Google is rapidly expanding its AI search capabilities, as reflected in the announcements it made Tuesday at its Google I/O developer conference. The search giant announced the general availability of AI Mode, its chatbot-format AI search product; some changes to its AI Overviews search results; and its plans to add new visual and agentic search features this summer.  Google’s biggest announcement in the realm of search was the general availability of its AI Mode, a chatbot-style search interface that allows users to enter a back-and-forth with the underlying large language model to zero in on a complete and satisfying answer. “AI Mode is really our most powerful version of AI search,” Robby Stein, Google’s VP of Product for Search, tells Fast Company. The tool had been available as an experimental product from Google Labs. Now it’s a real product, available to all users and accessible within various Google apps, and as a tab within the Google mobile app.  AI Mode is powered by Gemini 2.5, Google’s most formidable model, which was developed by DeepMind. The model can remember a lot of data during a user interaction, and can reason its way to a responsive answer. Because of this, AI Mode can be used for more complex, multipart queries. “We’re seeing this being used for the more sophisticated set of questions people have,” Stein says. “You have math questions, you have how-to questions, you want to compare two products—like many things that haven’t been done before, that are probably unique to you.”  The user gets back a conversational AI answer synthesized from a variety of sources. “The main magic of the system is this new advanced modeling capability for AI Mode, something called a query fan-out where the model has learned to use Google,” Stein says. “It generates potentially dozens of queries off of your single question.” The LLM might make data calls to the web, indexes of web data, maps and location data, product information, as well as API connections to more dynamic data such as sports scores, weather, or stock prices.  New shopping tools  Google also introduced some new shopping features in AI Mode that leverage the multimodal and reasoning capabilities of the Gemini 2.5 models. Google indexes millions of products, along with prices and other information. The agentic capability of the Gemini model lets AI Mode keep an eye out for a product the user wants, with the right set of desired features and below a price threshold that the user sets. The AI can then alert the user with the information, as well as a button that says “buy for me.” If the user clicks it the agent will complete the purchase.  Google is also releasing a virtual clothing try-on function in AI Mode. The feature addresses perhaps the biggest problem with buying and selling apparel online. “It’s a problem that we’ve been trying to solve over the last few years,” says Lilian Rincon, VP of Consumer Shopping Products. “Which is this dilemma of [where] users see a product but they don’t know what that product will look like on them.” Virtual Try-on lets a user upload a photo of themself, then the AI shows the user what they’d look like in any of the billions of clothing products Google indexes. The feature is powered by a new custom image generation model for fashion that understands the nuances of the human body and how various fabrics fold and bend over the body type of the user, Rincon says. Google has released Virtual Try-on as an experimental feature in Google Labs.  New features coming to AI Mode this summer Google says it intends to roll out further enhancements to AI Mode over the summer.  For starters, it’s adding the functionality of its previously announced Project Mariner (an AI agent prototype that works with the Chrome browser) to AI Mode. So the LLM will be able to control the user’s web browser to access information from websites, fill out and submit forms, and use websites to plan and book tasks. Google is going to start by enabling the AI to do things like book event tickets, make restaurant reservations, and set appointments for local services.  The user can give the AI agent special instructions or conditions, such as “buy tickets only if less than $100, and only if the weather (if its an outdoor event) forecast looks good.” The AI will not only find the best ticket prices to a show, but will also submit the data needed to buy the ticket for the user. (The user gets final sign-off, of course.)  Google will be adding a new “deep search” function in which the model might access, and reason about, hundreds of online, indexed, or AI data sources. The model might spend several minutes thinking through the completeness of its answer, and perhaps make additional data queries. The end result is a comprehensive research report on a given topic.   At last year’s I/O, Google revealed its Project Astra, a prototype of a universal AI assistant that can see, hear, and reason, and converse with the user, out loud, in real time. The assistant taps into search in several ways. A user could show the assistant an object in front of the phone camera and ask for more information about it, which the agent would get from the web. Or the assistant might be shown a recipe, and help the user shop for the ingredients.  Google also plans to launch enhanced personalization features to AI search as a way of delivering more relevant search results. “The best version of search is one that knows you well,” Stein says. For example, AI Mode and AI Overviews soon might consult a user’s search history to use past preferences to inform the content of current queries. That’s not all. Google also intends to consult user data from other Google services, including Gmail, to inform searches, subject to user opt-in.  Finally, the company will add data visualizations to search results, which it believes will help users draw meaning from data returned in search results. It will start by modeling sports and financial data this summer, Stein says.  AI Overviews now reaches almost all Google users AI Overviews is Google’s original AI search experience. For some types of search queries, users see an AI-generated narrative summary of information synthesized from various web documents and Google’s information graphs. Stein says Google is now making AI Overviews available to 95 more countries and territories, bringing the total to around 200, and in 40 languages. Google claims that AI Overviews, its generative AI search experience, now has 1.5 billion users.  Where search is concerned, Google is a victim of the “inventor’s dilemma.” It built a massive business placing ads around its search results, so it has a good reason to keep optimizing and improving that experience, rather than pivoting toward new AI-based search, which nobody has reliably monetized with ads yet. Indeed Google’s core experience still consists of relatively short queries and results consisting of ranked websites and an assortment of Google-owned content. But development of AI search products and functions seems to be accelerating. Google is protecting its cash cow (traditional search with ads) while keeping pace with the chatbot search experiences offered by newcomers like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.  But it’s more than that. Google’s VP and Head of Search Liz Reid suggests that we may be looking at the future of Google Search—full stop. “I think one of the things that’s very exciting with AI Mode is not just that it is our cutting-edge AI search, but it becomes a glimpse of what we think can be more broadly available,” Reid tells Fast Company. “And so our current belief is that we’re going to take the things that work really well in AI Mode and bring them right to the core of search and AI Overviews.” 

