Few fusion startups have been as closely watched as Helion. The 12-year-old company is backed by Sam Altman, rumored to be in talks with OpenAI, and has a deal to supply Microsoft with electricity by 2028 years earlier than its competitors.The companys unorthodox approach to fusion power and relative secrecy has earned it plenty of fans and critics. But dont count its investors among the naysayers.Helion announced Tuesday a $425 million Series F raise that pushed its valuation $5.245 billion. The startup also flipped the switch last month on its latest prototype, Polaris, which it anticipates will be the first fusion reactor to generate electricity.Polaris, Helions seventh prototype, sits inside a 27,000 square-foot building in Everett, Washington. It took more than three years to build, which is quick by fusion industry standards. But to hit its ambitious 2028 deadline for Microsoft, the startup will have to move even faster on its commercial-scale power plant.The difficulties Helion faces are in many ways similar to those in other leading-edge industries. In AI, whats the big challenge? Getting the chips. In fusion, whats the big challenge? Getting the chips, CEO David Kirtley told TechCrunch in a recent interview. Polaris is 50,000 of these large-scale, pulse-power semiconductors, and getting those set the timeline.The solutions its seeking are similar, too. The new investment will go toward bringing a significant amount of specialized manufacturing in-house. For example, the company had to order a type of short-term energy storage device known as capacitors three years in advance.Our goal is to go from waiting three years for a supplier to give us capacitors to us making our own capacitors but faster, so now we can make them in a year or less, he said.Helion Energys facility in Everett, Washington. The startup plans to open the worlds first fusion power plant by 2028 to supply Microsoft with electricity.Image Credits:Mike Kane/Bloomberg / Getty ImagesDespite having to build a supply chain from scratch, Kirtley remains optimistic that Helion can still deliver electrons to Microsoft in just a few years.Weve been working on siting for the Microsoft facility for a few years already, Kirtley said. He declined to name a location, but said the company has been working on permitting and grid interconnection, a process that can take years.Part of Helions appeal and part of the risk, critics would argue is that its approach to fusion power differs from virtually every other startup in the sector.Generally speaking, there are two main approaches: Magnetic confinement uses powerful magnets to squeeze plasma to get it hot and dense enough to spark fusion reactions, which are meant to burn continuously to generate steam to drive a turbine. Inertial confinement fires powerful lasers at fuel pellets, compressing them to the point where the fuel atoms fuse. To generate enough heat to feed a steam turbine, a reactor has to fire several times per second.Helion is building something completely different, known as a field-reversed configuration reactor. The device looks like an hourglass with a bulge in the middle, and its ringed with powerful magnets, which guide and compress the plasma throughout the course of each reaction, which Helion calls a pulse.At the beginning of a pulse, Helion injects a mix of deuterium and helium-3 into each end and heats it until it forms a plasma. Magnets then shape each plasma into a doughnut and propel them toward each other at more than 1 million miles per hour.When the plasmas reach the fusion chamber the bulge in the middle of the hourglass they collide and are squeezed further by another set of magnets. This heats the plasma to more than 100 million degrees C, leading to a cascade of atoms fusing. Altogether, its similar to how a spark plug ignites fuel inside an internal combustion engine.The energy added by the fusion reactions generates a surge in magnetic force, which pushes back on the reactors magnets. This extra magnetic force is then converted directly into electricity. If everything works as intended, Helions reactor will generate more electricity from that magnetic burst than it needed to power the magnets in the first place. And because the system harvests electricity from magnets instead of generating steam to spin a turbine, it should be more efficient, lowering the bar to break even.The current design for a commercial-scale Helion reactor will pulse a few times per second, Kirtley said. A single reactor will generate 50 megawatts of electricity, and a power plant could contain multiple reactors.In the lab, the company has small systems that can fire over 100 times per second, so its possible that future Helion reactors will be able to fire 60 pulses per second, the same frequency as electricity on the grid. But theres some big engineering challenges to get to those high repetition rates at the kind of big pulse powers where we talk about millions of amps flowing around, Kirtley said.Helion raised the new funding to speed work on the power plant, including expanding in-house machining capabilities and capacitor manufacturing. One of the things that drove the Polaris timeline was actually making all the magnetic coils. And so I want to be able to make all of those in house, he said.The new round is smaller than the startups previous fundraise of $500 million. New investors in the round include Lightspeed Venture Partners, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and a major university endowment. Existing investors Sam Altman, Capricorn Investment Group, Mithril Capital, Dustin Moskovitz, and Nucor also participated.

