Hiren Hasmukh, CEO of TeqtivityNovember 13, 20244 Min ReadKanawatTH via Alamy StockEvery week, I meet CIOs who tell me the same story: Environmental sustainability has moved from their wish list to their priority list. Regulatory pressures demand they track carbon emissions. Boards expect detailed reports on energy usage. Customers scrutinize their sustainability practices. This puts leaders in a tough position -- in order to remain competitive in the marketplace, we must continue to keep up with advancing technology. But how do we stay sustainable in doing so?The New Reality of Sustainable TechnologyGreen technology isn't just about reducing environmental impact -- it's about rethinking how we deliver IT services. Instead of asking ourselves how to save energy, we must ask ourselves larger questions. How can sustainable IT drive innovation? How can it create a competitive advantage? The challenge isn't whether to act, but how to begin.The Value of Green ITMany executives believe that green IT is only about saving money. However, cost savings are only one aspect of sustainable technological practices. Let's break down the real business impact:Immediate cost reduction. Energy costs typically represent 40-60% of a data center's operating expenses. Organizations implementing efficient power management often see utility bills drop within the first quarter. But that's just the beginning.Related:Extended asset value. Smart lifecycle asset management reduces e-waste and impacts the balance sheet. When organizations move from reactive to proactive maintenance, they often discover their technology investments can deliver value for years longer than expected.Risk mitigation. With environmental regulations tightening globally, companies investing in sustainable technology are now better positioned to avoid future penalties and compliance costs.Competitive advantage. The Business of Sustainability study reported 78% of consumers want to buy from environmentally friendly organizations. Companies that commit to strong environmental practices will attract both more clients and talent.Moving from Vision to ActionThe business case for sustainable technology is clear. Here are a few ways your team can get started with building a more sustainable IT infrastructure:Start with data center efficiency: Heres a startling fact: Research shows that almost a third of data center servers are considered zombies --meaning they consume power while serving no purpose. Why does that happen? Poor documentation means nobody knows what to turn off. IT teams should implement automated tracking systems to map every asset's purpose and usage. An automated process will help further eliminate these zombies and optimize remaining systems.Embrace the cloud strategically: Major cloud providers have invested billions in renewable energy and efficient data centers, making them an attractive option for sustainable IT. However, using cloud solutions requires strategy. Teams should map their workloads carefully -- some applications deliver better environmental and business outcomes on-premises or in hybrid environments.Rethink device lifecycles: Many organizations default to replacing devices every three years, regardless of whether they need to or not. Companies can significantly extend the lifecycles of their devices through proactive maintenance and matching device capabilities to user requirements. This reduces e-waste while delivering substantial cost savings.Related:Building a Culture of SustainabilityOrganizations should also create a culture that embraces these practices wholeheartedly. Here's what works:Start with why: Help employees understand the environmental impact of technology choices. When teams understand how their daily decisions within the company affect the environment, they become partners in the solution.Related:Make it measurable: Set achievable energy reduction and sustainable practices goals. Track and share progress regularly. What gets measured gets managed.Celebrate progress: Recognize teams and individuals who champion sustainable practices. Success stories inspire others and build momentum for broader changes.The Path ForwardAs technology leaders, we stand at a crucial intersection. The decisions we make today about our IT infrastructure will impact our planet for years to come.Most importantly, our teams are ready for change. Theyre looking to us for leadership on sustainability. Every day we wait is a missed opportunity to drive value, reduce costs, and make a meaningful environmental impact.The question isn't whether to embrace sustainable technology -- it's how quickly we can make it happen. The tools exist. The business case is clear. The time for CIOs to lead this charge is now.About the AuthorHiren HasmukhCEO of TeqtivityHiren Hasmukh is the CEO and founder of Teqtivity, a leading IT Asset Management solutions provider. With over two decades of experience in the technology sector, Hiren has been at the forefront of developing innovative ITAM strategies for businesses navigating the complexities of digital transformation. Under his leadership, Teqtivity has evolved from a smart locker concept to a comprehensive ITAM solution serving companies of all sizes.See more from Hiren HasmukhNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

Measuring the massive coralInigo San Felix/National Geographic SocietyIn the south-west Pacific, off the coast of one of the tropical Solomon Islands, a giant structure beneath the waters surface has just been identified as the worlds largest known coral.Visiting the remote site in mid-October, a team of scientists and film-makers from National Geographic thought the object was so large, it must be the remains of a shipwreck.But when underwater cinematographer Manu San Flix jumped into the water to take a closer look, he was astonished by what he saw.AdvertisementI remember perfectly just jumping and looking down, and I was surprised, he told reporters during a briefing. Instead of a shipwreck, San Flix had stumbled upon the largest coral ever discovered. It is enormous, he said. The size is close to the size of a cathedral.The coral, which lies a few hundred metres off the eastern coast of Malaulalo Island, has been identified as the species Pavona clavus. It measures 34 metres wide by 32 metres long, making it larger than a blue whale, and is thought to be 300 years old. A monthly celebration of the biodiversity of our planets animals, plants and other organisms.Sign