technology 24 for you

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

IEEE Program Aims to Connect the Billions Who Are Still Offline

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-small-group-smiling-and-standing-behind-a-table-decorated-with-a-cloth-that-reads-ieee-5g-6g-innovation-testbed.jpg?id=66723229&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C156%2C0%2C157"/> Given how integral the Internet has become to everyday tasks such as shopping, paying bills, and holding virtual meetings, it’s interesting that nearly 30 percent of the global population still has no access to it. More than 2 billion people are still offline, according to a <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/Pages/PR-2025-11-17-Facts-and-Figures.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report</a> released in November by the <a href="https://www.itu.int/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Telecommunication Union</a>.More and more people are being connected, though, thanks to <a href="https://futurenetworks.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Future Networks</a>’ <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Connecting the Unconnected</a> (CTU) and similar programs. Since 2021, the technical community has been working to accelerate the development, standardization, and deployment of 5G, 6G, and future generations.Every year, CTU holds a worldwide competition to seek out innovators who are in the early stages of developing technologies or applications to provide greater access. It also holds an annual <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/summit/2025-ctu-summit/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">summit</a> that brings together experts, community leaders, and other interested parties to discuss strategies to expand access and foster digital inclusion.CTU expanded in several ways last year. It launched regional summits to focus on local connectivity issues, organized community-focused events, and established an expanded mentorship program to further support contest winners and the next generation of technological innovators impacting humanity. The program also partners with the <a href="https://standards.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Standards Association</a> (IEEE SA) to develop guidelines for some of the submitted innovations.“IEEE Future Networks has created a community to bring all these initiatives working on digital connectivity together in a single platform and leverage the IEEE brand to help raise the visibility of their work,” says IEEE Life Fellow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudhir-dixit-b6592355/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sudhir Dixit,</a> a CTU cochair and a <a href="https://basicinternet.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Basic Internet Foundation</a> cofounder, which also works to expand Internet access.<h2>A contest for new connectivity methods</h2>The CTU challenge, launched in 2021, typically receives 200 to 300 submissions each year, Dixit says. Last year 245 projects from 52 countries were submitted. Participants include academics, nonprofit organizations, startups, and students.Projects can be entered into one of three categories. The Technology Applications category is for new connectivity methods or innovations that broaden <a data-linked-post="2650274106" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/3-ways-to-bridge-the-digital-divide" target="_blank">broadband access</a>. Those who improve the affordability of Internet services can enter the Business Model category. The Community Enablement category is for strategies that promote public broadband adoption.After selecting a category, entrants choose between two tracks based on their project’s maturity. The proof-of-concept route is for early-stage but functional technology that has already produced results. The conceptual path is for projects in the theoretical phase that have not undergone full testing.“IEEE Future Networks has created a community to bring all these initiatives working on digital connectivity together in a single platform and leverage the IEEE brand to help raise the visibility of their work.” —Sudhir Dixit, Connecting the Unconnected cochairLast year’s challenge submission period was from March to June, with judging phases from June through November. The <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/challenge/2025-ctu-challenge-winners/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">20 winners</a> presented their solutions in December at a virtual <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/summit/2025-ctu-summit/2025-ctu-summit-winners/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Winners Summit</a>. Fourteen projects received prize money, ranging from US $500 to $2,500. Six finalists earned an honorable mention at the summit.The awards amounts have varied over the years, based on the sponsorship.Among the winners were a <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-IEEE-CTUC-Best-C.png" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">solar-powered community broadband network in Tanzania</a>, a low-cost method for accessing the Internet that <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-IEEE-CTUC-2nd-TA-POC.png" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">uses FM radio and a short message service (SMS)</a>, and a <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-IEEE-CTUC-1st-TA-C.png" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">strategy for utilizing India’s rural broadband infrastructure</a> to deliver medical services to people living in isolated, tribal, and other underserved regions.