HP's EliteBook x360 1040 is a professional laptop-tablet combo with a feature set that enables one of the best video call environments for a laptop I've seen. Multiple models have seen huge discounts on HP's website.

As organizations barrel towards an AI-powered future, many IT teams are making catastrophic mistakes ... [+] that could derail their digital transformation efforts.Adobe StockThe next wave of artificial intelligence isn't just knocking at enterprise doors - it's exposing fundamental flaws in how organizations approach technology transformation. As IT teams race to stay competitive in 2025, they're making mistakes that could significantly impact their digital initiatives.Mistake 1: Mishandling AI Governance Many organizations are mishandling AI deployment by operating without proper guardrails, while employees increasingly turn to unauthorized "shadow AI" applications to boost their productivity. In 2025, we'll see the consequences of this oversight manifest in data breaches, biased outputs, and compliance violations. Organizations are discovering sensitive data being fed into public AI models through unofficial channels, creating massive security vulnerabilities. Forward-thinking IT leaders are already implementing comprehensive AI governance frameworks that cover everything from model selection to output verification while providing approved alternatives to popular consumer AI tools. This isn't just about risk management - it's about building sustainable AI practices that can scale with your organization's growing needs while keeping shadow AI use in check through education and accessible, secure alternatives.Mistake 2: Ignoring Regulatory Requirements IT teams are significantly underprepared for incoming AI regulations. While the U.S. currently lacks comprehensive federal AI legislation, states like Colorado are implementing strict requirements around automated decision-making systems, and the EU's sweeping AI Act will impact any organization doing business in Europe. By 2025, organizations will need to demonstrate their AI systems aren't discriminatory, provide transparency reports for high-risk applications, and comply with complex international requirements. Even existing regulations are being reinterpreted through an AI lens - from biometric privacy laws to consumer protection statutes. IT teams building AI systems today without considering these emerging compliance requirements are creating unnecessary technical debt. Smart organizations are future-proofing their AI implementations by designing for transparency, establishing clear governance frameworks, and building systems that can adapt to evolving regulatory demands across multiple jurisdictions.Mistake 3: Creating Integration Complexity In rushing to modernize, organizations are creating unnecessary technical debt with brittle architectures that span old and new systems. While everyone wants to talk about their latest AI implementation or cloud migration, organizations are drowning in hundreds of point-to-point connections between specialized tools and aging legacy platforms. Smart organizations are taking a hybrid approach, methodically modernizing their core systems while implementing robust integration frameworks that can scale. They're replacing brittle connections with flexible architectures that can adapt as systems evolve. This isn't as exciting as launching the latest chatbot, but building sustainable, maintainable technology ecosystems is fundamental to long-term success.Mistake 4: Neglecting Data Quality Organizations are building AI initiatives without addressing fundamental data quality issues. Their data lakes are more like murky swamps - plagued by inconsistent standards, conflicting formats, and quality issues that render them nearly unusable for advanced AI applications. The problem goes beyond mere technical challenges. Business units are hoarding information in isolated silos, data governance policies are outdated or ignored, and metadata management is often an afterthought. The result? AI initiatives that produce unreliable outputs, models that perpetuate hidden biases, and massive costs in data cleanup and rework. Forward-thinking organizations are treating data quality as a board-level priority, investing in robust data governance frameworks, and building centralized data platforms that enforce consistent standards. They understand that in 2025, the difference between AI success and failure often comes down to the quality of the data foundation it's built upon.Read More: The AI-Powered Citizen Revolution: How Every Employee Is Becoming A Technology CreatorMistake 5: Compromising Security IT teams are compromising security in their push for rapid innovation. The pressure to deliver new capabilities at speed is leading to incomplete security reviews and inadequate protections. This is particularly concerning as cyber threats evolve into hybrid attacks that combine AI capabilities with traditional hacking methods. Automated systems are probing for vulnerabilities 