up to newsletterThe discovery was a happy accident, says Enric Sala of National Geographics Pristine Seas project, whichaims to inspire governments to protect ocean ecosystems through exploration andresearch. It is by far the largest single coral colony ever discovered, easily beating the previous record holder a giant Porites colony found in American Samoa in 2019, which was 22.4 metres in diameter and 8 metres in height.Over the past two years, record-breaking ocean temperatures have triggered a wave of coral bleaching events across the world. But while other reefs around the Solomon Islands are showing signs of bleaching, Sala says the huge P. clavus coral is looking healthy. It is a vital habitat for ocean life, he says, providing shelter and food for fish, shrimp, worms and crabs. Its like a big patch of old growth forest.But the coral isnt immune from ecological threats, from local pollution and overfishing to global climate change. Sala says he would like to see more marine protected areas (MPAs) established to shield marine life from local pollution, alongside global action to tackle climate change. Protecting the reef cannot make the water cooler, cannot prevent the warming of the ocean, he says. We need to fix that, we need to reduce carbon emissions. But MPAs can help us buy time by making the reefs more resilient.Topics:

Air pollution is hard to avoid, particularly for city dwellersRon Adar/AlamyAir pollution is increasingly being linked to a raised risk of eczema, with the latest study showing a clear relationship between the exposure and the skin condition.Vehicles and power plants release pollutant particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, called PM2.5. These have previously been linked to a higher risk of eczema, which is thought to be the result of an over-active immune system causing inflammation that makes skin dry and itchy. AdvertisementTo gather more evidence, Jeffrey Cohen at the Yale School of Medicine and his colleagues analysed the medical records of more than 280,000 people, who were mostly in their 50s and took part in the All of Us Research Program. This collects health data from a diverse group of people in the US, with an emphasis on those who are usually underrepresented in research, such as ethnic minorities.The researchers also looked at average PM2.5 levels where these people lived, using data collected in 2015 by the Centre for Air, Climate, and Energy Solutions in Virginia.They then compared PM2.5 levels in 788 locations across the US against eczema cases, which were diagnosed up until mid-2022. They found that for every 10 microgram per cubic metre increase in PM2.5, eczema rates more than doubled. In more polluted areas of the country, there was more eczema, says Cohen. Get the most essential health and fitness news in your inbox every Saturday.Sign up to newsletterThe team accounted for factors that could affect the results, such as ethnicity and whether people smoked or had food allergies.The study brings forward the science by nicely showing a clear correlation in a large population, says Giuseppe Valacchi at North Carolina State University. PM2.5 may trigger the immune system to cause inflammation when it comes into contact with skin, like pollen or dust mites can, says Valacchi. Inhaling it may also play a role, as this can ramp up inflammation around the body, he says.This research should give governments another reason to enforce policies that reduce air pollution, says Cohen. Meanwhile, people living in polluted areas can reduce their risk by wearing long sleeves or staying indoors when pollution levels are particularly high, says Valacchi.Journal reference:PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310498 Topics:

The complexity of biology has long been a double-edged sword for scientific and medical progress. On one hand, the intricacy of systems (like the human immune response) offers countless opportunities for breakthroughs in medicine and healthcare. On the other hand, that very complexity has often stymied researchers, leaving some of the most significant medical challengeslike cancer or autoimmune diseaseswithout clear solutions. The field needs a way to decipher this incredible complexity. Could the rise of agentic AI, artificial intelligence capable of autonomous decision-making and action, be the key to breaking through this impasse? Agentic AI is not just another tool in the scientific toolkit but a paradigm shift: by allowing autonomous systems to not only collect and process data but also to independently hypothesize, experiment, and even make decisions, agentic AI could fundamentally change how we approach biology. The mindboggling complexity of biological systems To understand why agentic AI holds so much promise, we first need to grapple with the scale of the challenge. Biological systems, particularly human ones, are incredibly complexlayered, dynamic, and interdependent. Take the immune system, for example. It simultaneously operates across multiple levels, from individual molecules to entire organs, adapting and responding to internal and external stimuli in real-time. Traditional research approaches, while powerful, struggle to account for this vast complexity. The problem lies in the sheer volume and interconnectedness of biological data. The immune system alone involves interactions between millions of cells, proteins, and signaling pathways, each influencing the other in real time. Making sense of this tangled web is almost insurmountable for human researchers. Enter AI agents: How can they help? This is where agentic AI steps in. Unlike traditional machine learning models, which require vast amounts of curated data and are typically designed to perform specific, narrow tasks, agentic AI systems can ingest unstructured and diverse datasets from multiple sources and can operate autonomously with a more generalist approach. Beyond this, AI agents are unbound by conventional scientific thinking. They can connect disparate domains and test seemingly improbable hypotheses that may reveal novel insights. What might initially appear as a counterintuitive series of experiments could help uncover hidden patterns or mechanisms, generating new knowledge that can form the foundation for breakthroughs in areas like drug discovery, immunology, or precision medicine. These experiments are executed at unprecedented speed and scale through robotic, fully automated laboratories, where AI agents