“Our job is to help further develop the technology, look for gaps, and see if it is good enough to be applied to rural villages, like those in Africa and India,” says IEEE Fellow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ashutosh-dutta-a60a656/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ashutosh Dutta</a>, who is a CTU cochair and a professor at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins University</a>, in Baltimore. “The idea behind the contest is to make sure the technology actually gets implemented at the grassroots level and is being used by the local community.”This year’s challenge submission period runs until <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/challenge/rules-and-expectations-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">19 June</a>, with judging phases from July through October. <iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JmG6aCWoOFk?rel=0&list=PLfWDzJqhRXOHAGE1KZVqifYS6orl40I_8" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe>The finalists of the 2025 IEEE Connect the Unconnected challenge describe their projects.IEEE Future Networks<h2>Local connectivity discussions</h2>The CTU program hosted three regional <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/summit/2025-ctu-summit/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">summits</a> last year. The <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/summit/2025-ctu-summit/2025-ctu-summit-na/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">North American event</a> was held in September in Washington, D.C. In November, the <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/summit/2025-ctu-summit/2025-ctu-summit-apac/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Global/Asia-Pacific meeting</a> took place in Bangalore, India; it was co-located with the <a href="https://fnwf2025.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Future Networks World Forum</a>. The <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/summit/2025-ctu-summit/2025-ctu-summit-emea/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Europe, Middle East, and Africa summit</a> also was held in November, in Abuja, Nigeria.Topics discussed at the summits included infrastructure solutions for universal connectivity; sustainable business models; scaling homegrown technologies; and policy, regulation, and financing issues.As of press time, the dates for this year’s regional summits had not been announced.<h2>Community-focused events</h2>To help bridge the gap between ideas and their deployment, the <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/summit/2025-ctu-summit/2025-ctu-summit-apac/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Connect a Community event</a> was established to demonstrate how some new technologies might benefit people. The inaugural event was held in November in Bengaluru, India. During the daylong program, 10 of the challenge winners demonstrated their connectivity solutions to villagers from seven rural communities.Dutta credits IEEE Life Fellow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakesh-kumar-8192192/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rakesh Kumar</a> with devising the event. Kumar chairs <a href="https://futuredirections.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Future Directions</a>, which was where Future Networks got its start in 2017 as the 5G Initiative.“Kumar wants to ensure the winning technologies are going to be useful for the community,” Dutta says.<h2>Providing entrepreneurs with business skills</h2>Dixit says the Future Networks team believed that simply conducting a competition and distributing prizes wasn’t enough.“We wanted to follow up with the winners, monitor their progress, and help them turn their ideas into a business,” he says.To accomplish that, IEEE launched the <a href="https://fnem.futurenetworks.ieee.org/get-involved/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Empowerment Through Mentorship</a> program, in which budding entrepreneurs are paired with industry leaders and experienced mentors who provide them with 1,000 days of guidance, coaching them on scaling up their business.“We launched the mentorship program to further the cause,” Dixit says. “These people may be good at developing technology, but they don’t know the marketing challenges, how to raise money, and other factors.”The <a href="https://www.lemelson.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lemelson Foundation</a>, an organization in Portland, Ore., that partners with IEEE, collaborated on the mentorship program. The foundation’s philanthropic strategy is to cultivate a robust ecosystem for entrepreneurs in East Africa, India, and the United States. It does so by providing the entrepreneurs with tools including financing options and access to communities that share their passion.The foundation chose to partner with IEEE “because of its powerful international network and focus on electrical engineering, which is a critical element of communications and energy infrastructure globally,” says <a href="https://www.lemelson.org/biographies/kory-murphy-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kory Murphy</a>, Lemelson’s program officer for <a href="https://www.lemelson.org/funding/entrepreneurship/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. invention and entrepreneurship</a>.“Other factors include IEEE’s focus on nontraditional or disadvantaged areas in India,” Murphy says, “and its recognition that mentorship is critical for the successful deployment of new technologies.”IEEE began an early pilot project in 2023 with support of a grant from the Lemelson Foundation, to determine if a sustained entrepreneurship mentorship program was valuable and necessary, he says. It then conducted a survey through 2024 to collect information to better understand the needs of stakeholders, mentors, and entrepreneurs in hard-to-reach areas in India. While the early pilot program was restricted to that country, its intent was to learn from the experience and share the findings globally, he says.“Our job is to help further develop the technology, look for gaps, and see if it is good enough to be applied to rural villages, like those in Africa and India.” —Ashutosh Dutta, Connecting the Unconnected cochair “The foundation’s involvement was aimed at testing certain activities, partnership strategies, and understanding the budgetary requirements for a prepilot program,” he says. “The primary goal of the foundation is to enable conditions for innovation to occur within regional systems, especially addressing the opportunity for sustained, systematic, and relational mentorship in technology innovation.”The Empowerment Through Mentorship program is structured into three tiers. One focuses on individuals and their needs, the program/technical level focuses on the invention, and the venture level guides participants from the initial concept through product testing and validation. Within each track, participants engage in activities such as networking, securing financial support, and pitching their innovations, Murphy says.