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A whopping 69% of organizations have reported paying ransoms this year, according to research by Cohesity, with 46% handing over a quarter of a million dollars or more to cybercriminals. It is hardly the picture of resiliency that is often painted by industry. Clearly, there is a disconnect between cyber resiliency policy and operational capability that urgently needs addressing. 

With the advent of Ransomware-as-a-Service platforms and the current global geopolitical situation, organizations face a huge existential threat through destructive cyber attacks that could put them out of business. This gap between confidence and capability needs to be addressed, but in order to do so, those organizations need to recognize there is a problem in the first place.

According to the Global cyber resilience report 2024, which surveyed 3,139 IT and Security Operations (SecOps) decision-makers, despite 77% of companies having a 'do not pay' policy, many have found themselves unable to respond and recover from attacks without caving in to ransom demands. In addition, only 2% of organizations can recover their data and restore business operations within 24 hours of a cyberattack – despite 98% of organizations claiming their recovery target was one day.

This clearly indicates that current cyber resilience strategies are failing to deliver when it matters most. Companies have set ambitious recovery time objectives (RTOs), but are nowhere close to building the appropriate effective and efficient investigation and threat mitigation capability needed to rebuild and recover securely. Most organizations treat a destructive cyber attack like a traditional business continuity incident like a flood, fire or electricity loss - recovering from the last backup and bringing back in all the vulnerabilities, gaps in prevention and detection, as well as persistence mechanisms that caused the incident in the first place. The gap between these goals and actual capabilities is a ticking time bomb, leaving businesses vulnerable to prolonged downtime and severe financial losses.

Equally alarming is the widespread neglect of Zero-Trust Security principles. While many companies tout their commitment to securing sensitive data, less than half have implemented multi-factor authentication (MFA) or role-based access controls (RBAC). These are not just best practices; they are essential safeguards in today’s threat landscape. Without them, organizations are leaving the door wide open to both external and internal threats.

As cyber threats continue to evolve, with 80% of companies now facing the threat of AI-enabled attacks, the need for a robust, modern approach to data resiliency is more urgent than ever. Yet, the continued reliance on outdated strategies and the failure to adapt to new threats sets the stage for even greater risks. It’s not even a question of complacency.

Building confidence or creating false hope?

With 78% of organizations claiming that they are confident in their cyber resilience capability, this infers that a lot of work has already been done in creating the process and technology to not just isolate attacks but also have the ability to recover a trusted response capability to investigate, mitigate threats and recover. This would be great if true, but we are seeing a real disconnect between perception and reality when it comes to cyber resilience.

That’s a big concern. The financial impact of these failures is not limited to ransom payments alone. The true cost of inadequate cyber resilience extends far beyond the immediate outlay. Prolonged downtime, loss of customer trust, criminal prosecutions for false attestations around the quality of security controls or paying ransoms to sanctioned entities, brand damage, and skyrocketing cyber insurance premiums are just a few consequences that can damage an organization. It’s a sobering reminder that investing in and testing robust cyber resiliency measures upfront is far more cost-effective than dealing with the fallout of a successful attack.

Moreover, the report reveals that only 42% of organizations have the IT and Security capabilities to identify sensitive data and comply with their regulatory requirements. This deficiency exposes companies to significant fines and undermines their ability to prioritize protecting the very data that is the lifeblood of their organization and is subject to regulatory obligations.

With the expected rise of AI-enhanced cyberattacks adding another layer of capability to cyber adversaries, organizations with traditional defenses will have their work cut out. They are no match for these effective and high-efficient threats, which can adapt and evolve faster than most organizations can respond. Organizations need AI-tools to counter these emerging AI-driven threats.

Identify a problem to fix a problem

The report ultimately reveals opportunities for improvement. People, processes, and tools do exist to reverse these trends and close gaps to shore up cyber resilience. Still, organizations need to understand where they currently sit regarding resiliency and be honest with themselves.

