Jon Peddie

California

President at Jon Peddie’s Tech Watch

Chases pixels - finds gems

Articles

The Eras of GPU Development

1 week ago | blog.siggraph.org | Jon Peddie

Images and graphs provided by Jon PeddieAs the GPU emerged, the number of processors within it expanded rapidly, surpassing the pace of Moore’s Law. This growth led to significant increases in compute density, enabling GPUs to handle not only computer graphics but also a broad range of computational tasks. The GPU has progressed through six distinct eras, with the latest advancements pushing it toward a more universal compute engine — an evolution that continues to unfold.
NextSilicon’s dataflow processor reconfigures itself

1 week ago | jonpeddie.com | Jon Peddie

The NextSilicon Maverick-2 features a novel Intelligent Compute Accelerator (ICA) architecture that dynamically adapts to application needs in real time, moving beyond traditional fixed GPU architectures. Its dataflow-style execution model is more flexible than classic SIMD/MIMD paradigms.
Your desktop is safe from any panthers

3 weeks ago | jonpeddie.com | Jon Peddie

At Intel Vision 2025, a slide incorrectly placed Panther Lake processors in 2026, but Intel swiftly clarified the error. Panther Lake remains on schedule for production later this year using Intel’s 18A process technology. It will blend Lunar Lake’s efficiency with Arrow Lake’s performance, featuring new CPU (16 cores) and Xe3 GPU (12 cores) architectures for the Core Ultra 300 series.
Razed revs up GTA 5

3 weeks ago | gfxspeak.com | Jon Peddie

Grand Theft Auto has legions of fans, starting with the original title through to the most recent iteration of the game, Grand Theft Auto V. Throughout the game’s history, the graphics have greatly evolved, with GTA 5 bringing real-time ray tracing and an open platform for modders. This includes Razed, a modder whose identity remains a mystery. However, Razed’s NaturalVision, a series of graphical overhaul mods for GTA 5, are widely celebrated.
Mods make GTA 5 even better

3 weeks ago | jonpeddie.com | Jon Peddie

Grand Theft Auto V introduced advanced real-time ray tracing and an open platform for modding, allowing developers to enhance its visuals. One of the most well-known modders, Razed, created NaturalVision, a series of graphical overhaul mods aimed at improving the game’s realism. The first version, NaturalVision Remastered, launched in 2017, followed by NaturalVision Evolved, which entered early access in 2020 and continues to receive updates.
If you wanted a supercomputer on your desk . . .

3 weeks ago | jonpeddie.com | Jon Peddie

Nvidia introduced the DGX Spark, a compact AI supercomputer powered by the GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, designed for AI model development and inference on desktops. It features 128GB of LPDDR5X unified memory, up to 4TB of NVMe SSD storage, and is priced at $3,999. Asus offers the Ascent GX10 as an alternative, also using the GB10 Superchip. It provides 128GB of unified memory, 1TB of storage, and a lighter chassis.
Larry Ellison found someone to take his money-AMD

4 weeks ago | jonpeddie.com | Jon Peddie

Oracle announced an agreement with AMD to develop a cluster of 30,000 AMD MI355X GPUs. The deal was announced during Oracle’s recent earnings call. During a recent earnings call, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison recounted a dinner at Nobu Palo Alto with Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Ellison humorously described the evening as him and Musk “begging” Huang for GPUs, emphasizing their eagerness to acquire Nvidia’s latest graphics processing units.
Power to the . . . um, socket

4 weeks ago | jonpeddie.com | Jon Peddie

In early 2024, Asus introduced the Graphics Card High-Power (GC-HPWR) connector as part of their Back-To-the-Future (BTF) initiative to simplify PC builds by hiding cables. This design allowed compatible graphics cards to draw power directly from the motherboard, eliminating external power cables. While the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF motherboard supported this system, widespread adoption never materialized.
Pat Gelsinger joins Playground Global as general partner

4 weeks ago | jonpeddie.com | Jon Peddie

Playground Global announced that Pat Gelsinger is joining as a general partner, bringing extensive experience in computing and semiconductor innovation from his roles as CEO of Intel and VMware. He will invest, mentor CEOs, and serve as executive chair of xLight, a company developing extreme ultraviolet light sources for semiconductor manufacturing. Playground manages over $1.2 billion and funds early-stage companies in computing, automation, energy, and biology.
The graphics bus wars

1 month ago | jonpeddie.com | Jon Peddie

The S-100 bus, introduced in 1974 with the Altair 8800, became a widely used microcomputer expansion bus. The Cromemco Dazzler, released in 1976, was the first color graphics card for S-100 systems and influenced later graphics developments. IBM introduced the ISA bus in 1981, which evolved into the AT bus with 16-bit support. Competing bus standards, including MCA, EISA, and VESA Local Bus, emerged between 1986 and 1992, leading to compatibility issues.