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Nearly 50, Jason Mraz is genre-shifting, living in the moment and done flirting

Ahead of his Hong Kong concert, the American singer spills all on love songs and ‘highlighting the goodness’.

Sep 27 • 12:45 AM EDT • Entertainment • scmp.com

Mount Dora restaurant says nearby roundabout construction is cutting off business

A Lake County restaurant owner said nearby construction is keeping customers away and cutting into sales; that's why he's asking for help.

Sep 26 • 7:33 PM EDT • Business • wesh.com

Four Chord Music Fest brings nearly 30 acts to Pittsburgh for 12th year

For 12 years, Four Chord Music Festival has called Pittsburgh home, and this weekend, thousands of fans packed F.N.B. Stadium for another year of music, merchandise and memories.

Sep 26 • 6:37 PM EDT • Entertainment • fresnobee.com

Trump administration awards $23M to boost rural healthcare in Delaware

A major infusion of federal money is headed to Delaware health centers, with nearly $23 million aimed at expanding care and modernizing services.

Sep 26 • 5:43 PM EDT • Health • wcyb.com

Trump administration awards $23M to boost rural healthcare in Delaware

A major infusion of federal money is headed to Delaware health centers, with nearly $23 million aimed at expanding care and modernizing services.

Sep 26 • 5:43 PM EDT • Health • cbs2iowa.com

Trump administration awards $23M to boost rural healthcare in Delaware

A major infusion of federal money is headed to Delaware health centers, with nearly $23 million aimed at expanding care and modernizing services.

Sep 26 • 5:43 PM EDT • Health • katu.com

Trump administration awards $23M to boost rural healthcare in Delaware

A major infusion of federal money is headed to Delaware health centers, with nearly $23 million aimed at expanding care and modernizing services.

Sep 26 • 5:43 PM EDT • Health • 13wham.com

Mike Locksley buyout, contract details as Maryland Terrapins coach

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Sep 26 • 4:54 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress

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Sep 26 • 1:20 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Roma star Manu Kone’s value now nearing €100m

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Sep 26 • 12:30 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

How Long Does The New Siri AI Take To Activate On iOS 27?

Apple users say they waited anywhere from a few hours to nearly a week before the revamped Siri AI finally arrived on their devices.

