TechRadar News

• The Philips Hue Sync app is now available for LG TVs
• The app lets you sync smart lights with your TV without an HDMI Sync Box
• It works with HDMI devices plus native apps like Netflix and Disney+

The Philips Hue Sync app is now available for LG TVs, letting you sync your smart lights with movies, games, and TV shows on your screen, without the need for a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box. Your Hue lights will react instantly to whatever's currently on screen, whether it's from an external source like a games console, or a native smart TV app like Netflix and Disney+.

Signify, the company behind Philips Hue, announced that the app would be arriving on LG TVs at CES 2025 in January, but didn't give an exact date for its arrival, only saying that it would be available early this year, but now it's officially here.

At CES, Signify explained that the app would work with all LG TVs using webOS 24 or later, which includes many of the best TVs you can buy today. If you're not sure whether yours is compatible, you can search for your model on LG's website to see which apps it supports.

To use the Philips Hue Sync app, you'll need at least one color-compatible Philips Hue light (the Philips Hue Play Gradient Strip and Philips Hue Play Light Bars work particularly well), plus a Philips Hue Bridge, which creates a mesh network that connects your Hue devices to each other, and to your home Wi-Fi network. You can then download the Philips Hue Sync app through the LG Content Store on your TV.

Hue Sync alternatives

If you don't have a TV compatible with Hue Sync, you can still synchronize your smart lights with your screen using a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box. It's easy to set up, and works with any form of HDMI input, including Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, and games consoles. However, unlike the Hue Sync app, the Sync Box won't work with native apps on your smart TV.

It doesn't come cheap, either. Last year Signify launched a version of the Sync Box that supports 8K TVs and HDMI 2.1, making it ideal for gaming, but with a price tag of $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$699.95, it's a big investment.

If that's outside your budget, take a look at our guide to the best Ambilight alternatives, which aim to create a similar effect by using a camera to capture what's on your TV screen, then mirroring the colors using an LED light strip mounted behind your TV. These systems aren't perfect (they have some latency and can be affected by reflections on the screen) but are usually much more affordable.

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• A new Galaxy S25 Edge leak has hinted at the cooling tech it might use
• It could come with a special vapor chamber to maintain its performance
• The phone is expected to land globally sometime in April

So far we've only seen the briefest of glimpses of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: we know the phone is coming, but we don't know much more than that. Now a new leak reveals some of the cooling tech Samsung might have used for this super-thin handset.

According to well-known tipster @PandaFlashPro (via Wccftech), the Galaxy S25 Edge is going to come with a vapor chamber that's thinner than the one inside the standard Galaxy S25 phone, but larger overall.

Vapor chambers essentially use tiny amounts of liquid to help dissipate heat from the main chipset more quickly, which means it can run faster and more reliably – avoiding any slowdowns or crashes related to heat.

And that cooling is going to be needed, too: the Galaxy S25 Edge is rumored to measure a little over 6mm front to back. The lack of space around the core components means overheating might be a risk without a proper cooling system in place.

The rumors so far

"Confirmed" Yes! The S25 Edge Cooling System is Thinner than S25 but Bigger than the S25. https://t.co/1teM1sj4MBFebruary 24, 2025

We've already heard plenty about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, even if Samsung is being coy about the specs of this phone and when it might actually get a launch (leaks suggest it'll be available globally sometime in April).

Only a couple of days ago, a leaked hands-on video of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge appeared, giving us a better look at its design. The video also revealed certain specs, including a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and 12GB of RAM.

It seems the Galaxy S25 Edge could come with better cameras than the standard Samsung Galaxy S25 too: rumors suggest it could have the same 200MP primary camera as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra included in its setup.

As our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review will tell you, we've been impressed by what the S25 series has had to offer so far, and there's the promise of more to come from the Galaxy S25 Edge. As soon as Samsung gives it a full unveiling, we'll let you know.

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• Nvidia has admitted its RTX 5080 GPU also suffers from a chip-level fault
• It’s the same problem revealed last week that slows down PC gaming for all existing Blackwell GPUs
• Those affected can arrange for a replacement graphics card with the manufacturer of the board

Nvidia has admitted that more of its new Blackwell graphics cards are affected by a fault in their chips that hampers the performance level of the GPU.

Previously, Nvidia said that RTX 5090 (and 5090D, the Asian variant) and RTX 5070 Ti GPUs were potentially hit by the issue whereby the chips have mysteriously lost some ROPs (Raster Operations Pipelines). These are essentially rendering pipelines for 3D graphics, and having fewer of them means performance in PC gaming is slowed down a bit (though the impact is variable).

However, Team Green has now said that RTX 5080 models can also be affected.

Nvidia told The Verge: “Upon further investigation, we’ve identified that an early production build of GeForce RTX 5080 GPUs were also affected by the same issue. Affected consumers can contact the board manufacturer for a replacement.”

This means that all of the new RTX 5000 graphics cards currently available are potentially hit by this problem, although the hardware-level glitch remains rare according to Nvidia. Indeed, Nvidia hasn’t changed its original advisory statement, which states that only 0.5% of Blackwell chips could be affected (around 1 in 200).

(Image credit: Future) Analysis: Give me some ROPs, I’m coming loose…

This revelation comes after scattered reports on Reddit from RTX 5080 owners who’d investigated the ROP count of their graphics card and found it fell short of the official spec. These cards should have 112 ROPs, and as with the other faulty Blackwell GPUs, affected GPUs are missing 8 ROPs.

If you’re worried that your new Blackwell graphics card might be affected, you can check the ROP count using a monitoring utility like GPU-Z (I discuss this further in my original article about the issue).

Customers with an affected graphics card have been promised a replacement, and should contact the manufacturer of their card to organize this swap. Sadly, that’s a bit of a rigmarole to go through, and one that could be made a worse experience given that supply levels and stock are still problematic for Blackwell graphics cards.

For those worried that the incoming RTX 5070 (which is due to land next week) could also be affected, that isn’t the case; Nvidia made this clear after The Verge asked specifically about this model. No other GPUs outside the Blackwell range are affected by the problem either, Team Green clarified.

Nvidia estimates that the typical performance loss an affected card will experience is an average of a 4% slowdown specifically for gaming (with no impact outside of that for tasks like AI or compute workloads). Remember, that’s an average, so for some games, it’ll be more, and for others it’ll be truly negligible (as some games don’t really make much use of the render pipelines in question). Still, it's not a good look for Nvidia after an already-rocky launch for the Blackwell generation.

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Midjourney is one of the most powerful AI image generators available today. A paid tool with a range of subscription plans, it allows you to create accurate and artistic visuals based on simple text prompts.

Midjourney has to be accessed through Discord. This comes with a learning curve, but has the benefit of an active community element, which encourages collaboration.

It’s capable of rapidly generating images and running several jobs at the same time, making it a strong choice for power users.

This article was correct as of February 2025. AI tools are updated regularly and it is possible that some features have changed since this article was written. Some features may also only be available in certain countries.

