Summer Olympics in Tokyo to allow spectators

In a recent announcement, the International Olympics Committee has stated that the Summer Olympics in Tokyo will include up to 10,000 Japanese spectators at each event, and the organizers will follow the required pandemic protocols for athletes from hard-hit countries. Officials said that foreign spectators wouldn't be permitted to travel to Japan to attend the Olympics.

The new guidelines released by the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo organizers said venues could be filled up to 50 percent capacity, with a maximum of 10,000 spectators at each event. "If the situation becomes very dire, we would have to hold the Games without spectators," Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said.

Officials hope that the restrictions will build confidence among Japan's skeptical public that the Games can be held safely even though the pandemic is not brought under control. Officials did not clarify whether that sanction meant athletes could be barred from future Olympics and the sanctions would apply for which violations and said they could not detail the size of potential fines. There will be a disciplinary committee that will be charged with weighing any violations and possible punishments.

 

 

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.

 

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.