission through a single transmission cable, can significantly improve creators’ productivity.
To celebrate the Z690 series motherboards’ success and recognition, GIGABYTE is hosting the ‘GIGABYTE Design Week 2022’ campaign with an international giveaway. Join now and vote for your favorite award-winning product for a chance to take it home! For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/DESIGNWEEK2022
Lenovo PCCW Solutions Limited began operations today, the first day of the new strategic collaboration between Lenovo Group and PCCW aimed at capitalising on the estimated US$320 billion Asia IT services market.
The new company offers one-stop customer solutions that connect IT services, devices, and digital infrastructure, empowering customers to transform their businesses and operations with technology – from managing complex integrations to boosting competitiveness through innovative applications.
Lenovo PCCW Solutions Limited will benefit from Lenovo’s global footprint in over 180 markets, extensive portfolio of end-to-end solutions, robust innovation heritage, and strong go-to-market and delivery skills as a result of the agreement.
“The partnership marks an important milestone in Lenovo’s service-led transformation journey since the formation of our Solutions and Services Group, as it bolsters the company’s capabilities to drive leadership in IT solutions. The synergy of capabilities and talents across the two organisations will help the new company grow in reach and competitiveness in markets across the Asia Pacific region,” Lenovo Executive Vice President and Lenovo Solutions and Services Group President Ken Wong said.
International Data Corporation (IDC) has ranked PCCW Solutions first in Systems Integration and Custom Application Development in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) for eight consecutive years. Lenovo PCCW Solutions Limited builds on PCCW Solutions’ reputation as one of the region’s premier IT services providers. The 4,000 IT specialists will continue to work directly with clients to help them thrive in a more complex and fast-changing technology landscape.
“This strategic partnership is a unique opportunity to accelerate the growth of our IT solutions business in the region. The new company, Lenovo PCCW Solutions, enables our customers to call upon a diverse wealth of skills, expertise, and go-to-market capabilities across Lenovo Solutions and Services Group. We are excited to embark on this growth journey, which enables us to expand our skillset, footprint, and solutions portfolio. With the combined strengths of our highly skilled talent, we look forward to contributing further to smart city development in the region,” Lenovo PCCW Solutions CEO Jerry Li said.
Market data estimates the Asia IT services market would be valued at around US$320 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of over 10 per cent predicted to surpass US$470 billion by 2026. Lenovo PCCW Solutions is perfectly positioned to capitalise on market growth possibilities.
The Reserve Bank and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) are collaborating on a project to explore use cases for a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in Australia.
Central banks, including the Reserve Bank, have conducted extensive research into the viability and potential technological design of CBDC, focusing on the potential usage of cutting-edge technologies like distributed ledger technology. The use cases for a CBDC and the possible economic benefits of implementing one are issues that have gotten less attention to date, particularly in nations like Australia that already have quite contemporary and efficient payment and settlement systems.
“This project is an important next step in our research on CBDC. We are looking forward to engaging with a wide range of industry participants to better understand the potential benefits a CBDC could bring to Australia,” Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Michele Bullock said.
The project entails the creation of a pilot CBDC on a small scale that will function in a ring-fenced environment for some time and is intended to involve a pilot CBDC that is a legitimate claim on the Reserve Bank.
Interested industry partners will be invited to develop specific use cases illustrating how a CBDC could be used to give innovative and value-added payment and settlement services to households and businesses. Based on their potential to offer insights into the potential advantages of a CBDC, the Bank and the DFCRC will choose various use cases to take part in the trial. A report on the project’s findings will be published. It will contribute to ongoing research into the desirability and feasibility of a CBDC in Australia.
“CBDC is no longer a question of technological feasibility. The key research questions now are what economic benefits a CBDC could enable, and how it could be designed to maximise those benefits,” DFCRC CEO Dr. Andreas Furche said.