What is Midjourney?

Midjourney is one of the best AI image generators. Known for its distinctive stylization and artistic looks, the paid tool can turn simple text prompts into high-quality digital renders. Developed by an independent research lab, Midjourney has evolved significantly since its first beta version launched in 2022, generating consistently high-quality results.

Instead of a standalone web platform or app, Midjourney is accessed through a dedicated Discord server. This gives it a unique social component, allowing you to explore and interact with artwork generated by the Midjourney community. This collaborative aspect is one reason why the tool is popular with artists and designers.

Its Discord-based interface is less accessible than some tools, but the pay-off is more granular editing control of image variations once you’ve mastered it.

What can you use Midjourney for?

Midjourney can be used to generate artistic images based on just about anything your mind’s eye can conjure. Enter a text prompt and, after a short wait, you’ll be rewarded with a rich visual representation. It can produce everything from photorealistic human hands to digital cartoons to watercolor landscapes.

This makes Midjourney a win for quickly visualizing ideas, whether that’s concept art for a video game or textures for a mood board. It’s also useful for people who might lack the digital design skills required to create the image assets they need.

All Midjourney plans also feature useful editing tools, including the ability to selectively refine images by painting over certain areas, as well as the option to generate four variations of a given image with strong or subtle differences.

What can’t you use Midjourney for?

Although Midjourney is a powerful AI image generator, it still has limitations. It’s editing toolkit is generous, but can’t match the fully granular layer editing offered by traditional graphic design software such as Adobe Photoshop.

Midjourney is also subject to limitations based on your subscription level (see below). With a basic plan ($10 a month / $96 a year), for example, you’re not entitled to unlimited generations.

Like any AI image generator, Midjourney should not be used to infringe the intellectual property rights of other creators. Under Midjourney’s terms, responsibility for this falls on the user, although Midjourney itself has come under fire for potentially training the model on copyrighted images.

How much does Midjourney cost?

Midjourney is a paid tool with four subscription tiers. All of its plans are available on a monthly or an annual basis. Subscribing annually saves you 20%.

• Basic Plan $10 per month / $96 per year (about £8 / £76 and AU$16 / AU$151)
• Standard Plan $30 per month / $288 per year (about £24 / £228 and AU$47 / AU$455)
• Pro Plan $60 per month / $576 per year (about £48 / £456 and AU$95 / AU$910)
• Mega Plan $120 per month / $1,152 per year (about £95 / £912 and AU$189 / AU$1,820)

The differences between each plan relate mainly to how fast you can generate images and how many jobs you can have running at a single time.

With the basic plan, for example, you’re entitled to 200 minutes of “Fast GPU Time” per month, with support for up to three fast jobs at once. Compare that to the Pro Plan, which gives you 30 hours of Fast GPU Time and 12 fast jobs simultaneously, plus unlimited generations using the slower “Relax Mode”.

You can find the full entitlements of each plan here.

Where can you use Midjourney?

Midjourney is accessed through Discord, a web-based social platform. Once you’re on the server, you interact with the text-to-image model by messaging the Midjourney Bot.

Discord can also be downloaded as an app for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, allowing you to message the Midjourney Bot directly.

Is Midjourney any good?

In our full review of Midjourney, we rated it as a superb option for generating artistic images using AI. We praised the “stunning” quality of its image output, as well as the distinctive style and flair of results. In particular, we noted how well it handles lighting and textures.

We also welcomed the array of editing options included with every Discord plan, including the ability to upscale images, create variations and tweak prompts with custom zooms.

The main drawback is the interface: for those unfamiliar with Discord, there’s a definite learning curve. Still, ongoing refinements mean that Midjourney is much slicker and easier to use than it used to be. The community aspect is also unique in creating a collaborative user environment which we found genuinely inspiring in our review.

Use Midjourney if...

You want a fully featured AI image generator

Beyond text-based prompts and a deep understanding of different artistic styles, Midjourney includes a range of tools designed to unlock your creativity, including upscaling, two-strength variations and selective editing.

You want to collaborate with digital artists

Because it’s built around Discord, community is at the core of Midjourney. Hit the explore tab and you’ll find a feed of images generated by other users, encouraging inspiration and collaboration with Midjourney’s artistic flair.

Don't use Midjourney if...

You want a simple AI image generator

Midjourney’s interface is more intuitive than it used to be, but there is still a learning curve associated with the Discord-based platform. Getting to grips with its more advanced controls takes a little time.

You want a free AI image generator

Midjourney is capable of producing beautifully artistic results, but you’ll pay for the privilege. After a free trial, subscriptions range from $10 to $120 per month for the full set of features. Others are available for less – or even free.

Also consider

• DALL-E 3 is an AI image generator. Developed by OpenAI, it can be accessed through ChatGPT or Microsoft Designer. Its chatbot interface is easier to use than Midjourney, yet it still supports selective editing and support for complex prompts.
• Leonardo is a feature-packed AI image generator with a versatile creative toolkit, including real-time editing and upscaling. It’s fast, too, making it a good option for professionals, provided you don’t mind an interface that’s slightly clunky in places.

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• Kaspersky products have been banned on Australian government devices
• Australia government cites national security concerns
• Kaspersky has always denied ties with the Russian government

Kaspersky antivirus and security software will no longer be permitted on Australian government devices, with the nation's government citing national security concerns as being behind the ban.

“After considering threat and risk analysis, I have determined that the use of Kaspersky Lab, Inc. products and web services by Australian Government entities poses an unacceptable security risk to Australian Government, networks and data, arising from threats of foreign interference, espionage and sabotage,” said Department of Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster.

Australian public organizations now must identify and remove all existing instances of Kaspersky products, and will no longer be allowed to install any security software from the firm.

Geopolitical motivations

The news follows recent decisions by the US government to also ban sales of Kaspersky security software over concerns the firm may be passing sensitive information over to the Kremlin - an accusation Kaspersky has always adamantly denied.

Kaspersky has repeatedly invited third party and independent assessments of its data services and engineering practices, and has reassured partners and customers of the security of its products and services - and strenuously denied any ties to the Russian Government.

“Kaspersky is disappointed with the decision of the Department of Home Affairs of Australia to stop and prevent the use of Kaspersky products and web services on Australian Government systems and devices,” the company told TechRadar Pro.

“Kaspersky believes that the decision stems from the current geopolitical climate and was not supported by any technical assessment of the company’s products, which the company has been continuously advocating for. The fact that the directive was issued without any warning or opportunity for engagement to address the Australian Government’s concerns highlights its political nature.”

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• LocalThunk has released a new Balatro: Friends of Jimbo update
• The latest collaboration update adds card skins themed after Assassin's Creed, Civilization 7, Fallout, and more.
• The award-winning poker roguelike is also now available on Xbox Game Pass

LocalThunk has unveiled the latest Balatro update for its Friends of Jimbo collaboration pack, which adds even more crossovers to the game.

