Who's building on-prem compute in 2026? It turns out a lot of people!
Oxide Computer Company, which builds custom on-prem cloud compute
systems
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TLDR
TLDR HARDWARE 2026-10-12
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HEADLINES AND LAUNCHES
OXIDE COMPUTER COMPANY SECURES $445M SERIES D FUNDING ROUND (3 MINUTE
READ) [4]
Who's building on-prem compute in 2026? It turns out a lot of people!
Oxide Computer Company, which builds custom on-prem cloud compute
systems, has closed a massive $445 million Series D funding round led
by Eclipse, with participation from major investors including Jane
Street, Atreides Management, and chipmaker AMD. The capital injection
follows the startup achieving operational profitability and will be
used to scale manufacturing capacity, secure raw material inventory,
and fulfill a rapidly expanding order backlog for their commercial
cloud computer racks.
SPACEX BUYS 800 MHZ LOW-BAND SPECTRUM TO PAIR TERRESTRIAL TOWERS WITH
2 GHZ STARLINK SATELLITES (3 MINUTE READ) [5]
SpaceX agreed to buy up to 14 MHz of paired 800 MHz low-band
spectrum, which penetrates buildings, and plans to deploy its own
antennas on towers and rooftops to use it, with most existing phones
already supporting the band. Separately, the FCC approved 15,000 more
Starlink satellites optimized for 2 GHz. Together they point to a
hybrid network, terrestrial indoors and satellite beyond towers. The
deal needs FCC approval, and Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile shares fell
roughly 6% on the news.
¨
ENGINEERING AND APPLICATIONS
THE MACHINES THAT MAKE THE MACHINES: ADVANCING INDUSTRIAL DIGITAL
TWINS (5 MINUTE READ) [6]
In this rare peek under the hood, we get a glimpse of how Foxconn
uses NVIDIA Omniverse, Isaac, and Metropolis platforms to create
physically accurate digital twins of manufacturing facilities that
assemble next-generation AI server hardware. By simulating factory
layouts, automated optical inspection systems, and autonomous mobile
robot fleets in virtual environments before physical deployment, the
company minimizes factory commissioning delays and boosts production efficiency. This approach showcases how system architects and
automation specialists can leverage high-fidelity simulation to safely
validate and optimize complex robotic workcells prior to hardware
installation.
BLUE ORIGIN REBUILDS LC-36 FOR VERTICAL NEW GLENN INTEGRATION,
TARGETING A DECEMBER RETURN (4 MINUTE READ) [7]
After May's pad explosion destroyed its transporter-erector, Blue
Origin is rebuilding LC-36 for vertical integration, loading New Glenn
through the support tower alone, as with Starship. Crews destacked the
tower, added cryogenic propellant plumbing on the ground, and have
begun restacking modules, while the launch bridge is restored.
Umbilicals and fairing access platforms haven't appeared yet. Bezos
targets a December return to flight carrying Blue Ring, though he
joked it could slip to December 31.
¨
RESEARCH AND PROTOTYPES
PHOTONIC CHIPS LEARN AFTER FABRICATION BY MEASURING THEIR OWN OPTICAL GRADIENTS (3 MINUTE READ) [8]
A Nature Computational Science briefing describes an in situ learning
method where photonic integrated circuits directly measure optical
gradients, so diverse circuit layouts can be trained after they're
built. That removes the need for a full digital model of the chip,
which optical training normally leans on. The team demonstrated matrix
design, multiwavelength computation, and rapid meta-learning on the
hardware. Specifics like accuracy or energy figures aren't included.
SCARF-SLAM: SCALE-CONSISTENT RECONSTRUCTION WITH FEED-FORWARD MODELS
AND CLASSICAL VISUAL SLAM (2 MINUTE READ) [9]
ScaRF-SLAM is a dense visual mapping system that pairs the
reliability of classical visual SLAM with modern feed-forward
geometric foundation models for 3D scene reconstruction from the
Oxford Robot Dynamics Lab. By decoupling camera tracking from dense
depth estimation and optimizing scale consistency across submaps, it
achieves globally accurate 3D maps across diverse sensor
configurations. For perception engineers and autonomy developers, this framework provides a practical way to produce metric-scale
environmental maps in real time without sacrificing tracking stability
¨
MISCELLANEOUS
Q8BOTONE: A PALM-SIZED OPEN-SOURCE QUADRUPED ROBOT WITH SMART
ACTUATORS (3 MINUTE READ) [10]
ZeroWire Robotics has launched the Q8botOne, a smartphone-sized
open-source quadruped robot featuring an innovative wire-free chassis
where the main printed circuit board serves as the structural frame.
Driven by an ESP32-C3 microcontroller and eight DYNAMIXEL smart bus
actuators with parallel-linkage legs, the compact robot can walk,
trot, jump, and carry twice its 250-gram payload.
LEDGER CONFIRMS A HARDWARE IMPLANT IN A TAMPERED WALLET AS SUSPECTED
LOSSES NEAR $93M (3 MINUTE READ) [11]
Ledger confirmed an unauthorized hardware implant in one affected
user's device, bought from Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis,
pointing to tampering after manufacturing rather than a breach of
Ledger itself. Mark KarpelŠs published images of a modified Nano X
with a small board behind the screen and cellular components, which
would presumably capture the 24-word recovery phrase as it displays
during setup, leaving the secure element untouched.
¨
QUICK LINKS
SUPER MICRO "FIXER" PLEADS GUILTY IN $2.5B SCHEME TO DIVERT
NVIDIA SERVERS TO CHINA (3 MINUTE READ) [12]
Ting-Wei Sun pleaded guilty to four counts, including conspiracy to
violate export controls, in a scheme that routed about $2.5 billion of Nvidia-powered servers through a Southeast Asian company to buyers in
China.
JUMPER: AN OPEN-SOURCE CRAB ROBOT WITH WALKING AND JUMPING
CAPABILITIES (2 MINUTE READ) [13]
Jumper is an open-source biomimetic robot that replicates crab
locomotion, combining sideways multi-legged walking with an explosive spring-assisted jumping mechanism.
ASML RAISES EUV AND DUV SPARE PARTS PRICES 10% FOR SAMSUNG AND SK
HYNIX (3 MINUTE READ) [14]
ASML will raise prices 10% on all EUV and DUV replacement parts
supplied to South Korea starting with January 2027 deliveries, and
Samsung and SK Hynix have accepted
EASYNAV 0.5.0 NAVIGATION SYSTEM RELEASED FOR ROS 2 DISTRIBUTIONS (2
MINUTE READ) [15]
EasyNav 0.5.0 has officially launched, delivering an accessible yet comprehensive open-source navigation stack with upgraded path
planning, improved recovery behaviors, and reduced compute overhead
for ROS 2 systems.
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