Technology

• Google unveils Willow quantum chip, promises major leaps forward
• Willow can outperform previous generations of chips across a range of benchmarks
• The chip has the potential for exponential error reduction - a key milestone

Google has unveiled a new quantum chip capable of exponential error reduction - a huge milestone in the journey towards quantum advantage.

The release of Willow, marks the second milestone in Google’s journey towards creating a large error-corrected quantum computer.

When tested using the random circuit sampling benchmark, Willow was able to complete the benchmark in five minutes - just slightly faster than the world's current fastest supercomputer, which would take 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years.

One small step for quantum computation

The chip was made at Google’s purpose-built Santa Barbara lab, with Willow housing 105 qubits. A qubit is quantum’s equivalent of a ‘bit’ used in classical computing, with the difference being that a qubit can exist as both a binary one and zero at the same time thanks to a qubit's ability to exist in a state known as superposition.

Willow’s qubits are also capable of retaining their state of excitation, their ‘one’ state in binary terms, for almost 100 microseconds - five times longer than previous generations of chips produced by Google.

While the benchmarks performed by Willow are impressive, they are just a step in the journey towards creating a viable quantum computer that provides an actual advantage over a classic computer. Current quantum computers may be faster at solving certain problems, but classic computing is better optimized for a wider range of tasks that are not only scientifically viable, but also commercially.

In a blog postannouncing the launch, Hartmut Neven, Founder and Lead, Google Quantum AI, states, “On the one hand, we’ve run the RCS benchmark, which measures performance against classical computers but has no known real-world applications. On the other hand, we’ve done scientifically interesting simulations of quantum systems, which have led to new scientific discoveries but are still within the reach of classical computers.”

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The defending champions are in big need of a win in Bergamo.

With a few easy hacks, you'll wonder why you waited so long to address this.

Nothing less than a win will do for the Parisians as they head to the Red Bull Arena.

Russia restricted foreign internet access across several regions over the weekend to test its national infrastructure.

Residents of the affected regions couldn't access both foreign and local apps, including the likes of YouTube (one of the last Western social media platforms still available in Russia), Google, WhatsApp, and Telegram – The Record reported.

As per local reports, not even virtual private network (VPN) apps managed to help citizens bypass internet restrictions in what looks like a new phase of online censorship for the country.

"This event is crucial in the possible evolution of online censorship in Russia because it shows what's technically possible – a very limited internet experience where most common things simply don't work," a technical expert from the Russian digital rights group Roskomsvoboda told TechRadar.

ℹ️ Note: Metrics show the disruption and restoration of connectivity in Dagestan, #Russia, following what telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor has described as a trial of its capacity to disable access to the foreign internet in a specific region; incident duration ~24 hours pic.twitter.com/7iYtDcVtSGDecember 7, 2024

According to reports, Runet trials mostly affected residents living in areas populated by ethnic minorities, such as Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.

Data from the internet watchdog NetBlocks (see tweet above) confirmed that authorities restored internet connectivity in Dagestan late on Saturday, December 7, 2024, after 24 hours of blockage which "telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor has described as a trial of its capacity to disable access to the foreign internet in a specific region," experts noted.

The latest incidents don't come as a total surprise, though. Russia's censor body conducted similar tests in July, in fact, to ensure the functionality of the "sovereign internet" infrastructure when it was disconnected from the wider web.

In September, the Kremlin also shared its plans to invest over half a billion US dollars (almost 60 billion rubles) over the next five years to update its internet-blocking system, especially against VPN usage.

A new phase of Russian censorship

Russian censorship is clearly getting tougher, and visitors and residents are left with fewer means to overcome restrictions.

While the best VPN apps have become a crucial resource for people in Russia struggling to access international news and other blocked websites, 2024 has seen the Kremlin double down against Russia's VPN usage.

For starters, a new law enforced in March now criminalizes the spread of information about ways to circumvent internet restrictions – VPNs included.