The announcement comes from the latest ID@Xbox showcase, where the developer released the teaser trailer for Balatro Jimbo Pack 4, while also shadow-dropping the award-winning, poker roguelike on Xbox Game Pass.

From the trailer, we know that the free update adds new card skins themed after Assassin's Creed, Civilization 7, Fallout, Dead by Daylight, Rust, Slay the Princess, Bugsnax, and Critical Role.

All cards featured in the collaboration pack will have artwork based on fan-favorite characters from their respective games, like Fallout's Vault Boy and Dead by Daylight's The Trapper.

For the Assassin's Creed, in particular, players can expect to collect skins for some of the series' most iconic characters. These include Ezio Auditore da Firenze as the King of Spades card, Jacob Frye as the Jack of Spades, as well as Fujibayashi Naoe as the Queen of Spades, one of the playable protagonists from the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows.

This latest patch is the fourth update to Balatro's Friends of Jimbo collaboration pack. It was first released in August 2024 and added decks inspired by The Witcher, Vampire Survivors, Dave The Diver, and Among Us.

The crossover later saw card skins based on Cyberpunk 2077, Shovel Knight, Don't Starve, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Stardew Valley, Warframe, and more. It's unclear if LocalThunk has plans for even more updates, so we'll have to see what cards the sole developer has up his sleeve.

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• Google Cloud now offers PQC algorithms for digital signatures
• The move comes as part of Google Cloud quantum-safe roadmap
• The feature is available in preview now, with more PQC changes to come

Google Cloud has taken an additional step to secure its platform from the threat posed by quantum computing to public-key cryptography by announcing the availability of quantum-safe digital signatures in preview in the Google Cloud Key Management Service (KMS).

Theoretically, quantum computers will be able to crack most modern encryption algorithms in a matter of hours, but the viability of such a system is still at least a decade away by most expert estimates.

This does present threats today, however, with cybercriminals stealing vulnerable encrypted data today in order to decrypt it when ‘Q-Day’, or the day when the availability of cryptographically-relevant quantum computers arrives. This has necessitated the development of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to secure data against ‘harvest-now-decrypt-later’ attacks.

Securing the future of digital signatures

Quantum-safe digital signatures are just one step in Google Cloud’s roadmap towards a fully PQC platform.

For digital signatures specifically, quantum brings the threat of forgery and tampering, with Google Cloud highlighting that working to resolve these threats now will help build a more resilient infrastructure and inspire other platforms to do the same.

Google Cloud has also revealed in the announcement that to help enforce transparency and code-auditability, the quantum-related software implementations will be available as part of Google’s open-source cryptographic libraries BoringCrypto and Tink.

This update to digital signatures specifically implements the ML-DSA-65 and SLH-DSA-SHA2-128S PQC algorithms in line with NIST standards. Google Cloud will also be implementing new PQC algorithms and techniques into its Hardware Security Modules (HSM).

Google Cloud customers will be able to use the latest PQC algorithms in Cloud KMS and provide feedback on their implementation, and suggestions on other specific cryptographic requirements. Essentially, the use of Cloud KMS’s latest algorithms acts as a testbed for building and expanding the availability of PQC across the Google Cloud platform.

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• The Kindle's Download & Transfer via USB feature is going away soon
• The feature will be disabled on February 26
• You'll need a pre-2024 Kindle for this to work

Last week we got the news that Amazon was killing off an older but very useful tool called Download & Transfer via USB, which lets you download your ebook purchases to a computer. It's set to disappear tomorrow – Wednesday, February 26 – so today's your last chance to get copies of your ebooks.

Amazon hasn't gone into any detail about why the feature is going away, but it's most likely related to piracy. The Download & Transfer via USB option is one of the more commonly used ways to rip Digital Rights Management (DRM) protections off ebooks and distribute them to anyone.

The most recent generation of Kindles actually removed this feature and locked ebooks to the newer KFX format – much harder to crack – so if your first Kindle was a 2024 Kindle (like the 12th-gen Amazon Kindle Paperwhite) you never had the option to download your ebooks to a computer anyway.

For those of you with any older Kindle model registered, now's your last chance to download your ebooks as files on your computer to keep them backed up. You will still of course be able to transfer all your titles wirelessly to your ereader, and use the Kindle desktop apps for Windows and macOS as before.

How to get your ebooks

You can find all your purchased ebooks on the Amazon website (Image credit: Future)

You can find your ebook downloads by opening up the Amazon website in your region, signing into your account, then hovering the cursor above Account & Lists up in the top-right corner of the screen.

Click Manage Your Content and Devices, then choose Books from the options that appear. You'll see all the ebooks you've ever purchased from Amazon, together with details of the Kindle devices they're synced to.

Select More actions next to the ebook you want to download, then Download & transfer via USB. As long as at least one pre-2024 Kindle is linked to your Amazon account, you'll be able to choose a registered ereader and get the download in AZW3 format.

There's no bulk download option, unfortunately, so you'll need to do these steps for each ebook. When they're on your computer, you can transfer them over a USB connection to a Kindle, or open them up with a program such as Calibre.

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• Russian NCIRCC warns about a cyber-attack against major IT firms
• LANTER and LAN ATMservice seem to have been hit.
• The culprits or the goals were not disclosed

Two major Russian IT companies have suffered a major cyberattack, putting many financial and credit institutions in the country at risk.

In a security bulletin, the country’s National Computer Incident Response & Coordination Center Incidents (NCIRCC) said LANTER, a Russian company specializing in payment solutions and POS terminal integration, and LAN, whose ATMservice provides ATM and self-service terminal solutions, including maintenance and software development, had been hit. Both are operating under the LANIT Group.

In the bulletin, NCIRCC said that on February 21, FinCERT (Financial Sector Computer Emergency Response Team - a division of the Bank of Russia responsible for cybersecurity in the financial sector) notified credit and financial institutions of the possible compromise of the two organizations.

Monitoring for compromise

“NCIRCC recommends that all organizations change passwords and keys to access their systems operated in LANIT data centers as soon as possible,” the bulletin says.

Furthermore, NCIRCC said that companies granting LANIT Group’s engineers remote access to their infrastructure should revoke the credentials and secure their premises. Furthermore, the potential victims are urged to strengthen threat monitoring, and to report to RuCERT if they spot any signs of compromise.

The bulletin does not discuss who the threat actors are, or what the nature of the attack is. However, since Russia is at war with Ukraine, it’s safe to assume this could be the work of local cyberattackers. Ukraine and Russia have exchanged significant cyber-blows over the last three years, including a major Russian strike on KA-SAT, a satellite internet service operated by Viasat.

This attack, which occurred hours before Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, targeted the satellite modems used by the Ukrainian military and government, disrupting communications at a critical moment. The attack also had unintended spillover effects, affecting internet services across Europe, including for wind farms in Germany.

