The global assistive technology market was valued at more than $22 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow substantially by 2030. Despite the potential market size, many founders building tech to help people with disabilities struggle to secure the kind of early funding needed to get their companies off the ground in the first place. Adaptation Ventures is a new angel group hoping to fill that funding gap by providing capital to early-stage startups building accessibility tech. It will back startups building tech specifically for persons with disabilities as well as companies with products designed for a broader market that also helps those populations. The firm was co-founded by married couple Brittany Palmer and Rich Palmer (pictured above), both of whom are former startup founders, angel investors, and persons with disabilities. Brittany told TechCrunch she experienced this funding gap problem firsthand when she tried to raise capital for her company Beeyonder, a startup that offered virtual travel experiences to persons with disabilities. “Venture capital firms really didn’t understand the disability community, or how big it was, or the opportunities to sell to them,” she said. “When I was talking with founders in the disability tech space, there was a similar sort of consensus that a lot of people in the startup and venture world really didn’t understand the space.” Rich, the former co-founder of Gravyty, found the same sentiment while he was working on the investing side as a managing director, and then angel investor, at Launchpad Venture Group, an angel investing group focused on tech and science-based startups. “We knew this opportunity existed,” he said. “We were meeting incredible founders, and trying to figure out the best way to get capital to them.” Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW Despite the couple’s angel investing experience, they initially set out to raise a traditional venture fund and pitched numerous LPs, including impact investors and high-net-worth individuals. While they did see some traction on their original fund idea, some of that interest dried up alongside the changing narratives in the industry, and beyond, surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion that came with the new presidential administration. They also found that high-net-worth individuals were more interested in getting directly involved with the startups in this space, as opposed to serving as LPs in a fund, and they started to think about building an angel group instead. “We’ve both benefited from angel investors who took early bets on us,” Rich said. “We are both people with disabilities. We went out and we’re learning that, you know, there are no angel groups in this space. There’s no first money in that’s helping companies get from point A to point B and it’s crazy.” Adaptation Ventures plans to invest a minimum of $250,000 into each company with the option for co-investing too. The group will hold quarterly meetings that include a minimum of four pitches and investors will vote on which companies should make it to the due diligence stage, Brittany said. There are a lot of potential companies that fall under the group’s investment strategy which Rich described as, making the big stuff smaller and the expensive stuff cheaper. Companies that fit the group’s thesis could include something like ReBokeh, a company that builds assistive technology for people with low vision. It also includes companies that aren’t focused on accessibility, but can also help those with disabilities like Tonal, Rich mentioned as an example, which makes exercising more accessible to those with disabilities that prevent them from holding physical weights. Rich joked that with the pair’s collective decades of experience in the startup and investing world, they have been practicing for this new role for the last 10 years. “I’m a brain aneurysm survivor,” he said. “I’ve had temporary and permanent disabilities as a result of that. [Brittany] is a bilateral amputee. It’s hard not to notice these things or hear these things about us. So we have attracted founders in this space and invested as angels for the past several years. The odds are kind of against you getting that funding, and so we almost had to do it.”

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is expected to reach a market value of $13 billion by 2035, nearly tripling in size over the next decade, according to a new report from IDTechEx. The report, Metal Additive Manufacturing 2025–2035: Technologies, Players, and Market Outlook, outlines how metal AM is shifting from prototyping and tooling to end-use production in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and general manufacturing. IDTechEx, an independent research firm focused on emerging technologies since 1999, identifies three key trends currently shaping the metal AM market: the dominance of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), regional acceleration in China, and the economic uncertainty driven by tariff policies. Laser Powder Bed Fusion Retains Market Leadership Due to Versatility and Maturity Despite rising interest in alternative technologies like metal binder jetting (MBJ) and metal-polymer filament extrusion (MPFE), LPBF continues to dominate metal AM in both revenue and adoption. LPBF, which uses lasers to fuse metal powder into parts layer by layer, is the most commercially mature metal 3D printing method. It is backed by extensive operational experience from both equipment manufacturers and industrial users. MBJ and MPFE were expected to challenge LPBF due to their simplified workflows and potential cost advantages. However, IDTechEx reports that end-users are still grappling with technical and economic limitations in these newer methods. For example, MBJ is limited by sintering constraints, making it suitable only for specific geometries and part sizes, while MPFE is often confined to prototyping, jigs, and fixtures due to material and strength limitations. LPBF’s strength lies in its ability to scale across a wide range of applications. Depending on machine configuration—such as build volume or number of lasers—LPBF systems are used for producing small injection molds and large aerospace components alike. This range of use cases reinforces LPBF’s position as the leading technology in the metal AM sector. Breakdown of the 2024 global metal AM install base by process. Image via IDTechEx. Domestic Growth in China Redefines Global Market Share Metal AM in China is expanding rapidly, supported by a domestic ecosystem that prefers cost-competitive local manufacturers. Companies such as Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies (BLT), HBD, and EPlus3D