Re: Computers & the Internet News and Discussions
Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2023 7:04 am
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Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong found the secret to a more efficient, less expensive approach to keeping massive computer systems cool: Just add salt.
A growing concern in computing is the enormous amount of heat generated in ever-increasing global computer arrays churning out more than 2 zettabytes per week.
Such gigantic processing capacity leaves an enormous carbon footprint. Commercial cloud providers utilize cooling systems requiring billions of gallons a year to maintain optimal temperatures.
According to the MIT Press Reader, cooling processes account for more than 40% of electricity usage. A single data center can consume the same amount of electricity as 50,000 homes.
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/s ... ver-at-8tbSamsung has announced an all-new portable SSD with up to 8TB of storage, making it the highest-capacity portable drive on the planet. The drive is also available in 2TB and 4TB versions and uses a USB-C interface for transfer rates up to 460Mb/s. That's quite a bit slower than what an NVME SSD is capable of. It's in the neighborhood of a SATA drive but still faster than what you'd get from a spinning disk. The tradeoff here is speed for capacity.
The palm-sized T5 EVO looks like a tiny piece of luggage. It has a metal handle on top that can be fastened to a backpack. The drive uses a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface and measures 0.7 by 3.7 by 1.6 inches (HWD), making it quite portable. Samsung says the device's shell is made of metal but has a rubberized surface, which helps protect it from sudden drops. The company says it can withstand impacts up to 6 feet, and it includes thermal guard technology to prevent overheating—we assume by throttling the controller a bit if things get too toasty.
Western Digital has moved hard drive capacity goalposts forward another notch today by announcing its newest 24TB and 28TB drives for data centers. The company is launching a new Ultrastar DC HC680 drive family with shingled magnetic recording (SMR) and capacities up to 28TB. It's also unveiling new WD Gold Enterprise and Ultrastar DC HC580 24TB drives with conventional magnetic recording (CMR) for those who prefer less novel technologies, rounding out its new lineup of high-capacity drives for system integrators and cloud customers.
The stars of the show here are the Ultrastar DC HC680 drives, which come in 26TB, 27TB, and 28TB capacities (via Wccftech). They are the highest capacity drives currently available, as Seagate's X24 units top out at—you guessed it—24TB. These 10-platter drives use all of WD's latest technologies, including an "improved" version of its OptiNAND technology, which uses an embedded NAND flash drive to store file metadata to improve performance and free up some storage space. It uses energy-assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) to increase areal density and a shingled design. They're also helium drives, which have 1/7th the density of air and allow for thinner platters. These drives are only available to enterprise customers.
Just a few years ago, it was starting to look like Microsoft would never move on from Windows 10. Now, we're several updates into the Windows 11 era, and there are rumors of a new version as soon as next year. According to a report out of Taiwan, Microsoft will release Windows 12 sooner than you probably expected, in June 2024. This software release will allegedly be supported by the release of a new generation of "AI PCs."
Microsoft isn't saying anything about a new version of Windows, and a June 2024 announcement would be quick—just two years since Windows 11. However, generative AI has taken over the tech industry in the intervening years. Microsoft is at the forefront of change for once, thanks to its partnership with OpenAI, and the ChatGPT-powered Bing and Copilot features Microsoft has already deployed could be just the start. Some previous reports pointed to a Windows 12 launch in 2024.
The report comes by way of the Commercial Times, an enterprise publication from Taiwan. The translated story cites comments made by Acer Chairman and CEO Jason Chen and Quanta Chairman Barry Lam at a recent technology exhibition in Taiwan. They alluded to Windows 12 launching with a raft of new AI computing hardware in June, some of which they hope consumers will purchase from their firms.
Epic Games failed to secure a victory over Apple when it began its Fortnite-fueled legal battle royale two years ago. Google was also a target of a lawsuit, and that case has just reached a verdict. Surprisingly, the jury found Google's Play Store is an illegal monopoly despite Android's support for third-party app stores. It all came down to a series of shady deals with large developers and OEMs, which were designed to keep Epic and other app stores down.
https://www.extremetech.com/electronics ... peed-boost
Our wireless connection speeds are about to get a big boost in 2024, theoretically, as the next-generation Wi-Fi standard is poised to receive final certification soon. This will pave the way for companies that make wireless hardware to begin adopting the standard and integrating it into phones, computers, and smart home devices. Dubbed Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), it will succeed Wi-Fi 6/6e and should be certified in the coming months, though it'll still take a while for manufacturers to develop compatible products.