Category: Technology

Google has closed a $3 billion deal to secure 3,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power, as it looks to meet the data demands of its growing AI and cloud computing platforms by harnessing low-cost clean energy. Brookfield Asset Management’s renewables division says that its deal with Google is the largest deal of its kind for hydroelectricity. The first phase of this deal will provide Google with 670MW of carbon-free electricity from Brookfield’s Holtwood and Safe Harbor plants in Pennsylvania.

The Hydro Framework Agreement (HFA) allows Google to upgrade or develop the existing facilities as it sees fit in an ongoing commitment to adding more power to the grid. At the outset, Google’s efforts will largely be focused on the PJM, the largest grid in the US with 65 million customers, which is currently struggling to keep up with the data demands of big tech’s seemingly insatiably power-hungry AI projects. In time, the new partners will have the option of expanding into other regions in the country. Google said in a statement that it was dedicated to “responsibly growing the digital infrastructure that powers daily life for people, communities and businesses.”

Google’s latest energy deal comes in the same week that AI rival Meta said it will spend hundreds of billions of dollars on a number of gigwatt-sized data centers, as part of its quest to create better-than-human-level “superintelligence” in all of its AI domains. The new campuses will be among the largest on earth, with the first to arrive being the Ohio-based Prometheus at some point next year.

A typical data center consumes around 500,000 gallons of water each day, but the emerging AI-focused complexes being built by tech giants could reportedly push this figure into the millions, as recently reported by The New York Times. When the volume of water needed to power these facilities eclipses what is readily available, local communities often bear the brunt through rising prices and potential water shortages in the future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-spends-%C2%A33-billion-on-securing-energy-for-its-data-centers-and-ai-expansion-145145966.html?src=rss 

Sony just surprised the photography world by unveiling the RX1R III, a fixed-lens 35mm full-frame compact camera. Coming nearly ten years after the RX1R II, it has a 61MP Exmor R sensor along with Sony’s latest image processing technology that promises low noise and high dynamic range. 

Apart from all the new tech, the RX1R III is smaller and more streamlined than before and considerably lighter at 17 ounces than its main competition, Leica’s Q3 and the Fujifilm GFX100RF. With that, it’s designed to be a “carrying around” camera for street photographers, serious amateurs and others. 

That small size is due in part to the Zeiss Sonnar T 35mm f2 lens that sits partly inside the body. While more compact than before, it has the same optics as the last model and offers high levels of sharpness and color rendering, according to Sony. It comes with a macro ring that enables users to get as close as 20cm to subjects and feature’s Sony’s new “Step Crop Shooting” function that allows 35mm, 50mm and 70mm focal lengths by cropping into the sensor, just like the GFX100RF can do with a similar button. 

It has up to 15 stops of dynamic range thanks to the high-res sensor and image processing engine. It also features an anti-reflection coating and no optical low-pass filter to boost image quality, though that can cause some moire and other artifacts. Shooting speeds aren’t quick at just 5 fps, though it’s obviously not designed to shoot sports.

The EVF is middling with 2.36 million dots and 0.7x magnification, though the rear panel offers a decent 2 million dots of resolution. However, unlike the one on the previous model that tilted out and up, it’s fixed in order to save weight and size. It also lacks any in-body or optical stabilization, relying solely on electronic stablization. 

With Sony’s latest Bionz XR and AI processors, it promises accurate tracking of “subjects, human bodies, heads and the position of eyes,” Sony said, even if their faces aren’t visible. It uses 693 phase-detection AF points covering around 78 percent of the image, just like Sony’s A7R V. 

It’s not nearly as powerful as the A7R V for video, but can still handle 4K 30 fps video with 10-bit 4:2:2 color sampling, along with 1080p video at up to 120 fps. No log mode is available, but you do get the log-like S-Cinetone that boosts dynamic range a bit. Other features include a single SDXC UHS II slot, a mic input (but not headphone jack), a microHDMI port and a USB-C input. 

As you might expect, the RX1R II is not cheap. It’ll go on pre-order soon for $5,100, with shipping set to start on July 31st. Sony is also offering a handful of accessories (also expensive), including the $300 (!) thumb grip, $250 body case and $200 lens hood (!!). 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/sonys-61mp-rx1r-iii-fixed-lens-compact-camera-is-finally-here-after-a-ten-year-wait-152707087.html?src=rss 

Apple just announced a commitment of $500 million over several years to buy rare earth magnets from the US-based company MP Materials. These rare earth magnets are used in a number of products, including iPhones, MacBooks and the Apple Pencil stylus. The American-made magnets will be shipped throughout the world, to help “meet increasing global demand for the material.”