The right workflow collaboration and platform integration between IT and Security needs to be developed before an incident. Organizations must engage in more realistic and rigorous threat modelling, attack simulations, drills and tests to understand their strengths and weaknesses. This can ensure that the response and recovery process is effective and that all stakeholders are familiar with their roles during an incident or can identify shortcomings and areas for improvement.

In addition, automated testing of backup data can verify the integrity and recoverability of backups without manual intervention. This automation helps ensure that backups are reliable and can be restored quickly when needed.

Finally, maintaining detailed documentation and recovery playbooks helps ensure everyone knows their responsibilities and what steps to take during an incident. These playbooks should be regularly updated based on changes in adversary behavior and the results of testing and drills.

And this is just a start. To fully reduce operational risk, a transition to modern data security and management processes, tools, and practices is required. Perhaps then, we will see a reduction in ransom payments and a cyber resilience confidence built on reality.

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During a town hall outside Miami, Trump touted his record on the economy, yet called Jan. 6 a "day of love" and would not back off false claims about Haitian migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

(Image credit: Chandan Khanna)

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse in what an attorney said was the largest single child sex abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese.

(Image credit: Damian Dovarganes)

The dawn of the e-reader was a glorious moment for me after years of lugging around dozens of pounds of books to sate my bibliophile needs. Amazon's Kindle line stood out from its early, basic text form onward.

Now, Amazon has augmented its new Kindle Scribe with AI through a couple of very useful and surprisingly intuitive new features. Other companies making e-readers should take note, and conveniently, that's exactly what the Kindle Scribe and its AI tools are built for.

In particular, while Amazon has marketed the Kindle Scribe as an E Ink notetaking device, the new Active Canvas facet of the e-reader lets you write notes on top of printed text, automatically gliding around and ensuring a sticky placement.

Chickenscratch refined

I’ll be the first to admit that my handwriting has never been the neatest. I've been told it's perfect, but only for ransom notes and as a warning to children reluctant to practice their penmanship. It only worsens when I take notes quickly during a speech or interview. Trying to decipher it afterward is an art as much as a science, but the Kindle Scribe seems to have no trouble transforming handwritten notes, even messy ones, into legible text that’s much easier to read.

As someone who has always preferred jotting down notes by hand over typing or transcribing audio, that's a huge deal. The AI keeps the charm of handwriting while keeping it useful. It’s a quiet deployment of AI, but a sign Amazon knows what Kindle Scribe users actually desire from AI tools.

From scattered to summarized

If you take a lot of notes, even having them be readable doesn't mean you have them organized. That's why the AI summarization feature for the new Kindle Scribe is so enticing. As a reporter, I might read and take notes on a PDF announcement for a new product, then go and take notes on the speech given by a company's CEO when it is unveiled, and further write my comments on what I think about testing the product. The Kindle Scribe can distill those scattered notes written over many hours or days into a neat paragraph or two.

Indeed, the AI may not always extract the most relevant points from the notes. There might be extraneous bits left in or valuable data left out, but at least from what I've seen, that's not a major issue with the Kindle Scribe's AI. I would have cheerfully paid through the nose for such a feature when I was a student.

Again, Amazon is using AI in the Kindle Scribe to retain the appeal of digital note-taking while keeping things simple and streamlined. You don't need an avalanche of options and a plethora of possibilities with AI for a digital reader and notebook. Enhancing the core writing and reading experiences with AI is no gimmick.

If the AI wearables struggling for sales this year had such obvious utility, they might not be struggling in the market. You might not think you need handwriting refinement and note summarization, but it's hard to imagine giving them up once you start using them. Amazon's AI may not be smarter than its rivals, but it certainly is employing it more intelligently in this case.

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Vance has faced repeated questions on the campaign trail about whether Trump lost in 2020. On Wednesday, he gave his most direct answer to date, answering "no" in response to a reporter's question.

