2023s highly commended project was Housing for rubber workers in Chiapas, Mexico by Manuel Cervantes EstudioThe Architectural Review is seeking the most innovative and creative houses in the world enter the AR House awards todayThe private house occupies a unique position in the history of architecture. Beyond its function of shelter, it is an object of fantasy, a source of delight, a talisman and a testing ground. Launched in 2010, the AR House awards recognises creativity, originality and excellence in the design of dwellings. The house a key rite of passage for architects offers the potential for innovation and is critical to the ferment and crystallisation of new ideas.The AR is looking for projects built in the last five years. Perfection is not required: were seeking inventive ideas that push the type forward, whatever the scale and construction cost. This is your chance to be recognised on the global stage as a leading designer of exceptional house projects.AR House awards 2025Early bird deadline Friday 9 May. Click here to find out more and send us your work today2024s AR House winner, a series of homes designed by Manuel Cervantes Estudio for families displaced by hurricanes in Acapulco, MexicoCredit:Csar BjarAll entries will be reviewed by the expert international judging panel which will choose a shortlist of fifteen houses, of which six finalists will be visited by an AR critic before the winner is selected by the judges. Winning and commended projects will be featured in the ARs December/January issue and all shortlisted projects will be promoted on the AR website to over a million readers worldwide.Big Space, Little Space by Davidson Rafailidis was 2020s winnerCredit:Florian HolzherrThe AR House awards are diverse and wide-ranging. Last year, the AR House winner was Post-hurricane houses by Manuel Cervantes Estudio, a series of modular homes in Acapulco, Mexico, built for residents displaced by a destructive hurricane in 2023. Other previous winners includeEl Garaje by NOMOS which transformed a car repair shop into a home in Madrid, Spain, Davidson Rafailidis Big Space, Little Space transformation of a 1920s garage into a small house in Buffalo, Habitat for Orphan Girls in Iran by ZAV Architects, a modular furniture system for families in Hong Kongs subdivided apartments by Domat,and Fayland House by David Chipperfield Architects.We look forward to receiving your work.2025-01-27AR EditorsShare

Pieces on Green, 25 x 35 centimeters. All images courtesy of Deniz Kurdak, shared with permissionDeniz Kurdak Crafts Fragility and Resilience in Embroidered Depictions of PorcelainJanuary 27, 2025ArtCraftKate MothesWhat draws me to the motif of ceramics is the deep sense of belonging they evoke in me, says Deniz Kurdak. The London-based artist is fascinated by blue-and-white porcelaina style that originated in China as early as the 7th century and was broadly imitated and collected around the globeand the way certain pieces inspire familiarity. She adds, They have even found their way into my grandmothers home.Themes of identity, belonging, and memory play central roles in Kurdaks work, as she draws on personal histories and bases her compositions on real objects that remind her of pieces her grandmother owned. Fragments, 30 x 40 centimetersGrowing up with an abusive father, I found sanctuary in my grandparents homea safe, predictable, and nurturing space where I felt accepted, the artist tells Colossal. Along with my admiration for blue-and-white porcelain, my passion for textiles and embroidery was passed down to me by my grandmother.Bringing conceptual elements to needlework, a craft traditionally dismissed in art circles as womens work, she emphasizes expression and narrative. I like to reimagine the acts of cutting, stitching, and embroidering as forms of emotional repair, she says, allowing me to reconstruct and navigate the complexities of my personal history.Long associated with its calming and meditative nature, embroidery has become both a medium and a means of reflection in my artistic process, Kurdak says. Seemingly at odds with making intimate and methodical stitches, her images suggest the violence of breakage, suddenness, and the relationship between ornament and utility.Kurdak is intrigued by dualitiesfragility and resilience, belonging and displacementwhich mirror the tensions and contradictions of the human condition. Contrasting brittle yet durable porcelain with pliable yet resistant fabric and thread, she highlights polarities in the act of merging the ideas together.Not Even Close, 48 x 48 centimetersBlue-and-white porcelain predominantly inspires Kurdaks compositions, but she also renders red, green, or multi-colored pieces in textiles, too. She uses a wide range of needlework and fabric techniques, including appliqu, lacework, and embroidery. Vases appear to melt into streams, lacy decorations hover above the surface, and motifs rearrange into puzzle-like grids or dynamic swirls. If youre in London, Willow is currently on view at the Young Masters Art Prize Finalists Exhibition through April 8. Kurdaks work will be included in Collect Art Fair opening in late February at Somerset House, followed by Affordable Art Fair in March in New York. Learn more on her website, and followed updates on Instagram.Willow, 60 x 60 centimetersJar Descending, 120 x 90 centimetersAnguish in Blue, 27 x 47 centimetersDetail Anguish in BlueDisjointed, 49 x 49 centimetersDissolving Willow, 55 x 55 centimetersMother Jar, 80 x 80 centimetersDetail of Pieces on GreenThis Beyond, 49 x 49 centimetersNext article