conduct trials in a continuous, round-the-clock workflow. These labs, equipped with advanced automation technologies, can handle everything from ordering reagents, preparing biological samples, to conducting high-throughput screenings. In particular, the use of patient-derived organoids3D miniaturized versions of organs and tissuesenables AI-driven experiments to more closely mimic the real-world conditions of human biology. This integration of agentic AI and robotic labs allows for large-scale exploration of complex biological systems, and has the potential to rapidly accelerate the pace of discovery. From agentic AI to AGI Owkins next frontier: Unlocking the immune system with agentic AI Agentic AI has already begun pushing the boundaries of whats possible in biology, but the next frontier lies in fully decoding one of the most complex and crucial systems in human health: the immune system. Owkin is building the foundations for an advanced form of intelligencean AGIcapable of understanding the immune system in unprecedented detail. The next evolution of our AI ecosystem, called Owkin K, could redefine how we understand, detect, and treat immune-related diseases like cancer and immuno-inflammatory disorders. Owkin K envisions a coordinated community of specialized AI agents that can autonomously access and interpret comprehensive scientific literature, large-scale biomedical data, and tap into the power of Owkins discovery engines. These agents are capable of planning and executing experiments in fully automated, robotized wet labs, where patient-derived organoids simulate real-world human biology. The results of these experiments feed back into the system, enabling continuous learning and refinement of the AI agents models. What makes Owkin K particularly exciting is its potential to tackle the immune systema biological network so complex that human intelligence alone has struggled to unravel it. By deploying AI agents with the ability to explore this intricate web autonomously, the project could reveal new therapeutic targets and strategies for immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases, potentially accelerating the development of groundbreaking treatments. Navigating challenges and ethical considerations of agentic AI Of course, such powerful technology comes with significant challenges and ethical considerations, including trust, security, and transparency. But we must tackle these challenges as agentic AI becomes more integrated into healthcare and research. For example, we can develop mitigation plans that include rigorous validation protocols, real-time human oversight, and regulatory frameworks designed to ensure safety, accountability, and transparency. By prioritizing ethical design and close collaboration between AI systems and human experts, we can harness the potential of agentic AI while minimizing its risks. The future of biological research with agentic AI Agentic AI has the potential to reshape not just healthcare, but the very foundations of biological research. By allowing autonomous systems to explore the unknown, we may unlock new levels of understanding in areas like immunology, neuroscience, and genomicsfields that are currently constrained by the limits of human comprehension. We could soon see a world where AI-driven labs operate around the clock, pushing the boundaries of biology at speeds and scales that far exceed human capabilities. This would not only accelerate scientific discovery but also create new possibilities for personalized medicine, disease prevention, and even longevity. In the end, agentic AI may be more than just another tool for researchers. It could be the key to understanding life itselfone autonomous decision at a time. Davide Mantiero, PhD, Eric Durand, PhD, and Darius Meadon also contributed to this article. This content was produced by Owkin. It was not written by MIT Technology Reviews editorial staff.

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. The AI lab waging a guerrilla war over exploitative AI Back in 2022, the tech community was buzzing over image-generating AI models, such as Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and OpenAIs DALL-E 2, which could follow simple word prompts to depict fantasylands or whimsical chairs made of avocados. But artists saw this technological wonder as a new kind of theft. They felt the models were effectively stealing and replacing their work. Ben Zhao, a computer security researcher at the University of Chicago, was listening. He and his colleagues have built arguably the most prominent weapons in an artists arsenal against nonconsensual AI scraping: two tools called Glaze and Nightshade that add barely perceptible perturbations to an images pixels so that machine-learning models cannot read them properly.But Zhao sees the tools as part of a battle to slowly tilt the balance of power from large corporations back to individual creators. Read the full story. Melissa Heikkil Have we entered the golden age of plant engineering? In the 1960s, biologists selective breeding of plants helped spark a period of transformative agricultural innovation known as the Green Revolution. By the 1990s, the yields of wheat and rice had doubled worldwide, staving off bouts of recurring famine. The Green Revolution was so successful that dire predictions of worse famine to comefueled by alarming population growthno longer seemed likely. But it had its limitsonly so much yield could be coaxed from plants using conventional breeding techniques. Now, more precise gene-editing technologies could shave years off the time it takes for new plant varieties to make it from the lab to federally approved seed products. Read the full story. Bill Gourgey This piece is from the latest print issue of MIT Technology Review, which is all about the weird and wonderful world of food. If you dont already, subscribe to receive future copies once they land. MIT Technology Review Narrated: Is robotics about to have its own ChatGPT moment? Robots that can do many of the things humans do in the home have been a dream of robotics research since the inception of the field in the 1950s. While engineers have made great progress in getting robots to work in tightly controlled environments like labs and factories, the home has proved difficult to design for. But now, the field is at an inflection point. A new generation of researchers believes that generative AI could give robots the ability to learn new skills and adapt to new environments faster than ever before. This new approach, just maybe, can finally bring robots out of the factory and into the mainstream. This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which were publishing each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as its released. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Donald Trump wants Elon Musk to maximize government efficiency Despite claiming to be a department, technically its more of an advisory board. (Wired $)+ It will allegedly operate outside of the federal government. (WSJ $)+ Expect Musk to treat the US government like his loss-making social network. (Bloomberg $)2 The crypto industry has already started lobbying Trump Executives are wasting no time in presenting the President-elect with their wish lists. (NYT $)+ Were witnessing the industrys nascent attempts to make itself institutional. (NY Mag $)+ The Trump Pump is showing no signs of slowing. (CNN)3 Advertisers are considering staging a return to X In a bid to curry favor with Musk and his political leverage. (FT $)+ Silicon Valley is decidedly more Trump-friendly than it used to be. (Insider $)+ Bluesky is starting to look more and more appealing. (Slate $)4 Major AI players are struggling to make new breakthroughs Funneling money into new products isnt having the desired result. (Bloomberg $)5 The worlds e-waste is actually pretty valuable Theres a lot of gold to be stripped out from those old circuit boards. (Economist $)+AI will add to the e-waste problem. Heres what we can do about it. (MIT Technology Review) 6 DNA testing is ushering in a new age of discriminationAnd you could be denied medical or life insurance because of it. (The Atlantic $) + How to delete your 23andMe data. (MIT Technology Review)7 How to build the perfect humanoid robotUnfortunately, theyll be found in factories and warehouses before they make it to our homes. (IEEE Spectrum) + A skeptics guide to humanoid-robot videos. (MIT Technology Review)8 The US is using AI to seek out critical mineralsAccess to regular supplies could lessen its reliance on China and Russia. (Undark Magazine) + The race to produce rare earth elements. (MIT Technology Review)9 Apples AirTags can now share their location with airlines Which should (hopefully) minimize the chances of losing your luggage. (WP $)+ Its next device? An AI wall-mounted tablet, supposedly. (Bloomberg $)10 This new mathematics benchmark is being kept secret To prevent AI models from training against it. (Ars Technica)+ This AI system makes human tutors better at teaching children math. (MIT Technology Review)Quote of the day Dont bring a watermark to a gunfight. AI researcher Oren Etzioni warns the industry to avoid putting too much faith in voluntary standards to actively prevent malicious actors from gaming the system, TechCrunch reports. The big story The great AI consciousness conundrum October 2023 AI consciousness isnt just a devilishly tricky intellectual puzzle; its a morally weighty problem with potentially dire consequences that philosophers, cognitive scientists, and engineers alike are currently grappling with. Fail to identify a conscious AI, and you might unintentionally subjugate a being whose interests ought to matter. Mistake an unconscious AI for a conscious one, and you risk compromising human safety and happiness for the sake of an unthinking, unfeeling hunk of silicon and code. Over the past few decades, a small research community has doggedly attacked the question of what consciousness is and how it works. The effort has yielded real progress. And now, with the rapid advance of AI technology, these insights could offer our only guide to the untested, morally fraught waters of artificial consciousness. Read the full story. Grace Huckins We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.) + Small changes can improve your life, from debobbling your clothes to oiling your keyholes.+ Woah: these fascinating deep sea creatures can turn back the clock on aging and revert to a more youthful form.+ TikTok is really into onions. Yes, onions. + As if filmmaking wasnt stressful enough, these movies were all completed in a single take.

Trump said on Wednesday that he will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as US Attorney General.But there's reason to believe his confirmation will be difficult.Gaetz spearheaded the ouster of Kevin McCarthy and faces an ongoing ethics probe. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he would nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as United States Attorney General.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Gaetz would "root out the systemic corruption" at the Department of Justice.Gaetz quickly replied on X: "It will be an honor to serve as President Trump's Attorney General!"Hours after the announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that Gaetz had already resigned from Congress."I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter, effective immediately, of Congress. That caught us by surprise a little bit," Johnson said, adding that by resigning now Congress may be able to fill Gaetz's seat by January 3.A spokesperson for Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment.The Attorney General is the country's top law enforcement official overseeing the Department of Justice and serving as a key legal advisor to the president.Gaetz's appointment will have to be confirmed by the US Senate, and there are plenty of reasons to believe it will be controversial.In more recent times, Gaetz has drawn backlash from fellow Republicans over his role in spearheading the ousting of Kevin McCarthy from the speakership last year, which led to weeks of chaos in the lower chamber.He is also likely to face renewed questions over sex-trafficking allegations, which arose after the Department of Justice opened an investigation into Gaetz in April 2021. Though the agency ultimately decline to pursue charges, the Florida congressman has continued to face a probe from the House Ethics Committee.A staunch Trump loyalist, Gaetz has been a relatively unusual figure in Washington.He's expressed admiration for Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, telling NOTUS earlier this year that he hopes "her work continues in the Trump administration." He also supports banning lawmakers from trading stocks and has touted his agreement with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the issue.

