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The Met Gala has always been fashion’s biggest stage, but in 2026, it might also be its most online.

This year's dress code, "Fashion Is Art," tied to the museum's new Costume Institute exhibition opening May 10, set the tone for a night where the line between garment and gallery piece all but disappeared. Think painterly gowns, sculptural silhouettes, and references that felt pulled straight from museum walls. Sometimes reverent, sometimes a little chaotic.

SEE ALSO: The 2026 Met Gala was haunted by Jeff Bezos

As is customary in 2026, within moments of each arrival, looks were dissected, memed, and debated across social media. This is the night where couture becomes conversation; where a single outfit can spark a thousand hot takes; and where the group chat verdict ("wait… I kind of love it?") matters just as much as the designer tag.

Because let's be honest, the most memorable looks aren't always the "best" in the traditional sense. They're the ones that make you pause mid-scroll. The ones that prompt a double take, a screenshot, a frantic voice note. The "WTH is she wearing??" of it all, delivered with just enough conviction to turn confusion into intrigue.

From optical illusions to high-drama art references and full-on character work, this year's standouts leaned all the way in. These are the looks that owned the timeline.

Hudson Williams Credit: Michael Buckner/Penske Media via Getty Images

Fresh off his appointment as a face of Balenciaga, Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams arrived in a baby blue two-piece that flirted with theatricality — part matador, part modern-day provocateur. The jacket hung open to reveal a bare chest layered in diamond jewelry, while a sweeping black cape added just enough drama.

While some nitpicked the tailoring, the look was a hit with fans, with the actor's updates account mooning over it on main: "Will never get over him..."

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It also didn't take long for fans to post side-by-sides of Williams and his Heated Rivalry co-star Connor Storrie, who also attended the star-studded function.

Williams leaned all the way into the look with bold winged eyeliner and washes of blue and red shadow, a nod to Black Swan that sharpened the ensemble's sense of performance.

Chase Infiniti Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Hollywood ingenue Chase Infiniti delivered one of the night's most intricate illusions in a custom Thom Browne gown. The trompe-l’œil design referenced the Venus de Milo, transforming classical sculpture into something fluid and red-carpet–ready. Embroidered with more than 1.5 million sequins, the dress shimmered with every step.

Some of the words online spectators used to describe the look are "stunning" and "gorgeous" (correct!).

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The dress is less a garment than a feat of craftsmanship, and a quietly commanding debut on fashion's biggest stage.

Jisoo from BLACKPINK Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

For her Met Gala debut, Jisoo didn't just show up; she crystallized a moment. Joining bandmates Jennie, Lisa, and Rosé on the carpet, Jisoo stood out in a custom Dior gown by Jonathan Anderson that looked like an Impressionist painting brought to life. One creator on X complimented the look as a "lovely Met debut."

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Washed in soft pinks and lavender with delicate floral detailing, the dress evoked the dreamlike quality of Claude Monet's work: romantic, atmospheric, and unmistakably her. A longtime Dior ambassador, Jisoo's look felt both like a continuation and a coronation.

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Inside the Met, the K-pop star linked up with her BLACKPINK bandmates to take a few pics that effectively shut down the internet.

Lisa from BLACKPINK Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

As a member of the 2026 Met Gala host committee, Lisa didn't just embrace the night's dress code — she practically engineered it. Wearing a custom Robert Wun look, the BLACKPINK rapper and actress delivered one of the most avant-garde moments on the carpet: a sculptural gown featuring multiple 3D-printed arms extending outward to hold up her sheer veil.

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The detail that sent social media into overdrive? The arms were modeled after Lisa's own. Created using 3D scans of her body, the piece blurred the line between fashion and self-portrait, with the arrangement subtly referencing traditional Thai dance positions. It's a continuation of Wun's fascination with the body as form, but here, it felt deeply personal, equal parts surreal and technical.

Hunter Schafer Credit: Michael Buckner/Penske Media via Getty Images

In 1912, Gustav Klimt, most famously known for "The Kiss," painted a 9-year-old girl, Mäda Primavesi. She was the only child who ever sat for the portraitist. A century later, the girl's knee-length dress and staunch pose would make it all the way to the Met Gala, in the form of a jaw-dropping Prada gown worn by actor and model Hunter Schafer. 

Schafer's look, complete with the girl's hair bow and floral appliques, had the internet enthralled. A princess, they called her, a white swan. Or maybe just a young girl's dream-come-true.

