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Nearly three weeks after Google killed Discord music bot Groovy, another one is set to bite the dust later this month. It's my personal favourite that's on the chopping block this time, with the Rythm bot set to shut down on September 15. It's one of Discord's most po[CENSORED]r rhythm bots, being installed on around 20 million Discord servers and around 30 million active monthly users. It worked the same as Groovy, with users able to feed the bot YouTube links which could then be played to everybody in a voice channel. Now just like Groovy, Rythm's developer has been sent a cease and desist by Google. "One way or another we knew this was due to happen eventually," Rythm's creator Yoav told The Verge. "Which is why we started working on something new a year ago. Groovy receiving one just meant it would happen sooner rather than later." See more Rythm's new project was briefly touched upon in a post on its official website announcing its imminent closure, writing "we can't tell you too much yet, but we're working on something awesome in the music space." It sounds like an alternative may be in the works, one that most likely won't rely on YouTube videos and circumventing Google's ads. RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU... Please close pop-out player to resume playback. video playingThe PC Gamer Show 182: Half-Life: Alyx revealed, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Google Stadia The PC Gamer Show 112: Destiny 2's XP confusion,... 30/11/17The PC Gamer Show 112: Destiny 2's XP confusion, the best game music of 2017, and listener Q&A PC Gamer Top 100 2021 - Highlights & Showcases 13/09/21PC Gamer Top 100 2021 - Highlights & Showcases Far Cry 6 Hands-On Preview | PC Gamer 31/08/21Far Cry 6 Hands-On Preview | PC Gamer Best Settings for Naraka Bladepoint | PC Gamer 25/08/21Best Settings for Naraka Bladepoint | PC Gamer Steam Deck Hands-On Discussion | PC Gamer 13/08/21Steam Deck Hands-On Discussion | PC Gamer With two of Discord's most po[CENSORED]r music bots now out of commission, Yaov reckons others will see similar notices from Google over the coming weeks. "I believe that now we received the letter, all music bots will be getting them too in the following weeks and I strongly believe all of them will shut down," Yaov continued to The Verge. "As someone that was a very early user on Discord, it's hard to envision Discord without music bots. They've become key to the experience and bring so much fun and engagement to a community. It's a sad end of an era here for everyone on the platform." Music bots really do feel like a big part of Discord's culture. Rythm regularly ends up in whatever voice channel I'm hanging out in, and even if I'm not actively listening to it, it's a nice tool to have. But Discord is expanding beyond its gaming roots, and its increasing po[CENSORED]rity means it's no surprise that big companies like Google are starting to take notice of what goes on within its communities. Regardless, it's hard not to wonder and be worried about what the future of Discord looks like. Mollie Taylor Mollie Taylor A fresh writer in the industry, Mollie has been taken under PC Gamer's RGB-laden wing, making sure she doesn't get up to too much mischief on the site. She's not quite sure what a Command & Conquer is, but she can rattle on for hours about all the obscure rhythm games and strange MMOs from the 2000s. She's been cooking up all manner of news, previews and features while she's been here, but especially enjoys when she gets to write about Final Fantasy, Persona, The Sims, and whatever other game she's currently hopelessly fixated on. There's a good chance she's boring another PC Gamer writer about her latest obsession as we speak.