LANIT Group’s clientele includes prominent entities, such as the Russian Ministry of Defense, as well as “major players” in the military-industrial complex, including Rostec. The group got sanctioned by the US Department of Treasury in May 2024.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Garmin has issued a free software update for its Venu 3 and vivoactive 5
• Both devices finally support passcodes
• The update also includes HRM 200 pairing and Body Battery improvements

A new software update for two of the best Garmin watches for everyday use finally brings support for passcode security, as well as other significant improvements.

Garmin's 13.17 software for the Venu 3 and vivoactive 5 has rolled out in the last few days. Now at 100% release, the system update brings four changes, including three significant free upgrades.

Along with support for Garmin's latest Connect IQ apps, watch faces, and data fields, the new update adds support for the Garmin HRM 200, one of the best heart rate monitors on the market.

There's also a Body Battery upgrade that brings improved accuracy for users who have multiple devices, bringing you a total Body Battery score from all your various Garmins should you have a dedicated model for running, diving, golf, etc.

Finally, but arguably most importantly, the Garmin Venu 3 and vivoactive 5 now support passcodes for extra security.

Garmin finally adds passcodes

Apple Watch has had passcodes since day one. (Image credit: Future)

As a long-time user of the best Apple Watches, I was shocked to discover Garmins don't have a passcode feature. Garmin says the "new" feature, imaginatively dubbed 'Passcode', helps "to protect sensitive data if your watch ever gets lost or stolen," making its previous absence all the more baffling. Like the Apple Watch, the feature comes with automatic wrist detection, so if you take your watch off (or if it's forcibly removed) the Passcode kicks in, requiring a PIN number to regain access.

Garmin is also bringing this feature to the Fenix 8 and Fenix 8, the Enduro 3, and the Forerunner range (165, 255, 265, 955, and 965), with the rollout ongoing.

Given that a passcode protects quite important information including personal health data and text conversations, I'm surprised to learn that the feature has been missing from Garmins for so long. But users who have been looking forward to it can now use it on both the Venu 3 and vivoactive 5. If there's no sign of the update on your device, check the Software Update section of your System Settings to manually download it.

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With all the new Netflix movies to watch every month, sometimes all you need is a nostalgic flick to bring back some fond memories. So when I learned that the James Gunn-written live-action adaptation Scooby-Doo was leaving Netflix on February 28, I had to revisit this outrageously fun cult classic.

Prior to his success of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and The Suicide Squad, the CEO of DC Studios penned two iconic movies based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Scooby-Doo.

When the movie was released in 2002, it was met with largely negative reviews, the one that shocked me in particular was from The Guardian, which hailed the movie as "incredibly leaden" and "unutterably boring." Honestly, I don't stand for this kind of slander because while it's not one of the best Netflix movies and suffers from a 32% Rotten Tomatoes score, it's still incredibly fun and entertaining.

Scooby snacks, anyone?

The first Scooby-Doo movie thrusts a start-studded cast into a story that feels faithful to the animated series. In it, the Mystery Inc. gang consists of Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne Blake, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred Jones, Linda Cardellini as Velma Dinkley, Neil Fanning as Scooby, and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers – a role he was born to play, might I add, and one he still reprises in several animated Scooby-Doo series now.

Scooby-Doo sees the Mystery Inc. gang individually invited to investigate strange happenings at a spooky amusement park, two years after a bitter break-up. The crew must reunite to solve what's possessing the college students staying at Spooky Island.

With its timeless goofy humor and slapstick comedy, the Scooby-Doo movie became a smash hit that's still quoted and remembered to this day by people the right age. So it was only right to produce a sequel two years later with Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, which is also leaving Netflix on the same day.

In Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Mystery Inc. must save Coolsville when an evil masked figure brings to life all the old monsters they exposed in a bid to ruin their reputation. The second movie was also met with a poor critical reception, and we never got a third Scooby-Doo movie.

While I mourn the loss of a potential trilogy, the Scooby-Doo movie is still a clever take on the franchise's history and remains a hilarious crime solving comedy caper with its perfect casting and clever adult humor references.

One thing that's for certain is that Scooby-Doo proves that not everything has to have modern style or rich substance to be a good movie – sometimes all you need are some genuine laugh-out-loud gags.

So if you're looking for some casual entertainment and a movie that doesn't take itself seriously, then you should definitely watch Scooby-Doo before it leaves the best streaming service.

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Technical debt—much like financial debt—is a cumulative beast. It represents all the extra hours and resources poured into keeping a solution technically current, often without making real progress toward innovation. It’s like a bucket with a hole in its base: no matter how much water you pour in, the water level barely rises. In this case, that’s because needless upgrades and patching keep draining your efforts.

Where it relates specifically to software systems, technical debt can stem from decisions made in the moment—those “quick fixes” or stopgap measures that seem like the easiest solution at the time. These might involve implementing solutions to plug a gap in your infrastructure or rushing to adopt new ERP software functionality, even when it doesn’t fully align with your strategy or staff expertise. Over time, these little compromises accumulate into big frustrations, leaving you spending all your time involved with patch management over issues – rather than addressing root causes. It’s like spending your entire paycheck on debt repayments without being able to save or invest for your future. It’s incredibly frustrating.

The good news is that paying down this technical debt is possible. It’s not an overnight fix, but with the right strategy, you can gain time and budget to gradually reduce that debt while balancing affordability, innovation, and ROI.

Why We Accumulate Technical Debt

In the ERP world, the dominant players—Oracle, SAP, and others—significantly contribute to the accumulation of technical debt. Their strategies are built around locking you into their ecosystems--pushing you to upgrade on their timelines and, crucially, use their in-house support and maintenance, preventing you from focusing on projects that drive true value for the business.

Let’s be clear: upgrading your software system doesn’t inherently create technical debt. The problem lies in how upgrades are imposed. It’s the pressure to upgrade before you’re ready or to align with vendor roadmaps that don’t match your business priorities.

For example, SAP’s push toward S/4HANA adoption has left many businesses scrambling to meet tight deadlines, fearing the loss of support for older systems. Support for SAP’s widely used ECC software will end in 2027, with an optional extended maintenance period available until 2030 at a significant premium. This impending deadline is pressuring organizations to upgrade to S/4HANA, even if they are unprepared for the transition. Many businesses face challenges in terms of the time, resources, and financial investment required to migrate, leaving them at risk of running unsupported systems and exposing themselves to potential compliance and security vulnerabilities.

Similarly, Oracle’s aggressive move to cloud-based solutions has forced customers into costly transitions under the very legitimate concern that they’ll fail to meet critical compliance and security standards if they don’t. Oracle frequently emphasizes the security and compliance advantages of migrating to its cloud services, leaving customers with limited alternatives. The message is clear: You’ve got to move to the cloud—security implications demand it. How’s that for flexibility, independence, and control? This approach places enterprises in a difficult position, pressuring them to adopt Oracle’s roadmap rather than sticking to their own strategy.

Then there are the maintenance contracts. These multi-million-dollar agreements often apply to aging products with limited ROI, yet they’re non-negotiable. Worse, the costs often escalate annually, leaving enterprises paying more and more… and getting back less and less.