Whether you embrace it or not, AI is shaping the future of Google Search. Google is bringing AI Mode to Google Search for every U.S. user, beginning today. Google launched AI Overviews a year ago, which aims to answer your question before showing the traditional list of links. AI Mode is the next step: from what Google has shown, the list of links will disappear entirely, replaced by tiny link icons that link back to the information Google is slurping up. Google’s Liz Reid, a Google vice president and head of Google Search, said that AI Overviews totals 1.5 billion users and will be expanded to over 200 countries. At the beginning of May, Google migrated AI Mode out of its Labs environment into a small subset of users in the real world and has apparently replaced the “I’m feeling lucky” button with an AI search button as well. It’s not clear whether AI Mode will be the default search for all U.S. users, or whether Google will allow users to express a preference or preserve the choices they’ve made before. Traditional search doesn’t look like it will go away, but it will be relegated to a different tab, in much the same way a search for “Images” requires you to shift to another search tab within Google. Reid said that it’s bringing AI Mode to AI overviews, too. “We use what we call a query fan-out technique,” Reid said, in describing how AI Mode works. “And this basically takes your question and it breaks it up into different subtopics, and then we search on each of those different search topics that allows us to go way deeper in the web and find that really hyper-relevant, incredibly specific content that might be great with you.” This what Google’s AI Mode has looked like within Google Labs.Foundry Google said that it’s upgrading the version of Gemini that powers its AI Mode to a more advanced version and bringing the technology to mobile, too. “Deep Search” will be more like the “Deep Research” mode in Gemini, where, behind the scenes, Gemini will issue dozens of separate searches and then aggregate the results. Google’s AI Mode may even generate custom graphs to present information from search and finance questions, Reid said. Agentic search is coming to AI Mode, too. What Google has previously known as “Project Mariner” can be used to research the cheapest seats for a specific game. AI Mode will then start digging through various shopping sites and point you to the cheapest seats. Finally, the Project Astra technology Google showed off last year is being added to Gemini Live so that it can “see” through your smartphone’s camera and then talk through any problems you might have. You can also add data from Gmail, Google Drive, etc. to affect your searches. “We’re going to be pulling all of that in,” Reid said. “You’re going to always be in control. So it’s your choice to opt in to doing this in the first place, but you can connect and disconnect it at any time going forward.” It’s impossible to entirely disconnect what Google is doing or how it will affect major media — meaning that it’s difficult to remain entirely objective. Put simply, Google’s AI overviews and AI Mode pass off third-party news, opinions, roundups, and data as (almost) Google’s own, links or not. Major publishers are beginning to sound alarm bells, and even Google itself is worried about losing money from Google Search ads. Will users click through to the sites where an AI Mode summary originates? Search data says no, though Google disagrees. Google’s AI Overviews in action. Links are either presented as tiny icons or buried at the very bottom of the summary.Google “What we’ve seen with AI overviews is that pages with AI overviews get higher quality clicks to websites,” Reid said. “And you might ask, what does that really mean? And what it means is people spend more time on those websites. They’re not going to those sites and immediately figuring out it’s not what they want and bouncing back. They’re really digging in to the content there, and that’s our goal with AI Mode as well.” Google seems like it’s being pressured by Wall Street, who seem to be wondering if Google will fall behind Anthropic and OpenAI, both of which use AI to replace traditional search results. Microsoft, too, has an AI-powered replacement for Bing Search waiting in the wings called Copilot Search. But Google remains the Web’s top search engine, and it apparently aims to stay that way. “The way you can think about that is AI mode is not just this AI-powered experience end to end, but it also is a glimpse of what’s to come in search overall,” Reid said. Great.

Cross-Section Member Oct 27, 2017 7,018 aka Steam Deck "easier to sneak into work" edition lol I do love my OLED Steam Deck, I use it for some of the less demanding games in my library, but sometimes I really do wish it was something I could just whip out of my pocket like one of the many retro handhelds in the marketplace currently. Obviously, the chief sticking point is the hardware. Would it be possible for Valve to fit the current Zen 2 APU inside a smaller form factor without compromising on performance or usability? Which feature would you be fine dropping in exchange for the ability to truly play your games on the go?  808s & Villainy Member Oct 27, 2017 46,640 Seems like a waste. Steam Deck has only sold a few million total. For Valve it's just an avenue to allow people to play some of their games on a handheld. I don't think having multiple SKUs is worth the effort for them   TimPV3 Member Oct 30, 2017 702 Does anyone else remember in 2004 when people thought the PSP was going to be too big? 😂   Squirrel09 Member Nov 4, 2017 1,911 I don't think valve will make a mini-steam deck. But I do think that we'll get some 3rd party Retroid pocket 5 sized machines that either run windows or steam OS here in the next couple years. Won't be super powerful, but would be good for smaller indies/emulation  PlanetSmasher The Abominable Showman Member Oct 25, 2017 132,801 I don't see how you reduce the form factor without cutting into performance. I don't think there's any real benefit there.   steviestar3 One Winged Slayer Member Jul 3, 2018 5,450 It'd be cool but it wouldn't make financial sense at the moment, no.   Imran Member Oct 24, 2017 8,838 I think if it were a significantly more mainstream machine with an appeal to kids, maybe. But it's a niche machine for adults, most of whom would not rush out to justify the extra production line and R&D on such a thing.   Vanguard Member Jan 15, 2025 592 Yes, it would be easier for kids to hold.   Bardeh Member Jun 15, 2018 3,833 No. Would likely take a decent amount of R+D that I'd prefer they put into other things.   Jamesac68 Member Oct 27, 2017 3,195 If people want it, sure. I don't, but somebody might. I ended up no longer using my Switch once the Steam Deck showed up because the bigger screen is just so much easier on my eyes. I'm actually looking forward to doing some catch-up once the Switch 2 hits, roughly the same size as the Steam Deck.   Roubjon Member Oct 25, 2017 3,083 Yes. I got carpal tunnel from the current model due to its size.   Dota322 Member Aug 13, 2024 86 They will once Arm Translation mature enough   PlanetSmasher The Abominable Showman Member Oct 25, 2017 132,801 Vanguard said: Yes, it would be easier for kids to hold. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Kids want a Nintendo, not a Steam Deck. What is the demographic for kids who want a portable console but don't want access to Mario and Fortnite?  LuciaDMC Member Oct 27, 2017 9,232 Bengali Yes that is my biggest request. Make the touchpads smaller, and make it lighter somehow. Also don't need 4 buttons at back, 2 is enough.  Sabin Member Oct 25, 2017 6,096 No. The deck already has too many SKUs imo and more SKUs.  cw_sasuke Member Oct 27, 2017 29,972 I dont think they can justify a niche revision of a somewhat niche device at that price point. It would be cool but i think they would put these resources behind other products.  Tobor Died as he lived: wrong about Doritos Member Oct 25, 2017 34,023 If they are going to make another model, it should be a box. As a handheld they have the right size.   Fallout-NL Member Oct 30, 2017 8,360 Nope.   