• Google's AI Co-scientist is 'test-time scaling' on steroids. What that means for research
    www.zdnet.com
    ZDNETGoogle on Wednesday said it has tweaked its Gemini 2.0 large language model artificial intelligence offering to make it generate novel scientific hypotheses in a fraction of the time taken by teams of human lab researchers.The company bills the "AI Co-scientist" version of Gemini as "a promising advance toward AI-assisted technologies for scientists to help accelerate discovery," and a program meant to be run with a human "in the loop" to "act as a helpful assistant and collaborator to scientists and to help accelerate the scientific discovery process." It's also a demonstration of how so-called reasoning AI models are now driving the use of computing resources higher and higher, to cross-reference, evaluate, rank, sort, sift, and do lots of other things -- all after the prompt has been typed by the user. Google's AI Co-scientist is meant to have a "human in the loop," directing the machine's various operations, such as literature review and hypothesis formation. GoogleIn an audacious mash-up of scientific publishing and marketing, Google's researchers published a technical paper describing a hypothesis generated by Co-scientist simultaneously with a paper published by a group of human scientists at Imperial College London, with the same hypothesis. The Co-scientist hypothesis, concerning a specific fashion in which bacteria evolve to form new pathogens, took two days to produce, whereas the human-produced work was the result of a decade of study and lab work, claims Google. Hypothesis-formulation machineGoogle describes the machine as a hypothesis-formulation machine that uses multiple agents.Given a scientist's research goal that has been specified in natural language, the AI Co-scientist is designed to generate novel research hypotheses, a detailed research overview, and experimental protocols. To do so, it uses a coalition of specialized agents: Generation, Reflection, Ranking, Evolution, Proximity, and Meta-review. Google's design for AI Co-scientist has a person input a research goal at the prompt, whereupon a series of agents work in parallel to review the literature, formulate and evaluate hypotheses. Google The structure of AI Co-scientist is designed to perform the multiple agent tasks in parallel, backed up by a memory-management function for storing intermediate results. GoogleThe Co-scientist starts to work after the scientist types at the prompt their research goal "along with preferences, experiment constraints, and other attributes."Google insists the program goes beyond mere literature review to instead "uncover new, original knowledge and to formulate demonstrably novel research hypotheses and proposals, building upon prior evidence and tailored to specific research objectives." Test-time scaling on steroidsThe modification of Gemini 2.0 emphasizes the use of "test-time scaling," where AI agents use increasing amounts of computing power to iteratively review and re-formulate their output. Test-time scaling has been seen most dramatically not only in Gemini, but also OpenAI's o1 model, and DeepSeek AI, all examples of so-called reasoning models that spend much more time responding to a prompt, generating intermediate results. The AI Co-scientist is a bit of test-time scaling on steroids. In the formal paper, authored by Juraj Gottweis of Google, and posted on the arXiv pre-print server, the authors specifically relate their work as a kind of enhancement of what DeepSeek's R1 model has pioneered: "Recent advancements, like the DeepSeek-R1 model, further demonstrate the potential of test-time compute by leveraging reinforcement learning to refine the model's "chain-of-thought" and enhance complex reasoning abilities over longer horizons. In this work, we propose a significant scaling of the test-time compute paradigm using inductive biases derived from the scientific method to design a multi-agent framework for scientific reasoning and hypothesis generation without any additional learning techniques."The Co-scientist is built from a selection of AI agents that can access external resources, relate Gottweis and team. "They are also equipped to interact with external tools, such as web search engines and specialized AI models, through application programming interfaces," they write. Where test-time scaling comes most into play is the notion of a "tournament," where the Co-scientist compares and ranks the multiple hypotheses it has generated. It does so using "Elo" scores, a common measurement system used to rank chess players and athletes. As Gottweis and team describe it, one of the agents, a "Ranking Agent," has the main responsibility of rating the differing hypotheses in a kind of competitive fashion:An important abstraction in the Co-scientist system is the notion of a tournament where different research proposals are evaluated and ranked, enabling iterative improvements. The Ranking agent employs and orchestrates an Elo-based tournament to assess and prioritize the generated hypotheses at any given time. This involves pairwise comparisons, facilitated by simulated scientific debates, which allow for a nuanced evaluation of the relative merits of each proposal. The ranking is supposed to make the better hypotheses bubble up to the top. "This ranking serves to communicate to scientists an ordered list of research hypotheses and proposals aligned with the research goal," as they put it. Google