Why materials science is key to unlocking the next frontier of AI development

Published: 12 December 2024
Categories: MIT Tech Review

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The Intel 4004, the first commercial microprocessor, was released in 1971. With 2,300 transistors packed into 12mm2, it heralded a revolution in computing. A little over 50 years later, Apple’s M2 Ultra contains 134 billion transistors.

The scale of progress is difficult to comprehend, but the evolution of semiconductors, driven for decades by Moore’s Law, has paved a path from the emergence of personal computing and the internet to today’s AI revolution.

But this pace of innovation is not guaranteed, and the next frontier of technological advances—from the future of AI to new computing paradigms—will only happen if we think differently.

Atomic challenges

The modern microchip stretches both the limits of physics and credulity. Such is the atomic precision, that a few atoms can decide the function of an entire chip. This marvel of engineering is the result of over 50 years of

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Virginia was the top net electricity recipient of any state in 2023

Published: 12 December 2024
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS Feed Source: MIT Technology Review

In-brief analysis

December 20, 2024

Electricity routinely flows among the Lower 48 states, with almost 10% of U.S. electricity generation traded across state lines. Generation of electricity exceeds its consumption in 25 states, and excess electricity is transmitted across state lines. In 2023, utilities in Virginia brought in the most electricity from other states, with 50.1 million megawatthours (MWh) in net electricity interstate receipts, or 36% of the state’s total electricity supply. Generators in Pennsylvania moved the most electricity outside state borders in 2023, with 83.4 million MWh of power shipped out, or 26% of generation in Pennsylvania.

States are not generally involved in the operation of the electric power systems and do not select which generators run at any given time. Rather, electrical systems called balancing authorities, which often span several states, are ultimately responsible for

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Henry Hub daily natural gas spot price reached all-time lows in November

Published: 12 December 2024
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS Feed Source: MIT Technology Review

In-brief analysis

December 12, 2024

Data source: Refinitiv Eikon
Note: Prices are adjusted for inflation based on the October 2024 Consumer Price Index.

The U.S. benchmark Henry Hub daily natural gas price fell to $1.21 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) on November 8 and November 11, 2024, an all-time low in inflation-adjusted dollars. Four of the record-low daily prices when adjusting for inflation occurred in November 2024, and the remaining six occurred in 2024 as well. The Henry Hub spot price in November averaged $2.12/MMBtu, the lowest average price for that month ever when adjusting for inflation.

Robust supply and constraints on demand contributed to the record-low prices. Mild autumn weather persisted in the first half of November, limiting natural gas consumption for heating. U.S. inventories ended the injection season on October 31 at 3,922

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Study Finds Folic Acid May Protect Mothers and Children Against Liver Damage From Prenatal Chemical Exposure

Published: 11 December 2024
Categories: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Prenatal exposure to certain environmental chemicals may pose significant risks to liver health for both mothers and their newborns. But the researchers also found that treating women with folic acid and other B vitamins during pregnancy may counter some adverse effects of prenatal exposures on the livers of children.

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