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HPE expands AMD collaboration to advance open rack-scale AI | Computer Weekly

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HPE expands AMD collaboration to advance open rack-scale AI | Computer Weekly


Looking to no less than “redefine what is possible in high-performance computing”, processor giant AMD has announced an expanded collaboration with HPE to accelerate the development of what the firms say will be the next generation of open, scalable artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure built on AMD leadership compute technologies.

The principal part of the partnership will see HPE become one of the first system providers to adopt the AMD Helios rack-scale AI architecture, which will integrate a purpose-built HPE Juniper Networking scale-up switch – in collaboration with Broadcom – and software for seamless, high-bandwidth connectivity over Ethernet.

Helios combines AMD EPYC central processing units (CPUs), AMD Instinct graphics processing units (GPUs), AMD Pensando advanced networking and the AMD ROCm open software stack to deliver what is being described as a cohesive platform optimised for performance, efficiency and scalability. AMD says the system is engineered to simplify deployment of large-scale AI clusters, enabling faster time to solution and greater infrastructure flexibility across research, cloud and enterprise environments.

Built on the OCP Open Rack Wide design, Helios is designed to help customers and partners streamline deployment timelines and deliver a scalable, flexible offering for demanding AI workloads. The Helios rack-scale AI platform delivers up to 2.9 exaFLOPS of FP4 performance per rack using AMD Instinct MI455X GPUs, AMD EPYC Venice CPUs and AMD Pensando Vulcano network interface cards for scale-out networking. This is all unified through the open ROCm software ecosystem that the company claims will enable flexibility and innovation across AI and HPC workloads.

“HPE has been an exceptional long-term partner to AMD,” said AMD chair and CEO Lisa Su. “With Helios, we’re taking that collaboration further, bringing together the full stack of AMD compute technologies and HPE’s system innovation to deliver an open, rack-scale AI platform that drives new levels of efficiency, scalability and breakthrough performance for our customers in the AI era.”

HPE says the partnership has enabled it to integrate differentiated technologies for its customers, specifically a scale-up Ethernet switch and software designed for Helios. Developed in collaboration with Broadcom, the switch delivers optimised performance for AI workloads using the ultra accelerator link over Ethernet (UALoE) standard, reinforcing the AMD commitment to open, standards-based technologies. 

HPE president and CEO Antonio Neri said: “For more than a decade, HPE and AMD have pushed the boundaries of supercomputing, delivering multiple exascale-class systems and championing open standards that accelerate innovation. With the introduction of the new AMD ‘Helios’ and our purpose-built HPE scale-up networking solution, we are providing our cloud service provider customers with faster deployments, greater flexibility and reduced risk in how they scale AI computing in their businesses.”

HPE will offer the AMD Helios AI Rack-Scale Architecture worldwide in 2026. 

It also revealed that Herder, a new supercomputer for the High-Performance Computing Centre Stuttgart (HLRS) in Germany, is powered by AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs and next-generation AMD EPYC Venice CPUs.

Built on the HPE Cray Supercomputing GX5000 platform, Herder is designed to offer performance and efficiency for HPC and AI workloads at scale.

HPE and AMD believe that the combination of their respective compute portfolios and system design will create a powerful tool for sovereign scientific discovery and industrial innovation for European researchers and enterprises. Delivery of Herder is scheduled for the second half of 2027 and it is expected to go into service by the end of 2027.

“Our scientific user community requires that we continue to support traditional applications of HPC for numerical simulation,” said Michael Resch, director of HLRS. “At the same time, we are seeing growing interest in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Herder’s system architecture will enable us to support both of these approaches, while also giving our users the ability to develop and benefit from new kinds of hybrid HPC/AI workflows.

“This platform will not only make it possible for our users to run larger, more powerful simulations that lead to exciting scientific discoveries, but also to develop more efficient computational methods that are only feasible with the capabilities that such next-generation hardware offers.”



