Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 09/02 – Nvidia’s New GPU Powerhouse, the RTX 3090

Starting point is 00:00:00 On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the Tech Meme Right Home for Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020. I'm Brian McCullough today. Invidia's new GPU powerhouse, the RTX 3090 is here.

Starting point is 00:00:44 Apple makes the case that the App Store is a jobs powerhouse all on its own. Patreon is an interesting and monster new rays, why Amazon delivery drivers are hanging their phones from trees, and the story behind the new gaming phenomenon known as Fall Guys. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. NVIDIA has unveiled its new RTX 3080 GPU priced at $699, launching September 17th. InVIDIA claims this new chip will boost the performance of the RTX 2080 by about two times. But that's not all.

Starting point is 00:01:19 Say hello as well to the RTX 3090 GPU, a $1,49 GPU powerhouse that's allegedly capable of 60 frame per second gaming at 80K resolutions. This bad boy is shipping September 24. Let's start, though, with the 3080, quoting the verge. At the heart of this new GPU is an updated thermal design. Nvidia has created a new pennant-shaped board for its RTX 3080 combined with a new cooling shroud. The new cooling solution is designed to improve airflow and overcome some of the constraints of the cooling solutions that exist on the RTX 2080 today.

Starting point is 00:01:55 It includes a dual fan setup that is designed to improve airflow by more than 55% with promises of much quieter and more efficient cooling. Nvidia is using a bracket-exhausting front fan with a flow-through rear fan. Nvidia is using a new 12-pin connector on its RTX-3,000 cards, which is smaller than using two traditional eight-pin connectors. The company will include an adapter that's compatible with eight-pin cables with its Founders Edition cards. Nvidia has picked a 12-pin connector to allow more space on the board for components and cooling, end quote.

Starting point is 00:02:28 But as for the powerhouse, the RTX 3090, again, quoting from the Verde. The RTX 3090 is based on Nvidia's Ampere GPU architecture, which promises some impressive performance gains for PC gaming and ray tracing. InVIDIA claims the RTX 3090 is the world's first 8K gaming GPU with 8K HDR Shadowplay support, HDMI 2.1, and a whole lot more. Nvidia is using 10,496 kuda cores on the RTX 3090, combined with a boost clock of 170 gigahertz and 24 gigabytes of GDDR 6X memory. While the RTX 3080 will ship with 10 gigabytes of GDDR 6X memory, the RTX 3090 ships with a huge

Starting point is 00:03:12 24 gigabytes of memory. NVIDIA is labeling the RTX 3090 a big ferocious GPU, BFGPU. The card will occupy three slots and include a silencer to make it up to 10 times quieter than the existing Titan RTX graphics card. Nvidia says the RTX 3090 will also be up to 50% faster than the Titan RTX and will require 750 watt power supplies. The card itself is expected to utilize around 350 watts of power. While the RTX 3090 clearly promises big power, it's also huge in physical dimensions too. The card measures 313 millimeters in length compared to 285 millimeters for the RTX 3080.

Starting point is 00:03:53 It also occupies three slots compared to the more common two, meaning PC builders, will have to consider which type of case to slot this into, end quote. Apple really wants you to know that the App Store is a good thing. A good thing, that is, if you don't want to disrupt things like jobs and the economy, the company released a press release saying that the iOS app economy created 300,000 new U.S. jobs since April 2019 and now supports more than 2.1 million U.S. jobs across all 50 states, quoting from Apple itself. Since the App Store launched in 2008, the iOS App Economy has become one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy.

Starting point is 00:04:38 Despite the pandemic, the App Store continues to provide economic opportunities for entrepreneurs of all sizes, helping anyone with an idea reach customers around the world and take advantage of new opportunities that would never be possible without it. The App Store ecosystem now supports more than 2.1 million U.S. jobs across all 50 states, an increase of 15% since last year as part of the 2.7 million jobs Apple supports across the country. Apple employees over 90,000 employees across all 50 states. The company is on track to fulfill its commitment to contribute $350 billion in the U.S. over a five-year period. Apple also supports 450,000 manufacturing and supply chain jobs through its work with 9,000 American suppliers, end quote. Sorry, though, I can't resist this. This snark is from at Goof Rider on Twitter, quote,

Starting point is 00:05:27 So Apple is taking a 30% cut from 2.1 million workers, end quote. No surprise here. Sources are telling the Wall Street Journal that TikTok sales talks have been, shall we say, complicated by China's new AI export restrictions, with the interested parties unsure whether TikTok's algorithms can be included in any eventual sale. Quote, the algorithms which determine the videos serve to users and are seen as TikTok's secret sauce, were considered part of the deal negotiations up until Friday when the Chinese government issued new restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence technology, according to people familiar with the matter. Now both sides are trying to figure out whether the other means the algorithms

Starting point is 00:06:14 need Chinese government approval for transfer and if so, whether Beijing would sign off. The complexity involved has reduced the chances that the deal could be completed soon. TikTok's parent company Bytance has said it would comply with the Chinese government order and is trying to get clarity from Beijing on how to proceed with a sale if the new restrictions apply to its algorithms, some of the people said. For bidders, the idea of buying TikTok without the algorithms completely changes the outlook on what the companies are bidding for, other people familiar with the situation said. They believe a large portion of the value of TikTok is in the suggestion algorithms that keep users glued to the app. A person closer to talks like in TikTok without its algorithms to a fancy car with a cheap engine.

