There is an ever-shifting demand for datacentre capacity, which requires stakeholders to consider everything from power supply and cooling, through government policy and planning, to processing needs, connectivity, labour availability and location.Theres more change and uncertainty in how the market is going to develop right now than theres ever been, says Andrew Jay, head of EMEA datacentre solutions at commercial realtor CBRE.Right now, right here, its really difficult to predict exactly where the new datacentres in the UK are going to get built.Facilities may need to be sited in a specific area. Technologies evolve, making this or that scenario more or less feasible and costly. In addition, power availability in sought-after locations remains a UK and global problem one which CBRE research suggests will require greater collaboration among stakeholders, from datacentre operators, investors and property developers to utility companies.Operators might look at new ways to reduce grid congestion or lift reliability or consistency of supply, as well as decreasing costs. According to Jay, who also sits on the UK datacentre trade association administered through TechUK, this should include grid-enhancing technologies and micro-grids but these may take years more to build out and involve changes at government policy level.Theres a mismatch between the time needed to change up power availability in the UK and the time needed to build a new datacentre, Jay notes.What were saying to the government very politely is that, rather than land for AI [artificial intelligence] zones, we need to first look at UK power infrastructure, discussing plans and the art of the possible with the new National Energy System Operator (NESO) and the National Grid.NESOs 2023 analysis the latest available projects total annual UK electricity demand of 570TWh (terawatt-hours) if net-zero targets are not met by 2050 and 726TWh if they are met by 2046. Thats up from 286TWh in 2022.Competition for resources has been part-driven by the perceived gold rush to deploy and support AI, estimated to require multiples of the power needed in traditional enterprise IT. Globally, many are agitating for datacentres serving AI and large language models (LLMs) to come on stream as soon as possible, with the mantra develop capacity or be left behind.CBREs February figures suggest that 937MW (megawatts) of new European supply could come online this year. While 57% of this is expected in the main hubs London, Dublin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris double-digit supply expansion is expected in five of 10 secondary markets tracked by CBRE. Seven of those 10, including Milan and Madrid, will exceed 100MW as 2025 closes, up from just four on 31 December 2022.Ironically, micro-grids and renewables mean it has become quite a complicated exercise to work out exactly what power is coming on when and where, versus the past when those commissioning datacentre builds just needed to know when the power station would be switched on. Jay notes that electricity generation landscapes have changed massively in the past five years. At the same time, theres little chance that regulatory frameworks will be ready to support small modular reactors (SMRs) to fill supply gaps in the next five or more years.This all suggests building collaborative efforts in capacity planning, to mitigate risks where possible, might be appropriate. Beyond the electricity requirements, planners need to consider the land required to build these datacentres.With so many moving targets, it makes sense for operators to take their future into their own hands as much as possible.One thing to do is continue to reduce risk by maximising energy efficiencies by deploying energy-saving technologies and energy-efficient designs; reducing the overall need for equipment on site; and replacing inefficient setups, including for cooling.Artificial intelligence is one area driving demand for new datacentre builds. The second is hyperscale cloud. Typically, customers are looking for mega facilities hosting one or two customers, says Samus Dunne, managing director for the UK and Ireland at Digital Realty.The government has been focusing on the need for AI development zones up and down the country, yet hyperscalers often seek to be somewhere like west London, where availability zones need to be within 100 miles (161km) or so of each other. They need density of connectivity options such as fibre-optic cables and subsea cable points.West London has built up over a couple of decades. Thats almost impossible to replicate, says Dunne. But across Europe, thousands of enterprises need and want to use such facilities. While what the government is doing is not wrong, its not all about AI Samus Dunne, Digital RealtyIndeed, Digital Realtys main customers are in enterprise IT, comprising everything from banks and financial services to pharma, medical, retail and manufacturing businesses. When building a datacentre, it expects interest from hundreds of customers doing various things in aid of economic growth and productivity, he points out.While what the government is doing is not wrong, its not all about AI, Dunne adds. He believes there needs to be more focus on catering for the datacentre capacity requirements of enterprise customers.Dunne believes the government should be wary of focusing too heavily on mega datacentres that are built mainly for AI training. Inference is where you use it [AI], typically nearer population centres, he adds.While recent planning reforms have been positive, theyre insufficient