peshkov - stock.adobe.comNewsMicrosoft Ignite: AI capabilities double every six monthsIf Moore's law promised a doubling of tech every 18 months, the pace is three times quicker with AI developments, says Satya NadellaByCliff Saran,Managing EditorPublished: 20 Nov 2024 9:38 During his keynote presentation at the start of Microsofts annual Ignite conference in Chicago, CEO Satya Nadella discussed artificial intelligence (AI) scaling, through which the capabilities of the tech is doubling every six months.Just like Moores Law, we saw the doubling in performance every 18 months with AI. We have now started to see that doubling every six months or so, he said.He believes a new scaling law will emerge for AI based on the amount of computational time needed to run AI inference. This ability to scale is leading to three major shifts in technological development, according to Nadella.The first is what he describes as a universal multimodal interface universal interface, which supports speech, images, videos, for both input and output.Second, he said: We have new reasoning and planning capabilities, essentially neural algebra to help solve complex problems and can detect patterns involving people, places and things.You can even find relationships between people, places and things using this new algebra.The third is what Nadella calls support for long term memory-rich context, adding: If you put all these things together, you can build a very rich agentic world defined by this tapestry of AI agents, which can act on our behalf across our work and life across teams, business processes, as well as organisations.The company kicked off the Ignite event announcing previews of new AI capabilities. Among these is Copilot Actions, now in private preview, which is designed to enable anyone to automate everyday tasks in Microsoft 365 using simple prompts.Microsoft also unveiled new agents in Microsoft 365, including a natural language AI assistant for Sharepointfor finding and querying content more quickly, and a new Teams agentprovides what Microsoft describes as real-time, speech-to-speech interpretation in meetings. According to Microsoft, meeting participants will also have the option to have the agent simulate their personal voice.Another new agent is for employee self-service. Available on Microsoft 365 Copilot Business Chat in private preview, this can be used to expedite answers for common policy-related questions and, according to Microsoft, simplifies action-taking on key HR and IT-related tasks, such as helping employees to understand their benefits or request a new laptop. The agent can be customised in Copilot Studio to meet an organisations unique needs.Other agents in public preview take real-time meeting notes in Teams and automate project management from start to finish in Planner.On the developer support side, Microsoft has introduced Azure AI Foundry, which it said gives customers access to all existing Azure AI services and tooling, plus new capabilities. Among these is the Azure AI Foundry software developers kit. Available in preview, this provides what Microsoft calls a unified toolchain for designing, customising and managing AI apps and agents.According to Microsoft, the Azure AI Foundry provides enterprise-grade control and customisation. It offers 25 prebuilt app templates and can be accessed from familiar tools such as GitHub, Visual Studio and Copilot Studio.Read more AI development storiesHow open source is shaping AI developments: The Linux Foundation outlines efforts to bolster enterprise AI adoption through a framework for managing and deploying AI applications, standardised tooling and open data alternatives.Microsoft aims at AI development: New data management and analytics suite features include databases and a data catalog to enable enterprises to develop and operationalize advanced applications.In The Current Issue:Interview: Rahul Todkar, head of data and AI, TripadvisorGartner Symposium: Why the chance of digital success is randomDownload Current IssueDomino fall release topples challenges across AI assembly, scale & governance CW Developer NetworkClearly smart, SAS acquires Hazy: A wider vision for synthetic data CW Developer NetworkView All Blogs

This years most influential woman in UK technology Sheridan Ash, founder and co-CEO of Tech She Can created the charity to bridge the accessibility gap that exists when it comes to female role models in the technology space.While there are many high-profile women in tech, these role models are people to aspire to be, and many young girls feel they need women only one or two steps ahead of them in their careers to show them the path to the top.Computer Weeklys Rising Stars category wasintroduced in 2014as a way to increase the number of women showcased as industry role models.Each year, alongside the top 50 list, Computer Weekly asks its judges to suggest Rising Stars who are starting their journey towards a possible place in the top 50 in the future, and who represent the future of the tech sector.This years Rising Stars are:Hendy founded digital suicide prevention tool R;pple in 2020, designed to help people who are making online searches relating to self-harm or suicide.She is CEO of the charity, which she does alongside her work as the cyber culture manager at Deloitte.With an extensive background in cyber, Hendy is also a TEDx speaker, an ambassador for One Young World and a JAAQ creator, covering the topic of suicide prevention.Underhill has spent her entire career at Lloyds Banking Group, since joining the firm as a graduate in 1999.She has held several roles at Lloyds, and is currently HR director for technology and data, part of the firms Group Chief Operating Office, where she is responsible for developing its people strategies for technology.She has previously sat on the board of now disbanded tech diversity collective the Tech Talent Charter.Clark has worked in the public sector for many years, most recently being appointed the parliamentary under-secretary of state for artificial intelligence (AI) and digital government at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).Her responsibilities range across AI and digital, including AI regulation, transparency and ethics, as well as cyber security and digital identity, and public services.Before her Parliamentary career, Clarks focus was on medicine, having studied bioinformatics at the University of Exeter and worked in roles in diagnostic biochemistry and diagnostic virology.Find out more about our past Rising StarsHeavily focused on the use of AI, Duarte co-founded non-profit We and AI in 2020 to ensure AI is developed with everyone in mind, creating communities to ensure diverse teams of people are involved in the technologys future development.She is also the lead of Better Images of AI, a not-for-profit that offers a free library of images that better represent AI to reduce the use of stereotypical representations of AI such as humanoid robots, glowing brains, outstretched robot hands, blue backgrounds and the Terminator.In 2020, she also became the founding editorial board member of the AI and Ethics Journal, published by Springer Nature.Davis heads up talent, engagement and diversity, as well as learning and development, for IT infrastructure firm Softcat.Her role involves looking after the development of all employees across the organisation, as well as developing the firms graduate and apprenticeship programmes.She is also an advisory board member of community group Women of the Channel.Thakrar founded and is CEO of Included VC, a venture capital fund dedicated to making sure diversity entrepreneurs gain the funding they need.Its not her first time working with entrepreneurs previously she headed up innovation and entrepreneurship in Deep Science Ventures at Imperial College London.