Sep 26 • 11:32 AM EDT • Technology • bgr.com

Intel Panther Lake Teardown, 18A, BSPD, GAAFET, SemiAnalysis STEEL

Panther Lake debuts the first commercial implementation of backside power delivery (BSPDN), introduces Intel’s first iteration of gate-all-around (GAA) transistors, and showcases their advanced packaging capabilities with its Foveros-S assembly. With Panther Lake, Intel’s manufacturing arc has shifted from nebulous roadmaps to shipped silicon, a significant milestone on their long road back to competitive semiconductor manufacturing. To evaluate the extent of Intel’s comeback, we tore down Panther Lake. The SemiAnalysis STEEL teardown lab breaks down advanced datacenter and AI hardware. To learn more about our pipeline or to commission a teardown, contact sales@semianalysis.com. WE’RE HIRING: Architecture, floorplan, packaging, manufacturing, and labs experts. Opportunities from system to transistor and everywhere in between. Check out our Careers page. Our teardown traces 18A from its four-sheet RibbonFETs (Intel’s marketing name for GAAFETs) and gate stacks through contacts, frontside and backside wiring, and the bonded carrier. We explain how these material and integration choices improve gate control and reduce resistance, while adding capacitance, thermal resistance, and process complexity. Our measurements put Panther Lake’s 18A compute logic and TSMC N3E GPU logic at similar logic density. However, 18A does not lead TSMC N3P, N2 or Samsung SF2 in peak density. Panther Lake’s CPU cores are incremental updates, and the high-end GPU still uses TSMC N3E. Panther Lake assembles one compute tile, one GPU tile, and one I/O tile atop a passive base tile using Intel’s Foveros-S advanced packaging. Both compute tile variants use Intel 18A. The Xe3 GPU options are a 4-core GT1 tile on Intel 3 and a larger 12-core GT2 tile on TSMC N3E. Both I/O tile variants use TSMC N6. [1], [2] Our analysis centers on the PTL-U compute tile, both the 4-core and 12-core GPU tiles, as well as the 12-lane I/O tile. In conventional chips, power and signal are routed through the same frontside metal stack towards the device frontend. Power rails consume scarce routing resources near the transistors, while tall via stacks carry VDD and VSS from the coarse upper wires to local rails. Backside power delivery (BSPD) moves the main power network behind the transistor layer, to the backside, separating it from frontside signal routing. We covered BSPD and its impacts in 2024. [3], [4], [5] Intel’s BSPD implementation, branded as “PowerVia”, routes power through dedicated backside metals to nano-TSVs, which connect those rails to local source/drain (S/D) contacts. Implementing that separation requires Intel to build the interconnect stacks from both sides of the wafer. The frontside comprises the M0-M14 signal stack, while the backside comprises the BM0-BM5 power stack. M0 and BM0 are closest to the transistors. The nano-TSVs connect the two sides, but Intel patterns and etches each via from the front after forming the contacts. A narrow via runs from the side of the contact deep into the silicon substrate. Intel then completes the frontside signal metal stack, bonds the wafer to a carrier, flips it and removes the original substrate until the buried via tips are exposed. The backside metal stack is then deposited directly on the revealed vias. The nano-TSV and backside-via profiles taper in opposite directions because Intel forms them from opposite sides of the wafer. The transistor structures form the FEOL. Local contacts and nano-TSVs connect them to the wiring. M0 begins the frontside interconnect stack. The silicon carrier remains attached above the frontside interconnects. It supports the device wafer during substrate removal and backside processing and remains part of the finished chip’s thermal path. PowerVia removes the main power distribution from the congested frontside metals, routing supply through shorter and wider backside wires. Its lateral landing still occupies area in the standard cell, so it recovers less cell area than a direct backside contact. [3] Nano-TSVs beside the logic devices carry VDD or VSS from the backside power network, while signal connections continue upward through the frontside metals. Backside Interconnects Samsung SF2 data is included for comparison to Panther Lake’s within this article. SF2 is the incumbent GAA foundry node but lacks BSPD, serving as a useful reference to evaluate 18A. A full teardown of Samsung’s S26 products, processed on SF2, will be shared soon.Nanosheet-cut EDS comparison. The PowerVia supply path runs from the backside Cu rails through Mo-lined W nano-TSVs to the local transistor contacts. In this cross section, the tapered connection spans roughly 150 nm from the contact level to BM0. The Ta liner confines Cu and promotes adhesion to the surrounding stack; the AlOₓ etch stop controls the next dielectric etch above the rail. Dielectric beneath the ribbons electrically separates the devices from the backside wiring and removes the conducting silicon body below the channel. [6] AlOₓ serves as an etchstop (ES), enabling endpointing and protecting the underlying layers. Low-volatility aluminum fluoride reaction products resist the fluorinated plasma, allowing a thin AlOₓ film to protect the metal while the surrounding low-k dielectric is removed. [6], [7]. While the BM0 and layers above the M1 lines show double AlOx layers, Our SMIC N+3 teardown showed single AlOₓ layers. SMIC uses a simpler local AlOₓ substack, while the remaining cap and etch sequence provide the required landing protection. So why double layers? The closely spaced AlOₓ doublets provide two protected endpoints in the etch sequence. Intel documents an AlOₓ/SiN/AlOₓ stack that explains the benefit. The main dielectric plasma etch stops on the first AlOₓ film; a selective wet clear opens that film; a second plasma etch removes the intermediate SiN and stops on the second AlOₓ film. The final wet clear exposes the metal landing surface. SiN is the intermediate dielectric in Intel’s published example. [8] The second stop protects the metal through a cap breakthrough. Wide openings can etch faster than narrow ones, and etch depth varies across the wafer. Metal under an early-clearing opening would otherwise be exposed while other openings still need more etching. Staged protection widens the process window and reduces metal erosion, corrosion and void formation. [8] TSMC documents AlN/AlOₓ/SiOC/AlOₓ above Cu, with AlN blocking Cu diffusion, and a simpler AlN/SiOC/AlOₓ variant that omits one AlOx film. [9] Levels with different opening sizes, aspect ratios, pattern densities and cap materials need different etch margins. A double AlOx stop is useful where another protected endpoint justifies the added processing. The extra film adds formation, selective opening and cleaning steps, plus another set of interfaces to control adhesion, moisture, and stress. These blanket films are opened through the existing via pattern, so each film does not require another lithography mask. AlOₓ adds parasitic capacitance when it replaces lower-k dielectric; two thin AlOₓ films can nevertheless contain less AlOₓ than one thick film. Total thickness, placement, and theintermediate dielectric determine the electrical cost. Deposition chemistry also changes AlOx permittivity and residual hydroxyl content, which can oxidize the underlying metal. [7], [8], [10], [11] The backside stack separates into relatively fine BM0-BM2 wiring near the devices and coarser BM3-BM5 power distribution. The largest pitch increase occurs between BM2 and BM3. BM0’s pitch closely matches the logic-row height, fitting local power delivery to the cell rows. Higher levels aggregate current through larger conductors: routing density becomes less important than low resistance and current capacity as the network approaches the package. This hierarchy provides wide power wiring for the power delivery network without consuming scarce frontside signal-routing resources. [3] The SemiAnalysis STEEL teardown lab breaks down advanced datacenter and AI hardware. To learn more about our pipeline or to commission a teardown, contact sales@semianalysis.com. WE’RE HIRING: Architecture, floorplan, packaging, manufacturing, and labs experts. Opportunities from system to transistor and everywhere in between. Check out our Careers page. Frontside Interconnects Intel 18A combines Mo-lined W contacts and nano-TSVs with a separate backside Cu power network. Samsung SF2 keeps power on the frontside, using Ti-based contact interfaces and Ta-based barriers and Co liners around Cu wiring. In 18A standard-cell rows, backside power rails supply the devices through nano-TSVs within the cells, freeing frontside routing resources. Samsung’s M0 accommodates both power and signal connections. From the device toward M0, the connection runs through a Ti-based S/D interface, W contact fill, a Mo-lined W via, and the Cu M0 wire. Mo supplies a conductive nucleation and adhesion layer for W, replacing the resistive TiN liner used in conventional W integration. This increases the effective conduction volume within the feature while retaining W fill and its established polishing, cleaning and etching processes. Intel’s Mo/W patent describes this integration tradeoff. The nano-TSV uses the same Mo-lined W construction in the backside supply path. [12] The move from TiN to Mo is an incremental change. While a full Co or Mo fill can also reduce the volume lost to liners in very small features, it requires new integration schemes that increase complexity and risk. Cu remains attractive for wider wires due to its low resistance. As wires and vias shrink, the diffusion barrier consumes an increasing fraction of their cross-section. [12], [12], [14] Intel uses Co/Ru liners at M0-M1, Co at M2-M4, and Nb at M5-M9. The lower-level liners help Cu adhere and reduce void formation during trench fills. Applied Materials’ Endura has new thermal control that facilitate wetting process, so the thin film continuity is good enough that good capillary pressure will drive Cu atoms to the via bottom without voiding. Intel’s choice to use Nb is particularly interesting. Intel’s Nb patent describes a conductive diffusion barrier intended to reduce the barrier’s contribution to resistance relative to conventional Ta-based barriers, particularly at via bottoms where all current crosses the barrier. The patent pairs Nb in coarser levels with the option of lower-cost PVD processing. [15], [16] The upper metal layers support thicker barriers formed through physical vapor deposition (PVD) despite its worse coverage and uniformity. Meanwhile, the lower metal layers require thinner barriers deposited through conformal atomic layer deposition (ALD). Co/Ru adds another