on their own to address the complexity of buyer-group requirements and the consequent lack of datacentre capacity, he says.Renewables and efficient cooling advances can help, but are simply tweaking at the edges as power densities rise. However, Dunne believes that more attention should be paid to plans for different user needs for instance, developing the London, Oxford and Cambridge triangle further which, according to Dunne, are essential to support ongoing research.Among the many barriers to building out datacentre capacity is finance, as David Bloom, chairman of datacentre operator Kao Data and CEO and founder of investor Goldacre, explains. This sector has a delightful set of barriers to entry, he says. Because, whisper it quietly, the purpose of investment is to make money.He urges industry and government to develop joined-up thinking on buildings, construction and overall infrastructure. Supporting technological advances with datacentre capacity must be planned for as part of a larger national picture.Of course, individual organisations are free to set their own agendas as well ... but these, too, should be based on first principles. This should help to expose and manage the risks of any given pathway.For example, what do we mean when we say AI opportunities? What are they? What are the first principles? What are we trying to achieve? Sometimes I feel that isnt clear, says Bloom.According to Bloom, only a small share of the global datacentre installed base today processes AI workloads. Large investments without a strong use case may not pay off. Humans have a tendency to assume the future will resemble the past but extrapolated upward curves based on past performance are not necessarily predictive.Oversupply can also curb datacentre capacity plans. For instance, in February, investor TD Cowen reported Microsofts cancellation of several US datacentre leases in the hundreds of megawatts and pulled back on converting statements of qualification into signed leases.Bloom says that even if AI requirements accelerate, judging future capacity needs sensibly should begin with analysing carefully what you want to achieve, then working out how to support that goal.Start with a question you do know the answer to, he says. To reach that future, what do you want, what do you actually need, what should you do, and who is going to do it?Bloom says a lack of understanding does hold back datacentre developments. A datacentre professional can end up in front of local councillors who, through no fault of their own, have spent 20-odd years signing off housing, and maybe offices or industrial. He recommends that a set of very understandable and clear guidelines are needed for local councils, in addition to education outreach and help from the industry. Not all developments should be approved, yet sometimes wrong decisions are made, he adds.It follows that anything that reduces uncertainties or a fuller understanding of risk can ease datacentre capacity planning.In September 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) put datacentres on an equal footing to water, energy and emergency services systems, designating them as critical national infrastructure (CNI).DSITs classification of datacentres as critical to the UK means there is now a dedicated CNI data infrastructure team of senior government officials who are tasked with monitoring and anticipating potential threats. This team provides prioritised access to security agencies, including the National Cyber Security Centre. It is also responsible for coordinating access to emergency services should an incident occur.Peter Judge, senior research analyst at Uptime Intelligence, says even eligibility for CNI status can prove double-edged. First, not all datacentres are doing critical work and therefore classed as CNI for instance, something inessential that doesnt support continuity of life, however defined. Operators cant assume that if generators and the grid fails, theyll be able to requisition 10 diesel tankers a week to keep going, says Judge.Are you serving frivolous videos, or supporting national services? Quid pro quo, the government will want more transparency into whats happening in datacentres, he says.It might be harder to greenlight certain projects. Managing risk itself becomes more critical and potentially costly. Security, cyber security, confidentiality and resilience will loom larger.With great power comes great responsibility. Theyll be required to fall in line with government policy and also be transparent to local objections and explain the necessity of what theyre doing, he says.Colocation providers have specifically noted that revealing more about their activities might break the contract they have with their customers, Judge adds.In short, UK datacentre capacity planning remains a complexity of siloed stakeholders, often with conflicting interests. Pros and cons exist for each variable in any given proposal, against an evolving compliance backdrop.Bodies like NESO are grappling with the challenges. Meanwhile, operators might be best advised to act to reduce uncertainties where possible in their own capacity plans.Read more datacentre storiesThe Data Bill considering datacentres hunger for power: New legislation to govern the use of data needs to also consider the implications of all that data when it comes to powering the datacentres needed to store and process our growing demand for information.How to keep datacentres cool: We look at how datacentre cooling is developing, and how the right choice can increase capacity and cut costs.