At its annual Zoomtopia event, Zoom announced its plans to bring a number of innovations and new features to its video conferencing platform to help kick off the next era of communications. One such feature that users of the company's video conferencing software have been eagerly awaited is live translation and transcription. With the addition of real-time, automated translation as well as an expansion of Zoom's existing live transcription feature, Zoom meetings will become even more inclusive and the company also revealed that support for multiple languages will be coming next year. Hybrid and remote workforces rely on collaboration tools to be efficient and productive which is why Zoom plans to further expand access to Zoom Whiteboard. The company's whiteboard will act as a digital canvas that enables seamless, real-time and asynchronous collaboration. Zoom users will also have the ability to interact with the whiteboard in a way that is similar to an in-person experience to create more visually engaging and efficient meetings. We've compiled a list of the best video conferencing software These are the best online collaboration tools on the market Also check out our roundup of the best business webcams Zoom also revealed new details on its hot desking solution that will be available later this year. Once this feature launches, employees will be able to reserve desks and spaces in their offices suing an interactive map and with easy authentication, they'll be able to bring their personal Zoom experience to any Zoom Room or Zoom Phone appliance. RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU... Please close pop-out player to resume playback. video playingXiaomi Mi 11 | Everything you need to know Galaxy... 26/01/21Galaxy S21 | Everything you need to know Galaxy... 26/01/21Galaxy S21 Ultra | Everything you need to know IPhone... 24/12/20IPhone 12 Pro | Everything you need to know in 1 minute AirPods... 24/12/20AirPods Max | Everything you need to know in 1 minute PS5... 14/12/20PS5 | Everything you need to know in 1 minute Video voicemails and continuous collaboration As part of its future plans, Zoom aims to ensure that Meetings, Chat, Webinars and Phone all work together as one unified communications solution with the ability to easily navigate between them. To accomplish this, Zoom Chat Huddle View has the potential to provide a visual layout of channels to give teams a sense of connectedness when working from home. Channel members will be able to choose a virtual background of their choice, chat, see who is in the channel and quickly identify if they are busy or available to bring teams together in a whole new way. Zoom also wants to put its own spin on voicemail with Zoom Phone Video Voicemails. This new feature is designed to provide a more personable alternative to standard voicemails with the ability to leave video messages for colleagues right in their voicemail inbox. Continuous collaboration is another new feature the company is working on to make it easier to collaborate across tools with tighter integrations across the Zoom platform and third parties. With these planned enhancements, users will be able to share files, recordings and chats from Zoom Meetings to Zoom Chat for easy reference and to collaborate on documents without having to leave the zoom client. Zoom has laid out its plans for the future but we'll have to wait and see if the company is able to deliver on them at a time when more employees have begun to forego video calls for in-person meetings in the office. We've also rounded up all the gear you'll need to work from home successfully

Provantage (via Harukaze5719), a retailer in the U.S., has listed pricing for Intel's 12th Generation Alder Lake K-series processors. Alder Lake will be the first hybrid x86 desktop chips on a mainstream platform, and given the competitive price listings, they certainly look like they'll compete with AMD's Ryzen 5000 chips for a spot on our list of Best CPUs for Gaming. Although Provantage is a reputable store, we recommend you approach the pricing with caution. Alder Lake won't debut until Fall 2021, so Provantage's pricing could just be a placeholder. However, the prices do fall in line with the listings from another retailer, so they could be a very good indication of how Intel could price the heterogeneous processors. Provantage listed the Core i9-12900K, Core i7-12700K, Core i5-12600K, and their corresponding KF-series counterparts. The KF models come with a $26 to $27 discount, so that's seemingly what Intel's Gen12 Xe graphics is worth. That's not a huge surprise, considering that Alder Lake has been rumored to retain the Xe-LP graphics engine that's inside Intel's Tiger Lake chips, but with up to 32 EUs. Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake Pricing Processor Boxed Pricing Tray Pricing Base / Boost Clocks (GHz) L3 Cache (MB) TDP (W) Boxed PN Tray PN Core i9-12900K $604.89 $605.92 3.2 / 5.2 30 125 BX8071512900K CM8071504549230 Core i9-12900KF $578.13 $578.49 3.2 / 5.2 30 125 BX8071512900KF CM8071504549231 Core i7-12700K $422.17 $420.26 3.6 / 5.0 25 125 BX8071512700K CM8071504553828 Core i7-12700KF $395.61 $392.36 3.6 / 5.0 25 125 BX8071512700KF CM8071504553829 Core i5-12600K $288.77 $283.59 3.7 / 4.9 20 125 BX8071512600K CM8071504555227 Core i5-12600KF $261.77 $263.15 3.7 / 4.9 20 125 BX8071512600KF CM8071504555228 Provantage has the Core i9-12900K, and Core i9-12900KF listed at $604.89 and $578.13, respectively. The pricing looks modest compared to another retailer that posted the same processors for $705 and $674, respectively. However, if we look at the current Rocket Lake lineup, the Core i9-11900K and Core i9-11900KF sell for $549 and $529, respectively. Apparently, the Alder Lake equivalents carry a $55 and $49 premium. Pricing-wise, the Core i9 models compete with the Ryzen 9 5900X, which has a $549 MSRP. However, AMD's chip features 12 Zen 3 cores with SMT, and while the Core i9-12900K has 16 cores in total, only eight are high-performance Golden Cove cores. So it'll be interesting to see how Golden Cove stacks up to Zen 3 with a four-core disadvantage. Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake (Image credit: Provantage) The Core i7-12700K and Core i7-12700KF, on the other hand, might cost $422.17 and $395.61, respectively. For comparison, the other retailer listed them for $495 and $464, respectively. The Core i7-11700K and Core i7-11700KF are available for $409 and $384, respectively, so we're looking at a price increase between $11 and $13, which sounds reasonable. The only Zen 3 chip in that price range is the Ryzen 7 5800X that debuted at $449. This might be a fair fight as the Core i7 SKU is rumored to rock eight Golden Cove cores, and the Ryzen 7 5800X has eight Zen 3 cores. The Core i5-12600K and Core i5-12600KF will likely be the favorite SKUs for gamers. The first may carry a $288.77 price tag, while the latter is priced at $261.77. Again, Provantage's pricing is lower than the other U.S. retailer that listed the Core i5-12600K for $343 and the Core i5-12600KF for $312. The Core i5-11600K and Core i5-11600KF typically go for $272 and $247, respectively. With Alder Lake, it's a $16 higher price tag on the former and a $14 premium on the latter.

DETROIT — Jason Stein, the outgoing publisher of Automotive News, has been named president and corporate development officer of Motormindz automotive consulting firm. Stein, 49, will be in charge of expanding the company's global presence and launching its venture fund, Motormindz said in statement Monday. He leaves Automotive News on Wednesday after 18 years at the publication, the past eight as publisher. "Jason Stein brings a wealth of experience to the team and he will play an integral role in driving our own transformation, creating a 2.0 version of ourselves," Jeff Van Dongen, Motormindz founder and CEO, said in the statement. On Aug. 24, Stein said he was leaving Automotive News to host SiriusXM's "Cars & Culture with Jason Stein," a weekly radio show, and to launch his own global media services and broadcasting platform. The Motormindz positions will come in addition to those roles. Motormindz, of Troy, Mich., comprises 120 executive-level, subject-matter experts in 32 countries. They are focused on solving challenges for automakers, suppliers, dealers and technology providers.

Many of us are familiar with the feeling of feeling dizzy while lying down on bed and then standing up suddenly. There are also times when one experiences dizziness that disrupts their balance. Why does it happen? Dr Pawan Ojha, a senior neurologist at Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi-A Fortis network Hospital, says this could be a sign of ‘vertigo’. “Dizziness might imply vertigo, fainting, poor body balance, or even fits. Vertigo is a type of dizziness where you feel like you are spinning. These feelings may last from a few seconds to days and often worsen with movement,” he says. According to the doctor, vertigo is commonly caused by “disease of the vestibular system”. “The vestibular system inside the inner ear helps in sensing our head position in space relative to the body, and works in an integrated manner with the brain to maintain body position. Vertigo can result from diseases of the vestibular nerve or parts of the brain that deal with body balance.” ALSO READ |Stroke management: Expert suggests alternative therapies How big of a problem is it? The diseases related to the inner ear and its nerve supply are generally considered less worrisome. ‘Benign positional vertigo’ often causes the most severe vertigo but can be treated easily, the doctor says. “Another important cause of vertigo is ‘vestibular neuritis’ which occurs due to viral infection or autoimmune disease of the vestibular nerve, where vertigo, nausea, or