“The 1,000-day approach reflects the belief that it requires a long period of time to coach and support those who traditionally are excluded,” he says.CTU mentors can be IEEE members or nonmembers who are successful entrepreneurs and own small or large companies, Dixit says. They also can work in academia.“They need to be passionate about training and mentoring other people,” Dixit says. “We have created a curriculum that covers topics such as ways to get financing from investors and how to turn ideas into a profitable business. It’s not the technology that will make the product successful; it’s everything else that goes into it.”<h2>Rural broadband architecture standards</h2>To determine whether any of the challenge’s submitted projects have the potential to become a standard, the CTU working group collaborates with the <a href="https://standards.ieee.org/industry-connections/activities/6g-rural-connectivity-and-intelligent-village/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE SA Industry Connections</a> program’s <a href="https://standards.ieee.org/industry-connections/activities/6g-rural-connectivity-and-intelligent-village/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">6G Rural Connectivity and Intelligent Village activity</a>. Projects considered for standards do not have to be winners. Any project that has successfully passed the first phase, completed the second-phase requirements, and requested a review may be considered.Typically, about half of the submitted projects are reviewed for possible standard implications, Dutta says.“We selected about 60 submissions that could be potentially standardized,” he says. “Out of those, we work with IEEE SA’s rapid reactive standards activity group to narrow them down to five or 10 that can be potentially standardized.“The CTU program is not only about developing a technology or implementing it, but also standardizing it so that people around the world can use the standard.”One such project led to the development of IEEE P1962, “<a href="https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/1962/11912/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Standard for Providing Broadband Connectivity to Rural Infrastructure by Utilizing Solar Panels as Optical Communication Receivers</a>.” It specifies an architecture for an optical receiver that uses solar panels and associated circuitry to provide energy-efficient, affordable, and high-speed optical wireless communication.“CTU has created a platform for the world to bring their ideas to one single place where people can talk to each other about them,” Dixit says. “We are a unifying force.We bring these many dimensions together to connect the unconnected.”<h3>CTU Challenge Winner: Community Radio Bolo</h3> The <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/" target="_blank">Connecting the Unconnected</a> program offers contestants benefits that extend beyond the recognition and rewards. One participant who benefited is <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/blog/2023/03/10/qa-with-the-winners-ritu-srivastava/" target="_blank">Ritu Srivastava</a>, a telecommunications engineer and IEEE member. She placed first in the <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/challenge/2022-ctu-challenge-2/" target="_blank">2022 technical concept category</a> for her project, <a href="https://ctu.ieee.org/challenge/2022-ctu-challenge-2/," target="_blank">Community Radio Bolo</a> (CR Bolo). The verb bolo means speak in Hindi.Internet services in India’s rural areas are either unavailable or have spotty coverage. People there rely on community radio stations to get news about local events and issues. There are about 300 such stations in India, Srivastava says.To provide broadband Internet access in the Bhadrak district of Odisha, India, she developed a cost-effective hybrid network that uses an online and offline <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/mesh-network-interoperable-thread" target="_self">wireless mesh network</a> installed on the tower of community radio station <a href="https://onlineradiohub.com/radio-bulbul-s1511/" target="_blank">Radio Bulbul</a>. Several transceiver locations, known as access points, are located at schools and community centers that are within a 5- to 7-kilometer radius, connecting them with Radio Bulbul.CR Bolo includes a plug-and-play interactive voice response system that is coupled with the hybrid wireless network. The automated telephony technology routes callers using voice commands or a telephone’s keypad to the appropriate department. The system also has a direct-to-consumer platform where manufacturers sell their products through websites or mobile apps.“CR Bolo is a unique method of leveraging rural traditional technologies and infrastructure combined with modern technology to provide meaningful access to communities,” Srivastava says, “improving livelihood opportunities and creating social and economic viability for CR stations.”She says she plans to expand the project to other rural communities in India. She will incorporate a large language model and offer a learning management system to deliver training programs and educational courses, she says.Winning CTU inspired her to become a more active IEEE volunteer, she says. She is working with the <a href="https://standards.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Standards Association</a> to develop guidelines for the architecture of broadband technology used in rural areas.Because of her entrepreneurial experience, CTU hired her in 2023 to assist with the challenge and the <a href="https://fnem.futurenetworks.ieee.org/get-involved/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Empowerment Through Mentorship</a> program.Srivastava is a director at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/jadeitesolutionspvtltd/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jadeite Solutions</a> in New Delhi. The consulting company offers nonprofit organizations that are developing socioeconomic programs with project evaluation, impact assessment, financial reviews, and similar services.She credits CTU with giving her and her community-centered model more exposure: “The CTU challenge has given me a lot of other opportunities in terms of networking, funding resources, publishing my research in IEEE journals, and presenting at national and international conferences.” Reference: https://ift.tt/cYE3Xs8