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is targeting the next technology revolution in the aerospace sector through a delivery centre that will focus on technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.Based in Toulouse, it is TCSs fourth IT delivery centre in France. It will start with 50 people, but could increase to 500.The region of France is a hub for the aerospace sector, home to Airbus, the French space agency and hundreds of companies focused on the sector.According to Anupam Singhal, president of manufacturing at TCS, the investment could stimulate the growth of TCSs French operation as a whole.TCSs workforce in France currently stands at about 1,700 people after 30 years in the country. In comparison, the UK, with a similar size economy, has 23,000 TCS staff.The new centre will be focused on the use of technologies such as AI and quantum computing to address the challenges faced by the aerospace and defence industries. It will also give customers access to the knowledge of TCSs 600,000 global staff.Singhal cited the delivery delays being experienced by Boeing as an example of where the latest technologies might be used to assist aerospace manufacturers.Despite orders for planes being at an all-time high, Singhal pointed to major challenges. Supply chain resilience has been a big issue, and thats the reason major suppliers have not been able to deliver the backlog of the demand they have, he said.Problems can escalate quickly for manufacturers when the supply chain is disrupted. Singhal gave the example of the Suez Canal blockage, which delayed the delivery of parts coming from suppliers across the world.He said TCS is using AI to gather information in different formats, such as news reports, and work out what global or local events could impact the supply chain. It then warns the manufacturers if they need to make changes.The technology can process information and analyse what the possible impact could be. It can then advise the company, for example, to stock up with more items. The whole idea is that resiliency can be built in, he said.Everything comes out of data, so the ability for us to connect public information with enterprise data to understand where suppliers are and where items are coming from means AI can tell the enterprise, Deliveries may get stuck, but you have another supplier which is not affected maybe you need to put an order into that supplier so your production line is not stopped.Singhal added: We are not saying it will replace humans, because they are in the loop, but today, all leaders and managers take decisions based on data. By using technology, we can provide a lot more data so that enterprises can make more intelligent decisions. In fact, AI technology can offer two or three possible options and let the customer decide what is the right thing for them.While companies across the world talk about their targets for becoming carbon neutral, the aerospace industry is hugely dependent on fossil fuel. Singhal said TCS is working on the use of quantum computing in the design of aircraft to enable manufacturers to dramatically reduce fuel consumption.This is being done now with newer aircraft, which are 20% more efficient than older versions, he said. The lighter the plane, the lower the amount of fuel it will burn. So we built a quantum computing-based solution where the analysis of material can be done.Then there is the use of technology to optimise flight routes based on factors including distance, congestion and weather. The fact is, every minute a plane is in the air, its producing huge amounts of carbon dioxide and airlines are burning money. We can use quantum to devise the optimal flight path so it doesnt have to be in the air longer than necessary.Optimising limited human resources is also a major challenge in a sector that is highly regulated and requires high-level skills.Singhal said in sectors such as aerospace and defence, it is a challenge to find people with the right level of skills. But technology generally, he said, including AI, can enable less skilled people to perform the work of more highly skilled people.Using generative AI and natural language support, a worker can ask, I need to assemble this part tell me how to go about it, and there could be a video or instructions for this part, he added.When it comes to human skills, TCS said the Toulouse centre will help accelerate recruitment in the region, accessing local talent, engaging in academic partnerships and using existing capabilities in France.Read more about tech in the aerospace sectorAirbus extends Astrocast partnership to enhance satellite IoT technology.Nato membership boosts Finnish civil and military tech startups.Could generative AI help to fill the skills gap in engineering?