material interface and requires controlled deposition and Cu fill. Changing liners and barriers by metal layer allows Intel to optimize interconnect resistance, process complexity, and reliability. [15, 16] RibbonFET, Intel’s name for its gate-all-around FETs (GAAFETs), replaces the FinFET’s vertical fins with four stacked horizontal silicon nanosheets, allowing the gate to surround the channel on every side. The path to GAAFET begins with the planar transistor. A planar MOSFET places the gate above the channel between its source and drain. Pairing an NMOS with a PMOS transistor creates a CMOS inverter, in which the NMOS pulls the output low for a high input, and the PMOS pulls it high for a low input. The gate must retain electrostatic control of the channel to ensure clean switching. As gate lengths shrank, the drain began to compete with the gate for that control, increasing off-state leakage. Electrostatic control was restored through an architectural evolution that raised the channel into a vertical fin and wrapping the gate around three sides. Called “FinFET”, this new architecture packed more effective channel width into a smaller footprint. Further scaling made it harder to maintain both drive current and leakage within smaller cells, and reintroduced the same problems planar MOSFETs faced. Nanosheet GAAFETs close the fourth side by replacing the vertical fin with a stack of horizontal nanosheets, each surrounded by the gate. The tighter electrostatic control suppresses leakage at shorter gate lengths while stacking adds effective channel width within the cell footprint. In a FinFET process, channel width changes in discrete steps as designers must add or remove whole fins. Nanosheet width can instead be adjusted continuously within the process’s design rules. Wider sheets increase drive current, while narrower sheets reduce capacitance at the cost of drive current. Intel 18A uses stacks of four nanosheets each and varies their widths across logic and SRAM. At the process level, adding more sheets to each stack increases effective channel width and drive current, but complicates fabrication. RibbonFET vs MBCFET Samsung began GAAFET production in 2022 with SF3E, following with SF3 and now SF2. Its ‘MBCFET’ provides a useful structural comparison with Intel’s first RibbonFET implementation. [17] STEEL is digging deeper into SF2, used in the Exynos 2600, and TSMC’s GAAFET N2, used in Apple’s A20 Pro, in upcoming newsletter articles. We’re throwing some teasers on X. Let’s compare Samsung SF2’s MBCFET with Intel 18A’s RibbonFET. Subscribe Even to the untrained eye, Intel’s extra nanosheet is obvious. Intel stacks four ribbons to Samsung’s three. Samsung’s sheets are much wider in these fields, so both sheet count and width matter to the available channel perimeter. Sheet width also changes which silicon surfaces carry current. On conventional (001) silicon, wide nanosheets emphasize the broad top and bottom surfaces, favoring electron transport; the larger sidewall contribution in a narrow sheet favors hole transport. Thinner sheets improve gate control but increase confinement and scattering. This makes width and thickness part of the NMOS/PMOS balance, alongside strain and threshold voltage. [18], [19] GAAFET designs like 18A use different work-function-metal (WFM) stacks for NMOS and PMOS. Around each ribbon, a thin SiOx interfacial layer separates the silicon channel from the HfOx high-k dielectric, with La providing dipole tuning and the WFM wrapping the dielectric. NMOS uses a TiAl-based stack, while PMOS uses TiN WFM. W fills the remaining gate trench, providing a lower-resistivity path where the work-function layers are no longer needed. In this field, the PMOS stacks leave room for W between ribbons, while the NMOS stacks occupy more of those gaps. A silicon-based dielectric marks the P/N boundary, allowing the PMOS and NMOS gates, sharing the same gate trench, to be processed sequentially. Fast logic paths, retention circuits, and SRAM need a family of threshold options. Changing threshold without substantially changing device dimensions, capacitance or fabrication complexity is valuable. FinFET processes typically use different work-function-metal stacks. In a four-ribbon GAA stack, the narrow sheet-to-sheet gap limits how much WFM can fit around each channel. La in the gate dielectric creates interfacial dipoles at the SiOx/HfOx boundary, shifting effective work function and tuning threshold voltage. This gives Intel another control alongside its NMOS and PMOS WFM stacks. Low-threshold devices improve critical-path drive; higher thresholds reduce leakage elsewhere. Dipole tuning is especially useful in GAA because it changes threshold without consuming the narrow intersheet gap with thicker WFM. Precise control of La incorporation, diffusion and interface quality has long been a challenge, limiting viability in high volume production but is now seen from every leading-edge foundry. Intel’s patent describes depositing a dipole-forming oxide above HfOx and annealing it toward the interfacial oxide before completing the work-function and fill metals. This separates threshold tuning from the space available for metal. Newer research addresses the thermal cost: imec’s 2026 dipole-middle research inserts the shifter between two HfOx depositions, shortening the diffusion path while protecting SiOx during patterning. [20], [21]Matched-cut EDS, Intel 18A (left) vs. Samsung SF2 (right). Intel retains raised source/drain epi beneath its contacts, while Samsung recesses W deep into the epi to form a V-shaped Ti-lined interface. The deeper contact increases metal-to-semiconductor area and shortens the current path from the lower sheets, reducing contact and spreading resistance. It also removes epi volume and brings the contact etch closer to the channel ends. Retaining more epi preserves the material available for strain transfer, especially from SiGe into PMOS. These geometries balance contact access against stress engineering and etch margin. [22], [23] Samsung stacks three sheets to Intel’s four ribbons, and both processes use sheet width to tune drive strength. In our Samsung cross-sections, widths range roughly from 19 to 30 nm in the NPU rows and 37 to 50 nm in the CU cell. The Samsung nanosheets taper, with the widest sheet at the bottom and the narrowest at the top. Both processes use HfOx gate dielectric and Ti-based work-function stacks, with Al in the NMOS stack. In the Samsung devices shown here, the dielectric and WFM occupy the intersheet gaps, leaving W above the top sheet. Intel’s PMOS stack leaves more room between ribbons, and W fills those gaps while the thicker NMOS stack leaves W mainly in the upper trench. Gate-stack EDS maps. The W between Intel’s PMOS ribbons provides a conductive path close to the lower gates. Where WFM fills the entire gap, the gate still surrounds the channel, but voltage reaches it through the more resistive work-function films. Thinner WFM and dipole tuning preserve room for low-resistivity fill; Mo and Ru are alternative fill metals being developed for further scaling. [24] A masked, sequential WFM flow explains the different gate heights and inter-nanosheet fill. The proposed sequence below shows how separate NMOS and PMOS work-function steps produce that geometry. Enabled by the BSPDN process, Intel replaces the dense-logic silicon subfin with dielectric, removing the parasitic conduction path below the ribbons and reducing substrate-related capacitance. A retained silicon body as in classical, non-SOI, planar and FinFET designs needs junction and punchthrough-stop engineering to suppress leakage. Dielectric isolation makes that leakage less sensitive to the subfin doping profile but adds removal and fill steps. It also weakens the direct thermal path through silicon, making the contacts, metal stacks and package more important for heat extraction. [24], [26] Fluorine is concentrated around selected Intel device structures in the maps. WF6 is a standard precursor for W nucleation and fill, while barrier films protect adjacent dielectrics from fluorine attack. Low-fluorine W processes reduce the residual-F burden. Chloride-based precursors avoid introducing F during W deposition, but require control of chlorine attack, nucleation and fill quality. The integration target is a continuous, low-resistance W path with a thin protective liner and minimal chemical damage to the surrounding stack. [20], [27], [28] The SemiAnalysis STEEL teardown lab breaks down advanced datacenter and AI hardware. To learn more about our pipeline or to commission a teardown, contact sales@semianalysis.com. WE’RE HIRING: Architecture, floorplan, packaging, manufacturing, and labs experts. Opportunities from system to transistor and everywhere in between. Check out our Careers page. We measured cell height, gate pitch, metal geometry, and ribbon dimensions at the XTEM sites shown below. The tables group these dimensions by site and device polarity. Our “sheet cuts” cross the silicon channel and show the ribbons end-on. “gate cuts” run along the channel through successive gates. The 18A logic cell dimensions point to a five-track logic library while the N3E and Intel 3 cell dimensions evidence a seven-track logic library. The DDR-PHY uses wider M0 wires and much larger spacing than core logic. That trades routing density for lower wire resistance and weaker coupling between neighboring nets. The geometry suits the current delivery and coupling requirements of analog, clock, and I/O circuitry. PowerVia lets 18A combine a compact cell height with wider M0 geometry by moving the main power rails off the signal-routing tracks. That relaxes local wire scaling while preserving a small cell footprint. Cell height and gate pitch set the geometric density; pin access and routability determine how much of it a real block can use. [29] The biggest takeaway from our gate-pitch measurements is that Intel 18A compute logic and TSMC N3E GPU logic have similar density in the Bohr representative-cell model. The 18A example is 18.6% denser than the Intel 3 GPU example. Gate pitches are nearly identical across the three sites, so cell height drives most of the difference. The Bohr model combines a four-transistor NAND2 spanning three gate pitches and a 32-transistor scan flip-flop (SFF) spanning nineteen pitches, weighting their densities 60:40. The sensitivity column shows how independently changing cell height and gate pitch by ±1 nm changes the result. This compares representative cell geometries; whole-die density also depends on cell mix and placement. The 18A P-core gives M0 substantially more metal cross section than the N3E vector engine. Treating each profile as a trapezoid gives 2.63 times the area per line and 1.84 times the area after