Welcome, Tech Insiders! Today, we’re diving into a sharp lineup of tech developments. A new AI chip powered by Huawei is grabbing headlines, while a disturbingly clever Google-themed phishing scheme is turning heads. Let’s get into what’s shaping the digital landscape! |
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Here's What You Need to Know Today: |
- Huawei Unveils Ascend 920 AI Chip, Challenging NVIDIA’s H20
- Lotus Panda Hacks Govt Agencies, Orgs in Southeast Asia
- EU Stands Firm: Digital Rules To Apply to All, Despite Location or CEO
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Huawei’s Upcoming Ascend 920 Chip Heats Up US-China Chip Battle |
A new challenger has entered the arena … the chip arena that is. 🔥 With its upcoming Ascend 920 chip, Huawei is poised to capitalize on the AI chip market in China. This comes as U.S. companies like NVIDIA continue to face restrictions on semiconductor and chip exports to China, providing a prime opportunity for Huawei and other players to gain ground in the market. |
- Chip manufacturers like NVIDIA stand to lose up to $5.5 billion from their H20 chip due to tariffs and restrictions imposed on U.S. businesses, particularly those selling semiconductors to China.
- In response, Huawei has introduced its Ascend 920 chip as a direct alternative. It offers 900 TFLOPs per card and a 4 TB/s memory bandwidth — a significant power upgrade compared to NVIDIA’s H20 chip (with 296 TFLOPS and 4 TB/s).
- This adds another chapter to the years-long chip showdown between the U.S. and China. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have imposed export restrictions on semiconductors to China.
- The Huawei chip is expected to become available in the second half of 2025.
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Why It Matters: Huawei’s grand entry into the semiconductor fight marks significant competition for NVIDIA, especially with DeepSeek and other AI products gaining ground in the region. Given the current geopolitical landscape, this could be a massive blow to NVIDIA’s position as the current head honcho in the chip manufacturing space. And who knows? At this rate, the next great tech Cold War might be measured in TFLOPs instead of nukes. |
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Earth Day Reminds Us: AI May Be ‘Incompatible’ With Environmental Sustainability |
As the world celebrated Earth Day yesterday (yes, April 22 is Earth Day), it’s become increasingly important to ask, “How is AI affectingthe environment at large?” |
- One ChatGPT prompt used 10 terawatt-hours more electricity per year than the total used annually for Google searches.
- Training Meta’s Llama-3.1 produced the same amount of air pollution as 10,000 round trips by car between LA and New York.
- Data centers running backup generators increased overall air pollution, raising regional public health costs to upwards of $190 million a year.
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On the flip side, the report highlighted the pro-AI and tech company perspective, with supporters of AI arguing that generative AI can offset the energy resources it consumes. While the jury’s still out on the feasibility of thisAI-offset, it can’t be denied that the rise of AI is expending tons of energy worldwide. In short: AI might be smart, but it’s got the carbon footprint of a toddler joyriding a private jet. |
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The future of financial services is in the cloud – but is your organization ready to take advantage of the benefits hybrid cloud solutions offer? Join Cockroach Labs tomorrow, April 24 (10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET) for a deep dive into the role of hybrid databases in financial services. In this session, Samanee Mahbub and Morgan Winslow will discuss how hybrid cloud solutions can streamline compliance efforts, reduce operational costs, and enhance data performance. Takeaways Include: |
- Regulatory compliance (PCI-DSS, GDPR, CCPA)
- Strategies for successful data migration
- Real-world examples of hybrid cloud success in the financial industry
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China-Linked ‘Lotus Panda’ Hacks Southeast Asian Government Agencies |
China-linked hacker group Lotus Panda has been associated with attacks against several organizations and government agencies in Southeast Asia. |
According to a report from The Hacker News, citing info from a newly released Symantec report, Lotus Panda targeted countries in this region, specifically compromising: |
- A government ministry.
- An air traffic control organization.
- A telecoms operator.
- A construction company.
- A news agency.
- An air freight organization.
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According to the report, the group leveraged custom tools such as “loaders, credential stealers, and a reverse SSH tool.” This recent swath of security incidents is also believed to be a continuation of an espionage campaign that began in December 2023. Lotus Panda—also known as Lotus Blossom, Spring Dragon, Bronze Elgin, and Thrip—is a Chinese advanced persistent threat group that has long targeted Southeast Asian government and military organizations. Remind me never to poke, bother, or provoke this type of panda 🐼 |
Clever Phishing Attack Spoofs Google |
Phish, phish, go away! Take my logins another day! As reported by Bleeping Computer, a crafty phishing attack was recently spotted spoofing Google, making it appear as if the fake email was delivered from Google’s systems. Per the report, Nick Johnson, a developer of the Ethereum Name Service, received a fake email disguised as a security alert. In the email, Johnson was informed of a subpoena served to Google LLC, requiring the user to “produce a copy of [their] Google Account content.” |
Source: Nick Johnson / Bleeping Computer / Screenshot |
Fortunately, Johnson spotted the phishing attempt when they noticed the fake support portal was hosted on sites.google.com instead of the legitimate accounts.google.com. That said, this is an eerily clever spoofing. And it could fool even the most technical user. Tread carefully, friend! |
EU: Digital Rules To Be Enforced, Regardless of CEO or Location |
No special treatment here. The European Union is standing firm in enforcing its digital rulebook, emphasizing that the rules will be applied regardless of a tech company’s CEO or country of origin. |
According to Reuters, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned E.U. cases against TikTok, X, and Apple as prime examples of the E.U.'s lack of bias in enforcing the Digital Markets Act (DMA). “We apply the rules fairly, proportionally, and without bias. We don't care where a company's from and who's running it. We care about protecting people,” said von der Leyen, per a Politico quote cited in the report. Through the DMA, the E.U. has been doubling down on its regulation and strict scrutiny of tech giants to protect consumers and foster a level playing field. A recent example is Meta Platforms being fined for alleged breaches of the DMA, the GDPR, and the Digital Services Act. These fines date back to January 2023. While many companies have protested against the E.U.’s hawkeye tech oversight, it’s clear the commission is quote-unquote — Not Here to Make Friends™. But they are here to fine you. A lot. |
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| Senior Staff Writer at TechnologyAdvice |
Luis Millares is a seasoned tech writer with broad experience reviewing consumer gadgets and enterprise software, offering clear, reliable insights across the latest in technology. |
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