The Tor Project team has announced the release of Tor Browser 12.0, a major version release introducing support for Apple Silicon chips and several enhancements for the Android version. Tor is a Firefox-based browser created for accessing special .onion domains only accessible on the Onion network and browsing the web with more anonymity and privacy. The browser achieves this by routing traffic through network nodes while encrypting network data. The connection requests reach the destination through an exit node that is used to relay the information back to the user. Tor browser version 12.0 is based on Firefox 102, an upgrade from Firefox version 91, which was used as the base for the previous Tor release, v11.5. This means that all security fixes, performance enhancements, and code improvements Firefox implemented in the new ESR (Extended Support Release) have now landed on Tor. One notable new feature on Tor 12.0 is the introduction of native support for Apple Silicon chips, i.e., M1 and M2 devices. Tor now uses a universal binary that bundles x86-64 and ARM64 builds and automatically picks the correct version for the platform it runs on. The main benefit of native support for Apple's new architecture is better performance of the Tor browser on macOS systems. Android, which has been previously neglected by the Tor Project team, receiving infrequent updates and delays in getting new features, is now catching up to the desktop version. "Since the beginning of the year, our developers have been working hard to recommence regular updates for Android, improve the app's stability, and catch up to Fenix's (Firefox for Android's) release cycle," reads Tor's release announcement. "The next phase in our plan for Android is to begin porting selected, high-priority features that have recently been launched for desktop over to Android." Tor version 12.0 introduces the http-only mode that first landed on version 11.5 for desktops, which enables the browser to automatically switch to the http version of visited sites when available. http is preferable to HTTP connections because the information exchange between the site visitor and the server hosting the site is encrypted, preventing man-in-the-middle attacks and sensitive data exposure. Another new feature added in the Android version of the Tor browser is "prioritize .onion sites," which redirects to the '.onion' version of the visited site if available. The new option was added to the 'Privacy and security settings menu. To learn more or to download please visit OUR FORUM.

Intel's plans for the workstation market with its Sapphire Rapids-WS are taking shape as a well-known hardware leaker published preliminary specifications for the new CPUs. Intel's lineup of next-generation Xeon products for workstations and high-end desktops will include overclockable CPUs with up to 56 cores, eight memory channels, and 112 PCIe lanes if the information revealed by reputable hardware leaker Enthusiastic Citizen (ECSM_Official) is correct. Intel's family of next-generation Xeon W processors for W790-based workstations will reportedly consist of two families of products that will offer slightly different capabilities. The Xeon W 3400-series CPUs will be derived from a multi-chiplet Sapphire Rapids design and will feature up to 56 cores, eight DDR5 memory channels, and 112 PCIe lanes. In addition, CPU cores used by these processors will be Golden Cove-derived cores with AVX-512 and AMX instructions enabled. By contrast, the Xeon W-2400-series processors will use a single-die design with up to 24 cores, four DDR5 memory channels, and 64 PCIe lanes. Intel's Xeon W-2400 and W3400-series processors are expected to come in LGA4677 packaging and use W790-based workstation motherboards. One of the first W790 mainboards leaked last week, which suggests that some of Intel's partners are getting ready to ship these products sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, a rumor suggests that Intel only intends to roll out its W790 platform next April, so it is too early to ship appropriate motherboards. Then again, Intel has never officially confirmed the launch timeframe for its W790 platform and only confirmed that this one is designed for workstations. Intel's Xeon W-3400-series lineup will allegedly include nine models, four of which will be overclockable. Even the flagship Xeon W9-3495X is expected to come with an unlocked multiplier making for overclocking support. Linux boot logs unearthed earlier this year essentially confirm the existence of Intel's Xeon W-3400-series CPUs (which come with AVX-512 and AMX enabled). Still, they also mention the Xeon W9-3495 (non-X) CPU clocked at 1.80 GHz base, which Enthusiastic Citizen does not list. We have no idea whether Intel changed its plans concerning its Sapphire Rapids-WS lineup in July, but we are dealing with preliminary information, so some details may be inaccurate. Intel's Xeon W-3400-series relies on Sapphire Rapids silicon, which will offer AVX-512 support and AMX instructions for artificial intelligence and machine learning applications. Advanced Matrix Extensions is a tiled matrix multiplication accelerator, a grid of fused multiply-add units supporting BF16 and INT8 input types that can be programmed using only 12 instructions and perform up to 1024 TMUL BF16 or 2048 TMUL INT8 operations per cycle per core. More complete details can be found on OUR FORUM.