normalization by routing pitch. The larger section reduces the geometric contribution to line resistance and lowers current density for a given current. Taller and wider wires also add capacitance, so circuit delay depends on the balance of resistance and capacitance. The DDR-PHY has less metal area per routing width than the 18A core fields, while remaining above N3E. [30] Area = height × (top CD + bottom CD) / 2, including liners. Area/pitch normalizes by routing width. Taper is the symmetric sidewall angle from vertical, with the largest angle belonging to the DDR-PHY. Compute tile The measurements show how ribbon dimensions and gate-stack geometry vary across the compute tile and between NMOS and PMOS to balance channel drive, gate load and the space needed for the dielectric/WFM stack across logic, SRAM and the DDR-PHY. Width mainly changes available channel perimeter; thickness also changes electrostatic control and carrier confinement. Gate-stack thickness then determines the space left for low-resistivity fill P-core and LP E-core logic Both the P-core and LP E-core use multiple nanosheet widths. Widths are measured on high-magnification XTEMs while wider-field images demonstrate additional width choices within the LP E-core. Multiple widths are expected even within an LP E-core. Timing-critical paths, buffers and cells with different fanout need different drive strengths. The lower-magnification fields show this width diversity beyond the sites quantified in the table. L2 and L3 SRAM GAA gives SRAM designers another way to balance the pull-up (PU), pass-gate (PG), and pull-down (PD) transistors. FinFET bitcells set device strength through fin count while GAA adds nanosheet width as a sizing knob. In a 6T SRAM cell, a strong pull-down relative to the pass-gate limits read disturbance, while a strong pass-gate relative to the pull-up improves writability. During a write, the pass-gate and write driver pull the node storing “1” below the inverter trip point. During a read, the pull-down holds the node storing “0” low. Bias, threshold voltage, mismatch and assist circuitry set the remaining margin. FinFET high-current cells commonly use a PU:PG:PD fin-count pattern of 1:2:2, a device-sizing ratio rather than a current ratio. Ribbon width lets Intel balance SRAM strengths without adding whole fins. The L2 cell uses its narrowest ribbons for PU and widest for PD, improving writability and read stability respectively. Intel’s disclosed HCC operates without assist; its denser HDC uses negative-bitline write assist. Pulling the selected bitline briefly below ground increases pass-gate overdrive so it can overpower the pull-up at lower supply voltage. That buys density and low voltage writability at the cost of boosting circuitry, switching energy, and additional voltage stress that must be controlled. [31], [32] Four rectangular ribbons give the perimeter = 8 × (width + thickness), before corner rounding. PG/PU is 1.49 and PD/PG is 1.16. The L3 structures closely resemble L2 in layout and cell height. Fewer L3 nanosheet widths are tabulated because fewer high-magnification images were available. DDR PHY The DDR-PHY trades density for controlled analog behavior and reliable off-chip signaling. It contains drivers, receivers, delay circuits, and calibration logic that set drive strength, sampling time, and voltage margin. Repeated four-sheet devices with similar widths fit the use of regular transistor units for matching and programmable drive. Its wider local wiring provides room for current delivery and separation of sensitive signals, while consuming more area than a dense core-logic grid. The layout serves the memory channel’s electrical requirements as well as digital logic density. [33] The SemiAnalysis STEEL teardown lab breaks down advanced datacenter and AI hardware. To learn more about our pipeline or to commission a teardown, contact sales@semianalysis.com. WE’RE HIRING: Architecture, floorplan, packaging, manufacturing, and labs experts. Opportunities from system to transistor and everywhere in between. Check out our Careers page. Intel 3 GPU devices Vector engine logic Intel 3’s XVE logic uses two-fin PMOS and NMOS devices with power rails in M0. Its cell height and M0 pitch give a seven-track geometry, two tracks more than the 18A logic. One-fin groups also appear among the two-fin devices. Intel 3 L2 SRAM The Intel 3 L2 SRAM uses the familiar HCC sizing pattern: one PU fin, two PG fins, and two PD fins. N3E GPU devices Vector engine logic The N3E XVE field contains repeated two-fin devices with seven-track cell geometry. N3E remains a FinFET process, giving Panther Lake a direct FinFET-to-RibbonFET comparison. N3E L2 SRAM The N3E L2 SRAM uses the same PU:PG:PD fin-count pattern of 1:2:2. Panther Lake-U follows Lunar Lake’s floorplan quite closely. Both pair 4 P-cores with 4 LP E-cores and NPU, media and display engines in similar locations. Lunar Lake also uses Xe2, the direct predecessor to Panther Lake’s Xe3 GPU. This makes Lunar Lake the most direct basis for our comparisons. Arrow Lake differs in core count and uses the older Xe-LPG GPU architecture, so we only use it where it offers a more direct component-level comparison. Compute tile Panther Lake compute-tile floorplans remain sparse even months after launch. Intel 18A’s backside metal and dielectric stack must be removed without damaging the underlying structures before a clean transistor-level floorplan can be imaged. Most published die shots hide or heavily process the background, but we are quite proud of the die shot we achieved and are excited to show the work we have done. We measured the areas of the key components on the compute tile and compared them with their Lunar Lake predecessors on TSMC N3B. These help us to capture changes in block area and compare the two chips across process nodes and designs. Our total tile areas exclude the scribe-line area. The compute-plus-GPU subtotal below uses the PTL-U compute tile and GT1 GPU; it excludes the I/O tile and passive base. Individual block areas use the boundaries marked on the floorplans The compute-plus-GPU row is recomputed from the displayed PTL-U and GT1 areas. Component rows use their stated per-region counts and are not an additive partition of the whole tile. The P-core area remains almost unchanged between Lunar Lake and Panther Lake, despite L2 capacity increasing from 2.5 MiB to 3 MiB. Arrow Lake uses the same Lion Cove core as Lunar Lake but also has a 3 MiB L2. Cougar Cove fits 20% more L2 into the same P-core area. The larger private cache keeps more of each core’s working set close to its execution units, reducing access to shared L3 and DRAM. Extra capacity adds storage leakage and lookup energy, so designers balance it against avoided lower-level accesses. The shared P-core L3 cache also shrank by 14.8%. [2] Cougar Cove combines a similar footprint with Intel’s reported power-efficiency improvements. RibbonFET’s tighter channel control reduces leakage, while PowerVia reduces supply droop and allows tighter voltage guardbands. [1] Darkmont’s four-core LP E-core cluster is 5.0% smaller than Skymont’s on Lunar Lake, with most of the reduction in its L2 regions. The 1 MiB region shrank by 8.4% and the 1.5 MiB region by 14.9%. The tag arrays also use one fewer visible row. Tags identify which memory addresses the data array holds, so rearranging them changes the cache’s layout and wiring without requiring less data capacity. [2] The LP E-cores share one L2. This pools capacity and avoids duplicating all the cache machinery, but the four cores contend for its banks and bandwidth. Their separate cluster also keeps light work away from the performance cluster and its L3, allowing that larger domain to sleep. [1], [2] Cache area includes more than the storage cells. Tags identify each line, decoders select rows, sense amplifiers read the small bitline signal, and wires connect to the banks. Splitting an array into smaller sections shortens wordlines and bitlines, improving access speed, but duplicates peripheral circuits. Panther Lake’s smaller cache regions therefore reflect the complete memory implementation, including how much of each region is devoted to storage. [34] Unlike Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake, Panther Lake has no separate SoC tile. The NPU, LP E-cores, memory controllers, PHYs, media and display engines now share the compute tile. This removes an active die and keeps CPU memory traffic on one die. The cost is moving PHY and I/O-related circuitry onto 18A: drivers, receivers and analog circuits must still meet external voltage, loading and signal-integrity requirements, so their area does not shrink like dense digital logic. [1], [2] The biggest shrink comes from the NPU, which occupies 36.9% less area. NPU 5 consolidates the same total INT8 MAC count into half as many neural compute engines. Each of the three NCEs has a larger MAC array to make the complete NCE envelope 22.6% larger than an NPU 4 engine. Consolidation also halves the number of scratchpads and SHAVE DSPs, from 12 to 6. The MAC array handles matrix multiplication and convolution, while SHAVE executes vector and custom operations that fit the array poorly. [1], [2], [35] The paired floorplans identify each NCE envelope and its scratchpad, MAC, and SHAVE regions. Each measured MAC polygon is counted once per NCE in the area accounting below. The scratchpads store weights, activations, and intermediate results near the MAC arrays, allowing repeated use without fetching them again from DRAM. Halving their number delivers the largest measured area saving but leaves less local storage for the same total MAC count. Layers that no longer fit locally require smaller working tiles or more transfers of intermediate data. The benefit depends on keeping the enlarged arrays busy while managing that tighter storage budget. [36] NPU 5 also adds native FP8. Using half the operand width of FP16 reduces storage and transfer demand, helping workloads fit the smaller local memory budget. Lower precision and format-dependent range make scaling and model validation part of deployment. Hardware activation functions further reduce work that would otherwise occupy the programmable DSPs. [1], [2] Microsoft requires an NPU to deliver at least 40 TOPS for Copilot+ PCs. Both Lunar Lake and Panther Lake meet this threshold, but Panther Lake uses significantly less silicon. GPU tiles Panther Lake is Intel’s first product with Xe3, its latest GPU architecture. It offers two different GPU tiles: a smaller GT1 tile with 4 Xe3 cores on Intel 3 and a larger GT2 tile with 12 Xe3 cores on TSMC N3E. Panther Lake allows us to compare the same GPU architecture across both Intel 3 and TSMC N3E. Wildcat Lake adds a third Xe3 implementation on Intel 18A. A