April 25, 2025 • By Aaron Tan

The growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is changing datacentre design to address power, cooling, and networking challenges. Industry experts at Gitex Asia 2025 discussed the impact of AI on datacentres, citing the emergence of reasoning models that require significantly more compute power and generate more tokens than inference models. Datacentres are facing increased power density, with AI workloads demanding up to 50kW per rack, compared to 6-10kW for traditional workloads. Liquid cooling is becoming necessary to support future GPU designs. Retrofitting existing datacentres for AI workloads is also challenging, with difficulties in financial management and operational intensity. Networking in AI datacentres differs significantly, with high-speed interconnect requirements and the need for multiple power supply units. Reliable access to renewable energy is also crucial, with some countries having regulatory frameworks that facilitate adoption. The distinction between AI training and inference workloads further complicates datacentre design, with training requiring massive east-west traffic and inference generating more north-south traffic. Looking ahead, operators anticipate innovation but also face uncertainty, with trends like GPU shards and liquid cooling as a service. However, there are risks of obsolescence and challenging economics due to the rapid pace of GPU technology development. Despite the challenges, the industry is at the forefront of a major technological shift, with the panellists agreeing that they are in the right industry at the right time.

April 25, 2025 • By Digiday Editors

Google faces significant challenges after a US federal court ruled that it violated antitrust laws in digital advertising markets. The court found Google guilty of monopolizing the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets, and illegally tying its ad server to its ad exchange. Google plans to challenge the rulings, but the outcome could lead to structural remedies, including the breakup of its ad tech stack. This development, combined with the DOJ's parallel battle over Google's search market dominance, could reshape the digital advertising landscape. Meanwhile, Google has rolled back efforts to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome, a move that could interfere with publishers' attempts to gain first-party consent from their audiences. The company claims this decision is unrelated to the antitrust cases, but some sources suggest Google is playing a long game to protect its interests.

April 25, 2025 • By Paul Barker

The US antitrust trial against Google has sparked concerns among industry analysts. Paddy Harrington, a senior analyst at Forrester, believes the trial is "short-sighted" and may have unintended consequences. One potential outcome is Google being forced to sell its Chrome browser, with OpenAI expressing interest in acquiring it. However, this could disrupt the browser market and raise privacy concerns, as OpenAI's data collection would be used to train AI models. Analysts warn that this could lead to a "devil you know versus the devil you don't know" situation, with OpenAI's intentions and ability to handle browser security unknown. The potential sale of Chrome could also impact enterprise users, with concerns about data collection and security. Ultimately, analysts agree that the situation is complex and may have far-reaching consequences for the tech industry.

April 25, 2025 • By Charlie Fink, Contributor, Charlie Fink, Contributor https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/

A recent article discusses several developments in the field of AI and technology. A talking baby meme created by Canadian comedian Jonathan Lajoie has gone viral on social media, highlighting the potential of AI-generated content. Meanwhile, Infinite Reality, a metaverse startup, has faced scrutiny over its $3 billion investment and financial claims. In other news, Arcana Labs has emerged from stealth with $5.5 million in funding to develop an AI-powered content production platform for the film industry. The platform, called Arcana AI, offers 21 integrated tools for image, video, and audio creation. Additionally, Numidia Valley is launching a pilot with Lamina1 to establish a regional Web3 creative economy in Algeria, providing infrastructure and support for local artists and developers. Asteria, a generative AI film and animation studio, has launched an AI-enhanced animated series called "The Odd Birds Show." Lastly, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel will deliver a keynote at AWE USA 2025, outlining the company's approach to augmented reality, and the 2025 Tribeca Festival has announced its Immersive program, featuring 11 groundbreaking projects in immersive storytelling.

April 25, 2025 • By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

The article discusses the Data API Builder (DAB) and its REST API. DAB allows data professionals to expose database objects through an HTTP endpoint, making it easier for front-end developers to access data without using SQL. The article provides examples of how to use the REST API to perform queries against exposed tables, including selecting specific columns, filtering results, and ordering data. It also covers the use of parameters such as `$select`, `$filter`, and `$orderby` to customize queries. The article highlights the benefits of using DAB, including simplifying security and making it easier for developers to access data in a way that is comfortable for them. Overall, the article provides a detailed look at the capabilities of DAB and its REST API, and how it can be used to improve data access and security.

April 24, 2025 • By David B. Auerbach

The European Union has imposed massive fines on Apple and Meta, totaling 700 million euros, in an effort to promote competition and curb their monolithic power. However, the effectiveness of these fines is questionable, as similar measures in the past have had limited impact. The article argues that technology regulation has a history of failure, with fines often being a mere "Band-Aid" solution that doesn't address the underlying issues. The companies' enormous size and revenue make the fines negligible, and structural remedies like break-ups are complex and uncertain. The article concludes that until there is a clear understanding of the problems and a collective effort to create a better digital world, regulation will remain ineffective.

April 24, 2025 • By TransAlta Corporation

TransAlta Corporation held its Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders on April 24, 2025. The meeting saw 63.43% of outstanding common shares represented, with the following resolutions passed: 1. Election of 11 director nominees proposed by management. 2. Appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as auditors for 2025. 3. Approval of the non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation. 4. Approval of the continuation of the Company's Amended and Restated Shareholder Rights Plan. TransAlta is a power generation company operating in Canada, the US, and Australia, focusing on long-term shareholder value and sustainability. The company has reduced its GHG emissions by 70% since 2015 and received an upgraded MSCI ESG rating of AA.