have significantly increased their market presence over the past decade, supplying Chinese firms across sectors including aerospace and automotive. These manufacturers have grown without heavily relying on exports. While international attention to Chinese metal AM remained low until recent years, domestic demand has allowed firms like BLT to scale consistently. Double-digit annual growth rates have enabled several of these companies to open offices in Europe and North America, establishing new distribution partnerships and service networks. Price remains a key selling point. Metal AM systems require high upfront capital, and the affordability of Chinese-built machines is a primary factor for international customers evaluating suppliers. However, IDTechEx notes that escalating trade tensions and the introduction of new tariffs could complicate overseas expansion plans for Chinese firms. Even so, the scale of China’s internal market is expected to sustain ongoing development in the region. Tariff Pressures Generate Mixed Signals for Investment in Additive Manufacturing Tariff policies designed to promote domestic manufacturing in the United States are producing conflicting effects for the metal AM industry. On one side, tariffs have prompted renewed interest in reshoring and local production. This shift could favor metal AM technologies that enable decentralized manufacturing and rapid lead times. However, uncertainty surrounding tariffs has already triggered a pullback in capital spending across several industries. Companies are delaying investments in new manufacturing facilities, and many are scaling back research and development budgets. These developments affect the willingness of firms to adopt emerging production technologies like metal AM, particularly for applications that require substantial upfront validation and certification. IDTechEx reports that in the second half of 2024, economic uncertainty contributed to a slowdown in metal AM growth. The report suggests that this trend could continue depending on how trade and industrial policy evolve in 2025. Forecast from IDTechEx showing projected growth of the metal additive manufacturing hardware and materials market from 2025 to 2035, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4%. Image via IDTechEx. Market Projections Segmented by Technology and Material Class The report provides detailed forecasts for metal AM hardware, materials, and installed base growth through 2035. Projections are broken down into ten metal printing processes and nine categories of metal materials, offering granular insight into market dynamics. Forecast data is supplemented with comparative benchmarks for each technology and application case studies. Material demand is also expected to rise as metal AM transitions to production-scale use. The report highlights increasing requirements for powder uniformity, process stability, and repeatable part quality—factors critical for certification in aerospace and other high-regulation sectors. Profiles of leading companies are based on direct interviews and market performance tracking. These include manufacturers of LPBF systems, providers of MBJ technologies, and developers of metal feedstocks. The analysis also outlines competitive strategies and regional positioning. Access to Full Research and Industry Insights The full Metal Additive Manufacturing 2025–2035 report is available at www.IDTechEx.com/MetalAM, where sample pages and additional data are also offered. IDTechEx’s broader 3D printing research portfolio includes coverage of polymers, ceramics, electronics, and large-scale applications such as construction and biomedical devices. To view the full library of additive manufacturing market studies, visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/3D. Cover of Metal Additive Manufacturing 2025–2035: Technologies, Players, and Market Outlook. Image via IDTechEx. Ready to discover who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights. Take the 3DPI Reader Survey — shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes. Featured image shows the cover of Metal Additive Manufacturing 2025–2035. Image via IDTechEx. Anyer Tenorio Lara Anyer Tenorio Lara is an emerging tech journalist passionate about uncovering the latest advances in technology and innovation. With a sharp eye for detail and a talent for storytelling, Anyer has quickly made a name for himself in the tech community. Anyer's articles aim to make complex subjects accessible and engaging for a broad audience. In addition to his writing, Anyer enjoys participating in industry events and discussions, eager to learn and share knowledge in the dynamic world of technology.

Songzhuang Z Museum | © Jonathan Leijonhufvud Located in the remote mountainous terrain of Zhejiang Province, The Quartet: Songzhuang Z Museum presents a compelling study of architectural adaptation, contradiction, and transformation. Situated in Songzhuang, a 600-year-old village that remained largely untouched by modernization until recent years, the project by TEAM_BLDG offers an architectural response that neither retreats into nostalgia nor imposes a foreign image. Instead, it constructs a spatial and material dialectic, acknowledging incongruity, emphasizing contrast, and subtly embedding itself into the evolving cultural landscape. The Quartet: Songzhuang Z Museum Technical Information Architects1-6: TEAM_BLDG Location: Songzhuang Village, Songyang County, Zhejiang Province, China Area: 472 m2 | 5,080 Sq. Ft. Project Year: 2024 – 2025 Photographs7: © Jonathan Leijonhufvud Better to stand out than to disappear. – TEAM_BLDG Architects The Quartet: Songzhuang Z Museum Photographs © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud © Jonathan Leijonhufvud Reframing the Village Artifact The project begins with a conflict: a 1990s brick-concrete residence towering awkwardly over the village’s low-slung, contiguous rammed-earth structures. Its scale and materiality severed it from the surrounding context, and it was long deemed a misfit within the village’s traditional fabric. Yet rather than camouflage its presence, the architects embraced its dissonance as a narrative condition. Guided by the client’s directive to amplify, rather than suppress, the building’s incongruity, TEAM_BLDG approached the structure not as a problem to resolve but as a site of architectural inquiry. The question was not how to erase the past intervention but how to recalibrate it into a new typology: the rural museum. In doing so, the firm leveraged the tension between the old and new, not as a binary opposition but as an opportunity for mediation. From Monolith to Quartet The building’s spatial transformation unfolds through a