Google TurboQuant, Mac Pro discontinued, Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 + more! - TechLinked

TechLinked – March 28, 2026 Episode: Google TurboQuant, Mac Pro Discontinued, Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 + More!
Host: Linus Media Group

Episode Overview

This lively episode of TechLinked dives into the latest tech and gaming news, poking fun at the week's biggest developments with signature wit. Major topics include Google’s TurboQuant breakthrough for AI memory compression, Apple’s discontinuation of the Mac Pro, AMD’s heavy-duty new Ryzen chip for creators, and more. The episode highlights industry shakeups, product moves, and a string of quirky quick bits, all delivered with an irreverent, tongue-in-cheek tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Google’s TurboQuant AI Compression

[00:30 – 03:15]

What is TurboQuant?
- Google Research’s blog post introduces TurboQuant, a “compression algorithm that shrinks an AI model’s working memory by six times with zero accuracy loss.” (B, 00:35)
- Targets “the key value cache”—the part of a large language model that tracks conversation context, which becomes a huge memory hog in long sessions.
How does it work?
- It's lauded for using “circle math” to remove memory overhead, as most compression so far added overhead and thus limited efficiency. TurboQuant results in “up to an 8 times speed up on Nvidia H100 GPUs.” (B, 01:35)
- The research itself is about a year old but is in focus now ahead of its ICLR 2026 presentation.
Impact on the industry
- Finance world panicked, memory stocks like Micron and Sandisk tumbled on the news.
- Analysts reassured that, like previous disruptions, increased efficiency will likely mean increased AI use, potentially creating more demand for memory, not less.
Memorable Quote
- “If you were holding your breath hoping this killed the memory crunch, maybe hold your breath a little less hard. Stop. Stop holding your breath. You're gonna breathe. Please live.” (B, 02:55)

2. Apple Discontinues Mac Pro

[03:16 – 06:08]

Mac Pro quietly dropped
- Apple “quietly pulled the former king of Macs from its website,” with no immediate plans or announcements for a successor. (B, 03:25)
- Reference to the much-maligned “trash can era,” replaced in 2019 by the “cheese grater” design.
Mac Studio now the high-end option
- Mac Studio with M3 Ultra is “$5,000 less” than the Mac Pro's $7,000 starting price. (B, 04:04)
- The Pro Display XDR and its famous $1,000 stand are also gone.
Tone and Style
- Multiple tongue-in-cheek references to the inexplicably expensive accessories: “No, the $300ft kit. Oh wow. And as of earlier this month, the... $1,000 stand.” (B, 04:25)
- “How am I supposed to grate my incredibly expensive mature Coolea cheese while rendering on silicon that's three generations out of date now?” (B, 04:35)
Notable Exchange
- “I'll make something else screamingly expensive for you. Thank you, Tim Cook God.” (B, 04:50)

3. AMD’s Monster Ryzen 9 9950X3D2

[06:09 – 09:12]

New desktop CPU launch
- The “world’s first Desktop CPU with 3D V cache stacked on both chiplets,” the 9950X3D2, is announced. It features “208 megabytes of on chip cache across its 16 Zen 5 cores.” (B, 06:15)
- Designed less for gamers, more for developers and creators: “5 to 10% gains over the already beastly 9950x3D no. 2 in tools like Blender, DaVinci Resolve and Unreal Engine.” (B, 06:55)
Curious Absence
- AMD didn’t share any gaming benchmarks, suggesting the new chip’s strengths are in productivity rather than games.
Downsides and Pricing
- The new chip has a “200 watt TDP, the highest of any AM5 chip, and a boost clock that actually dropped 100 MHz.” (B, 07:41)
- No pricing yet, launches April 22.
- Both AMD and Intel “raising CPU prices up to 15% thanks to the whole global supply crunch fiasco.” (B, 08:00)
Quote
- “At least you can get a deal with our sponsor, Vessi. Do you have feet?” (B, 08:11 – episode transitions to ad, not summarized further here)

4. Quick Bits: Fast Tech Updates

[10:45 – 18:45]

RCS Universal Profile 4.0 Finalized

Adds “native video calling, including group calls with up to... 32 people.” (B, 10:53)
Smarter media sharing and rich text formatting (bold, italics, strikethrough).
“While the cost of living might be skyrocketing, you'll at least be rich in text.” (B, 11:32)

Apple Hands Over iCloud Alias Data to FBI

Apple gave the FBI the real identity behind an iCloud “Hide My Email” alias after threats were sent using it.
Highlights limits of privacy: “Unlike their device level encryption, alias to account mapping is stored on Apple servers and as a result can be subpoenaed.” (B, 12:11)
Patel’s Gmail hacked; embarrassing vacation photos leaked.