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Luke Evans is currently strutting across New York City's Studio 54 as queer icon and alien Frankenfurter. But rather than donning his signature platformed Transylvanian look on the Met Gala red carpet, Evans' look was an homage to artistic icon Tom of Finland, the creative mind behind a genre of stylized homoerotic art that became a signature cultural reference for the LGBTQ+ community in the late 20th century.

What better way to honor the queer joy and radical acceptance of Rocky Horror Show — and the dress code "fashion is art" —  than with a Palomo Spain head-to-toe leather daddy outfit? 

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Like it or not, the Kardashian-Jenners run the Met Gala. Every year, the public awaits their looks — often controversial, often strikingly not on theme — and this year was no exception. So when Kylie Jenner, notably solo, showed up on 5th Ave, jaws dropped. Jenner was sporting custom Schiaparelli, designed to mimic the semi-nude form of the famous "Venus de Milo" statue, otherwise known as Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, and a callback to a famous Schiaparelli portrait taken by Man Ray. 

While many onlookers appreciated the layered ode to art, others couldn't help but ask: Is this thinly veiled promo for Skims' nipple bra?

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Sabrina Carpenter Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

There was double Sabrina last night as the singer wore a dress inspired by the 1954 Audrey Hepburn film Sabrina, Vogue reported. The gown was a custom Dior made of tulle and actual bedazzled film strips, and according to Vogue, if you zoom in, you could see Sabrina stars Humphrey Bogart and William Holden.

The "House Tour" singer was praised for the film references, and also harkened back to film and TV references in her recent Coachella set. Carpenter 

"Oh, Sabrina Carpenter does not miss!! i love a fellow cinephile [sic]," commented X user @nvrfeltsoglum: 

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"Old Hollywood glamour with a film strip dress. Sabrina Carpenter is taking it," another user, @stylesgala,  praised:

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A fan account for Carpenter, @scarpenterfiles, couldn't help but stan, calling the look one of the best of the night:

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Others, however, have reached Carpenter saturation. Following the red carpet, she sang some of her top songs and dueted "Landslide" with the legend Stevie Nicks, prompting @mi5termacabre to say, "I don’t know a single artist who has been forced on us more than Sabrina Carpenter":

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"Bye yall are fake gagging," said X user @sxlma888, "The dress looks like [a] badly wrapped christmas present [sic]."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Emma Chamberlain Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

YouTuber-turned-coffee entrepreneur Emma Chamberlain arrived at the Met Gala looking like a watercolor painting. Chamberlain wore a custom Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas, according to Vogue, and squarely fit the dress code "Fashion is Art." The top of the dress looks like sweeping yellow brushstrokes around her torso, cascading to the multicolor, blue-dominant skirt. The sleeves were also unique, with long, thin fringe.

Some X users said Chamberlain understood the theme better than other attendees, with others even calling her the best-dressed.

One fan, @ambersviiolet, went viral for calling attention to the evolution of Chamberlain's Met Gala outfits through the years:

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It wasn't all praise, though. The gatekeeping of the Met Gala continues, with X user @SHARPSFREAK asking if Chamberlain is "that important" to be wearing Mugler:

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And X user @notpopbase also accused Chamberlain of copying Zendaya's 2024 look:

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Bad Bunny Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

One of the most unique looks of last night's Met Gala was Bad Bunny's. While he's in the midst of his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, Benito took to the red carpet last night in a sleek all-black suit, looking…considerably older. 

Bad Bunny wore prosthetics to appear elderly, with white hair and sagging skin. The look is meant to harken to the Costume Institute's 2026 exhibition and the different body types explored within, particularly the aging body, according to Vogue. Makeup artist Mike Marino transformed Bad Bunny into a grandpa version of himself, complete with realistic age spots and wrinkles.

The monochromatic suit was adorned with a large pussy bow, which is a reference to designer Charles James's garment "Bustle," Vogue reported.

Some online commentators commended Bad Bunny on the look. Men's style blog @dieworkwear said it was, "Like an elegant version of Johnny Knoxville's gag in Jackass."

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Fan account @wickshorror commented, "One thing Bad Bunny will always do is transform," contrasting last night's look with Bad Bunny in drag.

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Not everyone was a fan of the bold choice, however. "Apparently, Bad Bunny thinks getting dressed up like a 75-year-old [sic] is edgy. He's such a clown," X user Vince Langman posted. 

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Another user, @jackunheard, put it more simply: "Wtf is this?"

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Google I/O is set for May 19, but the company is once again going to provide some Android news a week ahead of time, too.