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In a rush to get Colossus up and running, Musks AI company is relying on the same environmentally unfriendly, natural gas-powered turbines used to restore power in natural disasters.By Cyrus Farivar, Forbes StaffWhen Memphis, Tennessees grid couldnt provide all the electricity needed to power xAIs new Colossus data center, the Elon Musk led artificial intelligence company turned to a quick and dirty solution: mobile natural gas turbines.These power plants on wheels are usually a last resort during emergencies, not a permanent solution; They were crucial in restoring power in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria left the island in ruins, for example. But data centers around the country have started to use them as a stopgap solution. There are at least four at the xAI site, possibly more, churning out not only electricity but pollutants like nitrous oxide and formaldehyde.But shortly after the data center became operational, it became apparent to local journalists, along with environmental activists, that no public agency had actually authorized the use of mobile gas turbines that are powering it.Patrick Anderson, a lawyer with the Southern Environmental Law Center, wrote the Shelby County Health Department in August 2024 to verify that xAI is operating these turbines without the required air permit and bring an appropriate enforcement action for failing to obtain a permit.xAI did not respond to a request from Forbes for comment.It wasnt until January 2025 that xAIs sister company, CTC Property LLC, finally submitted a formal permit application to the Shelby County Department of Health to not only backdate approval of the four mobile gas turbines already in operation, but to add 11 more. That would give the site 150 MW of power on top of the 150 MW that the local grid is already providing it. All told, that's enough electricity to power nearly 100,000 homes. (This document was first obtained and reported on in January by The Commercial Appeal, a newspaper in Memphis.)While mobile turbines are cheap and easy to deploy compared to conventional natural gas-based stationary power plants, which can take years to build, they are considerably less energy efficient sometimes by as much as 50%. Theyre also much dirtier, emitting significantly more pollutants, primarily nitrous oxide and formaldehyde, per unit of energy generated.Its very much a quick and dirty approach thats very wasteful, financially and environmentally, Daniel Cohan, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, told Forbes.Its far more expensive to run your own gas generator than it is to buy electricity off the grid.But for AI companies in the growth-at-any-cost phase of a transformative industry, mobile gas turbines are an easy stopgap for delivering the additional energy their proliferating new data centers require at a time when energy firms and stationary gas turbine manufacturers are backlogged to the point of near crisis. Tech firms dont even need to buy them. Companies like Solaris Energy Infrastructure and APR Energy rent them out for years on end and theyre cashing in on exploding demand.Anybody that has any assets is lucky to have them right now, APR Energy CEO Chuck Ferry told Forbes. Those that dont are scrambling to build more. In January, Scott Strazik, the CEO of GE Vernova, the worlds largest turbine maker (market capitalization: $88 billion) said in an earnings call that the company plans to build 70 to 80 large scale stationary gas turbines in 2026 almost double the number it will produce this year.As easy as they might be to get up and running, in large enough numbers, mobile gas turbines are subject to stringent emissions standards, particularly in areas that are already environmentally-stressed, like the area in which xAIs data center is nestled. Despite this, the Shelby County Health Department told Forbes in a statement that there is no set timeline for approval of the mobile turbines at the xAI site.According to its application, xAI sister company CTC Property claims that its proposed 15 mobile gas turbines would emit 9.79, or just under 10 tons of formaldehyde per year a critical limit. Once any site crosses 10 tons per year, the EPA designates it as a major source of pollution under the Clean Air Act, triggering more regulation and monitoring, in part because formaldehyde is known to cause cancer. (Currently CTCs application states the site is a minor source.)This is a new scale of energy demand that is hard to compare with anything else weve really seen its kind of unprecedented, Anderson, the lawyer, told Forbes.Indeed, xAI is building out a second site in Memphis Whitehaven neighborhood where it recently purchased a $72.9 million lot. But is xAI also using mobile gas turbines here? It seems likely.Right around the same time, APR Energy announced that it had deployed four new mobile gas turbines. It did not say where or for whom. But in an interview with Forbes, CEO Chuck Ferry did reveal a location: Memphis.Asked if its new Memphis mobile gas turbine array was located in Whitehaven or contracted to xAI, he declined to say, telling Forbes the unnamed client had asked the company to keep it quiet. He refused to answer follow-up questions.Joan Carr, a spokesperson at the Shelby County Health Department, told Forbes no permit applications have been submitted for the Whitehaven location.More mobile gas turbines in Whitehaven will only make a rough environmental situation in south Memphis worse. The area hosts a former medical equipment sterilization company that the Environmental Protection Agency concluded presents an elevated cancer risk due to decades of a different kind of industrial pollution. Just five miles away is a functional oil refinery that generates particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide.And 12 miles to the east is a former military waste disposal site, which has been designated as a Superfund site, or one that needs longtime hazardous material cleanup. Should they be deployed, 15 more mobile generators pumping out nitrous oxide and formaldehyde will only make things worse.xAIs shrouded ask-for-permission-later approach is not normal and disrespectful to the local community thats already suffered from such environmental hazards, Anderson, the Southern Environmental Law Center attorney, told Forbes.That's extremely unusual and extremely weird, he said. Ive been working in this field for eight years and I've never heard of this once, much less twiceIts a pure disdain and disregard for the people of Memphis.MORE FROM FORBES