Do you know?

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

VPNs encrypt users' internet connections and mask their real IP address location. The latter ability is particularly useful to Russians who wish to use VPNs to bypass stringent internet restrictions – exactly what the authorities seek to prevent.

As per the latest data, nearly 200 VPN services are currently blocked in the country at the time of writing.

Between July and September alone, about 60 VPN apps silently disappeared from the Russian Apple App Store, bringing the total of unavailable applications in the Big Tech giant's official store to 98.

Roskomsvoboda confirmed to TechRadar that most VPN apps weren't working during the shutdown, but some did. "That's an arms race, where both censors and circumvention tech developers work to cancel out each other's efforts and it's been going on for over a decade. So, there is still hope," the expert added.

The bad news for Russian internet users does not end here, either.

On December 7, Roskomnadzor also announced plans to restrict at least eight foreign web hosting providers as they fail to meet the agency’s censorship requirements. These include Amazon Web Services (AWS), GoDaddy, and HostGator.

This represents "a new stage in Russian online censorship," noted one of Roskomsvoboda’s IT specialists, adding that "Something similar has already happened on a small scale, but this is the biggest one."

Russian IT expert Ilya Vaitsman expressed his concerns, too. Vaitsman is especially worried about a potential boost in VPN censorship across the country since, he explains, these platforms host a significant portion of these services.

He said: "Of course, there are hundreds of other sites in the world, not so noticeable, where there are also VPN nodes, but in general the situation is deteriorating sharply."

An FTC settlement with Epic Games is delivering payouts to people who were tricked into making purchases in Fortnite.

On Monday, police arrested Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old app developer, in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Online reaction to his apprehension reveals a new form of fandom.

• Artivion submitted a new filing with the SEC, confirming a ransomware attack
• It was forced to take some systems offline, but says operations are unaffected
• No threat actors claimed responsibility just yet

Artivion, a major American company building heart surgery devices, has confirmed suffering a ransomware attack.

In a new 8-K filing submitted with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company said it identified, and tackled, a “cybersecurity incident” in late November 2024.

“Artivion’s response measures included taking certain systems offline, initiating an investigation, and engaging external advisors, including legal, cybersecurity, and forensics professionals to assess, contain, and remediate the incident,” the company said in the filing. “The incident involved the acquisition and encryption of files.”

Orders and shipping disrupted

Artivion said it was working on restoring its systems “as quickly as possible” and that it was currently evaluating whether or not its clients, customers, or employees, would need to be notified of the attack.

It also added that at the date of the filing, it did not see the attack having a material impact on its overall financial condition or results of operations, further stressing that such a scenario is unlikely.

The ransomware attack wasn’t completely benign, though: “The incident has caused disruptions to some order and shipping processes, as well as to certain corporate operations, which have largely been mitigated,” Artivion stressed. “The Company has and will continue to incur expenses related to its response to this incident, and the Company believes it has adequate insurance coverage.”

While insurance will cover parts of the expenses, it will not cover all. There are still risks such as further delays in restoration, meaning that the bottom line is yet to be determined.

Artivion did not say who the attackers were, what their demands were, or if they stole any sensitive information. Given the sensitivity of the information it handles, it’s safe to assume the crooks did ask for money, under the threat of releasing the files to the public. However, those threats are usually done by posting the name, and a sample, on a data leak site which, at press time, did not yet happen. That could also suggest that a ransom payment is currently being negotiated.

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Abbey Road Studios is where The Beatles and Pink Floyd recorded their most famous albums. Now you can re-create that soundscape in the inside of a Volvo.

• A trailer for the ZenGrip 2, a third-party accessory from the brand Satsifye, seems to show the Switch 2 for the first time
• The now-deleted trailer seems to show that the Switch 2 will be all black
• Nintendo's next console is expected to launch in 2025

The design for the Nintendo Switch 2 has seemingly leaked via a third-party accessory company.