April 24, 2025 • By aws@amazon.com

AWS AppSync Events now supports data source integrations for channel namespaces, allowing developers to associate AWS Lambda functions, Amazon DynamoDB tables, and other data sources with channel namespace handlers. This feature enables the creation of sophisticated event processing workflows, simplifies the architecture of real-time applications, and reduces development time and operational overhead. It is available in all AWS Regions where AWS AppSync is offered, and developers can learn more through the launch blog post, AWS AppSync documentation, and Powertools for Lambda documentation.

April 24, 2025 • By Vincent Nguyen

Sightful has launched Spacetop for Windows, a software-first platform that brings augmented reality (AR) workspaces to Windows laptops. This shift from a hardware and software package built on Android is a strategic pivot to scale with the growing ecosystem of AI-capable PCs. The transition was made possible by the introduction of Neural Processing Units (NPUs) in modern laptops, which improve energy efficiency and enable persistent AR workspaces without compromising performance or battery life. Spacetop creates a private, 100-inch virtual workspace that can be layered into the user's surroundings, allowing multiple applications to run side by side. The platform is designed for productive work and provides a canvas-like experience that breaks the relationship between screen resolution and application presentation. The launch of Spacetop for Windows is supported by key strategic partnerships, including Deutsche Telekom, SHI, and Intel. The platform is optimized for AI PCs with Intel architecture and works with laptops equipped with modern NPU, CPU, and GPU combinations. Spacetop is targeted at professionals who need to work securely, comfortably, and powerfully on the go. The full bundle launches at $899, including the XREAL Air Ultra 2 AR glasses and a 12-month subscription. Sightful is positioning Spacetop as a necessary tool for mobile productivity, offering a secure, digitized workspace that scales with modern B2B demands.

April 24, 2025 • By Michael Chukwube

The article discusses the importance of functional programming (FP) in modern software development. FP is a computing technique that defines computation through mathematical functions with no side effects or mutable data. It focuses on pure functions, immutability, and declarative style, making code clean, efficient, and easy to maintain. The benefits of FP include simplicity, readability, and ease of collaboration, as well as improved scalability and performance in concurrent applications. Many languages, such as JavaScript and Scala, have adopted FP structures, and its principles have practical value in areas like code maintainability and simplicity in debugging. However, FP also comes with concerns regarding performance, and addressing these concerns can help create more suitable conclusions about its usefulness. Overall, FP has become key in improving reliability, scalability, and software maintenance, and its adoption is on the rise.

April 24, 2025 • By justfont

Justfont has introduced the "jf7000," a new, open-sourced Chinese character set standard. The standard aims to balance the number of characters with practicality, focusing on approximately 7,000 commonly used characters. This approach allows creators to combine extensions based on their design goals and available time. The jf7000 includes a Core Set and several Extension Packs, such as the Taiwan Naming Pack, Formosan Languages Pack, and Japanese Common Pack. The standard is designed to reduce the burden on designers while meeting daily life needs. It is currently in public testing and is freely available for use under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

April 24, 2025 • By South Plains Financial, Inc.

South Plains Financial, Inc., the parent company of City Bank, reported its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. The company delivered strong first-quarter results, with solid deposit growth, healthy margin expansion, and loan growth in line with expectations. Net interest income was $38.5 million, and net interest margin was 3.81%. The company's loan portfolio continued to strengthen, with a decrease in nonperforming assets and an increase in loans held for investment. Deposits totaled $3.79 billion, with a 4.7% increase from the previous quarter. The company repurchased $8.3 million in shares during the quarter and has approximately $7 million remaining under its share repurchase program. South Plains Financial's CEO, Curtis Griffith, stated that the company is well-positioned to take advantage of opportunities in its markets, with a strong balance sheet and a conservative credit culture.

April 24, 2025 • By MidWestOne Bank

MidWest One Financial Group, Inc. reported its first-quarter 2025 results, with a return on average assets of over 1% for the second consecutive quarter. The company's net interest margin expanded by 10 basis points, driven by disciplined balance sheet management and solid expense control. Loan growth was flat due to pay-offs and market volatility, but asset quality metrics improved significantly, with reductions in nonperforming assets and criticized loans. The company's tangible book value per share increased by 4.4% to $23.36, and its CET1 ratio grew to 10.97%. Total revenue decreased by $2.2 million from the fourth quarter of 2024, but increased by $13.1 million from the first quarter of 2024. Noninterest expense decreased by $1.1 million from the linked quarter, primarily due to decreases in other noninterest expense, legal and professional, equipment, and occupancy expense. The company declared a cash dividend of $0.2425 per common share, payable on June 16, 2025.

April 24, 2025 • By Muhammad Faisal

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into WordPress is revolutionizing the web development world. With AI, developers and site owners can build smarter, faster, and more efficient websites. Top AI trends in WordPress include AI-generated content, AI-powered SEO plugins, chatbots, personalized experiences, AI-based cybersecurity, voice search optimization, and AI-powered drag-and-drop builders. These trends are expected to continue growing, with AI-generated content accounting for nearly 30% of all written material online by 2025 and conversational AI handling up to 70% of customer interactions by 2026. Businesses can leverage AI to scale their content marketing efforts, improve customer engagement, and enhance website security. By 2030, AI is expected to power 80% of WordPress functionalities, making it the most intelligent CMS in the world.

April 24, 2025 • By Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Mark Chrystal, CEO of Profitmind, discusses using AI to transform retail decision-making.