claims the data show that more and more compute, and ranking and re-ranking, makes the hypotheses increasingly better as rated by human observers. Surpasses models and unassisted human expertsAccording to fifteen human experts who reviewed the Co-scientist's output, the program gets better as it spends more computing time formulating hypotheses and evaluating them. Google says the AI Co-scientist surpasses the relative quality of plain-old Gemini 2.0 as the computing budget increases, leading to higher Elo scores as in chess and sports. Google"As the system spends more time reasoning and improving, the self-rated quality of results improves and surpasses models and unassisted human experts," the paper notes. The human observers generally gave Co-scientist "higher potential for novelty and impact, and preferred its outputs compared to other models," such as the unaltered Gemini 2.0 and OpenAI's o1 reasoning model. Given the emphasis on scaling computing effort, it's unfortunate that Gottweis and team nowhere in their 70-page technical report mention just how much computing was used for AI Co-scientist. The hypothesis, however, that they share, is that the rapid reduction in the cost of computing of the kind DeepSeek R1 demonstrates should make something like the Co-scientist usable by research labs broadly speaking. "The trends with distillation and inference time compute costs indicate that such intelligent and general AI systems are rapidly becoming more affordable and available," they note. Artificial Intelligence
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  • Tech Leaders: Avoid These Mistakes That Undermine Team Culture
    www.forbes.com
    Tech leaders themselves may be the primary drivers of a poor work environment, ultimately keeping even top talents from performing at their best.
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  • Oppos Find N5 Is Worlds Thinnest Foldable, And Plays Nice With Mac Too
    www.forbes.com
    Oppo Find N5 measures 8.93mm thick when folded.ben SinRemember when foldable phones first launched in 2019? They seemed impossibly futuristic at the time, but in hindsight now, wow those devices were bulky and fragile.Fast forward six years and the form factor has matured beyond most of us could have imagined. The best foldable phones today are barely thicker than a normal phone, and durability is no longer an issue, as theyre mostly water resistant and can survive a few drops (I know, because Ive dropped my fair share in recent years).The newest foldable that just launched today in Singapore is the Find N5 from Oppo, and it takes the crown as the new worlds thinnest foldable phone.Oppo Find N5's thinnessBen SinThe Find N5 measures only 8.93mm when folded and weighs 229g. The former number is the leader in the category right now, while the latter number is a very close second in the industry.Compared to Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold 6, which measures, 12.1mm when folded, the difference in thickness is noticeable.Oppo Find N5 (left) and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (right)Ben sinBut compared to the previous thinnest foldable phone, the Honor Magic V3, the difference is almost impossible to perceive in real life. So this means this extreme thinness really only stands out if youre used to Samsung or Googles foldables. If youve been using the best Chinese foldables already, the Find N5 isnt immediately as jaw-dropping.But there are other bits of Find N5 that can also claim to be best in the industry. For one, the Find N5 is the most water-resistant foldable phone right now, with an official IPX9 rating. In the video below at the 1:34 mark, you can see me let a water fountain splash water all over the device, and it operated fine right after.The Find N5 also has a very good tele-macro zoom lens that can shoot at 70mm focal length and get a minimum focus distance of just 10cm, resulting in very impressive close up shots like these.Macro shot with the Find N5Ben SinFind N5Ben SinMacro shotsBen SinFinally, the Find N5 can also connect to Apples Mac computer. Now, you do have to install Oppos O+ software on the Mac, but once its installed, you can connect the Find N5 to a Mac seamlessly. Once connected, you can share files between the two devices via drag and drop, and perhaps most impressive yet, you can remote control the Mac with the Find N5.The Find N5 mirroring the MacBook screenBen SinThe above photo shows my Find N5 mirroring my MacBook Pro screen, and from there, I can interact with the MacBook via the Find N5, meaning I dont have to touch the Mac at all.Oppos O+ software is perfectly safe, by the way. It follows all of Apples protocols and is available on Apples own app store.Oppo Find N5 8.1-inch screenBen SinTheres a lot more about the Find N5 I havent even touched on, such as the 8.1-inch main folding screen thats the largest in the foldable space, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip thats the best in the Android space. That will come later in the full review. As of right now, the Oppo Find N5 is looking like the new best all around foldable phone, and the fact it will sell outside China is a big deal.I do not have retail price at the time of this reporting and the pricing will vary wildly between Europe and, say, Hong Kong or Thailand but the phone will surely cost less than the $1,800 established by Samsungs foldables. In China, I can make a very educated guess itll start at around 9,999 yuan, which is around $1,300.