Three men have been sentenced at Londons Snaresbrook Crown Court after pleading guilty to a series of cyber crime offences relating to OTP.Agency, an underground subscription service that enabled cyber criminals to buy access to victims online accounts, including personal bank accounts, to take them over, commit fraud and steal money.Callum Picari, 23, of Hornchurch in Essex; Vijayasidehurshan Vijayanathan, 21, of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire; and Aza Siddeeque, 19, of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, enabled criminals to conduct social engineering attacks against their victims to trick them into disclosing personally identifiable information (PII).This data included one-time passcodes (OTPs) designed to be used in legitimate multifactor authentication (MFA) challenges.Cyber criminals and fraudsters could avail themselves of a tiered service plan via the OTP.Agency site. The basic package, sold for 30 a week, had access to a spoof call bot designed to fool victims; while the elite plan, which cost 380 a month, offered services such as a bespoke text-to-speech cool to create automated calls, and call scripts specifically written by the defendants.During their investigation, National Crime Agency (NCA) officers recovered scripts used by criminals pretending to call from the likes of BT, HMRC, Mastercard, Sky, Virgin Media and Visa.The NCA, which began its investigation in 2020 and believe that more than 12,500 members of the public may have been targeted with over 65,000 over the 18 months from September 2019 to March 2021. The precise amount of money it made has not yet been disclosed, but if the majority of users bought the top tier package, it could have run to millions of pounds.As this case shows, the NCA has the ability to disrupt and dismantle websites like www.OTP.Agency, which cause harm to the public, and bring those responsible to justice, said Tim Court, senior manager at the NCA National Cyber Crime Unit.We would urge anyone using online banking services to be vigilant.Criminals can pretend to be a trusted person or company when they call, email or message you. If something seems suspicious or unexpected, such as requests for personal information, contact the organisation directly to check using details published on their official website.Craig Rice, CEO of the Cyber Defence Alliance, added: This is another example of UK law enforcement's determination to target criminal services which are industrialising fraud.The Cyber Defence Alliance were able to identify the impact of this service on UK financial services and support NCA investigators, leading to the disruption and arrest of those involved. Law enforcement working with industry makes for a formidable alliance that will disrupt criminal networks.Prior to its shutdown, the OTP.Agency service was owned and developed by Picari, who was also its main beneficiary. Picari advertised his operation on a 2,200-strong Telegram group, promising users profit within minutes.Vijayanathan and Siqddeeque also undertook promotional activities, while Vijayanathan helped with admin duties and managed chat channel moderators, while Sidddeeque was engaged in technical support work.Read more about fraudLearn how First National Bank of Omaha in the US is enhancing customer authentication and verification in its contact centres, eliminating friction points and making life easier for its customer service teams, with Pindrop voice security technology.Information about peoples age, disability, marital status and nationality influences decisions to investigate benefit claims for fraud, but the Department for Work and Pensions says there are no immediate concerns of unfair treatment.As AI technology becomes more widely adopted, attackers are abusing it for their scams, which the FBI says are becoming increasingly more difficult to detect.Following their arrests, the trio were charged with conspiracy to make and supply articles for use in fraud, while Picari was additionally charged with money laundering offence. All three initially denied their involvement, but later changed their pleas.Picari has now received a two-year-and-eight-month prison term, while his accomplices have been given 12-month community orders and made to pay costs of 760 each. They will also have to undertake 200 and 160 hours of community service respectively.The NCA added that it has began recovery proceedings against Picari.Panic on the streets of HornchurchThe court heard how, after cyber investigator and writer Brian Krebs published an investigation into OTP.Agency 2021, Picari deleted the Telegram group and the following panicked message exchange took place between him and Vijayanathan.Picari: bro we are in big trouble... U will get me bagged... Bro delete the chatVijayanathan: Are you surePicari: So much evidence in thereVijayanathan: Are you 100% surePicari: Its so incriminating... Take a look and search fraud... Just think of all the evidence... that we cba [cant be arsed] to find... in the OTP chat... they will findVijayanathan: Exactly so if we just shut EVERYTHING downPicari: They went to our first ever msg... We look incriminating... if we shut down... I say delete the chat... Our chat is Fraud 100%Vijayanathan : Everyone with a brain will tell you stop it here and move onPicari: Just because we close it doesnt mean we didnt do it... But deleting our chat... Will f*ck their investigations... Theres nothing fraudulent on the site.

