Apparently, AI data centers are capable of sucking less (power, that is). A recent UK trial demonstrated that they can adjust their energy demands dynamically without disrupting critical workloads. This contrasts with data centers’ current approach of always-on power draw, which can strain grids and drive up prices for everyone.
Over five days in December 2025, more than 200 simulated “grid events” tested a London data center’s ability to adjust its energy use on the fly. The trial used software from Emerald AI, which was involved in the study. Other partners included NVIDIA, National Grid, Nebius and the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute.
In each simulated grid event, the data center successfully adjusted its energy use to the requested level. It reduced power draw by up to 40 percent, while critical workloads continued to run as normal throughout the trial.
The data center successfully reacted to spikes in demand during soccer match halftimes. In one case, it reduced its power draw by 10 percent for up to 10 hours. It also managed to cut its demand quickly: One event saw the data center reduce its load by 30 percent in only 30 seconds.
The study will serve as a blueprint for a 100MW “power-flexible AI factory” that NVIDIA plans to operate in Virginia. “This trial proves that NVIDIA-powered infrastructure can act as a grid-aware asset, modulating demand in real-time to support stability,” Josh Paker, NVIDIA’s sustainability lead, wrote in a statement. “By making AI workloads responsive, we accelerate deployment while reducing the need for costly grid upgrades.”
The organizations involved in the study say they’ll share their data with the AI industry, regulators and policymakers to try to influence their approach. Fortunately, we don’t need to hope that data center operators’ altruism (ha) will lead to their cooperation. Agreeing to curb usage during peak demand could be good for their balance sheets and lead to faster approvals for new data center grid connections. “We would love to get to a point where we can get customers on the network in two years, and this is part of that,” Steve Smith, president of National Grid Partners, told Bloomberg.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ai-data-centers-could-reduce-power-draw-on-demand-study-says-180628982.html?src=rss
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: India’s Supreme Court has threatened legal consequences after a judge was found to have adjudicated on a property dispute using fake judgements generated by artificial intelligence. The top court, which was responding to an appeal by the defendants, will now examine the ruling given by the lower court in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The Supreme Court called the case a matter of “institutional concern” and said fake AI-generated judgements had “a direct bearing on integrity of adjudicatory process.”
[…] Coming down sternly against the fake judgements, the top court last Friday stayed the lower court’s order on the property dispute. It said the use of AI while making judgements was not simply “an error in decision making” but an act of “misconduct.” “This case assumes considerable institutional concern, not because of the decision that was taken on the merits of the case, but about the process of adjudication and determination,” the top court said. The court said it would examine the case in more detail and issued notices to the country’s Attorney and Solicitor General, as well as the Bar Council of India.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Anthropic is taking steps to make it easier to switch to Claude. While the AI chatbot app is popular among developers and vibecoders, it’s also been infamous for keeping its more advanced features behind a paywall (and for rate-limiting free users). But now, Claude is finally catching up to ChatGPT and bringing its memory feature to free users.
The move follows Claude overtaking ChatGPT in the App Store to become the #1 most downloaded free app in the U.S., so the timing makes sense. As for what could have caused the sudden interest in the app, OpenAI recently announced that it will be working with the U.S. Department of Defense (unofficially titled the Department of War), a day after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei expressed concern about unrestricted AI use by governments.
Alongside the new free memory feature, Claude is also introducing a free import tool to help you bring your AI context along with you when moving from other chatbots. Technically, it’s more of a guided prompt to feed into other bots, but the idea is that it can help new users avoid blank-slate syndrome. Within 24 hours of using the tool, Claude will theoretically know all the personal details you’ve previously shared with the chatbots you’re importing from, including special instructions, your career, and your ongoing projects, making it easier to converse with Claude.
While Claude’s memory feature is available for free for all users, it’s not enabled by default. Let’s fix that. Open the Claude website or the app, click the Profile icon, and go to Settings. Here, in the Capabilities section, you’ll see a new Memory section up top. Enable the Generate memory from chat history feature. Now, Claude will automatically start remembering key details about your life as you share them. According to Anthropic, Claude “will automatically summarize your conversations and create a synthesis of key insights across your chat history (not including chats in projects). This synthesis is updated every 24 hours and provides context for every new standalone conversation.”
