As tensions escalate between the U.S. and China, new investment restrictions target critical technologies like AI and semiconductors.

Broadcom became the eighth U.S. tech company to eclipse $1 trillion in market cap on Friday after the stock's record gain.

Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI researcher, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment in recent weeks, officials confirmed to CNBC.

How the jump from a burning building was filmed, including behind the scenes of the VFX.The post Breaking down a stunt from Black Doves appeared first on befores & afters.

A new vendor VFX breakdown for the series.The post Watch Picmas VFX breakdown for Senna appeared first on befores & afters.

Miagui, the Porto Alegre studio, did an outstanding work in crafting the visual effects for the highly-anticipated Netflix series Senna. The VFX team brought the legendary Ayrton Sennas world to life by recreating those iconic moments of the rainy racetracks of Monaco-a hallmark of Sennas career.They do a blend of precision with emotion, trying to get adrenaline, intensity, and the atmosphere of racing Formula 1. The stormy skies, the slick roads, and the dramatic conditions that defined the best of Sennas victories-they all capture these into frames that transport the viewers back to the golden era of racing. And with detail-oriented dedication, such authenticity transports audiences.This glorious VFX work not only pays tribute to Sennas legacy but also, to the artistry of Miagui in bringing very realistic, high-stakes environments that really speak deep into the hearts of all sports fans and newcomers alike.The post Senna: VFX Breakdown by Miagui appeared first on Vfxexpress.

Hellbound Season 2 is highly anticipated with gripping narrative sequences, focusing deeper on themes of morality, faith, and fear. Though storylines are a sure catch for many, the excellent visual effects by Dexter Studios really help lift the supernatural experience over and above reality.From the portentous creatures that herald a world of doom to the post-apocalyptic desolate cityscapes, Dexter Studios masterfully crafts visuals that immerse viewers in the dark and chaotic world of Hellbound. The team used cutting-edge CGI techniques to design these terrifying monsters, which would seem disturbingly real while still instilling fear and fascination at the same time. Such haunting environments, complete with effects such as fire, ash, and darkness, set the tone for the dramatic show.With their meticulous attention to detail and groundbreaking artistry, Dexter Studios proves once again why they are one of the leading names in the VFX industry. Their work on Hellbound Season 2 is more than just special effects; its storytelling through visuals, leaving a lasting impression on audiences worldwide.The post Hellbound Season 2: A Stunning VFX Showcase by Dexter Studios appeared first on Vfxexpress.

