The WAN Show
NVIDIA’s New CPU Makes Me Excited Again - WAN Show July 24, 2026
· Summarized
Key takeaways
- Nvidia’s Vera CPU, with its focus on high performance per core, could be a game-changer impacting not just data centers but also consumer devices like desktops and laptops.
- Industry-wide increases in component costs, driven by inflation, tariffs, and geopolitical tensions, threaten to make PC building less accessible, positioning it more as a luxury hobby.
- Environmental challenges, such as resource shortages and climate change, push for innovative solutions like space-based energy or resource extraction, though practical obstacles remain.
- The gaming industry is evolving with new backward compatibility initiatives and remasters, but high hardware prices continue to limit mainstream adoption.
- Educational methods are shifting away from traditional grading to competency-based systems, raising debates about fair assessment and AI’s role in learning.
- The tech industry is actively exploring disruptive innovations—quiet drones, automated systems, and advanced materials—that could redefine future capabilities.
- Despite challenges, the spirit of innovation persists, blending scientific curiosity with practical engineering to solve real-world problems.
Summary
Intro and Weekly Highlights
The hosts introduce the week’s main topics, including Nvidia’s new CPU and its implications for gaming and data centers, AMD GPU price hikes, and updates from the tech industry. They also note various sponsors and upcoming discussions.
Nvidia’s Vera CPU and Its Impact
The hosts discuss Nvidia’s Vera CPU, built on a custom Nvidia design with 88 ARM cores, 176 threads, and advanced multithreading technology. Nvidia’s focus on high per-core performance geared towards AI workloads could influence the entire CPU industry, encouraging competitors like AMD to innovate beyond simply increasing core counts. The Vera CPU’s planned integration into data centers, workstations, and potentially desktops and laptops signals a shift towards powerful, efficient cores. The conversation also touches on implications for gaming, memory bandwidth innovations, and potential hardware configurations that might require soldered memory, raising questions about flexibility and repairability.
Industry Trends: Hardware Pricing and Market Pressure
The podcast covers rising component costs, such as TSMC’s chip manufacturing price hikes expected in 2027, and Nvidia’s increased GPU kit prices. They note that PC building is increasingly seen as a luxury hobby due to hardware costs, with many discussing the historical context. The hosts highlight how top-tier products are heavily marketed but seldom purchased by most consumers, emphasizing the importance of the mid-range market. They also analyze how inflation, tariffs, global supply chain issues, and geopolitical tensions—particularly around China and Taiwan—are driving costs up for everything from batteries to feathers for manufacturing.”},{
Geopolitical and Environmental Challenges
The discussion shifts to energy and resource challenges, such as the Chinese feather shortage affecting traditional craft industries, and the prospects of space-based solutions like solar power stations or orbital cooling for data centers to combat climate change. The hosts debate ideas like building more nuclear reactors, drilling in the ocean, or extracting resources from space, emphasizing the complex balance of technology, economics, and environmental impact in future industry strategies.
Gaming and Consumer Tech Updates
Topics include Xbox’s new backward compatibility program, which allows Xbox game purchases to be used on PC, and the upcoming release of Nintendo’s re-mastered classic titles like Fusion Frenzy. The hosts share insights on the state of PC and console gaming, including hardware prices, the viability of the Steam Deck 2, and the trend of premium hardware marketing versus actual consumer affordability. They also discuss new projects like the development of ultra-quiet, low-visibility drones, and innovative tech like AI-driven virtual assistants and automated calibration tools.
Educational and Political Commentary
The hosts explore changes in the education system, criticizing the removal of traditional grading in favor of competency-based assessments and discussing teacher unions’ influence. They reflect on the importance of fostering genuine learning and feedback, as well as the risks of AI in schooling, including plagiarism and de-skilling students. Additionally, they comment on global issues like energy policies, international conflicts, and resource management, contemplating humanity's long-term survival and technological strategies.
Closing Remarks and Special Topics
The show wraps up with humorous and light-hearted segments, including discussions about retro tech, DIY projects, and bizarre scientific experiments. They encourage viewers to stay curious and inventive, emphasizing that despite economic and environmental pressures, innovation continues across multiple domains.
Sponsors
- Shokz · The Shokz OpenDots 2 clip-on ear buds feature open-fit design, Dolby Sphere 2.0 with Dolby, and customizable fit for active lifestyles. They offer up to 10 hours of playback on a single charge, with quick five-minute charging for two hours of use, and come with a $15 USD or $20 CAD discount using code 'WAN' at https://beopen.shokz.com/WANSHOW_Opendots2.
- Squarespace · Squarespace provides tools to build and customize websites easily via drag-and-drop templates, with SEO support, real-time analytics, and professional design options. Perfect for starting a business, promoting your art, or managing any online presence. Use code 'WAN' at https://www.squarespace.com/WAN for 10% off your first purchase.
- XSplit Broadcaster · Level up your streaming and recording with XSplit Broadcaster, which offers built-in tools for overlays, transitions, and multi-platform streaming. Get 30% off your first purchase or subscription with code 'WANSHOW30' at https://lmg.gg/xsplitwan.
- dbrand · Visit https://dbrand.com/pcb to get a Circuit Board skin, a custom accessory to personalize your device and keep Linus on his toes with playful interactions.
- Razer · Check out the Razer Blade series laptops, suitable for work or gaming, and the Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair for comfort and performance. Links at https://lmg.gg/wanrazerblade and https://lmg.gg/wanrazeriskur.
- Private Internet Access VPN · Get a special deal on Private Internet Access VPN today at https://www.piavpn.com/LinusWan for enhanced online privacy and security.
Show notes
Check out the Shokz OpenDots 2 clip-on ear buds and use code 'WAN" to get $15 USD or $20 CAD off https://beopen.shokz.com/WANSHOW_Opendots2
Go to https://bit.ly/4y9VZ0i to enter the sweepstakes to win one of the two brand-new PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 XT GPU, and an AMD LED light sign!
Visit https://www.squarespace.com/WAN and use offer code WAN for 10% off
Level up your streaming and recording game with XSplit Broadcaster! Get 30% off your first purchase or subscription with code WANSHOW30 at https://lmg.gg/xsplitwan
Get a Circuit Board skin for your device so dbrand can keep messing with Linus at https://dbrand.com/pcb
Check out the Razer Blade series of laptops; perfect for work or pleasure: https://lmg.gg/wanrazerblade
Game or work in comfort on a Razer Iskur V2: https://lmg.gg/wanrazeriskur
Get a special deal on Private Internet Access VPN today at https://www.piavpn.com/LinusWan
Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.
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