24/7, while AI-powered social engineering attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and harder to detect. Adding to this perfect storm is the looming threat of quantum computing that is forcing organizations to confront the possibility that their current encryption methods may soon be obsolete. Forward-thinking organizations are adopting zero-trust architectures and implementing DevSecOps practices that bake security into every stage of development. They're also investing in quantum-safe encryption and AI-powered security tools that can detect and respond to threats in real time. In 2025, a single security breach can undo years of digital transformation efforts.Mistake 6: Maintaining Outdated Skills Development Organizations are maintaining outdated approaches to skill development and technical training. The technical skills that were cutting-edge six months ago are now baseline requirements, while entirely new competencies emerge almost weekly. This skills gap is particularly apparent in AI and quantum computing, where the underlying technology evolves faster than training programs can adapt. Progressive organizations are taking a radically different approach, implementing continuous learning platforms that combine foundational principles with real-time skill adaptation. They're fostering partnerships with AI vendors, cloud providers, and educational institutions to create dynamic learning environments. The focus has shifted from traditional certifications to practical experience and adaptability - because, in 2025, the most valuable skill is the ability to learn and unlearn at the pace of innovation.The Price Of InactionThese mistakes are already impacting digital transformation efforts across industries. The organizations that will thrive in 2025 are those that recognize these issues for what they are: predictable, preventable problems that require immediate attention. The time to course-correct is now, before these compounding issues create problems too expensive and complex to fix. The choice is clear: address these challenges head-on today, or watch your digital transformation efforts falter tomorrow under the weight of avoidable mistakes.

DatacenterPixabayAt Microsoft Ignite 2024, the company unveiled a series of advancements that signify a strategic shift towards autonomous AI agents, aiming to enhance operational efficiency and productivity across various sectors. Central to this initiative is the integration of Copilot with agent-based systems, reflecting Microsofts move in transforming assistive AI tools into autonomous agents capable of performing complex tasks with minimal human intervention.1. Azure AI Foundry: The Unified Development PlatformMicrosoft has rebranded Azure AI Studio as Azure AI Foundry. It is a unified platform designed to streamline the development, customization and management of AI applications. It integrates various Azure AI services and tools, providing developers with a comprehensive environment to build and deploy AI solutions efficiently. The platform includes a new software development kit that facilitates integration with familiar development environments like GitHub and Visual Studio, promoting seamless collaboration and innovation.Azure AI Foundry uses a hub-and-project architecture, where the hub serves as the top-level resource managing security configurations, compute resources and service connections, while projects are child resources that provide isolated development environments with access to tools, reusable components and specific project-scoped connections. The platform emphasizes centralized governance, enabling teams to efficiently manage security, connectivity and computing resources across multiple projects while maintaining granular access control through Azure role-based access control and attribute-based access control.The platform enables developers to manage the end-to-end lifecycle of generative AI applications through model selection, fine-tuning, deployment, retrieval-augmented generation, guardrails and governance.2. Azure AI Agent Service: Autonomous AI FrameworkMicrosofts Azure AI Agent Service is a capability of Azure AI Foundry for developers to create, deploy and scale intelligent AI agents that can automate complex business processes. The service enables developers to build secure, stateful autonomous agents by integrating models and technologies from Microsoft, OpenAI and partners like Meta, Mistral and Cohere. These agents can leverage knowledge from diverse sources, including Bing, SharePoint, Fabric, Azure AI Search, Azure Blob and licensed data repositories, providing unprecedented flexibility in agent development.Read More: Azure Local Brings The Power Of Cloud To On-Premises And EdgeThe Azure AI Agent Service introduces managed capabilities that simplify AI agent creation, allowing organizations to develop purpose-built solutions that can handle intricate workflows with minimal manual intervention. Developers can use a code-first approach to customize AI solutions, enabling