Some recent developments suggest the beleaguered software group of stocks may be coming back into favor, as I noted a couple weeks ago following positive responses to both Snowflake and Elastic.The interest in software is showing up again this week, with initiations and upgrades and downgrades on a raft of names.NOT EVERYONES A WINNERFirst, the bad news: Some software stocks may be even less desirable in a rebounding software market.Wednesday, J.P. Morgans Pinjalim Bora rejiggered ratings on three software stocks: C3.ai, which just reported positively on Monday; PagerDuty, which sold off last month on its rather mixed earnings report; and Sprinklr, which also had a downbeat report last week.In contrast to the exuberance around C3 at most shops, Bora is not impressed. He cut his rating to Underweight from Neutral, as the companys uneven and subpar growth-plus-margin performance leaves a lot to be desired, and it remains a big outlier compared to a broader base of peers trading at over 10 times FTM revenue.I think Bora pretty much summed up what I said on Monday in being underwhelmed: tepid growth, rich stock price.PagerDuty is a little more surprising. Bora cuts his rating to Underweight as well because of rising competition. In case you dont remember, PagerDuty makes software that allows a companys IT team to know when computer systems are having issues, such as a system failure, and the software helps them take steps to remediate it.Lots of companies are coming into the market, threatening PagerDutys customer acquisition and potentially putting pressure on its pricing control, writes Bora.We are observing a commoditization of the core on-call scheduling capabilities in the market, he writes. We are seeing large established vendors come into this space recently, in addition to the emergence of a large swath of startups in the space, most of which are entering the market as cheaper alternatives to PagerDuty.Many of these new entrants are banking on the idea that AIOps, a focus on artificial intelligence and automation, is taking over PagerDutys market, Bora notes.For example, Bora says Datadog rolled out something competitive this summer called On-Call, and in the most recent earnings call the company said it was getting a very strong reception . . . as customers are requesting On-Call as part of their deal.Likewise, software maker Atlassian is directing customers to use its JIRA software for IT. Theres also progress being made in the open-source world, including something called Grafana. Bora notes an explosion of startups, as the number of Incident Response vendors has gone from ~70 in the beginning of 2022 to ~100 as of now, with the number of vendors serving the enterprise doubling in that time period from 15 to 30.For Sprinklr, Bora cuts his rating to Neutral from Overweight. The stocks valuation is undemanding at current levels, he writes, namely, two times next years likely revenue. Still, hes moving to the sidelines because the growth just isnt there at the moment. We await the emergence of a sustainable growth plus margin glide path over the next 12 to 18 months, he says.SOME LONG-AWAITED AI PAYOFFThursday, Macquarie Researchs Steve Koenig started coverage of six companies, including Datadog and Atlassian, but also Salesforce, Autodesk, GitLab, and MongoDB.Koenigs overall theme is that these vendors are poised to finally get some of the artificial intelligence payoff investors have been waiting for.He sees the accelerating cloud revenue trends at major hyperscalers as something that bodes well for software, as customers have largely worked their way through cloud spending optimization efforts and are investing in digital transformation, cloud migration, and AI.AI is no longer just about Nvidias chips: AI investments are flowing upwards in the stack, from GPUs to infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) to platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and applications, writes Koenig, referring to two cloud-based software categories.Koenig likes Autodesk, Datadog, and GitLab, rating them each Outperform, and slaps a Neutral rating on the other three.GitLab is Koenigs top pick based on our perception of a significant valuation discount and catalysts that could include FY26 revenue outperformance, margin expansion, improving Rule of 40 scores, and strong FCF generation. The company is past the worst of the macroeconomic headwinds in its market for developer tools, he writes. And the valuation, at 10.8 times the next 12 months projected revenue, is a 28% discount to what he thinks