deconstructive logic. The formerly monolithic mass was subdivided into four distinct volumes, a gesture that echoes the scale and fragmented rhythms of the surrounding village dwellings. Interstitial courtyards separate and unite these volumes, allowing light, air, and spatial rhythm to intervene in the once-heavy structure. The design’s vertical core is a newly inserted light well. This atrium spans the height of the building, acting as a conduit for natural light while simultaneously connecting the interior’s horizontal strata. Circulation is organized around this vertical void, allowing for a fluid visitor experience that maintains visual continuity between floors. Each level wraps around the central shaft, reinforcing a sense of openness and transparency that contrasts with the building’s original opacity. Visitors enter through an adjacent, preserved rammed-earth house that has been minimally modified to serve as a “prologue” space, a deliberate moment of compression and quietude before ascending into the brighter, open volumes of the main structure. This spatial sequencing, dark to light, low to high, becomes a sensory transition that enhances the visitor’s perceptual engagement with the museum’s content and context. Weaving Lightness into Mass The project’s defining material intervention is its façade, reconceived as a woven skin inspired by the techniques and metaphors of textile making. TEAM_BLDG wrapped the structure in a finely spaced lattice of aluminum square tubes, painted red on three sides and white on one. The resulting grid creates a dynamic interplay of light, shadow, and chromatic variation, responding to the shifting sun and weather conditions. The design team intentionally avoided a uniform application. Instead, they introduced variations in spacing and density, especially across different levels and orientations. The upper portions of the façade are denser, while the lower remain more open, modulating both visibility and porosity. On the terrace, the façade becomes multidirectional, layering dimensional complexity and deepening the woven metaphor. In bright sunlight, the façade takes on a soft pinkish hue; in overcast or snowy conditions, it becomes a subdued white veil. This chromatic fluidity imparts a temporal quality to the structure, each visit offering a subtly different impression of the building’s mood and presence. The weaving principle is further extended through custom interior furniture, constructed with woven red straps over slender steel frames, echoing the façade’s tectonic logic and material language. Songzhuang Z Museum: Mediation Through Architecture Rather than asserting itself as an icon or retreating into contextual mimicry, the Z Museum mediates between eras, materials, and scales. Its relationship with the village is neither submissive nor dominating; instead, it engages in a form of spatial dialogue. Reconfigured windows frame specific views of the surrounding village, allowing exterior scenes to interact with interior exhibitions. On the third floor, large apertures in the stairwell wall transform the space into a semi-outdoor condition, encouraging visual and behavioral connections with the outside world. The rooftop terrace offers a final moment of release: an unprogrammed panoramic platform where boundaries dissolve, and visitors are immersed in the landscape. The architecture recedes, allowing elevation changes and open material transitions to a gently structured experience without overt control. In an architectural climate often dominated by formal spectacle or overbearing contextualism, The Quartet – Songzhuang Z Museum proposes a third way, rooted in spatial logic, material clarity, and conceptual subtlety. It neither replicates tradition nor denies its presence. Instead, it proposes a weaving of time, space, and perception, where architecture becomes an active thread in the evolving cultural fabric of rural China. The Quartet: Songzhuang Z Museum Plans Level 1 | © TEAM_BLDG Level 2 | © TEAM_BLDG Level 3 | © TEAM_BLDG Roof Plan | © TEAM_BLDG Section | © TEAM_BLDG The Quartet: Songzhuang Z Museum Image Gallery About TEAM_BLDG Design Team: Xiao Lei, Deng Caiyi, Shen Ruijie Structural Design: GongHe Architecture Design Group Co., Ltd. Custom Furniture & Lighting Design: TEAM_BLDG Visual Identity Design (VI): TEAM_BLDG Client / Operator: Mountain Creations (山风大美) Curatorial Team: CSC Communis Photography Assistant: Wai Wai Altitude: Approximately 400 meters above sea level

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The BBC’s research and development (R&D) arm serves a public purpose, which, according to the department’s director Jatin Aythora, is to make some of the technologies and inventions it creates available either for free or at really low cost. This is something Aythora says BBC R&D has done for many years. Aythora sees his job as helping the team to achieve the technical breakthroughs that the news and media industry can benefit from. The team is tasked with developing technologies and capabilities that benefit the wider society within the UK in a way that minimises the cost to the BBC.  “We all focus on the public purpose of the BBC, which is very much about researching and developing for societal good,” he says. Aythora believes he is a technologist at heart, having started his career as an engineer, and has worked across different industries as he climbed the career ladder. “Every time I’ve changed jobs, I’ve changed industries,” he adds. The benefit of working in many different industries has given Aythora the opportunity to continue learning, which he regards as an important skill for technology leadership. “Curiosity and the ability to learn plays an important role,” he says, adding that these help with confidence and broadens the depth and breadth of knowledge. When asked about applying technology know-how in different sectors, in Aythora’s experience, irrespective of the business sector, technology challenges and opportunities are quite similar: “It’s how you apply technology and what you do with it in the organisational context that matters the most. Technology is linked to the return on investment, which, in any organisation, has to deliver value.” A recent project the BBC Research and Development team has been working on is around demonstrating the authenticity of content. “The verifiability of content has become quite an important aspect of our daily lives. We often come across news that we question, and then we ask [for] or we go to search for other sources to validate and verify,” Aythora says. The team has been working with Microsoft and its chief scientific officer, Eric Horvitz, for several years, developing an approach to verifying content called Content Credentials. “This is a really good example of transferable knowledge from one industry to another,” adds Aythora.  