Microsoft Unveils The Majorana 1

Microsoft

Microsoft believes it has made a key breakthrough in quantum computing, unlocking the potential for quantum computers to solve industrial-scale problems, The Verge reported.

The software giant has spent 17 years working on a research project to create the new material and architecture for quantum computing, and it’s unveiling the Majorana 1 processor, Microsoft’s first quantum processor based on this new architecture.

At the core of a quantum computer are qubits, a unit of information in quantum computing much like the binary bits that computers use today. Companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Google have all been trying to make qubits for years now because they’re a lot more delicate and sensitive to noise that can create errors or lead to loss of data.

Majorana 1 can potentially fit a million qubits onto a single chip that’s not much bigger than the CPUs inside desktop PCs and servers. Microsoft isn’t using the electrons for the compute in this new chip; its using the Majorana particle that theoretical physicist Ettore Majorana described in 1937. 

Microsoft has reached this milestone by creating what it calls the “world’s first topoconductor,” a new type of material that can not only observe but also control Majorana particles to create more reliable qubits.

Microsoft today introduced Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum chip powered by a new Topological Core architecture that it expects will realize quantum computers capable of meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years, not decades.

It leverages the world’s first topoconductor, a breakthrough type of material which can observe and control Majorana particles to produce more reliable scalable qubits, which are the building blocks for quantum computers.

In the same way that the invention of semiconductors made today’s smartphones, computers and electronics possible, topoconductors and the new type of chip they enable offer a path to developing quantum systems that can scale to a million qubits and are capable of tackling the most complex industrial and societal problems, Microsoft said.

The new architecture used to develop the Majorana 1 processor offers a clear path to fit a million qubits on a single chip that can fit in the palm of one’s hand, Microsoft said. This is a needed threshold for quantum computers to deliver transformative, real-world solutions — such as breaking down microplastics for construction, manufacturing or healthcare.

The Guardian reported: Quantum computers could be built within years rather than decades, according to Microsoft, which has unveiled a breakthrough that it said could pave the way for faster development.

The tech firm has developed a chip which, it says, echos the invention of the semiconductors that made today’s smartphones, computers and electronics possible by miniaturization and increased processing power.

The chip is powered by the world’s first topoconductor, which can create a new state of matter that is not a solid, liquid, or gas — making it possible to design quantum systems that fit into a single chip smaller than the palm of a hand to create more hardware.

In my opinion, it sounds like Microsoft’s world’s first topoconductor could be useful for companies who are interested in accessing Microsoft’s Majorana 1 processor.

Elon Musk’s xAI Releases Its Latest Flagship Model, Grok 3

Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, late on Monday released its latest flagship AI model, Grok 3, and unveiled new capabilities for the Grok iOS and web apps, TechCrunch reported.

Grok, xAI’s answer to models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Google’s Gemini, can analyze images and respond to questions, and powers a number of features on Musk’s social network, X. Grok 3, which has been in development for several months, was optimistically slated for release in 2024, but missed that deadline.

xAI has been using an enormous data center in Memphis containing around 200,000 GPUs to train Grok 3. In a post on X, Musk claimed that Grok 3 was developed with “10x” (or so) more computing power than its predecessor, Grok 2, using an expanded training set that includes filings from court cases and more.”

“Grok 3 is an order of magnitude more capable than Grok 2,” Musk said during a live-streamed presentation on Monday. “[It’s a] maximally truth-seeking AI, even if that truth is sometimes at odds with what is politically correct.”

Grok 3 is a family of models, to be precise. A smaller version of Grok 3, Grok 3 mini, responds to questions more quickly at the cost of some accuracy. Not all the models and related features of Grok 3 are available (some are in beta), but they began rolling out on Monday.

CNN reported: xAI on Monday unveiled its updated Grok 3 artificial intelligence model, as the Elon Musk-led startup pushes to keep pace with the advanced reasoning and search capabilities in competitors’ models.

In a event live-streamed on Musk’s X, leaders at the startup claimed Grok 3 performs better across math, science, and coding benchmarks than Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s GPT4o, Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 and DeepSeek’s V3 model, although it’s not clear how it compares to other top reasoning models such as OpenAI o3-mini and DeepSeek R1. 

The company also described the tool’s new features, such as advanced web searching with “deep search,” the ability to code online games and a “big brain” mode to reason through more complex problems.

Grok 3 is immediately available to members of X’s $40 per month “Premium+” subscription plans, or users who subscribe directly on Grok’s standalone app or website.

Engadget  reported: xAI has launched its Grok 3 models during a livestream with Elon Musk, who said they were “an order of magnitude more capable than Grok 2.” 

The Grok 3 mini model can answer questions quickly, but it’s not as accurate as the other models in the family. Meanwhile, the Grok 3 Reasoning and Grok 3 mini Reasoning models are capable of mimicking human-like reasoning when it comes to analyzing information the user needs.

In addition to launching Grok 3 models, xAI also revealed during the event that the Grok app will get a “voice mode” within a week, giving it synthesized voices to converse with users. Grok 2, the company’s older models, will be open sourced in the coming months.