The Australian Treasury is participating as a member of the project’s steering committee as part of a joint effort with the Reserve Bank to explore the feasibility of a CBDC in Australia.
A paper explaining the project’s objectives and approach in more detail and how industry participants can be involved will be published in the coming months.
Yahoo reinforced its commitment to innovation, fueled by immersive adtech and performance driven solutions at its 2022 APAC Growth Summit. Following last year’s successful Yahoo APAC Growth Summit live stream, the two-day virtual event was held on May 26 and 27, 2022. With a theme around “Inspire to Win”, the showcase brought together 24 industry leaders from around the world to fuel the audience’s digital strategies for 2022 and beyond.
Inspiring a Winning Region – APAC
“In 2022 and beyond, we are laser focused on driving value creation through our brands, adtech and search products,” said Yahoo’s Chief Executive Officer, Jim Lanzone. Sharing his excitement and reinforcing Yahoo’s transformation to growth, new Head of Yahoo APAC, Paul Sigaloff, said, “Our reimagined Yahoo is set to reshape the industry by pairing the premium content from brands you know and love with continued investment in our market-leading ad tech. Think of this as Transformational Growth. It’s People First, Partnership Always, Performance Now.” He added, “While Yahoo is a truly global business we also appreciate every region and every country is unique. The wonderfully diverse APAC region is proof of that and we’re taking great care to ensure we build products which are able to offer you what you need, wherever you are.”
Inspiring Advertising of Tomorrow
Talking about the ‘big trends’ taking shape in digital advertising, Yahoo’s Chief Business Officer, Iván Markmansaid, “The first is the urgent need for identity solutions in a cookieless world. The second is Advanced TV acceleration, with measurement at the forefront. And the third is access to commerce that is anytime, anywhere, around the world.”
Simon Halstead, VP Exchanges and Supply International at Yahoo tackled the timeless challenge of siloed channels. As an end-to-end, full-stack technology partner, Yahoo can uniquely support advertisers and publishers in unlocking the full value of their content and marketing, while putting consumer experiences and privacy first. He added, “The single platform – Yahoo Exchange – offers a direct, premium and transparent platform for buyers to access top publishers at scale, with a focus on premium content. The Ad Exchange centralizes our premium owned and operated ad inventory and partner supply.”
Such transparency and access are also prevalent in both supply- and demand-side platforms thanks to Yahoo’s huge media properties, premium exclusive inventory and tech that powers advertisers and publishers to find the right audience. John McNerney, Senior Director of Platform, Yahoo APAC, noted that in a world of increasing complexity, our tech is designed to make things easier for advertisers by joining the dots for the complete customer journey, from offline to online, in one place. This has created what we call an omnichannel marketing experience. We believe that for marketers, trust is built on simplicity. The Yahoo DSP is designed to drive unmatched performance across every digital screen, while providing that single-view of the consumer journey. The growth of Advanced TV and Digital Out of Home allows us to put brands where they haven’t been before.
Dan Richardson, Head of Data, Yahoo APAC, said, “Right now we’re at the biggest crossroads this industry has faced with increasing scrutiny on data, how it’s gathered and used. It’s all about consent. Users must willingly hand over their data. To get them to do this, you must have a direct and trusted relationship with them.” Yahoo Connect ID matches our logged in users directly to advertiser’s customer profiles. All data is encrypted and ready to scale. In addition, Next Gen Audiencesis another identity-less solution that looks at all the contextual device based and anonymous data signals we observe everyday. To date, he said Yahoo shows a significant 39% increase in average impressions and 20% increase in clicks in these identity-less environments.
Digital Immersion with the Rise of Metaverse & NFT and Unlocking the Creativity of the next-gen Internet
Albeit the recent astronomical popularity of NFT and the metaverse, Yahoo has been a trailblazer of virtual production: namely, its long investment in XR studios across the world that offer exceptional 3D experiences to complement consumers’ 2D consumption habits. Our Chief Business Officer, DJ Ivan has made his first metaverse DJ performance debut in Yahoo ElectricCity in Decentraland filled with multisensory experiences as an exclusive showcase!
