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Are Diamonds GaN’s Best Friend? Revolutionizing Transistor Technology

A research team at Osaka Metropolitan University has fabricated a gallium nitride (GaN) transistor using diamond, which of all natural materials has the highest thermal conductivity on earth, as a substrate, and they succeeded in increasing heat dissipation by more than 2X compared with conventional transistors. The transistor is expected to be useful not only in the fields of 5G communication base stations, weather radar, and satellite communications, but also in microwave heating and plasma processing.

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University are proving that diamonds are so much more than just a ‘girl’s best friend.’ Their groundbreaking research focuses on gallium nitride (GaN) transistors, which are high-power, high-frequency semiconductor devices used in mobile data and satellite communication systems.

With the increasing miniaturization of semiconductor devices, problems arise such as increases in power density and heat generation that can affect the performance, reliability, and lifetime of these devices.

Opinion: Generative AI is also expected to play a significant role in 6G mobile technology

Generative AI is also expected to play a significant role in 6G mobile technology. This year, work to set and agree on 6G standards will continue with the anticipation that the first standards could be introduced between 2027 and 2028, and the technology could reach commercialisation by 2030. Generative AI can be applied to various aspects of 6G, such as network resource management, spectrum allocation and network topology optimisation.

It is also capable of meeting the demands of “connective intelligence” for new technologies. Connective intelligence is a key force driving the development of the 6G network, enabling real-time, reliable and ubiquitous interaction and communication between humans, the physical world and the digital world. This results in the creation of a decentralised and continually evolving intelligence, making it easier for users to share their discoveries and experiences with each other.

In summary, by the end of 2024, generative AI will become an invaluable assistant, providing support and help across different industries. Its powerful analysis and predictive capabilities will enable people to handle complex tasks and problems more efficiently, offering real-time solutions and recommendations.

Why Nationalizing AI Is a Bad Idea

Here’s my new Opinion article for Newsweek on AI!


Like so many in America, I watch astounded as generative artificial intelligence (AI) evolved at lighting speed in 2023, performing tasks that seemed unimaginable just a few years ago. Just last month, a survey found that nearly 40 percent of more than 900 companies were planning to cut jobs in 2024 in part because of AI. If robotics takes a giant leap in the next 12 months, as some suspect, then the survey might end up being too conservative. Generative AI combined with humanoids, which many companies are racing to turn out, is a game changer. Construction jobs, physician jobs, police jobs, and many more will soon be at stake.

Clearly, capitalism is facing a crisis. For years, I have advocated for a Universal Basic Income (UBI), as a way to transition society into the AI age. My method was by leasing out the trillions of dollars worth of empty U.S. federal land to big business, and using some of the proceeds to pay for a basic income for every American. However, any method of a basic income will now help offset the loss of jobs AI will bring.

But recently, chatter about something else is being thrown around in internet chat rooms, in congressional halls, and in arguments at holiday dinner tables: nationalizing AI.

It’s a bad idea. For starters, I don’t want big government in the innovation business; it already has a hard enough time trying to keep people out of poverty. Right now, 1 in 5 kids in the U.S. is going to bed hungry or malnourished at night, and America’s homeless problem is the worst it’s been in my 50 year lifetime.

SpaceX launches the first set of Starlink satellites for T-Mobile’s direct-to-cell plan

The first satellites capable of providing direct-to-cellular service via SpaceX’s Starlink network and T-Mobile’s cellular network have been sent into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Six of the cell-capable satellites were among a batch of 21 Starlink satellites launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 7:44 p.m. PT Tuesday. The satellites were deployed successfully, and the rocket’s first-stage booster made a routine landing on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX plans to launch hundreds of the upgraded satellites in the months ahead, with the aim of beginning satellite-enabled texting later this year. 4G LTE satellite connectivity for voice and data via unmodified mobile devices would follow in 2025, pending regulatory approval.

Nearly 11 million SSH servers vulnerable to new Terrapin attacks

Almost 11 million internet-exposed SSH servers are vulnerable to the Terrapin attack that threatens the integrity of some SSH connections.

The Terrapin attack targets the SSH protocol, affecting both clients and servers, and was developed by academic researchers from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany.

It manipulates sequence numbers during the handshake process to compromise the integrity of the SSH channel, particularly when specific encryption modes like ChaCha20-Poly1305 or CBC with Encrypt-then-MAC are used.

SpaceX sends 6 Starlink satellites up with Direct to Cell capability

While we recover from New Year festivities, SpaceX is already checking off things on its 2024 list. SpaceX recently shared photos on X stating that six Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capability will be launched into orbit soon.

“SpaceX is leveraging its experience in manufacturing [and] launching the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink satellites with the Direct to Cell capability at scale,” notes SpaceX.

“Direct to Cell satellites will initially be launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and then Starship. On orbit, the satellites will immediately connect over laser backhaul to the Starlink constellation to provide global connectivity.”

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