The company announced on Tuesday that it will host "The Android Show" on May 12 at 1 p.m. ET. Google didn't provide a lot of specifics about what to expect, but the basic idea is to showcase "why this is one of the biggest years for Android yet." Last year, Google also hosted The Android Show ahead of I/O, showing off the new Material 3 Expressive design language alongside new Gemini features like screen sharing.

You can watch The Android Show live when the event starts streaming on YouTube, and there's also an event webpage on Google's site. Mashable will be providing live coverage during both The Android Show and Google I/O, so check back for the latest updates from Google-land.

SEE ALSO: Google could pay $135 million settlement to U.S. Android users. How to get your money.

If last year is any guide, by hosting an Android-specific event ahead of I/O, Google can then focus on Gemini and all things artificial intelligence during its annual developers conference. The main I/O keynote is usually where Google drops its biggest Android news each year. However, AI was the main focus of Google I/O 2025, and that's also what we expect from Google I/O 2026.

Based on public betas, we know that Android 17 is bringing a new multitasking UI to Android devices, as well as some new options for screen recording. There will probably be a lot more than that, but we'll have to wait until later this month to find out for sure.

Perhaps Google will give us some fun Android 17 tidbits ahead of the proper I/O keynote this year.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

TL;DR: Live stream Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid in the Champions League for free on TRT1. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The first legs of the Champions League semi-final stage were fascinating. We got nine goals from the incredibly open PSG vs. Bayern Munich matchup, and then we had a predictably tight contest between Atlético Madrid and Arsenal at the Metropolitano Stadium. Now the action heads to the Emirates Stadium with everything on the line.

We're expecting another tense battle between two extremely organized sides. This one could be decided by the slimmest of margins.

If you want to watch Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid?

Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid in the Champions League kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on May 5. This fixture takes place at the Emirates Stadium.

How to watch Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid for free

Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid is available to live stream for free on TRT1.

TRT1 is geo-restricted to Turkey, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Turkey, meaning you can unblock TRT1 to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Turkey

4. Visit TRT1

5. Watch Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Champions League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the Champions League?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on TRT1, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Turkey

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch Arsenal vs. Atlético Madrid in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

Like me, you've probably heard the unofficial rule of Docker: it's for lightweight, headless servers and command-line applications, not for graphical interfaces. Most of us follow this rule for good reason—CLI is what Docker was built for. But what happens when you break the rules?

SAVE $600: As of May 5, get the Shark Robot Vacuum and Mop for $599.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,199.99. That's a discount of 50% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Shark Robot Vacuum and Mop $599.99 at Amazon
$1,199.99 Save $600   Get Deal

If you're spending a significant time cleaning your floors and mopping away your life, you need to invest in a robot vacuum. Preferably one with a mop. But we get it, those can be a bit of a luxury expense. But if you're interested in picking one up right now (or maybe surprising Mom with one), this particular model is on sale and can get the job done beautifully.

As of May 5, get the Shark Robot Vacuum and Mop for $599.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,199.99. That's a discount of 50% and the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: I found the best robot vacuums for every floor, budget, and level of laziness

This combo vac excels with both its vacuuming and mopping abilities. Its powerful suction and Dirt Detect feature makes cleaning up simple and efficient, as it can find the areas that are dirtier and work through them for a better clean. With its Edge Detect feature, it can even use air to push out stubborn debris from edges and corners into the open so nothing gets missed. Plus, it can even detect what kind of floor it's working with to more efficiently clean the space.

The mopping features are great as well, as it mops with 185 degree water, then dries each mopped area with 175 degree air for a more sanitary clean. Once everything is mopped and vacuumed and the vac heads back to its base, it can automatically empty everything into a 60-day capacity bin, refill its own water tank, and wash and dry the mop after each clean.

If you're ready to offload all the cleaning (or help someone ready to), don't miss this half-off deal.

After you get done installing Linux with a flash drive, it is tempting to just wipe it and throw it back in a drawer. However, that is a waste. Whether you just leave Linux on it or you add a few extra things, your Linux installer USB can become one of the most useful tech troubleshooting tools you own.

Whether it's whipping up gourmet deep dish pizza or staging a fake Chicago snowstorm, The Bear's Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) loves to surprise his customers. That love of surprises apparently extends to Moss-Bachrach himself, as he announced Tuesday on Instagram that The Bear has dropped a surprise episode, written by Moss-Bachrach and co-star Jon Bernthal.

SEE ALSO: 2026 Summer TV preview: Every TV show you need to know about now

The surprise installment, titled "Gary," is a flashback episode following Richie and Mikey (Bernthal) on a work trip to Gary, Indiana. The Bear creator Christopher Storer directed.