Vanguard Member Jan 15, 2025 592 PlanetSmasher said: Kids want a Nintendo, not a Steam Deck. What is the demographic for kids who want a portable console but don't want access to Mario and Fortnite? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Kids like to play different games. There are lots of games that kids see streamers playing like Zort that aren't available on Switch, and they want to play what they see. Teardown and People Playground are other examples and the Steam Deck has easy mod support for both of these with Steam Workshop.  Lumination Member Oct 26, 2017 16,013 I don't think there's a market for two distinct sizes, but the next one should be smaller IMO. This thing is freaking unwieldy, and I have big hands. Reminds me vaguely of holding the Duke in the 2000s. And it's heavy as shit for long sessions.   thewienke Member Oct 25, 2017 19,288 I'm more interested in a faster pro version with a bigger and better screen with less backlight bleed and larger hand grips. Something like the Portal. I've never played the Steamdeck away from a wall outlet personally  StrangerDanger Member Jul 18, 2018 6,696 Lumination said: I don't think there's a market for two distinct sizes, but the next one should be smaller IMO. This thing is freaking unwieldy, and I have big hands. Reminds me vaguely of holding the Duke in the 2000s. And it's heavy as shit for long sessions. Click to expand... Click to shrink... If they went the Nintendo route and had detachable sticks, then it would be fine.   ramenline Member Jan 9, 2019 1,670 It would be cool, but I think you'll have to rely on things like the Ayaneo Air to fill that niche for small PC handhelds for now.   Mocha Joe Member Jun 2, 2021 13,413 I would love Steam Deck 2 to be even smaller and lighter. LCD was really uncomfortable due to the weight but the OLED made it tolerable. I still love using it though. Greatest handheld ever   Cipher Peon One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 9,649 Yeah I think the Steam Deck is way too big. I'd like it to fit in my pocket, please.  BeansBeansBeans Member Jan 14, 2025 986 I'd love to buy a smaller deck for my son. He is 7 and loves games, but the deck is simply too big.   GravaGravity Member Oct 27, 2017 4,704 One way or another society will always return to the PS Vita   JetstreamRorschach One Winged Slayer Member Dec 30, 2017 2,153 Zaragoza, Spain. Not feasible. Steam Deck is very performant due to it being an absolutely inefficient laptop class x86 SoC on a big handheld casing. They are very energy consuming and need a whole lot of active cooling (the LCD Deck's back usually burns to the touch and the fan makes a lot of noise). Not all GPU and CPU architectures are compatible with all foundries. You'd either sacrifice performance to the point it isn't a Steam Deck anymore or get a smaller handheld with lower battery and hotter thermals than the original.   DieH@rd Member Oct 26, 2017 12,017 I would be fine with same case as DS1 [and same 7.4" OLED, only 120hz and with VRR].   CesareNorrez Member Oct 25, 2017 6,054 My wife didn't like playing on the Deck handheld at all until I got her one of those gaming pillows (the arm mount one from Mechanism). It is simply too large and heavy for extended use. So, in that regard, a smaller lighter version would be great. But I'm not sure if Valve sees any financial sense in it. Maybe when they do a Deck 2 they introduce a Deck Lite that matches the power specs of the original.   mattycubed Member Dec 12, 2021 289 My crushed hands say yes, my heart says no   Dekuman Member Oct 27, 2017 21,021 Steam Deck is tied to whatever APU AMD produces. Unlike a console, it's very unlikey they will take that old chip and shrink it down. That's a huge expense for a niche product. Die shrink is where you get your thermal headroom to go smaller. Granted, Valve can probably get deck-like performance from a more modern chip by downclocking it, and shipping it in a smaller form factor. But if they are designing with a new chip in mind, that would be a deck 2.  Apollo Corrupted by Vengeance Avenger Oct 25, 2017 10,053 I mean if they could, and it had a OLED model, I would absolutely get it Day 1. I use my Steam Deck a whole lot. But it is too big for me. If it was even slightly smaller it would be a huge improvement for me.   Sai Prophet of Truth The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 6,987 Chicago No, it's tiny enough.   iswasdoes Member Nov 13, 2017 3,330 Londinium Cant wait to see what Valve have in store hardware wise. I do see a deck 2 in the near future. Deck mini, less likely I think but I would like one   Bran Member Oct 25, 2017 540 For what it's trying to do, I can't see anything smaller working quite as well. The ergonomics, input options (trackpads), and screen are a core part of its appeal. Reduce or remove any of that, and you risk compromising functionality. It's already difficult enough to read text in some games. Making a flatter, tinier, more transportable machine that plays fewer games seems like a hard sell—you'd be better off with a different device.   J_ToSaveTheDay "This guy are sick" and Corrupted by Vengeance Avenger Oct 25, 2017 22,527 USA Nah, I don't personally think it stands to make much sense business wise for them. I say that as someone who would very likely be interested… but as someone who is generally interested in smaller form factor electronics—it hasn't seemed like audiences are there for them anymore.   Sabin Member Oct 25, 2017 6,096 Bran said: For what it's trying to do, I can't see anything smaller working quite as well. The ergonomics, input options (trackpads), and screen are a core part of its appeal. Reduce or remove any of that, and you risk compromising functionality. It's already difficult enough to read text in some games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Exactly. There are also already enough smaller pc handhelds available that already cater that niche while steam deck is the device to offer great ergonomics.  Kaworu Member Oct 28, 2017 433 I don't care much about power. Give me a Steam Deck Lite to play indie titles with a decent battery life.   Ouroboros Member Oct 27, 2017 16,111 But the ergonomics are so good!! I'd hate to use a smaller version.   Adam_Roman Member Oct 25, 2017 3,399 I think this is something they're at least thinking about. Last year there was a lot of work happening on an ARM translation layer for Steam. While it's probably immediately for something like their Deckard VR headset, it would also be very lucrative for ARM-based handhelds to run SteamOS, like an Odin 2 or a Retroid.   BeansBeansBeans Member Jan 14, 2025 986 Bran said: For what it's trying to do, I can't see anything smaller working quite as well. The ergonomics, input options (trackpads), and screen are a core part of its appeal. Reduce or remove any of that, and you risk compromising functionality. It's already difficult enough to read text in some games. Making a flatter, tinier, more transportable machine that plays fewer games seems like a hard sell—you'd be better off with a different device. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I think that we will see some good options once Steam OS gets licensed more and more. I feel like the ergonomics could still work. Also I don't think i've ever once used the touch pads.  horkrux Member Oct 27, 2017 6,467 TimPV3 said: Does anyone else remember in 2004 when people thought the PSP was going to be too big? 😂 Click to expand... Click to shrink... That's crazy  closer Member Oct 25, 2017 5,580 gamers and their concern with their deck size smh   Regular Sega Fan Member Jul 22, 2022 1,825 Ally X + Steam OS could work I guess   BeI Member Dec 9, 2017 6,804 Probably not. Leave that up to third party SteamOS devices to handle. If first party Steam hardware covers everything too well, there wouldn't be much reason for third party SteamOS devices to exist.   FakePlasticTree Member Jul 24, 2018 13,995 The next Steam Deck should be a new hardware leap anything else seems like a waste.   thecaseace Member May 1, 2018 3,743 Yes they should. I get it, most Steam Deck users love everything about Valves machine, but the numbers show that even amongst the 'core' audience there's people like myself that think it's too large. The Steam Deck and Switch are both handhelds but only the Switch is truly portable. They could make a sound mainstream play if they found a way to drop the touch pads and make the device smaller. It would make a great additional SKU.  KalBalboa Member Oct 30, 2017 9,717 Massachusetts TimPV3 said: Does anyone else remember in 2004 when people thought the PSP was going to be too big? 😂 Click to expand... Click to shrink... Oh yeah, I remember friends in high school giving the 16x9 screen some side-eye, haha.  Siri Member Nov 7, 2017 1,367 I think we're more likely going to get x86 to ARM translation to a decent state than Valve releasing a smaller Steam Deck. In fact, it's one of the reasons I've just got a Retroid Pocket Mini V2 in the post. Even in their infancy, I think Winlator and/or MiceWine should handle some lighter stuff. Of course, the floodgates will open as and when Steam really does set up a flavour of Proton for ARM and you can just have Steam on your phone, but for now trying to get the likes of Project Diablo 2 and Outrun 2006 C2C running should be a fun thing. 