Starting point is 00:06:55 A different person close to the bidders said that not getting the algorithms would be a surprise and was skeptical the deal would proceed without them, end quote. Interesting raise, and it's from a startup that you all definitely know, Patreon says it has raised $90 million at more than $1.2 billion in pre-money valuation, which would be twice the $660 million valuation that Patreon received prior to a funding round last year, quoting the Wall Street Journal. Patreon, which isn't profitable at this point, offers three levels of membership for creators and takes a 5 to 12% cut of the monthly income earned plus a payment processing fee.

Starting point is 00:07:39 The company also is working to expand its international operations and will use proceeds from the funding round to support those efforts. It has opened European offices in Berlin and Dublin. In addition, founder Jack Conti said Patreon is updating messaging features and search and discovery. For example, connecting fans and creators based on who or what type of content fans already support or where they are located. Patreon also will add more custom products and make the merchandise available in various currencies to make it easier for buyers, end quote. So chalk Patreon up to another company may be coming into its own in the COVID moment. There are numerous stories, of course,

Starting point is 00:08:14 about musicians, stand-up comedians, all sorts of artists turning to Patreon as live performing especially has been impossible. And actually, Conte also tweeted these deeds, quote, creators have earned over $2 billion on Patreon to date from over 6 million patrons. Creators are about to be earning $1 billion per year on Patreon, end quote. Twitch is making prime video watch parties available to every creator and viewer on the platform globally. Until now, watch parties were reserved for top U.S. Twitch creators. And by watch parties, I mean truly watch parties. You and your favorite streamer can watch TV shows or movies.

Starting point is 00:09:00 movies together on the Twitch platform. Because remember, Twitch wants to be more than just a video game streaming platform. And because it is a video game streaming platform, it can do something like this that other video players can't. There are some caveats, however, quoting in gadget. Both the streamer and the viewer need an active Prime Video subscription to participate. Otherwise, millions of people could tune in and watch a new Amazon show without paying the company a dime. The Prime Video Catalog also varies between regions, so if you live in the U.S. and tune into something that's U.K. only, you won't get in. Finally, you can't view watch parties on a mobile device, although Amazon has promised that it'll be available in the coming months. Even with these restrictions, the feature could be massive for Twitch.

Starting point is 00:09:43 Soccer fans, for instance, could take a break from FIFA and Football Manager by watching All or Nothing Tottenham Hotspur. A film critic, meanwhile, could review any number of movies in real time with their fans. Watch parties are a unique combination of Amazon-owned properties. There's no Google-built Netflix rival, for instance, sorry, but YouTube premium doesn't count, to offer YouTube streamers. Facebook has dabbled in premium TV shows like Limetown and Sorry for Your Loss, but none have resonated the same way that Netflix and Amazon's best originals have. If they want to clone watch parties, Google and Facebook would need to partner with another company, Netflix, HBO, or something of a similar caliber, that makes the kind of shows people want to watch together, end quote. A couple of odd Amazon stories here for you. First of all, Amazon apparently had job listings live and public, which called for intelligence

Starting point is 00:10:38 analysts who would assess, quote, labor organizing threats and then contribute to filings like restraining orders. So one way to phrase this would be Amazon was apparently hiring union busters. The job posts have subsequently been removed, but quoting Gizmodo, that Amazon is broadcasting quite openly its intent to potentially seek restraining orders against groups critical of its business practices is shocking, but not necessarily surprising. Not long after purchasing Whole Foods, it successfully fought for a restraining order against direct action everywhere to keep the group from protesting within one of the stores in Berkeley, California. Still, as a practice, restraining entire groups from engaging in protest appears to be quite rare and a brazen corporate assault on the

Starting point is 00:11:21 constitutional right to free assembly. But the spirit of democracy isn't something that can be shipped inside a cardboard box, so it largely isn't the concern of Amazon, which is perhaps why the job description also hints at developing opposition research on politicians that don't want to pay out the nose and subsidies just to get a warehouse or data center, end quote. And then get this. Amazon drivers have lately taken to hanging their smartphones from trees. Why? Well, it seems to be all in the aid of getting more work. Quote, a strange phenomenon has emerged near Amazon delivery stations and whole food stores in the Chicago suburbs, smartphones dangling from trees. contract delivery drivers are putting them there to get a jump on rival seeking orders,

Starting point is 00:12:04 according to people familiar with the matter. Someone places several devices in a tree located close to the station where deliveries originate. Drivers in on the plot then sink their own phones with the ones in the tree and wait nearby for an order pickup. The reason for the odd placement, according to experts and people with direct knowledge of Amazon's operations, is to take advantage of the handsets proximity to the station, combined with software that constantly monitors Amazon's dispatch network to get a split-second jump on competing drivers. An Uber-like app called Amazon Flex lets drivers make deliveries in their own cars.