it should be, which is 13.8 times. That is the seventh-largest discount in our 40-company growth software index, he notes.Datadog has near-term catalysts that could include significant FY25E revenue outperformance as the year progresses, Koenig says. For instance, the companys moves to embrace AI provide exposure to large language model (LLM) inferencing (with LLM observability) and differentiate its workflow and analysis capabilities. He sees the positives at Datadog driving top- and bottom-line outperformance, with revenue growth above the 20% range through FY27E accompanied by incremental margin expansion.Some of the positive stuff is merely accounting changes. Autodesk, Koenig writes, has not lived up to its profit potential, and its free cash flow has been volatile for several years. However, he is optimistic the fundamentals will improve with a new transaction model that Autodesk has undertaken.In that new model, the company is recording as revenue what it used to pay resellers, by selling directly to the end customer. That could boost the companys billings next year, the non-GAAP number for what it brings in each quarter, though the exact amount, according to Koenig, is opaque. More important, he says, selling direct will help ADSK optimize its operations over time, potentially enhancing profitability, via a more direct path to the customer.SHORT TAKES: PALANTIRS EXPENSIVE, REDDITS GOT UPSIDEThere were a few other scattered notes of coverage here and there.Shadowy spook software maker Palantir has a lot to recommend it, but not its valuation, writes William Power of RW Baird on Thursday, initiating coverage of the stock with a Neutral rating. On the one hand, the company is catalyzing growth with AI via its artificial intelligence platform introduced last year, Power observes, also noting that the company has excelled at actually putting generative AI applications into production, which is where we expect most value to be extracted in the coming years.But after more than quadrupling in value this year, the shares trade for 48 times revenue, way, way above most cloud software stocks, which trade for 16 times on average. Even if the company keeps growing revenue by 30% through 2026, its multiple would still be 35 times.Power gives the stock a $70 price target, just below Thursdays $73.20, which would equate to 40 times 2026 revenue.I think Power is being too generous. The valuation for Palantir is way too much, driven by this years trading momentum. We saw this with Snowflake in 2020, when it went public and had the highest software multiple ever. Snowflake shares are down 8% since that IPOfour years later. Itll be the same for Palantir, Ill bet: It wont grow into this elevated valuation.Another one this week was Wells Fargos Ken Gawrelskis initiation of social-media property Reddit with an Overweight rating and a $206 price target26% upside from a recent $163.51.Its stock is also expensive, but justifiably so, he believes. We acknowledge the premium multiple (~30X 26 EBITDA), but believe it comes with premium growth (30% 3yr Rev CAGR).There is ample near-term opportunity for RDDT to enhance ad monetization, Gawrelski says, with the company making only a third of what Meta Platforms makes in terms of advertising dollars per minute of usage, which is currently $5.60 for every 1,000 minutes of usage, by estimate, versus $17.98 for Meta. Reddit can boost that, he argues, by increasing the number of ads shown and introducing new ad formats.Ad load optimization (boosting the number of ads) is an obvious opportunity for Reddit to take advantage of its fast-growing engagement base to increase monetization, Gawrelski writes. Data hes seen suggest the company currently has the lowest ad load compared to Meta, Pinterest, and Snap, at 1.5 ad impressions per minute versus two for Meta, and three to four for the others.If Reddit can boost that monetization in the next couple of years by just 5 percentage points, to 35% of Metas monetization, Gawrelski believes it could mean another $238 million in revenue in 2026 above whats already expected by the Street.In my view, its a modest proposition on Gawrelskis part, but its also a slim prospect on which to hang a very expensive stock multiple.I dont have space here to go into the others, but Nutanix was started at a Buy rating at UBS on Thursday, and Box was started with a Buy rating at Merrill Lynch.To me, these are all signs that whichever the stock, the software appetite is rising.This storyoriginally appearedinThe Technology Letterand is republished here with permission.