Your boss has read about the power of generative AI and wants you to stop dithering about potential risks and start delivering results. Good luck.

Alexander Sikov/Getty ImagesScholar Gary Marcus has become a kind of Poet Laureate on the shortcomings of artificial intelligence(AI), chronicling in numerous books and articles how the technology often comes up short and is less impressive than the average individual believes.When, five years ago, Marcus wrote about the technical shortcomings of AI, in Rebooting AI, with co-author Ernest Davis, his critique was still somewhat theoretical, pointing to potential dangers of the technology.In the years since, ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. That situation leaves Marcus with a real-world canvas upon which to reflect on the actual, present danger of AI.His latest work, Taming Silicon Valley,published last month by MIT Press, catalogs those real-world effects. The book should be required reading for anyone whose life will be touched in any small part by AI, which is pretty much everyone today. As always, Marcus writes in a strong voice that moves through the material in a breezy, commanding style, backed by a solid command of science and technology. The payoff is often blunt, with Marcus predicting worse is to come from each anecdotal example he cites.Also: Kirk and Spock reunite: AI gives us the Star Trek farewell we always wantedAs he's knee-deep in the Twitterverse (Xverse), Marcus makes the most of other voices, quoting scholars and concerned individuals who have themselves written about the dangers at length.The first 50 pages of the book are a story of mishaps with AI, especially generative AIs, and the risks and harms they may -- and, in some cases, already do -- bring. This is familiar territory for anyone who followsMarcus's Substack or his X feed, but it's useful to have the context in one place.The danger has nothing to do with super-intelligent AI, or "artificial general intelligence". Marcus has long been a skeptic of present-day machine learning and deep learning achieving super-human capabilities. He pokes fun at notions that such an intelligence will annihilate humanity in one fell swoop.Also:The best AI for coding in 2024 (and what not to use)"In the field, there is a lot of talk of p(doom), a mathematical notation, tongue-slightly-in-cheek, for the probability of machines annihilating all people," writes Marcus in Taming Silicon Valley. "Personally, I doubt that we will see AI cause literal extinction."Instead, Marcus is concerned with the quotidian dangers of what not-so-smart machines are already doing to society via ChatGPT and other similar programs.Marcus takes us on a tour of the 12 worst present dangers of AI. These dangers include large language models (LLMs) functioning as machines to mass-produce information, such as the dilemma of "scammy AI-generated book rewrites [that] are flooding Amazon," according to a Wired magazine article he cites.More serious are deep-fake voices pretending to be kidnapped individuals, which is something that has already taken place multiple times. "We can expect it to happen a lot more," he predicts of the extortionist scams.Marcus spends many pages discussing intellectual property theft in the form of copyrighted works appropriated by OpenAI and others for training LLMs, without obtaining consent. As is often the case, Marcus can give a greater weight to the matter than one might initially think."The whole thing has been called the Great Data Heist -- a land grab for intellectual property that will (unless stopped by government intervention or citizen action) lead to a huge transfer of wealth -- from almost all of us -- to a tiny number of companies," he writes.Also:Google's Gems are a gentle introduction to AI prompt engineeringThe middle third of the book moves beyond discussing harms to a critique of Silicon Valley's predatory practices and how giant tech firms hoodwink the public and lawmakers by weaving mythology around their inventions to make them seem simultaneously important and utterly benign.The broken promises of OpenAI receive a deserved skewering from Marcus. They include the company no longer being a non-profit, and no longer being "open" in any meaningful sense, instead hiding all of their code from public scrutiny.But the problem is more than a single bad actor: Silicon Valley is rife with misdirection and disingenuousness.Among several rhetorical tricks, Marcus highlights companies such as Microsoft, OpenAI, and Alphabet's Google claiming they're too busy contemplating Doomsday scenarios to bother with the kinds of present dangers he outlines."Big Tech wants to distract us from all that, by saying -- without any real accountability -- that they are working on keeping future AI safe (hint: they don't really have a solution to that, either), even as they do far too little about present risk," he writes."Too cynical? Dozens of tech leaders signed a letter in May 2023 warning that AI could pose a risk of extinction, yet not one of those leaders appears to have slowed down one bit."The result of this approach by big tech has been the co-opting of government, known by policy types as "regulatory capture"."A tiny number of people and companies are having an enormous, largely unseen influence," writes Marcus. "It is not a coincidence that in the end, for all the talk we have seen of governing AI in the United States, mostly we have voluntary guidelines, and almost nothing with real teeth."Given the demonstrable dangers and the self-serving maneuvers of Big Tech, what can be done?In the final third, Marcus reflects on how to tackle the present dangers and the tech culture of misrepresentation and selfishness. He is an outsider to the policy world, even though he has testified before US Congress as an expert.As such, he doesn't provide a blueprint for what should happen, but he does an intelligent job of offering