Neutralizing the Gigascale Problem: How to Solve the Physical Power Paradox of Extreme AI Training Loads

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/three-tall-white-ampace-battery-modules-on-display-stands-at-a-trade-show.jpg?id=66700587&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C73%2C0%2C73"/> This sponsored article is brought to you by <a href="https://ampacepower.com/" target="_blank">Ampace</a>.As AI workloads grow to gigascale levels, the global data center industry has hit a hidden physical wall. The real bottleneck is no longer just the thermal limit of the chip or the capacity of the cooling system — it is the dynamic resilience of the power chain.Modern AI computing clusters, driven by massive GPU clusters, generate high-frequency, abrupt, and synchronized spikey pulse loads. As rack densities soar beyond 100 kW, these fluctuations are amplified into a “power paradox”: while the digital logic of AI is moving faster than ever, the physical infrastructure supporting it remains tethered to legacy response capabilities.The power usage of these gigascale sites and their drastic, high frequency, abrupt load surges from the AI GPU clusters can trigger transient voltage events and frequency instability, risking the entire local grid. The grid itself is not robust enough to support these loads. This leads to the infrastructure gap: The utility is not robust enough and traditional backup sources, such as diesel generators and gas turbines, simply cannot react to millisecond-level power spikes in output. This will often force operators into a cycle of costly infrastructure over sizing just to buffer the volatility.AI infrastructure requires energy systems capable of instantaneous response while safeguarding continuity and reliability.The industry has explored various mitigations — from rack-level BBUs to 800V DC architectures — yet the mature, high volume, traditional UPS system remains the most viable and scalable foundation for gigawatt-level facilities. Consequently, the UPS-integrated battery system has emerged as the critical “physical buffer” to neutralize these pulses at the source.At <a href="https://datacenterworld.com/" target="_blank">Data Center World 2026</a> in Washington, D.C., <a href="https://ampacepower.com/" target="_blank">Ampace</a> led a pivotal technical dialogue with Eaton during the session “Powering Giga-scale AI.” Their exchange unveiled a fundamental paradigm shift: To bridge the AI power gap, energy storage must evolve from a passive insurance policy into an active, high-speed stabilizer. By aligning Ampace’s semi-solid-state battery innovation with Eaton’s proven system intelligence, we are moving beyond simple backup to solve the physical paradox of the AI era. <img alt="Speaker at DCW conference presenting on stage to an audience with phones raised" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="88715e0baf51ca7e1333f569ca6991d1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="675d4" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/speaker-at-dcw-conference-presenting-on-stage-to-an-audience-with-phones-raised.jpg?id=66700603&width=980"/> To move beyond simple backup and solve the physical paradox of the AI era, Ampace is aligning its semi-solid-state battery innovation with Eaton’s proven system intelligence.Ampace<h2>The “Shock Absorber” physics: semi-solid chemistry for AI pulses</h2>Conventional power systems were designed for steady-state loads, not the rapid heartbeat of a massive AI GPU cluster. When thousands of GPUs synchronize their computing cycles, they generate high-frequency, abrupt pulse loads that can lead to voltage sags, frequency oscillations, and potential interruptions of critical AI training.Ampace’s PU Series semi-solid and low-electrolyte cells address this challenge by acting as high-speed “shock absorbers.” Leveraging ultra-low internal resistance (DCR) and high cycle capability, these batteries neutralize millisecond-level power spikes at the source, stabilizing the local power loop before disturbances propagate upstream to the grid or on-site generators. These high-rate cells enable 100 kW+ racks to maintain peak performance without transmitting instability across the power chain.This capability aligns closely with Eaton’s matured UPS architectures, such as double-conversion topologies and advanced power electronics upgrades, which have long prioritized rapid load responsiveness and high system stability.Together, these approaches embody a shared industry philosophy: AI infrastructure requires energy systems capable of instantaneous response while safeguarding continuity and reliability. <img alt="Diagram comparing liquid electrolyte cell vs safer Ampace semi\u2011solid battery cell" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bc0db39f812b96d6265ab0e8923304bb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="a2c4b" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/diagram-comparing-liquid-electrolyte-cell-vs-safer-ampace-semi-u2011solid-battery-cell.png?id=66700616&width=980"/> Ampace’s semi-solid state chemistry minimizes liquid electrolyte, greatly reducing the risk of leakage and thermal runaway under continuous AI high-load conditions.Ampace<h2>Algorithmic intelligence: synchronizing energy and control</h2>Hardware alone cannot solve the AI power paradox; the system also requires intelligent coordination between energy storage and power management. Sophisticated battery management systems (BMS) like Ampace’s high-precision