MP Materials is the only fully integrated rare earth producer in the country. The two companies have also pledged to work together to improve upon a processing facility in Texas, building a series of manufacturing lines specifically designed for Apple products. Once finished, the factory will “support dozens of new jobs in advanced manufacturing and R&D.”

“American innovation drives everything we do at Apple, and we’re proud to deepen our investment in the U.S. economy,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Rare earth materials are essential for making advanced technology, and this partnership will help strengthen the supply of these vital materials here in the United States.”

Apple and MP will also team up to create a recycling facility in California and have promised to develop “novel magnet materials and innovative processing technologies” to enhance magnet performance. 

This is all part of Apple’s pre-existing pledge to invest $500 billion in the US over the next four years, which is a slight increase over the $430 billion pledged in 2021. Adjusted for inflation, these amounts are essentially the same.

Apple basically pioneered the use of recycled rare earth elements in consumer electronics. It began using these materials back in 2019, in the Taptic Engine of the iPhone 11. The Pentagon recently became the largest shareholder of MP Materials, as rare earth materials are also key components in a range of military weapons systems.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-commits-500-million-over-several-years-to-buy-us-made-rare-earth-magnets-152930080.html?src=rss 

Redditors in the UK will now have to verify their ages before they can view mature content. Just like Bluesky, which announced a few days ago that it was rolling out age verification features, Reddit had to enforce the new rule to comply with the UK Online Safety Act. The UK’s new requirements are meant to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate posts. Reddit will use a third-party company called Persona to verify a user’s age. Users will either have to upload a photo of their government ID or take a selfie, with the latter option presumably enough for people who absolutely don’t look like a minor anymore.

In its announcement, Reddit said that that it will not have access to those photos and will only be saving their verification status, along with their birthdates. That way, users won’t have to re-enter their birthdays every time they try to access restricted content. The announcement also said that Persona will only be keeping users’ photos for seven days and will not be able to see their Reddit information, such as their posts and the subreddits they visit. 

If a user is under 18, Reddit will hide restricted content from them and will limit ads in sensitive categories, like gambling. They will no longer be able to view sexually explicit content, anything that encourages suicide and disordered eating, as well as anything that incites hatred against other people based on their race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability and gender. Reddit will also restrict anything that encourages violence and any post that depicts “real or realistic serious violence against a person, an animal, or a fictional creature” for minors. They won’t be able to see posts encouraging challenges that are highly likely to result in serious injury, along with posts encouraging people to ingest harmful substances. Content that shames people’s body types and other physical features will be restricted, as well. 

Users outside the UK will not be affected by the new rule, but Reddit said that it may need to verify the ages of people in other regions if they adopt similar laws. Reddit also said that it “would like to be able to confirm whether [users] are a human being or not” in the age of AI and will have more to announce about that later. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-begins-age-verification-checks-for-uk-users-134516723.html?src=rss 

Rivian, the American EV manufacturer, is integrating Google Maps into its navigation app. The update should provide Rivian owners with more detailed information about their route, disruptions and places they’re passing. 

These new features include updated traffic data and reroutes if another option turns out to be quicker along your journey. Drivers will also have access to real-time road disruption reports from the Google Maps community. Plus, places of interest should now be available right on the map. Rivian already used Google Maps’ information for searching places, but now everything from hours to ratings should show up on the display. The newly available technology also extends to Google Maps’ satellite images.

Rivian’s navigation app already included features such as range on arrival, charging information and charging stops along your route. The update comes with a new design that Rivian claims has better “glanceability” and “access to information.” 

The company has faced some setbacks and concerns. In February 2024, Rivian laid off 10 percent of its salaried workforce due to a $1.5 billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2023. Then, in October, reports emerged that the EV maker’s only factory received 16 initially serious violations in 21 months from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). According to Bloomberg, injuries included an amputated finger, a broken skull, and having symptoms like vomiting and dizziness after having to paint without protections. Rivian has disputed these claims.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rivian-adds-google-maps-features-to-its-navigation-app-140033783.html?src=rss 

Prime Day might have ended last week, but that doesn’t mean the sales are over. Amazon still has discounts on some of our favorite items, including our pick for best dual-zone air fryer. 