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons CERN’s LHC briefly produces gold by removing protons from lead atoms Highlights Scientists briefly converted lead into gold at CERN's Large Hadron Coll The ALICE experiment created 89,000 gold atoms per second using near mi Gold atoms formed at LHC lasted only a split second before breaking dow Advertisement Medieval alchemists would have been stunned to see lead turned into gold – but that's what scientists at CERN's Awesomely Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have done. Through near-miss collisions rather than head-on atomic bashes, the team at the ALICE collaboration can convert lead to gold at a rate of 89,000 atoms each second. Although each gold atom survived only a tiny fraction of a second, the experiment is a testament to the precision of modern particle physics. It serves as a testament to the LHC's growing ability to change the very structure of the atom.CERN Scientists Create Gold from Lead Using Proton Removal at LHC—But Only for a Split SecondAs per the report from CERN, three protons are stripped from the lead nuclei, transforming them into gold. These odd metamorphoses occurred when lead atoms barely missed each other, resulting in powerful electric and magnetic fields that could have shuffled the particles. Their detectors would work on both large and small particle-event scales “because it's the small ones that you need to see that those tiny changes would be different,” ALICE project chief Marco Van Leeuwen mentioned.Despite the astonishing atom-per-second count, the total mass of gold created between 2015 and 2018 added up to just 29 picograms — far less than visible to the naked eye. Uliana Dmitrieva, a physicist from the collaboration, highlighted that it represents the first observation of this type of gold production at the LHC and with their sophisticated detectors. Though recent upgrades have almost doubled output, the gold remains more symbolic, scientifically, than economically.The findings have a broader significance than mere novelty. As physicist John Jowett explains, this is fine-tuning of electromagnetic dissociation in theoretical models, and it helps estimate beam losses, which are important for improving the LHC as well as future colliders. While commercial alchemy remains in the realm of science fiction, it helps push forward the understanding of particle manipulation and atomic science.This transient artifice of gold illustrates not only human creativity but the distance technology today has travelled from the desires of the alchemists of old. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Further reading: Large Hadron Collider, ALICE collaboration, gold atoms, particle physics, CERN, lead-to-gold Gadgets 360 Staff The resident bot. If you email me, a human will respond. More Related Stories

The right lighting can totally transform a space. Whether it’s to add mood lighting or to match up with what you’re watching to make for a more immersive experience, lights can change things in ways you might not expect. Of course, they can make things brighter when you don’t have any light to go by, too. And if you’re looking for flexible lighting to add to your home or maybe even just your living room, strip lighting is the way to go. Right now, you can get the 16-foot Philips Hue Indoor Solo Lightstrip Base Kit for just $55, down from its usual price of $90. That’s $35 off and a discount of 39%. See at Amazon Flexible lighting at an affordable price This 16-foot lightstrip delivers up to 1,700 lumens of brightness, providing awesome illumination for various settings. Its RGBWW LEDs ensure a wide range of color options, allowing you to customize the hue and intensity to match your mood or activity. All the lighting has a silicone sleeve covering it, so it’s more durable and easier to manipulate. And it works just like a regular strip you’d cut of paper. You just trim it to how much you want and stick it to a clean surface. Then plug it in. You can add it to your TV, to walls, and a number of different places and it’ll stay there as long as you want it. You can control the lighting with the Philips Hue app, which gives you over 60 preset scenes and the ability to create custom lighting schedules. For those who prefer voice commands, the lightstrip is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, providing hands-free operation. While the Solo Lightstrip functions effectively on its own, integrating it with the Hue Bridge (sold separately) unlocks additional features. This includes the ability to control up to 50 lights and accessories, set up automations, and manage your lighting remotely, enhancing the overall smart home experience. For just $55, you’ve got a lot of flexibility in terms of where you can put the lighting, how much you cut, what color you use, and much more. It’s much easier to use than a regular lamp, and you can make sure everything stays where it should. If you want to add some lighting options to more difficult spaces, this might be your best bet. Just make sure you get yours before it’s no longer on sale. You’ll be glad you did. See at Amazon

In the AI arms race, all the major players say they want to go nuclear.   Over the past year, the likes of Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have sent out a flurry of announcements related to nuclear energy. Some are about agreements to purchase power from existing plants, while others are about investments looking to boost unproven advanced technologies. This story is a part of MIT Technology Review’s series “Power Hungry: AI and our energy future,” on the energy demands and carbon costs of the artificial-intelligence revolution. These somewhat unlikely partnerships could be a win for both the nuclear power industry and large tech companies. Tech giants need guaranteed sources of energy, and many are looking for low-emissions ones to hit their climate goals. For nuclear plant operators and nuclear technology developers, the financial support of massive established customers could help keep old nuclear power plants open and push new technologies forward. “There [are] a lot of advantages to nuclear,” says Michael Terrell, senior director of clean energy and carbon reduction at Google. Among them, he says, are that it’s “clean, firm, carbon-free, and can be sited just about anywhere.” (Firm energy sources are those that provide constant power.)  But there’s one glaring potential roadblock: timing. “There are needs on different time scales,” says Patrick White, former research director at the Nuclear Innovation Alliance. Many of these tech companies will require large amounts of power in the next three to five years, White says, but building new nuclear plants can take close to a decade.  Some next-generation nuclear technologies, especially small modular reactors, could take less time to build, but the companies promising speed have yet to build their first reactors—and in some cases they are still years away from even modestly sized demonstrations.  This timing mismatch means that even as tech companies tout plans for nuclear power, they’ll actually be relying largely on fossil fuels, keeping coal plants open, and even building new natural gas plants that could stay open for decades. AI and nuclear could genuinely help each other grow, but the reality is that the growth could be much slower than headlines suggest.  