vomiting can last up to several days. Meniere’s Disease is caused by a build-up of fluid in the inner ear tubes, causing episodic vertigo with ringing in the ears and hearing loss. The exact cause is unclear, a viral infection, an autoimmune reaction or a genetic component could be the trigger,” explains Dr Ojha. He adds that vertigo that is caused by a brain disease should be considered worrisome and treated on an urgent basis. “Stroke is an important and serious condition causing dizziness. Apart from this, brain infection, multiple sclerosis, hypothyroidism and other biochemical disturbances can cause vertigo even in the absence of fever.” dizziness, what is dizziness, what causes sudden dizziness, vertigo, what is vertigo problem, is vertigo serious, is dizziness serious, seeing a doctor for dizziness, brain health, neurological health, indian express news Vertigo is a type of dizziness where you feel like you are spinning. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock) Warning signs If it is a serious cause of vertigo, signs will include severe headache, persistent vomiting and imbalance, double vision, vision problems, sudden hearing loss, or early signs of brain stroke (weakness or numbness in arm or leg, face drooping to one side, trouble while speaking or swallowing). People who are 60+, with diabetes, hypertension, smoking and history of heart disease or brain stroke, should be extra careful, the doctor warns. ALSO READ |What is Deep Brain Stimulation? Doctor explains the ‘fully-awake’ surgical method for Parkinson’s Disease Special precautions “Limit sodium intake, avoid caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, and tobacco. If diagnosed in time, brain stroke can be efficiently treated with clot busters and/or interventional treatment. If vertigo is caused by another serious problem, such as brain tumor or injury to the brain or neck, surgical treatment might be necessary,” says Dr Ojha.

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WarioWare: Get It Together! (Nintendo Switch) Developer: Nintendo EPD, Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo Released: September 10, 2021 MSRP: $49.99 Mostly together When I played WarioWare, Inc. nearly 20 years ago, I was stunned. Wario had only had a few starring games at that point, including an ill-fated Virtual Boy release: the fact that he was starring in his own potential series had me grinning like an idiot. What really surprised me the most though is how much I got sucked into this new world and cast. While Mario and Luigi are still king of raking the big bucks in, oddballs like 9-Volt and Ashley are also part of the Nintendo canon. WarioWare: Get It Together! reunites us with that crew yet again, but as usual, your mileage may vary. Right after the intro started playing I found myself sucked into the world of WarioWare yet again. WarioWare: Get It Together! is just as weird as past entries, with vibrant cutscenes that showcase just how much personality this cast has. I was also intrigued by the presentation of it all, as Get it Together only allows you to play the story mode (which features solo or two-player co-op play) at first, Kirby Super Star style. Gradually more modes will unlock (more on those later), on top of extra characters to play as. And those characters really are the meat of what makes WarioWare: Get It Together! unique compared to its predecessors. Now you’re playing as those people, all of which have slightly different ways of doing things. So imagine a microgame where you need to shoot a basketball into a hoop. Wario can fly on a jetpack and nudge it in. Young Cricket, who controls a lot like a classic Mario character, can run and jump to score a basket. 9-Volt rides on a skateboard that he can’t stop, and can only fire upward vertically. 18-Volt can’t even move, and will need to shoot a projectile to hit the ball. Each level (which is a series of microgames) asks players to assemble a “crew,” consisting of the new featured character and whomever else you chose (or randoms). I loved this approach because WarioWare: Get It Together! rarely forced me to use options I wasn’t comfortable with for the sake of it; and I ended up forming a crew of “favorites.” As you can imagine, this must have been a pain to program, but it ends up working out. Not every character is equally suited to each task, but there’s a lot of replay value to be had with trying out new characters in different situations. There are limitations, as a few characters are almost exactly the same. In several cases, this is completely intentional and it does make sense. Dribble and Spitz, who are partners and are acquired at the same time, have similar powers (Dribble flies and can only shoot right, while Spitz does the same, only reversed). But across the entire roster, there are additions that can be replaced entirely; and the only reason you might use a downgrade is because