SingleStore on Thursday completed the acquisition of data integration specialist Bryte Systems, commonly referred to as BryteFlow, in a move aimed at expanding SingleStore’s ability to ingest and integrate data from a broad array of sources.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Once SingleStore combines BryteFlow’s technology with its own, it plans to launch a new data integration environment branded SingleConnect, according to SingleStore.
Based in San Francisco, SingleStore is a former database specialist that has expanded to provide full data platform capabilities that compete with vendors such as Databricks and Snowflake. Its tools, which include data integration capabilities, are designed to quickly ingest data from various sources to inform decisions in near real time.
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BryteFlow, meanwhile, is a data integration vendor based in Sydney, Australia, whose no-code BrtyteFlow platform ingests data from applications such as SAP and Salesforce as well as databases to fuel real-time decision-making. Key to its effectiveness are its change data capture (CDC) capabilities, which help fuel real-time analysis.
Given that SingleStore and BryteFlow both specialize in enabling real-time decisions and that BryteFlow’s CDC capabilities add to SingleStore’s existing offering, the acquisition is appropriate, according to Matt Aslett, an analyst at IDG’s Ventana Research.
SingleStore is not alone among data platform vendors acquiring data ingestion and integration specialists, he noted. For example, Databricks bought Arcion in 2023. But SingleStore’s acquisition of BryteFlow is particularly significant because of the real-time processing capabilities BryteFlow provides.
“There is an ongoing trend of data platform providers incorporating data integration functionality with their data persistence and processing capabilities to accelerate actionable insight,” Aslett said. “This is especially relevant for SingleStore given that it is often used to support applications that require real-time analysis.”
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The acquisition comes less than two weeks after SingleStore unveiled a strategic partnership with Snowflake to help joint customers develop real-time AI applications and about four months after launching an integration with open source table storage platform Apache Iceberg.
Complementary capabilities
Data ingestion and integration have always been part of SingleStore’s platform.
Founded in 2011 as MemSQL before changing its name in 2020, the vendor began as a database specialist that competed with the likes of MongoDB and Couchbase before adding more data management capabilities and evolving into a data platform vendor.
One constant throughout its evolution has been a focus on speed and enabling near real-time analysis.
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Throughout 2022, SingleStore raised financing — a total of $146 million in a two-part Series F-2 funding round — that was used, in part to fuel product development.
The following year, the vendor unveiled a series of capabilities aimed at enabling customers to develop and deploy real-time AI models and applications, including vector search and a new compute layer. This year, SingleStore continued to invest in enabling real-time analytics and AI by partnering with Snowflake and integrating with Apache Iceberg.
It was amid its funding in 2022 — 10 days after unveiling the first part its Series F-2 round — that SingleStore introduced its initial CDC capabilities.
CDC is the process of identifying and capturing changes made to data and then delivering those changes to other applications in real-time.
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For example, if there is a change to a dataset within a database or application such as HubSpot, for example, that change is immediately sent to whatever analytics and AI applications are informed by that dataset. The intent is to inform decisions and actions by using the most current data available.
The acquisition of BryteFlow adds to SingleStore’s existing CDC capabilities by providing prebuilt data integration tools — which include CDC — for applications such as SAP and Salesforce. In addition, BryteFlow’s platform includes prebuilt data integration tools — also including CDC — for data storage platforms from vendors including AWS, Databricks, Microsoft and Oracle that might be used in conjunction with SingleStore to inform AI and analytics tools.
As a result, BryteFlow’s platform serves as a complement to SingleStore’s existing tools and the eventual development and launch of SingleConnect will represent improvement for SingleStore, according to Aslett.
“The acquisition of BryteFlow and its CDC capabilities enhances SingleStore’s ability to support real-time analytics,” he said. “The incorporation of BryteFlow’s functionality … as SingleConnect complements and extends SingleStore’s existing investment in data integration [with] enhanced functionality to support applications that rely on real-time processing and analysis from multiple data sources.”
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Raj Verma, SingleStore’s CEO, noted that the vendor already enables users to ingest and analyze petabytes of data in real time. Acquiring BryteFlow is aimed at making it easier by adding full CDC capabilities connected to new data sources.
“This acquisition effectively widens the choices for our customers, offering them more ways to connect to a broad range of enterprise and SaaS applications in addition to databases across on-premises systems and all major cloud service providers.” Verma said.
The impetus for the acquisition, meanwhile, came from SingleStore’s ongoing effort to simplify data movement across various systems, he continued, noting that most enterprises use multiple databases to store information.
“Without streamlined data estates, it’s difficult for organizations to build intelligent and generative AI applications with the full breadth of their data,” Verma said. “We will continue to refine our data platform to make it easier for enterprises to store, transact, analyze and search data from any source.”