"Making this was a dream come true," Moss-Bachrach wrote on Instagram. "Thanks to the beautiful people of Gary, Indiana and as always Chicago, Illinois.

View this post on Instagram How can you watch The Bear's special episode "Gary"?

"Gary" is now streaming on Hulu, although you won't find it listed within any season ofThe Bear. Instead, search "Gary" on Hulu in order to watch it.

When is The Bear Season 5 coming out?

"Gary" might serve as a sweet amuse-bouche to tide viewers over until The Bear Season 5, but when exactly can we expect that main course? FX hasn't yet confirmed an exact release date, but the season will be premiering in June. Season 5 will be The Bear's last, picking up after the Season 4 finale, when Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) quit the restaurant entirely and turned the reins over to Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Richie, and Natalie (Abby Elliott).

The Bear's special episode "Gary" is now streaming on Hulu.

Two of Apple's largest chip rivals may find themselves serving their main competitor. Apple is reportedly in early talks to have Intel and Samsung manufacture the custom processors for its devices, such as Macs and iPhones, in their U.S. factories.

I've really gotten into self-hosting things lately and exploring different options for fun. As a hobbyist, I find it convenient to host my own stuff and fun to have more control over everything I do. I recently switched from Plex to Jellyfin for my media server, and I'm enjoying learning the ins and outs and quirks of self-hosting my own media.

If you regularly use Docs over alternatives like Microsoft Word, Google’s new feature for Gemini in Docs might be one of the most practical upgrades yet. It lets you set custom instructions inside the document, so you don’t have to spend two minutes explaining your preferred tone or format every time you take Gemini’s help to draft content, summarize documents, etc.

SAVE $700.01: The Eufy E25 robot vacuum and mop is on sale at Amazon for $599.98, down from the list price of $1,299.99. That's a 54% discount and the best price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Eufy Eufy E25 robot vacuum and mop $599.98 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $700.01   Get Deal

We all have plenty on our plates. If you're not busy running between work, meetings, chores, errands, and other life requirements, please divulge your secrets. But in the meantime, there's a proven way to eliminate the need to clean the floors. We have robots that actually do a fantastic job at keeping the carpet vacuumed and the kitchen mopped. If you need to offload some chores, check out this deal at Amazon.

As of May 5, the Eufy E25 robot vacuum and mop is on sale at Amazon for $599.98, marked down from the list price at Eufy of $1,299.99. That's a 54% discount and the best price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Why get a robot vacuum when you could get a robot vacuum that also mops? The Eufy E25 uses 20,000Pa turbo suction power to pick up dust, dander, coffee grounds, pet hair, crumbs, and more. Instead of worrying about the brush roll getting tangled with hair, it uses a unique DuoSpiral Detangle Brush which gathers hair and fur in the center of the brush. Then the brush roll separates its two parts to suck up any hair and fur that would have ordinarily stayed on the roller.

SEE ALSO: Snag the powerful Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete robot vacuum for its lowest price ever

When it comes time to mop the floor, the Eufy E25 uses a HydroJet System. Instead of cleaning up a mess and continuing on with a dirty mop roller, the Eufy cleans the roller as it goes, ensuring it's always clean. The roller mop is nearly a foot in length, making for quick mopping.

While it's sitting at a new record-low price, upgrade your floor's cleaning routine with the Eufy E25. It's well over 50% off and will save you the time and hassle of keeping up on floor cleaning as we head into the busy summer.

As we've noted repeatedly, if you want a pair of flagship noise-cancelling headphones in 2026, then $450 is the starting price of admission. But a Sony leaker claims that an even pricier pair of premium Sony headphones is coming this year, with a potential price tag of $649.

Prominent leaker billbil-kun published a report detailing the specs of previously unknown new headphones from Sony, which could be called "Sony 1000X The ColleXion" (first reported by The Walkman Blog). The headphones may also be part of a larger collection of products with the tagline, "Master the art of listening."

These premium 1000XM headphones also appear to have leaked visually via photos of British actor Damson Idris, who was seen allegedly wearing them in NYC (via Reddit).

SEE ALSO: PS5 gamers entitled to credits in new Sony lawsuit settlement

Photos of Idris in New York City over the weekend show an unknown pair of Sony headphones and a travel case, which match the details reported by billbil-kun. The headphones have white ear cups and a metal headband, a departure from Sony's usual headphone style.

Our reviewers have criticized Sony headphones in the past for their all-plastic design, which can feel flimsy compared to headphones that use aluminum, leather, and other premium materials.