suggestions that make obvious good sense -- for the most part.For example, copyright law should be updated for the age of LLMs."The point now should be to update those laws," he writes, "to prevent people from being ripped off in a new way, namely, by the chronic (near) regurgitators known as large language models. We need to update our laws."Also:The data suggests gen AI boosts software productivity - for these developersThere also needs to be new statutes to protect privacy in the face of the "surveillance capitalism" that uses sensors to suck up everyone's data."As of this writing, no federal law guarantees that Amazon's Echo device won't snoop in your bedroom, nor that your car manufacturer won't sell your location data to anyone who asks," observes Marcus.The biggest gaping hole in the regulatory world is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 passed by the US Congress. Section 230 frees online services, including Meta's Facebook and X, of any responsibility for content, including brutal, disparaging, violent content. It also frees the users of those services to bully their fellow users while hiding behind the excuse that it's only one person's opinion."Newspapers can be sued for lies; why should social media be exempt?" Marcus rightly observes. "Section 230 needs to be repealed (or rewritten), assigning responsibility for anything that circulates widely." Amen to that.Also:6 ways to write better ChatGPT prompts - and get the results you want fasterMarcus also explores broad preventative measures as first principles, including transparency, such as not only demanding open-source code but in many cases forcing companies to disclose how LLMs and the like are being used."Have large language models been used, for example, to make job decisions, and done so in a biased way? We just don't know" because of the lack of transparency, traceability, and accountability, observes Marcus.Amidst all the possible ways Marcus explores for reckoning with risk, his book makes its strongest case in arguing for a regulatory agency for AI -- both domestic and international -- to handle the complexity of the task.Making laws is too slow a procedure, ultimately, to address present harms, writes Marcus. "Litigation can take a decade or more," as he observed in testimony before the US Senate in 2023. An agency can also be "more nimble" than lawmakers, he observes.Also:Google's new AI course will teach you to write more effective prompts - in 5 stepsAlthough there is little appetite for an AI agency, he writes, "the alternative is worse: that without a new agency for AI (or perhaps more broadly for digital technology in general), the United States will forever be playing catchup, trying to manage AI and the digital world with infrastructure that long predates the modern world."In arguing for an AI agency, Marcus faces two challenges. One is demonstrating substantial harm. It's one thing to show risks, as Marcus does in the first 50 pages; however, all those risks have to add up to sufficient harm to rally both public opinion and the urgency of lawmakers.The modern history of regulation shows that rules and agencies have been created only after great harm has been demonstrated. The Securities Act of 1933, which brought strict requirements to what public companies can and cannot do to protect the investing public, followed the stock market crash of 1929, which erased whole fortunes and wrecked the global economy. It was a moment of such unprecedented disaster that it galvanized regulatory efforts. The International Atomic Energy Agency was created to regulate nuclear fission only after the atomic bomb that killed 200,000 people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. On a smaller scale, the US Food and Drug Administration emerged in the early twentieth century after journalists and progressive activists shed light on the massive harms of tainted substances.Also:Think AI can solve all your business problems? Apple's new study shows otherwiseIn other words, governments have rarely acted to promote regulation in advance of the demonstration of substantial harm.Do Marcus's first 50 pages make a convincing case? It's not clear. Given how many individuals use ChatGPT and the like, any notion of harm has to compete with the mass appeal of the tools. Every harm identified by Marcus might be excused away by the enthusiastic user of ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google Gemini as merely the price to be paid for getting a new tool.I emailed Marcus to ask, "Is there enough harm demonstrated in the first 50 pages of the book to justify the measures proposed in the last 60 pages of the book?"In reply, Marcus noted "someone did actually commit suicide in what seems to be LLM-related circumstances," referring to an incident in April of 2023 where a man in his thirties committed suicide after six weeks of interacting with a chatbot.Also:Google survey says more than 75% of developers rely on AI. But there's a catchMarcus noted that beyond an actual incident, "we already are facing many negative consequences of generative AI, ranging from misinformation to covert racism to nonconsensual deepfake porn to harm to the environments; these are all growing fast." "We already are facing many negative consequences of generative AI," argues Marcus. Gary MarcusMarcus's reply reasserts the question of how much harm is too much before society says, enough, and establishes controls.In fact, the best reason for an AI agency may be that there is unlikely to be societal agreement about harm. For some, such as Marcus, any harm is too great, while others want first and foremost to nurture the incipient technology without imposing too many restrictions.An AI agency could reconcile that deep divide by rigorously logging and following up on reported harms, and exploring theoretical harms, to move beyond conjecture to a comprehensive sense of the dangers posed