Sony Raises PS5 Prices (Again)

Price hikes effective April 2nd: PlayStation Portal up $50, regular and digital PS5s up $100, PS5 Pro up $150 to $900.
“Sony blamed continued pressures in the global economic landscape... and bravely passed those costs onto their consumers.” (B, 14:22)

Wikipedia Bans AI-Generated Articles

Editors voted overwhelmingly to ban LLM-generated or rewritten articles due to “regularly violat[ing] the site's core context rules around verifiability and sourcing.”
“Hallucinations will do that. Editors can still use AI for basic copy editing and translation assistance, but only with human review.” (B, 15:20)

More Delivery Robot Mishaps in Chicago

Serve Robotics delivery robot “smashed through the glass wall of a bus stop shelter in Chicago before sheepishly blinking and then shambling away shamefully.” (B, 16:01)
A second robot crash that week; incident goes viral.

Notable Quotes & Moments

On Google TurboQuant hype:
“Is the memory crisis over? Can we buy RAM yet? Well, we're here to give you a definitive maybe.” (B, 00:45)
On Mac Pro discontinuation:
“Kind of like how your landlord changes the locks while you're at work—all the time.” (B, 03:30)
On AMD Ryzen 9950X3D2:
“That's enough cache to make it feel at home in the vault of the Bellagio in Ocean's Eleven. And you don't even need to squeeze an ornery gymnast into a room service cart to access it.” (B, 06:25)
On AI at Wikipedia:
“So maybe your middle school teacher was right all along. That's one for you, Madame Ruzel. But I should still be allowed to chew gum in class, so I still don't like you.” (B, 15:35)
On robot accidents:
“Making the successful delivery to smashed bus stop ratio lower than residents would hope. It's not what we were going for.” (B, 17:15)

Segment Timestamps

Intro and TurboQuant Discussion: 00:30 – 03:15
Apple Mac Pro Discontinued: 03:16 – 06:08
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Launch: 06:09 – 09:12
Quick Bits (RCS, Apple/FBI, PS5 price hike, Wikipedia AI ban, robot crash): 10:45 – 18:45

Summary

TechLinked’s March 28, 2026 episode brings a punchy, irreverent run-through of the week’s biggest tech stories: a major AI model memory breakthrough (that probably won’t end the memory crunch), dramatic end for the Mac Pro, AMD’s behemoth new CPU for creators, rule changes on AI at Wikipedia, and a string of quirky news bits including delivery robot fails and price hikes on PS5. Whether you’re a deep-nerd or a casual observer, the episode delivers breaking news, analysis, and plenty of laughs, all while keeping the listener in the know.

Transcript

A (0:00)

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B (0:30)