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  • Building semiconductor plants in the US takes twice as long, costs twice as much as in Taiwan
    www.techspot.com
    The big picture: The U.S. and many Western markets are simply not as efficient as Taiwan in building semiconductor fabrication (fab) operations. According to reports, 18 new fab construction projects are planned for 2025 alone, making it crucial to address these challenges. The West must streamline fab construction processes to catch up with the well-established semiconductor ecosystems of Taiwan and other Asian manufacturing hubs. TSMC encountered significant challenges when it began constructing its fab in Arizona, facing a trifecta of issues that underscored the stark contrast between fab construction in the U.S. and Taiwan. First, TSMC struggled to find skilled workers locally, a problem rarely encountered in Taiwan. Second, cultural differences between TSMC's Taiwanese management and American employees created unforeseen obstacles. Perhaps most critically, navigating local regulations proved difficult for the global chip manufacturer.However, these issues were not solely due to TSMC's inexperience in the U.S. market. Rather, they highlighted a fundamental gap in fab construction efficiency between the U.S. and Taiwan.Taiwan has developed remarkable expertise in building semiconductor fabrication facilities, closely followed by China and Southeast Asia. This efficiency is evident in the timelines and costs associated with fab construction across different regions.As reported by Semiconductor Digest, Herbert Blaschitz, Executive VP of the Global Business Unit for Advanced Technology Facilities at Exyte, spoke at the recent SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium and revealed that a very large fab in Taiwan owned by a U.S. company (which he declined to name) was built in approximately 20 months.In contrast, fabs in the U.S. typically take around 38 months to complete, from permitting and design to the start of wafer production. European fab construction falls between these extremes, averaging about 34 months.The cost disparity is equally striking. Construction costs for fabs in the U.S. are roughly double those in Taiwan, even though process equipment costs remain similar. Blaschitz succinctly summarized this difference: "Building a wafer fab in the West costs twice as much and takes twice the time compared to building one in Taiwan."The primary reason for Taiwan's superior efficiency in fab construction is experience. "Their supply chain is just unbelievably good," Blaschitz explained. "And very often, it's not that they are much more precise, but they know what they are doing." // Related StoriesThis experience translates into a more streamlined construction process. Taiwanese builders often work with less detailed information than their Western counterparts. "If you look at a drawing in Taiwan, half of the things that you would find in the Western world are missing," Blaschitz said. "They don't need that level of detail; they do it every day, and that makes them very productive."To fully grasp the magnitude of this efficiency gap, it is essential to understand the scale of modern fab construction. Today's semiconductor manufacturing facilities are marvels of engineering and logistics. According to Blaschitz, large fabs require over $20 billion in total capital expenditure, with $4-6 billion allocated solely to the facility itself.The construction of such a facility demands between 30 to 40 million work hours and involves managing vast quantities of materials, including 83,000 tons of steel reinforcement, 5,600 miles of cabling, and 785,000 cubic yards of concrete.A typical large-scale fab houses a 430,000-square-foot cleanroom containing 2,000 process tools. Each tool requires an average of 50 individual process and utility connections, resulting in over 50,000 total connections throughout the facility.The U.S. CHIPS Act aims to address this imbalance, but industry experts believe additional measures are necessary. Blaschitz advocates for "virtual commissioning" as a potential solution. This approach involves creating a digital twin of the fab during the planning and design phase, allowing for virtual commissioning before physical construction begins.