design track state-of-charge (SOC) with high-speed sampling, even during rapid, shallow cycling typical in AI workloads.Complementary algorithmic approaches in modern UPS platforms — such as ramp-rate control and average power management — effectively suppress sub-synchronous oscillations and optimize load smoothing. In large-scale AI training environments, where thousands of GPUs can trigger millisecond-level power pulses, these intelligent layers ensure that batteries buffer high-frequency fluctuations without compromising the mandatory emergency backup reserves.By transforming energy storage from passive “standby insurance” into active, schedulable assets, the system simultaneously safeguards continuous AI training and maintains the long-term health of the data center infrastructure. In practical terms, this means that even during peak compute bursts, the infrastructure remains stable, training cycles continue uninterrupted, and operators avoid costly oversizing or grid stress.Eaton’s dual-layer algorithms serve as a valuable benchmark in this space, demonstrating how advanced control logic can achieve similar objectives, reinforcing Ampace’s approach and philosophy within the broader data center power ecosystem.<h2>Economic scalability: optimizing AI infrastructure efficiently</h2>One of the largest costs in deploying AI infrastructure is “oversizing”: procuring transformers, generators, and UPS systems to handle brief peak spikes. This traditional approach inflates the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and leads to wasted capital on underutilized hardware.Ampace’s turn-key cabinet design developed by its independent R&D is engineered for seamless compatibility with mature, high volume UPS systems. By leveraging Eaton’s double-conversion UPS topologies alongside intelligent ramp-rate and average power management algorithms, AI data centers can scale dynamically without requiring costly infrastructure redesigns. This approach allows the UPS and batteries to act as active load-shapers, smoothing AI-driven pulses while strictly maintaining mandatory emergency backup capacity.By utilizing energy storage as an active, schedulable asset, operators can right-size their infrastructure, avoid unnecessary grid upgrades, and deploy gigascale AI clusters with unprecedented efficiency.<h2>Safety First: Protecting AI Infrastructure While Enabling Innovation</h2>In high-density AI facilities, safety is non-negotiable. Ampace’s semi-solid state chemistry minimizes liquid electrolyte, greatly reducing the risk of leakage and thermal runaway under continuous AI high-load conditions. <img alt="Ampace graphic showing UL Listed and CE logos with multiple certification codes" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8722057d333aeefba0465a83693873c4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="5531a" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/ampace-graphic-showing-ul-listed-and-ce-logos-with-multiple-certification-codes.png?id=66700686&width=980"/> Ampace’s turn-key cabinet design developed by its independent R&D is engineered for seamless compatibility with mature, high volume UPS systems. AmpaceAt the same time, Eaton’s UPS design emphasizes system-level energy scheduling that never sacrifices mandatory emergency backup reserves, ensuring thermal safety and uninterrupted operation.This “safety-first” approach ensures that infrastructure can sustain aggressive performance targets without compromising the physical integrity of the facility. Coupled with over a decade of proven high-cycle life operation and design under shallow pulse conditions, these systems can extend operational lifespan, reduce replacement requirements, and provide operators with confidence that safety and reliability remain uncompromised as compute density continues to grow.<h2>To remain the scalable backbone of AI data centers</h2>As AI computing scales over the next two to three years, the industry will face stricter grid requirements and even more demanding pulse load characteristics. This evolution demands a forward-looking design philosophy that harmonizes UPS, battery, and grid compatibility.Ampace views current low-electrolyte semi-solid technologies as the optimal transitional step toward a fully solid-state future — one that promises ultimate safety and performance.Ampace remains committed to this long-term technological roadmap. We view current low-electrolyte semi-solid technologies as the optimal transitional step toward a fully solid-state future — one that promises ultimate safety and performance. Whether through rack-level BBU, integrated UPS systems, or containerized storage, the universal core of the AI era remains constant: high-speed response, long shallow-cycle life, and refined energy management.By engaging in deep technical exchanges with Eaton and leading energy innovators, Ampace ensures that its solutions not only meet today’s AI pulse challenges but also harmonize with broader infrastructure strategies and shared industry best practices.Ultimately, as traditional diesel generators gradually give way to diversified alternatives, the integrated UPS-plus-energy-storage system will become the fundamental infrastructure standard.The dialogue has just begun. Ampace will continue to engage in strategic exchanges with global industrial automation leaders and digital energy pioneers, co-authoring the playbook for a safer, more efficient, and more resilient AI-ready world. Reference: https://ift.tt/c2oCxg0