The high demand for advanced semiconductors is increasing tensions between the US and China.Production power is key to the conflict, but tensions have shifted to the supply of raw materials.Supply chain and foreign relations experts told BI why the AI race is similar to a new Cold War. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. In the race against the US for global tech supremacy, China has the upper hand in at least one critical area: rare earths.The term refers to a group of 17 elements required to make tech products ranging from semiconductors to industrial magnets and some solar panels the same items embroiled in the US-China trade war.For more than a year, Beijing has slowly been tightening its grip on critical minerals and rare earths.In December, China banned the export of a range of rare earth processing technologies. Last month, China further tightened its grip on the sector. Citing resource protection and national security, Beijing madeNow, there are fears that China could tighten the global rare earths supply chain even more.Here's what you need to know about rare earths, what makes them so valuable, and how they play into the tech war between the US and China.China's rare earth dominanceChina has long dominated the rare earths market due to supply, low labor costs, and lax environmental standards.The country produces 60% of the world's rare earth mineral supply and accounts for 90% of global refined output.The late Deng Xiaoping the Chinese leader who spearheaded the country's economic reforms in 1978 recognized their strategic importance in 1992, saying, "The Middle East has oil, China has rare earths."Under the new regulations introduced last month, China's rare earth resources now belong to the state. Two Canadian-owned rare earth refineries in China are also being acquired by state-owned companies.This is not the first time Beijing has placed restrictions on rare earths. In 2010, China imposed strict rare earth quotas, citing environmental concerns and resource preservation. The move sent prices up sharply and prompted the US, the European Union, and Japan to file a complaint against China for unfair trade practices at the World Trade Organization. China lost the case and lifted exported quotas in 2015.Various countries tried to diversify their rare earth supply chains in the wake of China's quotas in the 2010s, but success has been limited due to the high cost of investment and environmental concerns.There are renewed efforts to boost global production in the face of rising tensions.In 2022, the US Department of Defense awarded $45 million to MP Materials for rare earth oxide processing, and in 2023, it awarded over $288 million to Lynas USA to set up commercial-scale rare earth oxide production facilities.How is China leveraging rare earths?Beijing's moves to control critical minerals and rare earths are part of a toolbox Beijing has developed over the last four years, Rick Waters, the managing director of Eurasia Group's China practice, said at a press briefing.During President Donald Trump's first term, the US and China slapped retaliatory tariffs on each other. However, China has less leverage in a tariff fight because it exports more to the US than it imports, so it came up with another regulatory framework this one involving rare earths that it can use in a trade dispute."They're experimenting with its use, and I think, in a way, they could go further if they perceive they need to," said Waters.Any further tightening of rare earth supplies which are a subset under critical minerals could leave the US vulnerable to supply shocks."China has cornered the market for processing and refining of key critical minerals, leaving the US and our allies and partners vulnerable to supply chain shocks and undermining economic and national security," the White House said in a statement in September.What do the restrictions on rare earths mean for TSMC and Nvidia?China's control over rare earths could weigh heavily in the trade war between Washington and Beijing, with chips in the center of the conflict.Chips are found in everything from computers to cell phones, cars, and defense equipment. Taiwan dominates the market, producing over 60% of the world's chips and over 90% of the most advanced ones.One company Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is responsible for most of the output and is the key supplier to AI chip giant Nvidia, which is in the thick of the tech rivalry.The US has already moved to block the export of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to China.If the trade tiff escalates such as in the form of higher tariffs China could pull its rare earth card, Oxford Economics wrote in a report published in July."China's dominance in the battery supply chain accords policymakers with leverage to withhold industry-specific inputs from Western manufacturers, which could prove inflationary and economically disruptive," wrote Louise Loo, the lead economist for Greater China at Oxford Economics.This could involve further controls on critical commodity exports, particularly in rare earth minerals, Loo added.As happened with China's rare earth export curbs in 2010, prices are likely to spike if supply is tightened, so any prolonged supply crunch could drive up inflation for end products.The tech Cold WarThe US and China's moves to outmaneuver each other in the tech race have some analysts drawing parallels to the Cold War.Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Business Insider the idea that the US ought to out-compete China and prevent the nation from developing advanced chips plays into a "bigger power competition narrative."She said the tensions are similar, though not identical, to the tensions between the US and Soviet Union that began after the end of World War II.As Bloomberg reported last month, the US is considering limiting export licenses for both Nvidia and AMD chips in an unfolding trade war that has also hit several sensitive industries, including electric vehicles, batteries, and some solar panels.The US imposed similar trade limits, embargoes, and economic sanctions on the Soviet Union, North Korea, China, and North Vietnam during the Cold War."I think the heart of the issue is concern about how China will use AI chips for military applications and surveillance," Chris Tang, a UCLA professor and expert in global supply chain management and the impact of regulatory policies, told BI. "It's a different type of Cold War."Beyond a tense relationship, the dynamics between the US and China are also creating parallel systems, with the US and its allies on one side, and China and its allies on the other, Nick Vyas, the founding director of USC Marshall's Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute, told BI.Vyas said he's concerned the tension could escalate from this new Cold War to a hot one between global powers."When we stop transacting horizontally with each other, that's only creating a larger conflict," Vyas said. "And then with a South China Sea conflict, the geopolitical conflict could turn into a larger conflict, which can lead to a major situation that leads up to a war."Representatives for Nvidia declined to comment for this story. Representatives for AMD and the Bureau of Industry and Security didn't respond to requests for comment from BI.