(Image credit: Matt Rourke)

ChatGPT became much more collaborative when OpenAI released Canvas mode for the AI chatbot earlier in October. Switching to Canvas mode provides a more flexible way to create and edit text. Through AI's code-writing ability, it enables more complex, long-term planning with visualization, spot-editing, and even automation.

Despite OpenAI's bragging about how practical this approach to ChatGPT can be, you might stare at that prompt and ask how to use ChatGPT's Canvas mode to enhance your daily life.

Here are some of the ways I've found ChatGPT's Canvas mode to be useful as a kind of combination of personal assistant and creative partner.

Weekly Planning

You can ask ChatGPT to make a list of tasks or appointments based on the information you supply, but it's still just a somewhat more coherent version of what you already have available. With Canvas Mode, you don't have to redo the list whenever something changes; you can rearrange and edit the plan within the same list.

You just need to ask ChatGPT to create a section for each day or task category. Then maybe details underneath. In Canvas mode, you can drag these items around, prioritize them visually, and quickly edit descriptions as plans change.

For example, if you need to move an appointment from Monday to Wednesday, simply highlight that activity and click the "ask ChatGPT" button, then ask the AI to move it to the right time and day. You can also play with how it looks visually or ask for code blocks to automate reminders from your calendar.

If you have a long list of tasks or a packed schedule, Canvas Mode can generate summaries of each day's tasks if you want a concise overview of what's coming up. Say you have multiple personal and work deadlines in a week. After outlining your tasks, you can highlight key action items with bold text and, if necessary, summarize lengthy task lists to display only the most urgent tasks. If some of these tasks are recurring, you can even use a small code block to automate reminders or set up scripts to send yourself notifications.

Event Planning

Event planning requires juggling many tasks, from managing guest lists to coordinating schedules and activities. By using Canvas mode, the event becomes visible in a single space. Input from many sources can all be uploaded and summarized by regular ChatGPT, but in Canvas mode, the AI can finesse, edit, and combine details within a single outline for an event.

For instance, if you want to plan a birthday party, you can ask ChatGPT to organize the guest list and move people around different categories depending on if you tell it they have RSVP’d.

One of the most powerful features here is the AI’s ability to write code to automate tasks. For example, you might want to invite and track guests automatically. ChatGPT can write a small script for automatically emailing invitations, tracking RSVPs, and updating the list in real-time. It will even edit the code to send reminder emails to those who haven’t responded yet.

Tracking Personal Growth

With so much on your plate, tracking personal development might need AI assistance, too. ChatGPT’s Canvas mode can help you track your fitness goals, your efforts to learn a new skill, or even keep your hobbies organized.

On the fitness front, you can describe your workouts, meal plans, and goals, and the AI will set up charts to match, applying bold font for milestones and other key data. If you need to update your routine or diet, Canvas Mode’s editing feature lets you quickly revise your plans. If you use an app to track your progress and get the raw data, the AI can summarize it, incorporate it into the overall plan, and mark where you are in your milestones.

Suppose you’re trying to learn a new language or other skill. In that case, you can similarly set up a long-term plan, create visual representations of the lessons you’ve completed, and create automated reminders for upcoming study sessions. Should you crave extra studying tools, ChatGPT’s Canvas mode can both write quizzes or practice sets and embed them within your schedule, even if it might not be a while until you get to that section.

Home Project Planning

I wanted to plan a renovation of a room in my home. That's a lot of planning and designing for anyone. While I might ask ChatGPT for help brainstorming ideas, switching to Canvas means I can arrange project elements visually and calculate measurements with embedded code.

I asked ChatGPT to set up a template, and it created sections within Canvas for each phase of the project, such as "Furniture," "Paint Colors," and "Budget." The AI took my vague visions and created detailed descriptions of different furniture options and color schemes, bolding any prospective dimensions and prices. Whenever I asked the AI to update the price or change other details, the plan was revised without being rewritten.

It even worked with images. For instance, I uploaded images of the options to compare two different sets of chairs and told the AI the prices, sizes, and other details for each. The AI then adjusted the information for the options and provided a running total of prices.