Monday, May 11, 2026

Linux bitten by second severe vulnerability in as many weeks

Linux users have been bitten by yet another vulnerability that gives containers and untrusted users the ability to gain root access, marking the second time in as many weeks that a severe threat has caught defenders off guard. The threat, known as Dirty Frag, allows low-privilege users, including those using virtual machines, to gain root control of servers. Attacks are particularly suitable in shared environments, where a server is used by multiple parties. Hackers can also gain root as long as they have access to a separate exploit that gives a toehold into a machine. Exploit code was leaked online three days ago and works reliably across virtually all Linux distributions. Microsoft has <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/05/08/active-attack-dirty-frag-linux-vulnerability-expands-post-compromise-risk/">said</a> it has spotted signs that hackers are experimenting with Dirty Frag in the wild. <h2>Immediate and significant threat</h2> The leaked exploit is deterministic, meaning it works precisely the same way each time it’s run and across different Linux distributions. It causes no crashes, making it stealthy to run. A vulnerability known as Copy Fail, disclosed <a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/04/as-the-most-severe-linux-threat-in-years-surfaces-the-world-scrambles/">last week</a> with no patches available to end users, possesses the same characteristics.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/linux-bitten-by-second-severe-vulnerability-in-as-many-weeks/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/linux-bitten-by-second-severe-vulnerability-in-as-many-weeks/#comments">Comments</a> Reference : https://ift.tt/HKeNBZO

Why Mastering EVM Is Essential for Next-Generation Wireless Systems

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/rohde-schwarz-logo-with-slogan-make-ideas-real-and-rs-emblem-in-diamond-shape.png?id=66678514&width=980"/> A comprehensive guide to error vector magnitude (EVM), the primary metric for quantifying modulation accuracy in Wi-Fi, LTE, and 5G NR systems.What Attendees will Learn<ol><li>What error vector magnitude is and how it is calculated — Understand EVM as the distance between ideal and measured constellation points, learn the difference between peak and RMS normalization, and see how EVM is expressed in both percentage and decibel formats.</li><li>How digital modulation works and why it matters — Explore the fundamentals of ASK, FSK, PSK, APSK, and QAM modulation schemes, and understand why higher modulation orders increase throughput, while also demanding greater accuracy in signal transmission and reception.</li><li>What causes degraded EVM in real-world systems — Examine the four main categories of EVM contributors: amplitude effects (compression, noise, frequency response), phase effects (phase noise), I/Q imperfections (gain imbalance, quadrature error), and configuration issues.</li><li>How to diagnose modulation impairments using constellation diagrams — Learn how visual inspection of constellation diagrams can identify phase noise, amplifier compression, noise, in-band spurious signals, and I/Q modulator imperfections as root causes of degraded EVM.</li></ol><div><a href="https://content.knowledgehub.wiley.com/understanding-evm-error-vector-magnitude-in-modern-wireless-communications/" target="_blank">Download this free whitepaper now!</a></div> Reference: https://ift.tt/NxjngAw

Friday, May 8, 2026

Chaos erupts as cyberattack disrupts learning platform Canvas amid finals

Chaos erupted at schools and colleges throughout the US on Thursday as a cyberattack disrupted online learning platform Canvas just as students were due to take final exams. Canvas parent company Instructure <a href="https://www.instructure.com/incident_update">said</a> that as of Friday morning, the platform was back online. Instructure said it temporarily took Canvas offline on Thursday after identifying unauthorized activity in its network. The threat actor was the same one responsible for a data breach that Instructure <a href="https://status.instructure.com/incidents/9wm4knj2r64z">disclosed</a> a week ago. Data accessed included user names, email addresses, student ID numbers, and messages exchanged on the platform. The company said it has no indication that passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers, or financial information were involved. <h2>Schools and colleges scramble</h2> A ransomware group known as ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach on its dark web site. It claimed the data it took came from 275 million people associated with 8,800 schools.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/chaos-erupts-as-cyberattack-disrupts-learning-platform-canvas-amid-finals/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/chaos-erupts-as-cyberattack-disrupts-learning-platform-canvas-amid-finals/#comments">Comments</a> Reference : https://ift.tt/fsWirIl