Right now, you can get the Ninja DZ401 Foodi Air Fryer for $160, down from $250. The 36 percent discount actually brings the device to the same as its Prime Day sale price. It’s a 10-quart model with a smart cook thermometer. It has six modes, including air fry, reheat and dehydrate. Plus, it warms up so quickly that you barely notice the preheat. 

The Ninja DZ401 Foodi Air Fryer’s biggest achievement: allowing you to cook two different foods in two different settings at the same time. It’s not meant for small kitchens, but if you have a lot of counter space and a big family, then it’s a great option.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-ninja-air-fryers-is-36-percent-off-right-now-142051997.html?src=rss 

Mac owners will soon be able to play one of the biggest games of the last five years or so. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition will be available in the Mac App Store as well as Steam, GOG.com and the Epic Games Store on Thursday, July 17. As the name implies, it includes both the base game as well as the Phantom Liberty expansion from 2023. The port was announced last fall and was originally planned to arrive “early” this year, but it took a little longer to get everything squared away.

Unsurprisingly, you’ll need an M-series Mac to play this game, but Apple and CD Projekt Red confirm that it’ll work on computers all the way back to the M1 — but you’ll need 16GB of RAM. For years, 8GB was the standard on entry-level Macs, so those computers will be out of luck. And of course, graphics fidelity will vary widely across the various supported chipsets, but CD Projekt Red is including a “for this Mac” graphics preset that is optimized for each Apple Silicon-based Mac. So at the very least, you shouldn’t have to fuss around with settings too much to get a decent experience.

As for other technical goodies, the game utilizes AMD FSR for upscaling and frame generation, and Apple’s MetalFX also provides upscaling as well. Upcoming Metal 4 features announced at WWDC 2025, including Metal FX Frame Interpolation and Metal FX Denoising, are coming to the game via a future update. Metal FX Frame Interpolation generates an intermediate frame for every two input frames and can be combined with existing Metal upscaling to allow the game to hit 120fps on Ultra settings — but again, we’re not sure what specific models will support that.

If you use AirPods with your Mac, Cyberpunk 2077 features spatial audio with head-tracking features. And the game supports cross-progression regardless of what platform you play on, which should be useful for anyone who started a game elsewhere and wants to pick it back up on a Mac. If you’ve already purchased Cyberpunk 2077 from another storefront like Steam, it’ll automatically be available for Mac.

While Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t exactly a new game, it remains one of the more popular and lauded titles of the decade (at least after CD Projekt Red fixed numerous launch bugs). And it joins a still small but growing number of major games optimized for Apple Silicon and the Mac, including the recently-released Assassin’s Creed Shadows. A quick look on the Mac App Store also shows AAA releases including Death Stranding, Control, Lies of P, numerous Resident Evil titles as well as smaller but no less awesome games like Neva and Stray. Most big-name games don’t come to the Mac at the same time as other platforms still, but the Mac is an option for more than just Apple Arcade games.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cyberpunk-2077-ultimate-edition-comes-to-the-mac-on-july-17-130047453.html?src=rss 

The Department of Commerce has opened national security investigations into imports of drones and polysilicon, a raw material used in chips and solar panels. Among other things, officials are looking into “predatory trade practices” and the capacity of other countries to “weaponize their control over supplies” of drones, drone parts and polysilicon, as well as derivatives of each.

The DoC commenced the investigations on July 1, but has only just disclosed them publicly. The probes could lead to the US imposing yet more tariffs on imports, which would drive up prices of drones and products that use polysilicon. Per notices that are being published in the Federal Register, officials will consider “whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security.”

President Donald Trump has used the same legal process as these investigations to apply tariffs to imports of steel and aluminium (50 percent), cars and car parts (25 percent) and copper (50 percent as of August 1). There are other investigations underway into the likes of semiconductors, consumer electronics, aerospace components and pharmaceuticals. They’re being conducted under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.

According to The Financial Times, China is the leading market for polysilicon manufacturing. Around three quarters of all commercial drones are said to be manufactured in the country too. Under the Biden administration, the US increased tariffs on solar wafers and polysilicon imports from China to 50 percent at the start of 2025. DJI also faces a potential ban in the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-probes-imports-on-drones-and-a-raw-material-used-in-chips-and-solar-panels-131546876.html?src=rss