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Vollebak carbon composite pants and a carbon composite bicycle.Carlton ReidIn Flann OBriens darkly comic novel The Third Policeman (1967), a character muses that people who spent most of their natural lives riding ... bicycles over the rocky roadsteads of this parish get their personalities mixed up with the personalities of their bicycle as a result of the interchanging of the atoms of each of them and you would be surprised at the number of people in these parts who are nearly half people and half bicycles.Experience similar vibes by wearing the latest stretch pants from the experimentalists at Vollebak clothing of London. That is if you have a bicycle with a carbon composite frame because Vollebaks snappily named Carbon Fibre + Dyneema Pants are part carbon composite. OK, just a tiny little bit but its still a neat trick: to ride a carbon bicycle with carbon trousers. (The pants are multi-use, but work great as bike trousers.)Woven vertically through the polyamide and elastane fabric are strands of black carbon fiber. Horizontally, there are white strands of Dyneema, an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) 15 times stronger than steel. And thats why these stretch pants are checked. The Dyneema content is 5%, with the carbon fiber just 1%. Weighing 350 grams, the pants can stretch in any direction simultaneously, while withstanding rough handling.Vollebak makes hi-tech togs from advanced fabrics that also shed water, wick sweat, and even block fire. The firm claims to sell clothing that feels like youre buying from the future.TechwearVollebak is an adventure techwear brand thats crushingly expensive (the carbon fiber/Dyneema pants are $617 and the companys 100-Year Hoodie costs $570) but, being super tough, these garments should outlive the wearer, so, in theory, this is a bargain compared to fast fashion. Other products from the company are even pricier. The Apocalypse Jacket is a stonking $1,510. But then, its annihilation proof, boasts Vollebak. Its 40% polybenzimidazole, a material that can withstand temperatures of at least 2,370F (1,298C), the same temperature as black lava.We don't know of any other commercial pieces of clothing where the main material can survive re-entry into the Earths atmosphere, says Vollebak. The jacket is not only insanely fireproof, but also has ten times the tear strength of a fire-fighter uniform.Vollebak's part carbon composite pants are super stretchy.Carlton ReidSome of Vollebaks other products, such as the $625 Solar Charged Jacket, are deliberately bonkers. This jacket is so progressive (Brad Pitt owns one) that its a past winner of WIRED Sports Gear of the Year and Time Magazines Best Inventions.Theres also the Thermal Camouflage Jacket clad with wonder material graphene billed as a step towards a Harry-Potter-style invisibility cloak. Vaporware, of course, but its also an envelope-pushing provocation that might, one day, actually be made to work.Were working on clothing and innovation designed to help us survive the next centurywhether thats exploring the most remote corners of Earth or colonizing Mars, said Vollebak co-founder Steve Tidball. He founded the company in 2015 with his identical twin brother, Nick.They are adventure athletes, competitors in long-distance endurance events such as 78-mile marathons through the Namibian desert and week-long Amazonian ultra races. They are also creatives, working in advertising for 15 years, including four years as creative directors at the renowned TBWA agency in London, an international advertising agency with disruption at its core.Nick and Steve Tidball, co-founders of Vollebak.VollebakAs thrill-seeking, highly-paid advertising execs, the 46-year-olds spotted a gap in the market for the kind of progressive yet rugged clothing they craved for their adrenaline-fuelled adventures.While surviving heatstroke, broken bones, bullet ants, angry snakes, tarantulas, hallucinations, and falling asleep while running, we decided that setting up our own company wouldn't be so hard, said Steve Tidball.The glowing Solar Charged Jacket idea came while the pair were running the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in low visibility. The jacket has a membrane with a phosphorescent compound that lets it absorb and store light, then re-release it at night, like a fireflyno wiring or electronics is involved.The checked pattern on Vollebak's carbon pants are made from black carbon and white Dyneema.Carlton ReidThe two billion disruptively structured microscopic glass spheres on the Black Squid Jacket give it adaptive camouflage capabilities: it changes colors in different settings, just like the sea mollusk its named for.The companys Plant and Algae T-shirt is made from pulped eucalyptus and beech from sustainably managed forests and algae grown in bioreactorsit is compostable and sprang from the brothers competing in a six-day Amazonian ultramarathon and seeing their fellow competitors burning their filthy, post-race clothing. This T-shirt can be simply buried afterwards insteadit fully biodegrades within three months.Vollebaks $3,100 Shielding Suit blocks electromagnetic radiation, shields from infrared cameras, Ku-band satellites, and radar systems, and comes with pockets that work like Faraday cages.Vollebak's new Shielding Suit.VollebakOn one hand, you can pop your phone into your pocket to go off-grid for a bit, and on the other, have a safe place to place your car keys to prevent cloning, says Vollebak. The suit might be pricey and look exotic but it sold out before Christmas after a soft launch.HardcoreInnovative. Controversial. Out there. Vollebak is a Flemish term coined by hardcore cyclists that means smash yourselfgo as hard as you can, says Steve Tidball. It was chosen for its all-action inscrutability rather than any connection with Belgium.Ride a carbon bicycle? Ride Vollebak's carbon pants!Carlton ReidThe Tidball brothers freely admit to using their early adopter customers as lab rats. These hardcore users enjoy being R&D testers willing to spend handsomely on prototype garments that might need many versions before becoming fully practical. In that way, Vollebak is more like a technology start-up than a traditional clothing company.We see our gear tested in the extreme scenarios for which theyre designed and in some of the most remote parts of the world, Steve has said.Where can you buy Vollebak kit? From the companys website only. Steve Tidball said that there are no plans for any Vollebak high street shops because that would involve considerable expense, which would consume the companys R&D budget.