Ana Inês Inácio Designs the Future of Wireless

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-woman-smiling-with-her-framed-outstanding-young-professional-award.jpg?id=66701682&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C187%2C0%2C188"/> When <a href="https://yp.ieee.org/blog/team-members/ana-ines-inacio-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ana Inês Inácio</a> goes to work at the <a href="https://www.tno.nl/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research</a> (TNO) in The Hague, she thinks about signals most people never notice: radio waves moving between <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/satellites" target="_self">satellites</a>, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/topic/sensors/" target="_self">sensors</a>, and future wireless networks.The integrated circuits the research scientist designs lay the foundation for next-generation RF sensor systems critical to advancing radar technologies.<h3>Ana Inês Inácio</h3> EMPLOYER Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, TNOTITLE ScientistIEEE MEMBER GRADE Senior memberALMA MATER University of Aveiro, in PortugalThose invisible RF signals are only part of what earned the IEEE senior member her global recognition.Inácio recently received the <a href="https://hkn.ieee.org/awards/outstanding-young-professional-award" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE–Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Professional Award</a> for “leadership in <a href="https://www.ieee.org/membership-catalog/productdetail/showProductDetailPage.html?product=MEMYP060" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Young Professionals</a>, fostering innovation and inclusivity, and pioneering advancements in <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/wireless-sensors" target="_self">RF sensor systems</a>, bridging technical excellence with impactful community engagement.”The recognition from IEEE’s honor society reflects a career built along two parallel paths: advancing RF circuit design while helping engineers worldwide build professional communities.“I’ve always liked building things,” Inácio says. “Sometimes that means circuits; sometimes it means helping people connect and grow together.”That blend of technical innovation and global leadership gives her work impact far beyond the laboratory.<h2>EE lessons at the kitchen table</h2>Inácio grew up in Vales do Rio, a rural village near <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covilh%C3%A3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Covilhã</a> in central Portugal.The region was known for farming and textiles, she says. Many residents worked in the textile industry, including her grandfather, who repaired machinery such as industrial looms. He became her first engineering teacher without ever holding the formal title.Through correspondence courses delivered by mail, he taught himself electrical systems. At home, he explained electricity to his granddaughter while he repaired the household’s appliances and wiring.“He would show me why something broke and how we could fix it,” she recalls. It sparked her curiosity.Her mother was a tailor who later managed other tailors. Her father left his factory job to attend culinary school and now cooks at an elder-care facility. Curiosity was a trait that ran through the family.By high school, Inácio was drawn equally to mathematics and physics and to biology and geology, she says. Encouragement from teachers and an uncle, an engineer, ultimately steered her toward electronics engineering.<h2>Conducting research on integrated circuits</h2>In 2008 she enrolled in an integrated master’s degree program in electrical and telecommunications engineering at the <a href="https://www.ua.pt/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Universidade de Aveiro</a> in Portugal, a five-year degree that combined undergraduate and graduate studies.An opportunity to study abroad changed her path. In 2012 she moved to the Netherlands to study at <a href="https://www.tue.nl/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eindhoven University of Technology</a> (TU/e) through a six-month European exchange program with UAveiro.A professor encouraged her to stay on, so she completed her final year of masters in the Netherlands. She focused on techniques to improve the linearization of RF power amplifiers at <a href="https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/netherlands" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thales</a>. The company, based in Hengelo, Netherlands, designs and produces electronics for defense and security.She earned her master’s degree from UAveiro in 2013. After graduating, she joined the integrated circuit design group at the <a href="https://www.utwente.nl/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Twente</a>, in The Netherlands, conducting collaborative research as part of a nationally funded program on linearization techniques for RF front-end systems. The experience introduced her to international research culture and persuaded her to pursue a career abroad, she says.<h2>Engineering the future of wireless</h2>Inácio joined TNO in 2018 as a junior scientist and innovator: her first professional industry job. Today she designs integrated RF front-end systems—the circuits that allow devices to transmit and receive wireless signals.The components sit at the core of modern communications, enabling sensor networks, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/laser-satellite-communication" target="_self">satellite links</a>, and emerging <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-5g-and-6g-training" target="_self">6G technologies</a>.Her work aims to tackle a central challenge: getting greater performance from smaller chips.“As communication evolves, we need more bandwidth to transfer more data at higher speeds,” she says. “The question is how much complexity you can integrate into one system while keeping it efficient.”Unlike commercial lab environments, which reuse established designs, research projects often start from scratch. Each transmit-receive chain—the signal path that converts digital data to radio waves and back again—is tailored to specific requirements.Her work focuses on improving key circuit characteristics including linearity (ensuring that the signals that go out of the antenna are not distorted) as well as <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4425145" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">noise reduction</a> (so design blocks can be optimized). Advanced design techniques help devices communicate more reliably while consuming less energy, a critical need for large <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/internet-of-things" target="_self">sensor networks such as the Internet of Things</a>, she says.<a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/topic/artificial-intelligence/" target="_self">Artificial intelligence</a> is beginning to influence her field, she says: “AI is already helping us work faster. The real challenge is learning how to use it to make better designs, not just quicker ones.”<h2>A parallel vocation with IEEE</h2>While her technical career flourished in research labs, an additional journey unfolded through IEEE.Inácio joined the organization in 2009 as a student after discovering UAveiro’s student branch. What began as curiosity evolved into a long-term leadership path.She advanced through roles within <a href="https://ieeer8.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Region 8</a>—covering Europe, Africa, and the Middle East—one of the organization’s most culturally diverse regions. She was the <a href="https://ieee.web.ua.pt/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">student branch</a>’s vice chair, and the region’s student representative for more than 22,000 IEEE members. She also served as the Young Professionals Affinity Group chair for the <a href="https://www.ieee.be/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Benelux Section</a>, which encompasses Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.Currently, she serves as the immediate past chair of the Region 8 Young Professionals Committee, and vice chair and <a href="https://mga.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Member and Geographical Activities</a> representative on the IEEE Young Professionals Committee. In those roles, she represents close to 135,000 IEEE members.In addition, she is an active member of the <a href="https://mtt.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society</a>, currently serving as its Young Professionals liaison.Her involvement with IEEE has boosted her professional confidence, she says.“IEEE didn’t directly give me promotions at my day job, but it gave me leadership skills, networking opportunities, and the ability to work with people from everywhere,” she says.Those experiences now shape her collaborations at TNO, where international teamwork is essential.The IEEE-HKN Outstanding Young Professional Award recognizes that combination of technical excellence and community impact, she says.Looking back, Inácio sees a clear thread connecting her childhood curiosity, her international career, and her IEEE leadership: Engineering, she says, is ultimately about people as much as it is about technology. Reference: https://ift.tt/64CGWRt