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  • www.techspot.com
    WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can backup your data, reduce the size of email attachments, open and unpack RAR, ZIP as well as create new archives in these and other popular file formats. By consistently creating smaller archives, WinRAR is often faster than the competition.Is WinRAR free?WinRAR is available as a trial version with access to all features. After 40 days you will get a pop-up urging you to buy the license, however you can continue using the software without losing any functionality. A single WinRAR license costs $29, which will remove any pop-up messages.Is WinRAR compatible with Windows 11?WinRAR is fully compatible with Windows 11. It also features GUI elements consistent with the OS like rounded corners and snap layouts.Is WinRAR available for macOS?WinRAR developers do offer a macOS version they call RAR for macOS, however it's only a command-line only application. macOS supports native zip compression, for RAR compression support and a fully featured GUI we recommend The Unarchiver or Keka.FeaturesWinRAR supports all popular compression formats (RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, ACE, TAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, Z and 7-Zip).WinRAR is ideal for multimedia files. WinRAR automatically recognizes and selects the best compression method. The special compression algorithm compresses multimedia files, executables and object libraries particularly well.WinRAR allows you to split archives into separate volumes easily, making it possible to save them on several disks for example.WinRAR is also ideal, if you are sending data through the web. Its 128 bit password encryption and its authenticated signature technology will give you the peace of mind you have been looking for.WinRAR is shareware, meaning you have the chance to thoroughly test it. The program can be used absolutely free of charge for 40 days.What's New"Settings/General" dialog page is split to "Settings/Interface" and "Settings/System" pages. Dialog navigation uses vertical tabs instead of horizontalWinRAR sets the dark interface mode if "Color mode" option in "Settings/Interface" is set to "Dark". This option can enable dark and light modes unconditionally or use Windows color mode settings."Large memory pages" option in "Settings/System" dialog and -mlp command line switch enable using 2 MB memory pages instead of default 4 KB, when allocating large memory areas in RAR archive format compression and extraction routines. It allows to improve archiving and, in some cases, extraction speed. Typically the performance gain is more significant for bigger compression dictionaries and slower compression methods.This feature requires "Lock pages in memory" privilege and if it is missing, WinRAR proposes to assign it to the current user account, making it available for other software too. Windows restart is necessary to activate the newly assigned privilege."Zone value only" option in "Settings/Security" dialog controls if archive Mark of the Web propagation includes only the security zone value or all available fields. While additional fields, such as a download location or IP address, might help to identify a file source, they can be a privacy concern if file is shared with other persons.Switch -om[-|1][=list] controls Mark of the Web propagation in WinRAR and console RAR command line mode.Windows Vista and 32-bit Windows are not supported anymore. WinRAR requires Windows 7 x64 or later. Unlike WinRAR, 32-bit self-extracting modules are still provided as a part of 64-bit installation package."Auto", "Always on" and "Disable" choices are now available for "Delta compression" and "Executable compression" options in "Advanced compression parameters" dialog. To improve the compression speed, "Auto" applies these options depending on the compression method, such as disabling them for "Fastest" and "Fast" methods. Use "Always on" to enable them for all methods.Name of environment variable to store the default set of RAR switches is changed from "RAR" to "RARINISWITCHES". It is rather typical for batch scripts to use "RAR" environment variable name to store RAR executable pathname, which led to the name conflict previously."Completion message title" and "Completion message text" options on "Text" page of "Advanced SFX options" dialog allow to define a custom message displayed on the successful completion of SFX archive extraction. This message can also be added with "TextDone" script command.SFX logo and icon options are moved to the new "Logo and icon" page of "Advanced SFX options" dialog. Dialog navigation uses vertical tabs instead of horizontal.Windows 11 context menu: a) compression profiles in the new context menu are placed above extraction commands, similarly to the legacy context menu;b) separator lines are inserted between archive open, extraction and archiving command groups.When extracting a file with NTFS "Compressed" attribute, this attribute is assigned in the beginning of file extraction. Typically it reduces the extraction time compared to assigning it after writing the file data.When adding files to existing RAR archive, folders previously stored in such archive are moved to a position after newly added files. So folder timestamps are set after extracting all files and are not modified when creating files inside of these folders.Temporary file isn't created anymore