Microsoft is rolling out a new tool dubbed scareware blocker, which uses machine learning and computer vision to identify a very pervasive type of online scam. Scareware has blighted the web almost since its inception, often in the form of fake antivirus software that claims to have detected a non-existent threat on a users machine. They then either trick the user into installing a malicious program, or paying for software they dont need. Just last year, two tech support firms were forced to pay $26 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which had accused the companies of deceptive marketing practices, including using fake Windows pop-ups, to scam consumers.These companies used scare tactics andlies about threats to consumers personal computers to bilk consumers, particularly older consumers, out of tens of millions of dollars, Samuel Levine, director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement at the time. Microsoft already offers some tools to block scammy websites that have been detected and reported elsewhere, but the new feature is all about blocking previously unknown scam tools when they attempt to open a full-screen page.Microsoft first teased the blocker at its Ignite conference in November, but now its calling on users to help test the feature through a preview program in its Edge browser.Setting upScareware blocker requires the user to activate the feature through the Privacy, search, and services setting in Edge.Activating scareware blockerImage Credits:MicrosoftThis adds an additional level of security to what exists within the likes of Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, which already looks for suspicious activity on web pages. Scareware blocker specifically intervenes if a scam tool attempts to open a full-screen page, a tactic that can make it more difficult both to identify a scam and circumvent it for example, a user might not know to hit the Esc key to exit full-screen mode.Microsoft said it used thousands of real-world sample scams to train the machine learning model that underpins scareware blocker. It then uses computer vision to compare these samples with new scams it encounters in real-time. If the tool suspects potential scareware, it will exit full-screen mode, stop any audio playback (e.g. an alarm or voice) that might accompany the scam, and give the user the option to continue to the page or close it completely.Scareware blocker in actionImage Credits:MicrosoftPrivacyThe fact that Microsoft is using computer vision to analyze users screens might raise concerns. There are some parallels with Microsofts controversial AI-powered Recall feature, which takes snapshots of users screens to create a searchable history of everything theyve done on the computer.However, with scareware blocker, Microsoft maintains that the machine learning model runs locally on the users machine, and nothing is saved or sent to the cloud.To improve the model and broader Defender SmartScreen software, Microsoft is also soliciting feedback from early adopters, presenting them an option to share a screenshot of the scam with Microsoft. Users can also report scenarios where scareware blocker makes a mistake and blocks a genuine website.

Our series on the state of investment in the 3D printing industry continues with a company uniquely positioned to understand the dynamics of the additive manufacturing investment landscape. I spoke with Arno Held, Managing Partner at Bavaria-based VC firm AM Ventures.AM Ventures roster of portfolio companies now stands at 20, with a fund of EUR100M raised to back industrial 3D printing ventures. In total 40 investments have been made, with some portfolio enterprises receiving multiple funding rounds. Investments include, DyeMansion, Conflux Technology, and Lithoz. While AM Ventures portfolio spans the globe, it is interesting to note that state capital Munich recently overtook Berlin in terms of startup fundraising for 2024. Perhaps the California of Europe vision of Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Sder for the region is nearing closer?During a conversation with the investing shot-caller and steward, the overarching narrative is clear: additive manufacturing has moved from a hype cycle to a more grounded, methodical growth phase. The shift from fund-anything-hardware to a more disciplined approach underscores the maturing of the additive manufacturing (AM) ecosystem, forcing companies to demonstrate real-world viability. Tightened conditions in the past 18+ months have forced many startups to pivot, seek emergency capital, or restructure. Yet, Held sees signs of renewed confidence by 2025. A post-reset landscape suggests that stronger companies, those that survived the downturn, are poised for healthy growth. This timing might offer investors opportunities at more rational valuations.Arno Held of AM Ventures. Photo via Tobias Hase.Read more in our State of Investing in 3D Printing series.Investing in industrial 3D printingAM Ventures was founded almost exactly a decade ago, in February 2015; since then, investors have shifted their attention to start-ups capable of demonstrating tangible results. We tend to look more into more mature businesses that have delivered more proof points than just ten pages of Excel and ten pages of PowerPoint, says Held. Years ago, nearly anything that looked and smelled and sounded like a 3D printer could secure funding, he observes. Today, backers insist on a more substantial track record; ideally, evidence of repeatability, quality output, and a concrete customer base. When I initially closed the fund in 2021, I thought that would be the happy end, says Held. Then I realized thats when the work really starts.This risk aversion has tightened due diligence requirements, with many funds no longer content to invest in unproven hardware concepts. Helds team increasingly expects an industrial partner, stable processes, and measurable production advantages. At the same time, opportunity pipelines have expanded. Founders now frequently submit business plans directly via the AM Ventures website, illustrating the brands prominence. A global network of conferences, academic partners, and portfolio firms continually feeds new leads, while corporate board participation allows insiders like Held to track emerging customer demands.Regional challenges persist. Asias share of emerging companies