Recent Claims By DeepSeek Are Challenging The Dependence On Nvidia's Advanced GPU Chips.CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty ImagesThe sudden rise of DeepSeek, a little-known AI lab from China, has sparked a wave of concern across Silicon Valley and Wall Street. Coming on the heels of the U.S. announcement of a half-trillion-dollar investment in the Stargate projectan ambitious AI supercomputing initiativequestions are mounting. Could DeepSeeks open-source AI model render these investments obsolete?With claims of outperforming some of the most advanced AI models globally, DeepSeek has captured attention for its ability to develop a competitive model at a fraction of the cost and computational resources typically required. This development threatens the technological dominance of U.S. companies and challenges the economic assumptions underpinning AI innovation.The fallout has been immediate. Nvidia, the darling of the AI chip industry, has seen its stock plummet by over 15% in a single day amid fears that DeepSeeks success could undermine demand for its high-end GPUs. If DeepSeeks claims of achieving breakthrough performance with less powerful hardware are accurate, it could pose a serious challenge to Nvidias dominance.However, skepticism abounds. Elon Musk, a vocal critic of OpenAI and no stranger to controversy, has poured cold water on DeepSeeks claims. He alleges the lab may be secretly using advanced AI chips they supposedly lack access to, casting doubt on the authenticity of their breakthroughs.Lets break down what we know so far.MORE FOR YOUWhat Is DeepSeek?DeepSeek, backed by the Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer, has captured global attention with its claims of a groundbreaking large language model, DeepSeek R1. This model is said to excel in areas like mathematical reasoning, coding, and problem-solving, reportedly surpassing leading U.S. models such as OpenAIs GPT-4o, Metas Llama 3.1, and Anthropics Claude Sonnet 3.5.What sets DeepSeek apart is its claimed cost-effective approach. The company asserts that it developed DeepSeek R1 in just two months with under $6 million, utilizing reduced-capability Nvidia H800 GPUs rather than cutting-edge hardware like Nvidias flagship H100 chips. The H800, designed specifically for the Chinese market due to U.S. export restrictions, offers lower performance than the H100 but retains advanced features suitable for AI training tasks.However, skepticism has emerged, with some alleging that DeepSeek may be covertly using restricted high-end chips, such as the H100, which they are reportedly not supposed to have access to. If true, DeepSeeks ability to achieve competitive results with supposedly limited hardware raises significant questions about its optimization strategiesor the veracity of its claims.Nvidia, which has soared to a trillion-dollar valuation on the strength of AI demand, now faces a wave of investor concern. The possibility that models like DeepSeek could challenge the necessity of high-end chipsor bypass export restrictionshas contributed to the sharp drop in Nvidias stock. This decline reflects fears that Nvidias dominance in the AI chip market and the billions invested in related infrastructure could be undermined by emerging competitors exploiting more resource-efficient approaches or skirting restrictions.Why Does DeepSeek Matter?DeepSeeks emergence has far-reaching implications for the AI landscape, particularly due to its open-source nature and its potential to reshape how we think about AI development:Open-Source Disruption: DeepSeeks claim to be a powerful, open-source alternative to proprietary models has garnered attention worldwide. Open-source fosters collaboration, lowers barriers to entry, and democratizes access to advanced AI technology. The U.S. should embrace this approach, replicating models like DeepSeek and running them on the most powerful chips available. The results could be phenomenal, unlocking levels of performance that surpass anything weve seen so far. However, its critical to verify the claims surrounding DeepSeeks capabilitiesearly tests suggest it feels more like a first-generation OpenAI model, rather than the groundbreaking tool it purports to be.Economic Efficiency: DeepSeek claims to achieve exceptional results using reduced-capability Nvidia H800 GPUs, challenging the U.S. model of high-cost AI development. If these claims hold true, this would question the necessity of the massive investments in advanced AI infrastructure, such as the Stargate Project. However, there is skepticism that DeepSeek