AI’s need for speed The US alone has roughly 3,000 data centers, and current projections say the AI boom could add thousands more by the end of the decade. The rush could increase global data center power demand by as much as 165% by 2030, according to one recent analysis from Goldman Sachs. In the US, estimates from industry and academia suggest energy demand for data centers could be as high as 400 terawatt-hours by 2030—up from fewer than 100 terawatt-hours in 2020 and higher than the total electricity demand from the entire country of Mexico. There are indications that the data center boom might be decelerating, with some companies slowing or pausing some projects in recent weeks. But even the most measured projections, in analyses like one recent report from the International Energy Agency, predict that energy demand will increase. The only question is by how much.   Many of the same tech giants currently scrambling to build data centers have also set climate goals, vowing to reach net-zero emissions or carbon-free energy within the next couple of decades. So they have a vested interest in where that electricity comes from.  Nuclear power has emerged as a strong candidate for companies looking to power data centers while cutting emissions. Unlike wind turbines and solar arrays that generate electricity intermittently, nuclear power plants typically put out a constant supply of energy to the grid, which aligns well with what data centers need. “Data center companies pretty much want to run full out, 24/7,” says Rob Gramlich, president of Grid Strategies, a consultancy focused on electricity and transmission. It also doesn’t hurt that, while renewables are increasingly politicized and under attack by the current administration in the US, nuclear has broad support on both sides of the aisle.  The problem is how to build up nuclear capacity—existing facilities are limited, and new technologies will take time to build. In 2022, all the nuclear reactors in the US together provided around 800 terawatt-hours of electricity to the power grid, a number that’s been basically steady for the past two decades. To meet electricity demand from data centers expected in 2030 with nuclear power, we’d need to expand the fleet of reactors in the country by half. New nuclear news  Some of the most exciting headlines regarding the burgeoning relationship between AI and nuclear technology involve large, established companies jumping in to support innovations that could bring nuclear power into the 21st century.  In October 2024, Google signed a deal with Kairos Power, a next-generation nuclear company that recently received construction approval for two demonstration reactors from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The company is working to build small, molten-salt-cooled reactors, which it says will be safer and more efficient than conventional technology. The Google deal is a long-term power-purchase agreement: The tech giant will buy up to 500 megawatts of electricity by 2035 from whatever plants Kairos manages to build, with the first one scheduled to come online by 2030.  Amazon is also getting involved with next-generation nuclear technology with a direct investment in Maryland-based X-energy. The startup is among those working to create smaller, more-standardized reactors that can be built more quickly and with less expense. In October, Amazon signed a deal with Energy Northwest, a utility in Washington state, that will see Amazon fund the initial phase of a planned X-energy small modular reactor project in the state. The tech giant will have a right to buy electricity from one of the modules in the first project, which could generate 320 megawatts of electricity and be expanded to generate as much as 960 megawatts. Many new AI-focused data centers under construction will require 500 megawatts of power or more, so this project might be just large enough to power a single site.  The project will help meet energy needs “beginning in the early 2030s,” according to Amazon’s website. X-energy is currently in the pre-application process with the NRC, which must grant approval before the Washington project can move forward. Solid, long-term plans could be a major help in getting next-generation technologies off the ground. “It’s going to be important in the next couple [of] years to see more firm commitments and actual money going out for these projects,” says Jessica Lovering, who cofounded the Good Energy Collective, a policy research organization that advocates for the use of nuclear energy.  However, these early projects won’t be enough to make a dent in demand. The next-generation reactors Amazon and Google are supporting are modestly sized demonstrations—the first commercial installations of new technologies. They won’t be close to the scale needed to meet the energy demand expected from new data centers by 2030.  To provide a significant fraction of the terawatt-hours of electricity large tech companies use each year, nuclear companies will likely need to build dozens of new plants, not just a couple of reactors.  Purchasing power  One approach to get around this mismatch is to target existing reactors.  Microsoft made headlines in this area last year when it signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Constellation, the owner of the Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. Constellation plans to reopen one of the reactors at that site and rename it the Crane Clean Energy Center. The deal with Microsoft ensures that there will be a customer for the electricity from the plant, if it successfully comes back online. (It’s currently on track to do so in 2028.) “If you don’t want to wait a decade for new technology, one of the biggest tools that we have in our tool kit today is to support relicensing of operating power plants,” says Urvi Parekh, head of global energy for Meta. Older facilities can apply for 20-year extensions from the NRC, a process that customers buying the energy can help support as it tends to be expensive and lengthy, Parekh says.  While these existing reactors provide some opportunity for Big Tech to snap up nuclear energy now, a limited number are in good enough shape to extend or reopen.  In the US, 24 reactors have licenses that will be up for renewal before 2035, roughly a quarter of those in operation today. A handful of plants could potentially be reopened in addition to Three Mile Island, White says. Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan has received a $1.52 billion loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy to reopen, and the owner of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa has filed a request with regulators that could begin the reopening process. Some sites have reactors that could be upgraded to produce more power without building new infrastructure, adding a total of between two and eight gigawatts, according to a recent report from the Department of Energy. That could power a handful of moderately sized data centers, but power demand is growing for individual projects—OpenAI has suggested the need for data centers that would require at least five gigawatts of power.  Ultimately, new reactors will be needed to expand capacity significantly, whether they use established technology or next-generation designs. Experts tend to agree that neither would be able to happen at scale until at least the early 2030s.  In the meantime, decisions made today in response to this energy demand boom will have ripple effects for years. Most power plants can last for several decades or more, so what gets built today will likely stay on the grid through 2040 and beyond. Whether the AI boom will entrench nuclear energy, fossil fuels, or other sources of electricity on the grid will depend on what is introduced to meet demand now.  No individual technology, including nuclear power, is likely to be the one true solution. As Google’s Terrell puts it, everything from wind and solar, energy storage, geothermal, and yes, nuclear, will be needed to meet both energy demand and climate goals. “I think nuclear gets a lot of love,” he says. “But all of this is equally as important.”

