AI in RAM, GPU Mining Limits, and XQC Build Reactions

Samsung's Breakthrough: AI-Integrated HBM2

This week's headline covers Samsung's industry-first High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2) with integrated AI processors.

• The technology uses Processing-in-Memory (PIM) to accelerate data center workloads.
• By moving processing closer to the data, it reduces the need to constantly communicate with the CPU, which is notoriously slow in comparison.
• Samsung claims over a 2x performance improvement and 70% power reduction compared to conventional DRAM.

NVIDIA's Cryptocurrency Mining Limitations

NVIDIA is attempting to curb scalping of their latest RTX 3060 cards by software-limiting Ethereum mining performance.

• The drivers detect cryptocurrency mining algorithms and effectively "nerf" the hash rate by roughly 50%.
• NVIDIA concurrently announced dedicated CMP (Cryptocurrency Mining Processor) cards intended for miners that lack display outputs.

"This is specifically just RTX 3060; this will not affect 3070 through 3090 cards."

Reacting to XQC's PC Build

Linus and Luke spent a significant portion of the show reacting to Twitch streamer XQC's somewhat chaotic PC build process.

• The discussion highlights the difficulty of building a system with Twitch chat's often conflicting "help."
• They touch upon the nuances of professional setups, air cooling vs. water cooling (explaining the "gravity waves" in closed-loop systems), and the common issues encountered when building a PC in an uncooperative case.

Facebook News Block in Australia & Canada

Facebook has taken drastic measures in response to proposed link tax legislation in Australia.

• Facebook is blocking all news content for users in Australia, which inadvertently affected many non-news entities like fire departments and charities.
• The discussion notes the irony of the situation given that Google opted to negotiate agreements with publishers rather than exit the market.