to society.The second big challenge to Marcus's call for an AI agency is how to define what it should oversee. Most agencies have a mandate based on at least rough outlines of what is in their purview.Also:Agile development can unlock the power of generative AI - here's howThe US Securities and Exchange Commission, for example, regulates the transaction of "securities", which may include equities, such as common stock of a publicly listed company, or debt instruments, such as bonds. The SEC does not regulate other tradable instruments, such as derivatives contracts, which are left to another agency, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.The problem with the term "artificial intelligence" is that it has never been a real term. Marcus and other scholars use the term as a shorthand. But, in reality, AI has no precise meaning. AI is a grab-bag, a catch-all for any kind of computer science work that one feels like designating as AI.The late AI scholar Marvin Minsky of MIT coined the term "suitcase words" to mean expressions that could represent whatever anyone wanted them to include. AI is a suitcase word. It can include LLMs but, with the increasing marketing of any software as AI, all sorts of code could be labeled as "AI" whether or not it has anything in common with LLMs.That situation presents a problem for regulators: where to draw the line for their regulatory authority.Also:Could AI make data science obsolete?Should regulators regulate only things that use a certain technological component linked to machine-learning forms of AI, such as stochastic gradient descent, which is used to train most LLMs?Or should they regulate all things that have a certain observed effect, such as appropriating copyrighted material or producing output in natural language? Or should they broaden their bailiwick to anything and everything that claims to be AI?I asked Marcus in an email, "How will regulators know what is in their bailiwick?"Marcus's view is that experts will sort out the definitional questions: "Obviously we need experts, same as we do e.g. for FDA or regulating airplanes."Marcus continued: "Somehow we manage to navigate these definitional questions relatively well for 'food' 'drug', etc." True, except those things are real things, for which definitions can, ultimately be found; AI is not.Marcus urged me not to "overthink" the matter: "Each regulation is going to have a scope relevant to the regulation, e.g. the bill [California Governor Gavin] Newsom just signed on training and transparency is solely about models that are trained," noted Marcus. "A regulation that is about employment discrimination should be about any algorithm, trained or hard-coded, that is used to make employment decisions, etc."Also:Your dream programming job demands this language, every site agreesThat approach is true of individual measures, but it doesn't solve the question of the mandate for an AI agency. Any agency that comes into being will have to have a mandate just like the FDA. That's going to prove tricky while the term AI is a murky one, filled with hype.That situation, however, shouldn't deter society from the project of an AI agency. Marcus's main argument is still the strongest one: law-making simply can't keep pace with the proliferation of AI, however one defines the technology. An oversight body, staffed with experts in the field, armed with regulatory powers, needs to be vigilant on a daily basis. With the imminent change of power in Washington, D.C. as Donald J. Trump becomes the US President in January, I asked Marcus how he views the odds of such an agency taking shape.He is not optimistic:America absolutely needs an AI agency - both to encourage and leverage innovation, but also to mitigate the risks of AI, such as misinformation, discrimination, cybercrime, damage to environment, and the widespread theft of intellectual property. I fear that the Trump administration will ignore many of these risks, letting them escalate, and leaving society to bear them. I very much hope that I am wrong.Artificial Intelligence

Billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman of the Charoen Pokphand Group, speaks at a seminar in Bangkok in 2017.Dario Pignatelli/BloombergThe Charoen Pokphand Group, an agriculture conglomerate controlled by the family of Thai billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont, will spend 10.55 billion pesos ($179 million) to breed and raise hogs in the Philippines.Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Philippines Corp., a unit of Charoen Pokphand Foods, will spend that amount on 20 new breeding projects across the country, the Philippine Board of Investments said.The company will lease farms to breed parent stock pigs, producing thousands of piglets annually that will be transferred to wean-finish/grow-out farms until they reach market weight.The project, which will be spread across 11 provinces and create 1,250 jobs, was issued a Green Lane Certification by the nations Board of Investment, the first for an agricultural venture since 2023, when the Philippines started speeding up and simplifying permit and licensing for strategic investments.Each facility will use advanced farm equipment including climate controlled pig buildings, feed silos and automated feeding systems, farrowing pens and crates, gestation pens and both diesel and biogas generators.Dhanin, who received the Malcolm S. Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award at the Forbes Global CEO Conference in September 2023, is Thailands second-richest tycoon with a net worth of $14.7 billion, according to Forbes real-time data. Dhanin was Charoen Pokphand chairman for 48 years until he stepped down in 2017. His eldest son, Soopakij, and the youngest, Suphachai, are CP's chairman and CEO respectively. The company has interests in retail, telecommunications, finance, pharmaceuticals, property, autos and e-commerce.