in additive manufacturing is growing, yet investors based in Europe or the United States struggle to evaluate teams in unfamiliar markets. The complexity of assessing foreign entrepreneurs capabilities and intentions creates uncertainty. Held says it is still extremely difficult for Western investors to judge these opportunities early.Data limitations also hinder strategic decision-making. While public forums, industry gatherings, and corporate relationships help identify fresh candidates, much expertise remains hidden inside large organizations. Held cites a German saying: If Siemens knew what Siemens knows. The implication is that while deep technical knowledge is scattered across the sector, few have found a systematic means to unearth it. Without direct insight, investors rely on partial information, instinct, and a network of trusted contacts, reinforcing the shift toward start-ups that can clearly prove their worth.Additive manufacturing startups need stronger internal competencies, such as the early hiring of a CFO to ensure sound financial navigation. Teams must also show maturity, foresight, and a willingness to engage with challenging what-if scenarios. Not every entrepreneur should take on venture capital; alignment between founders and investors is critical.The investment horizon spans years, with hardware typically requiring six years from R&D to reliable commercialization. Software, as well as application-focused ventures, can achieve progress more quickly, potentially in a timeframe half of that for hardware.Conflux Technology product group shot and liquid-liquid heat exchanger. Photo via Conflux TechnologyInvestment Trends in Additive ManufacturingMarket conditions have tightened, but recent signs point to renewed optimism by 2025, as both industry adoption and investor sentiment improve.Many businesses are shifting strategies to remain viable. AM Ventures Managing Partner, describes the situation as an interesting point in time to be an established venture capital investor in additive manufacturing, given the amount of emergency calls coming in from companies struggling to secure new capital. One portfolio firm recently raised $5 million but only after enduring around 200 meetings with prospective backers, a process Held describes as having consumed critical resources for months.Recent data shared by AM Ventures indicates a contraction in late-stage funding. The number of such rounds across the additive manufacturing sector appears to have fallen sharply, dropping from 142 observed late-stage rounds in 2021 to only 17 deals in 2023. Despite these figures, some renewed signs of activity have emerged. While the first half of 2024 the year offered little respite, Held says, Q3 felt a little bit like the turnaround point.In the broader German market, startups raised EUR 7.4 billion in 2024 according to KfW research, with a total of 144 exits.According to Held, metal-based additive manufacturing businesses have begun to demonstrate stronger fundamentals and attract greater investor confidence than their polymer-focused counterparts. Demand appears particularly robust in energy, transport, and infrastructure segments. Electrification, encompassing mobility on roads, rails, and in the air, along with oil and gas, now ranks among the key growth drivers for these technologies.Overall, early-stage investors have grown more selective, often expecting founders to show a track record of scaling revenues beyond initial prototypes. Series B rounds, typically well into a companys commercial development, have become increasingly rare. Yet this market reorientation also suggests that stronger companies able to demonstrate genuine production breakthroughs could ultimately emerge healthier from a period of protracted capital scarcity.Some investors have begun to acknowledge that past forecasts for additive manufacturing were overly optimistic. Additive manufacturing cannot solve all of the problems. Its not the ultimate weapon for everything. Early exuberance led to aggressive fundraising and lofty company valuations, some reaching revenue multiples in the hundreds. A prime example was the public listing of Desktop Metal, which Held cites as having gone public at a valuation of around $5 billion on revenues of approximately $25 million, creating 200x revenue multiples.Capital once flowed abundantly into hardware-centric ventures, often pushed by investors with a background in software. Held notes that these backers assumed startups would scale as quickly as digital platforms. When the market confronted the practical challenges of scaling manufacturing technologies, expectations began to reset rapidly. Held observes that while capital deployment became more difficult overall, the amplitudes in the United States are much, much more dramatic, so the highs are much higher and the lows are much lower, whereas in Europe, its a bit milder. Dry powder (uninvested funds) remains, yet investors now seem more cautious, rethinking valuations and focusing on business fundamentals instead of inflated growth projections.A section of the POLYLINE project with automated systems of Grenzebach, DyeMansion and EOS, located at the Additive Manufacturing Campus of BMW. Photo via DyeMansion.Picking the winners: how to get your 3D printing start-up fundedAM Ventures focus has increasingly shifted from generic hardware concepts toward ventures backed by solid operational structures. If a team has defined not only how they work together in the future, but also what happens if they separate ways, says Held, its a very good indication that they are pros.The people behind any start-up are paramount to an investment decision. Funding a team of recent graduates often involves waiting several years for technology to reach market maturity. In contrast, older entrepreneurs, or industry silverbacks with sectoral expertise, may be expected to secure early profits through niche products and then replicate success iteratively.A decade of experience has sharpened the criteria for evaluating investment pitches. Red flags include a lack of preparation, excessive spending, for example on legal counsel, at too early a stage, and presentations that reintroduce fundamental concepts, such as the workings of FDM printing, to a seasoned investor already immersed in the technology. Ultimately, the pitch deck serves as a proxy for how founders think and