In my opinion, Elon Musk’s xAI Grok 3 model is likely to attract people who enjoy conversing with an AI app.

Celebrating 1800 Episodes of Geek News Central #1800

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In the 1800th episode of Geek News Central, host Todd Cochrane marks a major milestone by reflecting on the evolution of podcasting and the show’s journey over two decades. He dives into 30 major tech stories, including AI industry shakeups, Tesla protests, TikTok’s legal troubles, and Meta’s latest innovations. With a mix of personal anecdotes and industry insights, Todd celebrates the dedication of listeners and sponsors while looking ahead to the future of the podcast.

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X Is Blocking Links To Signal

Elon Musk

X users are currently unable to post links to Signal.me, which are used to quickly and securely send direct messages to Signal users. A variety of failure notifications are being reported when X users attempt to post Signal links on the platform, some of which identify the blocked message as containing spam, harmful content, or malicious activity, The Verge reported.

Signal is used by journalists to receive confidential information from source, measured by the knowledge that messages are end-to-end encrypted and stored on-device. The messaging service has become especially relevant in recent weeks as a tool for federal whistleblowers to report DOGE activity to the press.

Alongside being blocked by sharing Signal.me, links in public posts and direct messages, users are also discouraged from clicking existing links published prior to the ban, and prevented from adding them to there profile bio. An error message displayed when the latter is attempted says the update failed due to the new description being “considered malware.”

It wouldn’t be the first time that X has attempted to stifle third-party services being promoted on the platform. Links to Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and other rival social platforms were briefly blocked in 2022 after Elon Musk attempted to tackle “relentless advertising of competitors for free.” Substack links were also throttled and restricted in 2023 after it released its own Twitter-like “Notes” feature.

ArsTechnica reported: X,  the social platform formerly known as Twitter, is seemingly blocking links to Signal, the encrypted messaging platform, according to journalist Matt Binder and other firsthand accounts.

Binder wrote on his Disruptionist newsletter Sunday that links to Signal.me, a domain that offers a way to connect directly to Signal users, are blocked on public posts, direct messages and profile pages. Error messages — including “Message not sent,” “Something went wrong,” and profiles tagged as “considered malware” or “potentially harmful”  — give no direct suggestion of a block. But posts on X, reporting at The Verge, and other sources suggest, that Signal.me links are broadly banned. 

The Hill reported: Users on Elon Musk’s social media platform X were not able to share or post links to encrypted messaging app Signal on Monday and were greeted with various failure notifications when they tried to do so.

Beginning Sunday, multiple users posted on X that they reviewed error messages when they tried to post any links with the “Signal.me” domain, which is typically used to share one’s Signal profile and allow others to contact them on the messaging platform.

When users tried to post a Signal.me link, X provided a message: “Something when wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.” Upon trying to post it again, the same error message pops up.

Users were not able to send the Signal.me link through direct messaging, with an error message appearing to suggest that the request “might be automated.”

In my opinion, it sounds like Elon Musk absolutely does not want X users to access Signal.me. I wonder why he seems so upset about that.

 

Broadcom, TSMC Weigh Possible Intel Deals That Would Split Storied Chip Maker

chips

Intel’s rivals Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Broadcom are each eyeing potential deals that would break the American chip-making icon in two, The Wall Street  Journal reported.

Broadcom has been closely examining Intel’s chip-design and marketing business, according to people familiar with the matter. It has informally discussed with its advisers making a bid but would likely only do so if it finds a partner for Intel’s manufacturing business, the people said.

Nothing has been submitted to Intel, the people cautioned, and Broadcom could decide not to seek a deal.

Separately, TSMC has studied controlling some or all of Intel’s chip plants, potentially as part of an investor consortium or other structure, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Broadcom and TSMC are not working together, and all of the talks so far are preliminary and largely informal.

But the potential deals would have been unthinkable until Intel’s recent struggles made it an acquisition target. The end result could be a breakup of Intel after the American icon spent many decades dominating the business of making central processors for both personal computers and data centers.

Reuters reported: Intel’s rivals Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Broadcom are each eyeing potential deals that would break the U.S. chipmaking icon in two, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Broadcom has been closely examining Intel’s chip design and marketing business, the Journal reported, adding that the company had discussed a potential bid with its advisers but would likely only proceed if it found a partner for Intel’s manufacturing business.

TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, has separately studied controlling some or all of Intel’s chip plants, potentially as part of an investor consortium or other structure, the report said.

Broadcom and TSMC are not working together, and all of the talks so far are preliminary and largely informal, the Journal added.

Intel’s interim executive chairman, Frank Yeary, has been leading the discussions with possible suitors and Trump administration officials, who are concerned about the fate of a company seen as critical to national security, the report said.

The New York Times reported: Intel, a fallen Silicon Valley icon trying to restore its reputation as America’s most prominent semiconductor company, is working with the Trump administration on a plan to turn over the operation of its chip-making plants to a giant Taiwanese rival.

Over the past few months, Frank Yeary, the interim executive chairman of Intel, has spoken with administration officials and leaders of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company about a deal that would separate Intel’s ailing manufacturing business from its semiconductor design and product business, according to four people with knowledge of the plan, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Apple Intelligence Could Arrive On Vision Pro In April

Apple

Apple is planning to add Apple Intelligence to its Vision Pro headset in an update that could come as early as April, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, TechCrunch reported.