VALENCIA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 02: A woman walks along a street full of mud and waste from houses after ... [+] heavy rain and flooding hit large parts of the country on November 02, 2024 in Paiporta municipality, in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)Getty ImagesWatching the devastating floods in Valencia, Spain, this year turned climate urgency into personal reality for me. Streets I know well were submerged, communities devastated, and the cleanup costs exceeded $3.8 billion. These disasters are no longer distant or rarethey are here, now. Against this backdrop, COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, feels like a critical moment.Baku, historically an oil hub, powered the industrial revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, it hosts discussions about transitioning from that fossil fuel legacy to renewable energy. This symbolism is striking, but action is what matters now. COP29 is not about incremental progress; it must be a decisive step toward securing our climate future.Central to this years summit is the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), which will replace the outdated $100 billion annual finance pledge. Developing countries are calling for significant increases in funding and mechanisms to unlock private capital, enabling them to adapt to climate impacts and transition to clean energy. Wealthier nations remain hesitant, citing economic uncertainties. Without an ambitious NCQG, trust between nations could erode further, leaving the most vulnerable to face the growing impacts of climate change alone.BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - NOVEMBER 11: Participants from Kenya photograph one another in front of a ... [+] billboard about climate finance on the opening day of the UNFCCC COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)Getty ImagesRecent reports suggest the global clean technology market could exceed $2 trillion by 2035, offering unprecedented economic opportunities. Yet, without clear and ambitious policies, and robust public finance, private investment may falter. Over 260 companies, through the Fossil to Clean campaign, are urging governments to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. They emphasize that certainty and long-term commitments are essential for unlocking the capital needed to accelerate the energy transition.MORE FOR YOUAt COP29, discussions have been intense. The World Resources Institute outlines three key elements needed for a successful NCQG: a bold finance target, de-risking mechanisms to attract private investment, and strong accountability measures to ensure the effective use of funds. While there has been progress, consensus remains fragile. Wealthier nations have yet to commit to figures that match the scale of the challenge, and time is running out.Equally important is the issue of fossil fuels. The UAE Consensus from COP28 set a clear direction: transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewables and double energy efficiency by 2030. This commitment to shifting away from fossil fuels must be reaffirmed in COP29s final text. This will reiterate to countries that their new national climate plans (NDCs) must have robust clean energy polices embedded and clear plans to reduce energy demand and progressively replace fossil fuel use with clean energy.Without this, the world risks backsliding into systems that perpetuate carbon dependency, leaving future generations to pay the price.A photograph taken on March 19, 2019 shows the oil wells of Bibi Heybat Oil Field, situated at the ... [+] coast of the Caspian Sea outside Baku. - Bibi Heybat's first oil drill took place in 1847, making it the oldest oil field in the world. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)AFP via Getty ImagesBusinesses are not waiting for governments to act. Many have already shifted their investments toward renewable energy and efficiency technologies, recognising that the future is clean. However, private-sector efforts alone are not enough. Governments must provide the regulations that allow businesses to scale up their efforts and accelerate the global transition.Baku is also a test of geopolitical cooperation. The world faces crises that compete for attentioneconomic recovery, energy security, and conflictsbut climate change remains an existential threat that transcends these challenges. If COP29 can align nations behind actionable commitments, it will reassert faith in multilateralism. However, the risk of another summit that prioritises compromise over urgency is real.As ministers prepare for the final stages of negotiations, the outcomes of COP29 will shape the agenda for COP30 in Brazil and beyond. Whether this summit is seen as a breakthrough or a missed opportunity depends on the decisions made now. Strong finance commitments and explicit fossil fuel phase-out language, that can deliver ambitious, investible NDCs are critical.The tools to address the crisis exist. Whats missing is the political courage to act. COP29 must deliver outcomes that go beyond rhetoric and provide the mechanisms needed to accelerate change. Anything less risks failing the moment. For those who have seen the devastation of recent climate impacts at home or away, the stakes are very clear. The world is watching, the time to deliver is now.

Key takeawaysBusiness intelligence company MicroStrategys share (MSTR) has outperformed Bitcoin year-to-date, attracting more Wall Street giants as investors.The number of institutional investors with a minimum of $100 million holding MSTR rose to 738 from 667.MicroStrategy continues its bullish stance on Bitcoin as the company now holds 331,200 BTC, worth almost $29.7 billion.MicroStrategy has proven its stance and dominance with its Bitcoin reserve strategy. Moreover, its commitment to Bitcoin accumulation sparked its shares and attracted many investors.While retail investors are adopting MicroStrategys shares, MSTR institutional investors are not left out. A recent observation indicated a spike in the Wall Street giants that amassed MSTR as the share appreciated.Institutional investment managers with a minimum of $100 million in assets under management (AUM) filed 13F reports with the US SEC. These documents, often submitted within 45 days after the end of every quarter, provide details of each managers stock holdings as of September 30.The latest filings, submitted over the last week, disclosed that the number of institutional MSTR holders rose from 667 to 738. Also, the report showed that these companies