organize their priorities rather than as a definitive plan. A pitch deck is obsolete at the moment of investment, Held remarks. Its about understanding how these people structure their world. Early conversations are designed to test whether entrepreneurs will react constructively to setbacks and maintain the resilience necessary for sustained growth.The evaluation process involves mapping total addressable market size (TAM), serviceable market segments, and defining a path from a niche foothold to broader adoption. Meanwhile, IP filings, market adoption rates, and customer feedback help validate product relevance. Start-ups leveraging standardized machinery, materials, and softwareparticularly in well-defined application areasare considered primed for profit generation. This approach reflects investors preference for strong fundamentals over untested ideas, steering capital toward teams ready to manage the financial and operational demands of sustainable growth.The emphasis now is on a patient, knowledge-driven model that prioritizes proven expertise and strategic partnerships over unrealistic pledges of overnight breakthroughs.Consolidation and Opportunities on the horizonArtificial intelligence, particularly in parameter development, materials qualification, and quality assurance, is seen as a powerful enabler of productivity and innovation. The path forward involves integrating additive manufacturing into established production chains, leveraging external partnerships, and maintaining realistic valuations and growth expectations.Looking ahead, the firm sees reasons for cautious optimism. After more than 18 months of subdued activity, 2025 may bring renewed confidence. Held attributes this to improving conditions in core verticals and growing recognition that additive manufacturing, integrated into established value chains, can deliver sustained benefits.There are some really good signs that AM has been adopted by various verticals, Held notes, predicting that the easing of recent uncertainties, particularly those cited in US markets, may prompt stable growth. He suggests that for those already invested, and for newcomers to the sector, 2025 could present an opportunity to secure interests in promising companies at rational valuations, with realistic timelines and robust operational strategies.A perennial question of continued relevance is whether the 3D printing industry is consolidating. 2025 will be an exciting year for the AM industry. It started with lots of turmoil and incumbents focusing on themselves and sorting out their internal issues, says Held. I am confident that this year, we will also see the dust settling and high levels of consolidation activity to happen in the second half of the year. In contrast to horizontal diversification strategies of the past, we will see much more vertical integration through application-specific acquisitions.Dont miss the upcoming articles in our State of Investment in 3D Printing series; subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter.To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, follow 3D Printing Industry on LinkedIn.You can also find us on Twitter, and Facebook.The featured image shows Formnext Frankfurt. Photo by Michael Petch.Michael PetchMichael Petch is the editor-in-chief at 3DPI and the author of several books on 3D printing. He is a regular keynote speaker at technology conferences where he has delivered presentations such as 3D printing with graphene and ceramics and the use of technology to enhance food security. Michael is most interested in the science behind emerging technology and the accompanying economic and social implications.

Venture investment in the defense tech sector is up fourfold Since 2018, running at approximately $3.8 billion for the first three quarters of 2024 according to data presented by the FTs Innovation editor and founder of Sifted, John Thornhill. Geographically, 83% of the total is in the US and 15% in the EU and the UK.Historically, venture capital has shied away from investment in defense. This is due to an amalgamation of lengthy procurement cycles, complex regulatory environments, and misalignment with what might be summarized as venture-backablity. A smaller market of buyers in the form of governments and ethical concerns or restrictions on investment in weapon systems can be additional limiting factors. This latter dimension is under question given the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with some arguing there is now an ethical imperative to invest in the defense sector, and create partnerships with industry to ensure combat readiness.Professor Dame Fiona Murray of the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) argues that philanthropic sources of capital increasingly target ventures with national security applications. We absolutely see people who feel a sort of patriotic duty to invest in some of these things, she noted during the Sifted Summit, referencing donations in areas ranging from food security to drone technology.Professor Dame Fiona Murray of the NATO Innovation Fund and John Thornhill at Sifted Summit 2024. Photo by Michael Petch.Our series on the state of investment in the 3D printing industry continues with this article drawing together a clear current theme, technologies application for the defense sector.Professor Murray discussed NATOs investment fund, which was officially launched in 2022 with 1 billion to promote defense tech in Europe. Murray is Vice Chair of the fund, backed by 24 NATO countries, and operates like a VC fund, although with a 15-year term, we are more patient, she says.NIF focuses on deep tech for defense, security, and resilience. Early investments include iCOMAT, which focuses on lightweight composite manufacturing, and Space Forge, which aims to benefit from micro-gravity manufacturing. Space Forges miniature space factory, the ForgeStar satellite, deploys for up to six months and returns crystals to Earth using reentry technology. One specific application is semiconductors for the next generation of computing.Silicon has effectively hit its fundamental physical limit, explained Space Forge CEO and co-founder Joshua Western during Sifted 2024. Gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) are critical materials for the coming compound semiconductors; both materials are incredibly difficult to produce. The combination