future newsletter will detail Xe3 and its implementation differences across all three process nodes. GT2 scales Xe3 to a different physical layout, with render slices arranged vertically instead of GT1’s horizontal arrangement. Slice placement sets the distances to shared cache banks and the D2D interface. Those wires consume area and add delay, so scaling the number of Xe cores also requires a new balance of cache placement, routing and timing. [1] What’s immediately obvious is that the GT2 tile on TSMC N3E has much smaller Xe cores than GT1. These block areas include logic, caches, and routing. An Xe core on the GT1 tile is ~69% larger than one on Lunar Lake, and ~55% larger than one on GT2. Intel 3 therefore uses substantially more area per Xe core. The block-area gap exceeds the measured logic and SRAM density gaps, bringing routing, timing targets, cell mix, and floorplan allocation into the comparison. The measured vector/matrix engine region is almost unchanged between Lunar Lake and Panther Lake’s GT2 tile. Xe3 retains eight 512-bit vector engines and eight 2048-bit XMX engines per core. Its gains also come from feeding those engines more effectively: more resident threads hide stalls, and variable register allocation lets shaders trade registers per thread against the number of threads kept active. [1] The shared L1/SLM capacity increased by 33% from 192 KiB to 256 KiB, while its area increased only 5%, raising effective density by 27%. L1 retains reused cache lines, while software-managed SLM lets a thread group share data locally. Both reduce traffic to more distant memory. Allocating more SLM per group can also limit how many groups reside on a core at once. [1], [37] The GT1 tile carries 4 MiB of L2 against 16 MiB on the GT2 tile. GT1 divides its L2 cache into four 1 MiB banks, while GT2 uses eight 2 MiB banks. Each bank contains 128 macros, but each N3E macro stores 16 KiB, twice the Intel 3 macro’s 8 KiB capacity. The N3E macro is only 54% larger while holding twice as many bits, giving it 30% higher density: ~23.7 Mbit/mm² versus 18.3 Mbit/mm². Including bank-level circuitry, the gap widens to ~16.9 Mbit/mm² on GT2 versus ~10.4 Mbit/mm² on GT1. GT2 gains density with its macros storing more bits per unit area, and those macros occupy more of each cache bank. Larger macros spread decoder and sense-amplifier overhead across more storage, while a more compact bank layout reduces the share spent on control and routing. The compromise is longer wordlines and bitlines that carry more capacitance. [34] I/O tile Panther Lake uses two I/O tile variants, both fabricated on TSMC N6. The smaller one provides 4 PCIe 5.0 and 8 PCIe 4.0 lanes and serves lower-tier systems as well as those without a discrete GPU, while the larger one adds 8 PCIe 5.0 lanes, bringing the total to 20 lanes, for discrete-GPU connectivity. Panther Lake SKUs with the larger 10- or 12-Xe GPUs use the smaller I/O tile. [38] The smaller I/O tile adds a PCIe 4.0 block and a Thunderbolt block to Lunar Lake’s I/O layout, providing four additional PCIe 4.0 lanes and another Thunderbolt 4 port. Its repeated N6 blocks retain nearly identical areas and layouts. Reusing these proven PHYs and controllers avoids porting and requalifying external interfaces on 18A, where faster digital logic offers less benefit to circuits constrained by the off-chip link. [38] SemiAnalysis’s teardown lab (STEEL) dives deep into the world’s advanced datacenter and AI hardware. To learn more about our pipeline or to commission a teardown, contact sales@semianalysis.com. We’re hiring technical experts from system to transistor and everywhere in between. Check out our Careers page. Panther Lake offers scalability and modularity through its disaggregated packaging that partition compute, GPU, and I/O silicon into separate tiles allowing for a suite of tile configurations. This partitioning makes the package part of Intel’s node economics as it determines how much leading-edge wafer area each product consumes, which functions can remain on other processes, and how much configuration freedom Intel can offer from a shared set of tiles. Furthermore, fabricating the compute and GPU tiles separately confines the new 18A process to the compute tile and allows graphics and I/O to use other, more established, and more cost-effective processes. For Panther Lake, the GPU and I/O tiles are assembled alongside the compute tile on a passive silicon base using Foveros-S. Intel’s current technology brief lists a nominal 36 µm pitch for Foveros-S. Through-silicon vias (TSVs) in the base connect the fine wiring above to the larger package connections below. The functional tiles sit side by side on that passive base in a 2.5D configuration. [39] Our cross-section through the compute and GPU tiles shows the package’s wiring hierarchy. Microbumps connect each active tile to the passive silicon base; its fine redistribution layer (RDL) carries the short, dense tile-to-tile links. TSVs carry connections through the base to the package substrate, which fans them out to the much coarser motherboard solder joints. The base supplies interconnect, while computation remains in the active tiles above it. [39] At the compute-tile edge, the higher-magnification inset shows a local microbump spacing of approximately 25.24 µm and a feature width of 12.33 µm. These local spacings are finer than Intel’s nominal Foveros-S value. The X-ray fields further confirm tighter neighboring bumps, consistent across every die-to-die area found on each tile. Additional X-ray analysis is offered after the paywall. Putting the memory controller beside the CPU removes the D2D transfer that CPU memory requests required in Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake. This avoids the extra transmitter, receiver, and link traversal, saving interface energy and latency. Panther Lake’s separate GPU still crosses a D2D link to reach DRAM, so its larger local caches also help contain package traffic. [1], [40] Smaller dies are less likely to contain a random fatal defect, and screening them before assembly prevents one bad tile from consuming a complete package of good silicon. Reuse also spreads design and qualification work across more products. Against those gains, Intel pays for the passive base, D2D circuits, extra bonding and test steps, and losses during assembly. Cost per working product across the portfolio captures the combined effect of wafer yield, reuse, test, and assembly. [29] Wildcat Lake packaging Intel launched Core Series 3, formerly Wildcat Lake, on 16 April 2026 for value mobile and edge systems. Wildcat Lake keeps 18A but removes the passive base and combines more functions on one die to simplify the package. The two products therefore reveal two distinct ways to commercialize the same leading-edge process. [41] Wildcat Lake’s 18A die combines up to two Cougar Cove P-cores, four Darkmont LP E-cores, two Xe3 cores and a smaller NPU. A separate platform-controller die supplies I/O, connected through UCIe, Intel’s first processor implementation of the standard. Consolidating graphics remove a tile boundary and the passive base, reducing assembly complexity for a modest-bandwidth value product. It also ties CPU and graphics scaling to the same die, giving up Panther Lake’s ability to swap in a much larger GPU. [42], [43] In July 2021, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger set out an ambitious process roadmap aimed at regaining performance leadership by 2025, later described as five nodes in four years. Five years and one CEO later, Intel’s comeback story is not as unambiguously positive as Pat may have hoped. [44], [45] Intel once set the pace for process technology, bringing high-k metal gate technology and FinFETs into volume production years ahead of the rest of the industry. Its 22 nm FinFET process reached consumers with Ivy Bridge in 2012. [46] Intel’s integrated device manufacturing (IDM) model allowed its architects and process engineers to co-optimize products and processes. Starting with Sandy Bridge, Intel dominated x86, while AMD struggled with Bulldozer. That lead faltered at 14 nm and broke at 10 nm. Intel targeted a massive 2.7× density increase, but the node arrived years late and required several revisions before it could support Intel’s full lineup. This delay forced Intel to stretch 14 nm across six generations, while TSMC moved ahead in process technology and AMD recovered in x86. By 2019, Intel was still shipping 14 nm across most of its product stack, with its 10 nm client ramp focused on Ice Lake mobile processors. Meanwhile, TSMC was shipping N7 and N7+, and AMD’s Zen 2 compute chiplets used N7 to raise core counts and improve efficiency. Intel’s process failures were central to its decline, but unsound business decisions furthered their downward slide. Product delays compounded product mistakes, pushing client, server, and FPGA roadmaps off schedule. Several attempts to enter AI (Nervana and Gaudi) and networking (Tofino) also failed to establish lasting businesses. Intel’s recovery has focused on consumer CPUs and advanced packaging. Tiger Lake, Alder Lake, Lunar Lake and now Panther Lake have restored Intel’s consumer roadmap. On the process side, Intel 4 shipped with Meteor Lake, Intel 3 with Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest, and Intel 18A with Panther Lake. Intel has also made advanced packaging part of its foundry offering. However, Intel is still playing catch-up in servers. Several Xeon generations arrived years late and trailed contemporary AMD and Arm server CPUs in performance, efficiency, and core count. The process roadmap is back, but Intel does not hold the same process-technology leadership position it held prior to 10 nm. The introduction of gate-all-around nanosheets and backside power delivery are two of the biggest changes to transistor integration in a decade. Intel took on both changes at once: 18A paired its first RibbonFET with PowerVia in Panther Lake. Panther Lake is a substantial manufacturing milestone. Our cross-sections show how RibbonFET and PowerVia reshape local contacts and wiring, while the floorplans show where architectural consolidation and process choices save area. A sustained competitive lead depends on product performance, cost, yield, and the next implementation. The SemiAnalysis STEEL teardown lab breaks down advanced datacenter and AI hardware. To learn more about our pipeline or to commission a teardown, contact sales@semianalysis.com. WE’RE HIRING: Architecture, floorplan, packaging, manufacturing, and labs experts. Opportunities from system to transistor and everywhere in between. Check out our Careers page.. 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Sep 26 • 9:36 AM EDT • Technology • newsletter.semianalysis.com