Aythora previously worked at De Beers and in diamond mining. One of the important challenges De Beers faced was to prove where a particular stone came from and whether it was a “clean” diamond, which resulted in the development of Forevermark to verify the authenticity of diamonds. “We invented a piece of technology [Forevermark] that would mark a diamond with a specific watermark that can be traced from where it originates to how many hands it would have exchanged over a period of time,” he says, adding that the same concept can be applied in the content world. “If a piece of BBC content is appearing on social media platforms, you want to be sure of where it has actually come from.” “It’s how you apply technology and what you do with it in the organisational context that matters the most” Jatin Aythora, BBC Research and Development For Aythora, verifying content is an important challenge not only for the news, the media industry and the BBC, but also the wider technology industry. “The content credentials capability and the standards that we’ve invented are now being adopted by most of the large technology organisations, including OpenAI, Google and Microsoft,” he says. The Content Credentials feature on the BBC news site provides a button which enables people reading stories to check the authenticity of the information. The tool uses metadata, such as the time or date an image was taken, compares locations, matches the weather conditions in the image to actual reported weather, notes whether shadows are casting in the correct way, and runs searches for other instances of the material online in case the image has been taken out of context. Content Credentials is now a technical standard from the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), which was co-founded in 2019 by BBC Research and Development – alongside other members including Adobe and Microsoft. BBC News Verify published its first article using the C2PA standard in March 2024. Another project coming out of BBC R&D looks at evolving radio using virtual worlds in a way that can draw in a younger audience, as Aythora explains: “We’ve been exploring how can we make that performance much more interactive and immersive for younger generations who are not going to listen to the radio.” Last year, the BBC partnered with Bristol-based tech company Condense to design immersive live music experiences for younger audiences, which enables fans to join these live events as avatars on their mobile or laptop. The New Music Portal, which began with Radio 1’s New Music Show, hosted by Jack Saunders, enables the audience to navigate the venue like a video game while chatting with other fans via an instant messaging platform.  “We made this experience easy for people to access – you [just] need a device that’s connected to the internet,” says Aythora. He hopes that as virtual reality headsets become more popular and affordable, the experience can evolve to provide a true immersive experience using these devices. Speech-to-text tech and AI BBC R&D tends to have a decade-long outlook on technology, which implies it has been working on certain technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) for a long time. Recalling the first implementation, Aythora says: “We take it for granted today, because we have access to technology that can do speech to text, but 10 years ago that wasn’t the case. BBC R&D had the best speech-to-text algorithm that was delivering 85% accuracy.” This was significantly higher than the accuracy available from some providers, which, according to Aythora, was only 30% accuracy. Speech-to-text tech powers also subtitles on BBC Sounds. “When we started with the journey of speech to text, we were the market leaders, but we’re not market leaders anymore. AI has matured quite significantly, so what we do is take the best of our capability and the best of what the industry has to provide,” he says, adding that BBC R&D combines the AI technologies developed in-house and products available from speech-to-text providers to deliver “amazing experiences for our audiences”. The BBC is also looking at using AI with video. “We believe defect detection using computer vision and AI models is going to be important for organisations like the BBC,” Aythora says. “There needs to be a method through which we are able to highlight if a particular piece of video or an image has been manipulated.” The BBC’s biggest challenge – and one that the research and development team needs to be cognizant of as it embarks on technology innovation – is how to deliver services at scale at an affordable cost point. “We are a public service organisation. We don’t have an endless amount of money available to us,” Aythora says, adding that this is a different challenge compared with a commercial organisation that uses technology either to gain a competitive edge or drive profit.  IT and technology leaders often encounter situations when they cannot achieve results as quickly as they would like due to organisational constraints. Aythora believes patience is key: “Patience plays an important role in your ability as a leader not only to manage certainty and opportunities, but the challenges as well.” Aythora also recommends IT leaders validate their ideas, adding: “Don’t assume that your idea is the right idea and the best idea. Validate it with various people to build confidence. The more you validate, the more confident you will become, either to pursue it or not to pursue it. Sometimes your ideas might just not be the right idea, and that’s OK, you just have to accept that. But at the same time, continue to validate it.” This is important as good ideas tend to be taken up eventually. “It’s only a matter of time and context before the idea becomes more relevant,” he says. Technologists and IT leaders can often face what may seem like insurmountable barriers and objections to the technology proposals they put forward, but perseverance is key. Among the themes to come out of the conversation with Aythora is one of self-belief – to use Aythora’s words: “Self-belief is not instant; it becomes a belief over a period of time. It’s a journey that we go through.” Read more executive interviews Executive interview – Adding common sense to generative AI creativity: We speak to the chief scientist at Neo4j about why graph databases should work alongside large language models to keep them in check. Executive interview – Will video kill the streaming star?: While we are used to live streaming, video messages seem cheesy – but Vimeo’s chief product officer believes they will revolutionise communications.

