GoKawiilA global shortage of memory chips is forcing researchers to get creative. Plus, China’s plans to become the global tech leader and the AI arms race unfolding in lecture halls.
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You snooze, you lose: young killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) that take daytime naps have relatively short lives. Credit: Andrew Brodhead/Stanford Univ.
The sleep patterns and activity levels of African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) can be used to predict how long the fish will live. Researchers studied a group of killifish from adolescence to death and found that young fish that spent more of their waking hours being active tended to live longer than did more-sluggish fish. Young fish that only slept during evening hours also reached a riper age than did those that snoozed during the day. The findings hint that even early-adulthood behaviour can predict future lifespan, says neuroscientist Agustín Ibáñez.
Nature | 5 min read
Reference: Science paper
The voracious demand for high-speed random access memory (RAM) chips for use in artificial-intelligence systems has driven a global shortage — making it more difficult for some researchers to get their hands on them. This ‘RAMmageddon’ has caused the prices of such chips to soar, pricing out laboratories that are already struggling with tight budgets. The shortage could also push researchers to develop more efficient algorithms and hardware that need less memory. It could take manufacturers 18 months or more to ramp up chip supply, experts say.
Nature | 5 min read
China is pledging to use ‘extraordinary measures’ to support the country's bid to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, quantum technology and other cutting-edge technological fields, according to its latest five-year plan. The plan also doubles down on the government’s long-term goal of becoming more self-sufficient by making technologies, such as advanced semiconductor chips, domestically. The confident tone of the plan marks a shift in sentiment among Chinese science policymakers, who five years ago viewed the country as in need of catching up to the United States rather than leading it, says information scientist Meicen Sun.
Nature | 5 min read
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