agents to work across multiple data platforms and integrate seamlessly with existing systems. The service supports autonomous agents that can plan, learn from processes, adapt to new conditions and make decisions independently, effectively transforming how businesses approach task automation and operational efficiency.Azure AI Agent Service integrates seamlessly with Logic Apps, Power Apps and Azure Functions, enabling developers to create sophisticated AI-driven applications. By leveraging Azure Functions, developers can implement custom logic and actions within AI agents, facilitating complex workflows and real-time data processing. This integration allows AI agents to perform tasks such as sending emails, scheduling meetings and automating report creation. Azure Logic Apps provide a powerful mechanism for integrating with the Azure AI Agent SDK through function calling capabilities. The integration enables developers to create intelligent, automated workflows that can be dynamically invoked by AI agents. Additionally, Power Apps provides a low-code platform for building user interfaces that interact with these AI agents, allowing users to engage with AI-driven functionalities through intuitive applications.This synergy between Azure AI Agent Service, Logic Apps, Power Apps and Azure Functions empowers organizations to develop intelligent, automated solutions tailored to their specific business needs. For orchestrating multiple agents, Microsoft has plans to integrate Autogen, a powerful open-source framework for agentic workflows.3. Copilot Studio + Azure AI Foundry: Bridging Assistant and Agent CapabilitiesMicrosoft Copilot and Azure AI Agents represent two distinct approaches within Microsofts AI ecosystem, each serving unique functions to enhance user productivity. Microsoft 365 Copilot acts as an AI-powered assistant embedded within applications like Microsoft 365, providing real-time assistance, generating content and offering contextual suggestions to users. In contrast, agents are autonomous AI entities designed to perform tasks independently, automating complex workflows and processes without continuous user input.Microsoft Copilot Studio targets knowledge workers to create agents in natural language, while the new AI Foundry Agent SDK is meant for developers and builders creating sophisticated and autonomous agentic workflows.At Ignite 2024, Microsoft showcased how it plans to bridge the gap between the two. The Copilot Studio now offers autonomous agentic capabilities, allowing makers to build agents that can take actions independently, such as responding to emails or recording uploaded files without constant human prompting. The new Agent SDK empowers developers to create multi-channel agents leveraging Azure AI, Semantic Kernel and Copilot Studio services, deployable across platforms like Teams, Copilot, web and third-party messaging systems.The integration between Copilot Studio and AI Foundry Agents introduces features like an agent library with templates for common scenarios, including leave management, sales order processing and deal acceleration. Developers can now build full-stack, trusted agents with access to the Copilot Trust Layer, enabling seamless integration between low-code and pro-code solutions. Additional capabilities include image upload for agent analysis, voice-enabled agent creation and advanced knowledge tuning. Documents indexed in Azure AI Foundry can be used in Copilot Studio as knowledge sources for agents. The integration also provides IT professionals with a Copilot Control System to securely manage agent functionalities, ensuring enterprises can customize and deploy AI agents that align precisely with their unique business workflows and compliance requirements.4. Azure AI Reports: Enhanced Governance FrameworkAt Microsoft Ignite 2024, Azure AI Reports was announced as a critical tool for enterprises seeking comprehensive insights and governance for their AI initiatives. The platform provides detailed documentation and evaluation mechanisms for AI models, enabling organizations to track model performance, assess potential risks and generate transparent model cards that capture key characteristics and limitations. These reports are designed to support responsible AI development by offering granular visibility into model behaviors, potential biases and performance metrics across different scenarios.Azure AI Reports are integrated into the Azure AI Foundry portal, providing a centralized location for managing AI projects and resources. The enhanced user interface features streamlined navigation, making it easier to discover AI capabilities and manage applications efficiently. Additionally, the portal includes a new management center that allows users to govern projects, resources, deployments and quotas, further supporting the effective oversight of AI initiatives.The Azure AI Reports feature introduces advanced capabilities for enterprises to maintain compliance and ethical standards in AI deployment. By generating