For more than two decades, the NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program has supported graduate students doing outstanding work relevant to NVIDIA technologies. Today, the program announced the latest awards of up to $60,000 each to 10 Ph.D. students involved in research that spans all areas of computing innovation.Selected from a highly competitive applicant pool, the awardees will participate in a summer internship preceding the fellowship year. Their work puts them at the forefront of accelerated computing tackling projects in autonomous systems, computer architecture, computer graphics, deep learning, programming systems, robotics and security.The NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program is open to applicants worldwide.The 2025-2026 fellowship recipients are:Anish Saxena, Georgia Institute of Technology Rethinking data movement across the stack spanning large language model architectures, system software and memory systems to improve the efficiency of LLM training and inference.Jiawei Yang, University of Southern California Creating scalable, generalizable foundation models for autonomous systems through self-supervised learning, leveraging neural reconstruction to capture detailed environmental geometry and dynamic scene behaviors, and enhancing adaptability in robotics, digital twin technologies and autonomous driving.Jiayi (Eris) Zhang, Stanford University Developing intelligent algorithms, models and tools for enhancing user creativity and productivity in design, animation and simulation.Ruisi Cai, University of Texas at Austin Working on efficient training and inference for large foundation models as well as AI security and privacy.Seul Lee, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Developing generative models for molecules and exploration strategies in chemical space for drug discovery applications.Sreyan Ghosh, University of Maryland, College Park Advancing audio processing and reasoning by designing resource-efficient models and training techniques, improving audio representation learning and enhancing audio perception for AI systems.Tairan He, Carnegie Mellon University Researching the development of humanoid robots, with a focus on advancing whole-body loco-manipulation through large-scale simulation-to-real learning.Xiaogeng Liu, University of WisconsinMadison Developing robust and trustworthy AI systems, with an emphasis on evaluating and enhancing machine learning models to ensure consistent performance and resilience against diverse attacks and unforeseen inputs.Yunze Man, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Developing vision-centric reasoning models for multimodal and embodied AI agents, with a focus on object-centric perception systems in dynamic scenes, vision foundation models for open-world scene understanding and generation, and large multimodal models for embodied reasoning and robotics planning.Zhiqiang Xie, Stanford University Building infrastructures to enable more efficient, scalable and complex compound AI systems while enhancing the observability and reliability of such systems.We also acknowledge the 2025-2026 fellowship finalists:Bo Zhao, University of California, San DiegoChenning Li, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDacheng Li, University of California, BerkeleyJiankai Sun, Stanford UniversityWenlong Huang, Stanford University

It was wonderful to see the launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro console a few weeks ago. For those interested in the in-depth technical aspects of PS5 Pro, weve put together a video describing the bits and bytes behind the console: how it came together, how it works, and why its the first step in an exciting new journey for gamers. You can watch below!Note: the below video is focused on the technology behind PS5 Pro and doesnt feature new game announcements or new gameplay footage.Play VideoIn the presentation, youll learn what the advanced in Advanced Ray Tracing really means, the difference between FLOPS and TOPS, and some of the challenges involved in developing the efficient machine learning hardware needed for PSSR the AI-driven upscaling featured in PS5 Pro.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageAt the end of the presentation, I also do something that we typically dont do at SIE I touch on how our learnings with PS5 Pro will fuel our future ambitions in our never-ending quest to push the boundaries of play. AMD has been a fantastic partner for SIE for many years now, and Im honored to announce that we have begun a deeper collaboration with a focus on Machine Learning-based technology for graphics and gameplay. Both AMD and SIE share many of the same goals related to advancing the medium of video games. Watch the presentation to learn more about this exciting plan!View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageWe also did an encore presentation of this lecture before an audience including journalists from Digital Foundry, IGN, and Wccftech. Keep an eye out for their coverage, and more discussion of RDNA, ray tracing, and machine learning.