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These Are the Best Nintendo Switch 2 Accessories We’ve Tried

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These Are the Best Nintendo Switch 2 Accessories We’ve Tried


Other Switch 2 Accessories to Consider

Photograph: Matt Kamen

iMP Tech DLEX+LED Multi-Function Charger Stand for £35: Perfect for streamers or desk-bound players, this will keep your gaming space tidy and your controllers fully juiced. It has charging slots for four Joy-Con 2s and four original Joy-Cons on the main base unit, all with charge indicators, while two pop-out USB-C cables at the rear allow you to connect more conventional joypads, like the Switch 2 Pro Controller. Power is provided through the charging adapter you already plug into your console’s dock, which is in turn locked in place on the DLX2 with a dual USB-A block that feeds the power through. It’s compatible with the Switch 2, original Switch, and the Switch OLED, and the two USB slots you lose on the dock itself are replaced with pass-through ports on the left of the base for other accessories. Organizationally, the stand gives you somewhere to hang your headset, while a spring-loaded tray on the right holds and hides up to nine Game Carts. It can be a little fiddly to set up, and overall charging can slow down if you try to connect the maximum 10 devices, but once done, it’s a great storage solution, elevated by subtle but striking RGB lighting. However, like iMP’s mouse adapters, stock seems limited to Amazon UK at the time of writing. —Matt Kamen

Spigen Rugged Armor for $18: This molded grip case has heavy bumpers and thick Joy-Con grips, but it was tough to remove, which you’ll have to do a lot, because it won’t fit in the dock with the case on, and you can’t separate the Joy-Cons either. This would be a good case if you’re buying the console for a younger kid whom you don’t trust to treat it gently.

Belkin TemperedGlass Screen Protector With Blue Light Filter for $30: While I liked the look of this screen protector, and the blue light filter is handy for late-night gaming sessions, the lackluster applicator frame isn’t quite as nice as the other options. It’s also a bit expensive, at $30 for just one.

Dbrand Prism 2.0 for $35: I liked the Prism 2.0 screen protectors and their application process as much as the Spigen above. But they’re slightly more expensive and only available directly from Dbrand, so if you buy them on their own, you’ll have to pay shipping. If you’re buying anything else, like a case or a skin, you’ll get a discount and likely qualify for free shipping, making these well worth it.

Jsaux Joy-Con Charging Grip for $15: If you often play with the Joy-Cons detached, this charging grip from Jsaux lets you continue playing while charging the controllers in the process via the USB-C slot at the top of the handle. It also puts them at a more ergonomic angle, but keeping them attached makes some motion controls unusable, and I would’ve liked to see an internal battery.



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Sportswear firm Under Armour falls victim to data breach | Computer Weekly

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Sportswear firm Under Armour falls victim to data breach | Computer Weekly


Customers of US-based sportswear giant Under Armour have been warned to be on high alert after details of approximately 72.7 million shoppers appeared online this week.

Collated by breach information website HaveIBeenPwned, the data was likely exfiltrated by the Everest ransomware crew, which claimed to have carried out a ransomware attack against the Baltimore, Maryland-based company in November 2025.

The Everest gang said at the time that it was in possession of 343GB of Under Armour’s data, including personally identifiable information relating to both employees and customers.

HaveIBeenPwned said the customer data included names, birth dates, gender information, contact details, location data and purchase history.

Jake Moore, global cyber security advisor at ESET, said: “The ransomware element of the attack, once again, proves that the retail industry continues to be targeted because high-profile targets can be extremely profitable.

“Once personal data is stolen, it then doesn’t take much to carry out a well-crafted follow-up targeted attack on those affected,” he said. “Criminals are masters of putting what data they can source together to create a phishing email, text message or even a voice call in an attempt to manipulate a victim further. Scammers will often purport to be from the targeted business, in this case Under Armour, in order to try and capture more details from them in well-constructed messages. 

“Therefore, people will need to be on high alert to such messages and refrain from offering up further information – especially anything financial, and even more so if they have already had any contact with potential cyber criminals since November.”

Computer Weekly understands Under Armour is already facing a class action lawsuit over the incident, which alleges the organisation was negligent and/or reckless in failing to properly protect its customers’ data and failing to notify them in a timely manner.

Under Armour has been approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

Who are Everest?

Everest, the ransomware gang supposedly behind the intrusion at Under Armour, is a remarkably long-lived and persistent threat thought to date back to about December 2020.