Just a couple weeks after Apple Intelligence was first announced in June 2024, Gurman reported that Apple was looking to bring its suite of AI tools to the Vision Pro, though there were questions to answer about how those tools would be reimagined for a mixed reality experience.

Now Apple is reportedly aiming to include Apple Intelligence (including Writing Tools, Genmoji, and an Image Playground) in its visionOS 2.4 software update, with a version available to developers as soon as this week.

The Vision Pro’s first Apple Intelligence offerings reportedly won’t include an upgraded Siri. In fact, Gurman also said a long-promised upgrade to Siri more broadly could be delayed due to engineering problems and bugs.

9To5Mac reported: Apple Vision Pro only just turned a year old, and it may be about to get its biggest update yet — no new hardware required.

That’s because Apple Intelligence is finally rumored to be coming to Apple Vision Pro. When Apple announced its suite of AI features last June, it only promised support on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

So far, Apple Intelligence is offered on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Pro; M-series iPad Pro and iPad Air; the latest iPad mini; and M-series Macs.

Apple never guaranteed that Apple Intelligence would come to Vision Pro in a future update. 

However, a new rumor from Mark Gruman, at Bloomberg suggests, for the first time, that the existing Apple Vision Pro will indeed receive Apple’s AI features. If true, this will be a welcome surprise for customers of the $3500 headset.

A few days ago, Zac Hall reported: “The biggest opportunity for Apple Vision Pro, aside from price and weight, is that it runs on Apple’s second generation M-Series processor and doesn’t support Apple Intelligence.

It’s possible, however, that Apple could bring Apple Intelligence to the existing Apple Vision Pro without refreshing the hardware. The hardware only just turned a year old in the United States, and it has been arriving in markets over the last 12 months.”

Daily Guardian reported: The Vision Pro is Apple’s Newest computing platform, and that means we’re going to see a whole bunch of new apps. 

Apple pitches apps built for the Vision Pro as “spacial” experiences, and even after our initial review experience, we’ll have to see how those differ from or improve upon the virtual reality and mixed reality experiences we’ve seen on other platforms. Of course, the Vision Pro can run iPhone and iPad apps, too, and the display screen of your nearby Mac laptop or desktop.

Apple says that the Vision Pro’s 600-plus apps available at launch will bring 3D movies from Disney Plus, support from apps like Max and Amazon Prime video. But the walled gardens of today’s tech world in both directions, and there are some notable day-one omissions.

In my opinion, there will be some Apple users would like to use Apple Intelligence for the Vision Pro.

 

Meta Plans Major Investment In AI-Humanoid Robots

Meta

Meta is forming a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division to build robots that can assist with physical tasks, Bloomberg reported. The team will be responsible for developing humanoid robotics hardware, potentially including hardware that can perform household chores, TechCrunch reported.

Meta’s new robotics group, which will be led by Marc Whitten, driverless car start up Cruise’s former CEO, will also create robotic software and AI, according to Bloomberg’s reporting. Whitten has also had stints at Amazon, Microsoft, and Sonos, according to his LinkedIn profile.

To be clear, Meta’s plan isn’t to build a Meta-branded robot — at least not initially. Rather, Meta executive including CTO Andrew Bosworth believe the company has an opportunity to build a hardware foundation for the rest of the robotics market, per Bloomberg — similar to what Google accomplished with its Android operating system in the smartphone sector.

Gizmodo reported: Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms has moved beyond trying to connect with humans and is ready to focus on building robotic ones, according to a report from Bloomberg, Meta is planning to pour money into a new project to build AI-powered humanoid robots.

Meta reportedly plans to start the project by building a robot capable of completing household chores. But long term, it seems the company is more interested in being in the software business rather than dealing with hardware, with a focus on developing the AI that will power these machines. 

Basically Meta wants to make the brain and leave the bodies up to robotics companies. It doesn’t currently have ambitions to build its own Meta-branded bot, and has already started holding conversations with firms like Unitree Robotics and Figure AI.

The effort will be headed up March Whitten, who was serving as CEO of self-driving cars company Cruise before resigning earlier this month when parent company General Motors decided to get out of the robotaxi business.

The Verge reported: Meta is planning to design the hardware and software for humanoid robots, according to a report from Bloomberg. Sources tell the outlet that a newly formed team within Meta’s Reality Labs division will start by working on “humanoid robot hardware” capable of completing household chores.

Bloomberg notes that Meta has broader goals of making “the underlying AI, sensors and software for robots that will be manufactured and sold by a range of companies. “That means the company might not make a Meta-branded robot to start. It’s in discussions with robotics companies like Unitree Robotics and Figure AI about its plans.

“The core technologies we’ve already invested in and built across Reality Labs and AI are complementary to developing the advancements needed for robotics,” Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, write in a memo seen by Bloomberg. “We believe that expanding our portfolio to invest in this field will only accrue value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs.”

In my opinion, it is too early for Meta to actually develop robots that can do your dishes or fold laundry.