Rumors surrounding the Nintendo Switch successor have been ramping up over the past few months, from leaked specs to alleged 3D model renders of the console. However, we may now have received our first look at the handheld ahead of its supposed 2025 release.

In a now-deleted trailer from third-party accessory manufacturer Satisfye showcasing its new ZenGrip 2, its latest attachment for the next Switch console, someone was able to spot a glimpse of the Switch 2.

X / Twitter user 'DP19' shared a screenshot in a recent post that seems to capture the first look of the handheld. The image is quite blurry, but it does appear to show a Switch-like console attached to the ZenGrip 2.

"Satisfye accidentally put a trailer for their upcoming product the Zengrip 2 for the Nintendo Next Gen Console and in it," the user wrote.

"They just show the Nintendo Switch 2 in it like straight up just show it it's blurred a bit but not much that is our first official Switch 2 look."

Satisfye accidentally put a trailer for their upcoming product the Zengrip 2 for the Nintendo Next Gen Console and in itThey just show the Nintendo Switch 2 in it like straight up just show it it's blurred a bit but not much that is our first official Switch 2 look pic.twitter.com/S0zPNewla6December 10, 2024

Another user named 'WickedRay' also replied to the post in the X / Twitter thread with another image from the now-deleted trailer, which provides a much clearer look at the console.

Although hidden behind a wall of text, the handheld does appear to be similar to the original Nintendo Switch and its design is all black. It also appears to feature the "extra button" the Switch 2 joycons allegedly have, DP19 notes.

Nintendo hasn't formally revealed its next handheld console just yet, but a release date announcement for the Switch 2 is confirmed before the end of 2024. The company has also confirmed that it will be backwards compatible with the original Switch.

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• 28 Days Later isn't available to watch on any streaming service
• The sequel 28 Weeks Later is available to stream on Hulu in the US, and Disney Plus in the UK and Australia
• I hope that the first movie will be added to a streamer ahead of the release of 28 Years Later

I know what you're thinking: how can I be a fan of zombie movies when I haven't even seen Danny Boyle's cult classic 28 Days Later? Well, there's just one problem: it's not available to stream on any of the best streaming services!

28 Days Later is considered one of the best horror classics of the early 2000s for having revitalized the zombie genre by putting a unique and chilling spin on the monsters, which made the trope more terrifying even for the most seasoned of horror fans.

As a zombie lover, I would love to experience this trailblazer of modern cinema for the first time and with the highly-anticipated sequel 28 Years Later set to hit cinemas in 2025, now is the perfect time to stream it. But unfortunately 28 Days Later has managed to stay dead and buried from any streaming services.

In the UK, US and Australia, 28 Days Later isn't on a single streaming platform and you can't even rent or buy it on Prime Video. Right now, the only alternative is purchasing the 28 Days Later DVD, but with the world of streaming at your fingertips it's very surprising that this horror juggernaut hasn't found a home on the likes of Netflix, Prime Video or Disney Plus.

There is one positive though. As I was scouring through the content mines of my streaming subscriptions, I did manage to find and watch the sequel 28 Weeks Later on Disney Plus (also available on Hulu in the US), so I'm at a loss on why its blood-curdling predecessor isn't also on there too. For now, I have my fingers crossed that 28 Days Later will be added to one of the many streaming services ahead of the new movie's release on June 20, 2025.

What is 28 Days Later about?

In 28 Days Later, a group of animal rights activists free a caged chimp infected with the 'Rage' virus from a medical research facility. London bike courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes from a coma 28 days later and discovers that society has turned into aggressive zombie-like beings after contracting the Rage. Desperately trying to escape the infected, Jim comes across a group of survivors, including Selena (Naomie Harris) and cab driver Frank (Brendan Gleeson), and joins them on a dangerous journey to (hopefully) safety.