Want more housing market stories from Lance LambertsResiClubin your inbox?Subscribeto the ResiClubnewsletter.As housing markets across the U.S. continue to stabilize from the frenzied highs of the pandemic housing boom, active listings and inventory levels have become critical indicators of market health. ResiClub tracks these metrics closely, as they offer insights into the balance of supply and demandand what that balance might mean for future home prices.Over the past two years, a clear trend has emerged: Housing markets where active inventory has returned to pre-pandemic levels often experience softer home price growth or outright price declines. In contrast, markets where inventory remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels have generally sustained stronger price growth. Nationally, active listings increased by 26.2% between November 2023 and November 2024, signaling a shift toward more leverage for buyers in many areas. However, active inventory remains 16.6% below November 2019 levels, and some regions continue to experience tight supplythough not uniformly across the country.To see how the story varies across the nation, ResiClub analyzed full-month November inventory data, which was published last week by Realtor.com.Heres how this Novembers total inventory/active listings compares to previous years, according to data from Realtor.com:November 2017: 1,228,077 November 2018: 1,273,047 November 2019: 1,143,332 November 2020: 683,822 November 2021: 512,241 November 2022: 750,200 November 2023: 755,489 November 2024: 953,452 Florida has seen one of the biggest inventory jumps.In Florida, the biggest inventory increases initially over the past two years were concentrated in sections of Southwest Florida. In particular, in markets like Cape Coral, Punta Gorda, and Fort Myers, which were hard-hit by Hurricane Ian in September 2022. This combination of increased housing supply for salethe damaged homes coming up for salecoupled with strained demandthe result of spiked home prices, spiked mortgage rates, higher insurance premiums, and higher HOAstranslated into market softening across much of Southwest Florida.However, the inventory increases in Florida now expands far beyond SWFL. Markets like Jacksonville and Orlando are also above pre-pandemic levels, as are many coastal pockets along Floridas Atlantic Ocean side.One reason for this is that Floridas condo market is dealing with the after effects of regulation passed following the Surfside condo collapse in 2021. This is compounded by a slowdown in work-from-home migration to Florida and significant home insurance shocks.In August 2024, only 4 states had returned to or surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 active inventory levels. In September 2024, it grew to 7 states.In October 2024, that number grew to 8 states.In November 2024, that number grew again to 10 states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington.States likely to join that list soon include Alabama, Nebraska, Hawaii, and Georgia.Why are Sun Belt and Mountain West markets seeing a faster return to pre-pandemic inventory levels than many Midwest and Northeast markets?One factor is that some pockets of the Sun Belt and Mountain West experienced even greater home price growth during the pandemic housing boom, which stretched fundamentals too far beyond local incomes. Once pandemic-fueled migration slowed, and rates spiked, it became an issue in places like Colorado Springs and Austin.Unlike many Sun Belt housing markets, many Northeast and Midwest markets have lower levels of homebuilding. As new supply becomes available in Southwest and Southeast markets, and builders use affordability adjustments like mortgage rate buydowns to move it, it has created a cooling effect in the resale market. The Northeast and Midwest dont have that same level of new supply, so resale/existing homes are pretty much the only game in town.Bottom line: This year, we've witnessed a cooling in many housing markets as affordability challenges have dampened the intense demand seen during the pandemic housing boom. While some areas around the Gulf are experiencing declining home prices, most regional housing markets are still recording positive year-over-year price growth. The key question moving forward is whether rising active inventory and months of supply will lead to broader price declines across more markets.