of extreme temperature, microgravity, and high-purity vacuum conditions found in space yield a three to five order of magnitude improvement in the purity of the crystal.Beyond America, very few countries contribute meaningfully to the semiconductor value chain, explained the Space Forge CEO while remaining tight-lipped on the specifics of the NIF investment.Space Forge CEO and co-founder Joshua Western at Sifted Summit 2024. Photo by Michael Petch.On the subject of space launch options, Professor Murray cautions, What we dont want to happen is for every single country to try and have one of their own. Still, she believes a fully European resource for accessing space will be a critical part of future security infrastructure, alongside quantum sensing and other frontier technologies.In the broader VC world, concern over investment in dual-use technology with both military and commercial applications has created an unsatisfactory situation. Funds may prefer dual-use given the larger market, while those looking through a purely military lens prefer a specialised, mission-focused approach. Also speaking at the London VC event, Provizio CEO Barry Lunn advises a cautious approach to engaging with the defense industry, emphasizing the need to avoid becoming a design house for defense contracts.With a 2025 budget of $849.8 billion, the USA has the worlds largest budget and represents approximately 40% of global defense spending, but is not a participant in NIF. a decision attributed to its abundance of private capital and different historical approach to sovereign funds. Americas absence from the NATO Innovation Fund reflects a conscious choice by Washington, according to Professor Murray. While all 32 NATO nations participate in the Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). We very proudly bear NATOs name, said Professor Murray. We are NATOs venture fund, but we do run it as a private fund.A defense market to rival the USA?European defence-technology firms often contend with scattered procurement procedures, in stark contrast to the United States, where the Pentagon acts as the single customer of first resort. Murray notes that in Europe, just because you have a contract from Estonia doesnt mean that you then can access all the other markets.She compares Europes approach to evaluating new medicines, where clinical evidence is accepted across multiple regulatory jurisdictions. Im hopeful that over time, we can do that in defence, she remarks, suggesting that innovations in smaller, nimble countries such as Estonia could then be scaled to larger markets like Germany and the UK.Professor Murray sees NATO as a key platform for harmonising standards across member states and enhancing interoperability. Its no good us all showing up on the battlefield if the systems cant talk to each other, she says. The eventual goal is to create a single market spanning Europe and the broader NATO alliance. According to Professor Murray, this aggregated base would rival the scale of the American defense marketoffering deep-tech companies a greater incentive to launch and expand on European soil.According to Professor Murray, private-sector companies are increasingly viewed as a pivotal sixth domain of warfare. She underscored that while businesses have long supplied militaries, todays conflict zones extend into financial services, hospitals, and power grids via cyber warfare. We need the technological edge, she said, explaining how a new wave of deep-tech firms is just as important as the large defense contractors of the past.Such emphasis on business-led innovation, especially under NATOs umbrella, stems from rising geopolitical pressures and the recognition that major security threats target civilian infrastructure. Professor Murray noted that the proliferation of startups with dual-use technologies has made managing export controls far more complex. Instead of a handful of companies needing to understand regulations, now 5,000 companies need to, she observed.Chinas approach to civilian-military fusion was also highlighted. Citing estimates that China leads in dozens of critical technologies, Professor Murray acknowledged that the countrys efforts are no longer purely reliant on acquired know-how. I think China is absolutely producing a lot of that knowledge frontier, she said. Yet she maintained that the West still holds a key advantage: the capacity to harness private capital and entrepreneurial zeal. She also pointed to the downturn in Chinas startup ecosystem as a signal that heavy government control can hinder growth.The conversation inevitably turned to the moral dilemma of investing in defense. Many institutional players have excluded weapon-related ventures from their ESG portfolios, fearing reputational risks. Professor Murray urged them to consider the strategic importance of security. Its almost impossible to have the space and opportunity to think about ESG if we dont have safety and security, she said, noting that her fund has extensive checks in place to ensure the responsible use of any technology it supports.She believes NATOs new approachbuilding deeper links with early-stage ventures, coordinating standards across multiple countries, and engaging more closely with institutional investorscould help Europe compete with the United States Pentagon procurement juggernaut. While the path forward is not straightforward, Professor Murray underscored the necessity of defending democratic values through technology. What I would say is that its almost impossible to stand by and let our ecosystems be eroded. We absolutely have to protect our values.Dont miss the upcoming articles in our State of Investment in 3D Printing series; subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter.To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, follow 3D Printing Industry on LinkedIn.You can also find us on Twitter, and Facebook.The featured image shows Sifted Summit London. Photo by Michael Petch.Michael PetchMichael Petch is the editor-in-chief at 3DPI and the author of several books on 3D printing. He is a regular keynote speaker at technology conferences where he has delivered presentations such as 3D printing with graphene and ceramics and the use of technology to enhance food security. Michael is most interested in the science behind emerging technology and the accompanying economic and social implications.