automated documentation that covers model training data, performance benchmarks and potential use case limitations, organizations can now create a structured approach to AI governance. The platform integrates seamlessly with existing Azure AI services, allowing developers and IT professionals to access comprehensive insights directly through familiar tools like GitHub and Visual Studio, thereby simplifying the process of maintaining transparency and accountability in AI model development.5. Serverless GPU Computing: Infrastructure Evolution for AIAzure Container Apps is a fully managed serverless container service that enables developers to build and deploy modern, cloud-native applications and microservices at scale.At Microsoft Ignite 2024, the platform introduced serverless GPU support, a groundbreaking feature that allows developers to access NVIDIA A100 and T4 GPUs without managing complex infrastructure. This capability provides a flexible, pay-per-second compute option that scales automatically, eliminating the traditional overhead of GPU resource management.The serverless GPU support offers critical advantages for AI and machine learning developers. By providing scale-to-zero capabilities, developers can run GPU-intensive workloads like model training, inference and video rendering without maintaining dedicated hardware. The feature supports full data governance, ensuring that data never leaves the container boundary, which is crucial for enterprises with strict security requirements. Developers can choose between NVIDIA A100 and T4 GPU types, offering flexibility for different computational needs while benefiting from per-second billing and automatic scaling.GPU support in Azure Container Apps bridges the gap between serverless APIs and traditional managed compute, making high-performance computing resources more accessible. Developers can now focus on core AI code rather than infrastructure management, with the platform handling complex GPU provisioning and scaling. Currently available in West US 3 and Australia East regions, this feature is particularly transformative for AI development teams seeking a streamlined, secure and scalable approach to GPU-accelerated computing.SummaryThese announcements reflect Microsoft's commitment to enterprise AI deployment at scale. The shift to autonomous agents, combined with consumption-based infrastructure and enhanced governance tools, enables organizations to accelerate AI adoption while maintaining control over costs and risks.Enterprise leaders should evaluate their AI strategy in light of these developments, particularly focusing on opportunities for workflow automation and the transition from fixed to variable AI computing costs.

Storage requirements for AAA games continue to grow each year. While PC gamers have a wide array of storage options and to expand with ease, the situation is a bit more complicated for console gamers on current generation hardware, particularly those using the PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X/S.The Xbox Series X is available with a 1TB SSD, offering approximately 800GB of usable space for games and apps, and a 2TB version with 1.6TB accessible to the user. The Series S, on the other hand, comes in a 1TB model or a 512GB version, the latter providing just 364GB of usable storage. Beyond this, both consoles support running current-gen games exclusively from official expansion cards manufactured by Seagate or WD. However, they can play Xbox One titles from any USB 3.0 drive and allow transferring new games to and from these external drives for storage purposes.The original PlayStation 5 features an 825GB SSD, of which 667GB is available for games and apps. The PS5 slim model, released in 2023, increased storage to 1TB, with approximately 840GB usable. The PS5 Pro, meanwhile, includes a 2TB SSD, with almost 1.9TB accessible to users.In terms of upgradability, the PS5 series offers more flexibility than Xbox consoles, thanks to its internal M.2 slot. However, this comes with notable constraints. Some SSDs are officially endorsed as PS5-compatible, while others are marketed as compatible by their manufacturers. Similar to Xbox consoles, the PS5 can play previous-gen games from a USB drive or use the drive for storing current-gen titles.The PlayStation 5 does not support SATA drives, even those in the M.2 form factor. Moreover, it requires SSDs to support PCIe 4.0 speeds and four PCIe lanes, with a recommended sequential read speed of 5,500MB/s. The PS5 also lacks support for host memory buffer (HMB), meaning SSDs without dedicated DRAM may experience slower game load times and a reduced lifespan.Additionally, the dimensions of the drive's heatsink are strictly regulated: it must be no wider than 25mm (only 3mm more than the drive itself), no taller than 2.45mm beneath the drive, and no taller than 8mm above it. If you have a compatible drive but lack a suitable heatsink, you can purchase a generic compatible heatsink for as little as $7 (or $9 if it's a