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The New Scientist hosted an Emerging Technologies Summit in London, where business executives and thought leaders gathered to discuss the impact of the latest innovations on various industries. Topics covered included quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and the space industry. Presenters highlighted the positive effects of these technologies, such as the use of generative AI in drug design and testing, the incorporation of AI tools in the creative industries, and the application of quantum key distribution in securing financial information. The event also emphasized the need for ethical and responsible adoption of emerging technologies and the importance of managing and mitigating risks. [Extracted from the article]

Industrial artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize industries and contribute to global sustainability. AI systems can optimize industrial processes for holistic business, social, and environmental outcomes. For example, Siemens has used AI to improve water management by reducing leaks and predicting blockages in sewage systems. AI can also be used to manage the environmental impact of data centers and improve energy efficiency. While there are concerns about the energy requirements of AI, its computing efficiency is improving. To fully realize the benefits of AI, existing infrastructure, data, and sensor networks should be utilized, and interoperability between different technologies is crucial. Overall, AI has the potential to help humanity achieve a smarter and more environmentally friendly future. [Extracted from the article]

This article from New Scientist provides a few interesting scientific findings. Firstly, researchers have discovered that soil bacteria called Myxococcus xanthus consume another type of bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens, when the temperature is 32°C (90°F), but the tables turn when the P. fluorescens is raised at 22°C (72°F), leading to the extinction of M. xanthus. Secondly, male Antechinus, a shrew-like marsupial from Australia, sacrifice three hours of sleep per night during their breeding period before dying of exhaustion. Lastly, an International Energy Agency report predicts that the demand for internet services and AI will cause data centers to double their electricity consumption in two years, reaching 1000 terawatt-hours in 2026. [Extracted from the article]

Surprising seismic activity on Mars The most powerful quake we have recorded on Mars was produced by tectonic forces from within its crust, not a meteor impact. The magnitude-4.7 quake was detected by NASA's InSight lander in 2022 and hints Mars is more seismically active than we thought (Geophysical Research Letters, doi.org/gsv8cs). Keep servers warm to save energy Data centres could save up to 56 per cent of the energy used on cooling by running at 41°C (106°F) rather than at 22°C (72°F), without significantly affecting performance (Cell Reports Physical Science, doi.org/ kz9v). [Extracted from the article]

Views Book Blood in the Machine Brian Merchant Little Brown NOBODY likes being described as someone who mindlessly opposes technology and is doomed to irrelevance. Instead of naively raging against all machines, the 19th-century Luddites were motivated by clear-eyed recognition of how some local entrepreneurs - whom Merchant describes as the "first tech titans" - deployed water-and steam-powered technologies such as power looms to churn out lower-quality yarn and cloth, replacing skilled artisan weavers with low-paid factory workforces doing dull and dangerous tasks. Those entrepreneurs knowingly chose to adopt automation for the sake of maximising business profits while destroying the "flexible and family-oriented" cottage industry lifestyle that had sustained hundreds of thousands of weavers and their families. [Extracted from the article]

Such estimates may be overblown, but evidence of rising power consumption from AI is all around. According to one analysis, if Google chose to shift to an entirely AI-powered search business, its electricity consumption could rival that of some countries (see page 11). [Extracted from the article]

Instead, it seems to me that it will be more practical to make silicon-based AIs mimic biological brains than to turn biological brains in vats into AIs. Perhaps we should be worrying about the welfare of future AIs just as much as we do about how AIs will affect human welfare in the future. So the idea is that living brains, or at least living brain tissue, could be much more efficient than silicon-based AI for some tasks. [Extracted from the article]

AN UNDERWATER data centre could start operating off the west coast of the US before the end of 2022. Unlike most land-based data centres, the servers in a pod are directly immersed in a special fluid similar to mineral oil that doesn't conduct electricity. "By placing the data centres subsea, we eliminate the electrically driven cooling which is 40 per cent of the power consumption", says Maxie Reynolds, co-founder of Subsea Cloud, the firm behind the project. [Extracted from the article]

Big Tech and civil war enthusiasts are clashing over efforts to build new data centres near historic US battlefields, writes Jeremy Hsu [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diode - an electronic component that lets electricity preferentially travel in one direction - is a fundamental part of the transistor, the foundational component of modern computing. Superconductors have no resistance and so no energy loss, but they don't work as diode components, since resistance is how diodes ensure that electricity travels in only one direction. Diodes and transistors are made from semiconductors that have electrical resistance, meaning energy is lost in the form of heat. [Extracted from the article]