close 'CyberGuy': How to share a YouTube video starting at a specific time Kurt Knutsson says these steps ensure that your friends and family get to the exact moment you want them to see. Try it out and streamline your sharing experience. Ever watched a YouTube video and thought, "I need to share this exact moment with my friends?" Well, you're in luck. Sharing specific moments from YouTube videos is actually pretty easy. Whether you're on a computer, iPhone or Android device, I'm here to show you how easy it is to do just that.Enter the giveaway by signing up for myfree newsletter. YouTube app (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)On your computer: Two simple optionsThe right-click methodHead toYouTube.com, then locate and click on the video you want to send to someone Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on a computer (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Pause the video at the exact moment you want to shareRight-clickinside the video frame and selectCopy video URL at current time Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on a computer (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)That's it. You've got your timestamp link.Paste it wherever youd like: in an email, message or on social mediaThe share button methodHead toYouTube.com, then locate and click on the video you want to send to someone Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on a computer (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Pause the video at the desired momentClick theShare button under the video Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on a computer (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Check the box next toStart at to adjust your desired start time, if necessaryCopy the linkYourtimestamped link is ready to share;Paste it wherever youd like: in an email, message or on social media Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on a computer (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)On your iPhoneOpen theYouTube appFind the video you want to share and click on itPlay the video to yourdesired starting pointTap theShare button below the videoChoose your preferred sharing method (e.g.,Messages, Mail or Copy Link)The link you share will now include the timestamp, and the video willstart at that pointwhen opened Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on an iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)On your AndroidYouTube has recently introduced a new, simplified method for sharing video timestamps on Android.Settings may vary depending on your Android phones manufacturer.Open theYouTube app on your Android deviceFind and play the video you want to sharePause the video at the desired timestampTap theShare button below the videoIn the share menu, you'll see a new toggle labeledStart at [current timestamp]Enable this toggle to include the timestamp in your shared linkChoose yourpreferred sharing method or tapCopy link to copy the timestamped URL to your clipboard Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on an Android (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)These updated steps make sharing timestamps much simpler, as you no longer need to use Chrome or request the desktop site. For those using older versions of the YouTube app or Android OS or if the update isn't yet available on your device, here are the previous steps:Settings may vary depending on your Android phones manufacturer.Open theYouTube appFind and play the video you want to sharePause the video at the desired timestampTap theShare button and thenCopy link Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on an Android (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)OpenGoogle Chrome, paste the link in the address bar or click where it says,"Link you copied,"load the videoTap the three-dot menu iconClickDesktop sitePlay video andpause at the desired start timeTap the Share button again, check thebox next to "Start at," and the current timestamp will be automatically filled in.TapCopy to get the timestamped URLNow, you can easily share the time-stamped URL via yourpreferred messaging app orsocial media platform Steps to share exact time of YouTube video on an Android (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Both methods allow you to share specific moments in YouTube videos on your Android, but the new process is more streamlined and user-friendly.Kurt's key takeawaysSharing specific parts of a YouTube video has never been easier. Whether youre on a computer, iPhone or Android device, these steps ensure that your friends and family get to the exact moment you want them to see. Try it out and streamline your sharing experience.Now that you know the steps to share an exact moment, follow our guide and share a specific part of our video with your friends right away. Don't forget to let us know their reactions by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Pure Storage thinks things are slotting into place for its predicted imminent demise of enterprise spinning disk.In December 2024, it announced an unnamed hyperscaler had inked an agreement to take Pures DirectFlash Modules (DFMs) as components for storage infrastructure.Meanwhile, Pure Storage now counts Nand flash makers Micron and Kioxia as supply chain partners.The Micron partnership was announced earlier this month, with Pure making plans to take quantities of Microns gen 9 QLC NAND memory.Last month, Pure and Kioxia announced the latter would supply