28 Days Later made the concept of fast-moving zombies a popular craze in modern-day cinema, with them later being seen in I Am Legend, World War Z, and Train to Busan. Boyle has since produced two sequels to the zombie franchise with 28 Weeks Later and the upcoming third installment 28 Years Later, which features a jaw-dropping unexpected cameo in the trailer.

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The UK, the US, Israel and the EU signed the first international treaty on artificial intelligence (AI) in September. Under the legally binding agreement, national states must implement safeguards against any threats posed by AI to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

While this is a welcome step towards establishing international standards for AI governance, there is still a glaring gap between the rapid pace of AI innovation and governments' ability to regulate the technology. This poses significant risks to democracies and individuals, and at the core of these risks lies data.

The nations that lead the way in safe AI adoption will be the ones that reap the biggest benefits of the technology. To realise its ambition to become a global AI superpower, the UK needs to get the balancing act between providing regulatory oversight and encouraging innovation right. This would require establishing clear AI policies that safeguard data and protect the rights of content owners.

Leaders and laggards in the AI race

So far, Europe has a head start on AI because there is more clarity on regulation, which is vital for the future development of the technology. The EU AI Act that came into force in August this year is the world's first comprehensive AI law. It requires businesses to comply with security, transparency, and quality requirements depending on the risk level associated with their AI applications.

However, outside of the EU AI Act, other significant regulations are cropping up, too, with the UK and US currently working on developing their regulatory frameworks for AI. As the first comprehensive AI regulation, the EU AI Act is expected to become a blueprint for future AI regulations. According to IDC, 60% of governments worldwide will adopt a risk management approach to framing their AI policies by 2028.

The UK has a great opportunity to seize the moment and lead the way in AI regulation alongside other major powers such as the EU. However, this will require bold action and effective policies that encourage competition and defend the rights of citizens and content creators.

Getting AI regulation right

To get AI policies right, the government needs to address the biggest issues in AI regulation - data. Currently, large language models (LLMs) can use privately owned data provided it is anonymized. This places too much power in the hands of a few big tech giants and does not adequately protect intellectual property. We need to assert more data rights and safeguard the rights of data owners and content creators.

To assure data privacy and intellectual property, governments must introduce regulatory provisions such as mandatory disclosure of data sources used to train LLMs and consent and compensation for using copyrighted information and private data. Protecting data privacy and intellectual property is the number one thing we should be focusing on in the age of AI, yet it is the last thing anyone seems to be talking about.

Secondly, we need to consider more holistically who needs to have a say in the future of AI. Focusing discussions on AI regulation on the usual suspects from Big Tech is limiting and potentially dangerous. This technology impacts everyone in our society, and we must ensure that a wider range of viewpoints gets heard. We should be mindful not to create unhealthy market dynamics by concentrating excessive power into the hands of a few big players who have a disproportionate influence on how AI gets developed and regulated.

A safer model for enterprise AI adoption

One of the biggest challenges to regulating AI is that the most widely used open-source generative AI models offer limited control over who can access the data fed into these LLMs and how it has been used. Making these models accessible to many developers or users increases the risk of misuse by malicious actors as well as the number of actors in scope for any regulatory approach.

To minimize the risk of AI misuse, governments should encourage the adoption of private AI models, particularly in business sectors such as financial services, healthcare, insurance, and the public sector, where data protection is of critical importance. With private AI, users can purpose-build an AI model to deliver the needed results and train it on the data they have while ensuring their data never escapes their control. This will enable organizations to keep their innovations and customer, patient or citizen data safe while reducing the risk of data misuse or leakage.

The way forward

Data safety is the number one issue regulators must address today to regulate AI. This means not only safeguarding the data that feeds AI algorithms but also securing the rights of content creators and consumers.

What we need in these transformative times is an enabling environment for wide-ranging innovation governed by clear regulatory frameworks that provide fair opportunities for everyone. The implications of AI touch every corner of our society, and we must ensure everyone can have a say in how our lives will be impacted by it.