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The first product launched by Apple after Steve Jobs returned as CEO in 1997 was not the iPhone or the iPod, but a new desktop computer. The original "Bondi Blue" iMac was a revolutionary product that not only saved Apple from financial disaster but also reshaped the entire personal computer industry.In the late 1990s, Apple was a dying company. In the home market, it relied on a confusing lineup of Macintosh Performa computers, which were essentially repackaged Power Macintosh models designed for business and education.A poorly negotiated Macintosh clone program ended up hurting Apple more than it helped. Jobs discontinued the Performa models, ended the clone program, and secured a $150 million investment from Microsoft, which was trying to avoid a monopoly status for Windows.All Apple needed was a new home computer.Image credit: Daniel LuAt first, Apple developed the Macintosh NC as part of the Network Computer initiative promoted by Oracle's Larry Ellison. Ellison was appointed as an Apple board member when Jobs was reinstated as CEO.The idea was to create a computer without an external disk drive, which would rely on the internet for using apps. This concept wasn't far from that of today's Chromebooks, but in the era of physical media and dial-up modems it was still too early for that, and the project was canceled.TechSpot's Legends of Tech SeriesThe iconic tech gadgets that shaped our world. From groundbreaking gaming consoles to revolutionary mobile devices and music players, discover the legends of technology.A Fresh StartApple released the iMac in August 1998 for $1,299 (about $2,500 today). It was an all-in-one computer with a CD drive, the modern PowerPC G3 processor, and a built-in modem that made it easier to connect to the quickly growing internet, hence the "i" in its name.When Jobs unveiled the iMac on May 1998, he explained: "The 'i' stands for 'Internet,' but it also means 'individual,' 'instruct,' 'inform,' and 'inspire.'" At the time, the Internet was exploding in popularity, and Apple wanted to position the iMac as the easiest computer to get online which was a big deal in an era when setting up an Internet connection was still complicated.If you were born in this century, the iMac G3 may look to you like an innovative PC case with a built-in display, but it was in fact a stylish monitor with a built-in computer. Apple used a CRT instead of LCD with physical pixels, simply because it was more affordable at the time. The stereo speakers were positioned on the sides of the CD drive.Yes! The "i" in iMac originally stood for Internet but it quickly took on a broader meaning.The original model had a translucent Bondi Blue body (named after Bondi Beach in Australia), somewhat similar to the Newton-based eMate 300 laptop. Within months, the iMac was available in five different colors. The egg-shaped design is credited to Jony Ive, then Apple's new head of design. He drew inspiration for the iMac's curved translucent shell from a gumdrop candy and modern household objects, meaning for the computer feel more fun and inviting than the dull beige boxes of the time.Image credit: Teppo MoisioWhen monitors were shaped like ovens and predominantly beige, the iMac looked like nothing else. The original, single-button mouse, shaped like a hockey puck, was heavily criticized as an example of form over function and eventually replaced.Mirroring the removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone in 2016, the iMac didn't have a dedicated printer port, prompting the industry to switch to the obscure USB standard.Image credit: H. Michael KarshisMore significantly, two years before the first USB flash drive, the iMac didn't have a floppy disk drive a bold move that was heavily criticized. That made the external floppy drive one of the first popular USB devices.Apple's bet on CD-ROMs and USB was forward-thinking but controversial. The closest thing to that Apple has done since was the removal of the optical drive from the original MacBook Air in 2008.Steve Jobs was notoriously against using cooling fans in computers, preferring passive cooling to keep machines silent. However, the iMac's G3 processor ran too hot, so a whisper-quiet fan had to be added. Jobs only agreed after engineers convinced him it wouldn't ruin the user experience.It's a Hit!Image credit: Jim AbelesThe iMac became an immediate hit, selling 800,000 units in its first five months, making it one of the fastest-selling computers ever and marking the beginning of Apple's comeback. Utilizing Jeff Goldblum as a narrator, advertising was focused on the computer's elegant all-in-one design and ease of connecting to the internet.Apple estimated that almost a third of the units were sold to first-time computer buyers. Two companies were sued by Apple for releasing all-in-one computers with the iMac's color scheme.Released in 1999 for $1,599, the iBook wasn't just named and designed after the iMac, but also carried its legacy as the first consumer device with Wi-Fi support. An AirPort router would cost $299, and each matching Wi-Fi card would add $99 to that.Thanks to Apple's product placement efforts, its new computers appeared in the biggest movies and TV shows of that time Apple was aiming to becoming more than a computer maker but more of a