high-capacity, double-sided drive).Whether you're looking for a drive to expand storage for current-gen Xbox or PlayStation 5 games, or an external drive for legacy titles, this guide has you covered.Best PlayStation 5 SSDsWD Black SN850X | Corsair M600 Pro LPX | Samsung 990 ProIn numbers Price: $135 on AmazonWhen choosing a drive for your PlayStation 5 console, the first factor to consider is capacity. If you need 8TB of storage, the WD Black SN850X is the obvious choice. With denser flash memory than the other versions, it can use the same number of dies as the 4TB model and see no performance loss. An empty 8TB drive will have a big enough writing cache to copy over the entire content of a full PS5 Pro drive at full speed.As of writing, the version without a heatsink is $80 cheaper than the one with a heatsink. You can save money by pairing it with a third-party heatsink that fits double-sided drives, which costs around $9.In case you were wondering, the SN850P is basically the same drive, with a special heatsink design that allows it to display a bigger PlayStation logo, for even more money.For a 4TB drive, the SN850X is still a solid choice, but there are two other options with a single-sided design that simplify cooling and come with reasonably priced heatsinks. For PS5 Pro users, the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX is a better fit due to its superior sustained write speeds. Meanwhile, PS5 users may prefer the Samsung 990 Pro, which offers greater efficiency and slightly faster game load times.If 2TB of storage is sufficient, the single-sided SN850X 2TB is back in the race. Another good option is the SK Hynix P41, though it doesn't include a heatsink. While all of these drives are also available in 1TB versions, they typically offer either lower performance or a much higher cost per terabyte. Back to top Xbox Storage Expansion CardsSeagate Expansion Card or WD Black C50In numbers Price: $129 on AmazonWith the current Xbox lineup, storage expansion couldn't be simpler. Both the WD Black C50 and the Seagate storage expansion card provide identical functionality. Just choose the capacity you want and get the more affordable option available.Both drives are available in 2TB, 1TB, and 500GB versions. If your budget allows, we recommend going for the 2TB card. It not only offers better performance but also provides greater flexibility and convenience compared to buying two separate 1TB drives at different times.While Xbox Storage Expansion Cards are significantly more expensive per GB than M.2 drives, they are far easier to install. This simplicity positions the Xbox as a more user-friendly, family-oriented option, while the PlayStation 5 caters more to power users who value performance. Back to top Best External DriveCrucial X9 Pro Portable SSDIn numbers Price: $80 on AmazonXbox One and PlayStation 4 games were designed to run off a spinning disk, but can still enjoy the faster load times of an SSD. The Crucial X9 Pro stands above the crowd thanks to its dedicated DRAM, especially when the drive houses hundreds of GBs. When connected to the PlayStation 5's USB-C port, it can also transfer games from other drives at 1050MB/s. Unlike its predecessor, the X8 Pro, the X9 Pro rarely drops below this speed.For Xbox users, connecting the Crucial X9 Pro requires a USB-C to USB-A adapter. While transfer speeds are limited to 400MB/s in this setup, game load times remain virtually indistinguishable from those on the PlayStation. The X9 Pro is also built for durability, featuring two-meter drop resistance and an IP55 rating for water and dust protection more than adequate for a drive that is unlikely to move frequently.A good alternative is the Samsung T7 Shield, usually available for a similar price per GB. It doesn't have DRAM, but it does have a USB-A connector. It's just as fast as the Crucial drive for data transfers and it's also rated for three-meter drops, IP65 water and dust resistance.If you're looking to download a huge library of previous-gen AAA titles onto a single drive on the cheap, the Western Digital My Book series (offering several TBs of storage) still offers good value. However, it does have a significant drawback when used with an SSD, as its transfer speeds max out at around 175MB/s, creating a noticeable bottleneck.For those willing to sacrifice even more load-time performance in favor of a compact drive that doesn't require an external power source, the WD Passport series is a reasonable option. However, data transfer speeds are limited to just 130MB/s, which is slower than other options but still sufficient for legacy game storage. Back to top