Consider these three recommendations to prepare your small business for personal and mobile computing success while managing changing workforces.

As institutional interest in digital assets grows, the conversation must shift beyond market potential to a more critical issue: the security of these assets.

We never thought we’d utter the phrase RTX 5060 review restrictions, but here we are. From YouTube channels to review sites, independent tech media has always played a huge role in the launch cycle of a new graphics card. With early access to hardware and drivers, these outlets conduct their own, thorough tests and give buyers an objective view on performance – the full picture, so to speak. With the launch of NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5060, that could all change. According to a report from VideoCardz, NVIDIA has switched up its preview model before the card’s launch. Where it used to provide pre-release drivers to media outlets in exchange for comprehensive reviews, it’s instead now limited early access to outlets that agree to publish ‘previews’.  Adding insult to injury, NVIDIA has a set of conditions that these outlets must agree to, meaning they’re in charge of what information consumers receive, rather than the outlets themselves. NVIDIA ‘has apparently handpicked media who are willing to share the preview, and that itself was apparently the only way to obtain the drivers.’ This selective approach could mean we as consumers can expect less diverse perspectives prior to launch. Tom’s Hardware explains that this means day-one impressions ‘will largely be based on NVIDIA’s first-party metrics and the few reviewers who aren’t traveling.’ NVIDIA’s RTX 5060 Review Restrictions Limit Game Choices and Graphics Settings So, what are NVIDIA’s parameters for the early testing and reporting during the ‘previews’? They want to: Limit the games allowed for benchmarking Only permit the RTX 5060 to be compared to specific other graphics cards, and  Specifying individual graphics settings Though we don’t have a full list of the games allowed by NVIDIA, judging from already-published previews from Tom’s Guide and Techradar, the approved titles include Cyberpunk 2077, Avowed, Marvel Rivals, Hogwarts Legacy, and Doom: The Dark Ages – all games which have been optimized for NVIDIA GPUs. According to Tom’s Hardware, NVIDIA won’t allow the RTX 5060 to be compared to the RTX 4060, only permitting comparisons with older cards such as the RTX 2060 Super and RTX 3060.  Speaking to VideoCardz, GameStar Tech explained: “What’s particularly crucial is that we weren’t able to choose which graphics cards and games we would measure and with which settings for this preview.” Should a card’s manufacturer really have such control over this type of content? Anyone who values independent journalism says a resounding ‘No.’  Credit: HardwareLuxx First Party “Tests” Can’t Always Be Trusted Taking control of the testing environment in this way and dictating points for comparison means NVIDIA is steering the narrative. It wants these early previews to highlight the strengths of its latest card, while keeping under wraps any areas where it may fall short or fail to provide significant improvements over the last generation. Cards are typically tested by playing a diverse array of game titles and at different graphical settings and resolutions, with many factors such as thermal performance, power consumption, and more taken into account to provide a balanced overview that should help consumers decide if the latest release is worth an upgrade. NVIDIA has come under suspicion from tech outlets for its shady behavior in the past. During a previous round of reviews, the manufacturer intentionally didn’t launch the RTX 5060 with the 5060XT. It was thought this was to promote and receive positive reviews for the 16GB variant, while quietly putting the 8GB variant onto store shelves. Overly positive early glimpses of the latest NVIDIA products could prompt consumers to purchase if they’re desperate to upgrade, but for those who want more in-depth analysis, the RTX 5060 review restrictions are stifling independent media coverage Consumers Deserve Comprehensive Reviews and Competitor Comparisons Constraints put in place by a manufacturer mean we’re not getting a full, comprehensive review of a product’s pros and cons. The ‘preview’ of the RTX 5060’s capabilities is distorted by these constraints, meaning we’ll never see how the card really compares to competitors from rival AMD, or previous generation cards from NVIDIA itself. Any negatives, like performance bottlenecks when playing specific tiles, also won’t be initially apparent. Furthermore, NVIDIA’s latest move opens up a can of worms surrounding ‘access journalism.’ This is where media outlets feel they need to comply with demands from manufacturers so they can keep receiving samples for future reviews, exclusive interviews, and so on. It’s a valid and growing concern, according to a report by NotebookCheck. NVIDIA seems like it’s trying to turn independent journalism into a PR effort for its own purposes. Controlling reviews in this way has many asking the question: Why doesn’t NVIDIA simply take a more ethical approach by paying for coverage and marking it as sponsored?  