The UK can play a leading role on the global AI stage but to do so, it needs to carefully balance openness to innovation with regulatory oversight while taking swift action to address the most pressing AI risks and protect the rights of citizens and content owners.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

5G and generative artificial intelligence, or Gen AI, are two technologies driving business objectives forward for enterprises worldwide. A 5G network, whether through a wireless wide area network (WWAN) or a private network, helps transfer large amounts of data with low latency and a more secure connection. As for Gen AI, there are many cases where it is streamlining business insights and automating repetitive tasks across multiple industries.

While both technologies are providing value separately, their true value is realized once they are paired together. More specifically, Gen AI and 5G can — and quite frankly should — co-exist in a mutual relationship that maximizes network performance while simultaneously optimizing each Gen AI use case.

How 5G benefits Gen AI

The very nature of Gen AI, whether training a large language model (LLM) or using a mainstream Gen AI tool, makes 5G its perfect partner.

Training a Gen AI model is a long process with multiple steps. It begins with collecting the data upon which the model will be trained. Then, there’s introducing the data to the model and, depending on the model’s function, dictating how the model is supposed to respond. Next, whoever is training the model must, in real-time, tune the model to ensure it is reacting correctly. This process requires almost instantaneous feedback to correct inaccurate or irrelevant responses from the model. For example, if you’re training a customer service bot, you don’t want it responding with product prices if the customer asked for product features.

Any enterprise attempting to train a LLM, could be leveraging as much as petabytes if not more to ensure the Gen AI function is able to support massive workflows and a large customer base. This training process requires large and continuous data transfers and, therefore, requires a network to facilitate these transfers with high bandwidth and low latency. A centrally managed 5G WWAN network allows network administrators to leverage the power of 5G and ensure each data training exercise gets the network support it needs. This could include traffic steering to create bandwidth for Gen AI training or link bonding to increase the bandwidth necessary for large data transfers. Alternatively, enterprises can leverage a private 5G network to ensure each Gen AI model has dedicated 5G bandwidth while the model is trained.

Once a model is deployed, or if enterprise personnel leverage a more general AI tool like ChatGPT, the goal is to get live responses to complete business goals. For example, Gen AI-enhanced cameras are becoming an everyday use case for businesses to collect large amounts of actionable data. These cameras, which organizations also use for security purposes, can track who enters a facility, the number of people entering, and their license plates. The camera then shares all that data back to a central system for analysis. Often these cameras are placed in areas where it might be cost-prohibitive or too time-consuming to run wires. Therefore, 5G can play an important role in ensuring that video from the cameras is delivered back to its AI-analytics platform with a high level of performance and reliability.

How Gen AI benefits 5G networks

If an enterprise invests in a 5G WWAN or a private 5G network, the hope is to have a highly available network that’s ready to support business objectives. Gen AI technology can help improve the performance and availability of the overall network, while simultaneously streamlining operations for IT teams in charge of network administration.

A high performance and available network

Gen AI models are trained on massive amounts of data about the operation of the network. Based on this data, a model can identify a baseline for network traffic performance, allowing Gen AI to detect disruptions or anomalies. The model can also pin-point the root cause of the issue and formulate recommendations on how to troubleshoot the issue before it impacts network service – and ultimately impacts business success. This intelligent approach to fault management keeps 5G networks highly available.

Technology that supports network administrators

For lean IT teams that are constantly asked to do more with less, Gen AI can be the perfect asset to alleviate team workload and increase team efficiency. Most notably, some enterprises are implementing LLM-based Virtual Experts into their network administrative workflows. These virtual experts are helping some administrators get real-time answers to questions about the network using Natural Language Processing, or AI that allows software to understand and communicate in human language.

In the past, a difficult query about network performance could force the network administrator to consult multiple technical documents. Now, the Gen AI based Virtual Expert can synthesize information from many different documents to provide an answer to the administrator in just a few sentences or through graphs – saving valuable time for today’s IT teams.