If it became overwhelming, I could ask it to summarize everything into a quick-reference section with only the most critical tasks and expenses.

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Elon Musk isn't the only Silicon Valley billionaire to line up behind Donald Trump's presidential campaign. See how his donations, which total $75 million, make everyone else look tiny in comparison.

The judge, Reed O’Connor, in Fort Worth, Tex., has rejected calls for him to step down from the high-profile case Musk filed against Media Matters, a watchdog group.

(Image credit: Julia Nikhinson)

The interview was the vice president's first formal sit-down with Fox. She faced questions on immigration, and was given a chance to answer again what she would do differently from President Biden.

(Image credit: Ryan Collerd)

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #494) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PARK
• CAR
• HARVARD
• YARD
• ADDRESS
• GREEN
• JAW
• LEMON
• NATURAL
• CRIMINAL
• FIELD
• SWINGER
• HANDLE
• GOODFELLA
• ANSWER
• LAWN

NYT Connections today (game #494) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: Bit of vegetation
• Green: I'll take this
• Blue: Shall we watch Megalopoli tonight?
• Purple: blank [the process by which justice is administered]

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #494) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: GRASSY AREA
• GREEN: DEAL WITH
• BLUE: MOVIES WITH “S” REMOVED
• PURPLE: ___ LAW

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #494) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #494, are…

• YELLOW: GRASSY AREA GREEN, LAWN, PARK, YARD
• GREEN: DEAL WITH ADDRESS, ANSWER, FIELD, HANDLE
• BLUE: MOVIES WITH “S” REMOVED CAR, GOODFELLA, JAW, SWINGER
• PURPLE: ___ LAW CRIMINAL, HARVARD, LEMON, NATURAL

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

My plan to solve the hardest Connections groups first went completely off the rails today – and I'm blaming some classic NYT misdirection. I doubt I'll be the only person who would have thought to combine the wrong four of GREEN, LAWN, PARK, YARD and FIELD – but I did so twice before realizing that the last of those should instead be with ADDRESS, ANSWER and HANDLE to form the green DEAL WITH group. With that out of the way I was able to solve yellow, GRASSY AREA, which meant I had two guesses left and two to solve.

I focused on GOODFELLA, because there's only really one possible connection there – namely that if you add the letter S you get a film title. Doing the same with CAR, JAW and SWINGER gave me MOVIES WITH “S” REMOVED, meaning I didn't need to solve the purple group (and probably wouldn't have done if I had needed to).

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 16 October, game #493)

• YELLOW: AT SOME FUTURE POINT EVENTUALLY, LATER, NEXT, SOON
• GREEN: PARTS OF A TOURNAMENT SETUP BRACKET, BYE, ROUND, SEED
• BLUE: BIT OF BREAKFAST CEREAL CHEERIO, FLAKE, PEBBLE, PUFF
• PURPLE: WHAT THE OUTSTRETCHED INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS CAN REPRESENT PEACE, SCISSORS, TWO, VICTORY

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #228) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Dream teams

NYT Strands today (game #228) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• SPAN
• FROWN
• FROST
• ROAST
• WAVE
• STAR

NYT Strands today (game #228) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Perfect picks

NYT Strands today (game #228) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 3rd row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #228) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #228, are…

• DRAFT
• WAIVERS
• ROSTER
• MATCHUPS
• STANDINGS
• SPANGRAM: FANTASYLEAGUE

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 4 hints

This was another Strands puzzle that I didn't really enjoy. I don't play FANTASYLEAGUE any more, because I found that it took all the joy out of sport for me. Even if I did, I wouldn't have been familiar with some of the terms here – it's very much based on football fantasy league, I think, with the likes of DRAFT, WAIVERS and ROSTER, rather than the soccer kind that I used to play. As a result, I needed four hints and was never really on top of things. Hopefully tomorrow will be more fun.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 16 October, game #227)

• DREARY
• PONDERED
• WEARY
• MIDNIGHT
• WEAK
• NEVERMORE
• SPANGRAM: THERAVEN

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #996) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #997) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #997) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #997) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #997) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• B

• L

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #997) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #997, are…

• BUILD
• BIRTH
• LURCH
• SASSY

Quordle seems to be fond of words with multiple repeated letters in right now. After EERIE and its three Es yesterday and EMCEE on Monday, here's SASSY and its three Ss.