of an emotional connection to that crew member. I really wish more was done to differentiate a few characters, because the raw count is fairly high, but similar to “clones” in Warriors games, that number shrinks a bit in practice. As usual, the actual microgames range from exceptional to middling at worst. The beauty of the framework of having players only spend a few seconds on each task and having over 200 of them is that if one is a dud, you’ll rarely see it again, and only for a few moments. In this entry, the nature of changing your crew also ensures that some microgames will need to be handled differently from session to session, which I’m sure was a key part of the initial pitch and may have even greenlit the game on its own. It’s fun while it lasts, but the campaign is very short (under a few hours) and definitely left me wanting more, to the point where I could see why it has a $49.99 price point. More cutscenes, more unique characters, and more ways to facilitate the microgames beyond what the story mode had to offer. Once you’re done, hardcore WarioWare players might like the semi-addicting level-up system. The gist is that you can buy “prezzies” for in-game currency, and gift them to each character (0f which there are many) to unlock more color schemes for them (as well as straight-up outfits), and art. It’s incredibly cute, and I had a lot of fun leveling a few of my favorites up, but never really took to it long term. In the end it feels like a whole lot of busywork, though I admire the team for trying to keep people interested if they want to wring out more content. Then there’s the Wario Cup solo weekly challenges, which feature a highly complex scoring system that’s actually pretty cool (albeit fleeting, and played during each reset). So that’s pretty much what you get with the campaign mode: two-player co-op (with local wireless for two systems, which I was unable to test with one code), the leveling system, and the ability to replay prior microgames. Beyond that, there’s weekly challenges and “variety pack” party games. Those party games are really where you’re going to want to hang your hat, and I suggest bringing at least one person along for the ride. While the campaign probably isn’t going to last a ton of people very long, the party modes, specifically versus, could keep everyone entertained for quite a while. Here’s the gist of what’s on offer: Gotta Bounce (keep the ball up): 1-4 players Daily Grind (a basic side-scrolling level-based adventure): 1-4 players Friendless Battle (an endless Smash Bros.-like battle game): 1 player High Five (volleyball with a twist): 1-4 players Duelius Maximus (a head-to-head arena gametype, and my favorite mode, where players try and finish microgames faster and more efficiently): 2 players Rising Star (a score-based head-to-head mode with microgames): 2 players Balloon Bang (a hot potato style meta-game amid microgame competition): 2-4 players Sly Angle (a puzzle meta-game in which players assemble triangles amid microgames): 2-4 players Puck’er Up (an air hockey meta-game amid microgame scoring): 2-4 players Frenemy Frenzy (a Smash Bros. versus battle game): 2-4 players As you can see, the bulk of the variety pack offerings ultimately feed into a battle of who can win more microgames, but at the same time, those games are even more fun with actual stakes at play. Once again versus is the way to go for WarioWare: Get It Together!, and the more the merrier. Duelius Maximus has a special place in my heart because of how competitive it is, including a “lightning” mode that awards each round to the player who finishes a microgame first, down to the second. A lot of the other ones are slower-paced and beat around the bush, but this heads-up mode should sate a lot of competitive players in perpetuity. Frenemy Frenzy (and to a lesser extent, Friendless Battle) deserves a special mention as well. The term “Smash-like” is really loaded, but in this case, it’s very clear what the team was going for. You can pick from the roster as normal, and each character will sport their base abilities, no strings attached. You crash into each other until someone’s HP is gone, and then they’re eliminated. There’s a few items in play, and several interactive arenas. It’s fun in short bursts, doubly so for the Friendless Battle mode, which can get repetitive after a few sessions. And to be clear, none of it is actually balanced, so don’t expect a Smash replacement anytime soon. Still, as one of many modes (and with a loose AI/bot endless option), it’s a nice bonus. I’m grateful that another Wario game even exists, and WarioWare: Get It Together! is going to be a hit for a lot of people who are already dedicated to this special brand of weird. But for some, the homogenization of a few aspects might not last them more than a week, so make sure you bring people into the fold if you want to jump in at full asking price.