cultural icon once again.The iMac was redesigned the same year with a more compact body, a CD/DVD slot instead of a pull-out tray, and a FireWire connector, initially used mostly to offload photos and video from digital cameras. The iBook switched to an all-white, rectangular design in 2001.By the end of 2001, the iMac had sold 6 million units.Then, Apple released the FireWire-enabled iPod, which could house 5GB of songs in a package as compact as the smallest Sony Walkman models. Without the success of the iMac, Apple wouldn't be able to release the iPod that early.The iMac Jobs WantedApple released a new iMac in early 2002, with a PowerPC G4 processor, an LCD screen and a radical new design. Jobs said that mounting a computer with a hard disk and an optical drive behind a flat display will make it "not very flat anymore," and create "the worst kind of cable mess, right in front of your eyes."Instead, Jobs chose to "let each element be true to itself": the 15-inch display was attached to the dome-shaped base with a mechanical arm that allowed tilt, height and swivel adjustment.For the education market, Apple released the eMac, with the same G4 processor and an all-white body similar to that of the iMac G3. It was eventually made available for the home market for $1,099. Later that year, Apple released a 17-inch version of the iMac G4 with a 16:10 aspect ratio.The problem with the new design was realized when the 20-inch version became available in 2003. The mechanical arm had to be made stiffer to prevent the display from sinking, and the base had to be heavier to counterbalance it. All in all, the new version was almost twice as heavy as the 17-inch model.The New Apple's ComputerThe company that released the iMac G5 in 2004 was very different from the one that created the iMac G3 six years earlier. By then, Apple was mostly known for the iPod, which became mainstream thanks to USB 2.0 support, and the iTunes Store, which ended the album era in the music business.The new iMac was made to look like the iPod, with an all-white chin and downward-facing speakers. It was the thinnest desktop computer of its time, at less than two inches. This design went against everything Jobs had said less than three years before. Not surprisingly, the iMac G5 wasn't presented by Jobs, but by Apple's head of marketing, Phil Schiller.The iMac's processor was replaced with an Intel Core in 2006, effectively ending Apple's PowerPC alliance with IBM and Motorola. The reason was Apple's disappointment in the efficiency of the G5, which was never used in a laptop.The move was accompanied by the "Get a Mac" advertising campaign, which highlighted the differences in software between the Mac and Windows platforms. As part of the transition, the high-end PowerBook was replaced by the MacBook Pro, and the iBook was replaced by the MacBook.With the release of the iPhone in 2007, the iMac switched to a curved design made of aluminum and black plastic. The 2009 model moved to a 16:9 aspect ratio. After the removal of the optical drive in 2012, the iMac's design remained the same for almost a decade.Apple released an iMac based on its own M-series processor in 2021, with a flat design, no disk drive option, and for the first time since the iMac G3, multiple colors. At 11.5mm, it was the first iMac thinner than the iMac G4's display. The iMac's design has remained the same since.Image credit: redditThe legacy of the iMac G3 isn't just today's iMacs, but the philosophy behind it: attractive design, ease of use, and leaving the past behind.The legacy of the iMac G3 isn't just today's iMacs, but the philosophy behind it: attractive design, ease of use, and leaving the past behind. This philosophy can be seen in the iPhone and the iPad, and this is the reason for the "i" in their name.

Nvidias RTX 50-series faced many problems upon launch. Now, six weeks later, those problems are still present, with the main issue being pricing and availability. Unfortunately, its not just scalpers that are racking up the prices: Asus just raised the prices of some of its best graphics cards by hundreds of dollars, leaving the MSRP in the rearview mirror.No matter the GPU you search for in the Asus Store, youll be hard-pressed to find one actually selling at MSRP. That, in itself, isnt strange. Asus, being Nvidias and AMDs board partner, makes its own versions of GPUs, and those cards often come at a premium due to things like more overclocking headroom or superior cooling. So, a higher price is to be expected, although AIBs should still offer a couple of models at MSRP.Recommended VideosA higher price is to be expected. Its the continuous price hikes that are worrying me. As spotted by VideoCardz, Asus adjusted the pricing for its RTX 5090 graphics cards. The most premium model, the ROG Astral LC, stayed at its (already eye-watering) price of $3,410; thats the price youll have to pay for a liquid-cooled card. However, the air-cooled model now costs $3,360, which is not much less than the one with the liquid cooler, and a whopping $280 more than it did before.The TUF models went up in price, too. The overclocked model has now hit $3,000; meanwhile, the non-OC variant costs $2,760. Considering that the MSRP for the RTX 5090 was supposed to be $1,999, all of these are a far cry from what we started with in late January.Even cheaper GPUs arent safe from the price hikes. AMDs RX 9070 XT is completely unavailable at MSRP, all the while Nvidias (supposedly) $550 goes up to $700 and beyond.Its a tough time to be a PC gamer. Some RTX 5090 cards sell for up to $6,000, all thanks to scalpers but those are few and far apart. However, the lack of availability compared to the big demand for the new GPUs is driving lasting price changes. We might see these GPUs drop down to MSRP one day, but Im afraid it wont be anytime soon.