hold MSTR valued at $15.3 billion in total.Further, the data showed that both Vanguard Group, the second-largest asset manager globally, and Capital International Investors purchased almost 16 million MSTR shares in Q3. This figure marks a 1,000% increase in their MSTR holdings.Similarly, Morgan Stanley, a prominent US-based investment bank, amassed 8 million MicroStrategy shares, representing a 500% quarter-over-quarter growth.Also, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs purchased 766,000 and 696,000 MSTR shares, respectively, within the third quarter. On the other hand, Susquehanna and State Street both bought 5.3 million MSTR shares.In 2020, MicroStrategy adopted a Bitcoin reserve strategy, making the primary crypto asset its basic reserve holdings. MicroStrategys share, MSTR, has recorded staggering growth since the company adopted this strategy, even outperforming Bitcoin.According to data from Google Finance, MSTR is up by over $461% year to date (YTD). On the other hand, Bitcoin has indicated less than 150% YTD growth, according to Coinmarketcap.MSTR trades at $384.79, reflecting a 12.96% increase over the past day.Microstrategy Makes Its Largest Single-Day Bitcoin Purchase, Scaling Holding to 331,200 BTCMicroStrategy has continued its bullish stance on Bitcoin as it accumulated more tokens recently. The business intelligence firm amassed 51,780 BTC tokens worth $4.6 million. The transaction marked MicroStrategys largest single-day Bitcoin purchase ever.This latest purchase comes at the heel of another accumulation on November 11, when the firm bought 27,200 BTC tokens worth $2.03 billion.According to data from SaylorTracker.com, the website that tracks MicroStrategys Bitcoin holdings and transactions, the company currently holds 331,200 BTC coins, worth $30.31 billion, in line with market prices.Recently, MicroStrategy announced its 21/21 plan to boost its Bitcoin accumulation. This plan will see the company raising $42 billion in three years, $21 billion each from equity and fixed-income issuances, respectively.Meanwhile, analysts, including Mark Palmer, reacted to MicroStrategys audacious moves and plans regarding Bitcoin accumulation and yields.On November 18, Palmer wrote to clients: MSTRs ability to generate compounding yield on its bitcoin holdings, enabled by leverage accrued through the repeated tapping of the US capital markets, differentiates its stock from alternative means of gaining exposure to Bitcoin such as spot bitcoin ETFs.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Rida is a dedicated crypto journalist with a passion for the latest developments in the cryptocurrency world. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to thorough research, she delivers timely and insightful news articles that keep her readers informed about the rapidly evolving digital economy. View all articles by Rida Fatima Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.

Key takeaways21Shares XRP ETP, known as AXRP, has crossed $140 million in assets under management (AUM).AXRP has increased by 113% in the last month and over 225% since its launch.XRP physically backs AXRP and offers investors exposure to the popular cryptocurrency.In a Monday X post, 21Shares announced that its XRP ETP, known as AXRP, has surpassed $140 million in assets under management (AUM). This marks a significant growth for the fund since its launch in April 2019.AXRP, which offers investors exposure to XRP, has seen increasing interest in recent months. 21Shares reported through its website that AXRP now holds $142 million in AUM as of Monday, a major boost for the fund.According to the report, the fund is traded on several major European exchanges, including the SIX Swiss Exchange and Euronext Paris.The growth in AUM indicates that more investors are turning to XRP through 21Shares investment product. This provides an alternative way to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency without directly buying and holding XRP.Impressive Performance of the FundThe net asset value (NAV) per unit of AXRP, as of November 18, stands at $32.92. In the past 30 days alone, the ETP has surged by 113%, showcasing a strong return for investors.Over the past three months, AXRP has grown by 95%, while year-to-date performance has seen the fund appreciate by nearly 98%.Since its inception, AXRP has gained a total of 225%, underscoring the impressive long-term performance of the fund. AXRPs success reflects broader market trends as investors increasingly seek out cryptocurrency-based investment products.The funds physical backing by XRP ensures that it holds actual XRP tokens, making it more appealing to investors who prefer more direct exposure to the asset.Its important to note that while AXRP is an exchange-traded product (ETP), its not the same as an exchange-traded fund (ETF).Growing Institutional Demand for XRPThe rapid growth of AXRP mirrors a broader trend of rising institutional interest in XRP. This shift comes amid increasing confidence in the regulatory landscape for cryptocurrency, especially in the United States.Many investors see regulatory clarity as key to XRPs future growth, and recent developments have sparked optimism.In addition, the election of pro-crypto Donald Trump has raised hopes that SEC Chair Gary Gensler could be replaced. This could lead to a favorable settlement in the long-standing Ripple vs. SEC case.If XRP gains further regulatory approval, it could attract even more institutional investors, fueling further growth for funds like AXRP.Further, 21Shares US entity has filed for an XRP spot ETF in the US. This move follows similar filings by other asset managers, including Bitwise and Canary, signaling that more financial institutions are looking to capitalize on the growing demand for XRP.Grayscale, another major player in the cryptocurrency investment space, may also be eyeing the market. In September, Grayscale launched its XRP Trust, and the company has a track record of converting trust products into ETFs.This growing interest from institutional players further solidifies XRPs place as one of the top cryptocurrencies in the market.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Rida is a dedicated crypto journalist with a passion for the latest developments in the cryptocurrency world. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to thorough research, she delivers timely and insightful news articles that keep her readers informed about the rapidly evolving digital economy. View all articles by Rida Fatima Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.