QLC flash for DFM modules to supply to hyperscaler customers.Here, Pure Storage is setting itself up as a provider of hyperscaler systems or components in a ground-breaking move for an enterprise storage array maker.The wider significance is that because hyperscalers are such huge buyers of hard drives, a switch to all-flash would make a big dent in spinning disk manufacturing volumes, and that could spell the hard disk drives (HDDs) death knell.In June 2024, Pure announced it had been working to adapt its DFM technology to the needs of hyperscaler environments. DFMs are not ordinary SSDs, like those sold by the big drive makers. Because Pure controls DFM design and manufacture, and because they also design and build controller systems, data management functionality can be distributed across drive and array systems.According to Pure, that brings efficiencies in use of cache and data placement that in part can make for better longevity in QLC-based flash.It also means less energy used, more rapid input/output (I/O) and savings on space that allow for more Nand to be installed. That amounts to a claimed capacity multiplier of around 2.5x compared with whats possible from commodity SSD-equipped arrays. For hyperscalers that buy massive quantities of drive capacity, these advantages are significant.Pure Storage said one hyperscaler has sung the praises of its DFMs after deploying a proof-of-concept.For Pure Storage, the challenge will be scale in the supply chain. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, GCP and Meta buy about 43% of global server production. And they only buy white box hardware that they customise themselves. That market is one hitherto effectively barred to enterprise storage makers because their products are not specialised to it.So, according to their strategy, Pure Storage will sell their DFMs as components that will work with the hyperscalers own storage. Officially, its not known which hyperscaler Pure has struck a deal with, but it is known that GCP and Meta, at least, have driven the adoption of the software data placement technique, flexible data placement.Until now, hyperscalers have preferred to use spinning disk HDDs to drive their storage services largely because they have been cheaper. But they are also slower. And, with the advent of artificial intelligence(AI), the need for more rapid access to colder data has arisen such as in backups and data lakes and so the big hosting companies have started to look at SSD.However, so far, SSD had lacked the capacity to be profitably deployed. Now, the latest generations of QLC flash from Micron and Kioxia allow Pure to make DFMs that provide 150TB, which will soon reach 300TB, the equivalent of 10 HDDs.Kioxias latest generation of Nand flash, unveiled late last year, uses charge trap (CT) cells to create smaller SSDs with higher density and while using less energy. Meanwhile, Kioxia also released test results that showed writes with flexible data placement (using NoSQL database RocksDB) that gave read speed 1.8x faster and Nand cell lifespan increased by 3x.Micron is already a supplier to Pure Storage of Nand in its DFMs. It hasnt shared much detail about its next generation of SSD, but what is known is that its Nand circuits will give 19% more capacity than the current one.In December 2024, Pure Storage announced quarterly revenue of $831m, 9% up year-on-year. That puts it behind Dell, which generated revenue of $4bn in the past quarter (up 4% year-on-year); also behind NetApp, which took $1.66bn in the same period (up 6% year-on-year), and almost certainly behind HPE, which doesnt disclose the share taken by storage in its quarterly revenue of $8.5bn.Will Pures partnership to supply its high-capacity flash modules to a hyperscaler customer be the first set of nails in the coffin of spinning disk hard drives?Pure Storage chief technology officer Rob Lee said last week at a press event in Prague that the companys first hyperscaler design win will be transformative, and that a switch to flash by the hyperscalers could lead to collapse in the HDD market.The deal hes talking about was announced in December, and will see Pure supply its DFM SSD modules which will offer up to 300TB capacity by 2026 to an unnamed hyperscaler.We wont be supplying arrays, said Lee. They want the benefits of direct flash but dont need the other data services. Were co-engineering with the hyperscaler to integrate with their custom system.They were all ready to build something like DFM, but then thought, Why build it ourselves? Lets just integrate [Pures flash modules].He said the move on the part of the hyperscalers is driven by data growth and the needs of AI, in particular the requirement to access large and relatively dormant stores of data.Lee added that there is something like 100,000 exabytes of HDD produced quarterly, with hyperscalers taking 60% or 70%. That, in turn, would take such a chunk out of the volume of HDD manufacturing as to make it much less viable.Read more about flash storageStorage technology explained: Flash vs HDD. In this guide, we examine the differences between flash storage and HDD, the rise of NVMe and much denser formats such as QLC, and whether or not flash will vanquish HDD in the all-flash datacentre.Storage technology explained: AI and data storage. In this guide, we examine the data storage needs of artificial intelligence, the demands it places on data storage, the suitability of cloud and object storage for AI, and key AI storage products.