For Humble Bundles Very Humble Holiday, Adams Media is having a flash bundle sale that will give you all the skills and knowledge you need to be a great dungeon master. Raising money for Worldreader, the bundle includes 22 books collected from the Ultimate RPG series, Teri Litorcos Civilized Guide to Tabletop Gaming, the Dngeonmeister food and drink recipe books, and a collection of mythology books to inspire your worldbuilding.One of the only major publishers to venture into tabletop roleplaying games, Simon & Schuster imprint Adams media began publishing books about tabletop games in 2016, with Litorcos guide that included 100 gaming etiquette rules every gamer must live by. In 2018, it published the Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide by James DAmato, Polygon contributor and founder of the One Shot actual play network. The book offers prompts and exercises to flesh out player character backstories, creating a more fully fleshed persona for players to embody once they sat down at the table.The success of DAmatos guide launched the line of guides featured in this bundle. Other books by DAmato in this series include the Ultimate RPG Game Masters Worldbuilding Guide, the Ultimate RPG Gameplay Guide, and The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, which includes 40 rules-lite tabletop games.Other books in the series include the Ultimate Random Encounters Book by Travis Wheeler (which offers hundreds of encounters to incorporate into any fantasy game of your choice) and The Everything Tabletop Games Book by Bebo. The latter promises to introduce the uninitiated into the world of tabletop, explaining different genres of games while teaching strategies for winning them. Also included in the bundle are three books by Jef Aldrich and Jon Taylor: the A Dragon Walks Into A Bar joke book, the Dngeonmeister Drink Masters Guide cocktail recipe book, and the Dngeonmeister Cookbook, which has 75 RPG-inspired recipes geared toward game-night snacks.The final genre of books in this bundle are less specific to tabletop gaming, but are meant to provide a wealth of inspiration for dungeonmasters to pull from. That includes mythology anthologies covering specific creatures like mermaids, fairies, unicorns, dragons, vampires, and wizards, as well as culture-specific lore from Viking, Celtic, and Greek mythology. One book, by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy, focuses specifically on the role of women in mythology around the world. To round it out, the final book in this bundle is A Dictionary of Made-Up Languages by Stephen D. Rogers which is exactly what it says on the tin, and covers Klingon, Elvish, and other conlangs.Until Dec. 19, all of that is available for less than $20. A portion of the proceeds raised from this bundle go to Worldreader, a global nonprofit organization that has donated millions of digital books to children in more than 100 countries.

Palia is a cozy crafting game set in a beautiful fantasy world where humans have recently re-emerged into a world claimed by friendly elves and helpful robots. Over the games time in beta, game developer Singularity 6 has been adding new activities in the underground market of Kilima village and the open zone of Bahari Bay, making it more inviting to venture out into the world. But theres no place like home, and Wednesdays Holiday Homestead patch adds some fun new activities for players to enjoy at their homestead.Players in Palia have a home plot where they can build whatever they like usually a lovely house and base of operations. But looking through community lots, you can also find things like giant dinosaurs, movie theaters, or forest glades. During the first Winterlights celebration in 2023 its the Kilima equivalent of Christmas players unlocked seasonal decorations like a tree and strings of lights.This year, Singularity 6 decided to capture the experience of gathering at a friends house to play board games. Town cook Reth, while on duty in the underground black market, will sell sets of dice and two boards: one with a checkered pattern, and one inspired by Snakes and Ladders. Players can make up their own rules, and Im curious to see fans come up with their own complicated games.There are also other cosmetic treats: There are now hundreds of new items that players can repaint, including the very handsome Investigator set. Decorating is one of the most time-consuming tasks in Palia, since there are so many types of furniture belonging to different sets. More tints adds even more variety. Singularity 6 also added 16 new curtains and drapes, which can make a good finishing touch on a room.The game-board content, curtains, and furniture tints are all permanent additions to the game, but theres also new temporary content and cosmetics for the Winterlight season including the ability to have a snowball fight in the town square. In the future, players can expect another Maji Market, and the eventual addition of a new zone: the ominous Elderwood.