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6 Aug 2025

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Majority of Government’s $231m spend on Advanced Technology Institute funded through planned research funding cuts
'It will be a cornerstone of our plan to grow a high-tech, high-value economy.'

On The Up: Eric Kostandini Ziu, the model footballer striking poses on and off the pitch
Meet the Kiwi footballer who has been a fashion model on both sides of the Tasman.

Microsoft’s new “Companion” feature hints at more AI integration in Windows 11
Microsoft is reportedly testing a new feature in the taskbar called “Companions.” According to Windows Latest, it seems to be about support for AI agents, but exactly how it all works, well, it’s too early to say. The references to Companions were first spotted in Build 26454 of Windows Server, but since then traces of the feature have also appeared in beta versions of Windows 11. Possibly, the new feature could be one of the highlights of version 25H2 of Windows 11, an upgrade that will be rolled out to the public in the autumn. Microsoft hasn’t said exactly what Companions is for, but the name makes it sound like it could be a more personalized AI assistant. Maybe even a follow-up to earlier features like Copilot. If that’s the case, it falls in line with what Microsoft’s been doing all along. It’s an ongoing effort to pack more AI into the Windows experience.

Roku’s new $3 ad-free streaming undercuts Netflix—with a catch
Want ad-free streaming without paying through the nose for Netflix or HBO Max? Roku’s new budget streamer serves up a tempting selection of movies and TV shows for a lot less, provided you can deal with some caveats. Slated to launch today, Howdy costs just $3 a month for unlimited ad-free streaming, a price that undercuts Netflix’s cheapest—and ad-supported—plan by $5 a month. That low cost of admission gets you roughly 10,000 hours of streaming content, according to Roku, including such highlights as Max Max: Fury Road, Elvis, The Blind Side, Reservoir Dogs, Weeds, Southland, and Kids in the Hall. So far, Howdy’s content partners include Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, with “select” Roku Original titles also in the mix. Roku is promising a “high-quality, ad-free experience” from Howdy, although it’s not exactly clear what to expect in terms of video or audio quality. My guess is that Howdy will serve up HD-quality (1080p) video with standard stereo and/or surround sound (meaning no Dolby Atmos), but I’ve reached out to Roku for more details. So, not too bad for $3 a month, but there is a catch: Aside from watching on a web browser, Howdy content must be streamed either on a Roku device (including a Roku streaming stick or a Roku TV) or the Roku mobile app for iOS or Android. That means if you’re hoping to binge-watch Howdy videos on an Apple TV, a Google TV streaming device, a Fire TV stick, or another non-Roku streaming player, you’re out of luck. The good news is that Roku streaming players are way cheap. For example, you can snag Roku’s latest HD streaming player (which we just reviewed) for just $19 on Amazon, while the 4K-capable Roku Streaming Stick Plus is going for just $30. While you can also streaming Howdy content on the Roku app for iOS and Android, it’s not clear if you can download titles for offline viewing. I doubt it, but I’ve sent that question to Roku. Howdy may be an ad-free streaming service, but if you watch it on a Roku TV or streaming player, you’ll have to contend with a user interface that is riddled with ads. (Amazon and Google streaming players have ad-stuffed interfaces, too.) Earlier this year, Roku got dinged for experimenting with an auto-playing ad that appeared when users first turned on their Roku TVs or streaming devices. The ads had “Close” buttons that allowed you to skip to the home screen, but that didn’t stop Roku users from howling with indignation. Roku said the startup ad was just a “test,” and the intrusive ad placement soon disappeared.

Family pay tribute to Oasis fan who died at Wembley
Lee Claydon, a 45-year-old from Bournemouth, died after falling from a height at Saturday's concert.

Horse racing: Triple threat for Lance Robinson in huge-money synthetic track final
A Canterbury trainer holds a numerical advantage on the $100k home-track final.

ChatGPT now reminds you when it’s time for a break
OpenAI has introduced a new feature in ChatGPT that prompts users to take breaks during longer conversations. The reminders appear as pop-up messages like: “You’ve been chatting for a while — is it time for a break?” Users can still dismiss the reminder and continue the conversation. OpenAI says that in the future, ChatGPT will also become better at handling sensitive topics and avoid giving direct answers to big personal decisions. Instead, the AI will help users reflect on different options. Earlier this year, The New York Times reported that ChatGPT’s helpful and affirming style could lead to problems in some cases, especially when people with mental health challenges found the chatbot encouraging them, even when their thoughts were destructive. In April, OpenAI announced that it had decided to make the AI less approachable because being too approachable was having the opposite effect.

PCIe 8’s ludicrously fast speeds break the terabyte barrier
As expected, by 2028 your PC will be internally passing a terabyte’s worth of data per second as part of PCI Express 8.0. The PCI Special Interest Group said Tuesday that the PCIe 8 specification is due to be released in 2028, with speeds of 256 gigatransfers per second. In real-world terms, that works out to 1 terabyte per second being passed over a x16 connection via the PCI Express 8.0 bus. The new data rate should come as no surprise, as the SIG has consistently released iterative PCI Express standards that double the available bandwidth about every three years. In June, the PCIe SIG formally announced the PCI Express 7 specification, projected to be released in 2027. At that time, the SIG disclosed the existence of PCIe 8 without the bandwidth data, but the projection was easy enough to make. The timing of it all can be a bit confusing. Practically, the fastest PCI Express devices currently available for the PC, such as the fastest PC SSDs, use the PCI Express 5 protocol — 128GB/s at x16 speeds. Last week, the first PCI Express 6.0 SSD shipped: the Micron 9650, which can hypothetically process 256GB/s at a time. (They can’t, in reality. The drive reads of up to 28,000 MB/s — which is roughly 13 percent under the peak PCIe 6.0 bandwidth, with sequential writes of 14,000 MB/s.) The graphic below shows the progression of PCI Express speeds, but also hints as the hypothetical limits of certain components, too. SSDs typically use a x4 interface, so they’ll have a maximum hypothetical data rate of 256GB/s under PCI Express 8, versus the 32GB/s they operate under with the current PCI Express 5. Graphics cards, conversely, use a x16 connection, meaning that PCIe 8 will supply about seven times more bandwidth than it does today. PCI-SIG The Micron 9650, however, is aimed at data centers, not the PC. Micron’s release of the 9650 coincides with our report that the PCI Express 6.0 integrator’s list of actual PCIe 6 hardware will be released this year, though data centers and AI may gobble up all of the available hardware. Silicon Motion’s CEO told Tom’s Hardware that the company doesn’t expect PCI Express 6.0 to appear in PCs for a few years. That’s what the PCIe SIG is saying for the first PCIe 8.0 devices, too: they’ll be used for artificial intelligence and machine learning first and foremost, then high-speed networking and quantum computing. “As artificial intelligence and other data-intensive applications continue to scale rapidly, PCIe technology demand will be sustained in the long run due to its high bandwidth, scalability and power efficiency,” said Reece Hayden, principal analyst at ABI Research, as quoted by the PCI-SIG. “Data center networks are already preparing to implement PCIe 6.0 technology and are showing great interest in the PCIe 7.0 specification. The introduction of the PCIe 8.0 specification further ensures that the industry’s bandwidth requirements will be supported well into the future.” A graphic from the PCI-SIG shows how PCI Express bandwidth has increased over time.PCI-SIG A terabyte’s worth of bandwidth, though, is no joke, and neither are the thermal issues that come with it. The two key problems that need to be addressed are when AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm plan to add PCI Express 6 to their PC roadmaps — let alone 7 or 8 — and how device makers will deal with the corresponding increase in heat that the increased bandwidth will bring with it.