may have accessed restricted high-end hardware, such as Nvidias H100 chips, which would complicate its narrative of efficiency.Geopolitical Dynamics and National Security: DeepSeeks development in China raises concerns similar to those associated with TikTok and Huawei. Its decision to restrict subscriptions to users with Chinese phone numbers adds to fears of government influence and potential misuse for propaganda or intelligence gathering. Additionally, some reports suggest that Chinese open-source AI models, including DeepSeek, are prone to spouting questionable facts and generating vulnerable code libraries. While this underscores the need for scrutiny, it also highlights an opportunity for the U.S. to improve upon these models and align them with higher standards of reliability and security.A Threat To U.S. Tech Leadership?Chinas dominance in AI patents marks a significant shift in the global competitive landscape. This reflects not only aggressive investment in R&D but also a deliberate strategy to control the intellectual property shaping the future of AI. Such a lead extends beyond commercial applications, potentially tilting the balance of power in military and intelligence technologies.The rise of DeepSeek further complicates this dynamic, introducing both challenges and opportunities for the U.S. tech industry:Jeopardizing Nvidias Market Position: DeepSeeks claimed success with less advanced hardware could undermine Nvidias dominance. If other companies adopt similar resource-efficient approaches, demand for Nvidias high-end GPUs may decline. This risk is particularly acute given U.S. export restrictions on cutting-edge chips like Nvidias H100, which limit access for Chinese firms.Shaking Confidence in U.S. AI Investments: DeepSeek challenges the high-cost AI development model that underpins major U.S. investments in infrastructure and power projects, such as the Stargate initiative. If resource-efficient AI models render these projects less impactful, it could force a reevaluation of the assumptions driving billions of dollars in capital expenditures.Accelerating the Global AI Arms Race: DeepSeek underscores the urgency of the global AI competition. The U.S. must adapt by prioritizing innovative strategies that emphasize efficiency, security, and reliability. By embracing open-source models, improving their governance, and running them on the most powerful chips available, U.S. firms have the opportunity to leapfrog competitors.Moderation, Not Alarmism: Turning Challenges Into OpportunitiesDeepSeeks rise is an intriguing development, but it is far from a definitive game-changer. Its claims of performance and efficiency demand rigorous verification, as my own experience with the model suggests it feels more like OpenAIs first generation than the revolutionary tool it is purported to be. Moreover, DeepSeeks reliance on Nvidia GPUs underscores the critical role U.S. technology continues to play in advancing global AI innovation.From a national security perspective, the potential dangers of DeepSeek cannot be overstated. If TikTok is bad, imagine how much more dangerous a platform like DeepSeek could beopen-source, AI-powered, and developed in China. The risk of such tools being weaponized for propaganda, intelligence gathering, or cyber operations is significant, underscoring the urgency of a measured but proactive U.S. response.The computing arms race will not be won through alarmism or reactionary overhauls. Instead, it requires strategic adaptation and innovation. By replicating and enhancing open-source approaches like DeepSeek and running them on the most advanced chips available, the U.S. can set new benchmarks in AI performance. This strategy not only delivers superior results but also safeguards development under ethical and secure guidelines, mitigating risks from less reliable foreign models.The Future of AI: Challenges And OpportunitiesIf all its claims are true, DeepSeek represents a tectonic shift in the global AI landscape. Even if they are not, its emergence serves as a much-needed shock to the U.S. tech industrya wake-up call to reconsider its approach of over-investing without sufficient attention to risks, black swan events, or balanced, rigorous planning.To remain competitive, U.S. companies must evolve beyond proprietary, high-cost models and embrace innovative, efficient approaches like those DeepSeek claims to represent. Whether or not DeepSeek delivers on all its promises, it presents a pivotal moment for U.S. techa chance to reimagine its approach, foster innovation, and recalibrate for the future.

