Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang auctioned his iconic leather jacket for nearly $1 million to support tech advancement, while Nvidia faces increased U.S. export controls amid booming semiconductor markets and rising memory costs impacting PCs, smartphones, and gaming devices. Meanwhile, Steam achieved record revenues driven by older games, and the gaming community continues to innovate with creative mods like Open Puck and SSD-based game cartridges.
This week’s hardware news roundup kicks off with a quirky story about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang selling one of his iconic Tom Ford leather jackets for nearly $1 million at auction. The jacket, worn during major Nvidia events and symbolizing Huang’s leadership in the AI revolution, fetched a price equivalent to two sticks of DDR5-6000 RAM. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Edge Institute, a nonprofit focused on advancing technology and culture. Nvidia is also commemorating its GPU launches with collectible GeForce trading cards as part of a summer campaign, though these are currently only available through giveaways.
On the regulatory front, the U.S. government is intensifying efforts to curb GPU smuggling to China, pressuring Nvidia to tighten export controls. This has led to stricter compliance checks for customers in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan, with Nvidia employees conducting inspections to ensure adherence. Meanwhile, the U.S. is also seeking a share of profits from South Korean memory manufacturers Samsung and SK Hynix, arguing that American companies’ purchases contribute significantly to their earnings. This demand comes amid a booming semiconductor export market in South Korea, driven by strong memory demand fueled by AI data centers.
China’s chip exports have surged dramatically, nearly doubling in the first half of 2026, with integrated circuits valued at around $177 billion. The Chinese government is heavily investing in domestic semiconductor production to reduce reliance on foreign technology, aiming for over 70% of silicon wafers to be produced locally. Despite these advances, memory shortages are expected to persist well into the next decade, with SK Hynix’s CEO forecasting supply constraints until at least 2030. Analysts note that high-performance memory is more complex and resource-intensive to manufacture, contributing to ongoing supply-demand imbalances despite planned capacity expansions.
The rising cost of memory is impacting not only PCs but also smartphones and gaming devices. Memory has become the most expensive component in smartphones, sometimes accounting for over half the hardware cost, leading to potential price hikes or downgraded specs in future models. This trend mirrors shifts in the PC market, where manufacturers are focusing more on high-end products due to constrained budgets among average consumers. Valve has also raised prices on its Steam Deck handhelds, reflecting increased costs for memory and storage components.
Finally, Steam has set record revenue numbers in the first half of 2026, generating $11.1 billion, nearly matching its entire 2021 revenue. Most of this income comes from older titles rather than new releases, highlighting the enduring popularity of established games. In the modding community, innovative projects like Open Puck—a firmware mod enabling Steam Controllers to emulate various console inputs—and a creative game cartridge system using SSDs for PC games have gained attention. These mods showcase the vibrant creativity within the gaming community, offering new ways to experience and interact with games despite industry challenges.