Today, we're re-reviewing the Core Ultra 9 285K just kidding! Instead, we're throwing Intel's latest flagship CPU to the wolves, and by that we mean we are comparing it head-to-head with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D across 45 games.What we want to know is how these CPUs compare across a wide range of games or, more specifically, how much faster the 9800X3D is. For this review, we're sticking with the new format. Instead of showing individual results for a dozen or so titles and summarizing the margins for the rest, we'll present results for five games at a time. This way, you can see the FPS data for every game tested.As always, all CPU gaming benchmarks are conducted at 1080p using the GeForce RTX 4090. If you're curious why this is the best approach for evaluating CPU performance in games today and into the future, we have an article for that right here.Now, let's dive into the graphs!Gaming BenchmarksThe Last of Us, Cyberpunk, Hogwarts Legacy, ACC, Spider-ManFor our first batch of games, let's begin with The Last of Us Part 1. This is an example where the 285K performs quite well, resulting in the 9800X3D being only 5% faster a negligible margin. In this scenario, both CPUs deliver exceptional performance, as expected from flagship processors.However, the 285K stinks in Cyberpunk 2077, choking the RTX 4090 to just 151 fps. As a result, the Ryzen 7 processor is an impressive 45% faster. The 9800X3D also crushes the 285K in Hogwarts Legacy, delivering 43% better performance. The margins are even more brutal in ACC, where the AMD processor outpaces the Intel CPU by a staggering 75%. While performance improves for Intel in Spider-Man Remastered, the 9800X3D still maintains a 15% lead.Baldur's Gate 3, Homeworld 3, APTR, Flight Simulator, StarfieldNext, we have Baldur's Gate 3, where the 9800X3D is 34% faster, jumping from 131 fps to 176 fps. The margins become even more striking in Homeworld 3, with the 9800X3D achieving 58% better average frame rates and an incredible 117% improvement in 1% lows.The 285K also performs unexpectedly poorly in A Plague Tale: Requiem, averaging just 123 fps compared to 195 fps on the 9800X3D a 59% performance boost for the AMD CPU.In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, the 9800X3D maintains a strong lead with an average of 95 fps, a 34% improvement over the 285K. The Intel CPU shows one of its best results in Starfield, though even here, the 9800X3D is 10% faster.Horizon Forbidden West, Horizon Zero Dawn, Watch Dogs, Far Cry 6, T&LIn Horizon Forbidden West, the 285K delivers one of its best performances, coming within a few percentage points of the 9800X3D. However, in Horizon Zero Dawn, the Ryzen 7 processor is 29% faster. The 9800X3D also outpaces the 285K by 46% in Watch Dogs Legion and 28% in Far Cry 6, while the margin is negligible in Throne and Liberty.Hitman 3, Callisto Protocol, SoTR, Halo, Warhammer 3Next is Hitman 3, where AMD's 3D V-Cache processor is just 7% faster. Both CPUs provide more than enough performance for this older game. We've updated the benchmark for The Callisto Protocol to a less GPU-bound test, showing the 9800X3D outperforming the 285K by 42%.We're also seeing a 24% increase in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and like Hitman 3 performance here is much higher than is required, but it's a good benchmark tool for comparing the gaming performance of these two parts. Then we see that performance in Halo Infinite and Warhammer III is near enough to be identical.Black Ops 6, Borderlands 3, Riftbreaker, Remnant 2, SWJSThis next set of results begins with Black Ops 6, where the 9800X3D is 19% faster. Although the 285K is more than capable in this case, the Ryzen 7's significant advantage suggests better longevity.Similarly, in Borderlands 3, the 9800X3D delivers a 21% improvement. In The Riftbreaker, the 285K faces a substantial defeat, with the 3D V-Cache processor is a whopping 42% faster.In Remnant 2, the 285K produces relatively low frame rates for a high-end CPU, making the 30% improvement provided by the 9800X3D highly noticeable, especially for those using high refresh rate monitors. Finally, in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the 9800X3D delivers a crushing 45% performance lead.War Thunder, Skull and Bones, Returnal, Ratchet & Clank, Dying Light 2And here we have yet more gaming data. Those seeking ultimate performance in War Thunder will find the 285K underwhelming, as 266 fps is not particularly impressive in this title. This also means the 9800X3D was nearly 50% faster.Performance in Skull and Bones, Returnal, and Ratchet & Clank is nearly identical, with no clear winner. However, the 9800X3D delivers a 19% performance uplift in Dying Light 2.Forza Horizon 5, Forza Motorsport, Gears 5, Ghost of Tsushima, HuntThe 9800X3D is only slightly faster in Forza Horizon 5, but it shows a 21% improvement in Forza Motorsport. In Gears 5, the Core Ultra 9 processor is completely outmatched, managing just 180 fps with 1% lows of 101 fps. This results in the 9800X3D being 62% faster. Margins are more modest in Ghost of Tsushima and Hunt: Showdown, though the 9800X3D is comfortably ahead in both cases.World War Z, F1 24, Rainbow Six Siege, Counter-Strike 2, FortniteThe 285K is once again crushed, with the 9800X3D delivering a 27% lead in World War Z and an 18% advantage in F1 24. Similar gains are observed in Rainbow Six Siege, where the Ryzen 7 processor provides 26% greater performance, and in Counter-Strike 2, where it delivers a 30% improvement.In Fortnite, we encountered a compatibility issue with Easy Anti-Cheat, which prevented the game from running on the 285K. We reported the issue to Intel over a week ago, and they have informed us that they are working with Epic Games on a fix. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon.Assassin's Creed x2, Space Marine 2, SW Outlaws, Dragon Age: The VeilguardFinally, we arrive at the last set of results, starting with Assassin's Creed Mirage, where the 9800X3D leads by a comfortable 22%, pushing frame rates beyond 200 fps. In Valhalla, the 9800X3D shows only a 5% improvement in average frame rates but an impressive 64% advantage in 1% lows, based on a three-run average.Space Marine 2 is heavily CPU-limited, making the 27% performance boost from the 9800X3D a significant advantage, particularly for those using high-refresh-rate displays. Similarly, Star Wars Outlaws is CPU-intensive, but here, the 9800X3D is just 5% faster. Lastly, in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the 9800X3D maintains a 15% lead.45 Game AverageHere's how the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Core Ultra 9 285K compare head-to-head across the 45 games tested. There are no instances where the Ryzen processor was slower. Margins within 5% are considered a tie, as differences of 1 3% are not statistically significant.Across the 45 games, we found the 9800X3D to be, on average, 24% faster. While this margin is smaller than our review data, that's because reviews often emphasize CPU-limited gaming. This dataset includes several GPU-limited titles, such as Forza Horizon 5.What's particularly troubling for the 285K is the number of games where the Ryzen CPU led by over 40%. Hopefully, this is something Intel can address, but it seems the 285K may simply not be ideal for gamers.When looking at the 1% lows, the story remains largely the same. The 9800X3D provides, on average, 29% better 1% lows. While there are notable double-digit gains across many titles, the overall averages and 1% lows paint a consistent picture.What We LearnedTo say this was a one-sided bashing, with AMD wielding the 3D V-Cache hammer, would be stating the obvious. Intel's 285K got annihilated. You might think that's a bit over the top, after all the 285K delivered perfectly acceptable gaming performance in most titles tested, but we are talking about Intel's latest high-end CPU, and at $630, it is far from cheap.Granted, the Core Ultra 285K is a much better productivity CPU. However, that's not the competition the 9800X3D was built for it's designed for gaming. As it stands, the 9800X3D is the best gaming CPU available, with the previous-generation Ryzen 7 7800X3D coming in as the next best.Worse still for the 285K, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is expected early next year. It will likely claim the productivity crown from Intel's 285K. Even now, it's unclear whether the 285K holds that title, as the 9950X already outperforms it in several productivity workloads.Returning to gaming, if you're looking for the absolute best in CPU performance, Intel is no longer part of the conversation, which is shocking. The 9800X3D is simply too fast. Intel has admitted that Arrow Lake missed the mark and promised performance fixes by December, but expectations remain uncertain.Intel's Robert Hallock has publicly acknowledged that specific BIOS and OS-level settings have caused issues that negatively impacted performance. It's likely that Windows scheduling improvements will stabilize performance across a broader range of games. Compatibility problems, such as those with Easy Anti-Cheat, also need to be resolved. We are aware of Intel's statements about Arrow Lake's performance, if they manage to get out some updates before year's end, you can rest assured we'll re-test everything you've seen here.Shopping Shortcuts:AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D on AmazonIntel Core Ultra 9 285K on AmazonAMD Ryzen 9 9950X on AmazonIntel Core Ultra 7 265K on AmazonAMD Ryzen 7 9700X on AmazonAMD Ryzen 7 7700X on AmazonAMD Ryzen 5 9600X on Amazon

Forward-looking: Real-time translation is often cited as one of the most practical applications of generative AI, and Microsoft plans to bring this feature to its video conferencing and team collaboration software early next year. The company also showcased numerous new and upcoming AI features at its recent Ignite 2024 event. One of the many Copilot "AI agents" coming soon to Microsoft 365 aims to translate speakers' voices during meetings in Microsoft Teams. The functionality will enter public preview in early 2025.Supported languages include Mandarin, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.Users can also instruct the agent to replicate their voice and speaking style in the translated language. Additionally, a new AI transcription feature in Teams supports translations into 31 languages. Another translation tool, launching next year, enables Copilot to convert entire PowerPoint presentations into one of 40 languages without changing their formatting.Microsoft's new Copilot enterprise agents essentially customizable AI-based apps were first introduced a month ago. The first wave was designed to automate some tasks for sales and finance companies, a new wave of these agents will roll out to other industries between now and early 2024.For example, Copilot will soon be able to recap Microsoft Teams discussions, answer participant questions, and summarize files shared in chat. A feature launching later this month will allow Copilot to schedule one-on-one meetings by analyzing users' calendars, identifying mutually available times, and drafting meeting agendas. // Related StoriesAgents have also come to Microsoft's SharePoint tools. A new AI assistant can summon information about a company and its products to assist customers, train new team members, or plan budgets. Additionally, 365 subscribers can implement SharePoint Advanced Management at no extra cost starting early 2025.ServiceNow, Workday, Cohere, and other companies are also preparing to release more AI agents in the coming months. Meanwhile, Copilot is expected to expand its data access capabilities through partnerships with companies like S&P Global and CB Insights.Microsoft's Ignite 2024 announcements show the company is betting heavily on GenAI. However, features like translation, summaries, and queries hinge on accuracy a persistent challenge for AI due to the well-documented issues of hallucinations.Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff harshly criticized Microsoft's initial Copilot Agent rollout, citing insufficient accuracy, data, and security. However, Salesforce is attempting to compete with its Agentforce AI tools. The recent debut of Apple Intelligence has called generative AI summaries into question, with numerous unintentionally funny results spreading on social media.Microsoft contends that limiting AI agents to information from user-determined datasets will ensure accuracy. The upcoming public betas will put that claim to the test.