Say you’re a dentist and you ask Claude for dental implants research; it will know that you’re learning about implants the next time you ask a related question.
Of course, this does mean that Claude will start remembering your personal data, too, or at least your personal context. Claude does offer a couple of ways to get around this. If you try to disable memory (from the same menu where you enabled it), you’ll see two other options. For a less severe workaround, you can use the Pause memory option to stop the chatbot from creating new memories while keeping its current memories intact. Or, you can choose the Reset memory option to permanently delete all memories, including project-specific memories. That way, you can manually dump what Claude knows about you every once in a while.
While you’re in the Memory settings, you can also use the new Import feature. Click the Start Import button to bring up the new menu. Up top, you’ll see a prompt that you’ll have to copy. After that, paste it into ChatGPT or Gemini to snag your memories from these bots. You’ll get your results in a Markdown file. Back in Claude, paste the Markdown file into the textbox below the prompt you copied and click Add to memory. Claude will synthesize it, and it will add its data to its memory file.
Audible just launched a new budget-friendly Standard plan that costs $9 each month. Despite the lower price, this plan still includes a monthly audiobook credit. These credits allow users to download pretty much any audiobook from the library, including most brand-new releases. This was a perk previously locked to the Premium Plus plan, which is $15 per month.
Subscribers also get access to a curated library of content sourced from the Audible Originals library and Wondery+. All of this will be available without ads.
There are some caveats, especially when compared to the pricier Premium Plus subscription. That plan lets subscribers keep downloaded audiobooks forever, but the same isn’t true of the Standard plan. Audiobooks will float into the ether once a subscription has been cancelled. This is only a big deal, however, for those who like to re-listen to their favorites.
The Premium Plus plan provides some other perks not available to Standard users. Subscribers get regular access to sales and discounts, and there’s a library of audiobooks and podcasts to peruse. This is sort of like Kindle Unlimited, but for audiobooks. It’s not a comprehensive catalog, but it works in a pinch.
Amazon says the new plan is “projected to bring millions of new consumers into the Audible experience over the next year.” It’s available right now in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, France and Australia. The company says it’s currently testing the tier in additional marketplaces throughout the world.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/audibles-new-plan-is-9-a-month-and-still-includes-an-audiobook-credit-174641878.html?src=rss
Microsoft has revealed the first wave of Xbox Game Pass additions for March. Cyberpunk 2077 and F1 25 headline the batch; the former is coming to both Ultimate and Premium tiers. Hollow Knight: Silksong, which launched about six months ago, is also on the way to Premium.
Final Fantasy III and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II had been previously announced and are both available starting today. Both games can be played straight from the cloud or downloaded to the Xbox Series X/S as well as PC across all Game Pass tiers.
F1 25 joins Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on March 4. For Ultimate subscribers, the game is already available through EA Play. F1 fans should know that EA used LiDAR to map the tracks for F1 25. Also arriving March 4 is To a T, an adventure game from the creator of Katamari Damacy about “a teen navigating small-town life with their cute dog companion.” Your character takes on these adventures while stuck in a permanent T-pose, for reasons.
The sci-fi adventure Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf launches as a day-one Game Pass release on March 5 across cloud, console, handheld and PC. Fan favorite Cyberpunk 2077 hits Game Pass Ultimate and Premium on March 10 across cloud and console. The Witcher 3, also from developer CD Projekt RED, returned to Game Pass just a couple of weeks ago.
Hollow Knight: Silksong drops on March 12 across cloud, console, handheld and PC. The highly-anticipated follow-up to the 2017 action-adventure was a day one release on Game Pass Ultimate, and will now be available on the lower Premium tier. Construction Simulator and DreamWorks Gabby’s Dollhouse: Ready to Party round out the first half of the month on March 10 and March 17, respectively.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/game-pass-additions-for-march-include-cyberpunk-2077-and-f1-25-171433874.html?src=rss
Specialized has launched its new Cotton TLR race tyre, which is said to be the new favourite of its sponsored pro riders.