Technical debt often starts with compromises--choosing systems based on budget constraints or sleepwalking into vendor lock-in. Over time, these hidden costs—mandatory upgrades, expensive support, and abandoned legacy systems—pile up. While upgrades themselves don’t directly cause technical debt, they can exacerbate it, but not being able to focus on your business goals.

The Cycle of Technical Debt

So, your aging systems are no longer meeting your needs, and your technical debt is at an all-time high. Every effort to keep things running feels like pouring water into that leaky bucket—you’re working harder but making no real progress.

So, what can you do?

While there’s no silver bullet that will allow you to eliminate technical debt instantly, it is possible to pay down this debt sustainably while prioritizing growth and innovation. Start by rethinking how you manage and support your current systems.

Breaking Free

You can’t always get rid of aging systems, but you can support them more effectively. Third-party software support offers a way to regain control over your IT strategy. Think of it as fast-tracking your journey out of technical debt.

Third-party software support shifts the focus away from vendor-imposed roadmaps to your unique business needs. If you need a highly customized setup or prefer a best-of-breed approach, your support partner enables you to maintain stable, familiar systems while selectively modernizing the parts that align with your strategy.

And the cost savings? On average, enterprises save over 60 percent on maintenance and support contracts when they switch to third-party software support. This frees up budget for innovation, employee training, maintaining existing systems, and ensuring they operate as expected— without the unnecessary, vendor-mandated bells and whistles.

Strategic Innovation Over Vendor Roadmaps

Vendors don’t want you to know about these alternatives because it threatens their entire business model, which is built around those lucrative maintenance contracts. They rely on keeping you locked into their cycle of mandatory upgrades and ever escalating fees. But technical debt doesn’t have to be an inevitable cost of doing business.

With third-party software support you can keep your systems supported, compliant, and aligned with your business goals—all while freeing time and budget to reduce technical debt. You’re no longer forced to upgrade for the sake of compliance or to access critical updates and support.

Enterprises that break free from vendor lock-in experience a twofold benefit: reduced technical debt and the freedom to allocate resources toward strategic innovation. By rethinking how you manage your software lifecycle, you’ll finally be able to pay down that debt and plan your future systems on your terms—not your vendor’s.

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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

March 2025 is going to be a big month for Apple TV+. The increasingly popular streaming platform has had some big wins so far this year, with Severance season 2 dominating online TV show-based discussions and new movies like The Gorge earning mostly positive reviews from fans and critics alike. The tech giant, then, will hope the third month of 2025 is as productive for it as the first two were.

It looks like it will be, too. The final three episodes of Severance's sophomore season notwithstanding, there's plenty to look forward to on Apple's streaming service in March, including the debut of some exciting new Apple TV Originals. Here, then, is everything that's coming to one of the best streaming services between March 1 and 31.

March 5

Prime Target's eighth and final episode is out in early March (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Berlin ER episode 3
• Love You to Death episode 6
• Mythic Quest season 4 episode 7
• Prime Target episode 8

March 7

Surface season 2 continues to pose more questions than it answers (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Severance season 2 episode 8
• Surface season 2 episode 3

March 12

Love You to Death's final episode airs in mid-March (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Berlin ER episode 4
• Love You to Death episode 7
• Mythic Quest season 4 episode 8

March 14

Dope Thief's first two episodes will launch on Apple TV Plus in mid-March (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Dope Thief episodes 1 and 2
• Severance season 2 episode 9
• Surface season 2 episode 4

March 19

Berlin ER is a German-language medical drama that began airing in February (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Berlin ER episode 5
• Mythic Quest season 4 episode 9

March 21

How will Severance season 2 end in late March? (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Be@rbrick episodes 1 to 13
• Dope Thief episode 3
• Severance season 2 episode 10
• Surface season 2 episode 5

March 26

Seth Rogen's new TV series The Studio arrives before the end of March (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Berlin ER episode 6
• Mythic Quest season 4 episode 10
• Side Quest episodes 1 to 4
• The Studio episodes 1 and 2

March 28

Surface season 2 passes its midway point in late March (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

• Dope Thief episode 4
• Surface season 2 episode 6

For more Apple TV Plus coverage, read our guides on the best Apple TV Plus shows, best Apple TV Plus movies, Foundation season 3, and Silo season 3.

The modern business is an intricate fabric of IT infrastructure, integrating networks and technologies to support its overall mission.

A single point of failure can bring the entire system to a halt, causing significant downtime. During such outages, networks become inaccessible, preventing users from interacting with the organization’s systems. IT teams must then act swiftly to restore functionality, safeguarding against data loss, revenue loss, and damage to the company’s reputation.

On average, nearly $50 million in annual sales is being missed out because of downtime according to research from Splunk. Just by being more consistent and available than the competition, IT teams can create a competitive advantage through superior resilience and efficiency.

So, why are businesses still finding challenges in ensuring business continuity?

An environment of threats

The causes of downtime are complex, as businesses and their environments sometimes evolve in unexpected ways. Premises and digital infrastructure designed for specific outcomes may become outdated due to new technologies or priorities, leading to the creation of inefficiencies and blind spots.

According to a Databarracks survey, nearly a quarter of businesses (24%) suffered downtime as a result of a cyber incident last year, with a key threat being DDoS attacks.

GTT research revealed DDoS attacks are causing huge problems for organizations. In the first half of 2024, there was a 25% increase in multi-vector DDoS attacks recorded, with these threats continuing to escalate through the second half of the year. Addressing both malicious and non-malicious causes of downtime requires comprehensive, flexible strategies – relying on tactical responses to individual issues is no longer sufficient.

The (not-so) secret ingredients to business continuity

The first step in preventing downtime is assessing the network architecture. After all, you can’t defend what you can’t see. Enterprises should evaluate the importance and requirements of both redundant connectivity and high availability network designs as a strategy to mitigate brownouts and blackouts.

Mapping out an entire network, identifying tools and operations which are critical in delivering products or services, and those areas which are at a higher risk of attack or compromise lays the foundation for an effective downtime prevention strategy.

Once the network has been mapped, and core competencies have been recognized, ensuring that redundancy measures are in place allows business decision makers and IT teams sleep easier. Increasing redundancy for both hardware and traffic pathways mean that no single point of failure will completely shut down the organization, and if one area fails, data still has alternate routes to flow through.

Sites cannot be too overprovisioned when it comes to downtime prevention, but budgets typically limit the art of the possible. Look for solutions and partnerships that offer what is needed today but also offer the ability to make soft changes when needs shift. This ability means when there are shocks to the system, IT teams don’t have to rip and replace but can quickly enhance and solve without investing heavily in new in-house solutions.

What should never be missing from this network assessment is the maintenance of a good security posture. As addressed previously, DDoS attacks are only getting more common and are coming from more vectors than ever. DDoS mitigation technologies, such as the use of data scrubbing centers and traffic filtering, ensures any inbound traffic is analyzed and cleansed of any malicious packages before it reaches the users' network.