Although easier said than done, accessibility, usability, and inclusion should always be key aspects in creating a website that works for everyone. However, according to a new report from Heap, nearly half (43%) of consumers feel the majority of websites are not designed around the end-user's needs. The digital insights platform sifted through anonymized data from hundreds of customers to see what kinds of insights they are not getting, and it turns out that quite a lot has been slipping through the net. Here’s our list of the best on-page SEO tools right now We’ve built a list of the best SEO research keyword tool Check out our list of the best rank checking tool available Website disconnect With the report pointing out that 98.5% of website owners have a tool that gives them data on how users interact with their product or website, but of that, only 24% say they have full insight into the user journey on their site, it conjures up the question - who is to blame? RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU... Please close pop-out player to resume playback. video playing Galaxy S21 | Everything you need to know 26/01/21 Galaxy S21 Ultra | Everything you need to... 26/01/21 IPhone 12 Pro | Everything you need to... 24/12/20 AirPods Max | Everything you need to know in 1... 24/12/20 PS5 | Everything you need to know in 1... 14/12/20 With only 16% of digital experience owners knowing why most customers drop off their website, despite over 98% disclosing they have the tools, it appears that the fault lies somewhere in between the website builder service provider and the organizations using it. TechRadar Pro reached out to Heap for further insight on the report findings, to which the digital insights platform is yet to respond. There is a significant overlap between accessibility and usability, and with 89% of consumers mentioning that ease of use is a critical factor when choosing between two websites, it is one explanation for the website drop off rates website owners are experiencing. According to W3C's web accessibility initiative, many websites and tools are developed with accessibility barriers that make them difficult or impossible for some people to use. Not getting on top of it could cost businesses billions, as analysis from web hosting providers LCN found in its recent report.

The recent increase in wafer quotes by TSMC, Samsung Foundry, GlobalFoundries, SMIC, UMC, and other contract chipmakers, particularly for chips made using mature nodes, will soon have a more serious impact on the price of actual hardware, researchers at Counterpoint claim. That includes cell phones and a broad range of everyday consumer hardware, with the expected price hikes being severe enough that analysts expect most consumers to be forced to buy lower-end hardware. Modern PCs and smartphones usually contain one or two key chips (CPU, GPU, SoC) made using the most advanced chip tech, like a leading-edge or advanced node. But they also feature tens of logic chips made with mainstream/mature nodes (older chip tech). (Image credit: Qualcomm) The foundries, which make the actual chips, have already increased pricing for their customers. However, most chip designers and other firms that make the finished products didn't pass on the price hikes to their customers to keep prices of their entry-level and mainstream products stable so they don't scare off price-sensitive customers. While this didn't happen with graphics cards and CPUs (some of the SKUs simply went missing), many devices (smartphones, inexpensive notebooks, etc.) have basically maintained their standard MSRPs during the shortage. That's about to end. With the recent hikes of quotes by TSMC and other foundries, the cumulative cost increases for some chips from 2020 to 2022 will be 30%, or higher. A 30% increase is impossible not to pass up the supply chain as margins are already rather thin and naturally the company's don't want to lose money. Counterpoint now expects the chip designers to increase their prices to OEMs, which will now filter down to the end products in 2022. If all vendors (from SoC to power management chips) pass wafer price increases to OEMs, a high-end smartphone BOM cost increase from logic ICs will be about 12% in 2022, according to Counterpoint. (Image credit: Counterpoint) A high-end smartphone's bill-of-materials (BOM) cost, which represents how much it costs to build the device, is typically around $600. This could increase by 12% overall because chips account for a lower percentage of its overall BOM cost. Meanwhile, an entry-level handset (<$150) could jump around 16% because the chips account for a more significant portion of its BOM. A 12% ~ 16% increase in BOM cost can have a very significant (think 25% orhigher, but we are speculating) impact