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a cooperative spinoff with an asterisk. You can play it with a group of three or by yourself, but not in a duo, according to an IGN interview with director Junya Ishizaki. There isnt a technical reason for this awkward limitation, however. Its about game balance.This was largely a game balancing decision, rather than a game design decision, Ishizaki said. So it came as development progressed. Like in Elden Ring, enemy health will scale based on your group size. However, the team found the sweet spot is three players because it doesnt feel too overwhelming or too busy, he said.Even though Elden Ring worked just fine with two people, Nightreign has a very different approach to combat. You only have three nights to level up and collect gear before its baddest bosses show up. Hands-on previews from IGN and PC Gamer say the run-based structure speeds up the action from what youre familiar with in the original game, and its unique heroes have abilities they can perform together.Getting around its randomized world will be faster, too. The trailer has characters flying over lava pools on ghostly eagles and scaling walls. Youll be racing to find as much loot as possible before night falls and a battle-royale-style circle swallows you up. Three player groups allowed each player to go off on their own, potentially, and cover a bit of the map before they reunite for the boss, Ishizaki said.Solo players or duos looking for a third can use matchmaking to fill the empty slots. Otherwise, you still have to use a group password to find each other. As someone who played through the game using the Seamless co-op PC mod, I wouldnt be surprised if a modder figures out how to make two-player co-op work. But until then, the rules are the rules.Understandably, not everyone is happy about this. Well that sucks. I was planning on playing with my friend who I always co-opd Elden Ring with, one Reddit user commented in a post about the news. If it throws in random third person, maybe its okay, but its not like that person is going to be included in our voice chat.The circle might not be the only thing Nightreign recreates from the battle royale experience: You might be the third wheel in a group coordinating without you, or the duo ignoring the random player on the team. In a game as brutal as Elden Ring, Im not even sure a ping button would fix that.Elden Ring Nightreign will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025. FromSoft is also running a short beta test in February.

A new headquarters for Moas Group in So Paulo, Brazil, designed by Perkins&Will, boasts a full showroom and office in one space. A market leader in the country, company management wanted a modern hub that highlights their well-known lines and supports employees in one location. Its not just an office with a sales space at the back. We emphasized the showroom experience and created a home for three brands, says Guilherme Meneses, project designer at Perkins&Will.Organized on two floors, at the entry level, the reception area and showroom are at the forefront. In this sector people can view items from Buba, Buba Care, and Mart. The trio of brands features diverse collections of goods for children and the home. With the variety of colorful merchandise on offer, the design team selected a neutral palette to envelop the over 35,000-square foot workspace. Shades of beige, cream, and white provide the ideal backdrop to highlight the products and give them even more appeal to clients.In the caf, staff members can have lunch or talk with colleagues and then head up to the next level via the central stair. The heart of operations is found on this large upper floor, including several divisions, from marketing to financial services. With 360-degree views of the city, the architects not only prioritized a connection to the outdoors, but also access for all.The layout was conceived with a flat hierarchy in mind, with sections that are utilized by staff from the top down. People can effortlessly move from one department to another, or they can interact with co-workers on different teams. A mix of collaboration areas and workstations provide flexibility, which is key as the company continues to grow. Units can be reconfigured, and soft seating can simply be transported from one place to another.The directors rooms, removed from the main floor in the former office, are now at each corner. These same interiors also double as meeting spaces which can be used by everyone. Glass-fronted conference rooms allow for greater transparency and add to the airy feel.Elements include wood- and stone-look veneers which are easy to clean and maintain. Vinyl flooring mimics the look of terrazzo, with the ideal durability for the high-traffic zone. Shelves surrounding the desks hold objects and small sculptures, giving the spot a residential touch. Plenty of plants enliven the office, offering much-needed contrast from the gray urban skyline. Inspired by lush tree canopies, greenery was arranged to produce a natural layered effect.The distinctive design celebrates Moas Groups two decades of success. It was our challenge to play with these solutions and materials in sophisticated combinations that reflect the importance of the brands, Meneses adds.To explore the Perkins&Will portfolio, visit perkinswill.com.Photography by Renato Navarro.

