Sci tech

Cloud and data centres, the chip industry's strongest sector, may be its next problem: Signs are showing that growth could slow in what has been a pillar during the COVID era as consumers signed up for cloud-based entertainment and companies retooled their offices. (Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today’s Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.) Analysts say the cloud market has rarely had to weather a prolonged economic downturn since it rose to prominence in the last decade as more businesses adopted the technology, making it harder to predict if it's recession proof or it will be hit in an economic downtown. As 40-year-high inflation weighs on consumers and economists debate recession signals, advertisers have been tightening their purse strings, say Big Tech companies. “Investors are worried it's the next shoe to drop," said Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon, adding that an … [Read more...] about Cloud hangs over U.S. chipmakers on worries data centre growth could slow

One of two cosmonauts working outside the International Space Station on Wednesday safely returned to the laboratory's airlock after an electrical issue on his spacesuit forced Moscow's ground control to end the routine spacewalk early, U.S. and Russian officials said. (Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today’s Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.) Oleg Artemyev was nearly three hours into a six-hour spacewalk when voltage levels in his spacesuit's battery began to drop, prompting flight controllers in Moscow to order the cosmonaut's immediate return to the space station's airlock. "Oleg, drop everything and go back," a flight controller urged Artemyev from mission control in Moscow, as heard on a live feed of space-to-ground audio. "Drop everything and start going back right away... Go back and connect to station power." Artemyev returned to the airlock and connected his suit to … [Read more...] about Russian spacewalk ends early after spacesuit battery malfunctions

Losses arising from cryptocurrency hacks jumped nearly 60% in the first seven months of the year to $1.9 billion, propelled by a surge in funds stolen from decentralised finance (DeFi) protocols, according to a blog post from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis released on Tuesday. (Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today’s Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.) In the same period last year, stolen funds from hacking amounted to $1.2 billion . DeFi applications, many of which run on the Ethereum blockchain, are financial platforms that enable crypto-denominated lending outside of traditional banks. Chainalysis noted that the trend is not likely to reverse any time soon, given the $190 million hacking of cross-chain bridge Nomad and $5 million hacking of several Solana wallets already in the first week of August. "DeFi protocols are uniquely vulnerable to hacking, as their … [Read more...] about Crypto hack losses surged 60% to $1.9 billion between January and July, reports Chainalysis