Mark Melling, International Head of Yahoo’s RYOT Studios shared the brilliant cases that have shook traditional industries, Yahoo’s vanguard partnerships with British retailer Selfridges and Scottish whisky label Monkey Shoulder as well as the myriad ways in which the metaverse will be more than an extension of reality. Mark added, “Last month a Razorfish study found that 52% of Gen Z gamers say they feel more like themselves in the metaverse than in real life.”
“As we step into the next gen internet, the next wave of digital shoppability is here. Customers want personalization. Yahoo research indicates 86% of Gen Z expect their digital experiences and interactions with brands online to be seamless, innovative and enhance their real world,” added Roger Li, Senior Director of Ad Creative of Yahoo APAC Creative Studio.
Citing a local example from Hong Kong is Matthew Chan – Head of Sales, Yahoo Hong Kong & China – and Lance Tsang, Associate Ecommerce Director of ITeSHOP. Dubbed the ITeSHOP SS21 GIGON Campaign, the week-long sales event married the efficacy of Yahoo’s full spectrum of ad tech ranging from content commerce and real-time dynamic ad integration with a seamless digital out-of-home ad placement on bus shelters in locations frequented by high net-worth spenders. The QR code-helmed DOOH brought interested shoppers back to the ecommerce site for an O2O experience. With omnichannel marketing, viewers of ITeSHOP outdoor ads were retargeting when they were online, this ensures campaign optimisation throughout the consumer journey.
Inspiring Business of Tomorrow – Sustainability, Diversity, Equality & Inclusion
For Yahoo, growth is not limited to business and technology but also spans the workplace. Elizabeth Herbst-Brady, VP, Head of Global Revenue and Client Solutions, Yahoo, expressed that it is an exciting and important time to be passionate and focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. She added, “COVID has revealed the depth of the challenge, women leaving the workforce in droves, along with health challenges and childcare issues and other struggles. At Yahoo, beyond the official policies like hybrid work, location flexibility, I also try to elevate issues such as anti-bias and pay equality through education programs and rooting compensation discussions in data.”
Joined Yahoo in March 2022, Alicin Reidy-Williamson, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Yahoo has made her first appearance in APAC. Her vision on diversity and inclusion in Yahoo is to offer the same experience to employees as to partners and clients. Alicin added, “The really key piece of D,E&I is to recognize and think about it as an opportunity. Diversity and inclusion is important whenever there are humans. Often people think of it as a challenge or problem to fix. In fact, if we are able to lean on it and get this right, we will all win. To understand other people’s experiences, educate ourselves and maximize opportunities that we have with each other will make us all smarter.”
During the month of mental wellness awareness, it’s especially meaningful through honest conversations of industry leaders in the region, it’s possible to take productive steps towards destigmatizing employee wellbeing and thus people’s growth. It’s critical now or never to take a people-first holistic approach, creating safe-space to enable deeper interactions and making it everyone’s responsibility. If the industry comes together to find longer term solutions, it’s possible to set people and businesses up for success.
Yahoo APAC Growth Summit 2022 was live streamed on May 26 and 27, 2022 in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and India followed by Taiwan on Jun 14 and 15. At this Summit, we are setting the stage for how we will shape tomorrow. APAC advertisers and partners can hear about our latest product innovations and what’s next as we accelerate for 2022 and beyond. The 2-day, 160 minutes program is archived on Yahoo TV and Yahoo AdTech site.
Yahoo is a global media and tech company that reaches nearly 900 million people around the world, bringing them closer to finance, sports, shopping, gaming and news—with the trusted products, content and tech that fuel their day. For partners, we provide a full-stack platform for businesses to amplify growth and drive more meaningful connections across advertising, search and media. To learn more, please visit yahooinc.com,.