in Silicon Valley says they're making the world a better place. We're not gonna do that. We're just gonna tell you what those companies actually did this week, which is usually much worse. Okay, tech News Time Google Research published a blog post this week on Turboquant, a compression algorithm that shrinks an AI model's working memory by six times with zero accuracy loss, leading people to ask, is the memory crisis over? Can we buy RAM yet? Well, we're here to give you a definitive maybe. You see, Turboquant targets the key value cache. Basically, when you chat with an AI, it keeps a running record of your conversation so it doesn't lose context. As a result, that cache eats more GPU memory the longer you talk, and you talk for a long time, making it one of the biggest bottlenecks in running these models at scale. Most existing compression methods carry memory overhead, which decreases their efficiency, but Turboquant eliminates that through circle math. Is this real? Yeah, you said to simplify it, right? They use circle math leading to up to an 8 times speed up on Nvidia H100 GPUs. The underlying research is actually about a year old, but it's getting attention now. Ahead of its presentation at ICLR 2026, the news sent Finance Bros into a tailspin and memory stocks like Micron and sandisk tumbled in response. However, analysts say this is likely another deep sea moment where the release of a cheaper AI model back in 2025 caused a trillion dollar market panic before everyone realized that cheaper AI just means more people using AI. SanDisk's CFO told Bank of America analysts that that he expects the improved efficiency will boost demand by making AI deployments cheaper. So if you were holding your breath hoping that this killed the memory crunch, maybe hold your breath a little less hard. Stop. Stop holding your breath. You're gonna breathe. Please live. Apple has officially confirmed they are discontinuing the Mac Pro with no plans for future hardware. The company quietly pulled the former king of Macs from its website yesterday, where the Buy page now just redirects to to the Mac homepage. Kind of like how your landlord changes the locks while you're at work all the time. The iconic cheese grater Design debuted in 2019 after the thermal disaster of the trash can era. Well, I liked it, but Apple only ever gave it one silicon update, the M2 Ultra, in 2023 before leaving it to collect dust at its $7,000 starting price or collect trash. The Mac Studio, which already has the newer M3 Ultra for $5,000 less, is now Apple's top end desktop, with an M5 Ultra refresh expected later this year. Also gone is the infamous $700 wheel kit. No, the $300ft kit. Oh wow. And as of earlier this month, the older Pro display xdr and its $1,000 stand. Apple is clearly Marie Kondoing everything from the 2019 Pro. How am I supposed to grate my incredibly expensive mature Coolia cheese while rendering on silicon that's three generations out of date now. You didn't think of that Apple, did you? Oh gosh, I'm sorry, Riley. I'll make something else screamingly expensive for you. Thank you, Tim Cook God AMD has announced the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 dual edition. And yes, that is a real product name. It's the world's first Desktop CPU with 3D V cache stacked on both chiplets, meaning it packs a staggering 208 megabytes of total on chip cache across its 16 Zen 5 cores. That's enough cache to make it feel at home in the vault of the Bellagio in Ocean's Eleven. And you don't even need to squeeze an ornery gymnast into a room service card to access it. AMD is pitching this less as a gaming chip and more as a productivity monster for game devs and creators for with 5 to 10% gains over the already beastly 9950x3D no. 2 in tools like Blender, DaVinci Resolve and Unreal Engine. Notably, AMD didn't share a single gaming benchmark, which really tells you where they think this thing shines. The trade off though? A 200 watt TDP, the highest of any AM5 chip, and a boost clock that actually dropped 100 megahertz. No price yet, but it launches April 22nd. Oh, and both AMD and Intel are raising CPU prices up to 15% thanks to the whole global supply crunch fiasco. So game devs can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they won't have to optimize their games or their budgets. At least you can get a deal with our sponsor, Vessi. Do you have feet? Do you live on a planet with water and enough gravity to make puddles? Then you need Vessi's Weekend Neo. Vessi says these shoes are 100% waterproof thanks to their Dymatex technology, and breathable. So if you go for a rainy walk, assuming your planet has rain, your feet stay dry and cool. They're lightweight enough to toss in a carry on. They've got a grippy rubber outsole for wet pavement and tile floors, and the heel loop means you can get them on and off quick and easy, perfect for airport security or quick escapes from whatever megafauna may inhabit your planet. The removable insole wipes clean and they come in half sizes for a perfect fit. Here on Earth, it's spring travel season and this is the one shoe that handles all of it. We all really like it. Get 15% off your weekend neo@vessi.com TechLinked with free shipping, a one year warranty and 30 day hassle free returns. Much like Ehrlich Bachmann's incubator, we have crammed way too many quick bits under one roof and are hoping nobody asks any follow up questions. A new revision of the RCS messaging standard has been finalized and it's a big one. Rcs Universal Profile 4.0 adds native video calling right inside your messaging app, including group calls with up to all 32 people. If you can convince 32 people to use the same messaging app as you, it also brings smarter media sharing, letting devices figure out which formats the other person supports, as well as rich text formatting like bold, italics and strikethrough. Finally, we'll have to wait for tech companies to add these features to their default texting apps, but it's still cool. So while the cost of living might be skyrocketing, you'll at least be rich in text. Apple just handed over the real identity of the user behind one of its iCloud hide my email aliases to the FBI after a man named Alden Rummel used an aliased email address to send violent threats to FBI Director Kash Patel's girlfriend. Two horrible things this kind of compliance might seem uncharacteristic for Apple, who famously blocked the government from breaking into the iPhone owned by a suspected terrorist. But unlike their device level encryption alias to account mapping is stored on Apple servers and as a result can be subpoenaed. The hits keep coming for Patel, though, as Iranian hacker group Handela breached Patel's personal Gmail account and posted some of his most cringe vacation photos on Telegram. Oof, Handela did him dirty here. The vibe of these is less international man of mystery and more High school jazz band study abroad trip. It's an important experience Sony is hiking PS5 prices across the board for the second time in less than a year, starting on April 2nd. The PlayStation Portal handheld jumps up $50, the standard PS5 and Digital Edition both jump up $100, and the PS5 Pro climbs a cool 150 all the way up to $900 for a console. Sony blamed continued pressures in the global economic landscape, which is fair luck, though Sony has decided to bravely pass those costs onto their consumers. They got mouse to feed. We, you know we'll survive Wikipedia has officially banned the use of AI to generate or rewrite articles, with editors voting overwhelmingly in favor of the new policy. LLM generated text was found to regularly violate the site's core context rules around verifiability and sourcing, which, yeah, hallucinations will do that. Editors can still use AI for basic copy editing and translation assistance, but only with human review. So maybe your middle school teacher was right all along. That's one for you, Madame Ruzel. But I should still be allowed to chew gum in class, so I still don't like you and a delivery robot made by Serve Robotics has smashed through the glass wall of a bus stop shelter in Chicago before sheepishly blinking and then shambling away shamefully. The footage, which is hilarious, went viral on social media, and it comes amid growing backlash against delivery robots in the city. According to the Chicago Sun Times, a separate Coco Robotics bot smashed into yet another bus shelter that same week, making the successful delivery to smashed bus stop ratio lower than residents would hope. It's not what we were going for. Just like I hope to see you back here on Monday. For more tech news, I'll be here next week pretending I understand what half these companies actually do, which as far as I can tell is something to do with something called middle out compression. I don't know. Anyway, see you then.