Meet ARCHIVISMs inaugural collection, bringing a fresh sense of Brutalist and Romantic touches to any interior. An earnest exploration into the history of American woodwork and craft, ARCHIVISM strives to usher in a new era, one that prioritizes sustainable manufacturing and local craftsmanship. A collaboration between longtime friends Chris Hardy and Ben Gaffney, this collection combines furniture and preservation of knowledge as one.The debut collection features pieces such as the Pryn Occasional Tables and Elmyr Dining Table, both designed by co-founder and creative director Chris Hardy. The approach to our design process starts with a clear, overarching brand vision that serves as a guiding framework for our collaborative partners, he explains. This helps create a framework for them to work within that gives them the flexibility to express their own point of view, but also delivers a product that works within our goals for an assortment. With solid, sturdy lines, taking care to not spare any expense, these tables embody the timelessness of American design: a mix of folk art, modern innovation, and woodworking heritage.Our goal is to create thoughtful furnishings that are pure in both concept and execution, filling a gap between high-end American and European design, says Hardy. Drawing inspiration from a multitude of global influences and makers, were committed to showcasing a variety of design voices through collaboration and fostering a rich culture. The Fane Book Stand, designed by Norm Architects, is an elegant example of these concepts. Marrying the simplicity of Danish design and American handicraft, the Fane collection aims to elevate the presence of books as a cornerstone of culture.The Edda Credenza exudes old-world charm, with the enticing regularity of Art Deco. Made of a beautiful walnut, this piece helps enhance the qualities within the wood, shining through the refined proportions weve grown to know and love from Norm Architects. The details within the credenza are hidden intentionally, allowing the front to be perfectly seamless. The jaunty overhang of the top adds a slimness to the base, highlighting the simple relationship between the legs, dignified and solid in their form.The Pryn Occasional Tables feature a unique leg design, the footprint of the leg following unchanged up to the top, ending in an exquisitely crafted lip. This extends up slightly from the tabletop, almost like a wave lapping up on shore. A delicate touch of movement frozen in walnut, this modern table would make a beautiful addition to any interior. The Edda Credenza and Elmyr Dining Table are produced in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, while the Pryn Occasional Tables are crafted in Seattle. Our mission is to fulfill an idealized lifestyle through design that merges aesthetic beauty with precise craftsmanship, adds Gaffney. We are proud to manufacture almost exclusively in the U.S., offering a competitive alternative to European brands without sacrificing quality or design integrity.ARCHIVISM is a culmination of the friendship between Hardy and Gaffney, offering high quality products thoughtfully crafted in the United States. They offer a designer-led approach, curating a library of vintage books on art, architecture, and design, available for purchase on their website. Gaffney shares: We aim to foster a proud and impactful dialogue around American design and manufacturing, striving for a level of quality and innovation that hasnt been done in the past 30 years. This isnt about chasing short-term gains were building a legacy brand.For more on ARCHIVISM and their debut collection, please visit their website at archivism.com.