Borussia Dortmund join Roma in race for Kvernadze

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Sep 26 • 8:35 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

That fresh cleaning smell could be filling your home with nanoparticles

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Sep 26 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Scientists burned their own scrolls to unlock a 2,000-year-old mystery

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Sep 26 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

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Sep 26 • 6:45 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com

The full 'Harvest Moon' rises with Saturn this weekend — here's how to get the best views

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Sep 26 • 6:30 AM EDT • Science • livescience.com

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Sep 26 • 6:30 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com

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Sep 26 • 5:01 AM EDT • Health • nytimes.com

The MMA fighter helping Brighton

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Sep 26 • 2:50 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

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Sep 25 • 10:18 PM EDT • Business • clickondetroit.com

NFL Power Rankings: ESPN Ranks Worst Team After Two Weeks

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Sep 25 • 9:14 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

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Sep 25 • 7:28 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Cotton candy catering: Kiffany Bosserman refined her taste for business (and the value of her time)

After nearly a decade in business, Cottontale KC is still spinning sugar into a confection for success, shared founder Kiffany Bosserman — pivoting her business to say “yes” less and reprioritize the balance of family and life and profitability.

Sep 25 • 5:53 PM EDT • Business • startlandnews.com

Proposed business park south of Durango could noticeably increase county’s share of manufacturing jobs

Strategic plan calls for nearly 1.2 million square feet of commercial and industrial space over 21 years

Sep 25 • 5:47 PM EDT • Business • durangoherald.com

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Sep 25 • 5:05 PM EDT • Business • heraldtribune.com

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Sep 25 • 4:22 PM EDT • Health • cidrap.umn.edu

Mystic businesses, tourists brace for storm ahead of weekend events

Businesses and tourists in Mystic are preparing for a storm expected to move into the area, with wind already picking up near Mystic Harbor.

Sep 25 • 4:13 PM EDT • Business • wfsb.com

Former Arhaus HQ leads trio of Flats East Bank buildings for sale

The properties are being offered for sale by the GBX Group, which said it will instead focus on its nearby development of 100 apartments at the former Samuel Supply building.

Sep 25 • 3:05 PM EDT • Business • crainscleveland.com

Apple Finally Shares tvOS 27 Release Notes With List of New Features

Apple today finally shared release notes for tvOS 27, nearly two weeks after releasing the software update. Many of the new features and changes listed were already known, but we are sharing the notes for the sake of completeness. tvOS 27 was released on Monday, September 14, but the Apple TV does not show release notes for software updates in the Settings app. Instead, Apple periodically updates a support document outlining what is new in tvOS updates.

Sep 25 • 2:58 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

The eruption that destroyed Pompeii is helping scientists date Earth's history

Historical accounts of the eruption nearly 2,000 years ago provide a precise timeline that allowed recalibration of one of the most versatile dating methods.

Sep 25 • 2:23 PM EDT • Science • news.berkeley.edu

Taylor Swift's new 'Encore' songs, ranked from worst to best

LOS ANGELES — "You only need to find one person in this entire world who doesn't find you completely insufferable." That's the wisdom Taylor Swift dispenses near the end of

Sep 25 • 1:56 PM EDT • Entertainment • recorderonline.com

Taylor Swift's new 'Encore' songs, ranked from worst to best

LOS ANGELES — "You only need to find one person in this entire world who doesn't find you completely insufferable." That's the wisdom Taylor Swift dispenses near the end of

Sep 25 • 1:56 PM EDT • Entertainment • thederrick.com

Birmingham Barons 2026 Season Review

After a rough first half, Birmingham rallied and nearly stumbled into the playoffs

Sep 25 • 12:56 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

My business hit $1M, but I was burned out. Then I learned to delegate.

Luba Patlakh Kaplun was burned out when her business hit seven figures. New systems and management helped revenue grow to nearly $5 million.

Sep 25 • 12:37 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

I was afraid to delegate tasks for my 7-figure business. Learning to let go helped me grow it to nearly $5M.

Luba Patlakh Kaplun was burned out when her business hit seven figures. New systems and management helped revenue grow to nearly $5 million.

Sep 25 • 12:37 PM EDT • Business • uk.finance.yahoo.com

Employees of Eddy Street restaurants discuss recent shooting, impacts on business

Employees from restaurants near Notre Dame say the recent shooting on Eddy Street has negatively impacted business. Gun violence in the neighborhood to the south of Notre Dame has spiked in the past two years.

Sep 25 • 11:17 AM EDT • Business • ndsmcobserver.com

Glen Cove Street Fair brings nearly 100 vendors, entertainment and community together

For one September Saturday, downtown Glen Cove became a gathering place for neighbors, families and visitors as the annual Street Fair filled Glen Street, School Street and Village Square with …

Sep 25 • 11:13 AM EDT • Entertainment • liherald.com

After nearly 19 years in development hell, Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil 2 is somehow still showing signs of life

Ubisoft Bordeaux narrative director Rik Godwin has shared an update on Beyond Good & Evil 2's progress.

Sep 25 • 9:36 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net

Study Reveals Complex, Nonlinear Process of Health Behavior Change Among Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), published by Elsevier, provides new insight into how women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) adopt and maintain healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Researchers found that behavior change is a nonlinear process shaped by factors that can either support progress or lead to disengagement.

Sep 25 • 8:20 AM EDT • Health • newswise.com

How Phoenix compares for AI automation risk: 20.7% of workers are vulnerable

Phoenix ranks 33rd in AI automation vulnerability, with 20.7% of workers at high risk, while San Jose leads metros at nearly 29%.

Sep 25 • 8:10 AM EDT • Business • bizjournals.com

Science Museum of Minnesota Permanently Protects 130 Acres Along St. Croix River

It brings the museum's total conserved land near the river to more than 300 acres.

Sep 25 • 6:34 AM EDT • Science • mspmag.com

Delaware awards $23M to local health centers, braces for Medicaid reductions

Three Delaware medical centers are poised to receive nearly $23 million this year as the state looks to bolster rural healthcare.

Sep 25 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • spotlightdelaware.org

How an entrepreneur followed what's trending to build an 8-figure business

Mike Burnett has had a nearly three-decade run an entrepreneur and small business owner. He unpacks the secrets to business longevity.

Sep 25 • 5:45 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

On This Mexican Island, Raccoons Make and Play With Toys (and Also Sip Margaritas)

Scientists observed a family of pygmy raccoons near a Cozumel beach club learning from one another how to craft balls from paper, an indication that the animals have a culture.

Sep 25 • 5:02 AM EDT • Science • nytimes.com

Some dementia patients grow lucid near the end. Scientists hope it’s a clue.

Accounts raise tantalizing questions about what happens inside a brain afflicted by dementia and whether cognitive abilities could possibly be restored.

Sep 25 • 5:00 AM EDT • Science • washingtonpost.com

‘Worth the wait’: Social science faculty members describe move to newly renovated 2001 Sheridan Road

For decades, much of Northwestern’s anthropology department had been working out of a two-story house at 1810 Hinman Ave., an Evanston landmark which has faced maintenance issues and is nearly as old as the university. But starting in the 2026-27 academic year, anthropology is one of multiple social science departments moving into one of the...

Sep 25 • 4:31 AM EDT • Science • dailynorthwestern.com

Talks advanced in FC Nantes sale

Waldemar Kita is nearing an agreement to sell FC Nantes to a group of French and Portuguese investors, as per a report from L’Équipe. Kita bought Nantes for €10m back in 2007 and has now set a ��...

Sep 25 • 4:10 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Girondins de Bordeaux set to avoid liquidation

As per a report from Sud-Ouest, Girondins de Bordeaux are set to avoid liquidation, with English investment firm Park Bench nearing a takeover of the French club. The deal between Park Bench and Géra...

Sep 25 • 4:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

I fear for my family's health, says dad with high levels of PFOA in blood

Mario Panteli, who lives near a Thornton-Cleveleys chemical plant, says he is shocked by the "bombshell".