DDoS prevention strategies should consider the approach organizations take to attack detection. Either taking the responsibility of detection in-house and reacting to incidents after-the-fact or having an always-on proactive DDoS solution. Robust DDoS solutions don’t just mitigate attacks, but do so automatically, ideally in real-time, to prevent any possible downtime and maintain business continuity when targeted.

Leaving it to the experts

Once the network has been assessed, measures implemented, and teams briefed on their priorities – then what? All the ingredients for downtime prevention must come together in the right mix and be focused on the right areas to cater for the business’ specific needs.

The process of establishing these frameworks can be drawn out and arduous, which inevitably takes time away from business growth opportunities like R&D, service improvements or identifying efficiencies. Working with a partner can alleviate this stress and create room for growth in a secure environment.

Network monitoring for cyberattacks is a 24x7x365 task, this always-on state of constant vigilance can be a huge drain for IT security teams. By collaborating with seasoned managed service security providers (MSSPs), organizations can benefit from having "more eyes" monitoring their network architecture and corporate IT. MSSPs are able to instantly monitor and address any issues, freeing up internal IT staff to concentrate on making the best choices possible to maintain business continuity.

Downtime prevention is a competitive advantage

As customer expectations continue to rise and expect faster connectivity, the urgency to ensure business continuity has never been greater. Often the best way to illustrate the importance of downtime strategies is to put it into financial terms, securing leadership commitment by equating it with a loss of future income and brand depletion.

A company's business continuity and disaster recovery strategies will be unique to them, and the decision to concentrate their efforts internally or enlisting the help of partners depends on their size and needs. What matters, though, is that downtime prevention stays a priority. Businesses can reduce downtime and assure continuity by combining novel technologies and frameworks, to react quickly should the worst happen.

We've compiled a list of the best Disaster Recovery services.

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

• Indian loan company Vivifi has reportedly suffered a data breach
• 36 million files were left exposed
• These consisted primarily of personally identifiable information (PII)

A leading digital lending app has apparently exposed sensitive customer data after a misconfigured Amazon AWS S3 was bucket left unsecured without authentication.

Cybernews researchers discovered loan provider Vivifi left 36 million files of Know Your Customer (KYC) documents open online. The primary risk after a data breach is that criminals will use your information to apply for credit cards, loans, or bank accounts in identity theft or fraud schemes - so a loan company having customer information compromised would make it almost too easy for cybercriminals.

Included in the leak were passports, ID cards, driving licenses, utility bills, bank statements, and loan agreement letters, among other things - here’s what we know so far.

Ongoing investigation

Researchers discovered the leak on November 28, 2024, and the bucket wasn’t closed until January 16, 2025, meaning criminals had over a month to find and access the data - although there’s no evidence to suggest any did - only an internal forensic audit would determine this.

Know Your Customer (KYC) documents are used by financial institutions to ensure they comply with regulations and laws with regards to proof of identity, address, and income. Unfortunately though, this is all a cybercriminal would need to take out a loan in a victim’s name, or to craft particularly compelling social engineering attacks.

“For instance, attackers could use leaked loan agreement details or bank information to request urgent payments or account verification,” Cybernews researchers said.

“In some cases, these personal details can be aggregated and sold on the dark web, further escalating the danger and complicating efforts for victims to protect their privacy and secure their identities,” the team added.

Data breaches are all too common, and fintech firms aren’t immune. Earlier in 2025, Mexican FinTech firm Miio suffered a similar data breach which exposed millions of files of sensitive data - although significantly fewer than the Vivifi leak.

Serious risk for customers

This data breach is, unfortunately, the perfect opportunity for an attacker. The KYC documents are exactly what cybercriminals need to facilitate identity theft and fraud. With the identifying documents and personally identifiable information (PII), attackers can take out a loan, credit card, or create new bank accounts in your name.

To stay safe from this, the key is staying alert and monitoring your accounts. There are identity theft protection plans for individuals and for families, which essentially do the monitoring for you, and often provide $1 million or more in insurance plans, as well as dark web monitoring and anti-malware software - which can be very tricky to set up on your own.

If you want to do the monitoring yourself, perhaps you haven’t been directly impacted by a breach but want to stay protected - then here are the things to keep an eye out for.

First, is your bank statements, accounts, and transactions - if you see any suspicious activity, alert your bank immediately and freeze or pause your card if you can.

Next, create a strong and secure password for each individual account, or at least for the ones which hold financial, health, or sensitive information - and if a service you use is involved in a breach or cyberattack, make sure you change the password straight away.

Although it’s a pain, enabling multi-factor authentication or MFA is a great added layer of protection against intruders, so for those accounts with sensitive information - it's vital.

When PII is leaked, there’s always an added danger of social engineering attacks like phishing, which will use the data from the breach to determine which services you use regularly, what your interests are, or even your friends and family.

From there, attackers will send an email impersonating one of the above, and will trick you into clicking a malicious link, scanning a QR code, or handing over your details to them.

Be on the lookout for any unexpected communications, and look closely at the sender of emails - if you’re not sure, then don’t press any links, and search up what the legitimate email address would be - or contact the company directly through their website.

Remember, your bank will not ask you for your account details over the phone or through email - and they won’t ask you to transfer your funds to a different account.

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If you use ChatGPT much, you've likely experimented with DALL-E 3, OpenAI’s latest iteration of an AI image generator. DALL-E 3 can be shockingly good at bringing your ideas to life but sometimes shockingly bad at understanding certain details or just shocking in what it chooses to emphasize. Still, if you want to see a specific scene move from your head to your screen, DALL-E 3 is usually pretty helpful, it can even make hands write.

But here’s the thing, DALL-E 3 is still an AI model, not a mind reader. If you want images that actually look like what you’re imagining, you need to learn how to speak its language.

After some trial and error (and a few unintentional horrors), I've become fairly adept at speaking its language. So here are five key tips that will help you do the same.

Polish in HD

DALL-E 3 has a quality mode called ‘hd,’ which makes images look sharper and more detailed. Think of it like adding a high-end camera lens to your AI-generated art – textures look richer, lighting is more refined, and things like fabric, fur, and reflections have more depth.

Check out how it looks in this prompt: "A rendering of a close-up shot of a butterfly resting on a sunflower. Quality: hd."

(Image credit: Image created with OpenAI's DALL-E 3) Play with aspect ratio

Not every image has to be a square. DALL-E 3 lets you set the aspect ratios, which may seem minor but can be huge if you want to make something look more cinematic or like a portrait.

Square is fine, but why limit yourself when you can make something epic? This is especially useful for social media graphics and posters, like the one below, which had the prompt: "A vertical poster of a vintage travel advertisement for Paris, size 1024x1792 pixels."

(Image credit: Image created with OpenAI's DALL-E 3) Think like a film director

To get an image capable of evoking emotion, sometimes it helps to think like you're a photographer in the real world. Think about camera angle or composition techniques; look them up if necessary. The result can dramatically change how an image looks.