The Russian-speaking gang is an adept operation and transitioned from a simple exfiltration model to double extortion in 2021, according to analysts at Halcyon’s Ransomware Research Centre.

Since the end of 2021 it has also been offering initial access brokerage services to other cyber criminals, and in late 2023 it launched an insider recruitment programme, incentivising employees of potential victims to offer it access with cash payments or profit sharing arrangements.

“Everest have evolved significantly after coming onto the scene. Once inside a corporate environment, they move quickly. Every move is carefully planned and designed to maximise impact and increase the likelihood of a payout,” said John Abbott, founder and CEO of ThreatAware.

“They are often searching for internet facing RDP servers without multi-factor authentication, an unpatched VPN server, or user credentials they have purchased from an access broker,” he said. “Once inside the network they will extract critical data and install remote access tools such as AnyDesk, Splashtop and Atera.

“What this means is that security fundamentals could not be more critical or urgent,” said Abbott. “If your assets are patched, you have a full software inventory, a highly accurate and up to date user inventory, and you are using throughout, you can avoid such an attack, but if they do gain access, you will have dramatically reduced the impact.”



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ESA invests in Swissto12 to accelerate European spacecom sovereignty | Computer Weekly

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ESA invests in Swissto12 to accelerate European spacecom sovereignty | Computer Weekly


Aerospace and satellite systems manufacturer Swissto12 has secured €73m in financial support from European Space Agency (ESA) member states to accelerate Swissto12’s development and industrialisation of the HummingSat space programme.

Explaining its core mission, Swissto12 says it is enabling a transformational shift in the global satellite communications industry, away from legacy large, purpose-built, expensive and slow-to-deploy services towards smaller, faster, cheaper assets that leverage software-defined, reconfigurable payload architectures and agile, multi-orbit capabilities.

The HummingSat platform is regarded as a new class of geostationary small satellites that are said to be “significantly” smaller and more cost-efficient than conventional geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) craft. HummingSat is seen as offering new economics for the geostationary satellite market, unlocking faster builds, lower costs and ride-share launches. It’s also said to offer a telecoms-grade service backbone that plugs directly into the 3GPP non-terrestrial networks standard, designed for mass-market adoption.

Swissto12 also believes its form factor can support cost-effective production and ride-share launch opportunities with its proprietary, space-qualified additive manufacturing technology and advanced radio frequency (RF) systems, further enhancing payload performance, streamlining production, and reducing both manufacturing time and cost.

The craft was developed in collaboration with the ESA through its public-private partnership programme. The company’s RF products are said to benefit from unique and patented 3D printing technologies and associated radio frequency product designs that deliver lightweight, compact, high-performing and “competitive” RF functionality.

The funding is part of the HummingSat Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (Artes) partnership project, and is designed to see Swissto12 scaling up its manufacturing capacity and accelerating new product innovations. These initiatives also aim to address increasing global demand for cost-effective, agile and sovereign communications in both government and commercial sectors.

Additionally, the investment is targeted at allowing Swissto12 to further develop its phased-array antenna technologies to be used onboard low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit and GEO satellite payloads, and ground products such as user terminals. This will strengthen its ability to serve a broad set of customer needs, for communications from and to geostationary and non-geostationary orbits. 

The additional ESA funding, through the Artes HummingSat Partnership Project, within ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications, has been backed by pledges from member states Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Norway, and associate member Canada.

“We are proud to continue our support of Swissto12, particularly in creating cost-effective solutions for satellite systems that answer to the satcom ecosystem’s ever-increasing demands,” said Laurent Jaffart, ESA director of connectivity and secure communications. “ESA is committed to elevating Europe’s future in space through our support of industry, and by accelerating next-generation satellite technologies.”

Swissto12 CEO and founder Emile de Rijk added: “The recent subscriptions of member states and cooperating states at the ESA Ministerial Council to the HummingSat Project and the latest round of funding from European private investors sends a strong message to the global market that Swissto12 is at the heart of satellite communications innovation.

“With our growing suite of agile, cost-effective and highly performant SatCom solutions, we provide a credible answer to some of the most pressing challenges facing the space economy, including the critical issue of enabling satellite sovereignty – something, until now, out of reach for most of the world’s nations.”



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