SASSY was a very tough Wordle when it appeared in that game last November (average score: 5.0) and is likely to cause as many problems here. The other words aren't too tricky, but I needed a guess to confirm the B in BIRTH and BUILD, then spent another on SAVVY, before completing on the final attempt.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #997) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #997, are…

• TASTY
• TRITE
• LOATH
• ERECT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #996, Wednesday 16 October: EERIE, SMIRK, HUNCH, EMBED
• Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
• Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY
• Quordle #993, Sunday 13 October: UNFIT, NYMPH, THUMB, PUREE
• Quordle #992, Saturday 12 October: SAUCY, UNDUE, EGRET, HELLO
• Quordle #991, Friday 11 October: RINSE, ANIME, PUSHY, ZEBRA
• Quordle #990, Thursday 10 October: UNTIL, MARSH, METAL, WINDY
• Quordle #989, Wednesday 9 October: TRIAL, HUSKY, DOWNY, TRADE
• Quordle #988, Tuesday 8 October: TROUT, HATER, BARGE, DOZEN
• Quordle #987, Monday 7 October: CAULK, HALVE, APING, HEATH
• Quordle #986, Sunday 6 October: FUDGE, TENOR, BEGAT, ROUSE
• Quordle #985, Saturday 5 October: ELECT, CROAK, FRISK, JAUNT
• Quordle #984, Friday 4 October: ELFIN, GRAIL, PATIO, RECAP
• Quordle #983, Thursday 3 October: TENTH, REMIT, CURVE, TOAST
• Quordle #982, Wednesday 2 October: ARGUE, CRANE, TOKEN, PRINT
• Quordle #981, Tuesday 1 October: FRILL, MADLY, GRANT, NYLON
• Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
• Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
• Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
• Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL

"Israel has a right to defend itself and its people." It's a phrase that's been spoken by Israel's allies – and American presidents – for decades, especially in the days after Israel launched its war in Gaza after the October 7th attack by Hamas.

But what do those words actually mean in a historically, politically and in the midst of Israel's incursions into Gaza and Lebanon.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Amir Levy)

The CEO of Intel has declared that x86 hardware is anything but dead, announcing a new expert partnership that will see it join up with old rival AMD to promote the technology.

Speaking at Lenovo Tech World 2024, Pat Gelsinger took to the stage to announce the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, an all-star alliance that could go a long way to ensuring it stays popular for some time.

“Some have said, well, you know, is the x86 done?” Gelsinger said on stage. “Well, I’ll tell you, rumours of my death are severely exaggerated. We are alive and well, and the x86 is thriving.”

x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group

The new group is made up of some of the biggest names in the technology sphere today, including leaders from Microsoft, Google, HPE and Dell.

Representatives from Broadcom, HP Inc, Lenovo, Meta, Oracle, Epic Games and Red Hat are also present, alongside Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux.

The move may have been prompted by the growing presence of ARM-based chips from Qualcomm, including the Snapdragon X family, which have looked to target the quick-growing AI PC market.

This had led some industry observers to predict x86 may be on the way out - a notion the new collective is keen to dispel, noting in an accompanying press release, “for over four decades, x86 has served as the bedrock of modern computing, establishing itself as the preferred architecture in data centers and PCs worldwide.”

“The advisory group brings together leaders from across the ecosystem to shape the future of the x86 to simplify software development, to ensure interoperability and interface consistency, to provide developers with standard architecture tools, instruction sets, to have a clear view of the future,” he added.

Among the aims of the new group is boosting compatibility across hardware and software, including simplifying architectural guidelines to enhance software consistency and interfaces.