The brand says in testing, six initial pairs were made available to Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe team riders, and claims they refused to return them, such was the positive feedback.
Of course, these riders would only have been comparing the tyres to what was previously available – S-Works Turbo tubeless tyres and the brand’s Cotton Folding Racing Only tyre, which requires a tube to run.
That said, the tyres have been raced in plain sight since the 2025 Tour de France, and most recently at 2026’s Opening Weekend races, indicating the claim is more than simply marketing bluster.
The Cotton TLR tyre features a 320TPI (threads-per-inch) polycotton casing, layered over with Specialized’s established Gripton T2 and T5 compounds.
Specialized says the use of polyester as “the core” of the casing, with cotton fibres functioning as a “wrap”, delivers the tear resistance and strength needed, while the cotton material offers the desired ride feel and flexibility.
This material approach differs from Vittoria, for example, which uses aramid fibres in conjunction with cotton in its Corsa Pro TLR line tyres.
In theory, polyester is more elastic than aramid (albeit aramid is used commonly to improve puncture protection), which Specialized suggests helps the Cotton TLR tyres deliver peak suppleness and smoothness on a given road.
Specialized also says its Gripton T2 and T5 compounds produce the grip racers need in changing conditions – the low-rolling resistance T2 compound applied at the smooth centre strip, and the grippier T5 compound on the textured shoulders.
It’s worth noting that despite references to the Cotton TLR being faster than previous-generation cotton-cased tyres, Specialized doesn’t offer any data to back up the claim.
The Specialized Mondo TLR tyre (among others) uses a similar compound distribution, and is among our most highly rated all-season tyres. It has also been raced at the highest level.
That said, the Cotton TLR tyre is designed purely for racing and “enthusiast” use, with Specialized stating it’s not suitable for “all-season riders seeking high durability” or those “expecting puncture-proof endurance”.
The Cotton TLR tyre is compatible with hookless rims (despite sibling components brand Roval’s latest high-performance wheels featuring a hooked design), and is available in 700×28, 30 and 32c sizes, weighing from a claimed 280g, and priced at £85 / $109.99 / €99.
Today, Apple updated the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air with support for its new M5 chips. It also unveiled a pair of all-new Studio Display XDR monitors. Longtime Slashdot reader jizmonkey shares details about the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which look to be fairly major updates from the previous generation: Apple announced its newest CPUs today, which it claims has the fastest single-threaded performance in the world. Both the M5 Pro and M5 Max have eighteen-core designs, versus twelve or fourteen in the M4 Pro and fourteen or sixteen in the M4 Max. However, the number of higher-performing cores has been reduced significantly. In the older M4 designs, the chips had eight, ten, or twelve “performance” cores and four “efficiency” cores. In the M5 design, there are now only six higher-performing cores (now called “super” cores) and twelve lower-performing cores (now called “performance” cores). [Apple positions this “reduction” as a redesigned architecture with new core types.] The maximum amount of RAM remains the same at 128GB for the M5 Max (64GB for the M5 Pro), and GPU performance has increased. [The M5 Pro features up to a 20-core GPU, while the M5 Max scales up to 40 cores, each equipped with a Neural Accelerator. Apple also says the new architecture delivers over 4x peak GPU compute for AI compared to the previous generation, along with up to 35 percent faster performance in ray-traced graphics workloads.] Laptops with the new chips are available to order starting tomorrow and will be delivered starting March 11. As for the new XDR monitors, MacRumors highlights some of the key features in its reporting: Apple today introduced an all-new Studio Display XDR monitor with a 27-inch screen, mini-LED backlighting, 5K resolution, peak brightness of 2,000 nits for HDR content, up to a 120Hz refresh rate, Thunderbolt 5, and more. The new Studio Display XDR replaces Apple’s former Pro Display XDR, which has been discontinued. Going forward, there are now two Studio Display models.