Starting point is 00:12:37 For many with other jobs, it's a way to earn extra money in their spare time. But with joblessness rising and unemployment payments shrinking, competition for such work has stiffened and more people rely on it as their primary income source. Adding to the pressure, fewer people are using ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyfts, so more drivers have to deliver online shopping. shopping orders to make money. As a result, some Whole Foods locations have come to resemble parking lots at Home Depot, where day laborers have long congregated to pick up home repair gigs. Unlike hourly employees who get paid even when work is slow, gig workers only get paid by the job. So securing a route through the smartphone app is the key first step to making money.

Starting point is 00:13:16 Most flex routes lasts from two to four hours and can be scheduled in advance. That system can be gamed as well. Drivers download apps on their smartphones that constantly monitor the Amazon Flex site and automatically take any routes that become available, as CNBC reported in February. Bloomberg reported similar use of apps by Instacart shoppers earlier this month, end quote. Finally today, I want to share a piece that I would normally save for the long reads on Friday, but this is from Business Insider, and they tend to have their articles behind a paywall after only a few days, so I wanted to share this while it's still available for you all to read, hopefully. Are you aware of the new gaming phenomenon known as Fall Guys?

Starting point is 00:14:01 Fall Guys is, well, imagine American Gladiators and Fortnite had a baby. It's the same sort of battle royale gaming mechanic, 60 or so players enter, only one can win. But imagine instead of shooting everyone in sight, you're scrambling over at a top and ahead of everyone else in an American Ninja Warrior-style competition. It's insanely fun to play and even just to watch. The game is barely a month old, but it's already a phenomenon. Business Insider estimates that the game has already generated more than $130 million in revenue. If you're not familiar with Fall Guys, go to Twitch right now and sample about five minutes and then come back and read this piece from Business Insider about the British studio behind Fall Guys that went from near disaster to

Starting point is 00:14:46 launching what is potentially on course to be one of the biggest gaming hits of all time. Quoting from the piece. Mediatonic is the 250-person London headquartered studio behind the game, and its main problem at the moment is ensuring enough server capacity to support the millions of players jumping onto its breakout hit. Fall Guys was an instant success when it went live August 4th, and within a month it became the most downloaded title of all time on Sony's PlayStation Plus service. It was also bought 7 million times on the online PC gaming store.

Starting point is 00:15:16 front steam. Mediatonic was founded in 2005 by Bailey and Paul Croft, then students at Brunel University London. In 2015, business seemed to be looking promising with four big games in development for partners. But in 2016, all four were canceled and the indie studio had to rethink its future. The studio's client business picked up again, but in 2017, the studio focused its spare capacity on creating its own titles and issuing briefs for its in-house creative teams. There was only one limitation. Don't pitch a battle royale game. It was the year Fortnite and Player Unknown Battleground took off and popularized the Battle Royale format in which hundreds of players participate in a virtual fightout. Despite this injunction, the Mediatonic game designer Joe Walsh

Starting point is 00:16:01 immediately came back with a battle royale game, CEO Dave Bailey said. The difference was that this battle royale would be silly, really silly. Walsh was inspired by classic obstacle course game shows like Takeshi's Castle and Total Wipeout. Quote, the big idea was that this could be the greatest game show on Earth if we could scale this upright, Bailey said. In the early pitch, they were actually pulling together gifts and clips from TV shows where contestants got hit in the face by giant foam objects and we were just in stitches. We knew there was really something on a human level, really fascinating and appealing, end

Starting point is 00:16:33 quote. In early 2019, the company raised investment from Cinova Capital and Mediatonic extended development on Fall Guys for nine months and then took the decision to push it out. It was a good call. Within the first few hours, the game was such a strain on Mediatonic servers that the company had to temporarily suspend PlayStation 4 account creations to stem the flood of players, end quote. More details about the technical challenges developing the game, as well as the early viral successes and how they took place. But look, again, just give the game a gander. As soon as I saw it, I was like, oh my God, of course. I'm not even

Starting point is 00:17:10 plugged into the gaming space, really, but I saw right away that this was an obviously brilliant tweak on what is probably the dominant gaming mode of the moment. Crap. As part of researching that last segment, I opened up Steam on my IMac to check on when Fall Guys might be available for Macs. And guess what? My life is over. I just learned Crusader Kings 3 is out.

Starting point is 00:17:41 Looks like it came out yesterday. And even though I in no way, shape, or form have time for that game, look, Paradox Interactive games are my crack, my drug of choice. I cannot resist them. So, I might not sleep again between the time you hear this and the next episode tomorrow because I just downloaded Crusader Kings 3. Talk to you tomorrow.

Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 09/02 – Nvidia’s New GPU Powerhouse, the RTX 3090

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