Gamers Nexus Raises Ethical Concerns Over NVIDIA Pressure In the NotebookCheck report, Gamers Nexus claims NVIDIA pressured them for over six months to include Multi-Frame Generation 4X (MFG4X) performance figures in their reviews, even when the graphics cards being tested didn’t support this feature. Understandably, Gamers Nexus found the request unethical and misleading for its reviewers and declined to comply. Gamers Nexus then says that NVIDIA threatened to remove access to interviews with its engineers. Since GN isn’t paid by NVIDIA for their coverage, this is the best way to penalize them as this unique, expert content and technical insight helps them stand out from the competition and has proven popular with subscribers. According to the report, ‘their continued availability was apparently made conditional on GN complying with NVIDIA’s editorial demands.’ Stephen Burke of GN spoke about this in more detail on a recent YouTube video, likening NVIDIA’s demands to ‘extortion.’ The alleged behavior is shocking, if true. Manufacturers behaving in this way bring the entire integrity of the review process into question and raises several ethical questions. Should manufacturers be using sanctions to influence how their products are covered? Making this the norm could mean other media outlets are afraid to stray from the approved narrative and may not publish honest analysis, which is the whole point of reviews in the first place. Part of the appeal of independent testing is just that: it’s independent. Some feel that makes it more credible than testing carried out by companies that have a financial stake in the matter. Whatever your views on it, there’s no denying that these controlled previews only benefit the chosen outlets and have the potential to harm the credibility and reputation of others. FTC and Google Would Disagree with Nvidia’s Review Restrictions Not to mention the fact that controlling coverage in this way expressly goes against Google’s EEAT guidelines for publishers. The EEAT guidelines, standing for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, are designed to ensure content is helpful – but most importantly, that it can be trusted. NVIDIA’s move to influence reviews goes directly against this. Moreover, the FTC in the US also has strict guidelines surrounding reviews, prohibiting businesses from “providing compensation or other incentives conditioned on the writing of consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, either positive or negative.” This doesn’t have to be monetary – and could apply in the case of NVIDIA only providing outlets that comply with its demands with drivers. It’s not the first time GN has raised questions about the way NVIDIA does business. In May 2024, they posted a video surrounding the manufacturer’s entrenched market dominance and how the ‘mere exposure effect’ could subconsciously influence consumers to buy NVIDIA products.  Consumers May Need to Wait For Trusted, Independent Reviews This move by NVIDIA could mean we all take a more critical view of the first wave of reviews when a new GPU is launched. If other manufacturers follow NVIDIA’s lead, we will likely all need to wait a week – or more – for independent reviews from trusted sources, carried out without any restrictions imposed by manufacturers. It’s that or rely on previews that don’t provide a full picture. This ‘preview paradox’ surrounding the launch of the RTX 5060 is undoubtedly concerning. It’s something new – a dangerous shift towards a less transparent product launch.  Influencing independent coverage at launch raises ethical questions and places a greater onus on consumers to ensure the reporting they’re reading is unbiased and comprehensive.  There’s also pressure on media outlets to remain committed to providing the full, honest picture, even when faced with the risk of losing access to products or interviews in the future. This practice has the potential to harm publishers’ ability to operate – particularly smaller independent outlets. There’s enough evidence available for a consumer to claim an outlet is going against best practices for reviews, as laid out by Google and the US FTC, opening them up to legal ramifications. Ultimately, consumers deserve to be able to make informed choices. This puts that right at risk. Paula has been a writer for over a decade, starting off in the travel industry for brands like Skyscanner and Thomas Cook. She’s written everything from a guide to visiting Lithuania’s top restaurants to how to survive a zombie apocalypse and also worked as an editor/proofreader for indie authors and publishing houses, focusing on mystery, gothic, and crime fiction. She made the move to tech writing in 2019 and has worked as a writer and editor for websites such as Android Authority, Android Central, XDA, Megagames, Online Tech Tips, and Xbox Advisor. These days as well as contributing articles on all-things-tech for Techreport, you’ll find her writing about mobile tech over at Digital Trends. She’s obsessed with gaming, PC hardware, AI, and the latest and greatest gadgets and is never far from a screen of some sort.Her attention to detail, ability to get lost in a rabbit hole of research, and obsessive need to know every fact ensures that the news stories she covers and features she writes are (hopefully) as interesting and engaging to read as they are to write. When she’s not working, you’ll usually find her gaming on her Xbox Series X or PS5. As well as story-driven games like The Last of Us, Firewatch, and South of Midnight she loves anything with a post-apocalyptic setting. She’s also not averse to being absolutely terrified watching the latest horror films, when she feels brave enough! View all articles by Paula Beaton Our editorial process The Tech Report editorial policy is centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written by real authors.