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsThose bezels are an eyesoreNot a performance bruteGoogles next mid-range smartphone in the Pixel-A series is reportedly right around the corner. Unsurprisingly, Google has done a poor job of keeping the leaks in check. The latest one gives a full-fledged video review treatment to the upcoming Pixel 9a, diving deep into its hardware, specs, and performance based on real-life testing.The video comes courtesy of tech influencer Sahil Karoul, and shows the phone in a light pink shade. In the video, Karoul mentions two storage variants 128GB and 256GB for the Pixel 9a. The packaging is nearly identical to the mainline Pixel 9 series phones, which also means there is no charging brick in the box.Recommended VideosSahil Karoul / YouTubeAs far as the core specifications go, the leak mentions a 6.3-inch OLED display with 1080 x 2424 pixels resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The peak brightness is claimed to be 2,700 nits, and there is Cornings Gorilla Glass 3 layer protecting the screen. What I cant quite take my eyes off, are those chunky bezels.Come on, Google!Please enable Javascript to view this contentAs per the video, the Pixel 9a comes equipped with a 5,100mAh battery and supports 23W wired charging. Theres also support for 7.5 wireless charging, half of what the Qi2 standard can achieve. Notably, the frame is metallic, but the rear shell is not glass. Instead, it is said to be some kind of plastic with a matte surface finish.Thankfully, the build is IP68-certified, which means it can shrug off a few occasional splashes without frying the internal circuits. As far as the performance goes, the Tensor G4 silicon is shown to reach a score of 1.04 million points on the AnTuTu benchmark.Sahil Karoul / YouTubeTo put those numbers into perspective, smartphones like the OnePlus 13 or the Red Magic 10 Pro, which are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon, score above 2.3 million points on the same benchmark. In a nutshell, Googles Tensor G4 silicon is nearly half as powerful as Qualcomms flagship silicon.The Geekbench tally, on the other hand, stands at 1530 (single-core) and 3344 (multi-core). On the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme Stress test, the phone delivered a top loop score of 2,604, with a stability score of 59.1% after repeated loop runs.In gaming scenarios, the Pixel 9a is shown defaulting to Smooth graphics preset with the Extreme frame rate range in PUBG, which isnt too shabby. The gameplay looks smooth, but there are intermittent stutters.Exclusive Google Pixel 9a Unboxing with Benchmark || Camera shots|| Gameplay || Speaker & DisplayIn the imagine department, Googles next mid-ranger is claimed to offer a 48-megapixel primary snapper and a 13-megapixel secondary camera for ultrawide capture. For selfie and video calling duties, Google has armed the Pixel 9a with a 13-megapixel camera. The main camera is said to be capable of 4K video capture at a 60fps frame rate, but the digital zoom range is capped at just 8x level. Given the rumored $500 asking price of the Pixel 9a, its quite a poor situation, especially when compared with budget-centric phones such as the Nothing Phone 3a series. The Pixel 9a will try to undercut the iPhone 16e in the market. However, it will face an uphill battle against the likes of the OnePlus 13R and the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, both of which offer a far superior Android package. Editors Recommendations

This story originally appeared inThe Debrief with Mat Honan, a weekly newsletter about the biggest stories in tech from our editor in chief.Sign up hereto get the next one in your inbox. Ive been mulling over something that Will Heaven, our senior editor for AI,pointed out not too long ago: that all the big players in AI seem to be moving in the same directions and converging on the same things. Agents. Deep research. Lightweight versions of models. Etc. Some of this makes sense in that theyre seeing similar things and trying to solve similar problems. But when I talked to Will about this, he said, it almost feels like a lack of imagination, right? Yeah. It does. What got me thinking about this, again, was a pair of announcements from Google over the past couple of weeks, both related to the ways search is converging with AI language models, somethingIve spent a lot of time reporting on over the past year. Google took direct aim at this intersection by adding new AI features from Gemini to search, and also by adding search features to Gemini. In using both, what struck me more thanhow wellthey work is that they are really just about catching up with OpenAIs ChatGPT. And their belated appearance in March of the year 2025 doesnt seem like a great sign for Google. Take AI Mode, which itannounced March 5. Its cool. It works well. But its pretty much a follow-along of what OpenAI was already doing. (Also, dont be confused by the name. Google already had something called AI Overviews in search, but AI Mode is different and deeper.) As the company explained in a blog post, This new Search mode expands what AI Overviews can do with more advanced reasoning, thinking and multimodal capabilities so you can get help with even your toughest questions. Rather than a brief overview with links out, the AI will dig in and offer more robust answers. You can ask followup questions too, something AI Overviews doesnt support. It feels like quite a natural evolutionso much so that its curious why this is not already widely available. For now, its limited to people with paid accounts, and even then only via the experimental sandbox of Search Labs. But more to the point, why wasnt it available, say, last summer? The second change is thatit added search history to its Gemini chatbot, and promises even more personalization is on the way. On this one, Google says personalization allows Gemini to connect with your Google apps and services, starting with Search, to provide responses that are uniquely insightful and directly address your needs. Much of what these new features are doing, especially