Instead of a flat, dead-on image, you can request angles like close-up, bird’s-eye view, or over-the-shoulder. The same goes for composition styles and terms like ‘symmetrical composition’ or ‘depth of field.’

That's how you can get the following image from this prompt: "A dramatic over-the-shoulder shot of a lone cowboy standing on a rocky cliff, gazing at the vast desert landscape below. The sun sets in the distance, casting long shadows across the canyon. The cowboy's silhouette is sharp against the golden sky, evoking a cinematic Western feel."

(Image credit: Image created with OpenAI's DALL-E 3) Iterate, iterate, iterate

One of DALL-E 3’s lesser-known but highly effective tricks is telling it what not to include. This helps avoid unwanted elements in your image. That might mean specifying negative elements like colors, objects, or styles you don't want or refining the style and mood by what you don't want it to feel like.

That's how I got the image below, using the prompt: "A peaceful park in autumn with a young woman sitting on a wooden bench, reading a book. Golden leaves cover the ground, and a soft breeze rustles the trees. No other people, no litter, just a quiet, serene moment in nature."

(Image credit: Image created with OpenAI's DALL-E 3) Be overly specific

Think of DALL-E 3 as a very literal genie: it gives you exactly what you ask for, no more, no less. So if you type in “a dog,” don’t be surprised when it spits out a random dog of indeterminate breed, vibe, or moral alignment. The more details you include – like breed, color, setting, mood, or even art style – the better the results.

As an example, You might start with: “A wizard casting a spell," but you'd be better off submitting: “An elderly wizard with a long, braided white beard, dressed in emerald-green robes embroidered with gold runes, conjuring a swirling vortex of blue lightning from his fingertips in a stormy mountain landscape.” You can see both below.

(Image credit: Image created with OpenAI's DALL-E 3)

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• Netflix’s American Murder: Gabby Petito has upset some people for using an AI-generated voice to narrate Petito’s journal entries.
• Despite permission from Petito’s family, critics argue the AI voice raises ethical concerns.
• This isn't the first occurrence of such debate, and it will likely keep happening as the technology improves.

Netflix’s latest true-crime docuseries, American Murder: Gabby Petito, has stirred up a heated debate over how to deploy AI to mimic the voices of people who have passed away. The filmmakers employed AI to recreate Petito's voice and have it narrate excerpts from her personal writings, which has reportedly made many viewers feel uncomfortable and raised ethical concerns about using AI to give voice to the deceased.

The three-part series chronicles the 2021 murder of 22-year-old Petito at the hands of her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. It pieces together her final months through interviews, personal videos, and social media posts, evoking how the tragedy happened in real-time on the internet. True crime aficionados famously dissected every frame of Petito’s travel vlogs before authorities found her remains in Wyoming.

At the start of the series, a disclaimer appears: “Gabby’s journal entries and text messages are brought to life in this series in her own voice, using voice recreation technology.” That means the voice narrating parts of the documentary isn’t actually Petito’s but a synthetic recreation made with an AI model. Netflix has said the filmmakers received permission from Petito’s family to do so. That hasn’t stopped some people from vocalizing how eerie the AI-generated voice feels. Social media content creators have racked up hundreds of thousands of views discussing it.

AI ghosts

This isn't the first controversy over AI-generated voices. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain faced similar criticism when its director revealed that parts of the documentary featured AI-generated narration of Bourdain’s own words. That movie didn't indicate which bits were narrated by the AI or by Bourdain, which led many to feel that the technique was deceptive.

Filmmaker Michael Gasparro defended the decision in an interview with Us Weekly, saying the team wanted to tell the story as much “through Gabby’s voice as possible.” They had access to a wealth of her journals, notes, and online posts and thought AI narration would bring them to life in a more powerful way. “At the end of the day, it’s her story.”

Technology has always shaped the way we tell stories, but AI presents a new challenge, especially when it comes to memorializing people who can no longer speak for themselves. Robert Downey Jr. has vowed that AI will never replicate him on screen, while James Earl Jones secured a deal with Disney before passing away, allowing them to use his voice for Darth Vader under certain circumstances.

Meanwhile, ElevenLabs has inked deals with the estates of James Dean, Burt Reynolds, Judy Garland, and Sir Laurence Olivier to let it add AI versions of their voices to its Reader app. As deepfake technology and voice cloning become more sophisticated, filmmakers and media companies will have to reckon with how (and if) these tools should be used to tell real-life stories.

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• Hainan’s underwater computing cluster matches the power of 30,000 gaming PCs operating simultaneously
• Seawater-cooled AI centers reduce energy costs and enhance security
• Microsoft abandoned underwater data centers after early trials

China has deployed 400 high-performance servers beneath the sea as part of an expanding underwater data center in Lingshui, Hainan.

China Media Group says this infrastructure will complete a year’s worth of computations for an average PC in just one second and can enable DeepSeek’s AI assistant to handle 7,000 conversations per second.

The newly-installed module, measuring 18 meters long and 3.6 meters in diameter, is linked to an existing facility to form a computing cluster designed to support AI-driven applications — providing computing power equivalent to 30,000 high-end gaming PCs operating simultaneously.

Expanding China's AI infrastructure

Xu Tan, vice president of Highlander, a Shenzhen-listed maritime technology firm and a key player in China's underwater data center expansion, highlighted the advantages of submerged data facilities.

"With the advent of the 5G and even 6G era, data will increase exponentially, and the construction of undersea data centers could meet the future demands of this growth," he said.

The Hainan underwater data center, first launched in 2023, was the first commercial project of its kind. According to CGTN, the long-term plan entails deploying up to 100 data cabins in multiple phases.

The project aligns with China’s strategy to enhance its AI capabilities, with 219 intelligent computing centers launched across 81 cities from 2022 to 2024, according to IDC (originally in Chinese).

The firm also projects China's intelligent computing capacity will grow at an annual rate of 33.9% until 2027, playing a crucial role in AI research, data processing, and automation across various industries.

Almost 10 companies have signed agreements to use the computing power of underwater data centers for AI model training, industrial simulations, game development, and marine research.

However, this project will require thousands of submerged servers, and the specific hardware to be used remains unknown. It is likely that high-performance AI accelerators, such as Nvidia’s H100 or Huawei’s Ascend 910, will be considered.

China has been pushing for domestic alternatives, so advanced AI chips from companies like Biren Technology or Loongson are also possibilities.

While China moves forward with plans to deploy up to 40,000 underwater servers in the coming years, American companies have taken a more cautious approach. Microsoft previously experimented with an underwater data center off the coast of the UK in 2018, but after retrieving it in 2020, the company ditched its National Park underwater data center plans.

Via Globaltimes

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In case you haven't been paying attention, Intel has been getting banged up lately in both the press and on Wall Street. Over the last 12 months, it's lost just under 43% of its share value as well as its CEO, Pat Gelsinger. It's watched Nvidia and AMD make major gains in the data center market at its expense, and its most recent client processors, the Intel Core Ultra 200S series, were rather underwhelming, especially for gaming.