What just happened? At Computex 2025, Intel unveiled its Arc Pro B60 and B50 Battlemage graphics cards with 24GB and 16GB of VRAM, respectively. Maxsun has fused two of the B60 GPUs to create a dual-GPU monster with 48GB of GDDR6 memory. Dubbed the Arc Pro B60 Dual Turbo, the two-slot graphics card is meant for high-end workstations running AI workloads. The Arc Pro B60 is based on the full-fat Battlemage BMG-G21 silicon - the same die that powers the Arc B570 and Arc B580 graphics cards. Maxsun's Dual Turbo version utilizes dual G21 silicon on a single board, but instead of being connected via a PLX chip, they operate as separate GPUs, each with its own 24GB GDDR6 memory chip. The B60 features a 2,400 MHz clock speed, 20 Xe cores, 20 RT units, and 160 XMX and 160 Xe vector engines. Other hardware specs include 24GB of GDDR6 memory clocked at 19 GB/s, 192-bit memory interface, up to 456 GB/s memory bandwidth, 120-200W TBP, 197 TOPS (INT8) of peak compute output, and PCIe 5.0 x8 connectivity. Intel showcased a system with two B60 Dual Turbo graphics cards, totaling 96GB of memory. Both cards were running on default settings without any overclocking or other tweaks for improved performance. With a compatible motherboard, up to four of these cards can be installed in a single workstation for a whopping 192GB of VRAM. The Arc Pro B60 Dual Turbo is designed exclusively for graphics workstations, AI inferencing, and Edge Computing. According to journalists who attended the event and spoke to Intel reps, the company has no plans to release an affordable dual-GPU model with reduced specifications for gamers. Alongside the B60, Intel also debuted the Arc Pro B50, which packs 16 Xe cores, 128 XMX Engines, 170 peak TOPS (INT8), and a 70W TBP. It comes with 16GB of GDDR6 memory across a 128-bit bus interface and 224 GB/s of total bandwidth. Like the B60, it also utilizes a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface. Customer sampling for both the B60 and B50 starts this month, with full availability expected in Q3 of this year. They will initially be available through fully built-up workstations from leading manufacturers, but could be released separately for the DIY market in Q4, once Intel is satisfied with the driver optimization. Image source: Tom's Hardware // Related Stories

Hyundai has used the clean-sheet nature of electric powertrains to make new vehicles radically different from its internal-combustion models, but what happens when the best thing a new car can be is ordinary?  The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is a three-row SUV that, to succeed, needs to prioritize space and an effortless ownership experience over radical styling or sports-car driving dynamics. That doesn’t leave much room for creativity, but Hyundai has done its best by giving the Ioniq 9 futuristic styling combined with the proven E-GMP dedicated EV platform from its other Ioniq models and the Kia EV9.  The enthusiastic response to the EV9, from Hyundai’s sibling brand, shows why, despite having two gasoline three-row SUVs in its lineup already, Hyundai needed an all-electric one as well.Another daring design from Hyundai Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends Many automakers create a family look across their lineups, but Hyundai went in a different direction with its Ioniq EVs. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 are polar opposites when it comes to styling, and the Ioniq 9 follows yet another path that helps it stand out from other three-row SUVs. Recommended Videos It’s clear that engineers spent a lot of time in the wind tunnel, but unlike so many other low-drag designs, the Ioniq 9 still has the upright proportions of a true SUV. The result is something that looks like it would be right at home on a school pickup line in the Tron Grid. The tall hood is decidedly SUV-like, but the front end is smoothed as if by erosion. Squared-off fenders add a bit of ruggedness but don’t stick out far enough to impede air flow. And at the back, the body sides taper back, and the roof descends, into a chopped-off tail not unlike what helped make the 2004 Toyota Prius so distinctive and aerodynamically efficient. All of this is topped off with another iteration of the pixel lighting previously seen on the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. The light bar running across the hood gives the Ioniq 9 a distinctive and futuristic look when viewed through a rearview mirror, while at the back the lights form a hoop around the tailgate. This helps punch up the design a bit, adding visual interest to the otherwise smooth and unadorned surfaces of this electric SUV. Less successful in that regard is the copious black plastic trim, which seems tacked-on. And just as piano-black plastic interior trim is hard to keep clean, the black license-plate surround will likely always be covered in fingerprints. Still a practical three-row SUV Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends As with so many of its other vehicles, Hyundai made a different styling statement while using the same platform as a dramatically different-looking model from sibling brand Kia. The Ioniq 9 is based on the same plus-sized version of the E-GMP architecture as the Kia EV9 (a Genesis luxury model is also on the way). The EV9 trades the Ioniq 9’s wind-smoothed surfaces for sharp edges, but they look virtually identical to a measuring tape. The Hyundai is 2.0 inches longer, 1.6 inches taller, and just 0.1 inch wider. Headroom and legroom are pretty much identical as well, no matter which seating position you’re talking about. And like most three-row vehicles, Hyundai offers second-row bench seat and captain’s chairs options, making the Ioniq 9 a six- or seven-seater, respectively. The second row can slide forward or back in either case, but even with the seats slid all the way forward, adults won’t find much knee room in the third row. There’s still plenty of space for the kids that will most likely be occupying