Donald Trump announced that he intends to nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to serve as his attorney general. Gaetz is a longtime Trump loyalist, who will likely be tasked with remaking the Department of Justice. The department has traditionally adhered to strong norms against interference by the president; Trump and his allies have been explicit in arguing that should change. Trump has also repeatedly called for legal action against his political enemies, including promising to appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family, in 2023.Enforcing those sorts of threats would fall to Gaetz, if he is confirmed by the Senate.Before being nominated to be attorney general, Gaetz was probably best known for two things. One is his longstanding feud with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was eventually ousted in no small part because of Gaetz. The other is the string of sexual misconduct allegations. Gaetz denies these allegations, and the Department of Justice dropped its investigation into them in 2023.If Gaetz does end up running that same department, hell be in a uniquely powerful role. He would be tasked with overseeing all federal prosecutions, providing legal advice to the president and the Cabinet, and would have the final say on any legal stance that the United States takes in court. Of greater significance perhaps is the fact that Gaetz would have enormous authority over who is prosecuted, who is allowed to get away with committing federal crimes, and who might be targeted for politically motivated prosecutions in an authoritarian administration.Trump has repeatedly promised retribution against his Democratic rivals. And his fellow Republicans on the Supreme Court ruled last July that he can order the Justice Department to bring politically motivated prosecutions without consequence.In the first Trump administration, Trump reportedly wanted to order the Justice Department to prosecute his former political opponent Hillary Clinton and former FBI director James Comey, but was dissuaded from doing so by White House Counsel Don McGahn. Gaetzs strong support for Trump, by contrast, makes it seem hes much less likely to resist such an order.Just who is Matt Gaetz? Gaetz has a law degree, and he did previously practice law in northwest Florida. Hes been a representative since 2017, and became known both for stunts on the House floor like wearing a gas mask to protest masking policies during the coronavirus pandemic as well as his staunch support for Trump.In 2021, it was revealed that Gaetz was the subject of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.The allegations arose out of his relationship with Joel Greenberg, a former county-level tax collector who was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a federal judge in 2022. Greenberg pled guilty to a wide range of crimes, including underage sex trafficking, wire fraud, identity theft, and conspiring to defraud the federal government. Judge Gregory Presnell, who sentenced Greenberg, said that hes never seen a defendant who has committed so many different types of crimes in such a relatively short period.According to CNN, Greenberg also cooperated extensively with the Justice Departments sex-trafficking probe into GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz. Among other things, Greenberg reportedly told investigators that he witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl. (Gaetz in 2021 issued a blanket denial of the allegations via a statement from his office, writing: No part of the allegations against me are true.)As a general rule, sex offenses such as soliciting prostitution are handled by state-level prosecutors, as the Constitution only gives the federal government limited authority over sex crimes. The US Justice Department can get involved, however, in narrow circumstances. The Justice Departments investigation into Gaetz looked into whether he had sex with this teenager and paid for her to travel with him. It is a federal crime to transport someone across state lines, with the intent that they engage in prostitution or illicit sexual conduct. The most serious violations of this statute carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.In any event, the Justice Department eventually decided not to charge Gaetz. Its reasons for declining to do so have not been made public, but the lack of charges does not necessarily clear him of the allegations. Meanwhile, a House ethics investigation into Gaetz remains ongoing.According to ABC News, one woman told the House committee investigating Gaetz that the member of Congress paid her for sex. Others have said they were paid to attend parties that Gaetz also attended, where attendees used drugs and had sex. Again, Gaetz has denied any misconduct.As of yet, its unclear whether a majority of senators will vote to confirm Gaetz as attorney general. But theres some evidence that many Republicans will be turned off by the sex crimes allegations against Gaetz, and by his generally poor reputation on Capitol Hill. In 2023, for example, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) said that theres a reason why no one in the [Republican] conference defended Gaetz after seeing some of the evidence against him.As New York Times columnist Ezra Klein writes, Trumps decision to nominate Gaetz should be read as an effort to gauge whether Republican senators will permit him to take absurd and dangerous actions. These arent just appointments, Klein writes of Gaetz and Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, Theyre loyalty tests. The absurdity is the point.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

In the warm blue waters of the Solomon Islands, an island chain in the South Pacific, lies one of the worlds largest sea creatures. Roughly the size of two basketball courts, its neither a whale nor a giant squid.It is a single piece of coral. On Wednesday, a team of researchers and filmmakers exploring the Solomon Islands revealed that they found what they claim is the worlds largest individual coral colony. The coral, a communal organism comprising millions of animals called polyps, is 34 meters wide and 32 meters long and so large it can be seen from space. A typical coral reef is made of many different coral colonies, most of which are genetically distinct, whereas this is just one individual.In new photos shared by the research team, the coral, a species known as Pavona clavus, looks like a lumpy brown mound covered in knobs. Closer views reveal bits of yellow, green, and purple. Given its size and the slow speed at which corals grow, this individual is likely several centuries old.The mega coral is so large it dwarfs the diver alongside it. Manu San Flix/National Geographic Pristine SeasClose-up views reveal all kinds of sea life growing on and around the coral. Manu San Flix/National Geographic Pristine SeasIts a dream to see something unique like this, Manu San Flix, an