Credit: Michael Simon/WireImage Credit: Michael Simon/WireImage Credit: Michael Simon/WireImage

Before we get into any technical details, it's again worth emphasizing that billbil-kun is reporting that these cans will cost a whopping $649 in the United States. That's $200 more than the already very nice and expensive Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, and almost $100 more than the latest Apple AirPods Max 2. In the ultra-premium category, they would cost less than the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, which retails for $799.

According to the leak, you'll get what you pay for, though.

The premium headphones reportedly come in a non-folding design with a "premium magnetic carrying case" and "studio-quality sound" featuring 360-degree head tracking. They use 12 microphones for active noise cancellation and noise reduction during phone calls, as well as "DSEE Ultimate technology for audio upscaling." The design reportedly features synthetic leather and metal materials.

One downside, though, is that they're approximately 60 grams heavier than the WH-1000XM6 headphones, most likely due to the metal materials. According to the leak, they'll launch as soon as May 19, so keep your head on a swivel.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Large-scale networked systems underpin cloud computing, AI, and distributed applications and services. The USENIX Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation 2026 (opens in new tab) (NSDI ’26) is a leading forum where researchers and practitioners share new research, insights, and advances in the design and operation of these systems.

Microsoft is proud to support NSDI ’26 as a returning sponsor, reflecting our ongoing commitment to advancing systems and networking research and engaging with the broader community. Microsoft researchers and engineering leaders are also serving on the program committee and in other organizational roles.

This year, 11 papers by Microsoft authors and collaborators were accepted to the conference, spanning datacenter and wide-area networks, AI systems, and cloud infrastructure. Together, they highlight advances in building and operating large-scale networked systems.

Spotlight: Microsoft research newsletter

Microsoft Research Newsletter

Stay connected to the research community at Microsoft.

Subscribe today Opens in a new tab Technical sessions

Monday, May 4, 2:00–3:20 PM

DroidSpeak: KV Cache Sharing Across Fine-tuned Model Variants (opens in new tab)

Yuhan Liu, Yuyang Huang, Jiayi Yao, Zhuohan Gu, Kuntai Du, Hanchen Li, Yihua Cheng, and Junchen Jiang, University of Chicago; Shan Lu, Madan Musuvathi, and Esha Choukse, Microsoft

DroidSpeak enables LLMs with the same architecture to share and partially reuse KV caches across models, delivering up to 4 times higher throughput and faster responses with minimal impact on output quality.

Monday, May 4, 3:50–5:30 PM

Eywa: Automating Model-Based Testing using LLMs (opens in new tab)

Rajdeep Mondal, Rathin Singha, Todd D. Millstein, and George Varghese, UCLA; Ryan Beckett and Siva Kesava Reddy Kakarla, Microsoft Research

Eywa uses LLMs to automatically build protocol models from natural language sources, enabling model-based testing. It uncovered 33 bugs, including 16 previously unknown, in widely used network protocol implementations.

Tuesday, May 5, 2:00–3:20 PM

Octopus: Enhancing CXL Memory Pods via Sparse Topology (opens in new tab)

Yuhong Zhong, Columbia University; Fiodar Kazhamiaka, Pantea Zardoshti, Shuwei Teng and Rodrigo Fonseca, Microsoft Azure; Mark D. Hill, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Daniel S. Berger, Microsoft Azure and University of Washington

Octopus introduces a switch-free design for disaggregated memory pods that reduces cost and scales to multi-rack pods. On a three-server hardware prototype, Octopus RPCs are 3.2x faster than in-rack RDMA and 2.4x faster than CXL switches.

Tuesday, May 5, 3:50–5:30 PM

HEDGE: Traffic Engineering with Probabilistic Link Capacities (opens in new tab)

Arjun Devraj, Cornell University; Bill Owens, NYSERNet; Umesh Krishnaswamy, Microsoft; Ying Zhang, Meta; Rachee Singh, Cornell University

HEDGE mitigates wavelength-specific faults in optical networks by combining link-local and global network-wide resilience that maintain stable capacity and optimize traffic flow despite fluctuating link performance. It matches existing systems’ throughput while reducing network disruptions.

Wednesday, May 6, 9:00–10:20 AM

AVA: Towards Video Analytics with Vision Language Models (opens in new tab)

Yuxuan Yan, Zhejiang University; Shiqi Jiang, Microsoft Research; Ting Cao, Tsinghua University; Yifan Yang, Microsoft Research; Qianqian Yang and Yuanchao Shu, Zhejiang University; Yuqing Yang and Lili Qiu, Microsoft Research

AVA supports open-ended video analytics by combining event knowledge graphs with agentic retrieval over vision-language models. Furthermore, to evaluate video analytics in ultra-long, open-world scenarios, the authors introduce AVA-100, a benchmark comprising eight videos each exceeding 10 hours and 120 manually annotated, diverse, and complex question–answer pairs, on which AVA achieves 75.8% accuracy.