for "rar ch -tl" command if other switches or archive parameters do not imply the archive modification. Modification time of newest archived file is set directly to original archive file, without copying the archive data. It reduces disk write and processing time.If archive is truncated at recovery record or quick open information service blocks, the additional message with truncated block type is displayed after the standard "Unexpected end of archive".RAR compression algorithm can use multiple Windows processor groups to utilize up to maximum supported 64 logical processors. It can improve RAR compression speed on systems with logical processors number exceeding 64 and not multiple of 64.Previously the maximum number of logical processors was limited to a single processor group size, such as 36 for 72 processors.Additionally to size, a percent of archive size is also displayed for recovery record in "Show information" command. For RAR 5.0 archives it is the exact value specified when creating the recovery record. For older RAR formats it is the approximate value calculated from the available data.When opening a nested archive from another archive opened in WinRAR, Mark of the Web data will be assigned to nested archive unless "Propagate Mark of the Web" option in WinRAR "Settings/Integration" is set to "Never". Previously it was assigned only if this option was set to "For all files" or to "For user defined files" and list of user defined files included the archive extension. Also "For office files" and "For executable and office files" lists now include popular archive extensions supported by WinRAR.Assigning Mark of the Web data to nested archives allows to propagate it to files extracted from such archives, which wasn't done by default in previous versions.We are thankful to Qize Wang (ADLab of VenusTech) for bringing this issue to our attention.Bugs fixedIf new files have been added to existing semi-solid RAR archive created with -se or -s switches, such files could be damaged. This issue doesn't affect usual solid archives created with -s, also as non-solid archives;Even though the long range search isn't used with -m1 "fastest" compression method, switches -m1 -mcl+ or -m1 -mcl with 256MB or larger compression dictionary still allocated memory required for long range search algorithm;If "Remove redundant folders from extraction path" option was on when extracting a file from archive subfolder, clicking on ".." in the file list afterwards displayed the folder with the archive file instead of parent folder inside of archiveIf application was started from archive and created multiple files with monotonically growing date, WinRAR could issue archive update prompts for every created file instead of a single prompt.
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  • Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 countdown: Start date, downtime details & more
    www.digitaltrends.com
    Table of ContentsTable of ContentsFortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 Lawless start date and downtime detailsWhats coming in Fortnite Season 2 Lawless?As the much-awaited Chapter 6 Season 2 update is on the horizon, Fortniteplayers are buzzing with excitement since it promises an exciting new chapter in Epic Games ever-evolving battle royale narrative. Under the title Lawless, this season is already generating a lot of hype among players who want to enter a grim, crime-fueled island. Several leaks over the weeks and the latest teasers point towards a heist-themed adventure with redesigned gameplay, new skins, and a revamped map, thereby building excitement for what might be one of Fortnites most turbulent patches yet.The excitement is paramount among players, ranging from the comeback of iconic characters like Midas and a collab with Mortal Kombats Sub-Zero to the introduction of new mechanics including van robberies and exploding weapons. The transition to this urban underworld promises a distinct change when the present Japanese mythology-inspired Hunters season ends, hence raising the stakes and the thrill. Players are preparing for downtime to explore the new Fortnite season as the clock approaches the update.Epic GamesThe upcoming Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 Lawless will be released on February 21, 2025. This season will bring back the popular heist theme and will introduce a brand new patch in Fortnite and UEFN services.RelatedThe downtime for Chapter 6 Season 2 will go underway at 2 A.M. ET as Fortnite servers will be taken offline and all Epic services will be paused until downtime ends. Since its a new seasonal update, the downtime may last for around 6 hours, meaning the servers will be back online around 8 A.M. ET or more, depending upon the time Epic takes to deploy the patch.Lawless Battle PassEpic GamesTaking charge of the new Fortnite Season 2 Lawless is Big Dill, a ruthless rapper who is also a criminal and already has a massive social media beef against popular artist T-Pain. Fortnite is bringing many more such characters related to Big Dill in its Chapter 6 Season 2 Battle Pass.The pass contains an anime skin, Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, a new Midas skin, Big Dill, a Wolf crime lord skin, and three female skins which are original Fortnite characters. Youll be able to purchase the Battle Pass as soon as the update goes live for 1,000 V-Bucks or find it included in your Crew subscription.New POIs Mansion