That is immediately’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on the planet of know-how.
Exascale computer systems: 10 Breakthrough Applied sciences 2024
In Might 2022, the worldwide supercomputer rankings had been shaken up by the launch of Frontier. It’s the quickest supercomputer on the planet, and might carry out as many calculations in a single second as 100,000 laptops.
With its launch, the period of exascale computing formally started. A number of extra such exascale computer systems will quickly be a part of its ranks, from the US, Europe, and reportedly additionally China. Scientists and engineers are keen to make use of these turbocharged computer systems to advance a spread of fields. And the progress gained’t cease right here. Learn the total story.
—Sophia Chen
Exascale computer systems is one in every of MIT Expertise Overview’s 10 Breakthrough Applied sciences for 2024. Try the remainder of the listing and vote for the ultimate eleventh breakthrough—we’ll reveal the winner in April.
+ What’s subsequent for the world’s quickest supercomputers. Scientists have begun working experiments on the world’s first official exascale machine, whereas services worldwide construct different machines to hitch the ranks. Learn the total story.
Google DeepMind’s new AI system can clear up complicated geometry issues
The information: Google DeepMind has created an AI system that may clear up complicated geometry issues. This system combines a language mannequin with a kind of AI referred to as a symbolic engine, which makes use of symbols and logical guidelines to make deductions. These two approaches work collectively to resolve troublesome mathematical issues.
Why it issues: Arithmetic serves as an essential benchmark to gauge progress in AI intelligence. This new program is a big step in the direction of machines with extra human-like reasoning abilities. Learn the total story.
—June Kim
How scorching salt might remodel nuclear energy
For greater than a month in whole, 12 metric tons of molten salt coursed by means of pipes at Kairos Energy in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The corporate is growing a brand new sort of nuclear reactor that will probably be cooled utilizing this salt combination, and its first large-scale check cooling system simply accomplished 1,000 hours of operation in early January. That is the second main milestone for Kairos in latest weeks. In December, the US Nuclear Regulatory Fee granted a development allow for the corporate’s first nuclear check reactor.
Nuclear energy crops can present a gentle supply of carbon-free power, however tasks to construct them have been suffering from delays and skyrocketing budgets. Kairos hopes to alter nuclear powers’ fortunes with a brand new model of the know-how that would reduce prices and development instances. Learn the total story.
—Casey Crownhart
To learn extra in regards to the subsequent technology of nuclear reactors, try the newest version of The Spark, our weekly local weather and power publication. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Wednesday.
A brand new AI-based danger prediction system might assist catch lethal pancreatic most cancers circumstances earlier
What’s occurred: A brand new AI system might assist detect the most typical type of pancreatic most cancers, new analysis has discovered. The system outperformed present diagnostic requirements and could possibly be utilized in a scientific setting to establish sufferers who would profit from early screening or testing, serving to catch the illness earlier and save lives.
How they did it: The researchers fed two AI fashions anonymized knowledge from 6 million digital well being information, 35,387 of which had been pancreatic most cancers circumstances, from 55 health-care organizations within the US. The neural community recognized 35% of sufferers who had the illness as excessive danger 6 to 18 months earlier than they had been recognized, in comparison with present screening tips of 10%. Learn the total story.
—Rhiannon Williams
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you immediately’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 Garbled AI-generated textual content is taking up the online Notably mistranslations of languages spoken in Africa and the International South. (Motherboard)
+ We’re hurtling towards a glitchy, spammy, scammy, AI-powered web. (MIT Expertise Overview)
2 A mission to construct a chip manufacturing unit in Arizona has run into problem
TSMC stated it’s more likely to miss but extra deadlines to get it up-and-running. (WSJ $)+ China could possibly be staring down the barrel of extra restrictions. (CNBC)
+ The $100 billion guess {that a} postindustrial US metropolis can reinvent itself as a high-tech hub. (MIT Expertise Overview)
3 It seems to be like China might attain the moon earlier than the US
The nation’s speedy progress has US politicians rattled. (WP $)
+ In the meantime, Astrobotic’s failed lunar lander is because of expend tomorrow. (TechCrunch)
4 Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Meta’s board
After 12 years advising the corporate. (BBC)
+ Her departure comes as Meta absolutely focuses its attentions on AI. (WP $)
5 Samsung’s new telephones are filled with AI options
It’s making an attempt to safe an early lead as the primary smartphone agency to completely embrace AI. (Bloomberg $)+ The telephones can translate calls in actual time and pace up search. (WSJ $)
+ The smartphone market isn’t wanting too scorching as of late. (FT $)
6 Google continues to be retaining abortion clinic location knowledge
A 12 months and a half after promising to delete it. (The Guardian)
+ Google has been compelled to make it clearer that it tracks Incognito Mode customers. (Wired $)
7 What comes after Ozempic?
Sufferers taking the drug will see a slow-down of their weight reduction. New medication might permit them to maintain shedding the kilos. (The Atlantic $)
+ However the long-term well being impacts of those medication are nonetheless unknown. (MIT Expertise Overview)
8 Spotify doesn’t care about area of interest artists
Its plans to cull tracks below a sure listening threshold confirms it. (FT $)
9 The JWST is popping all the things we all know in regards to the universe on its head
Astronomers’ predictions aren’t matching their observations. (Vox)
+ How the James Webb Area Telescope broke the universe. (MIT Expertise Overview)
10 Right here’s the way to use your gadgets much less
However nonetheless get all the things finished. (NYT $)
+ The right way to sign off. (MIT Expertise Overview)
Quote of the day
“Scholar ought to look ‘studenty’ and have a healthy-looking BMI.”
—A doc from meals supply robotic firm Starship obtained by 404 Media instructs a public college to advertise its service on campus with pictures and movies that includes a really particular type of pupil.
The large story
The way forward for open supply continues to be very a lot in flux
August 2023
When Xerox donated a brand new laser printer to MIT in 1980, the corporate couldn’t have recognized that the machine would ignite a revolution.
Whereas the early a long time of software program improvement usually ran on a tradition of open entry, this new printer ran on inaccessible proprietary software program, a lot to the horror of Richard M. Stallman, then a 27-year-old programmer on the college.
A couple of years later, Stallman launched GNU, an working system designed to be a free different to one of many dominant working programs on the time: Unix. The free-software motion was born, with a easy premise: for the great of the world, all code needs to be open.
Forty years later, tech firms are making billions on proprietary software program, and far of the know-how round us is inscrutable. However whereas Stallman’s motion might seem like a failed experiment, the free and open-source software program motion shouldn’t be solely alive and nicely; it has turn into a keystone of the tech trade. Learn the total story.
—Rebecca Ackermann
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre instances. (Acquired any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ Being cringe is cool—I promise.
+ Mob spouse stylish is the newest magnificence development gripping the web, and we’ve The Sopranos to thank.
+ Get pleasure from some comforting pasta recipes to brighten up these chilly months.
+ William Shatner is one man who actually lives life to its fullest.
+ It’s time to get excited: The White Lotus is heading again to our display screen quickly, however not quickly sufficient.