Wednesday, May 6, 9:00–10:20 AM

SmartNIC-Enabled Live Migration for Storage-Optimized VMs with Pyrocumulus (opens in new tab)

Jiechen Zhao, University of Toronto and Microsoft Research Asia; Ran Shu, Lei Qu, Ziyue Yang, and Rui Ma, Microsoft Research Asia; Derek Chiou, Microsoft and UT Austin; Natalie Enright Jerger, University of Toronto; Peng Cheng and Yongqiang Xiong, Microsoft Research Asia

Pyrocumulus enables fast, low-overhead live migration for storage-optimized VMs through hardware customizability and efficient network accessibility of the FPGA SmartNIC with LM protocol, architecture, and algorithm designs. 

Wednesday, May 6, 10:50 AM–12:30 PM

ForestColl: Throughput-Optimal Collective Communications on Heterogeneous Network Fabrics (opens in new tab)

Liangyu Zhao, University of Washington; Saeed Maleki, Independent Researcher; Yuanhong Wang, Tsinghua University; Zezhou Wang, University of Washington; Ziyue Yang, Microsoft Research; Hossein Pourreza, Microsoft; Arvind Krishnamurthy, University of Washington

ForestColl constructs broadcast/aggregation spanning trees as the communication schedule, achieving theoretical optimality. Its schedule generation runs in polynomial time and is highly scalable. It supports any network fabric, including both switching fabrics and direct accelerator connections.

Wednesday, May 6, 10:50 AM–12:30 PM

Heuristic Analysis from Source Code via Symbolic-Guided Optimization (opens in new tab)

Pantea Karimi, MIT; Siva Kesava Reddy Kakarla and Ryan Beckett, Microsoft Research; Santiago Segarra, Rice University; Pooria Namyar, Microsoft Research; Mohammad Alizadeh, MIT; Behnaz Arzani, Microsoft Research

MetaEase analyzes heuristics directly from source code to uncover worst-case performance scenarios, eliminating the need for complex formal modeling. It matches or outperforms state-of-the-art analyzers across domains and reveals previously unknown performance gaps in real-world systems.

Wednesday, May 6, 2:00–3:20 PM

Harvesting Spare CPU Resources in Container Systems (opens in new tab)

Adam Hall and Anirudh Sarma, Georgia Institute of Technology; Esha Choukse, Microsoft Azure Research; Umakishore Ramachandran, Georgia Institute of Technology; Sameh Elnikety, Microsoft Research

HarvestContainers protects latency-sensitive containers from interference while using their spare CPU cores to run latency-tolerant workloads. It dynamically determines how many cores can be safely harvested and requires no changes to applications or the operating system. It enables up to 75% utilization of spare CPU while keeping tail latency within 4% of standalone performance.

Wednesday, May 6, 3:50–5:30 PM

Offloading Cloud Network Services at Production Scale with SONiC DASH SmartSwitch (opens in new tab)

Community Award Winner

Shaofeng Wu, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Microsoft Research Asia; Zhixiong Niu, Microsoft Research Asia; Riff Jiang, Lawrence Lee, Junhua Zhai, Ze Gan, Vasundhara Volam, Prabhat Aravind, Prince Sunny, Prince George, Qi Luo, Evan Langlais, Soumya Tiwari, Venkat Satish Katta, Weixi Chen, Rishiraj Hazarika, Sachin Jain, Deven Jagasia, Michal Zygmunt, Avijit Gupta, Neeraj Motwani, and Pranjal Shrivastava, Microsoft; Qiang Su, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Anil Reddy Pannala, Kristina Moore, James Grantham, Anupam Pandey, Xin Liu, Guohan Lu, Gerald De Grace, Rishabh Tewari, Lihua Yuan, Erica Lan, Deepak Bansal, and Dave Maltz, Microsoft; Yongqiang Xiong, Microsoft Research Asia; Hong Xu, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

SONiC DASH SmartSwitch redesigns cloud network offloading with a hardware-friendly pipeline, unified switch architecture, and open development model while addressing key scalability and deployment challenges. Deployed at scale in Azure, it delivers high throughput and connection capacity while significantly improving power and space efficiency.