and Loot CaveEpic GamesThe new Fortnite season, as always is bringing new locations and POIs around the island, among which the most highlighted ones are a large Mansion resembling the Grand Glacier Hotel from Chapter 5, which will contain vaults for players to loot and a cave with plenty of loot laid around it that players will be able to steal on the go.While the full map changes havent been revealed yet, its highly likely that areas near Shoguns Solitude POI on the current map will undergo massive changes and will bring heist-themed POIs to the island.Ability to fire two weapons at onceEpic GamesFortnite has teased a unique ability that is arriving with the upcoming Chapter 6 Season 2 update where players will be able to simultaneously fire an SMG and a Shotgun at the same time. While many believe that this is a new weapon and not a mechanic, currently it is unknown if this ability would apply to all existing weapons in the game.Furthermore, the new season is also bringing Mortal Kombat Mythics such as Scorpions Blade and Sub-Zeros Ice Gauntlets that players will be able to use to eliminate their enemies in the game. Other new weapons include a Rocket-Ram style weapon, an electric melee Baton, and a new kind of C4 explosive.Trains, Armored Trucks, and much moreEpic GamesThe new Fortnite season will bring back Trains with full effect, but this time youll be able to enter inside a compartment with a Vault contained inside it. Furthermore, Trains will also have mounted turrets on top of them so you can engage in combat on the move and eliminate any enemies nearby who are planning to steal your loot.Thats not all Armored Trucks are another form of vehicle that will be added with the update that youll be able to drive or crash one using weapons like the Sticky Grenade so you can steal enemy loot easily as the island runs Lawless.Editors Recommendations
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  • Amazon to retire its Android app store
    www.digitaltrends.com
    Changes are on the horizon for Android devices later this year. Amazon has announced that starting August 20, it will discontinue its app store for Android devices. Additionally, Amazon willend its Coins digital currency, which users have been using to purchase games and apps from the store. The changes were noted in a support document fordevelopers.In the note, the company says:Recommended VideosStarting August 20, 2025, you will no longer have access to the Amazon Appstore on your Android device. We will also be discontinuing the Amazon Coins program on August 20, 2025.Please enable Javascript to view this contentIn making the announcement, Amazon said any coins not redeemed by August would be refunded.The changes only affect users on non-Amazon devices. The store will remain functional on Amazons Fire TV and Fire Tablet products.After the August deadline, users can no longer download or use apps from the store on Android.According to a company spokesperson: Weve decided to discontinue the Amazon Appstore on Android to focus our efforts on the Appstore experience on our own devices, as thats where the overwhelming majority of our customers currently engage with it.Every Android device user is familiar with the Google Play Store, the most popular Android app store. However, third-party app stores are also available due to the platforms open nature. The decision to shut down the Amazon AppStore on Android is likely due to low use.This isnt the first time Amazon has discontinued its app store on non-Amazon devices. Last year, it pulled the store on Windows, which launched in 2021.Editors Recommendations
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  • AI Buzzwords You Need to Know Now
    www.wsj.com
    To keep up with fast-moving artificial intelligence, learn the terms insiders are throwing around.
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  • Roger Mandigo, Who Made Chicken Nuggets and the McRib Possible, Dies at 85
    www.wsj.com
    Nebraska professors technology allows food companies to reshape meat to make it more appealing to consumers.
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  • Three electric motors, a V12, and 1,001 hpdriving the Lamborghini Revuelto
    arstechnica.com
    new flagship Three electric motors, a V12, and 1,001 hpdriving the Lamborghini Revuelto Lamborghini improves on the Aventador in every way with Revuelto PHEV. Bradley Iger Feb 20, 2025 11:39 am | 1 The Revuelto is Lamborghini's all-new V12 plug-in hybrid flagship supercar. Credit: Bradley Iger The Revuelto is Lamborghini's all-new V12 plug-in hybrid flagship supercar. Credit: Bradley Iger Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreWe are effectively living in a post-horsepower world. As the roster of production cars offering quadruple-digit output figures continues to expand and a growing number of garden-variety vehicles now offer straight-line acceleration that would have been exclusively supercar territory a decade ago, serious thrust is quickly becoming an expectation rather than a rarefied experience.This trend might seem like an existential dilemma for an automaker with a legacy built on face-melting performance, but Lamborghini has never really been the type to obsess over the numbers. Sure, the Aventador SVJ set a production car lap record at the Nrburgring Nordschleife in 2018, but the company has always championed emotional impact above all else.At the press launch for the Aventador SVJ, Maurizio ReggianiLamborghini's chief technical officer at the timemade a point of telling the assembled journalists that despite increasing headwinds from emissions regulations, Lamborghini would continue to produce a supercar with a naturally aspirated V12 for as long as it possibly could. "I will fight it to the end!" he declared to boisterous applause. At almost two tons, the Revuelto is no lightweight, despite extensive use of composites. Bradley Iger At almost two tons, the Revuelto is no lightweight, despite extensive use of composites. Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Reggiani has since retired from the company, but the Revuelto is proof that keeping a high-winding V12 in its flagship model has remained a priority for Lamborghini. Although it's the Italian automaker's first series production sports car to feature a hybrid system, the centerpiece of Sant'Agata's latest showstopper is undoubtedly still the howling 6.5 L naturally aspirated V12 situated just behind its occupants' heads.A brand-new engineThat displacement figure may look familiar to fans of the Aventador, but the new L545 engine was developed in-house and largely from scratch for the Revuelto. Offering up 814 hp (607 kW) and 535 ft-lb (Nm) of torque on its own, the new power plant is both the lightest and most powerful V12 that Lamborghini has ever produced. It's matched up with a trio of electric motorstwo axial flux units powering the front wheels and another radial flux unit for the rear that's mounted above the Revuelto's new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, the latter of which is now positioned behind the V12 instead of in front of it. This results in a total system output of 1,001 hp (746 kW) and 793 ft-lb (1,075 Nm) of torque. But as impressive as the new hybrid powertrain is, it's just one piece of a much larger puzzle.The design lineage of the Revuelto is obvious, but this is not a revamped Aventador. The differences go right down to the Revuelto's new carbon monocoque chassis, which is said to be 10 percent lighter than its predecessor's while offering a 25 percent improvement in torsional stiffness. The Revuelto's front structure is also constructed from a carbon fiber composite rather than the aluminum alloy used for the Aventador's nose section, a change that shaves additional weight while bolstering the car's crash worthiness. Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Bradley Iger Inside, the Revuelto also offers significant ergonomic and technological improvements over the outgoing car. At 6'3" (1.9 m), the Aventador was always a pretty tight squeeze for your author, and any track work had to be done in either a hunched-forward or a significantly leaned-back position, with my knees essentially straddling the steering column due to the severely limited headroom available while wearing a helmet. But even with the standard seats, the Revuelto provides enough space above my head to offer hope for taller drivers: you may actually be able to get into a comfortable seating position in this car both on the road and at the track.Better ergonomicsonce you learn the wheelThe cabin is also a huge step forward from the Aventador in terms of both its design and the technology found within it. In terms of the former, Lamborghini has done away with the Aventador's busy array of buttons, knobs, and switches on the center console for a much cleaner look, aided in part by a new 8.4-inch touchscreen display that handles the typical infotainment fare as well as the HVAC settings.The display looks sharp and responds quickly to inputs, and the ability to share information with the 9.1-inch display in front of the passenger is a fun party trick, but I still found myself wishing for a physical volume knob on occasion. Hard buttons that are dedicated to the audio system have been added to the back of the steering wheel to supplement the touchscreen controls, and that helps, but neither solution is as good as the obvious one. The interior is as dramatic as you'd expect. Bradley Iger The interior is as dramatic as you'd expect. Bradley Iger Professional racing drivers get tested by their engineers on how well they remember the complicated steering wheel button layouts. Bradley Iger Professional racing drivers get tested by their engineers on how well they remember the complicated steering wheel button layouts. Bradley Iger For not-racing drivers, the first hour or so with a Lamborghini can be complicated as you try and learn the steering wheel. Bradley Iger For not-racing drivers, the first hour or so with a Lamborghini can be complicated as you try and learn the steering wheel. Bradley Iger Professional racing drivers get tested by their engineers on how well they remember the complicated steering wheel button layouts. Bradley Iger For not-racing drivers, the first hour or so with a Lamborghini can be complicated as you try and learn the steering wheel. Bradley Iger There are several different themes for the main display. Bradley Iger The new infotainment UI is much better. Bradley Iger Apple CarPlay is present and correct. Bradley Iger Now your passenger can know exactly how fast they're going and how many Gs they're pulling. Bradley Iger To start, lift the red cover and then push the button. Bradley Iger However, pushing this button no longer causes a V12 to erupt into life, as the Revuelto starts off on battery power. Bradley Iger The steering wheel is now where the vast majority of