Wednesday, 23 June 2021

 

Intel launches robust silicon and software for 5G wireless networks

Intel, an American multinational corporation and technology company has announced that its silicon chips and software are accelerating 5G wireless networks at the edge. Now, the chipmaker is launching new chips to further improve its position in virtual radio access networks (vRAN) and other 5G wireless technologies. The company has reported that by 2023, 75 percent of data will be created outside of the datacenter, at the edge in factories, hospitals, retail stores, and across cities.

Therefore, developers want to converge various capabilities at the edge, and Intel wants to be there with the right technology.IntelvRAN promises cloud-like agility and automation capabilities that can help optimize the RAN performance and ultimately improve the experience for users.Intel is also expanding its FPGA (field programmable gate array), for highly programmable chips.

The chipmaker is also adding a new FPGA with integrated cryptography acceleration that supports MACSec in wireless applications. This adds another layer of security to vRAN at the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul levels, that is designed for space-constrained systems on the edge and well-suited for both high-bandwidth 4G and 5G RAN.

Tuesday, 22 June 2021

 

General Motors expands its Electric Vehicle investments and plans to build more battery manufacturing capacity

General Motors, an American multinational corporation has stated that it will increase its EV investments to $35 billion through 2025.The automaker made an initial commitment in March 2020 to invest $20 billion including capital, engineering expenses, and other development costs. GM said that it plans to become carbon neutral by 2040. The company worked with the Environmental Defense Fund to develop a vision of an all-electric future.

GM has also outlined plans to transition to electric vehicles or other zero-emissions vehicle technologies. The automaker said at the time that it believed that the energy sector was well on its way to a decarbonized grid and that an all-electric future would be supported by renewable infrastructure and technology.

GM has also confirmed that it plans to launch its third-generation HYDROTEC fuel cells with greater power density and lower costs by mid-decadewith two-thirds available in North America. The company also said it would deliver 30 new EV models by 2025 globally. In addition, GM will add U.S. assembly capacity for EV SUVs, and the details will be available soon.


 

 

Defense Tech Startup Anduril Raises $450M to Make Invincible Technomancers

Defense technology startup Anduril Industries Inc. in a recent press meet has announced thatit has raised $450 million in new funding in an aim to turn allied warfighters into invincible technomancers. It is reported that serial entrepreneur and investor Elad Gil led the Series D round. Other renowned investors included Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, Valor Equity Partners, and D1 Capital Partners. The round was raised at anestimate of $4.6 billion.

Anduril’s new Lattice AI software platform protects the company’s security solutions using computer vision, machine learning, and mesh networking to combine real-time sensor data into a single, autonomous operations picture and command and control platform. Now it is being used to support operations with the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the U.K. Ministry of Defense and other agencies.

Anduril has also designed several other small drones programmed to ram into targets that enter contested airspace. These drones can defend against other drones that might be used to spy or attack military assets.Other notable achievements for Anduril include obtaining first-ever Program of Record with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is currently used by the US defense system.


 

 

Children and parents are turning towards online games to get rid of lockdown blues

Online gaming has paved the way for fathers and children to converse, connect, and compete with each other in an excellent interactive environment. As we know that the pandemic has triggered multiple lockdowns worldwide, confining families indoors. However, this has resulted in affecting the mental health of various parents and their children. The global population has reached a whopping 2.2 billion, out of which 28 percent is made up of children. Evidence from various reports suggests that being confined within four walls can significantly impact people's mental health. On the other hand, therapists have reported that many people are reaching out to them for help during the pandemic.

The ongoing pandemic has briefly halted in-person academic classes, and this has resulted in students not meeting their classmates and students for a long time. An estimate suggests that almost 168 million children are now missing their in-person classes. Furthermore, the delay of Board exams is also creating distress among the students and parents. Lack of vaccination for people under 18 years and strict lockdown measures has forced children to stay indoors. Children are now turning towards online gaming to find solace because the games provide an opportunity for fair competition, interaction, and engagement.

 

European Central Bank Says Digital Euro Would Protect Privacy

 

The European Central Bank, in a recent announcement, has stated that the digital version of the euro would protect the privacy of consumers as well as shield member states in the monetary union from the loss of economic sovereignty that occurs due to the growing use of cryptocurrencies or digital currencies created by governments. If the central bank steps into the digital payments sector, privacy is going to be better protected.

Privacy is one of the major concerns that emerge from gauging public interest in European Central Bank digital currency and cryptocurrency. Still, developers of a potential ECB digital currency have tested ways to separate the identity of participants in a transaction. The payment will go through, but nobody in the payment chain would have access to all the information.

Addressing a key political issue around digital currencies, ECB said that there is the potential threat from others issuing a digital means of payment. If people do want to pay digitally and the banks do not offer them a digital means of payment, somebody else would do that. This will result in data breaches. To stop this, ECB is stepping into the digital currency sector.