Dezeen School Shows: a project exploring the potential of algae for the future of food is included in this school show by students at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME).Also included are bowls that explore the relationship between metal and glass and jewellery which represents affectionate relationships.Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME)Institution: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME)Course: Designer-Maker MATutor: Flora Vagi Head of MA programme, assistant lecturer, Antal Zilahi programme managerSchool statement:"The mission of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) is to provide answers to the pressing challenges of the 21st century with design-based learning, research and applied mastery. We see our mission as serving our communities, spreading design consciousness and contributing to the sophistication of the local and regional economic and cultural ecosystems."The Designer-Maker MA at MOME blends design and craftsmanship to prepare you for the rapidly evolving creative industries. The programme focuses on materiality, sustainability and experimentation, offering a hands-on, research-led approach to learning."You will work on real-world design challenges, honing both practical and conceptual skills through studio-based projects, workshops and international collaborations. By the end of the program, you will have the skills and confidence to excel in areas such as bespoke design, experimental material development and design innovation. Students of the programme can get a taste of crafts such as jewellery design, ceramic design, as well as glass work."MOME has introduced a unique, future-focused approach to addressing the challenges of our environment, society, time, and well-being in a rapidly changing world. Rooted in sustainability and innovation, its MA programmes equip students with the tools and knowledge to design meaningful, future-ready solutions through thematic challenges, hands-on projects and interdisciplinary collaboration."These programmes encourage students to explore creative ways to build resilient and inclusive ideas, spaces and objects while redefining the role of design in global transformation. International scholarship opportunities are available to support talented individuals worldwide, inviting them to join Hungary's leading art and design university."The Gerbeaud Legacy Project MOME x ONYXbyDra Szilgyi"The project is a collaboration between the MOME and the Michelin Green Star awarded ONYX Mhely in Budapest. The goal of ONYX Mhely is to present a progressive Hungarian cuisine offering a fusion of art, science and gastronomy."Fostering talent is a key area of its operations, providing space to culinary, food science and fine and applied arts projects by young talents."The collection involves many student works, one of them is Dra Szilgyi's creation, called Cream puff."In designing the dessert plate, the designer sought to emphasise the cylindrical shape of the cake further. The small plate functions as a supporting element, complemented by a base inspired by the Paris-Brest pastry, featuring a central hole."The porcelain serving dishes draw inspiration from Gerbeaud's signature cream puff, where the texture and colour of the Tokaji Furmint grape jelly and spiced pear harmonise with the greenish hue of the ash glaze on the ceramic dessert plate."Student: Dra SzilgyiCourse: Designer-Maker MATutors: Angla Gg and Edit KondorUtopiabyMelinda Doktor"In exploring the future of food, the designer focuses on algae as a superfood and investigates the potential of small-scale cultivation."Their vision includes creating an algae biofarm designed for human-scale functionality, seamlessly integrating into both contemporary urban environments and speculative future scenarios."They are developing a compact cultivation unit equipped with a toolkit to support the entire life cycle of algae cultivation and consumption."Through research and design, they examine processing methods, compatible materials and the overall usability of algae for food purposes, showcasing its versatility through innovative recipes."Student: Melinda DoktorCourse: Designer-Maker MATutors: Edit Kondor, Jnos Polyk and Zsfia NmethCan you eat all?byDorottya Vrtessy"In their diploma project, the designer created an absurd group of objects to explore the relationship between individuals with eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa and their behaviors around food and eating."Through the design of tableware that redefines function, their aim was to understand and present the mental processes and thoughts associated with eating through objects to raise awareness, point out the significance of the problem and encourage people to approach people with these disorders with empathy."Student: Dorottya VrtessyCourse: Designer-Maker MATutors: Edit Kondor, Szilvia Haber, Tams Berky and Bernadett Palk-ArndtThe psychology of getting closebyCsenge Diriczi"In their dissertation research, the designer focuses on the development of relationships, particularly the journey between two individuals from initial distance to complete closeness and the psychological factors influencing partner selection habits."Their work explores themes such as the human need for space, the progression from perception to intimacy, the stages and classifications of love and the way long-distance relationships redefine togetherness in the digital age."Additionally, they examine the role of narrative design, emerging with the evolving concept of art, to understand the meaning of jewellery and its unique ability to express love."Student: Csenge DiricziCourse: Designer-Maker MATutors: Fanni Cserntony, Anik Ills and Dra Rea KvrConnectionsbySarolt Sgor"Building on their thesis, the designer's final project delves into manual and tacit experience."By pairing materials, they consciously navigate the production process, observing the interplay between implicit knowledge and explicit attention."Vessels and bowls were chosen as the forms of expression, reflecting a deep connection to the human hand through function, appearance and etymology."Employing metal raising and hand forming techniques, they emphasise the physical and emotional demands of these processes, which serve as tools for meditation and therapy."Drawing inspiration from the semantics of words like bowl, vessel, palm, hand, retaining, grasping, generosity and offering, the project resulted in two series of unique, one-of-a-kind collector's items: one exploring the relationship between metal and glass and the other investigating the interplay between the hand, a shell and a stand-alone object."Student: Sarolt SgorCourse: Designer-Maker MATutors: Flra Vgi, David Huycke and Blint VeressHairmemorybyJudit Jeney"The designer's masterwork reimagines the tradition of preserving hair, a practice with deep cultural significance and a long history."While photographs have largely replaced tangible keepsakes, many still choose to save a lock of hair as a meaningful memento."Through their work, the designer aims to honour this tradition, creating objects that preserve the emotional significance of hair and express human connections and attachments."These unique, personalised pieces serve as tangible carriers of cherished memories, offering a contemporary approach to an age-old practice."Student: Judit JeneyCourse: Designer-Maker MATutors: Flra Vgi, Nra Tengely and Dra Rea KvrThe ecology of Lake Balaton SensitisationbyHajnal Csillag Gyeviki"The designer's masterwork is design tableware that represents a critical approach and presents the current ecological processes in the system of Lake Balaton to make them visible and accessible using data physicalisation methodology."The set of objects also draws our attention to the fragility of our wider environment, the biosphere and the importance of transcending our human-centred worldview."Student: Hajnal Csillag GyevikiCourse: Designer-Maker MATutors: Andrs Mohcsi, Mihly Mink, Nelli Szab, Gbor bli and Emke BodonyiMirror ErrorbyAntal Zilahi"The designer's masterwork aimed to create a series of brooches that captivate the viewer's attention and encourage a concentrated focus."These objects provide an opportunity for the viewer to explore a single part of their body or environment, fostering a slower, more intimate connection between the object, the individual and their perception."Throughout the design process, the designer emphasised challenging notions of perfectionism by presenting unusual reflected imagery, inviting viewers to engage in an internal dialogue about imperfection and the depth of personal observation."The reflective surfaces in the jewellery were crafted using alternative glass mirror-making techniques, where intentional flaws in the reflective coating played a central role."Student: Antal ZilahiCourse: Designer-Maker MATutors: Flra Vgi, Zoltn Tth, Barnabs Wlfinger, Sra Trk, Anna Sid and Anna BrcskPartnership contentThis school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (MOME). Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.The post Eight design projects by students at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest appeared first on Dezeen.