AI Modes ability to ask followup questions and go deep, feels like hitting feature parity with what ChatGPT has been doing for months. Its also been compared to Perplexity, another generative AI search engine startup. What neither feature feels like is something fresh and new. Neither feels innovative. ChatGPT has long been building user histories and using the information it has to deliver results. While Gemini could also remember things about you, its a little bit shocking to me that Google has taken this long to bring in signals from its other products. Obviously there are privacy concerns to field, but this is an opt-in product were talking about. The other thing is that, at least as Ive found so far, ChatGPT is just better at this stuff. Heres a small example. I tried asking both: What do you know about me? ChatGPT replied with a really insightful, even thoughtful, profile based on my interactions with it. These arent just the things Ive explicitly told it to remember about me, either. Much of it comes from the context of various prompts Ive fed it. Its figured out what kind of music I like. It knows little details about my taste in films. (You don't particularly enjoy slasher films in general.) Some of it is just sort of oddly delightful. For example: You built asmall shed for trash canswith a hinged wooden roof and needed a solution to hold it open. Google, despite having literal decades of my email, search, and browsing history, a copy of every digital photo Ive ever taken, and more darkly terrifying insight into the depths of who I really am than I probably I do myself, mostly spat back the kind of profile anadvertiserwould want, versus a person hoping for useful tailored results. ("You enjoy comedy, music, podcasts, and are interested in both current and classic media") I enjoy music, you say? Remarkable! Im also reminded of something an OpenAI executive said to me late last year, as the company was preparing to roll out search. It has more freedom to innovate precisely because it doesnt have the massive legacy business that Google does. Yes, itsburning moneywhile Google mints it. But OpenAI has the luxury of being able to experiment (at least until the capital runs out) without worrying about killing a cash cow like Google has with traditional search. Of course, its clear that Google and its parent company Alphabetcan innovate in many areassee Google DeepMinds Gemini Roboticsannouncementthis week, for example. Or ride in a Waymo! But can it do so around its core products and business? Its not the only big legacy tech company with this problem. Microsofts AI strategy to date has largely been reliant on its partnership with OpenAI. And Apple, meanwhile, seems completely lost in the wilderness, asthis scathing takedown from longtime Apple pundit John Gruber lays bare. Google has billions of users and piles of cash. It can leverage its existing base in ways OpenAI or Anthropic (which Google also owns a good chunk of) or Perplexity just arent capable of. But Im also pretty convinced that unless it can be the market leader here, rather than a follower, it points to some painful days ahead. But hey,Astra is coming. Lets see what happens.

I tried making an Irish breakfast for the first time and, although it was delicious, it was a lot of work.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderWhen I was young, my first-generation Irish grandparents often served me a full Irish breakfast.In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to make a traditional Irish breakfast for myself.I enjoyed the sausages, white pudding, and beans on toast, but next time, I'll skip the tomatoes.In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to tap into my Irish roots and prepare a traditional Irish breakfast for the first time.My grandparents were first-generation Irish immigrants who later moved to England.I also grew up in England and would often eat a traditional Irish breakfast at their house. After I moved to the United States when I was 7, I would always have a full Irish or English breakfast when I went to visit them each year.An Irish breakfast differs slightly from a "full English" in that traditional Irish breakfastsalwaysinclude black or white pudding and are often served with soda bread in addition to regular toast.Some of the products I used in this breakfast came from the specialty British food shop Myers of Keswick, founded in 1985 in New York City.While British and Irish shops can be rare finds, even in major cities like New York, they offer international visitors an authentic taste of home, and I couldn't have come close to making a traditional Irish breakfast without this store.I found the breakfast was so hearty and filling that it fueled me through a busy workday, and didn't take too long to prepare.Here's how I made a traditional Irish breakfast, and how you can, too, this St. Patrick's Day.I was able to snag some real Irish bacon and bangers from a specialty food shop in Manhattan.I visited Myers of Keswick, a specialty food store in the West Village.Rob Kim/Getty ImagesI could have stuck with American breakfast sausages and bacon, and nixed the white or black pudding altogether, but I wanted my breakfast to be as traditional as possible.Myers of Keswick in the West Village had everything I needed for my breakfast: sausages, Irish bacon, white pudding, and even HP sauce, which is technically a British favorite, but I decided to add it anyway.If you don't live in New York City, you can also order many types of British and Irish meat online at retailers like Jolly Posh Foods.I was also able to pick up some white pudding, which was even made in Ireland.Irish white pudding sausage.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderWhite pudding usually consists of oats, pork meat, fat, bread, and seasonings, while black pudding, which contains pork or beef blood, is also known as blood sausage.While this may not sound appetizing to some Americans, I grew up eating and loving the stuff. It's perfectly salty, fatty, and is often hard to find anywhere in the US.I also bought some Irish soda bread.Irish soda bread.