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While SingleStore’s acquisition of BryteFlow specifically target SingleStore’s data integration capabilities, market trends are favorable for the vendor and could help spur growth, according to Aslett.
Enterprises are continuing to place greater emphasis on real-time analysis. Meanwhile, as enterprise interest in AI — and generative AI, in particular — also increases, data management tools that can handle high-volume workloads at without losing performance speed are important.
“Industry trends are playing to the strengths of SingleStore and its ability to support data-intensive applications,” Aslett said. “Interest in hybrid data processing has risen steadily, driven by demand for real-time data processing to support the development of intelligent operational applications that deliver personalization and contextually relevant recommendations.”
What’s ahead
With the acquisition of BryteFlow now complete, SingleStore will focus its product development roadmap on continuing to simplify data migration and management, according to Verma.
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In particular, the vendor aims to make it easier for enterprises to operationalize the data needed to feed and train AI and machine learning models and applications.
“We’ll make it easier for organizations to ingest data into our platform and build intelligent applications at scale,” Verma said.
Aslett, meanwhile, suggested that SingleStore needs to improve its messaging to better compete with more established data platform vendors, including tech giants such as AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft that provide data management services.
“The company is competing with some of the biggest names in data platforms and data processing,” Aslett said. “Adoption relies on enterprises understanding suitable use cases for products able to support hybrid operational and analytic processing.”
Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for TechTarget Editorial and a journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He covers analytics and data management.
It’s been a long wait, but the next Civilization has finally been revealed. At the main Summer Game Fest keynote, publisher 2K officially announced Civilization 7, the first new entry in the strategy series since 2016. We didn’t get any real details or actual gameplay, but instead a very brief teaser trailer that looked a lot like, well, Civilization. But there’s one thing we do know: the game won’t be launching until 2025. And it’s coming to a number of platforms, with the launch planned for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.
More details will be coming in August, according to 2K, with a “full gameplay showcase.”
Google has streamlined a key feature of its Gemini AI assistant on Android devices, speeding up image sharing and editing, as spotted by Android Authority. The latest Gemini update lets you send images directly from other apps to Gemini instead of the more cumbersome setup that was in place before.
Now, if you have a picture in, for instance, Google Photos, that you want Gemini to look at in conjunction with a text prompt, you can submit it directly via Android’s built-in share sheet as you would to send a text with the image attached. That’s much easier than starting in the Gemini app, tapping on the upload image button, locating the image you want, and attaching it. And if your image is in the cloud, you would also need to download it to your device. It might not be more than a minute or even less, but if you want Gemini to explain a photo or use one to inform a new AI-generated image, that extra time and friction might put you off the idea.
It’s not a total revolution for Gemini, however. Submitting images to the AI is faster, but only images. You can’t use the sharing button to send text or a link to Gemini. It also doesn’t encompass the Gemini overlay, which lets you use Gemini without switching out of the app you’re currently using. While the image gets sent to the AI app, you still actually need to switch to the app to use Gemini’s features.
Gemini Speed
Though subtle, the update is part of Google’s efforts to smooth the road for intuitive engagement with Gemini. If you often use Gemini for multimedia content, the update could save you time in the long run. Gemini will be able to analyze the image and provide insights, descriptions, or even text content based on what it “sees” more quickly than before. This makes the app more useful for users who need to switch between different types of media in their daily workflows.
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Even if Gemini is only an occasional part of your mobile usage, a minute or less can affect whether you decide to skip using Gemini. That’s anathema to Google’s plans to embed Gemini throughout your mobile device experience and your life in general. It’s also another way for users who already rely on Google’s ecosystem, such as Photos or Drive, to thread Gemini into how they use those other services. Making Gemini more convenient is clearly a major goal for Google. As ChatGPT and other AI assistants keep upping their multimodal features, Gemini will need this kind of edge to stay ahead, or at least keep even, with its rivals.
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Most of the best AMD processors also top our best processors list thanks to the incredible performance of the Ryzen 7000 generation. Our top pick for the best AMD CPU right now is the Ryzen 9 7950X because of its incredible 16 cores, impressive performance in gaming and productivity, and its relative efficiency compared to the Intel competition.
From the best Ryzen CPU for gaming to the best AMD processor on a budget, we have plenty of options for fans of Team Red. If you want to jump camps, make sure to check out our roundup of the best Intel CPUs, as well.
Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
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AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
The best, most powerful AMD Ryzen CPU
Pros
Off the charts CPU performance
Solid gaming improvements
Integrated graphics work for light games
Works with most AM4 coolers
Why should you buy this: It’s got the highest specs among AMD Ryzen desktop processors.
Who’s it for: Content creators and professionals looking for core CPU performance.
Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X:
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Sitting on top is the Ryzen 9 7950X, which is a powerhouse and an overpowered chip for most users. It comes with 16 cores and 32 threads that can boost up to 5.7GHz — a massive increase on its last-generation predecessor. It has a whopping 80MB of combined L2 and L3 cache, which doesn’t quite compete with the X3D variants, but it’s a lot of cache either way, helping to accelerate this chip’s performance in gaming and productivity workloads.
As is the case with most high-end components, the 7950X’s power is clear from the specs, but it takes a little more digging to see its performance benefit in real-world use. Its additional four cores and eight threads doesn’t give it a giant leap in most applications compared to the 12-core 7900X, but the 7950X really shines when it comes to multithreaded performance. In tasks that require a lot of cores, such as hardware encryption and 3D rendering, the 7950X aces the charts and shoots far ahead of the 7900X.
As for gaming, while the 7950X can show slight improvements in certain titles, most games won’t be able to take advantage of the processor’s full horsepower. Even in CPU-intensive titles, the 7950X is overkill. It’s a highly capable gaming CPU, topping benchmarks alongside all of the Ryzen 7000 processors, but its strengths lie more in working and gaming, or just working, rather than pure gaming. For that, look to the X3D options.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
The best, most powerful AMD Ryzen CPU
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Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
The best AMD processor for gaming
Pros
Chart-topping gaming performance
Great value
Solid multi-core and productivity performance
AM5 is getting cheaper
Cons
Weak single-core performance
Why should you buy this: It’s the best CPU for gaming, no questions asked.
Who’s it for: Gamers who want flagship gaming performance at a fair price.
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Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D:
The Ryzen 7800X3D is an eight core, Zen 4 CPU with a 5GHz clock speed, making it, on paper at least, a little slower than its Ryzen 7000 counterparts. However, this is an X3D CPU, with an additional 64MB of L3 cache stacked on top of the processor, and that extra bit adds up to make it the best processor for gaming. It easily competes with the likes of the Intel 14900K, which has three times its cores, and an extra gigahertz of clock speed to work with.
The 7800X3D manages this not just with eight cores but a fraction of the power draw, too. It does have to sacrifice for that gaming power, though. The 7800X3D’s lower clock speed makes it weaker than its non-X3D counterparts in productivity, and eight cores sees it fall well behind higher-end options with more cores for heavily multithreaded workloads.
For a best of both worlds, you could opt for the 7950X3D, which gives you eight high-clocked Zen 4 cores alongside eight Zen 4 cores with 3D V-Cache, giving you a middle ground between the 7800X3D’s gaming performance and the 7950X’s improved productivity performance. But that chip can be hundreds of dollars more expensive for not much more gaming power.
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If you want pure gaming performance, the 7800X3D offers much better value for money. If you want something for work too, the 7950X3D may be worth paying for, but consider your budget accordingly.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
The best AMD processor for gaming
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AMD Ryzen 7600
The best midrange AMD processor
Pros
Great gaming performance
Easy to cool
Respectable single and multithreaded capabilities
Bundled cooler
Why should you buy this: It’s a great value-for-money processor for PC gaming.
Who’s it for: Gamers looking to build new or upgrade their PC.
Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 5 7600:
Priced at around $190, the Ryzen 5 7600 is a great alternative to the 7800X3D if you’re on a budget. While it’s one of the cheapest processors out of AMD’s current Ryzen 7000 lineup, the 7600 is squarely targeting the mainstream. For the money, you get six cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 4.7GHz, and a boost clock of 5.3GHz — a big uplift over the last generation. This processor doesn’t have the V-Cache of its X3D counterparts, but it still comes with 38MB of combined L2 and L3 cache, which helps make this chip very competitive at this price.
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The CPU uses AMD’s Zen 4 architecture, improving instructions per clock (IPC) and memory management, and when paired with a powerful graphics card, it can work wonders for gaming. It’s also decent enough for productivity if you want to do some photo or video editing when you aren’t gaming. It’s a few dollars less than the Ryzen 5 7600X, too, and offers almost identical performance, while coming with a bundled cooler.
It’s the bang-for-buck king of its generation.
AMD Ryzen 7600
The best midrange AMD processor
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AMD Ryzen 5 8600G
The best Ryzen CPU with integrated graphics
Pros
Powerful integrated graphics for 1080p gaming
Bundled Wraith Stealth air cooler
Respectable thermals and power consumption
Affordably priced
Cons
Weaker CPU performance than 7600
Less cost effective when paired with dedicated GPU
Why should you buy this: It has some of the best integrated graphics performance of any desktop CPU.
Who’s it for: Casual gamers who don’t wish to invest in a dedicated graphics card.
Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G:
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If you don’t have the budget for a graphics card, or want to build the most compact gaming system possible, a powerful accelerated processing unit (APU) like the Ryzen 5 8600G is a great pick. It has more onboard GPU cores than standard Ryzen 7000 CPUs whilst maintaining most of the CPU performance — it’s not as strong as a 7600, but it’s not far off — making it an all-in-one gaming system.
It’s priced very affordably at around $200, and it comes with a Wraith Stealth cooler, too, helping cut down on cost even further. You can always add a dedicated graphics card later for greater GPU performance, too, though note that this CPU isn’t as strong a value proposition when you aren’t using its onboard GPU.
If you want more graphical and processing power, the 8700G has more cores of both and performs better, but it’s 50% more expensive, making it harder to recommend. The 8500G is slightly weaker than this one, but its price is around the same as the 8600G at the time of writing.
AMD Ryzen 5 8600G
The best Ryzen CPU with integrated graphics
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AMD
AMD Ryzen 5 5700X3D
The best last-gen CPU
Pros
Great value for money
Cheaper than 5800X3D with similar performance
Great thermals and power consumption
Cons
Misses on PCIe Gen 4 and DDR5
Why should you buy this: It’s the best bang-for-buck CPU of its generation.
Who’s it for: Gamers and anyone wanting strong general performance from an AM4 CPU.
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Why we picked the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D:
The AMD Ryzen 5000 generation has a lot of great processors, from the high-end 16-core 5950X, to the ultra-affordable 5600, but it’s the 5700X3D that remains the enduring CPU of its generation. It offers comparable gaming performance to the 5800X3D — the previous king — at a much more affordable price.
It lacks the cores and higher clock speeds of the 5900X and 5950X, so grab one of those if you want the ultimate multithreading performance on socket AM4, but for gaming and general use, the 5700X3D is an absolute steal at under $200. Combined with cheaper motherboards and DDR4 memory, and this processor is a killer budget gaming chip that punches well above its weight. Pair it with a strong GPU, and you won’t notice a big difference between this and the latest CPUs at higher resolutions.
The AMD vs. Intel rivalry will probably never have a definitive winner.
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AMD processors can compete directly with Intel on almost everything. AMD offers the better gaming performance at lower power draws, especially with its X3D CPUs. However, Intel chips tend to have more cores, so are often better at productivity workloads.
Just budget for more cooling and more power on Intel, as its top chips pull over 250W all by themselves.
Do all AMD processors come with an integrated GPU?
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No. An important factor when buying an AMD CPU is that while the newest Ryzen 7000 CPUs do have onboard GPUs, and its older APUs have very strong onboard graphics, most other AMD chips do not. That’s almost all the Ryzen 5000 and earlier processors, so make sure you have a graphics card if you’re going to use one of those chips.
What motherboard do I need with my AMD processor?
For the latest generation of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 processors, you need a 600-series motherboard, as those are the only generation that support socket AM5 and DDR5 memory. For Ryzen 5000 CPUs and older, you can get away with 500 series or even 400 and 300 series motherboards with a BIOS update.
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How do I choose the right CPU?
Buying a new processor is not an easy task. Instead, it requires plenty of research, preferably by reading and watching reviews of the devices you have in mind. If you know what your budget is, you’re halfway there. Our CPU buying guide explains what you need to look for.
Competition in artificial intelligence development is getting fiercer. OpenAI and Google are two of the leading names in the AI segment. OpenAI got off to a head start, with Google trying to catch up with Gemini and other developments. In line with this, new reports claim that Google is working on boosting the reasoning capabilities of its AI model to match ChatGPT’s o1.
Google seeks human-level AI reasoning model to compete against ChatGPT’s o1
OpenAI announced o1 this month as a new model integrated into the ChatGPT service. The model is not a successor to previous models like GPT-4 or GPT-4o, but a different approach. The o1 model is designed to offer human-like levels of reasoning, taking more time to “think” in order to deliver a more detailed output. o1 seems especially useful for complex requirements or problems related to areas like math and coding. OpenAI was working on o1 under the code name “Strawberry.”
Currently, Google does not have anything that can compete against OpenAI’s o1 AI model. However, according to Bloomberg, the Mountain View giant is already working on an advanced reasoning AI model to integrate into its services. Like OpenAI, the new model would not be the company’s next big leap. It would be more like an improvement to its existing AI models. Google does not want its Gemini AI reasoning model to lag far behind the competition.
Details about the new model are still scarce
The report reveals that Google is using a technique called chain-of-thought prompting. The company pioneered this technique, which consists of AI taking into account not only the user’s main prompt but also a set of related prompts to offer a complex response in the form of a summary. At present, there is no info on the availability or even the name of Google’s new model. Hopefully more details will emerge in the coming weeks.
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