on its recommended price, so it looks like next year we should expect another round of price hikes on pretty much everything. Short-term price hikes are not a big problem, per se, but these factors will keep pricing high for years to come. Wafer Prices: Leading-Edge & Advanced Nodes Making chips using leading-edge fabrication technologies, such as TSMC's N7 and N5 as well as Samsung Foundry's 7LPP and 5LPE, is expensive because contract chip makers tend to charge two or three times more for processing wafers using their latest nodes than for trailing (older) nodes, like N12/N16 and above. (Image credit: TSMC) Developing SoCs for N5 or N7 technologies is extremely expensive, and those investments are typically made years before those chips start to earn money. As a result, only a handful of companies in the world can afford leading-edge processes. Because demand for leading-edge and advanced nodes is somewhat limited and is fairly predictable, so TSMC and Samsung Foundry do not have to rush to expand their capacity. To that end, wafers using TSMC's N5 node will not get any more expensive next year than 2021, whereas prices of N7 node will increase by around 5%, Counterpoint says. (Image credit: Counterpoint) In the coming year or two, both technologies will still remain rather inaccessible for the vast majority of chip designers, and even rather advanced chips will still be produced on 16nm and 28nm-class nodes. Meanwhile, wafer pricing for these technologies will increase by 10% to 18%, which is quite noticeable. Nowadays chips like SSD controllers are fabbed using 12/16nm-class technologies and those types of chips are found in the vast majority of client PCs these days. Wafer Prices: Mainstream & Mature Nodes All advanced chips in modern client devices are surrounded by ICs made using mature technologies such as 40/45 nm and above: power management ICs, display driver ICs, network controllers, and many more. There are tens of thousands of designs made using mature nodes, and the number of designs is growing. These chips are widely used by all industries, including automakers, consumer electronics manufacturers, producers of industrial equipment, and even aerospace companies. (Image credit: GlobalFoundries) Demand for all electronics devices is already high these days (partly because many venues remain closed and people spend their money on goods). Also, since there are ongoing megatrends like 5G, AI, and HPC, chip demand is only going to increase. As a result, Counterpoint expects chips made using trailing (lagging) technologies to be in short supply for a while, and balanced supply and demand won't come until mid-2023. In fact, demand for equipment designed for lagging-edge nodes is growing faster than demand for tools aimed at leading-edge nodes, according to fab equipment firms. "We have just try to view that, over several year horizon that actually the lagging-edge [wafer fab equipment, WFE] grows faster than overall WFE," said Doug Bettinger, the chief financial officer of Lam Research, during a conference call with analysts and investors (via SeekingAlpha). "I still see it that way. We are at dynamics that's drives this business is lagging-edge. It is IoT, it is RF, it is power devices it is, automotive […]. The demand for that segment of the semiconductor industry is very strong." Counterpoint says that TSMC (and probably other foundries) have increased their quotes for 40/45 nm, 55/65 nm, 90 nm, and larger nodes multiple times since mid-2020. As a result, the price of a wafer processed using 90nm technology will increase by 38% in 2022 compared to 2020. "For foundry customers (fabless and IDMs), the impact of supply shortage weighs much greater on their business compared to the 10% – 20% increase in wafer cost, which they might pass to their end customers (device ODMs/OEMs)," wrote Dale Gai, a research director at Counterpoint. Fabs Utilization Rate Exceeds 100% Currently, most foundries operate at a utilization rate that exceeds 100%. TSMC does not publish its utilization rates, but SMIC's utilization rate was 100.4% in Q2 2021, whereas UMC's utilization rate exceeded 100% in Q2 2021, according to financial reports. This essentially means that fabs spend more time processing wafers and less time in maintenance, which is risky. (Image credit: TSMC) For a while, contract chipmakers have been buying additional equipment for their trailing nodes, and even outdated nodes that rely on 200-mm wafers. But since demand now exceeds supply, they are buying even more equipment and will have to depreciate those tools in the coming years, which will make them more reluctant to drop prices even when demand-supply balance stabilizes. Entry-Level Devices to Thrive? If analysts' predictions are correct and retail prices