Both new Studio Display models have the same overall design as the original model. Both models have a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, but it now supports Desk View on the new models. Both models also feature an upgraded six-speaker system, with Apple advertising “30 percent deeper bass” compared to the previous model. Only the higher-end Studio Display XDR received a 120Hz refresh rate, mini-LED backlighting, increased brightness, and faster 140W pass-through charging. The regular Studio Display still has a 60Hz refresh rate and up to 600 nits of brightness. Both models have 27-inch displays with a 5K resolution.
The new Studio Displays can be pre-ordered starting Wednesday, March 4, ahead of a Wednesday, March 11 launch. In the U.S., the regular Studio Display continues to start at $1,599, while the Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
In this article, you’ll learn how to install and use MediaWiki on Ubuntu 24.04 with a step-by-step guide from installation to configuration.
Specifically, CBP says the data was in part sourced via real-time
bidding, or RTB. Whenever an advertisement is displayed inside an
app, a near instantaneous bidding process happens with companies
vying to have their advert served to a certain demographic. A side
effect of this is that surveillance firms, or rogue advertising
companies working on their behalf, can observe this process and
siphon information about mobile phones, including their
location. All of this is essentially invisible to an ordinary phone
user, but happens constantly.
We should note that the minimal advertising shown on LWN is not delivered
via this bidding system.
The unique and highly addictive roguelike Blue Prince is now available for Switch 2, as announced at today’s Nintendo Indie World Showcase. This version allows for mouse control, via the underutilized Joy-Con feature.
This is a wonderfully designed puzzle game that oozes atmosphere. The game tasks players with exploring a gigantic mansion, but there’s a twist. You actually build this mansion as you explore, room by room. This is done by placing what can only be described as magical blueprints.
The goal is to fully explore the mansion and solve its many, many mysteries. However, there are only so many blueprints and too many obstacles. This is where the roguelike part comes in. When you build yourself into a dead end, you go to sleep and end the run. All of the rooms reset, but you may have learned a thing or two for the next run. Rinse and repeat.
It’s a very nifty gameplay loop, which is why it easily found a spot on Engadget’s list of our favorite games from 2025. We even called it a masterpiece, which is deserved. In other words, this is a fantastic addition to the Nintendo eShop.
I only have one small gripe. This is a gorgeous game, but that’s primarily due to the art direction and overall vibe. Why is it a Switch 2 exclusive? It seems like the OG Switch could handle it. In any event, this version is priced at $30 but has been discounted to $20 for launch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/blue-prince-is-out-on-switch-2-today-complete-with-mouse-control-162242506.html?src=rss
There is two weeks to go until the GNOME 50 stable release while out today is the release candidate of Mutter 50. This Mutter 50.rc release brings some exciting last-minute enhancements to this Wayland compositor…
Pivot’s newest XC bike is the revamped Mach 4 SL. Gone is the choice between two models (short and long travel), replaced by a single version with adjustable travel between 110mm and 120mm.
Rear suspension is delivered by Dave Weagle’s venerable DW-link design.
The V4 includes down-tube storage that, along with the increase in travel from 95-115mm on the previous bike, should make this a more trail-friendly and versatile bike than the outgoing V3.
Cross-country bikes have been seeing a gradual increase in travel and aggressive geometry in recent years, so it’s interesting to see the new Mach 4 SL following suit.
Although officially labelled an XC bike by Pivot, it could easily demolish trail centres as a downcountry bike, too.
Previous versions of the Mach 4 were offered in either short- or long-travel guises. The former, 95mm/103mm-travel, bike was supplied with a 100mm-travel fork and aimed at XC and marathon racing on less technical tracks. The latter 106mm/115mm-travel bike had a 120mm fork and was aimed at more technical XC racing and downcountry riding.
Pivot has done away with this, now offering one frame configuration with longer travel adjustable between 110mm and 120mm – 5mm more than the outgoing model, even in it’s longest-travel setting.
The inclusion of down-tube storage makes the new bike even more trail- and downcountry-friendly than the more race-focused V3.
The head angle is an aggressive two degrees slacker than the old Mach 4 SL’s 68-degree head angle.
