As enterprises continue to invest heavily in advanced analytics and large language models (LLMs), graph technology has become one of the most favored approaches for setting up the data stack. It allows users to understand complex relationships in their datasets, which are often not apparent in traditional relational databases.

However, maintaining and querying graph databases alongside traditional relational databases is quite a hassle (and an expensive one). Today, PuppyGraph, a San Francisco-based startup founded by former Google and LinkedIn employees, raised $5 million to solve this gap with the world’s first and only zero-ETL query engine. The engine allows users to query their existing relational data as a unified graph without needing a separate graph database and long extract-transform-load (ETL) processes. 

The engine launched in March 2024 and is already being used by several enterprises to simplify data analytics. Its forever-free developer edition alone is witnessing a 70% month-over-month download increase. 

The need for PuppyGraph

A graph database architecture mirrors sketching on a whiteboard, storing all the information in nodes (representing entities, people and concepts) with relevant context and connections between them. Using this graph structure, users can identify complex patterns and relationships that may not be easily apparent in traditional relational databases (queried via SQL) and deploy algorithms to quickly enable use cases such as AI/ML, fraud detection, customer journey mapping and risk management for networks. 

In the current scheme of things, the only way to adopt graph technologies is to set up a separate native graph database and keep it in sync with the source database. The task sounds easy but becomes very complicated, with teams having to set up complex and resource-intensive ETL pipelines to migrate their datasets to graph storage. This can easily cost millions and take months, keeping users from running critical business queries. 

Not to mention, once the database is set up, they also have to manage it continuously, which further adds to the cost and creates scalability problems in the long run. 

To address these gaps, former Google and LinkedIn employees Weimo Liu, Lei Huang and Danfeng Xu came together and started PuppyGraph. The idea was to provide teams with a way to query their existing relational databases and data lakes as graphs, without data migrations.

This way, the same data that is analyzed with SQL queries could be analyzed as a graph, leading to faster access to insights. This can be particularly useful for cases where the data is deeply connected with multi-level relationships, like in supply chain or cybersecurity. 

“The deeper the level, the more complex the query becomes in a traditional SQL query. This is because each additional level requires an additional table join operation, compounding the complexity and potentially slowing down the query performance dramatically… In contrast, graph query handles these multi-level relationships much more efficiently. They are designed to quickly traverse these connections using paths through the graph, regardless of the depth of the connection,” Zhenni Wu, who joined PuppyGraph’s founding team, told VentureBeat. 

Wu said PuppyGraph eliminates the need for extensive ETL setups entirely, enabling ‘deployment to query’ in just about 10 minutes. All the user has to do is connect the tool with their data source of choice. Once done, it automatically creates a graph schema and queries the tables in graph models. Also, the engine’s distributed design allows it to handle extremely large datasets and complex multi-hop queries.

It can connect to all mainstream data lakes, including Google BigQuery and Databricks, to run accelerated graph analytics – while keeping costs on the lower side at the same time.

“The separation of storage and compute architecture means that low cost is PuppyGraph‘s one of the biggest advantages. There is zero storage cost because the engine directly queries data from users’ existing data lake/warehouse. It provides the flexibility to scale compute resources as needed, allowing adjustments to handle fluctuating workloads efficiently, without risking resource contention or performance degradation,” Wu added.

Significant impact in early days

While the company is less than a year old, it is already witnessing success with several enterprises, including Coinbase, Clarivate, Dawn Capital and Prevelant AI.

In one case, an enterprise transitioned to PuppyGraph from a legacy graph database system and managed to cut its total cost of ownership by over 80%. A leading financial trading platform was able to achieve a 5-hop path query between account A and account B across around 1 billion edges in less than 3 seconds. 

Before PuppyGraph, their self-built SQL-based solution couldn’t even query beyond a 3-hop query and had batch time-out issues. 

With this funding, the company plans to accelerate its product development, expand its team and increase its market presence by taking the zero-ETL graph query engine to more organizations worldwide.

According to Gartner, the market for graph technologies will grow to $3.2 billion by 2025 with a CAGR of 28.1%. Other players in the category are Neo4j, AWS Neptune, Aerospike and ArrangoDB. 

AMD launched its latest Ryzen 7 9800X3D to glowing reviews this week, but if you’re looking to buy one then you might have to wait for more stock. The 9800X3D is currently sold out at Newegg and Best Buy, with the majority of Micro Center locations also sold out of AMD’s best gaming processor.