underwater photographer and marine biologist who first saw the coral last month in the Solomon Islands, told Vox. When Napoleon was alive, this thing was here. San Flix discovered the coral while filming near an island called Malaulalo for an ongoing National Geographic expedition. The expedition, a collaboration with the Solomon Islands government, is part of National Geographics Pristine Seas project, which aims to help countries establish more marine parks, in part by documenting sea life. Malaulalo is mostly uninhabited and its waters are largely unexplored, according to Dennis Marita, a member of the Poonapaina Tribe of Ulawa. The tribe oversees Malaulalos marine territory. This is something huge for our community, Marita, whos also the director of culture at the Solomon Islandss ministry of culture and tourism, said in a press conference Tuesday. No other coral in the public record is larger than this one, though its possible that there are bigger colonies in remote stretches of the ocean that have yet to be discovered. The previous record-holder for the worlds largest coral was a colony in American Samoa that was roughly 22 meters wide. Many of the worlds coral reefs are remote and not well explored, Stacy Jupiter, executive director of marine conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society, who was not involved in this expedition, told Vox. Humans have only surveyed about 5 percent of the planets marine realm, she mentioned. So it is not surprising at all that we continue to make new discoveries, even of large creatures, Jupiter said.Manu San Felix dives over a massive coral Manu San Flix, National Geographic Pristine SeasBeacon of hopeThe discovery comes at a time when coral reefs around the world are vanishing.Climate change is warming the oceans, and warm water kills corals. Coral gets its color and much of its food from symbiotic algae that live inside polyps. When seawater gets too warm, that algae disappears, and the coral turns white or bleaches. Bleached corals are essentially starving to death. Coral reefs globally are facing the most extensive bleaching crisis on record. Three-quarters of the worlds coral reefs have experienced enough ocean heat to cause bleaching since early 2023, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Many corals have died. Related:Meanwhile, new research suggests that more than 40 percent of hard corals those that build reefs, like the recently discovered colony in the Solomon Islands are at risk of extinction. This is a problem, to put it lightly. Reefs dampen waves that hit the shoreline during hurricanes, they are home to a significant portion of commercial fish that people eat, and they are the engine of tourism economies in many coastal regions. Hundreds of millions of people depend on coral reefs.Perhaps unsurprisingly, the National Geographic team discovered a lot of dead coral in the shallows of the Solomon Islands, likely due to excessive heat in the ocean, said Molly Timmers, a marine ecologist and the expeditions lead scientist. That was discouraging, she said. In the face of that loss, this discovery was a beacon of hope, Timmers told Vox. Its like, holy crap! This is amazing!Large coral colonies provide homes for marine critters like crabs, snails, and small fish. More importantly, they seed the ocean with baby corals when they spawn, or reproduce, helping damaged sections of reef recover. Plus, this particular coral may be resilient to stress, including excessive marine heat. The research team estimates that its between 300 and 500 years old, meaning its lived through multiple global bleaching events and survived. Unlike some of the coral closer to shore, this individual which was more than 10 meters deep appeared healthy, perhaps because it was in deeper, cooler water or because it has some built-in genetic tolerance to heat. So the spawn it produces could be resilient too. Anything old is really good at surviving, said Maria Beger, a marine ecologist at the University of Leeds, who was not involved in the discovery. Divers measure the newly discovered coral, revealing it to be the largest on record. Manu San Flix/National Geographic Pristine SeasDiscovering a hulking colony of coral is not, by itself, all that impressive, said Beger. To support marine life and withstand threats like climate change, its more important that reefs have a diverse array of coral species in all shapes and sizes, rather than one big one.At the same time, if a report like this gets people excited about coral reefs, she said, maybe thats a good thing.The discovery could also help the Solomon Islands conserve their waters more effectively, Marita, of the ministry of culture and tourism, told Vox. While his tribe has been informally conserving Malaulalo for a decade on its own, he said, the island would benefit from an official marine protected area recognized by the Solomon Islands government. Marita has been campaigning to make that happen. This will certainly boost the conservation initiative that we have been working on, he told Vox, referring to the discovery. This mega coral will help bring much-needed visibility and recognition from the government and other stakeholders. This is really a gain for us. Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

By 2004, video games were well into their adolescence. The war between Sega and Nintendo that defined the early 1990s was in the rear-view mirror the PlayStation had knocked both of them off their perch, and Microsoft had released the Xbox. The critical and commercial hits of the day were not cartoon platformers but operatic space shooters (Halo) and anarchic crime games (Grand Theft Auto). There were lots of guns, and most games were embracing increasingly cinematic cutscenes.Nintendo, meanwhile, had fallen into third place with its Game Cube home console but it still owned the handheld game market with the Game Boy Advance. Everyone was expecting the next iteration in the Game Boy family. But instead, Nintendo released a strange-looking silver clamshell console that you controlled with a stylus.The Nintendo DS turns 20 this month. Despite its weird looks and unconventional controls, it was Nintendos biggest-ever hit, selling more than 150m units. It catered not just to people who wanted to play Mario on the go, but also to those who had never thought of picking up a video game console before. Intuitive touchscreen controls opened video games up to millions more people than the Game Boy had been able to reach. On the DS, you could play sudoku, language-learning games and raise virtual pets. Many people bought it not for Pokmon but for Dr Kawashimas Brain Training.The idea of a dual-screen console had been knocking about at Nintendo for a while. It was an idea that Hiroshi Yamauchi, president of Nintendo from 1949 until 2002, was especially fond of, and he mentioned it often to his successor, Satoru Iwata, and to Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendos creative