The bottom bracket height is slightly higher, at 336mm (compared to the outgoing version’s 329mm), but due to the increased rear-wheel travel, expect the dynamic geometry (when the bike is under sag) to be very similar.
There are five sizes on offer: XS, S, M, L and XL. Reach starts at 410mm and goes up to 495mm for the XL, while the wheelbase measures 1,131mm for the XS and 1,236mm for the XL.
There are four models: Team, Pro, Expert and Ride. The Ride starts at $6,399 and prices rise to $13,999 for the top-spec Team model. The Mach 4 SL is available in Blue Stellar Fade and White Avalanche colourways.
There are both RockShox and a Fox-equipped Team-build models available. The Team XX SL Eagle Transmission model has Fox Factory suspension and SRAM XX SL Eagle Transmission.
The Team XX SL Eagle Transmission Flight Attendant bike comes with RockShox Flight Attendant suspension from the SID Ultimate fork and unconfirmed model of RockShox shock, and XX SL Eagle Transmission.
The Pro build has Fox Factory suspension and SRAM’s X0 Eagle Transmission.
The Expert build has Shimano XT Di2 shifting and Fox Performance suspension.
The Ride model is the most budget-conscious, with a Fox Performance 34 Step-Cast fork, Performance Float shock and SRAM Eagle 70/90 mechanical Transmission.
A frame-only option is also available for riders wanting to build their own ideal setup,
There are four models available, including two Team builds and a frame-only option.
Indeed, the X300 Ultra will be an imaging beast with its onboard 200-megapixel telephoto sensor (likely a Sony IMX90E), which
Team Not Pogi is bringing the chaos, tactics, and punchy brutality of the Spring Classics to Watopia and beyond with a three-race themed series designed to replicate the character of the biggest one-day races in cycling.
Inspired by Tuscany’s gravel sectors, this race is about rhythm and resilience. Rolling terrain, punchy climbs, and repeated efforts make positioning everything. Three laps of Two Village Loop will be relentless without being predictable. Expect splits to form early and selection to happen naturally as the elastic stretches and snaps.
A longer, endurance-style classic with a sting in the tail. Dust in the Wind rewards patience as much as power. Riders who burn too many matches early may find themselves isolated when it matters most. This is one for the tacticians and late attackers.
Shorter on paper. Brutal in reality. Richmond’s UCI Worlds course delivers sharp climbs and constant pressure, perfectly suited to a Flanders-style showdown. Expect explosive racing, repeated accelerations, and no place to hide in the finale.
The Supreme Court of the United States declined to review a case challenging the U.S. Copyright Office’s stance that AI-generated works lack the required human authorship for copyright protection, leaving lower court rulings intact. The Verge reports: The Monday decision comes after Stephen Thaler, a computer scientist from Missouri, appealed a court’s decision to uphold a ruling that found AI-generated art can’t be copyrighted. In 2019, the U.S. Copyright Office rejected Thaler’s request to copyright an image, called A Recent Entrance to Paradise, on behalf of an algorithm he created. The Copyright Office reviewed the decision in 2022 and determined that the image doesn’t include “human authorship,” disqualifying it from copyright protection.
After Thaler appealed the decision, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled in 2023 that “human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright.” That ruling was later upheld in 2025 by a federal appeals court in Washington, DC. As reported by Reuters, Thaler asked the Supreme Court to review the ruling in October 2025, arguing it “created a chilling effect on anyone else considering using AI creatively.” The U.S. federal circuit court also determined that AI systems can’t patent inventions because they aren’t human, which the U.S. Patent Office reaffirmed in 2024 with new guidance. The UK Supreme Court made a similar determination.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Cervélo has launched its all-new Caledonia endurance bike, bringing with it some of the improvements that debuted on last year’s brilliant but pricey Caledonia 5.
The new Caledonia sits at the sportier end of the endurance spectrum and looks to be a key rival to purist long-distance bikes such as Giant’s svelte Defy and Cannondale’s aero and well-equipped Synapse.