“We think of it as one of the most significant periods of innovation in front of us, and we see that the x86 architecture, this foundation of computing for decades, is about to go through a period of customisation, expansion, scalability,” Gelsinger declared, highlighting the terrific opportunities offered by the growth of AI, which he said meant, “our ecosystem is robust and growing”.

(Image credit: Lenovo)

AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su was also on stage at Lenovo Tech World, and was quick to cheer the new partnership, noting the news shows, “just how unique a time this is in technology.”

“At the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is accelerate compute and accelerate the adoption of compute,” she said. “x86 has been the foremost leader in architecture over the last 40 years, and the idea is that AMD and Intel are bringing together all of these founding members (who) can really accelerate the pace of innovation going forward.”

Looking forward, the group will continue to promote x86, and could be the start of a greater co-operation and collaboration among technology giants going forward.

“For once Lisa and Pat agreed on something,” Gelsinger chuckled, “who would have thunk?”

More from TechRadar Pro

• Someone finally tested China's x86 CPU answer to AMD and Intel
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Justice Clarence Thomas dissented while two other conservatives wrote that they may be sympathetic to the case were it to be brought after a lower court ruling.

(Image credit: Kent Nishimura)

Elon Musk is among the largest financial supporters of Donald Trump's reelection efforts, new FEC filings show. He and two other megadonors collectively gave $300 million to support Trump.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

The Biden administration has urged Israel to conduct credible, transparent investigations into the Americans' deaths, so far Israel has not prosecuted anyone. We hear from families of those killed, and a member of congress, who think the U.S. Justice Department should be doing more.

Minisforum has launched a new lightweight mini ITX PC packed with powerful features and a sleek design.

The 790S7 is a seriously powerful bit of hardware - and what it boasts in features it more than matches in its compact design.

The latest mini PC from the company comes in at just 7 liters, boasting a very small footprint that makes it an ideal, lightweight option for enterprise users aiming to maximize desk space. Better still, the 790S7 comes complete with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX CPU and can be configured with a powerful GeForce RTX 4060 GPU for an additional cost.

Under the hood of the Minisforum 790S7

While it’s bulkier than other mini PCs offered by Minisforum, it nonetheless makes up for this with key capabilities.

These include support for up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM, as well as two PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs capable of up to 4TB in storage. Similarly, the inclusion of a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot to support the RTX 4060 GPU merely adds to the appeal.

“With up to 64GB of memory, typically found in high-end workstations, this ultra-fast 5200 MHz RAM makes multitasking and multimedia rendering a breeze,” the company claims. “Effortlessly switch between tasks like gaming, streaming, and web browsing, all with smooth, high-speed performance.”

What could set the 790S7 apart from the pack is its multi-functional display options. With this device, users are able to attach up to three 8K monitors.

Given its compact design, the 790S7 can sit comfortably on a desk alongside these monitors without absorbing too much space.

Notably, the 790S7 could prove to be a cost effective option for enterprise users, coming in at around $1,000. Minisforum currently has a sale on, meaning users can get their hands on the device for around $939.

A barebones version of this device is also available, normally retailing at $569 - but this will come without an operating system, RAM, or SSD built-in. The sale price for this version comes in at $459.

Not keen on AMD? There’s an Intel option available

While the 790S7 comes complete with an AMD CPU, there are alternative options available with this device. Its sister model, the 129i7, comes with an Intel Core i9-12900 HK processor.

This option is significantly cheaper than its AMD-powered counterpart, normally retailing at $489 but comes with certain limitations. This version can only be configured in a barebones capacity.

Minisforum also has a sale on the 129i7, with this option available for £399 at present.

“The 790S7 is a content creator’s dream machine, powered by the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX,” Minisforum says.

“With 16 cores and 32 threads, it delivers lightning-fast speeds up to 5.2GHz, giving you all the performance you need to unlock your full potential for tasks like video editing and seamless multitasking.”

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