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The growth of generative AI requires huge amounts of water and energy and the US grid is struggling to cope.
As AI has taken off in the last few years, new data centers are popping up across the country to support the paid acceleration of AI. Learning models need such data centers to provide the vast amount of computing resources required to train and deploy complex machine learning models and algorithms.
However, data centers also require a huge amount of power to run and maintain them, as well as water to cool the servers inside. Concerns are rising about whether the US power grid can generate enough electricity for the growing number of necessary data centers. While AI has been helping to improve sustainability in some fields, if it’s not a sustainable technology in itself, it won’t be doing any good for the planet.
What can be done to save energy in the AI space?
Those working in AI production both on a hardware and software level are working to mitigate these drains on energy and resources, as well as investing in sustainable energy sources.
“If we don’t start thinking about this power problem differently now, we’re never going to see this dream we have,” Dipti Vachani, head of automotive at Arm, told CNBC. The chip company’s low-power processors are being used more and more by huge companies like Google, Microsoft, Oracle and Amazon because they can help to reduce power use by up to 15% in data centers.
Work is also being done to reduce how much energy AI models need in the first place. For example, Nvidia’s latest AI chip, Grace Blackwell, incorporates Arm-based CPUs that can supposedly run generative AI models on 25 times less power than the previous generation.
“Saving every last bit of power is going to be a fundamentally different design than when you’re trying to maximize the performance,” Vachani said.
Nonetheless, concerns remain that these measures won’t be enough. After all, one ChatGPT query uses nearly 10 times as much energy as a typical Google search, while generating an AI image can use as much power as charging a smartphone fully.
The effects are being seen most clearly with the larger companies, with Google’s latest environmental report showing greenhouse gas emissions rising nearly 50% between 2019 and 2023, in part because of data center energy consumption. That’s despite claims from Google that data centers are 1.8 times as energy efficient as a typical data center. Similarly, Microsoft’s emissions rose nearly 30% from 2020 to 2024, also due partly to data centers.
Featured image: Unsplash
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If you played Portkey Games’ Hogwarts Legacy and wondered why Quidditch wasn’t a prominent feature, it’s because there’s a whole new game dedicated to the brutal wizarding sport.
This is called Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions and we have a bunch of freshly revealed info on most Wizard’s and Witch’s favorite sport.
We’ll showcase the Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions release date, any trailers, platforms, editions, and more so you know as much as possible before getting on that broom.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions release date
If you’re eager to bat away those Bludgers and catch that all-important Golden Snitch, you won’t have to wait long to do so.
That’s because the Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions release date is September 3, 2024, beating the Holiday rush.
This will likely allow you to get some serious game time in before the number of game launches ramps up.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions trailers
There have been two trailers released for Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions – the reveal and “Welcome Students!” trailers.
The first of these was little more than a tease for what’s to come but it did showcase the art style for the game as well as some familiar faces from the Harry Potter books and movies.
It also gave us the release date for the game, something first trailers don’t really do, which was a nice surprise.

The second “Welcome Students!” trailer, even though it was less than two minutes long, was pretty packed with information.
We got our look at different modes, character creation, and even some raw gameplay, a perfect pre-launch snippet for those who are on the fence for whether they want to buy it or not.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions platforms
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
This is pretty much every platform out there in the wild right now, making it a true multi-platform release.
On PC, it’s even available via both Steam and Epic so you’ll have a choice depending on your preference.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions editions
There are two editions for Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions – Standard and Deluxe.
The Standard Edition provides you with the base game only, no frills or additional content, for $29.99.
This is a respectable entry price for the experience considering there are both single and multiplayer modes available, coupled with some extensive character customization. However, it is a game solely focused on Quidditch, so it can only reach so far.
The Deluxe Edition includes the base game and additional goodies for you Potterheads out there who want anything and everything related to the Wizarding World.

This will set you back $39.99 and has the following additional content:

2,000 Gold
The Slytherin House Pack

Slytherin Stormrider Hurricane Broom Skin
Slytherin Hogwarts Travel School Uniform
Slytherin House Crest Emblem

The Hufflepuff House Pack

Hufflepuff Stormrider Sandstorm Broom Skin
Hufflepuff Hogwarts Travel School Uniform
Hufflepuff House Crest Emblem

The Ravenclaw House Pack

Ravenclaw Stormrider Cyclone Broom Skin
Ravenclaw Hogwarts Travel School Uniform
Ravenclaw House Crest Emblem

The Gryffindor House Pack

Gryffindor Stormrider Firestorm Broom Skin
Gryffindor Hogwarts Travel School Uniform
Gryffindor House Crest Emblem

You can buy the Deluxe Edition both in Digital and Physical form but the latter is not available at launch.
What is the Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions pre-order bonus?

If you’re hyped after everything you’ve read so far on Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, you’ll probably want to secure your copy early by pre-ordering.
Thankfully, if you do so, there is a pre-order bonus to sweeten the deal.
The pre-order bonus for Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is the Firebolt Supreme Broom Skin which is a newer variant of the one that Potter himself owned during his time at Hogwarts.
It’s available to everyone, contrary to the Legacy Pack, despite which edition you pre-order so no need to pay the extra for the Deluxe if you’re not sold on it.
The post Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions – Release date, trailers, platforms, and everything we know appeared first on ReadWrite.