The popularity of the actual play show Critical Role helped make 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons wildly successful. But now, Critical Role Productions has become more than a booster and frequent collaborator for D&D: It’s become a competitor. After years in development, Daggerheart, a tabletop RPG from Critical Role’s publishing imprint, Darrington Press, launches today. And the book shows just how much lead designer Spenser Starke and the book’s other designers have learned from playing 5e, as they address some of that game’s biggest issues.Problem: Failure is boringThere are few things as satisfying as rolling a natural 20 in a clutch situation in D&D, but D&D’s d20 system has a big drawback. It’s inherently very swingy, with a wide range from success to failure, and it can lead to situations where failure means the PCs accomplish nothing, and the story doesn’t move forward in a meaningful way. Roll low, and you might miss an attack, miss a key clue needed to progress the plot, or be unable to bypass a locked door to get to the next goal.Daggerheart changes the math by having players roll two d12s and add the results, which generally smooths the probability curve in favor of success. But the more significant change is a system inspired by how Fantasy Flight’s Star Wars roleplaying game represents the pull of the light side and dark side of the Force. One of the d12s represents hope, while the other is fear, and the higher number determines which aspect is dominant in the totalled roll.Succeeding with hope is nothing but good news for the PCs. Failing with hope gives them a hope point, a resource that can be spent on numerous special abilities, as a sort of consolation prize. Fear, in turn, gives the game master a fear point they can use to introduce complications or activate abilities for antagonistic NPCs.That system, combined with a collaborative narrative focus, means there’s never an instance where a roll has no effect. If you can’t pick that lock, you might hear guards approaching, or even trigger a trap, depending on whether you failed with hope or fear. Miss a roll with fear in combat, and an antagonist will get a turn to act. Failure always has consequences that move the game forward.Image: Darrington PressProblem: Advantage and disadvantage are too significantOne of 5e’s key mechanics is the concept of advantage and disadvantage — rolling two d20s and taking the better or worse result, respectively. It’s an elegant way to avoid having numerous modifiers for conditions like being aided by an ally or trying to strike a hidden foe. But the math makes those edges and penalties too significant.Daggerheart keeps the concept, but changes the effect to adding or subtracting a d6. The game also simplifies D&D’s laundry list of conditions — “grappled,” “paralyzed,” “heavily obscured,” etc. — to just three options: “hidden,” “restrained,” and “vulnerable.” It creates a convenient way to modify rolls without making GMs worry about the specific mechanics too much.Problem: Species and background choices are too importantIn the original 5e ruleset, players had to limit their species and background choices to ensure they got attribute boosts to the key stats for their class, or risk not being able to hit as frequently or do as much damage as players who made the more optimized choices. The 2024 ruleset removed attribute bonuses from species, but instead shunted them into backgrounds. That means you’re operating at a real disadvantage if, for story reasons, you want your wizard to have been a soldier instead of a scribe.Attributes are entirely divorced from these decisions in Daggerheart, and just assigned based on what’s best for your character class. The other decisions give you flavorful minor abilities that might be better for some classes, but are fairly broadly applicable, like a giant having extra hit points, or a person who grew up in the wilderness being able to move silently. It keeps the mechanics from getting in the way of the fantasy.Image: Darrington PressProblem: Spellcasters have a lot more choices than non-castersAdmittedly, this isn’t a problem for everyone. Some new TTRPG players can be intimidated by lots of options, and might prefer the simplicity of playing a fighter who’s mostly going to move and attack on their turn, rather than considering which spells to use and prepare. Wizards of the Coast worked to offer more complexity to martial characters in the 2024 rules with the weapon mastery system, but mostly created more subclasses that are hybrids of casters and weapon-wielders.No matter your class, Daggerheart characters all have equivalent options, thanks to a card system reminiscent of 4e D&D or Gloomhaven. Every level, characters get to choose new cards, which could represent a wizard using a runic ward, or a bard bolstering their allies with a pep talk. The modularity of the system also makes it easier to multiclass by just taking cards associated with other classes, at the price of digging deeper into your base abilities.There’s still more work to be doneFor all the problems they’ve solved, the Daggerheart designers left some big holes that need filling. The downtime action section is very thinly sketched. The game is deeply ambivalent about loot, preferring to abstract treasure rewards and costs into amounts like “a handful of gold” or “a chest of gold.” Upgrading gear is important to stay competitive, but the section on weapons is the weakest past of the entire book: Weapons follow a clear linear progression based on character tier, but their stats are printed over and over again, rather than being condensed with the formula.And GMs are encouraged to come up with their own gear, but there are no tools provided. Special items only available at higher tiers have random names, like Wand of Essek or Aantari Bow, with no descriptions to give them the character of powerful D&D magic items.But overall, Daggerheart is a strong evolution of medieval fantasy roleplaying. It shows a deep understanding of Dungeons & Dragons’ flaws, addressing them by drawing on the strengths of other systems. Even for groups not ready to fully make the switch to a new game, the book can provide some inspiration for making a D&D game a bit better.Daggerheart is available for purchase now at through Critical Role shops and local game stores in the Darrington Press Guild, which offer a PDF free with a physical copy. The core set will arrive at Amazon and book stores including Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million starting June 3. The free beta playtest is still available at DriveThruRPG.For those who want to see Daggerheart in action, Critical Role has released several one-shots and specials. “Age of Umbra,” new eight-episode series run by Matthew Mercer will launch on May 29.See More:

TRS-80, Commodore 64. Early PCs have laughable specifications by today’s standards, but they inspired a lot of creativity. Take Jacob Anderson, owner of Beyond Ordinary Software, for example. He started programming a Commodore 64 as a tween by building character management tools for his Dungeons and Dragons game. The Commodore 64 was an 8-bit machine with the Basic programming language built in. “I was 11 years old and very isolated in a small town, so I didn't really have any exposure to the outside world and everything that was happening with the whole personal computer revolution,” says Anderson. “My dad was the janitor at the middle school, so I helped him clean. One evening, he sat me down in a math classroom that had a Commodore 64-style environment, so I started playing Artillery Duel. I noticed a button on the keyboard called, ‘Run Stop,’ and if you hit that key, the program stops executing and becomes a terminal. I hit that key by accident and typed “list” and I saw all the source code. I instinctively understood everything.” His uncle subsequently helped his family buy a Commodore 64 and peripherals for Anderson, including a dot matrix printer. He became obsessed, spending nearly all his time programming. However, in high school, his progress slowed as he discovered girls and did the things high school kids do. When he went to college on a US Navy ROTC program scholarship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), he discovered the program actually ran at The College of the Holy Cross in the evenings, which conflicted with his computer science schedule. Anderson chose to give up his three-year Navy scholarship to pursue a dual major in nuclear engineering and computer science. Since he had to figure out a way to pay for school, he got into the Science and Engineering Research Semester (SERS) program at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Applied Theoretical Physics Division, which develops novel applications of theoretical physics.  Related:At the time, Los Alamos was retiring its punch card mainframes and adopting modern software development practices. That was significant because at the time, the legacy software had been written in very old Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP).  When Anderson arrived for the SERS program, his advisor was John Hendricks, a Ph.D. nuclear engineer from MIT. Hendricks had Anderson running MCNP test problems to validate the physics that the problems were testing.  “I took the SERS program to complete my major qualifying project (MQP) at WPI, which was required for graduation. However, I felt that running test problems was a waste of time, so I voiced my concerns to my WPI advisor, John Mayer, and later to John Hendricks, who didn't appreciate my attitude,” says Anderson. “As a result, I planned to leave the SERS program and return to WPI to work on a different MQP.” Related:However, before Anderson could leave, Ken Van Riper, a Ph.D. astrophysicist from Cornell, met with him.  “[Ken] appreciated my perspective and offered me a project he was working on. I proposed developing a full GUI for it, and he let me take the lead. I stayed in the SERS program and completed the project, which became MUD—MCNP User Demonstration,” says Anderson. “MUD was a 3D graphics-based problem setup tool that could create MCNP input files, run MCNP and visualize the output as particle tracks. Nobody had previously developed a complete package with a simple ‘click the button’ approach. After I graduated from WPI, [Los Alamos] hired me as staff.” Next, he went to work at Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN), where he found himself working for the Department of Defense (DoD) again and PRAJA, a dot-com immersive experience company. It focused on 3D visualization tracking of people in complex environments. While at PRAJA, he was the project lead on FOX NFL GameTracker 2000 and PRAJA Football 99. After that, he founded Beyond Ordinary Consulting alongside corporate roles as President of AccessQuery, a web-based job search engine, and XPLive, a SaaS company. He also served as managing partner and later managing director of Totally Evil Entertainment. Related:Important Lesson CIOs Can Learn Vicariously One thing Anderson has learned along the way is that military personnel can benefit the tech industry. “Military personnel are often highly trained, but they're focused on a very unique niche, and they own that entire niche. Whatever their operational job was, they own it. And that’s somewhat unique, because in the [civilian world], most people take a job for a little while, and then they bounce. They're very scattered when it comes to their career choices,” says Anderson. “When you deal with technical people you want them well versed in their niche job. And that's where the DoD comes in very handy, because the people who get that role are going to know it inside, out and backwards. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to hire DoD people.” Those who worked for the DoD are very regimented because they must adhere to certain policies and rules. “Military personnel understand the playing field and limitations. They’re good at limiting themselves, and they also understand large-scale systems on a worldwide scale,” says Anderson. “A defense department in any country is enormous, much larger than entities in the private sector. They know how to compartmentalize and manage complex systems. Most people have a really hard time compartmentalizing at a world scale.” However, he says cultural IQ is the most important thing CIOs and other organizational leaders must understand and use to their advantage.“Because the DoD is world scale, you get experience with different cultures, different people from different parts of the world. As a result, you must learn to understand individuals from their cultural point of view. Otherwise, you’re just going to be frustrated all the time,” says Anderson. “The military is the same. It’s important to understand the nuances and respect them so you can engage people more effectively. The military personnel who aren’t good at that wash out early. The ones that are really good at it rise.” 