Gen AI’s role in network security

Gen AI will be especially useful for network security purposes. Today’s enterprise networks are experiencing an unprecedented amount and sophistication of attacks. In fact, some threat actors are even leveraging Gen AI to help them. Network security personnel already see everything from more targeted phishing attacks to new forms of mass-produced malware.

It’s only right that enterprises use Gen AI to protect their networks. Leveraged correctly, Gen AI tools can monitor your 5G network for all types of unusual behavior. This includes unusual or unauthorized sign-ons, phishing attempts, and various malware. Gen AI will provide real-time alerts — on the very same 5G network — so IT security teams can quickly respond and minimize any network damage.

Investing in technologies that work together

As enterprises across each industry lean further into a digitally connected world, there will be less room for investment in technologies that operate in silos. Organizations that implement technologies that complement each other will be able to maximize their investments while also gaining a competitive advantage. Gen AI and 5G provide a perfect example. With Gen AI set to power the future of automation and 5G primed to become the standard for connectivity, investing in both will create faster data analysis, streamlined processes and ultimately expedite business success.

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• Amazon has announced push on decommissioned tech being diverted back to AWS
• Reusable and refurbished tech is being used to help meet sustainability goals
• Amazon says it wants to create a 'circular economy roadmap'

Amazon has revealed more details on its progress towards a goal of being net-zero carbon goal by 2040 through a push on recycling and reusing data center components.

In a new blog post, the company outlined how in 2024, over 99% of all Amazon Web Service (AWS) securely decommissioned racks were sent to its Amazon re:Cycle Reverse Logistics centers, meaning the hardware was diverted from landfills and reused by AWS, sold into the secondary market for reuse, or recycled.

This planning has meant AWS has been able to source 13% of spare parts from its own reuse inventory, which Amazon expects to increase as it expands its data center footprints even further.

A circular economy

The journey won’t be linear, Amazon says, but a ‘big part of it will be circular’.

Anyone who’s bought any tech or even clothing or kitchen appliances in the last ten years will recognize that build quality has rapidly deteriorated. Avid consumerism means many items just aren’t built to last anymore, which is obviously pretty terrible for the planet.

Part of Amazon’s push for sustainability is to ‘design better’, extending the lifetime of hardware and equipment, and using recycled materials which can be repaired and reused.

Alongside this commitment, Amazon recently announced it runs on 100% renewable energy, reportedly seven years ahead of schedule, and the company also plans to develop and implement a ‘comprehensive circular economy roadmap’ to help the firm offset the huge energy consumption that is brought on by expansion.

“We're challenging the traditional 'take-make-waste' model, taking a holistic approach to extend the lifecycle of our resources.” said Manju Murugesan, AWS's circular economy strategy lead.

“While we're encouraged by our progress, we recognize the complexity of the challenge ahead. Our journey towards true circularity requires ongoing innovation and collaboration, and we're committed to this critical work for the benefit of our business, customers, and the planet."

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From hoodies to erotic fan fiction, the internet is flooded with expressions of support and love for the suspected killer—a development experts find concerning.

• Internet traffic rose by 17% year-over-year in 2024, Cloudflare finds
• Google.com and Chrome maintain significant market share
• ChatGPT is still the most popular AI tool

Just like Spotify Unwrapped and Apple Music Replay, Cloudflare has given us its run-down of internet traffic of 2024, showing how we’ve become more connected than ever.

The company's analysis claims internet traffic saw a 17% year-over-year increase driven primarily by the growing number of connected and smart devices, as well as ongoing interest in artificial intelligence.

The company also confirmed that Google Chrome accounts for as close as makes no difference two-thirds (65.73%) of the global browser market – a figure that aligns with separate figures from Statcounter, which puts the browser’s reach at 66.33%.