Sep 25 • 1:21 AM EDT • Health • yahoo.com

I fear for my family's health, says dad with high levels of PFOA near chemical plant

Mario Panteli, who lives near a Thornton-Cleveleys chemical plant, says he is shocked by the "bombshell".

Sep 25 • 1:21 AM EDT • Health • bbc.com

Canada’s Tariffs Cost This Cheesemaker Nearly $1 Million in Sales. Now Its Costs Are Rising at Home

A Vermont business says the trade war between the two countries has damaged its biggest export market.

Sep 24 • 11:47 PM EDT • Business • inc.com

SCIENCE-BATS/

Bats from a cave near the Wat Khao Chong Phran Temple fly out of the cave in search of food at dusk Sept. 14, 2009, in Ratchaburi province west of

Sep 24 • 9:23 PM EDT • Science • missoulian.com

SCIENCE-BATS/

Bats from a cave near the Wat Khao Chong Phran Temple fly out of the cave in search of food at dusk Sept. 14, 2009, in Ratchaburi province west of

Sep 24 • 9:23 PM EDT • Science • roanoke.com

SCIENCE-BATS/

Bats from a cave near the Wat Khao Chong Phran Temple fly out of the cave in search of food at dusk Sept. 14, 2009, in Ratchaburi province west of

Sep 24 • 9:23 PM EDT • Science • qctimes.com

SCIENCE-BATS/

Bats from a cave near the Wat Khao Chong Phran Temple fly out of the cave in search of food at dusk Sept. 14, 2009, in Ratchaburi province west of

Sep 24 • 9:23 PM EDT • Science • nwitimes.com

Darrell Waltrip’s Former Colleague Sends Well Wishes After Sad Health Update

Larry McReynolds, who once stood alongside Darrell Waltrip in the NASCAR on FOX broadcast booth for nearly two decades, is sending his former colleague well wishes after an unfortunate health update.On Wednesday, it was revealed that Waltrip has been diagnosed with Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) complicated by possible Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Waltrip’s family believes it […] The post Darrell Waltrip’s Former Colleague Sends Well Wishes After Sad Health Update appeared first on

Sep 24 • 8:17 PM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com

Darrell Waltrip’s NASCAR Career: Championships, Wins and Greatest Moments

From three Cup championships and 84 victories to a long second career with FOX Sports, Darrell Waltrip left his mark on nearly every corner of NASCAR.

Sep 24 • 8:15 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Rising health costs concern local governments

Budgets and healthcare costs were on the minds of local government and school officials who met at Minot’s Liaison Committee meeting on Thursday, Sept. 24. One of the shared budget concerns is the rising cost of health insurance. Ward County’s employee health insurance costs increased nearly 10% for 2027. Initially, the county was looking at […]

Sep 24 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • minotdailynews.com

UConn Football Gets Interesting Schedule Wrinkle For Near Future

While the Huskies are taking on Miami (Ohio) this weekend, they learned something about their 2029 schedule earlier this week.

Sep 24 • 7:11 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Montana State Employee Health Plan Costs Change Under New Union Agreement

The State of Montana Benefit Plan faces rising medical and prescription drug costs. The state says its self-funded plan is expected to see nearly double-digit h

Sep 24 • 6:50 PM EDT • Health • nbcmontana.com

Murphysboro BBQ festival brings teams from near and far

MURPHYSBORO — The 39th annual Praise the Lard Barbecue Cook-off is this weekend's hottest ticket, with participating teams planning months in advance for one of the national circuit's biggest contests.

Sep 24 • 6:07 PM EDT • Entertainment • thesouthern.com

UNT Health sits near Fort Worth hospitals. Finding training sites a ‘game of Tetris’

Expansion of UNT Health depends on clinical placements as other North Texas schools seek many of the same hospitals and specialists.

Sep 24 • 5:45 PM EDT • Health • fortworthreport.org

Virginia housing sales dip in August

Virginia’s housing market lost momentum in August, with home sales posting their first year-over-year decline in nearly a year.

Sep 24 • 4:41 PM EDT • Business • virginiabusiness.com

Buses mean business

Heavy-duty transit buses are a critical component of America's public transportation system, carrying approximately 3.8 billion passenger trips annually and representing nearly half of all public transit trips in the United States.

Sep 24 • 3:22 PM EDT • Business • oxfordeconomics.com

Empty stadium 'not something we've focused on'

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill believes the near-empty stadium in Friday's Nations League game will impact hosts Georgia more than his own side.

Sep 24 • 2:57 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Forsyth Fall Festival returns September 26 with vendors, kids’ zone and entertainment - 41NBC News

Forsyth’s Fall Festival and Community Yard Sale returns September 26 with nearly 70 vendors, food, music, kids’ activities and local performances.

Sep 24 • 2:47 PM EDT • Entertainment • 41nbc.com

August online grocery sales up almost 25%

Online orders fulfilled in August were valued at nearly 25% more than the same month in 2025, according to the Brick Meets Click monthly grocery survey. All grocery shopping was...

Sep 24 • 12:48 PM EDT • Business • talkbusiness.net

Energy Department will spend nearly $2 billion to squeeze more electricity from the nation's aging power grid

The money will go toward 31 projects across 26 states that are expected to produce more than 23 gigawatts of additional electricity capacity — enough to power 16 million homes.

Sep 24 • 11:56 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

SBA Loan Defaults Surged at 2 Nonbank Lenders. $1.3 Billion Entered Liquidation

The Small Business Administration stopped non-bank lender exams just one week before lifting a nearly 40-year moratorium on admitting more of them into the program.

Sep 24 • 11:35 AM EDT • Business • inc.com

Two Long Island businesses score $20K grants

Two small businesses on Long Island received $20,000 grants through the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant Program, supported by Optimum Business and the LIA Foundation, to help expand operations and enhance community impact. The program also provides advertising support and has awarded nearly $750,000 to LOCAL businesses since 2024.

Sep 24 • 11:12 AM EDT • Business • libn.com

Businesses shocked in Kiryat Shmona: State demands $68 million return

Blow to northern businesses: Out of nearly $1.7 billion transferred to the city, the Tax Authority is demanding hundreds of millions back.

Sep 24 • 10:30 AM EDT • Business • jpost.com

Starfield 2 will likely never happen because the first wasn’t ‘anywhere near successful enough’, former dev says

A sequel could have been much closer to the original vision…

Sep 24 • 10:27 AM EDT • Technology • videogameschronicle.com

Big business warns Trump against diesel export ban in joint letter

The national average for a gallon of diesel reached $6.51 on Thursday, nearly $3 more than the same period a year ago, according to data from AAA.

Sep 24 • 10:22 AM EDT • Business • cnbc.com

Airline trio take final steps towards launch of joint cargo business

Qatar Airways Cargo, IAG Cargo and the cargo division of Malaysia Airlines have nearly finished integrating their operations and systems for their upcoming joint cargo business.

Sep 24 • 10:13 AM EDT • Business • freightwaves.com

A reclusive GOP billionaire pulls back his money from Senate Republicans

The donor gave nearly $200 million to support President Donald Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 election. Only Elon Musk donated more.

Sep 24 • 9:02 AM EDT • Politics • seattletimes.com

Regenerative fields, animal science and new markets

What does the future of farming in the Western Balkans look like? The LAN Belgrade team went looking for answers at three recent events. We visited a regenerative farm near Subotica that works with Dutch machinery, joined an animal science...

Sep 24 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • agroberichtenbuitenland.nl

What should residents worried about cancer-causing forever chemicals do?

The director of public health's message to Thornton-Cleveleys residents living near a chemical plant.

Sep 24 • 7:19 AM EDT • Health • yahoo.com

‘Nowhere near ready:' Fangio says Greenard not close to taking on full workload

Even if Greenard makes his Eagles debut soon, Vic Fangio says not to expect a heavy workload.

Sep 24 • 7:00 AM EDT • Sports • nbcsportsphiladelphia.com

Fall weather, community service signal Grizzlies season is near

Memphis Grizzlies basketball season is closing in as players return to the city and participate in community events.