Wednesday, May 6, 3:50–5:30 PM

KRAKENGUARD: Towards Fine-Grained eBPF Isolation (opens in new tab)

Jainil Patel, IIT Roorkee; Lucas Graeff Buhl-Nielsen, Quantco; Adrien Ghosn, Microsoft; Marios Kogias, Imperial College London

KRAKENGUARD enforces fine-grained, policy-based controls on eBPF programs at load time using symbolic execution, enabling safe use in multi-tenant environments without relying on coarse Linux capabilities. It prevents malicious behavior, detects vulnerabilities, and allows for secure execution of untrusted programs with strong isolation guarantees.

Symposium organizers from Microsoft Program Committee

Ganesh Ananthanarayanan
Behnaz Arzani
Hitesh Ballani
Ryan Beckett
Ranveer Chandra
Paolo Costa
Rodrigo Fonseca
Xenofon Foukas
Kevin Hsieh
Umesh Krishnaswamy (opens in new tab)
Jing Liu
Jonathan Mace
Dave Maltz
Sathiya Mani
Dushyanth Narayanan
Suman Nath
Ram Ramjee
Stefan Saroiu

Steering Committee

Sujata Banerjee
Jay Lorch

Opens in a new tab

The post Microsoft at NSDI 2026: Advances in large-scale networked systems appeared first on Microsoft Research.

SAVE $20: On May 5 only, the Lego Star Wars Smart Play Millenium Falcon set is on sale for $79.99 as the Best Buy drop of the day. This is the first time this set has been discounted — get the rare deal in the Best Buy app.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Smart Play Millenium Falcon 75426 $79.99 at Best Buy
$99.99 Save $20   Get Deal

It may be May the 5th to us on Earth, but in a galaxy far, far away — on Planet Best Buy, of course — they're still in full May the 4th mode. You can find the Lego Star Wars Smart Play Millenium Falcon set on sale for $79.99 at Best Buy as the May 5 drop of the day.

This is the first time this set has been discounted since its release in January, according to price tracker camelcamelcamel. Remember: You'll only find this special deal in the free Best Buy mobile app (Best Buy drops don't show up in a web browser.) From there, you can add it to your cart and check out like usual. Since all Best Buy drops have a limited inventory, you'll want to keep an eye on the live status bar of the percentage left.

SEE ALSO: From F1 sets to new Botanicals plants, these are the best new Lego sets of May

The Smart Play-compatible Millenium Falcon set contains 885 pieces, slightly less than the 921 pieces of the 25th Anniversary Millenium Falcon midi-scale build (which is on sale for $67.99). The removable top folds out for more ways to play inside, like a game of holochess. You'll get four Smart Tags for four Smart Minifigures: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3PO.

Credit: Lego

Adding a Smart Brick activates the interactive light and sound effects like hyperdrive leaping to light speed, laser-shooting battles, fuel explosions, and Lightsaber clashes. Smart Play-compatible sets don't come with a Smart Brick — you'll only be able to find a Smart Brick in all-in-one sets. Put the $20 you saved at Best Buy toward Darth Vader's TIE Fighter and it's only $49.99, kind of.

If you're a Lego Insider, we'd suggest grabbing your all-in-one set at Lego.com. All Lego Star Wars Smart Play purchases through May 6 earn double the points, which can be redeemed later for even more Lego discounts. Spending $40 on Star Wars sets also unlocks a free Razor Crest mini-build.

Need to get rid of old Legos before bringing home new ones? You can recycle unwanted Bricks and minifigures using the Lego Replay free mail-in service.

The modern SUV market has quietly gotten out of hand. Prices keep climbing, and a lot of what you’re paying for is extra size and badge appeal you don’t really need.

It seems like every week another app or digital platform shuts down unexpectedly, and this time social media app Threads may be experiencing an outage.

On the morning of May 5, multiple Mashable editors were unable to access the Threads app.

DownDetector showed a spike in user error reports for Threads beginning around 8:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning. (Disclosure: DownDetector and Mashable are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)

A majority of DownDetector users reported problems accessing the Threads app.

Threads, Meta's answer to X, reported having more than 400 million monthly users in 2025.

Mashable reached out to Meta for comment, and we'll update this story if we receive a response.

This is a developing story...

SAVE $514: The 55-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV (QN80F) is on sale at Amazon for $785.99, down from the list price at Samsung of $1,299.99. That's a 40% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung 55-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV (QN80F) $785.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $514   Get Deal

Are you ready for summer streaming? We have season two of Avatar: The Last Airbender coming up in June, new Love Island, and a Little House on the Prairie show coming to Netflix. If you don't have a TV that feels up for these big shows, it might be time to upgrade. Check out this Samsung TV deal.