of hardware will upsurge tangibly because of prices of chips made using lagging-edge nodes, we may see an interesting implication on the market. (Image credit: King Yuan Electronics) Price-sensitive customers who buy mainstream smartphones and PCs may start buying entry-level devices unless manufacturers add some additional value to their midrange products that will get out of price ranges that buyers come to expect. We have already seen something like this in the GPU market. Now this might happen to more po[CENSORED]r devices. Summary Prices of CPUs, GPUs, and SoCs for high-end smartphones are driven primarily by high demand as well as factors like yields and undersupply. TSMC and Samsung Foundry have relatively limited capacity for their 5nm and 7nm-class nodes, but because they're interested in long-term relationships with companies that can afford to develop chips for leading-edge nodes, neither is going to increase quotes for leading-edge nodes or sell allocations through a bidding system. But when it comes to trailing nodes, foundries increase their quotes as demand clearly exceeds supply, and that will exist for years to come. Chips made using 28nm and older process technologies are used for tens of thousands of applications, including those based on chips produced with leading-edge nodes. Today, some foundries are running at utilization rates that are over 100% to meet the demand for inexpensive chips. which is risky. The price increases on chips made using mature nodes will affect the end cost of all devices. In the case of high-end PCs and smartphones, the additional costs will barely affect their recommended prices (if at all). But in the case of mainstream devices, the additional costs may have a drastic effect on MSRP. If this happens, buyers may cease to buy midrange products and switch to entry-level instead.

Egregious roughing the passer penalty nullifies Packers interception Texas wanted to be the tech haven of the U.S. Its new abortion bill and… Renault unveiled the Megane E-Tech Electric at the Munich Motor Show on Monday. While the specs seem decent enough, it's the safety functions that are the most eye-catching aspect of this electric vehicle. The Fireman Access feature stems from a partnership between Renault Group and French firefighters that stretches back for over a decade. The EV includes special access to the battery for rescue teams. Renault claims this can allow first responders to put out a battery fire in five minutes, compared with between one and three hours for most EV battery blazes. There's also a switch under the rear bench that lets rescue teams disconnect the battery. In addition, Renault put a QR code on the windscreen. The idea is that rescue teams can scan the code to see details about the car's structure. They can find out the locations of the battery and airbags, as well as information about where it's safe to cut into the vehicle. Renault says this information can help first responders save up to 15 minutes when attempting to free a crash victim, which could help save lives. Gallery: Spy photos emerge of potential BMW 3 Series mid-cycle update (Autoblog) Get Paid $200 by Signing Up for This New Card (Yeah, Seriously) Ad Microsoft Refi Rates at 1.89% APR. Do you qualify? Ad Microsoft Slide 1 of 12 Full screen 1/12 SLIDES © CarPix 2023 BMW 3 Series refresh No two EVs are built the same, and first responders won't necessarily know the intricacies of each vehicle. So, providing information about the Megane E-Tech Electric's structure using a QR code is a smart move that it'd be nice to see more automakers adopt. The same goes for easy access to the battery to help put out fires faster. The latest iteration of the Megane line is built on Renault's CMF-EV platform. For the body, designers took inspiration from the Morphoz concept the company showed off last year. There are two powertrain options: a base model with 130 horsepower and a more advanced alternative with 215 hp and 221 pound-feet of torque. You can choose between two battery packs as well. The 40-kWh option has a range of 186 miles (300 km), and the 60-kWh pack should get you up to 292 miles (470 km) of driving on a single charge, according to Renault. The company based the estimates on the European WLTP testing procedure. Plug the Megane E-Tech Electric into a 130 kW fast charging station, and you can add up to 186 miles of driving range in 30 minutes of charging time. Elsewhere, the OpenR infotainment system is based on Android Automotive OS, so you'll have access to Google apps and Google Assistant. While you're on a longer trip, the system can help you locate charging stations that minimize your journey time, Renault says. The Megane E-Tech Electric orders open in February 2022, and sales start the following March.