Sep 24 • 6:08 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

AI tools generated nearly $1 billion in extra costs, Blue Cross insurers say

AI tools are raising health spending for insurers by nearly $1 billion over two years, as providers bill for more severe patient care, according ​to a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association study released Thursday.

Sep 24 • 6:03 AM EDT • Health • reuters.com

Valley fever spreading to Central Valley cities, linked to oil drilling

Researchers at UC Berkeley have discovered valley fever spores in cities in the Central Valley and linked nearby oil drilling to an uptick in infection risk — challenging the long-held belief that the deadly disease only affects rural areas.

Sep 24 • 6:00 AM EDT • Science • latimes.com

Calling all current and future scientists: Kiel is the place to be this week

This week, Kiel has become a meeting place for science in Europe. Researchers, school pupils, young scientists and members of the public are coming together through a series of major events led or co-organised by Kiel University.At the centre of it all are around 150 of Europe’s most talented young researchers, aged 14 to 20, who have travelled to Kiel from nearly 40 countries for the 37th European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS). Running from 22 to 27 September, the European Union’s flagship competition for young scientists brings together winners of national science competitions to present around 100 original research projects across fields ranging from engineering and computer science to medicine, environmental research and the social sciences. The winners will be announced at the Award Ceremony on Saturday.For Kiel University, hosting EUCYS is both an honour and a natural extension of a much longer story. Germany’s northernmost comprehensive university has invested for many years in supporting young scientific talent and bringing research into dialogue with society. The Kiel Science Factory gives school pupils opportunities to experience research first-hand, while programmes such as Rent-a-Scientist send researchers directly into local classrooms. Major annual public events including Kiel Week and the European Researchers’ Night take science beyond the campus through talks, exhibitions and hands-on activities.That long-standing commitment has increasingly taken on a European dimension – and this week, many of those efforts are coming together.One of the foundations for this success is the European Researchers’ Night (ERN), which celebrates its tenth edition in the Kiel region this year. The initiative is funded through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, with Kiel University developing the successful EU proposals and securing the funding, while regional partner KielRegion coordinates the many activities on the ground. Together with research institutions, schools, companies, local authorities and civil society, they have built ERN into a major platform for public engagement.Over the years, Kiel’s ERN programme has grown far beyond a single evening into a whole “Science Summer”, beginning with “Science Shopping” in spring and culminating tomorrow, 25 September, in Science Day.“We have developed a wide range of public engagement formats, often together with the other research institutions in the region, the city and regional authorities, schools, companies and civil society,” says Eckhard Quandt, Kiel University’s vice president for research, academic infrastructure and transfer. “Over the past decade, we have increasingly taken this commitment to the European level.”That combination of European funding expertise and strong regional partnerships also helped Kiel University take the next step. Drawing on its experience with ERN and its European networks, including the SEA-EU University Alliance, the university brought together Brest in France and Split in Croatia for a successful bid to the EU’s new Science Comes to Town initiative. Throughout 2026, the three cities are serving as Europe’s first Science Ambassadors, with more than one thousand activities bringing science into schools, public spaces, cultural venues and everyday life.EUCYS is perhaps the clearest example of how Kiel University is using Science Comes to Town to create new connections between major European initiatives. From the outset, the university deliberately planned the contest for the week of European Researchers’ Night and opened the EUCYS exhibition to the wider Science Day audience. Tomorrow, that means thousands of visitors can encounter the next generation of scientific talent first-hand, while the young researchers themselves gain a much bigger public stage.“Because we opened EUCYS up for European Researchers’ Night, there will be a lot of people actually visiting the exhibition,” says organiser Stefanie Altemark of Kiel University.“We wanted Europe’s most talented young scientists not only to compete with one another, but also to become visible to the wider public. At the same time, people in Kiel will have the opportunity to see what the next generation of scientists are already capable of,” says Quandt.“We’ve shown over the last years that science is a big part of Kiel, and it’s always been the goal to not only show that to people in Germany, but also to show it to people all over Europe. Thanks to Kiel University’s expertise in European funding programmes, we have been able to turn that ambition into reality,” says Sünje Fock, who is coordinating the Science Summer at KielRegion.The model is characteristic of Kiel University’s approach: combining European funding expertise and international networks with strong regional partnerships to give major initiatives greater reach and visibility.This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, giving Kiel University the special opportunity to welcome Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Head of Department for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions at the European Research Executive Agency, to Kiel tomorrow. Her visit brings together two priorities that have shaped Kiel University’s work over the past decade: supporting researchers and bringing science closer to society. Debiais-Sainton emphasises how closely the two are connected: "For thirty years, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) have given more than 150,000 researchers the chance to pursue their dreams and open up new fields. Doctoral Networks and Postdoctoral Fellowships give them the freedom to move, to connect, to train and to follow their curiosity across borders, sectors and disciplines. But excellence cannot live only in laboratories. Researchers’ Night takes science out of the lab and into the city, to the families, the schoolchildren and the curious minds who will become the next generation. Kiel shows what that looks like at its best. That is the MSCA promise: open science, open borders, open doors."For Kiel University, these activities are not separate endeavours. They are part of a broader understanding of academic excellence in which outstanding research, talent development, international cooperation, knowledge transfer and engagement with society strengthen one another.“For me, one of the most important lessons from the past decade is that scientific excellence, knowledge transfer, talent development and engagement with society cannot be treated as separate tasks,” stresses vice president Quandt. “They reinforce one another.”That philosophy is also reflected in Kiel University’s current bid for Germany’s Excellence University status. The designation is part of Germany’s national Excellence Strategy, which provides substantial long-term funding to selected universities to strengthen internationally competitive research and their overall institutional development. A successful outcome would provide new opportunities to build on what has already been created: deepening international cooperation, creating more opportunities for knowledge exchange and public engagement, and extending the university’s reach across the region and beyond. “If we are successful, it would allow us to take what we have built in Kiel considerably further – including expanding our networks and transfer activities beyond the region and increasingly across the Baltic area,” says Quandt.This week’s events offer a glimpse of what that could mean in practice: a university using its research strength, European expertise and regional partnerships to create opportunities for scientists at every stage of their careers while making science more visible, accessible and exciting to the wider public.

Sep 24 • 5:37 AM EDT • Science • sciencebusiness.net

‘The first prediction-market election’: How Kalshi and Polymarket scrambled the midterms

Wagering is affecting nearly every aspect of the midterms — from campaigns to election officials, voters, donors and traders — according to interviews with 20 people involved in elections and prediction sites.

Sep 24 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear pushes to flip a Republican-friendly House seat in test of his political reach

As the midterms near, potential 2028 presidential candidates are looking to prove their appeal in a range of House districts across the country. For Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, it’s all about his state’s 6th Congressional District.

Sep 24 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Nutex Health (NUTX) Could Be 29% Undervalued As Nasdaq Texas Listing Nears

Nutex Health (NUTX) just secured approval to dual-list its common stock on Nasdaq Texas, with trading expected to begin around September 23, 2026. This move may broaden liquidity and investor access. Recent trading has been choppy for Nutex Health, with the share price slipping 3.33% over the last day and 5.81% across the past week, even after a 30 day share price return of 7.32% and a 90 day gain of 21.31%, which leaves momentum still positive overall. Look beyond Nutex Health and review how...

Sep 24 • 4:07 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com

Catching up with: Ginger Ewing, executive director of Terrain

Terrain, the nonprofit arts organization that began as a one-off event nearly two decades ago, is entering a new era of growth as it expands its staff, programs, and economic impact on Spokane’s creative community.

Sep 24 • 3:00 AM EDT • Business • spokanejournal.com

Nebraska soccer travels north to face two ranked conference foes

After Nebraska's near encounter with Washington, the Huskers will face two Michigan squads in peak form. Sports writer Jack Grigsby details what's ahead.

Sep 24 • 1:00 AM EDT • Sports • dailynebraskan.com

Business down 70% near Pine and Mingo due to road construction

Sep 23 • 10:29 PM EDT • Business • fox23.com

Business down 70% near Pine & Mingo due to road construction

Sep 23 • 9:46 PM EDT • Business • ktul.com