Data centres

A talk on Homa, a transport protocol designed to replace TCP in modern data centres, is drawing attention. Homa is a receiver-driven protocol aimed at cutting tail latency and improving performance in machine learning clusters, where traffic patterns differ sharply from those TCP was built for.

A new service offering RSS feeds for Last.fm has been launched, letting users track music activity through a feed reader again. The tool taps into Last.fm's scrobbling data so listeners can follow friends' listening habits or their own history without checking the site. Discussion online centres on whether the once-popular platform still has an audience for such features.

Analysts estimate the AI industry would need to generate roughly $6 trillion in annual revenue by 2031 to justify the massive wave of data centre investment now underway. The figure highlights the widening gap between the hundreds of billions being spent on computing infrastructure and the revenues AI products currently bring in, fuelling debate about whether the spending resembles a bubble.

Developers have shared a new MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for scraping Google Maps, letting AI assistants query business listings, locations and reviews directly. The tool was posted on Hacker News under the Show HN label, where it drew modest attention. Discussion centres on its usefulness for lead generation and local data workflows, and on the legality of scraping Google Maps.

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research and Ocean Networks Canada have begun a project to map seafloor basalt formations, creating reference data for carbon capture and storage. The work aims to improve understanding of sub-seafloor basalt as a potential site for permanently storing CO2, supporting the growing field of offshore carbon storage research.

Marvell Technology says cloud service providers increasingly need custom chips rather than off-the-shelf processors, positioning the company to supply bespoke silicon for hyperscalers' data centre and AI workloads. The claim underscores the growing shift among major cloud operators toward designing their own semiconductors with merchant vendors.

Morgan Stanley says a growing power shortage tied to the AI boom is squeezing the chip supply chain, but Nvidia and Broadcom are largely protected from the impact. The bank's note suggests surging electricity demand from data centres is becoming a constraint on chip production and deployment, while the two leading AI chip designers are positioned to weather the crunch better than the rest of the industry.

Activists campaigning against artificial intelligence companies are moving beyond petitions and lawsuits toward direct action, under the slogan 'pull the plug', according to a Guardian report. The piece examines protests targeting AI firms' infrastructure and operations, reflecting growing public frustration over data centres, energy use and the pace of AI development, and prompting debate over whether such tactics will influence the industry.

A new report reviews the performance of stabilization centres treating severe acute malnutrition in South Sudan between January and June 2026. The assessment examines how well the centres managed cases of children with life-threatening malnutrition, a persistent crisis in the country driven by conflict, displacement and food insecurity. Aid agencies are expected to use the findings to adjust nutrition treatment programmes.

Investors are debating whether the AI-driven memory chip supercycle that has boosted Micron Technology's sales and share price can continue past 2026. The discussion centres on whether demand for high-bandwidth memory from AI data centres will outlast current capacity expansions, or whether a typical memory glut will follow. Analysts remain divided on pricing, supply growth and long-term margins.

Forbes argues that in the AI industry, spending and valuations measured in billions have become the basic unit of account, with billion-dollar sums now treated as trivially small investments. The piece reflects growing attention to the enormous capital commitments behind AI models, chips and data centres, and debate over whether the outlays can ever pay off.

The Guardian reports that activists campaigning against artificial intelligence companies are shifting from demonstrations to direct action, with the rallying cry 'pull the plug'. The story highlights growing resistance to the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and data centres, as protesters attempt to disrupt the industry's operations rather than merely voice opposition.

AMD says demand for its chips from artificial intelligence customers is growing faster than the company can supply them. The shortage highlights how AI infrastructure spending continues to outpace manufacturing capacity across the semiconductor industry, with implications for data centre buildouts and AMD's ability to compete with Nvidia in AI accelerators.

Google has launched prototype satellites carrying its AI chips to test whether data centres could one day operate in orbit. The experiment aims to assess whether space-based computing, powered by solar energy, could reduce terrestrial energy demands and support the huge power needs of AI. The move puts Google in direct comparison with rivals exploring similar orbital computing concepts.