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MAGELANG, JAVA, INDONESIA - JUNE 1: Buddhist monks meditate at the yard of Borobudur temple, built ... [+] between 750 and 842 AD, June 1, 2007 in Magelang, Central Java province, Indonesia. Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak Day or "the day of Buddha's birth, his enlightenment and his reaching of nirvana" today. (Photo by Dimas Ardian/Getty Images)Getty ImagesSoftware development is increasingly automated. The existence of shortcuts, reference architectures, rapid application development environment design tools and configuration management accelerators have been around for half a century or so, but some of those functionalities are becoming if not obsolete, then potentially superseded by a new age of AI-empowered software coding tools.The shift to automate many of the roles carried out inside an enterprises information technology department is gradual, but systematic. Traditionally, tasks like database administration and running ETL extract, transform and load processes have required specialized skills and a high degree of manual work. But change is afoot.Data Engineering RobotsWhile talk of AI replacing developers might make a good soundbite, the practical manifestation of this kind of technology may well be seen amidst the mechanics of working software systems, specifically at the data engineering level. The rise of intelligent coding assistants is reshaping the data engineering discipline; these advanced tools can now connect directly to databases and understand database schemas (the structure of how information is organized inside a databases columns and rows or across its graph structure) and data types. They can even analyze data samples.This means they can offer smarter data-driven coding suggestions to software developers and offer a deeper understanding of an applications codebase within its data environment. All of which, when it works fluidly, makes life easier for developers and for business users who make use of these technology services.Beyond Simple AutocompletionA critical feature of modern coding assistants is their ability to connect directly to various database management systems. This capability catapults their utility beyond simple code autocompletion or syntax checking. By accessing database schemas directly, coding assistants give developers and data engineers valuable insights into the structure of data, including the relationships between different tables and data types of specific fields. This, in turn, allows them to better understand the data architecture and allows them to suggest more precise and contextually relevant code snippets, explained Andrew Filev, CEO of embedded AI coding agent specialist Zencoder.MORE FOR YOUFilev provides us with a working example.Imagine a data engineer tasked with writing a pipeline to transform and load sales data into a reporting database. A coding assistant, equipped with access to the relevant database schema, can instantly recommend the optimal way to join relevant tables, select necessary fields and even suggest appropriate filtering conditions based on historical contexts.Understanding the data model as it does, coding assistants can ultimately alert engineers about potential inefficiencies or mistakes, such as suggesting an index that could improve query performance or warning about joining fields that could lead to unintended cartesian products. As a mathematical aide-mmoire, the cartesian product of two sets A and B is a set containing every possible ordered pair where the first element in that new set is from A and the second element is from B. A straightforward enough rule of mathematics, but one with consequences that we need our data engineering robots to be cognizant of.Data Samples Provide InsightBeyond its structural understanding of information, accessing data samples further enriches a coding assistant's capabilities. Examining actual data, coding assistants can identify common patterns, anomalies and the distribution of values within the dataset. This provides a more comprehensive level of suggestion that aligns closely with real-world scenarios the software engineer might encounter, advised Filev.Lets look at another example. Take a data engineer developing a transformation script to cleanse data (so that it is deduplicated, verified for syntax, or perhaps spellchecked) entered via a web form belonging to an online internet-based application as an example. A coding assistant with access to past data entries can propose data cleansing routines based on frequent issues, such as typical patterns of corruption or common outliers.If the data shows a recurrent formatting error in dates or numerical entries that contradict expected values, a coding assistant can preemptively highlight these discrepancies, offering constructive advice on correcting them before they propagate through the system.Unified access to both software application code and its surrounding data framework (the database schema and its data samples) provides coding assistants with an unprecedented level of contextual awareness. This is fundamental for conducting thorough analysis and validation of codebases, which is crucial in complex data engineering projects, said Zencoders Filev.This allows coding assistants to trace the flow of data across different components of a system, identifying potential bottlenecks or security vulnerabilities that might not be apparent when considering code in isolation. For instance, a coding assistant might detect a processing routine that redundantly transforms data before a database transaction where the transformation is already handled more efficiently by the database itself.Such insights can lead to more efficient code, saving processing time and resources, clarified, said Filev. This contextual intelligence also empowers coding assistants to facilitate onboarding processes for new team members. New engineers can receive contextual queries and explanations regarding how specific operations relate to the broader system, leading to a more rapid and effective integration into the team.Beneath The Z FactorWeve been deliberately granular here in an attempt to move away from the AI models will code all our apps promises and predictions. Although much of Zuckerbergs prophesizing over the rise of electronic mid-level engineers will likely come true over time, the core of the matter is already playing out at the data coalface.As the Zencoder team point out from practical experience, coding assistants are dramatically changing how data engineers approach their work by connecting directly to databases to provide smart, context-aware advice that helps streamline workflows and improve code management. They make coding faster and also make it easier to understand and manage complex data systems.As these assistants become more advanced, their value will go beyond boosting individual productivity. Theyll create collaborative environments where teams can share insights effortlessly, leading to smarter, data-driven decisions. For data engineering, this shift has the potential to drive real innovation, improving both efficiency and reliability in managing and using data, concluded Filev, at the close of a deep dive session delivered to uncover the realities behind this subject.What might matter most in the immediate future is how well organizations are able to forge new partnerships between human data engineers and their software-based coding assistant counterparts. That might sound a little ethereal or insubstantial, but early evidence seems to suggest that it is where working software practices actually consider AI entities as team members that the most progressive work now gets done.