Artists concept of a near-Earth object. NASA/JPL-Caltech / NASA/JPL-CaltechA so-called mini moon thats been orbiting Earth for the last couple of months is about to disappear off into our solar system again.The near-Earth asteroid, officially called 2024 PT5, was first spotted in early August by the NASA-funded Sutherland, South Africa, telescope of the University of Hawaiis Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). The term mini moon emphasizes the rocks small size its thought to be about 10 meters (33 feet) wide and also its temporary nature as it will never be permanently captured in Earths gravitational field.Recommended VideosThe rocks orbital distance from Earth has been about nine times that of the moons distance from our planet, and it never posed a risk to earthlings.RelatedGiven the similarity between asteroid 2024 PT5s motion and that of our planets, scientists at NASAs Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) believe that the object could be a large chunk of rock ejected from the moons surface after an asteroid impact long ago, NASA said.After Monday, November 25, asteroid 2024 PT5 will leave Earths vicinity and continue its journey around the sun. The timing of the rocks exit is influenced by the gravitational interactions between Earth, the moon, and the sun, and it is the gravitational forces exerted by these celestial bodies that is causing the asteroid to be pulled back into its original path around the sun.Professor Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, one of those involved in the discovery of 2024 PT5, told Space.com in September just ahead of the rocks arrival that it belongs to the Arjuna asteroid belt, a secondary asteroid belt made of space rocks that follow orbits very similar to that of Earth at an average distance to the sun of about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). Commenting on 2024 PT5 becoming a temporary companion of Earth, he added, You may say that if a true satellite is like a customer buying goods inside a store, objects like 2024 PT5 are window shoppers.Besides a close pass in January next year, 2024 PT5 wont be dropping by our neighborhood again until 2055, and after that in 2084.Editors Recommendations

SpaceX could be targeting as many as 25 launches of its Starship rocket for 2025 as it readies the massive vehicle for crew and cargo trips to the moon, Mars, and possibly beyond.The targeted launch cadence for the Starship, which comprises the first-stage Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft, appears in a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) draft environmental assessment for Starship missions from Boca Chica, Texas. The document primarily addresses the environmental considerations and regulatory processes linked to SpaceXs desire to increase the frequency of its Starship test flights from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica.Recommended VideosSpaceXs last stated target, established in 2022 before the rockets first flight in April of the following year, was for as many as five Starship launches per year, but now that the company is getting into a rhythm with its test flights conducting the last two in the span of two months SpaceX wants to ramp up its efforts in order to develop the rocket more rapidly.RelatedThe document states that SpaceX wants to perform up to 25 annual Starship orbital launches, up to 25 annual landings of the Super Heavy booster, and up to 25 annual landings of the Starship spacecraft. SpaceX boss Elon Musk has said that the ultimate goal is to see hundreds of Starship launches taking place each year, though environmentalists believe each Starship launch is damaging the local area.While the launches would originate from SpaceXs Starbase facility, the landings could take place in a number of locations, including at Starbase using giant mechanical arms to secure the rocket on its return, in the same way as happened on the fifth test; on a floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico; in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii; in the southeast Pacific; or in the Indian Ocean.Depending on the operational phase of the program, for landings at sea, both Starship and Super Heavy could have: (1) a hard landing at terminal velocity and break up on impact resulting in an explosive event at the surface of the water; (2) a soft water landing and tip over and sink or explode on impact at the surface of the water; and (3) breakup during reentry resulting in debris falling into the ocean, the FAA said in the document.The 120-meter-tall Starship has flown six times to date, with its flight cadence gradually increasing over time, except for a longer-than-expected interval between the fourth and fifth tests as SpaceX waited for a flight permit from the FAA.SpaceX is under pressure to ready a modified version of the Starship spacecraft for NASAs Artemis III mission, currently targeting September 2026, which will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface.Editors Recommendations

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The EV makers Texas Gigafactory ran afoul of environmental overseers, with a faulty furnace door and hazardous wastewater.

Today moral rules apply to everything from the coffee we buy to the pronouns we use, and we are judged by the intensity of our commitment.

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