The situation is similar across Europe, too. In Germany most retailers have run out of stock, with new shipments not expected to arrive until later this month. In the UK Scan is accepting preorders for the 9800X3D, but stock won’t arrive until November 29th. Overclockers in the UK says its stock is currently held at UK customs and that its first and second shipments are allocated and sold out. It’s not expecting another shipment until December.

AMD computing and graphics boss Jack Huynh shared photos on X of people lining up for the 9800X3D at retailers, while AMD CEO Lisa Su has been signing some of the CPUs for “some special partners.” Naturally, scalpers are trying to take advantage of the low stock situation with some 9800X3D listings on eBay asking as much as $999 instead of the $479 retail price of the CPU.

While there’s bound to be some pent-up demand for the 9800X3D after the disappointment of Zen 5 desktop CPUs and Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, it’s clear AMD doesn’t have enough stock of this new CPU for its launch period. The 9800X3D launch timing came as a surprise, arriving less than three months after AMD introduced its first Zen 5 desktop CPUs in August. AMD didn’t introduce its Zen 4 X3D parts until five months after the Ryzen 9 7950X was first released in September 2022, with the 7800X3D arriving nearly seven months later.

• Sennheiser Momentum 4 will be issued to Lufthansa first class flyers ‘for the duration of the flight’
• Amazon’s running a great Black Friday deal for UK buyers
• US buyers might want to wait for Black Friday

Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones are among the best wireless headphones you can buy, gaining the full five stars in our review. And now they’re taking to the skies – but you don’t need to be a high flier to enjoy a pair thanks to a newly discovered huge discount (in the UK, that is).

Let’s talk about the skies first. Sennheiser has teamed up with Lufthansa for an in-flight collaboration. Travelers in the newest Lufthansa Allegris First Class suites (see main image. Pretty swish, no?) will be offered a special Lufthansa-branded edition of the Momentum 4 Wireless to use “for the duration of the flight”. (Boo!)

On December 9, Indiana Jones will get his first video game adaptation in over a decade with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. With over three hours of cinematic cutscenes, multiple tools at players’ disposal, and a globe-spanning adventure, the game is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year.

With the release date approaching and preorders for the game already available, Digital Trends caught up with Executive Producer Todd Howard and Indiana Jones actor Troy Baker to discuss The Great Circle and the wild few years they’ve had with the success of the Fallout and The Last of Us series adaptations. Both talked about the effort and insecurity behind turning an iconic character into a video game hero once again. Like a lot of skeptics, Baker didn’t believe he was cut out for it originally — and neither did Todd Howard.

Digital Trends: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes place between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade, so it focuses on a younger Indy. When you went to make the game, did you get any tips or advice from Harrison Ford or Steven Spielberg about how Indy would move, act, and talk? 

Howard: They’re aware of the project, but we really used the movies as our guide. We looked at Raiders and said this is the character, this is the time period in his life, and these are his mannerisms.

Baker: We have 40 years of source material, so there’s a lot to learn from. To prepare for the role, I would wake up every morning and watch some of Raiders, then I’d listen to John Williams’ score, and watch Temple and Crusade. What I found is that Harrison Ford is the auteur of that character, along with Lucas and Spielberg. But the Indy we all know and love is also created by how we all felt watching those movies. My idea of Indy will be a little different from Todd’s, even though we’re watching the same character in the same movie. For me, it’s not just about understanding his mannerisms and movements, it’s about understanding what’s behind it all. That’s what really helped us take the character they created and make our own story for him.

I have to say, you did a fantastic job of recreating his voice in the game.

Baker: You know, I didn’t originally think I’d be right for the role. Back in 2019, Tom Keegan, a director I’d never worked with before, reached out to my agent and asked if he could call me. He said that they were casting for an Indiana Jones game and he’d like me for the role. I said, “Great I’ll give you two names and one of these two people will be a great fit.” He said, “Thanks, but I like you for this role.” So I agreed to put myself on tape, and I told him that if he thinks it’s good, he can send it on, but if it’s not, then burn that tape (laughs). He ended up liking my audition and everything culminated in one final Zoom call with everyone, including Todd. And Todd gets on and says, “I didn’t want you in my game.” It was a hell of a way to start a meeting.

Howard: I’ll be honest, when they first said they wanted Troy for the game, I gave an eye roll. I believe my exact line was, “What, Troy Baker’s the guy to solve every lead actor issue in a game now?” (laughs) It just felt like a cop-out in some way. But then Troy’s audition came in, and it was just so good. It wasn’t just the voice, but also the mannerisms. We even did a bunch of blind tests with Troy and some of the other possible actors, and every time, Troy won.