The U.S. Department of Justice has claimed that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have gathered “bulk” data on users’ views on gun control, abortion, and religion, and sent it to China. The information was reportedly collected through an internal communication tool called Lark.
In a filing from July 26, the Justice Department reported that since 2022, Lark had contained multiple internal search tools developed and operated by ByteDance engineers for scraping TikTok user data, including U.S. user data.
Lark is similar to internal messaging services such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. However, according to Techspot, it also gathers user data such as photos, country of residence, IP address and device, as well as user IDs.
The document stated that one of those tools “allowed ByteDance and TikTok employees in the United States and China to collect bulk user information based on the user’s content or expressions, including views on gun control, abortion, and religion.”
The Department also suggests that “significant amounts of restricted U.S. user data (including but not limited to personally identifiable information)” were shared over Lark.
“This resulted in certain sensitive U.S. person data being contained in Lark channels and, therefore, stored on Chinese servers and accessible to ByteDance employees located in China,” the DoJ added.
Another tool allegedly included policies that allowed the suppression of content on the platform based on the user’s use of certain words. Although some of these policies applied only to users based in China, others may have been used to target TikTok users outside of China.
Oracle’s scrutiny of TikTok user data
The filing also targets the American multinational tech firm Oracle over its attempted partnership with ByteDance under a “national security agreement” (NSA) that would ideally have TikTok operating under strict conditions.
The software company began reviewing TikTok’s source code in 2022, which contained two billion lines of code. That being said, it was estimated that reviewing it in its entirety would take three years, hence the proposal was rejected.
“But the source code is not static,” the document notes. “ByteDance regularly updates it to add and modify TikTok’s features. Even with Oracle’s considerable resources, perfect review would be an impossibility.”
The DoJ argued that tech providers would “lack insight into ByteDance’s communications with PRC officials, ByteDance’s use of US user data, and ByteDance’s other TikTok-related activities,” hence deeming the partnership “too great a risk.”

Our statement on the DOJ brief filed today:
“Nothing in this brief changes the fact that the Constitution is on our side. The TikTok ban would silence 170 million Americans’ voices, violating the First Amendment. As we’ve said before, the government has never put forth proof of…
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) July 27, 2024

TikTok rejected the claims in a post on X, stating: “Today, once again, the government is taking this unprecedented step while hiding behind secret information. We remain confident we will prevail in court.” ByteDance has filed a countersuit seeking to block the law that forces the video-sharing app to separate from the company by January 19 or face a ban.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is expected to hold oral arguments on the legal challenge on September 16.
Featured image: Ideogram
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Developers behind the fan-created modification Fallout: London have announced they are working on a fix after the game faced a number of challenges during its release last week.
Gamers complained on Reddit that it “frequently” crashed, and a user stated that it “even rebooted me to a windows setup screen at one point, which was very worrying.”
PSA : fix for crashes byu/Status_Jellyfish_213 infallout4london

However, Team FOLON addressed “reported technical issues” on social media platform X, stating that it expected to release an update soon.
The developers also shared a workaround to try and alleviate the issue. They said: “To avoid any installation issues we encourage you to check the guide … while we are working on improving the installation experience please make sure that you follow all these points to ensure the process is as hassle-free as it gets.”

Hello all, a message from us at Team FOLON®:
More information and links can be found in the image description or here:https://t.co/7a9IkhNIKN pic.twitter.com/g0XYyt32hR
— Team FOLON (@TeamFOLON) July 29, 2024

Is Fallout: London worth it?
Despite the reported bugs, Fallout: London is probably at the top of the list when it comes to both depth and hype for release. Ever since the Amazon Prime Fallout show began to air, players have flocked back to the core of the series for more of that gory wasteland action we know and love. However, Fallout 4 takes you away from the U.S. for the first time.
The acclaimed RPG series, originally developed by Black Isle Studios and Bethesda, even featured an intriguing Doctor Who Easter egg, gearing the game to fans of the beloved British series.
This DLC mod is said to be one of the most ambitious and prominent fan projects in gaming history, with special voice appearances from former Doctor Who actors Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker, alongside John Bercow, the ex-Speaker of the U.K. House of Commons.
Baldur’s Gate 3 fans were also in for a treat as Neil Newbon, the voice behind the sardonic vampire Astarion, plays Barry the Boat in this modification.
Featured image: Black Isle Studios / Bethesda
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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom (UK) is launching a probe into Google’s partnership with a rival AI company, Anthropic.
The CMA – the UK’s main competition regulator – is concerned about Google’s heavy investment in the AI research start-up. According to reports the tech giant funded $300 million in 2023 followed by a further $2 billion later in the same year. Amazon is another big-name investor and has pumped $4 billion into Anthropic, which has developed Claude, a major chatbot rival to ChatGPT.
The CMA fears that huge companies are using this method to fly under the radar and gain control over smaller AI businesses. The regulator has already begun looking into Microsoft’s ties with OpenAI, as well as Amazon’s Anthropic dealings.
The authority has the power to clamp down on anti-competitive behavior within the UK.
The San Francisco-based AI start-up Anthropic is a public benefit corporation. This is a type of for-profit business that seeks to have a positive impact on people. For Anthropic, this means it does not solely aim to make a profit. It wants to create trustworthy and reliable AI for the public.
CMA vs Google
The CMA is now seeking comments from any interested parties in the Google and Anthropic probe. It is, “considering whether it is or may be the case that Alphabet’s partnership with Anthropic has resulted in the creation of a relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002”.
The invitation to comment will close on Aug. 13.
Earlier this year, a similar probe was launched into Microsoft’s dealings with the start-up Mistral AI. The CMA did not begin a full-scale investigation as the size of the investment did not meet the required standard in the merger regulations.
Featured image: Ideogram
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