Probably the biggest concern for Intel was its Q3 2024 earnings, which saw the company post a staggering $16.6 billion loss, the largest the company had ever seen. And while this was generated almost entirely by accelerated depreciation charges and the restructuring required after laying off 15,000 workers, rather than products sitting unsold on the store shelves, it still went off like a bomb on Wall Street and in Washington, where talk about how Intel could be "saved" remains rampant.

A lot of this talk has centered on Intel Foundry, the division of the company that actually manufactures semiconductors. Under Gelsinger, Intel invested billions of dollars into developing leading-edge process technology that could compete with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which manufactures chips for AMD, Apple, Nvidia, and even Intel, among many others.

So far, those efforts haven't borne fruit, and there have been many, many calls for Intel to dump its foundry business and focus on designing processors and outsourcing the actual manufacturing to TSMC.

All of this makes the newest process technology from Intel Foundry, Intel 18A, a make-or-break proposition for Team Blue, and no matter where you stand on the AMD vs Intel vs Nvidia, you should hope that Intel pulls off a miracle here.

What is a process node and what makes Intel 18A so special?

(Image credit: Intel)

Process node technology is very in-the-weeds stuff, and for someone looking to buy the best laptop or best processor for their PC, the question of which process node a chip was fabricated on rarely enters the discussion, even among tech enthusiasts.

A process node is the set of specific manufacturing processes used to fabricate a silicon wafer containing the chips that go into computers, as well as different innovations and features these chips include.

Traditionally, these nodes are referred to by a specific nanometer designation, i.e., a 3nm node, that is used to represent the physical length of the transistor gate. Over the last decade, though, these designations have become more marketing than anything, and the nanometer designation isn't directly tied to the physical size of the transistors.

Rather these designations say that a chip performs as well as a specific nanometer chip would if it were possible to produce transistors at such small scales, which nowadays is largely impossible (welcome to the end of Moore's Law). Now, these designations largely represent generational leaps in technology, and TSMC's process technology is currently the best there is.

But where and by whom the chip that powers your PC or graphics card is made can affect everything from its price to its availability. Right now, the vast majority of advanced computer chips, whether laptop processors or data center chips are manufactured by TSMC, with its most advanced N3 process node being in the most demand.

(Image credit: Alexander_Safonov / Shutterstock)

TSMC's next-gen process node, N2, is slated for volume production sometime in 2025, meaning it will be making production chips for AMD, Apple, Nvidia, and others later this year. The '2' in N2 is meant to represent 2nm, which puts it well beyond anything rival Samsung or Intel foundries have been able to produce.

Intel Foundry's 18A process, meanwhile, is a 1.8nm process, making it even more advanced than TSMC's. If Intel can deliver on the promises it has made about 18A, it would be the most advanced process technology in the world and would immediately upend the chip fabrication industry.

The fact that these chips would be produced in the United States makes the proposition even more enticing for American companies like Apple who have faced longstanding criticism over their offshore manufacturing and supply chain.

The most important result of Intel 18A's success for consumers, though, would be the long-term decrease in advanced chip prices and a more stable supply across several industries dependent on these advanced chips.

The COVID-19-driven supply chain issues in 2020 and 2021 revealed a real weakness in the globalized production model. While globalization has (mostly) led to lower prices for consumers, COVID showed that it only works when everything is running smoothly. Any disruption in one of the links in the supply chain can be felt for years in terms of higher prices and lower stock of the products we want to buy.

Having nearly all our advanced semiconductor supply tied to Taiwan is a recipe for disaster

(Image credit: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock)

Taiwan is a lovely country and it deserves all of the prosperity its semiconductor industry has brought to its people. But it is also a geopolitical crisis point vis-a-vis China, which believes Taiwan belongs under mainland rule.

This potential conflict over Taiwan means the global supply of the most advanced semiconductors could be threatened.

The existing status quo benefits Taiwan, as its semiconductor industry acts as a 'silicon shield' for the island, but for the rest of us, we're pretty much depending on China and the US to not escalate a conflict that, in even the best case scenario, could cripple the flow of advanced chips that the modern global economy depends on.

Reducing this dependence on TSMC is reason enough to want Intel 18A to succeed. If Intel can provide a genuine alternative for the most in-demand chip technology with the stability that comes from US production, it'll provide valuable insulation for the global economy and inject much-needed competition into the chip fabrication industry, bringing prices down for everyone.

What would 18A mean for Intel?

(Image credit: Intel)

Beyond the geopolitical issues, a successful rollout and adoption of 18A among industry customers like AMD, Nvidia, and possibly even Apple, would be a massive source of revenue for Intel separate from its own processor business, as well as providing an 'in-house' manufacturer of its processors, lowering their cost and giving it a competitive advantage over rival AMD.

Understandably, Intel is very bullish on 18A. It has to be since the future success of the company relies on 18A delivering the kind of performance that industry customers need, especially as AI is placing extraordinary demands on existing hardware.

If Intel 18A fails to establish Intel Foundry as a serious competitor to TSMC, it will likely be spun off as Wall Street is demanding. Without the support of the Intel Client side of the business to help it ramp up, it'll likely never reach the kind of advanced node technology that TSMC has, leaving us all dependent on a single supplier for cutting-edge chips and all the vulnerabilities and added cost that entails.

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• MSI’s Multi-Platform Streamer Prime app - no extra software needed
• Integrates Google TV with thousands of movies and shows
• The wireless display feature supports Google Cast and Miracast

MSI has entered the smart monitor market with the launch of the Modern MD272UPSW, a UHD 4K display.

The 27-inch IPS panel features a 3840 × 2160 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate, with 94% Adobe RGB, 98% DCI-P3, and 127% sRGB coverage. It also offers a 300-nit brightness level, an anti-glare surface, a 178° viewing angle, and a 4ms (GtG) response time, ensuring sharp visuals and vibrant colors.

MSI, known for gaming laptops, now joins the likes of Samsung and LG, who, with products like the LG 32-inch UltraGear OLED and Samsung ViewFinity S9, are embracing the smart business monitor trend — blending business and entertainment features into a single display.

Google TV integration for all-in-one entertainment

Unlike traditional business monitors, the MD272UPSW includes Google TV, for access to over 400,000 movies and TV episodes. Users can also browse through more than 10,000 apps and 800 free live TV channels.

It also integrates the Multi-Platform Streamer Prime app, allowing users to stream live content across multiple platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook without additional software.

With Google Assistant integration, voice commands can be used to search for shows, open apps, and control the monitor, while the included remote makes navigation effortless.

The MD272UPSW is still definitely designed for professionals, featuring a wireless display function with Google Cast and Miracast, plus Multi Control and KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) functionality for allowing users to operate two devices with a single keyboard and mouse.

For seamless connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a, LAN (RJ45), and USB Type-C with 65 W power delivery. The monitor also includes a headphone jack, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and two 3W Dolby Audio speakers.

Via TechPowerUp

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