I’ve already seen some chatter online with people wondering if this will just feel like Uncharted or Tomb Raider … which is ironic since both of those games are heavily inspired by Indiana Jones. Aside from Indy’s character, what would you say to anyone who is worried this will feel too similar to other franchises? 

Howard: Our game has a lot of cinematics. There’s over three hours of scenes in it, but at its heart, it’s still a game. There’s also certain things that work well for movies and things that work well for video games. Games do geography well and they can put you in a character in ways a movie can’t. It’s a new unique way to experience the franchise.

Baker: I also feel like it isn’t a “do you pick up this or that,” I feel like a lot of people will pick up both. When you watch Indy, you want to be there, cracking that whip and solving mysteries, and that’s exactly what this game allows you to do.

This game is releasing after you’ve both had a pretty massive few years. Todd, you work on Fallout, which just received an acclaimed, Emmy-nominated series adaptation, and Troy, you’re the voice of Joel in The Last of Us, which has had a widely praised Emmy-winning series adaptation. What’s it been like navigating these few years? 

Howard: For Fallout, it was a long journey. There were a lot of pitches to do Fallout as a movie or TV show, and then I met Jonah Nolan and his crew at Kilter, and it felt like we melded on what this could be. My mode was ‘Don’t treat it like it’s a video game, this is source material for a linear story.’ It’s been great to see so many people experience the world of Fallout who never would have played the game.

Baker: I think what led to the success of both Fallout and The Last of Us was that they kept the creators involved. Even if it’s a spiritual connection to the people who brought these franchises into the world, keep them involved and engaged, as opposed to just going, “Yeah, yeah, we get it.”

Do you think there are any other games out there that would be perfect to adapt into a movie or TV show? 

Howard: Indiana Jones, I feel like Indiana Jones would make a good movie (laughs).

Baker: Oh yeah, someone should really do that!

With its latest flagship, the OnePlus 13, OnePlus has taken an innovative approach to managing storage space for apps and files. The company has already confirmed to provide users with over 5GB of additional storage space for user data.

This improvement comes with the release of Oxygen OS 15, OnePlus‘s storage-efficient operating system built on Android 15.

Oxygen OS 15, the latest iteration of OnePlus’s operating system, was initially released in beta for last year’s OnePlus flagship last month. While the update includes new features such as refreshed animations, a Quick Settings split panel, enhanced icon colors, and a “Share with iPhone” function, it also introduces a significant space-saving feature exclusive to the OnePlus 13.

OxygenOS 15 offers you more space for your apps and files

According to OnePlus, Oxygen OS 15 on the OnePlus 13 uses around 20% less storage space than Oxygen OS 14 on the OnePlus 12, giving OnePlus 13 users additional room for their apps, photos, and files.

The company optimized the system by analyzing and removing redundant features and reducing preloaded resources, like wallpapers, which users can now download on demand.

This change reduced the space required by system files while ensuring that essential features remain intact. OnePlus also fine-tuned the partitioning in its devices, giving the OnePlus 13’s user data partition more room.

Understanding partition changes

OnePlus achieves this optimization by resizing the “super” partition, which holds critical system files across various sub-partitions. Android devices use a set of dynamically resizable partitions within the “super” partition to facilitate updates and maintain system integrity. If OnePlus makes the super partition too small, the device may not support future updates. On the other hand, if it’s too large, it wastes valuable storage space for user data.

OnePlus identified an opportunity to save space by reducing the super partition size. The OnePlus 13 now reserves only 14.3GB for the super partition, down from 16GB on the OnePlus 12—a 1.7GB reduction. This change allocates more storage to the user data partition, increasing usable storage on the OnePlus 13 by 2.19GB. Developer MlgmXyysd pulled these numbers from the Chinese versions of the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 13, though, and thus these figures might not be fully reflective of the global models.

Extra storage is beneficial, especially with increasing file sizes of apps, games, and media. Even those who opt for the base model of the OnePlus 13 will enjoy more storage without worrying about the limitations often associated with smaller storage variants.

TikTok is all about the tunes, and the social network has added to directly post audio from streaming services. Share to TikTok is a new feature that will let listeners in Apple Music and Spotify share music to the video platform. The tool can post a track, album, playlist or other content to the TikTok Feed, either in FYP or Stories. Streaming audio material can also be shared via a TikTok DM.

Even though TikTok has become a popular place to discover and share audio, the company recently that its TikTok Music platform would be shutting down later this month; the service never launched in the US. The business has also faced scrutiny for in its users, as well as posing a possible security threat. The US has considered the app, and Canada recently ordered TikTok to its domestic operations.