As of May 5, the 55-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV (QN80F) is on sale at Amazon for $785.99, down from the list price at Samsung of $1,299.99. That's a 40% discount.

Why is the 55-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV perfect for summer shows? For one, it has a QLED display which performs well for watching in daylight thanks to its bright display. It also has a native refresh rate of 120Hz which can reach up to 144Hz, making it a great gaming TV. Speaking of gaming, today's sale at Amazon includes one month of free access to Xbox GamePass for new users.

SEE ALSO: Amazon's most advanced Fire TV Stick, the 4K Max, is the cheapest it's ever been

Coming with 4K display, the Samsung uses an AI upscaler with 20 neutral networks to get the sharpest and smoothest picture. Samsung also used multi-dimensional speakers in this model to give you the feeling of being in the center of the show.

In addition to coming with free Xbox GamePass, Amazon is offering free delivery and unpacking service, instead of the normal price of $29.99. Delivery includes unboxing of the TV in your room of your choice and removal of packaging.

Since it's on sale ahead of summer streaming for under $800, upgrade to the 55-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV. It'll be ready for new shows and summer gaming.

SAVE $80: Through May 25, new and returning subscribers can sign up for an entire year of streaming on AMC+ for just $29.99. That's more than 70% off the usual cost of $109.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: AMC+ AMC+ (1-year subscription) $29.99
$109.99 Save $80   Get Deal

A good streaming deal is hard to come by in 2026. Subscription prices are rising across the board, but AMC+ isn't playing by the same rules, apparently.

Through May 25, new, returning, and upgraded Annual Premium subscribers can get an entire year of streaming on AMC+ for only $29.99 instead of the typical cost of $109.99. That's $80 or over 70% in savings, which knocks down the monthly fee to just $2.50. After a year, your subscription will revert back to full cost unless you cancel before then. But just think of all of the things you can watch within a 12-month span.

It may not be the most popular streaming service out there, but AMC+ is actually pretty stacked when it comes to content. It's where you can watch the entire Shudder library, making it a must-have for horror lovers. The Lili Reinhart and Lola Tung-led witchy horror Forbidden Fruits will make its debut on the streamer next month. It's also where you can watch AMC original series like the Silicon Valley satire The Audacity and the latest season of the brilliant Interview with the Vampire, now titled The Vampire Lestat, which premieres June 7. You can use this now affordable streaming subscription to catch up on or rewatch the first two seasons before Season 3's premiere. (And while you're at it, you can listen to Lestat's singles "Long Face" and "All Fall Down" on Spotify).

Whether you're looking to broaden your streaming horizons this year or you just love a good streaming deal, a year of AMC+ for just $29.99 is hard to pass up.

The modern Windows interface is primarily based around a graphical user interface (GUI) that you interact with using the mouse, but it isn't my preferred way to use my PC. Instead, I mostly use keyboard shortcuts, and at the heart of that approach is Alt+Tab.

SAVE $100: As of May 5, get the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete for $1,599.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,699.99. That's a discount of 6% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete $1,599.99 at Amazon
$1,699.99 Save $100   Get Deal

If you're tired of spending all your time cleaning your house, join the club. It's a chore no one really wants to do, but a necessary one. Fortunately, robot vacuums are a great option to make it a little easier, and there's one in particular that can help you tackle that task with gusto. It's also available for the lowest price we've tracked so far.

As of May 5, get the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete for $1,599.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,699.99. That's $100 off and a discount of 6%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: I found the best robot vacuums for every floor, budget, and level of laziness

This robot vacuum's not lying when it dubs itself the "Max Ultra Complete". It can do just about everything and then some, with 35,000Pa of suction to suck up dirt and debris as its extremely slim profile goes everywhere you need it to. That includes under beds, sofas, and other difficult to reach places. Using dual AI-equipped cameras, it can set up its own navigation to get through your home with ease, and keep from bumping into things.

It also can intelligently detect steps and navigate around those. When it does happen to get to an area that's difficult to reach, it can use its MopExtend RoboSwing tech to get to corners and beneath furniture as well as edges.

Switching over to the mop is painless as well, with scrubbing that reaches up to 230RPM to get those set-in stains out of everywhere you need to mop. And with hot-air drying, a self-emptying dock, and extensive app customization, you can truly sit back, relax, and let this bot handle your entire cleaning schedule.

Now that it's on sale, it's a good time to go ahead and splurge. It'll handle all the vacuuming and mopping so you have time for other things.