Five, six... nine? 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 first drive: Efficient, for a big one Hyundai's biggest EV is designed for American roads and built in Georgia. Jonathan M. Gitlin – May 20, 2025 9:00 am | 15 Spot the elliptical shapes on the new Hyundai Ioniq 9. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin Spot the elliptical shapes on the new Hyundai Ioniq 9. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Hyundai provided flights from Washington to Savannah and accommodation so Ars could drive the Ioniq 9. Ars does not accept paid editorial content. SAVANNAH, Georgia—Hyundai's massive new Metaplant factory in Georgia is actually painted a subtle shade of green, not white, but you'd need someone to point that out to you. It's a shining example of the latest in car manufacturing—bright lights and white walls inside, knee-saving wooden floors on the production line, recaptured waste energy and solar—you name it. Hyundai even uses dog-like robots to check some welds. The vast facility is responsible for North American production of the electric Ioniq 5 and, now, the all-new Ioniq 9 SUV as well. That Hyundai would make a three-row SUV with its class-leading electric powertrain was a no-brainer. The E-GMP platform, with its class-leading 800 V powertrain, was designed for medium to large EVs, after all. In 2021 it debuted the Seven concept, which explored the idea of a living room on wheels. I'm not sure why the nameplate skipped a couple of digits, but the production Ioniq 9 tries to keep as true to that theme as possible within the confines of real life. Although they look quite different from one another, a common design language called "parametric pixels" ties together the Ioniq 9 with its smaller siblings the Ioniq 5 SUV and Ioniq 6 sedan. Creases catch the light even with the matte-gold paint of our test car, like the line ahead of the rear wheels that calls back to the collar on a traditional Korean garment. As ever, there are some other wonderful names for the design language: my favorite is "aerosthetic lounge," but when you look at the images, also think of words like "teutonic," "boat tail," and "integrated." When you hear the shape was inspired by a pebble, it makes sense that the drag coefficient is a slippery 0.27. Inspired by a pebble, don't you know? Jonathan Gitlin Inspired by a pebble, don't you know? Jonathan Gitlin I think this is my favorite angle. Jonathan Gitlin I think this is my favorite angle. Jonathan Gitlin Inspired by a pebble, don't you know? Jonathan Gitlin I think this is my favorite angle. Jonathan Gitlin At 199.2 inches (5,060 mm) the Ioniq 9 is couple of inches longer than the gas-powered Hyundai Palisade, but the EV's more space-efficient powertrain means the Ioniq 9 offers 9 inches (230 mm) more wheelbase, which translates into more room on the inside. The primary beneficiaries of that are whoever sits in the middle row, especially if the Ioniq 9 is in the six-seat configuration, which swaps the middle bench for a pair of captains' chairs. These even get ventilation, like the front seats. Space all the way in the back is average for the breed. There's more headroom than a Rivian R1S, but less legroom, and like most three-row SUVs, that third row is really for small children or occasional use. There's no acoustic glass back there, so its a much noisier place to sit, and the space is better utilized as cargo volume. If you need to put two adults in a third row and it must be electric, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz is your best bet, or at least it was until someone noticed the rear bench was too wide for just two seatbelts, sparkling a recall. But I digress. Seven adults could get up to a lot of work in one of these things. That's how many 100 W USB-C ports Hyundai has included, three up front then two for each of the other rows, although by my maths it would be hard to sap more than a couple of miles of range by simultaneously recharging 16-inch MacBook Pros on a road trip. For gadgets needing alternating current, the Ioniq 9 can provide 120 V V2L and is also capable of powering a home (V2H) or even returning energy to the grid (V2G), although those two will require a Hyundai bidirectional charger. The Cylon/Knight Rider effect is mainly an artifact of the digital camera and the LED lights. Jonathan Gitlin The Cylon/Knight Rider effect is mainly an artifact of the digital camera and the LED lights. Jonathan Gitlin I wonder if Hyundai will make an Ioniq 9 N? Jonathan Gitlin I wonder if Hyundai will make an Ioniq 9 N? Jonathan Gitlin This is very Range Rover. Jonathan Gitlin This is very Range Rover. Jonathan Gitlin I wonder if Hyundai will make an Ioniq 9 N? Jonathan Gitlin This is very Range Rover. Jonathan Gitlin With the electrons flowing from grid to car via a level 2 AC charger, expect to take about 9 hours and 40 minutes to charge from 10–100 percent at 11 kW. For best results DC fast charging, seek out a 350 kW fast charger. You'll need the included CCS1 adapter, but you'll charge from 10–80 percent in 24 minutes. The adapter is required because the Ioniq 9 is one of the few non-Tesla EVs to leave the factory with the NACS charging port. Using a Tesla Supercharger to charge an Ioniq 9 doesn't just put more money in Elon Musk's coffers, though, it also takes a while—41 minutes in total. Only the $58,995 Ioniq 9 S is available with a rear-wheel drive powertrain. In this case, one with 215 hp (160 kW) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) and a range of 325 miles (539 km) from the 110.3 kWh (gross) battery pack. All other trims feature twin motor all-wheel drive, but you give up little in the way of range. The $62,765 SE and $68,320 SEL offer a combined 303 hp (226 kW) and 446 lb-ft (605 Nm) and 320 miles (515 km) of range, and the $71,250 Performance Limited, $74,990 Performance Calligraphy, and $76,490 Performance Calligraphy Design use a more powerful front motor to generate a total of 442 hp (315 kW) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm), and a range of 311 miles (500 km). The Ioniq 9's interior loses some of the charm of the concept. Hyundai The Ioniq 9's interior loses some of the charm of the concept. Hyundai Yes, that is a NACS port. Jonathan Gitlin Yes, that is a NACS port. Jonathan Gitlin We were only able to test the Ioniq 9 in six-seat configuration. Hyundai We were only able to test the Ioniq 9 in six-seat configuration. Hyundai Yes, that is a NACS port. Jonathan Gitlin We were only able to test the Ioniq 9 in six-seat configuration. Hyundai This curved panel is common across a lot of Hyundai and Genesis cars now. Hyundai The center console has wireless charging, among other features. Hyundai Lots of storage, and the lid on top opens both ways. Hyundai Leg rests! Hyundai There's 21.9 cubic feet of cargo with the third row in use, or 46.7 cubic feet with it folded flat, and 86.9 cubic feet with both rows flat. Jonathan Gitlin While a short first drive is not the best place to evaluate an EV's range efficiency, driven day to day in Eco mode, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to easily exceed 3 miles/kWh (20.7 kWh/100 km). Other drive modes include Normal, which uses the front motor much more often and therefore is markedly quicker than Eco; Sport, which has quite a lot of initial throttle tip-in and will head-toss your passengers if you have any; Terrain, first seen on the Ioniq 5 XRT; and Snow. The ride is quite firm on surface streets but less so at highway speeds over seams and expansion gaps. As you start to corner faster you can expect to encounter understeer, but since this is a three-row SUV weighing between 5,507-6,008 lbs (2,498-2,725 kg), one has to wonder what else was expected. At sensible speeds, it's easy to see out of and place it on the road, and if you're stuck in a tailback with a couple of grumpy children in the back, it's a calming enough environment to keep you from being over-stressed. Hyundai has wisely priced the Ioniq 9 between the related Kia EV9 (which also uses the E-GMP platform) and EVs from premium OEMs like the Volvo EX90, Mercedes EQS SUV, or the aforementioned Rivian. Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 15 Comments