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Mozilla says 271 vulnerabilities found by Mythos have "almost no false positives"

The disbelief was palpable when Mozilla’s CTO last month declared that AI-assisted vulnerability detection meant “<a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/mozilla-anthropics-mythos-found-271-zero-day-vulnerabilities-in-firefox-150/">zero-days are numbered</a>” and “defenders finally have a chance to win, decisively.” After all, it looked like part of an all-too-familiar pattern: Cherry-pick a handful of impressive AI-achieved results, leave out any of the fine print that might paint a more nuanced picture, and let the hype train roll on. Mindful of the skepticism, Mozilla on Thursday provided a behind-the-scenes look into its use of Anthropic Mythos—an AI model for identifying software vulnerabilities—to ferret out 271 Firefox security flaws over two months. In a <a href="https://hacks.mozilla.org/2026/05/behind-the-scenes-hardening-firefox/">post</a>, Mozilla engineers said the finally ready-for-prime-time breakthrough they achieved was primarily the result of two things: (1) improvement in the models themselves and (2) Mozilla’s development of a custom “<a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.28052">harness</a>” that supported Mythos as it analyzed Firefox source code. <h2>"Almost no false positives"</h2> The engineers said their earlier brushes with AI-assisted vulnerability detection were fraught with “unwanted slop.” Typically, someone would prompt a model to analyze a block of code. The model would then produce plausible-reading bug reports, and often at unprecedented scales. Invariably, however, when human developers further investigated, they’d find a large percentage of the details had been hallucinated. The humans would then need to invest significant work handling the vulnerability reports the old-fashioned way.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/05/mozilla-says-271-vulnerabilities-found-by-mythos-have-almost-no-false-positives/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/05/mozilla-says-271-vulnerabilities-found-by-mythos-have-almost-no-false-positives/#comments">Comments</a> Reference : https://ift.tt/zgUHtXN