10. A Vibrant Tokyo Building With a Vertical Rainbow FacadeSAKO Architects makes a colorful statement with the Vertical Rainbow Office Building, an architectural headquarters for Musashi Paint Holdings Co., Ltd. The rainbow facade features high-transmittance tempered laminated glass coated with a gradient of colors, symbolizing the companys extensive palette. The design transforms sunlight into colorful shadows during the day and emits soft hues at night, creating a dynamic visual experience for both occupants and passersby.9. This Confectionary Office Is the Stuff of Willy Wonkas DreamsThe Ritter Sport Schokozentrale in Waldenbuch, Germany, designed by Ippolito Fleitz Group, is a confectionery wonderland that would make Willy Wonka envious. This vibrant office includes a chocolate workshop, a caf, and a lush Ideas Garden adorned with cacao pod pendant lights, creating an environment where work feels like play. Embracing sustainability, the design incorporates eco-friendly materials, earning it a gold certificate from the German Sustainable Building Council.8. Architecture Plus Information Designs Utopian Office for Publicis GroupeArchitecture Plus Information (A+I) has crafted a vibrant, utopian workspace in New York Citys SoHo for Publicis Groupes innovative collective, Le Truc. With flexible areas like bullpens, auditoriums, libraries, and lounges, the design fosters creativity and collaboration at every turn. Bold colors, curved designs, and playful elements like upside-down mirrors challenge traditional office norms, creating a Clubhouse for Creativity that redefines modern workspaces.7. From Video Game to Vivid Reality: Exploring PUBG Studios Playful New OfficeKinzo Architekten transformed KRAFTONs PUBG Studios office in Seoul into a real-life battleground, mirroring the games dynamic environments. Office floors are structured as maps with iconic monuments and interconnected pathways, encouraging exploration and interaction among employees, much like players experience in the game. A striking main staircase, inspired by the games battle royale mechanics, serves as a focal point, leading to relaxation areas such as tea kitchens and recreation rooms.6. A Bank Relocates Its Office to an Unlikely Location The Mall!The Bank of Montreal (BMO) relocated 3,000 employees from various Toronto offices to a new 346,401-square-foot headquarters within Ontarios Eaton Centre, a major shopping mall. Designed by IA Interior Architects, the space repurposes four floors of a former Sears store, featuring a central 100-foot atrium that enhances interdepartmental visibility and collaboration. The office includes amenities such as prayer and meditation rooms, mothers rooms, and accessible features like wide corridors and voice-activated elevators, all while pursuing LEED Gold certification for sustainability.5. A New Office in Mumbai Highlights Sustainable DesignUsing the Vastu principles, an ancient Indian system that fosters harmony using the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space), Sanjay Puri Architects designed the new Office@27 in Mumbai for Vibrant Group India that emphasizes sustainable materials and construction methods. With an emphasis on building green, the office features custom furniture crafted from recycled plywood and on-site fabrication to minimize waste, reflecting the companys commitment to eco-friendly practices.4. Intuit Designed Its New Atlanta Office Based on the Idea of a CityDesign Milk chatted with Christian Widlic, Group Creative Director at Wink (Mailchimps in-house creative agency) on its collaborative project with local design firm TV and Studio O+A in designing Intuits new Atlanta, Georgia office. Designed around the concept of a city, the office features diverse neighborhoods that reflect a mix of work styles and atmospheres. This thoughtful approach creates an environment that fosters collaboration, creativity, and community for its employees.3. Reimagining the Travel Experience With Biophilia in Singapores Changi AirportThe new Changi Airport Terminal 2 in Singapore is a biophilic adventure waiting for you to explore it as you wait for your next flight. Designed by BOIFFILS Architectures, the renovation masterfully created a serene, nature-inspired environment, including vertical gardens, a 14-meter-high digital Wonderfall, and a parametrically designed ceiling. This innovative approach aims at reducing travel-related stress and providing a tranquil atmosphere that prioritizes traveler comfort and well-being.2. Gensler Goes Big With Experiential Clubhouse Office for HugeStep inside Huges new Brooklyn Navy Yard headquarters, and youll find a creative playground where collaboration, innovation, and sustainability take center stage. Designed by Gensler, the space is a bold experiment in rethinking the modern office with circular tables for inclusivity and adaptable furniture to fit any teams needs. This dynamic environment fosters creativity, all while meeting impressive Fitwel 2 Stars and LEED Silver sustainability standards.And the most popular commercial post of 2024 is1. A Parking Lot Becomes a Colorful School for Early Childhood EducationParking lots are not at all inspiring, unless theyve been transformed by Estdio Protobox. The studio transformed an underused parking garage in Vitria, Brazil, into the Childrens Studio at Colgio Salesiano, a vibrant space dedicated to early childhood education. The design incorporates principles from the Montessori method and Brazils National Common Core Curriculum, creating flexible areas that promote autonomy and collaborative learning. Features include colorful vinyl flooring, custom furniture scaled for children, and playful elements like abstract trees and an accordion ceiling, all aimed at fostering an engaging and functional environment for young learners.Check out the rest of Design Milks end of the year coveragehere!

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