2024 internet habits

Apart from accessing its browsers, internet users across the globe are also huge fans of Google's search engine, accounting for 88.5% of all internet searches, significantly outpacing rivals like Russia’s Yandex (3.1%), China’s Baidu (2.7%), America’s Bing (2.6%) and the privacy-focused DuckDuckGo (0.9%).

In its 2024 Year in Review, Cloudflare also explored the market shares of social networks. Although Meta has three of the most accessed internet services of the year – Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – TikTok’s rise has continued. Landing itself in fourth position, behind Apple, the Chinese-owned social network spent a few days in the summer ahead of Apple, highlighting its immense reach.

Longer-term, ChatGPT’s continued rise has kept it the most widely accessed AI tool on the net. Starting 2023 in the top 200 most accessed sites overall, it’s now closing in on the top 50. Cloudflare highlighted the fluctuation, which sees more users access ChatGPT on weekdays rather than weekends, demonstrating its position as a useful workplace AI tool.

Other popular sites and online services worth mentioning are Stripe, which maintained its position as the number one financial service; Tesla, which saw spikes surrounding the launch of its Cybercab robotaxi and following the US elections; and GitHub, which has upgraded its AI tools and security functions over the course of the year in a bid to attract more developers.

“The Internet is everywhere, woven throughout almost all of the daily activities of modern life – how we interact and connect on social media, use our smart refrigerators and vacuums, travel from one place to another through rideshare apps, connect to our banks and more," Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince concluded.

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• Intel's Battlemage Arc B580 GPU just scored higher than the RTX 4060 in Vulkan testing
• AMD's RX 7600 loses to both Nvidia and Intel GPUs in Vulkan tests
• The new GPU will launch on December 13, for $249 / £249 / around AU$439

It's easy to place AMD and Nvidia as leaders within the GPU market, with the latter's RTX 4000 series currently dominating over the RX 7000 series - but Intel is about to shake things up, with the Arc B580 defeating both the RTX 4060 and RX 7600 GPUs in Vulkan benchmark tests.

According to Tom's Hardware (based on public benchmark tests), the Intel Arc B580 loses out to Nvidia's RTX 4060 in OpenCL API (which is irrelevant for gaming) but successfully defeats Team Green's GPU with a 6% lead in Vulkan (one of the APIs used for most games).

The Battlemage GPU is priced at $249 / £249 / around AU$439 which is cheaper than the RTX 4060 at MSRP ($299 / £289 / AU$545), and it's purported to be the faster GPU (especially equipped with 12GB of VRAM). If there's anything to take from this, it's that Intel is suddenly in pole position to reignite the budget GPU market and take the lead - though doing so will depend on AMD and Nvidia's CES 2025 reveals.

(Image credit: Intel) Say goodbye to 8GB GPUs with Intel...

Team Red has already made it clear that its focus has shifted from high-end GPUs to mid-range options, with a strong emphasis on AI upscaling going forward with FSR 4 (much like Nvidia's continuing focus on AI for DLSS 3's successor). With this in mind, I'm optimistic about what both have to offer at CES in January when it comes to budget options.

The Intel Arc B580 will feature 12GB of VRAM, while the cheaper B570 will utilize 10GB of VRAM - 8GB of VRAM is nowhere near enough to tackle games today, and it's great to see that Intel abandoning this long-standing staple of affordable GPUs. More and more triple-A titles are demanding more VRAM for consistent performance and after Apple's move away from 8GB of unified memory (shared RAM between the CPU and GPU) for Macs, I'm expecting Nvidia and AMD to follow suit.

Spotted by VideoCardz, XeSS Frame Generation has been leaked and is now available for Intel GPU owners to use via Nexus Mods - AI upscaling has been the talk of the town for PC gaming for improved frame rates and image quality, and now that Team Blue has joined the party, there is room for competition in the budget GPUs arena.

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• AMD RX 8800 XT could match RTX 4080’s performance – and easily outgun Nvidia’s GPU for ray tracing

A lot can change in three years. Wars can spark off, recessions can bloom, businesses can rise and fall, generative AI can make ‘art’, and some bloke can buy Twitter and all but ruin it. However, in 36 months, it turns out I’ve not changed much.

