The proliferation of data centers aiming to meet the computational needs of AI could be bad news for the US power grid, according to a new report in Bloomberg. Using the 1 million residential sensors tracked by Whisker Labs, along with market intelligence data from DC Byte, Bloomberg found that more than half of the households showing the worst power distortions live within 20 miles of significant data center activity. In other words, there appears to be a link between data center proximity and “bad harmonics” — a term for the less-than-ideal flow of electrical power into homes. Bloomberg says…
Author: Olsi
Nvidia NVDA 0.39%increase; green up pointing triangle is set to bring its new technology for powering humanoid robots to market in the first half of 2025, aiming to stake its claim in the fast-growing robotics sector, a senior company executive said. The chipmaking giant Nvidia is leaning more heavily into robotics in 2025. More specifically, in the first half of the new year, confirms the Financial Times, Nvidia is launching a new generation of compact computers for humanoid robots called Jetson Thor. The move, which was expected, is part of an evolving, years-long strategy. Nvidia doesn’t plan to compete directly…
It’s basically the YouTube equivalent of Google’s ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button. YouTube is testing a new floating “Play something” button that will pick a video for you, 9to5Google spotted in the YouTube app for Android. The button floats just above the bottom bar of the app, and when tapped, it picks a YouTube video to play for you. Just as in earlier versions of this feature, YouTube’s been testing the new button reportedly uses the portrait-oriented YouTube Shorts player to show videos, regardless of whether they’re vertically formatted Shorts or standard YouTube videos. Hopefully that changes by the time the…
Three crypto industry groups — the DeFi Education Fund, the Blockchain Association, and the Texas Blockchain Council — are suing the Internal Revenue Service to block new regulations that require decentralized finance (DeFi) entities to report customer information. The IRS has been finalizing crypto tax regulations as part of the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The IRS says these new rules should help “close the information gap with respect to digital assets.” The lawsuit, on the other hand, claims that this approach would unduly burden “DeFi trading front-ends,” — basically, online platforms that allow users to access crypto…
Apple fans who were looking to buy an iPhone SE or iPhone 14 from the company in the EU are out of luck. All of Apple’s devices utilizing Lightning ports have now been pulled from stores. On Saturday, Dec. 28, the European Union’s new rules making USB-C the standard connection for charging smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices officially went into effect. As a result, Apple has removed all of its Lightning-based devices from Apple Stores. Apple devices with Lightning ports that were still being sold by the company, like the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE, were…
CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly told Google employees that 2025 will be a “critical” year for the company. CNBC reports that it obtained audio from a December 18 strategy meeting where Pichai and other executives put on ugly holiday sweaters and laid out their priorities for the coming year. “I think 2025 will be critical,” Pichai said. “I think it’s really important we internalize the urgency of this moment, and need to move faster as a company. The stakes are high. The moment, of course, is one where tech companies like Google are making heavy investments in AI, and often with…
The world of high fashion and luxury has seen its fair share of opulent smartphones. Caviar has been carrying the mantle in the modern age, making decadent versions of Apple and Samsung smartphones that use everything from alligator leather and python skin to diamond and meteorite fragments. The latest from the brand is a triple-folding Huawei Mate XT covered in 24-carat gold. Caviar calls it the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design Gold Dragon, a fittingly lavish name for a device that costs $18,200 for the 1TB edition. Caviar If, however, you are hunting for some bargain on your lavish smartphone…
As part of its celebration of the 2024 holiday season, Epic Games is giving away a free title each day until January 1. Today, that late stocking stuffer is Orcs Must Die 3, an action-packed battle through hordes of orcs that combines aspects of hack-and-slash gameplay with tower defense. Normally $30, this game is yours for the low price of just a click, but only until tomorrow at 11 a.m. Epic Games has given away one free item each day since December 19, and this one joins the ranks of heavy hitters like Vampire Survivors, Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles, TerraTech, Wizard…
The AI-fication of the iPhone was heavily anticipated, apparently more so by analysts and investors than the average user. Apple Intelligence put AI in all key places that define an iPhone, including Mail, Photos, Safari, notifications, Notes — you name it. But those changes haven’t, been, welcomed by all. The Photos redesign continues to test the patience of iPhone users. But the Mail app is not too far off in the rage race. On Reddit and other user forums, many have been venting their frustration against the new categorization system, which sorts emails across different classes. Thanks in no part…
The HomePod mini first launched in 2020 to mediocre praise. While Apple fans celebrated the bite-sized speaker, other critics pointed out that it lacked the intelligence of its competitors. The main selling point of the HomePod mini is its sound quality, now that so many other smart speakers have rid themselves of the tinny audio that first plagued their launch, Apple will need to step it up if it introduces the rumored HomePod mini 2 next year. Unfortunately, it seems the planned upgrades aren’t that noteworthy, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The new smart home speaker is said to come…