it, though. Open the Ioniq 9’s standard power tailgate and you get 21.9 cubic feet of cargo space. That expands to 46.7 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 86.9 cubic feet with the second row folded. All three numbers surpass the EV9, and Hyundai claims more cargo space behind the second and third rows than in a Rivian R1S (Rivian doesn’t publish its own comparable figures to verify this). But while the R1S has a spacious frunk, the Ioniq 9 only has a small under-hood compartment just spacious enough for charging cables. Hyundai’s dual-screen setup, with 12.3-inch screens serving as the instrument cluster and touchscreen, remains impressive — especially now that Hyundai is integrating wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with this bigger display. But the Ioniq 9’s Universal Island 2.0 center console really stole the show. Incorporating plenty of storage space front and rear, it’s also accessible from either direction and slides fore and aft. It’s a thoughtful feature for a vehicle where every seat is important.  Quick, but not sporty Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends Hyundai is offering three powertrain configurations for the 2026 model year, all with a 110.3-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The Ioniq 9 S base model has a single motor sending 215 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. SE and SEL models have a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain making 303 hp and 446 lb-ft. Limited, Calligraphy, and Calligraphy Design models have a “performance” dual-motor powertrain rated at 422 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The rear-wheel drive Ioniq 9’s output is identical to a rear-wheel drive EV9, but the highest-output version of the Hyundai has a bit more horsepower than the Kia (torque is the same), getting it from zero to 60 mph 0.1 second quicker, at 4.9 seconds. The advantage will shift to Kia once a more powerful EV9 GT arrives later this year, though. Quick acceleration is handy for merging onto highways, but it’s not really the point of the Ioniq 9. It doesn’t try to be anything other than a big, comfortable SUV that will whisk kids to extracurricular activities, or serve as an analogue to the big sedans of old for buyers who simply want a spacious vehicle. The suspension absorbed bumps without any waterbed-like jiggling, and like all EVs the Ioniq 9 was impressively quiet (although there was a bit more tire noise than anticipated). It’s nice to drive, just not exciting. Helping to maintain comfort and composure is Hyundai’s i-Pedal brake-control system. This automatically blends regenerative braking and friction braking to slow the vehicle as smoothly and efficiently as possible. It’s a carryover feature from other Ioniq EVs, but the tuning for the Ioniq 9 was particularly good. While it’s still possible to summon a burst of regenerative braking with steering-wheel paddles, it was hard to match i-Pedal’s smoothness. NACS onboard Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends Hyundai estimates 335 miles of range for the base rear-wheel drive S trim level, 320 miles for dual-motor SE and SEL models, and 311 miles for the high-end Limited, Calligraphy, and Calligraphy Design models, all of which have the more powerful “performance” powertrain tune. That gives the Ioniq 9 a range advantage over its Kia EV9 platform-mate, which only tops 300 miles in rear-wheel drive Light Long Range form, but that advantage is achieved with a larger battery pack. Both Hyundai and Kia are switching to the North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging port for the 2026 model year, giving drivers access to Tesla Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. This provides access to more chargers with a proven reliability record, but in this case it doesn’t necessarily mean faster charging. Hyundai estimates that the Ioniq 9 can complete a 10%-80% charge in 41 minutes at a V3 Supercharger, but that drops to 24 minutes at a 350-kilowatt Combined Charging Standard (CCS) station, using an adapter. When Level 2 AC charging, a full recharge takes nine hours and 40 minutes at 11 kW, according to Hyundai. Like other models based on the E-GMP architecture, the Ioniq 9 is also capable of bidirectional charging for powering devices and appliances. So far, Hyundai hasn’t discussed a full home backup-power system like the one that’s available for the EV9, but its Hyundai Home marketplace provides a ready portal for selling such equipment. A relative value in a high-priced market segment Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends With a base price of $60,555 with rear-wheel drive, the Ioniq 9 is the most expensive SUV in Hyundai’s lineup. Prices rise significantly from there. The all-wheel drive SE and SEL start at $64,365 and $67,920, respectively. The luxe Limited starts at $72,850, the Calligraphy starts at $76,590, and the Calligraphy Design tops things off at $78,090. Kia hadn’t released pricing for the 2026 EV9 at press time, but for reference the 2025 model started at $56,395 with a smaller battery pack and less range than the base Ioniq 9. Hyundai’s trim walk is also more top heavy with high-end trim levels, but that may also be the case for the EV9 — Kia has already confirmed Nightfall Edition and GT models for 2026 that likely won’t be bargains. All Ioniq 9 models will also be built in Georgia and will qualify for a $7,500 federal EV tax credit, but that’s not guaranteed with the EV9. This pricing structure might help differentiate the two brands, but it doesn’t make much sense for customers, as the EV9 and Ioniq 9 offer similar features, interior space, and the same generous warranty coverage. The Ioniq 9 does at least stay below the Rivian R1S and the handful of luxury-brand three-row electric SUVs currently on the market. It’s a sensible choice, but not an extraordinary value. That’s appropriate for what is an ordinary vehicle, not an extraordinary one — just as the mission brief says.