Last week, the mystery around the Ox Alpha AI model was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Yet, a few days later, the enigma has been de-mystified, and that too by none other than the China-based AI lab Zhipu (Z.ai), which has identified the Ox Alpha as its very own GLM-5.3-Flash. Zhipu AI's GLM-5.3-Flash reduces the size of its KV cache by a factor of 4.4x relative to the GLM-5.3 model As we noted last week, someone anonymously dropped Ox Alpha on OpenRouter and OpenCode on August 20, offering a 1-million-token multi-modal (text, audio, video) context […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/zhipu-z-ai-unmasks-the-mystery-ox-alpha-model-as-glm-5-3-flash-revealing-that-it-was-run-entirely-on-chinese-gpus-while-serving-100-trillion-tokens-day/

When an unknown AI lab drops an anonymous model - Ox Alpha - for free, while declaring that they have the capacity to process up to 100 trillion tokens per day, we can reasonably surmise that the 'Wild West' age of cutthroat competition for AI models has arrived. Given the fact that not many AI labs have the capacity to process the declared quantum of tokens per day, the internet is going bonkers trying to figure out if the Ox Alpha is an unreleased model in the GLM family, DeepSeek's V4-Flash, or SpaceXAI's unreleased Grok model. It is quite likely […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/a-mysterious-ai-lab-is-offering-100-trillion-free-tokens-day-for-its-ox-alpha-model-as-evidence-points-to-zhipus-unreleased-glm/

Canadian AI startup Cohere is taking over Germany-based Aleph Alpha with support from Lidl’s owner, Schwarz Group. With the blessing of their governments, the companies intend to offer a sovereign alternative to enterprises in an AI landscape dominated by American players.

Cohere, the Canada-based AI company that makes AI tools for businesses in regulated industries, announced Friday it would merge with Aleph Alpha, a German company that also builds AI systems for businesses and governments. 

State of Decay 3 was announced all the way back in 2020 with a cinematic teaser trailer and little else. While not an uncommon practice in the video games space, the team at Undead Labs have now revealed that when the game was first shown off work on the title had barely begun, claiming that all they had was a simple “word document.”

Years on from its initial reveal trailer, Undead Labs’ State of Decay 3 is finally beginning to materialise, with sign-ups for the game’s technical alpha officially going live. Alongside this, the studio spoke to YouTube channel Sunny Games, discussing the past 6 years worth of development.

Regarding the game’s initial 2020 reveal trailer, Undead Labs Studio head Philip Holt revealed just how early they were in development at the time, stating:

“So that trailer, there really wasn’t a game or game team when we were working on that trailer, like, it was so early…You know, the game was in a Word document…It was really the very beginning of [the] software.”

According to Holt, the trailer was created by known CGI studio Blur, confirming that “it was all pre-rendered,” representing “a concept, our thoughts at the time of what might be cool to explore in State of Decay 3.”

Unfortunately, it seems as though a number of these concepts won’t be making their way into the final product, with one of the trailer’s most notable aspects – the addition of zombie animals – being canned, with Holt stating:

“As we’ve had a chance to build a team and get going on the game, some of those elements I think are gonna persist in the game that we deliver and some of those things are just, like, we’re not doing zombie animals.”

As mentioned, releasing CG trailers far ahead of a game’s actual launch is nothing new, but in the case of State of Decay 3 is it now quite clear that the project was announced way too early.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for State of Decay 3? Is the removal of zombie animals a big deal to you? Let us know down below.

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The long-anticipated survival sequel State of Decay 3 has finally re-emerged with the official announcement of its first alpha playtest. After years of sporadic updates and a perceived silence that left many fans questioning the project's status, Undead Labs released a new trailer signaling that development is reaching a major milestone. This news comes nearly six years after the game's reveal, providing a much-needed sign of life for the Xbox exclusive.

Sign-ups for the technical alpha are now live, where interested survivors can register using their email and Discord details. While the studio has clarified that the initial wave of participants will be limited, they have also promised that more testing opportunities will be rolled out throughout the remainder of 2026. This community-centric approach aims to gather feedback to refine the game's core systems before it moves toward a full launch.

The first phase of playtesting is scheduled to begin in May 2026 and will offer a look at the sequel's updated mechanics. Participants can expect to test four-player co-op play, expanded base-building systems, and new resource-management strategies. Franchise co-creator Brant Fitzgerald highlighted that the team has been heavily influenced by community feedback from State of Decay 2, focusing on enhancing the “flow” of combat and the intensity of scavenging runs to deliver a deeper, more reactive zombie apocalypse experience.

Addressing the game's lengthy development cycle, Fitzgerald noted that the studio has been operating with a split focus over the last few years. While a significant portion of the team continued to provide content updates and QoL improvements for State of Decay 2, a core group of developers has been quietly building out the foundational “cool stuff” for the third title.

KitGuru says: Have you played any previous State of Decay games? Are you signing up for State of Decay 3's alpha?

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Cooler Master has secured four iF Design Award 2026 honours. The Hamburg-based awards, which recognise global excellence in product innovation and user experience, highlighted Cooler Master's ability to blend high-performance engineering with the creative needs of the PC building community. The winning entries span the company's entire ecosystem, ranging from modular chassis to cooling solutions.

Starting with the award-winning cases, the Cosmos Alpha marks the latest evolution of Cooler Master's flagship lineup. Built upon the proprietary FreeForm 2.0 modular platform, this full-tower chassis is designed for enthusiast-grade hardware that requires significant space and flexible internal architecture. Its design allows builders to reconfigure the interior to accommodate complex liquid-cooling loops or massive multi-GPU setups while maintaining the premium material quality and sweeping lines the Cosmos series is known for.

Breaking away from traditional “box” enclosures, the MasterFrame 360 Panorama was also awarded for its open-frame design, which serves as a visual stage for the components. It features three-sided, tempered-glass panels that provide an unobstructed view of the internal hardware. Beyond its aesthetics, it includes a dedicated “display stage” for showcasing collectibles or custom-branded hardware.

One of the most innovative wins for Cooler Master this year is the Custom GPU Fan Cooling Kit. Recognising that GPU fans are often the first point of failure or the source of system noise, this kit provides a high-performance retrofit solution. Utilising the company's Mobius fan technology, the kit allows users to replace stock GPU fans with quieter, more efficient versions without the complexity of a full custom liquid loop. This design bridges the gap between basic air cooling and high-end mods, allowing gamers to replace the cooling solution of their existing graphics cards with relative ease.

Rounding out the award-winning quartet is the MasterFan A120. While a 120mm fan may seem standard, the iF Design jury recognised the A120 for its refined blade geometry. Optimised for both restrictive radiator cooling and general case ventilation, the fan integrates a sophisticated ARGB lighting system into a frame designed for near-silent operation.

KitGuru says: Do you agree with the awards given to these Cooler Master products? What other products do you think would deserve this award?

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