Specifically, I'm basing this observation on the fact that I’m still using an iPhone as my main phone. Back in December 2021 I made the swap from Android to iOS, ditching a Google Pixel 6 Pro for an iPhone 13 Pro after years of resisting entering Apple’s walled garden.

But the iPhone 13 Pro brought in (finally) a 120Hz OLED display, packed a trio of excellent cameras, and delivered powerful performance, all in a 6.1-inch package that I felt the best Android phones couldn’t match. And I was kinda smitten.

I adored using the 13 Pro; it really did 'just work' for everything I wanted it to do, and when I got my MackBook Air M2, the phone played nice with one of the best laptops I’ve ever used. Heck, I even enjoyed how the stainless steel slowly developed a patina.

Yet, in the back of my head, I had the feeling that I’d return to an Android phone; maybe a new Pixel with its refined smarts and style, or a mighty Galaxy S-series Ultra.

That didn’t happen. And to my surprise I even found myself waxing lyrical about the iPhone 15 Pro Max I’d started using as part of my role heading up TechRadar’s Mobile Computing division. The titanium design made a large phone feel light, and almost and wieldy as its non-Max stable mate.

So when UK carrier Vodafone kindly sent me the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I moved over to it without a moment’s pause.

Living for the ease

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

Now the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a disappointment of sorts. It launched without a load of Apple Intelligence features, the cameras didn’t offer much of an uptick over what came before, and the new Camera Control button-meets-slider is borderline a gimmick – at least based on my use of it so far.

But I’m still using the iPhone 16 Pro Max, despite a wonderful Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra giving me ‘use me’ eyes from its spot on my desk – although that could just be my imagination and its rear-camera orientation. More recently, my boss, Global Editor-in-Chief Marc McLaren, expressed surprise that a once dyed-in-the-wool Android fan is still using an iPhone.

The reason for this is simply down to sheer convenience. Now that other phones use titanium, and come with a host of smart features, and that Android continues to evolve, it’s hard for me to lean on my preference for the photos the iPhone’s image processing and computational photography kick out, or the performance the A-series chips offer.

However, iOS just has that magic touch; that way of making everything that bit easier thanks to Apple’s ecosystem. My AirPods Pro seamlessly connect to my iPhone, and when a call pops up on my phone I can take it on my MacBook – handy if I’m wearing headphones. AirPlay still feels like connectivity wizardry in the face of temperamental Bluetooth, and tight integration of apps and tools means you can just get things like two-factor authentication done at speed.

A great example of this was when a group of us London-based TechRadarians were looking to escape the historic city of Bath after a grueling Black Friday at Future Publishing’s HQ. Two of my colleagues, who will remain nameless, lacked the foresight to download their digital train tickets before reaching the station. Thanks to the building’s thick walls and the terrible public Wi-Fi, these two reprobates struggled to get internet access, so had to tether to my iPhone, which was basking in 5G signal.

As they were both using iPhones, rather than try and figure out my Wi-Fi hotspot password, I could simply tap a prompt to share access to it with them. It’s a small thing, but it felt like tech magic in the moment. And on a daily basis, iOS and the wider Apple ecosystem enable such feats of convenience.

Sure, there’s no way even the best iPhone is anywhere as interesting to use as an Android flagship, which means I nearly always have an Android phone within reach. But these phones feel like gadgets that one makes a conscious effort to use, whereas my iPhone feels like a tech tool that I just use to do a task and then pop in my pocket; there’s no soul here to speak of, but for getting stuff done with zero fuss I’ll always reach for Cupertino’s smartphones.

I hope this changes, as I used to love bouncing between Android phones; maybe the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which we expect to see in January, will tempt me back. But for now, in an increasingly chaotic world, I’ll choose convenience over character when it comes to a smartphone.

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