the physical controls live. Along with sets of hard buttons on the back of the left and right spokes and the expected keys on the front for things like lane keep assist and voice commands, it also houses a rocker switch for the turn signals and four knobs for vehicle functions. The red knob on the top left allows you to choose between drive modes, and the knob on the top right controls hybrid system behavior, while the lower left one controls damper stiffness and lower right adjusts the rear wing's angle of attack. It's all a bit overwhelming at first, but once I got the hang of things, I came to appreciate the ability to change the vast majority of the vehicle's functions on the fly instead of needing to dive into a labyrinth of system menus.The Revuelto's default drive mode is Citt, its EV-only setting. It's a design decision that allows you to make a stealth departure whenever necessary, but it also makes pressing the jet fighter-style start/stop button on the center console a far less ceremonious affair than it was in the Aventador. The hybrid system offers more than enough oomph to get the Revuelto moving at a brisk pace and maintain freeway speeds on its own, but its central tunnel-mounted 3.8 kWh battery pack is only good for about six miles (10 km) of range. Charge times are 30 minutes at 7 kW on a level 2 AC charger, or about six minutes if you use regenerative braking and spare power from the V12 while driving.Selecting one of the other drive modes (Strada, Sport, Corsa, and Corsa ESC Offlisted here from least to most performance-oriented) brings the V12 into the mix, though it's put through a brief warm-up routine before it begins to provide power to the wheels.Much more driveableAround town, the Revuelto is a quantum leap ahead of the Aventador in terms of drivability, aided in large part by its thoroughly modern eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Where the Aventador's automated single-clutch gearbox was unrefined and clumsy at low speeds, with pronounced gaps in power delivery as it swapped cogs, the Revuelto's shifts are seamless and nearly instantaneous. This, along with standard rear-wheel steering and cleverly tuned magnetorheological dampers, make it a surprisingly civil supercar to operate on the street, though its low-slung stance and limited rear visibility remain as inherent compromises of the breed.Unhurried cruising ultimately feels like a preamble to this car's natural state anyway. Out in the canyons, the Revuelto's 232 hp (173 kW) advantage over the Aventador Ultimae feels underrated. Throttle response is EV-quick thanks to the electric motors, and at speed, the Revuelto's jaw-dropping shove feels closer to a Bugatti Chiron than it does to its predecessor.The V12 delivers relentless power all the way to its soaring 9,500 rpm redline and produces a banshee howl that owners will hear in their dreams while doing so, but long gearing does limit the number of opportunities you'll have to sweep through the upper register on public roads. And while it's not the kick to the back of the head that the Aventador's single clutch was at wide-open throttle, the eight-speed gearbox produces noticeably firmer shifts in the Sport and Corsa modes to add to the drama. At more than $600,000, the Revuelto won't be a common sight. Bradley Iger At more than $600,000, the Revuelto won't be a common sight. Bradley Iger Is this the most civilized Lamborghini V12 supercar, despite having more than a thousand horsepower? Bradley Iger Is this the most civilized Lamborghini V12 supercar, despite having more than a thousand horsepower? Bradley Iger At more than $600,000, the Revuelto won't be a common sight. Bradley Iger Is this the most civilized Lamborghini V12 supercar, despite having more than a thousand horsepower? Bradley Iger Official dry weight figures put the Revuelto's curb weight at about 4,200 lbs (1,905 kg), or about 500 lbs (227 kg) more than the Aventador, yet the Revuelto somehow manages to feel nimbler and more eager to change direction, and it's less prone to running wide if you're impatient with the throttle coming out of a slow corner. Body motion is kept to a minimum even in the softer of the two suspension settings, making the "Hard" setting feel more appropriate for road course pace and surface quality.And when it comes time to scrub off some speed, massive carbon ceramic rotors with ten-piston calipers up front provide stopping power that's just as impressive as the powertrain. While the rear end of the Aventador had a habit of wiggling around under hard braking in a way that eroded confidence, the Revuelto feels eminently planted, allowing you to more precisely modulate the response delivered from the firm brake pedal.Between its head-turning design, hair-raising performance, and sophisticated technology, the Revuelto completely delivers on the promises of a thoroughly modern Lamborghini flagship. Of course, at an MSRP of $604,363 ($681,258 as-tested with gas guzzler tax and destination fee), it certainly ought to. Still, while there may be cheaper ways to get four-digit horsepower into your garage, none of them capture the essence of a supercar in the way that a naturally aspirated V12 does. Conventional wisdom may dictate that forced induction and a smaller cylinder count is the way forward, but as its look implies, sticking to convention was clearly not in the Revuelto's design edict. 1 Comments
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