Forward-looking: The construction of new chipmaking facilities in the US and abroad is driving increased demand for semiconductor materials. Several materials suppliers, including Fujifilm Holdings, are ramping up production and investing in infrastructure and new plants to keep up with the demand from chipmakers like Intel and TSMC. Fujifilm Holdings has announced an ambitious plan to invest approximately 100 billion ($640.5 million US) by March 2027 to increase its global semiconductor materials production capacity. Nikkei reports that the company intends to expand its operations in key markets, including the United States, Japan, and South Korea, where major chipmakers are establishing new advanced fabrication facilities. However, Fujifilm has yet to confirm these plans officially.The company is constructing a new facility in Shizuoka, Japan, with an investment of 13 billion ($83.27 million). The investment also includes purchasing new equipment for a Pyeongtaek, South Korea facility that will become operational by this fall. Fujifilm also earmarked funds to increase production at a plant in Cheonan, South Korea, by 30 percent once mass production commences in spring 2027. The company is also exploring potential opportunities in India, where it may collaborate with local firms or establish a joint venture for chip material production. It might consider building facilities in India depending on client demand and market conditions after the 2027 fiscal year.The investment marks a substantial increase in the company's spending over the last three years, a response to the surging demand for semiconductor materials. New fabrication plants by leading companies such as Intel and TSMC in the US, Kioxia and Micron in Japan, and Samsung and SK Hynix in South Korea have driven this demand. As chipmakers invest tens of billions of dollars into new manufacturing facilities, their ecosystem partners, including Fujifilm, ramp up their investments to support the growth spurt.The company has identified semiconductor materials as a crucial growth area and aims to double its sales in this sector to reach 500 billion ($3.2 billion) by fiscal 2030. Fuji Keizai projects the global market for chipmaking materials to expand by 35 percent, reaching $58.3 billion by 2029 compared to 2023 levels.Tom's Hardware notes that Fujifilm ranks fifth globally in producing photosensitive semiconductor materials and supplies major chipmakers. It is one of only five manufacturers of ultra-pure extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresists, alongside JSR, DuPont, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, and Shin-Etsu Chemical. The EUV lithography process operates at an extremely short wavelength of 13.5 nanometers, necessitating that photoresists meet rigorous standards for sensitivity, resolution, line-edge roughness, and compatibility with EUV photomask materials. // Related Stories

In a nutshell: Valve's Steam Deck is not the most compact handheld on the market, but it's not what most would consider unwieldy, either. Good luck arguing that point to Crastinator-pro, however, as the modder recently detailed steps taken to delete most everything from the Steam Deck that makes it a handheld. The result is the Steam Brick, a handheld that has been transformed into a home console out of necessity. According to the modder, the stock Steam Deck proved too chunky to fit in his backpack, took up a "huge" amount of carry-on space, and was a hassle to retrieve from the overhead compartment during air travel.He also only uses the handheld with AR glasses or connected to a TV, so the integrated screen was sort of a waste. Without the display and built-in controls, the system could be much more portable and that soon became the goal.Crastinator-pro outlined the modding process on GitHub, prefacing it with a simple statement: "I am not a smart man." Indeed, turning a standalone handheld into something that requires additional hardware to use might not seem logical to everyone, but the end result is impressive. Best yet, it doesn't appear overly complicated to replicate.The fast and dirty disassemble the Steam Deck, disconnect and remove the unneeded components from the motherboard (the display and controls), chop off part of a support bracket, and install the remaining bits into a custom 3D printed chassis.The modded Steam Deck routes video out through its USB port, and peripherals can be connected via an external dock. As for battery life, Crastinator-pro said play time using the AR glasses is comparable to using the unmodded system with the screen on. // Related StoriesCrastinator-pro leaned heavily on iFixit's repair guides and component replacement tutorials, so that would be a good place to start if you are interested in doing something similar. Looking ahead, the modder is considering adding a modular "hat" with a secondary battery and a USB hub for expanded runtime and improved peripheral connectivity.