OpenAI without Apple, Microsoft without HoloLens, DDoS attacks at 3.8 Tbps, CN vs. US
October was supposed to cool down corporations, reduce their activity levels, and generally become a calm month. However, in practice, the opposite happened.
In this issue of DigitalDrift, you will learn about global events, including:
Now, let’s go through everything in order.
Apple’s Shift in Position Regarding Funding OpenAI
According to the Wall Street Journal, the next round of OpenAI investment will proceed without Apple. The plan is to raise about $6.5 billion for the development of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and GPT models.
Confirmed investors include Microsoft and Nvidia. Although Apple is interested in integrating ChatGPT into its ecosystem, the company has declined to participate in this round. Perhaps the next project will attract the second most valuable global brand.
The End of HoloLens. This Time It’s Final
HoloLens and HoloLens 2 from Microsoft were already not innovative at the time of their release in 2015 and 2019, respectively. Additionally, they faced serious functionality and performance issues. Some sources reported that a third model was in development, but Microsoft indirectly refuted this.
Support for the last augmented reality headset will end on December 31, 2027, which has already been communicated to buyers and device owners. The company is by no means abandoning investments in AR/VR, but new hardware should only be expected “when the time is right,” whatever that may mean.
“Nuclear” Google, or a New Era of Small Nuclear Power
Artificial intelligence is not only about limitless potential and possibilities but also poses challenges to modern infrastructure. Thus, Google, one of the pioneers of the technology, has already encountered challenges in powering its computing capacities. Green energy is currently not able to fully power large server networks and equipment, so the brand has struck a deal with the startup Kairos Power, investing in nuclear energy.
The new small modular reactors can generate 300-500 MW of carbon-free electricity. They are significantly more compact and less demanding than traditional nuclear power plants, allowing for their operation in most regions. Besides Google, other investors in nuclear energy include Microsoft and Amazon.
AI and Physics: Nobel Prize Awarded to ML Pioneers
John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton shared the Nobel Prize in Physics this year. Both scientists contributed to the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Hopfield implemented an associative memory system that can reconstruct various patterns in data. Hinton is known for developing a method for autonomous data search and identification.
During the awards ceremony, the scientists reiterated their concerns about the dangers of the rapid development of artificial intelligence. Specifically, due to the potential for autonomous intelligent machines to surpass human intelligence and go out of control, leading to unpredictable consequences.
US Telecommunications Compromised by China
According to CNN, a team of Chinese hackers successfully and stealthily infiltrated the telecommunications infrastructure of the United States. The attack affected AT&T, Verizon, Lumen, and several other corporations in the region. The FBI reported a disruption of the operation but confirmed that the attack lasted for several months and has already caused problems.
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This is not the first cyberattack by Chinese specialists linked to the government. While the consequences of the incident have not been reported, many experts suggest a massive data leak of US citizens, including confidential information.
Nvidia Back on Top
This year, we’ve already witnessed Nvidia’s sharp rise, when in June it ranked first globally in corporate valuation, surpassing its non-traditional competitors. And now, history has repeated itself. On October 25, Nvidia briefly overtook Apple, reaching a valuation of $3.53 trillion.
Currently, Apple is back in the lead with a market cap of $3.52 trillion, followed by Nvidia and Microsoft. The chipmaker’s stock surge is primarily driven by demand for its equipment and systems among developers and engineers working in artificial intelligence. Nvidia's stock has risen a total of 190% over the year, an unprecedented figure even for a company of this scale.
However, industry experts are somewhat skeptical about such prospects continuing in the future. The true state of the market will only become clear as we observe indicators with a tendency for gradual growth.
WordPress vs. WP Engine: One Hundred and Fifty Layoffs
The conflict between Automattic and WP Engine has gone public, sparking a wave of controversial comments from supporters of both sides. The dispute was triggered by comments from Matt Mullenweg about WP Engine.
The Automattic CEO stated, “A third-party hosting service is a ‘cancer’ for the WordPress community.” He also blocked this service from accessing WordPress.org. Silver Lake (the company owning WP Engine) has filed a lawsuit against Mullenweg and Automattic, accusing them of extortion.
However, the most interesting events happened behind the scenes at Automattic. The CEO offered $30,000 (or six months’ salary, whichever was higher) to any employees who disagreed with his policies. As a result, the company lost 159 specialists, including Executive Director Joseph Hayden Chomphosy.
Cloudflare Autonomously Neutralizes Massive DDoS Attacks
September and October were some of the toughest months for Cloudflare. Over a hundred Layer 3/4 DDoS attacks targeted the company’s services and systems. Some attacks reached over 2 billion packets per second (Bpps). The peak attack data volume hit 3.8 Tbps. As you may have guessed, Cloudflare held strong, and ordinary users didn’t even notice any service disruptions.
Interestingly, about 12.1% of attacks originated from Russia, 11.6% from Vietnam, and 9.3% from the USA. One of the main factors that made such an attack possible was the CVE 9.8 vulnerability in ASUS home routers.
One of the methods Cloudflare experts highlighted for neutralizing the attack was the specific distribution of load across systems, which prevents overload on key components.
Thus ended the penultimate month of autumn.
November promises to be even more interesting and productive, with plenty of new events and announcements. So, stay tuned for the next publication.
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