The key upgrades to the Caledonia design for the latest model are a lighter construction, bigger tyre clearance, a practical threaded bottom bracket and clever internal routing that enables cockpit swaps without splitting brake hoses.
However, for me, the biggest deal about the New Caledonia is it’ll be available from £3,000 / $3,200 / €2,999 for the 12-speed 105 model, up to a SRAM Force/Reserve carbon-wheel equipped flagship for £5,250 / $6,850 / €6,499.
Cervélo has worked on the carbon fibre layup of the Caledonia’s frame, resulting in improved head-tube and bottom-bracket stiffness, while increasing compliance thanks to a reshaped seat tube and shaving 53g from the frame weight.
That brings the Caledonia frame under the 1kg mark, dropping from the original’s claimed 1,031g (painted, size 54) to around 988g. Like the 5, the frame gets removable mudguard/fender mounts.
Unlike the Caledonia 5, the standard Caledonia doesn’t have the clever down-tube storage.
The Caledonia has been brought in line with the Caledonia 5, with a larger 36mm clearance – or 34mm with fenders/mudguards.
In what’s now becoming an industry-wide shift away from press-fit bottom brackets, the Caledonia has made the switch to the ubiquitous T47 threaded bottom bracket standard.
Unlike its electronic-only sibling, the Caledonia 5, the new bike has mechanic-friendly routing. This supports both the high-end fully integrated Cervélo setup (ST31/32, HB18) as found on the Caledonia 5, Áspero 5 and Soloist, and semi-external routing with a standard 1 1/8-inch interface, meaning it’s compatible with many aftermarket stems.
Being able to switch out the stem without splitting brake hoses also makes for a bike that’s easier to pack for travel. It should make the Caledonia a fine companion for bucket-list overseas sportives or Gran Fondos.
Cervélo has evolved the geometry and the fork trail to accommodate larger tyres, while maintaining the speed-oriented but comfortable geometry. That means a 72-degree head angle, short 415mm chainstays and mid-length wheelbase.
The New Caledonia shares its geometry with the Caledonia 5 – a bike with wonderfully reactive handling – while feeling stable and smooth over rougher surfaces.
The Caledonia range consists of four bikes. The base model has Shimano 105 mechanical, moving up to 105 Di2, then SRAM Rival and topping out with SRAM Force and carbon wheels.
All models are available in six sizes: 48/51/54/56/58/61cm.
Most of Apple’s laptop lineup is getting refreshed today—the high-end MacBook Pros are getting M5 Pro and M5 Max chip refreshes, and the MacBook Air is getting upgraded with an M5.
The more significant update might be the storage, though: Apple is bumping the Air’s base storage from 256GB up to 512GB, and Apple says the storage will be up to twice as fast as the M4 MacBook Air.
But that’s also increasing the Air’s starting price from $999 to $1,099 for the 13-inch model, and from $1,199 to $1,299 for the 15-inch model. Whether you describe this as a price increase or a price cut depends on your point of view; the 512GB version of the M4 MacBook Air would have cost you $1,199. But for people who just want the cheapest Air and don’t particularly care about the specs, the pricing is now $100 higher than it was before.
Apple is offering two versions of the M5 in the new Airs: one with 8 GPU cores enabled, and one with all 10 GPU cores enabled. Upgrading to the fully-enabled chip will run you an extra $100, and you’ll also need to have the fully-enabled chip to step up to the 24GB or 32GB RAM upgrades or the 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB storage upgrades. All versions of the M5 include a total of four high-performance cores—now dubbed “super cores”—and six efficiency cores.
An Apple N1 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip rounds out the internal upgrades.
Like the other products Apple has announced so far this week, the new MacBook Airs will be available for pre-order on March 4, and you’ll be able to get them on March 11.
The new MacBook Airs are part of a string of announcements that Apple is making this week in the run-up to a “special experience” event on Wednesday morning. So far, the company has also announced a new iPhone 17e, an updated iPad Air with an M4 chip and additional RAM, new MacBook Pros, and updated Studio Displays.
In the sea of large 6.5-inch