lead. As Iwata put it: The demand to make something with two screens had been with us for a while, a persistent source of motivation, to the point where Miyamoto and I basically reverse-engineered the thing.Iwata always had confidence in the idea, but the markets and the public met the DS with enormous scepticism. At first, lots of people were confused, he remembered. When we announced, Were going to release a console that has two screens and a touch panel, most people must have thought, Nintendo has gone off the deep end.The DS marked the advent of touchscreen gaming The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Photograph: undefined/NintendoIn retrospect, the Nintendo DS prepared the world for the iPhone, and for the explosion in touchscreen smartphone gaming that would eventually kill off the whole idea of a handheld games console. We dont need them any more, now that we have one device that fits in our pockets and can do everything from giving us directions and taking photos to playing games. The DS was a half step between the Game Boy and the smartphone a device that played games but could also do other things.I was there for the games, of course. When I bought my DS, nobody knew that it would vastly expand the gaming population. And it had some tremendous games, including plenty of weird and wonderful ones. The DSs new control method seemed to inspire developers to do all kinds of playful, unexpected things. Touchscreen control was this consoles most lasting innovation, but the dual-screen clamshell of the DS is surprisingly adaptable, and lent itself to a bunch of uses.Brain Training had you holding the console sideways like a book, writing answers to simple maths and logic questions on the touch-screen. The puzzles in adventure game Another Code had you opening and closing the DS to stamp documents, or angling the screens to reflect off one another to decipher a symbol. In Electroplankton, you draw paths for small musical organisms. There was even a Guitar Hero game that came with a small attachable fretboard and plectrum. In the DS Zelda game Phantom Hourglass you have to shout at a character through the microphone to get them to lower a bridge for you. You could talk to your Nintendog, too.More than anything, the DS inspired variety. I have a huge collection of DS games ranging from unexpectedly heartbreaking desert-island simulators (Lost in Blue) and the basketball game Mario Hoops 3-on-3 to rhythm games and visual novels (the courageously heartfelt lawyer-drama series Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney has never been better than it was on the DS). Among its bestsellers were, as youd expect, New Super Mario Bros and Mario Kart, but also Brain Training, Nintendogs and Professor Layton (a charming puzzle game about an English professor and his child protege). Its catalogue was anything but homogeneous.The 3DS, released in 2011, was a worthy successor with its own great lineup, but by then smartphones had already dealt a killer blow to the handheld games console, and the industry was becoming more conservative. The kind of wide-ranging, open-ended experimentation that defined the DS catalogue would never be seen again. The DS will be remembered by the world as the console that pioneered touch-screen control but for me, itll always be the console with the most eclectic selection of games ever.What to playA classic pick Mario Kart. Photograph: NintendoThe most obvious classic DS picks are Mario Kart, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Nintendogs (dont @ me) and Animal Crossing: Wild World. But since when have I ever served you whats obvious?Osu! Tatakae! OuendanElite Beat Agents outside Japan), is the perfect encapsulation of this experimental age in handheld game design. It is an interactive musical opera-manga in which you take control of a team of cheerleaders to help people through moments of strife in their lives, soundtracked by massive J-pop tunes. You use the stylus to tap and swipe in time with the music, directing the cheer squad to help a pottery artist rediscover his muse, a school pupil ace his exams and a ghost tell his still-living wife that he loves her. There are carts on eBay for less than 15.Available on: Nintendo DS Estimated playtime: skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionWhat to readStar Wars Outlaws, which is up for a Grammy, weaves in-universe and player-focused music together. Photograph: UbisoftThe Grammy nominees for best video game soundtrack have been announced. They are: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora; God of War Ragnark: Valhalla; Marvels Spider-Man 2; Star Wars Outlaws; and Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. We recently profiled the people behind the music of Star Wars Outlaws in our High Scores video game music column.Deadline reports that the stars of Amazon Primes excellent Fallout TV adaptation will be joined next season byMacaulay Culkin, as a crazy-genius type character.Sony and Nintendo announced quarterly financial results this week. Highlights on the PlayStation side: Sony has now sold 65m units of the PS5, and 1.5m of the delightful Astro Bot. On the Nintendo side: it has now sold 146m Switch consoles, which still falls just short of the DS (154m) as Nintendos bestselling console ever.The next Nintendo console will be backwards-compatible with Switch games, Nintendos president, Shuntaro Furukawa, confirmed in a press conference. More details on the new machine are coming before the end of this financial year.What to clickQuestion BlockMonument Valley, one of the smartphone games available with a Netflix subscription. Photograph: ustwoReader Lewis asks:I love playing mobile games of all types, but the one I play the most often is a Puzzle Bobble/Bust-a-Move copycat that I use to mindlessly destress after a long day (Im on level 5,264). The only issue with these games is the endless onslaught of confusing, long and weird adverts. Do you have any suggestions for solid, well designed, free puzzle games will keep me from doomscrolling?Alas, the price for free games on your phone is, almostNetflix subscription? It comes with a bunch of smartphone games, some of which are very good puzzlers: Monument Valley, Paper Trail, Arranger, Cut the Rope and a variety of appealingly mindless match-3 and word games.I also asked the fine people of Bluesky to weigh in, and here are the recommendations they came back with (thank you, everyone): Slice & Dice, Konamis Pixel Puzzle Collection, Township, Threes, Match Factory! and Twenty. A dev shouted out their game, Vectic Lite, which has ignorable banner ads, alongside another banner-ad-only puzzle game called Nokama. Theres also an independent puzzle games website, Thinky Games, that lets you search its database for recommendations.If youve got a question for Question Block or anything else to say about the newsletter hit reply or email us on pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.