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderIt's usually difficult to find soda bread in stores. However, since I prepared my breakfast around St. Patrick's Day, I was able to find some Irish-style soda bread in my local Wegmans grocery store.Back in my kitchen, I started by chopping mushrooms and tomatoes.Chopped mushrooms and tomatoes.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI quartered the tomatoes and thinly sliced the mushrooms before adding them to a skillet.For my breakfast, I took guidance from a recipe by Happy Foods Tube.I added about a tablespoon of Irish butter to the skillet and let the mushrooms cook slightly down before adding the tomatoes.Mushrooms in a pan.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderYou can also use olive oil or any butter you have on hand, but using Irish butter like Kerry Gold will add a lot of flavor to the dish.I then added the tomatoes and cooked them together until the tomatoes were slightly roasted on the outside.Cooked mushrooms and tomatoes.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderThere was a lot of water in the pan from the mushrooms, tomatoes, and the butter I added. I poured a little bit out then set the tomatoes and mushrooms aside while I began cooking the other ingredients.I placed my bangers and sliced white pudding in a glass casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil.White pudding and sausages in a glass baking pan.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI was glad I bought the bangers, since they're much thicker than American breakfast sausages. I cooked the sausages and the white pudding in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.While the sausages and white pudding were cooking, I started frying the bacon.Irish bacon in a skillet.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderBacon in the British Isles looks noticeably different compared to most standard bacon you'll find in the United States.In Ireland, bacon typically comes from the back, or the loin, of the pig, rather than the belly. It more closely resembles what we know as Canadian bacon or "country ham" in the South.Next up, I made the baked beans, which I expected to be my least favorite part of the breakfast.Baked beans.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderWhile baked beans are super easy to make all you have to do is pour the can into a bowl or saucepan and heat them up I was ready to eat by this point and was dreading making yet another ingredient.I also remembered not being a huge fan of baked beans when I ate this meal as a child. Still, I decided to give them a fair shot.After about 30 minutes of cooking, my sausages were crispy and ready to eat.Cooked sausages and white pudding.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI realized immediately that I had made way too much food, but thankfully I had two roommates who were also dying to partake in the traditional breakfast.This meal admittedly took quite a while and four different pans to make. I usually stick to yogurt and honey for breakfast, so this felt likea lotof work.I decided brown sauce was a necessity for my plate.HP Sauce.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderHP Sauce, which tastes tangy and vinegary, is typically added to English breakfasts, but I grew up adding it to the breakfasts at my grandparents' house, so I figured it would be alright. In Ireland, a similar brown sauce by Chef is also used for breakfasts.When I assembled everything on my plate, I was shocked at how delicious and authentic my breakfast looked.My finished Irish breakfast.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderIt looked just like the Irish breakfast recipe by Happy Foods Tube that I was following.The sausages had the perfect amount of snap and the white pudding was unlike anything I've tasted in years.My finished Irish breakfast.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderThe white pudding was perfectly crumbly and tasted so authentic it honestly tasted like I was back in my grandparents' home. The bacon slices, or rashers as they're sometimes called, were perfectly browned without being too crispy.The bacon definitely wasn't as greasy as most American bacon I've had, which I greatly preferred. I also enjoyed the beans on toast and the mushrooms the savory flavors really complemented all three kinds of meat.I also tried soda bread for the first time. I toasted it and spread a little bit of the Irish butter on top.Irish soda bread with butter.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderIt was slightly sweet and I enjoyed the taste of the dried fruit inside. However, I think I preferred the regular toast, which I dipped in the sunny-side-up eggs as I always do.The only ingredient on my plate I really didn't like was the grilled tomato.The cooked tomato.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI didn't like the texture and thought the tomato slices were mushy and unappetizing. Something about a warm tomato just didn't sit right with me.Overall, I was blown away by the Irish breakfast and found it made me nostalgic for my childhood.My finished Irish breakfast.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderThe scents that wafted through my kitchen, combined with the taste of the food, instantly brought me back to my grandparents' house when I was younger. I haven't seen my grandparents in many years, but this meal really made me feel like I was 8 years old again.While I wouldn't make this meal every weekend, I would make the effort for a special occasion, especially now that I know I can find authentic sausages, bacon, and white pudding here in New York City.This story was originally published in March 2022, and most recently updated on March 17, 2025.Read the original article on Business Insider