The Register Kettle

For this latest The Register's Kettle, Jessica Lyons explains the security threat from China, Brandon Vigliarolo covers the bizarre case of an American nuclear missile base blocking a Chinese coin mining operation, and Tom Claburn adds his experience to the debate, hosted by Iain Thomson. 

The latest episode of The Register's Kettle security editor Jessica Lyons gives the inside scoop on the show - having pounded the floors for news nuggets, Brandon Vigliarolo adds pithy comment, our editor Chris Williams sketches out the big picture, and your host Iain Thomson dove into some of the gloomier aspects of the show.

Buying $110B of your own stock is legal, but isn't a good look.It's earnings season and Apple showed less-than-stellar performance over the second quarter of 2024, but had a solution.Was it to invest in the next must-have tech gadget? Maybe build its own AI model or search engine so that it doesn't have to rely on Google's technology in those areas? No, it was to spend $110 billion on its own shares - the largest share buyback in American history and a movie that the markets loved.But - as we discuss in the Kettle you can watch below -stock buybacks (a practice that used to be illegal until the 1980s) are a bit of a red flag. When tech companies stop investing in development and start slashing the cash on buy their own shares - we're looking at you IBM, Intel, Google, Boeing etc…

Companies are increasing prices in the technology industry to drive profits, even when there is no significant cost pressure.The AI and GPU market may be heading towards a bubble, with companies financing themselves through loans using depreciating assets as collateral.Customers face challenges in managing costs and navigating vendor pricing, especially when migrating to the cloud.Open source solutions may offer an alternative to control costs, but there are challenges in maintaining and securing these solutions.

Intel is introducing Gaudi 3, its competitor to Nvidia's AI hardware. While Gaudi 3 may not look impressive on paper, Intel claims it can go toe to toe with Nvidia in most AI workloads. However, Intel will need to step up its game in the next year to stay competitive, especially with the upcoming release of Blackwell, which is expected to be much faster than Gaudi 3. Google is also entering the AI hardware market with its ARM-based CPU, joining other cloud providers in offering ARM designs. The cost of AI and the sustainability of the infrastructure are still uncertain.

Joining the show this week is Thomas Claburn, who covered the original story, The Register's security editor Jessica Lyons, as well as editor in chief (and open source coder) Chris Williams with the host Iain Thomson.This episode was produced by Brandon Vigliarolo.

AI is playing a significant role in the financial success of big tech companies, particularly in the advertising sector.Google's use of AI to improve advertising campaigns for small businesses highlights the importance of AI in its future business.AMD's AI accelerator is expected to contribute significantly to its bottom line and position the company as a strong competitor in the AI market.Intel faces challenges in the AI market, including manufacturing issues and competition from Qualcomm.The adoption of AI in business processes requires careful consideration of risks and the need for trust and scrutiny in AI models.

00:00 Boeing's Troubles03:57 Tesla Cybertruck Issues05:34 Microsoft Copilot08:05 Concerns about AI in Software Development13:18 Tesla's Disappointing Numbers

Get yourself a cup of your favorite brew and enjoy about 18 minutes of El Reg hacks with more than 100 years of technology experience between them going through the highs and lows of yesteryear systems.

This week, the incredible scandal that is the UK's Post Office Horizon computer system, that ruined people's lives, finally exploded into the mainstream. This week we discuss how and why public-sector IT projects go off the rails, and what could be done to prevent it.

Believe us, we wish there was a simple solution that could stop ransomware dead in its tracks for good. But there is no such solution, no matter what someone might tell you or sell you. There is a debate to be had over the effectiveness of ransom payment demands, and whether a ban would work. Today we discuss that, the deplorable tactics criminals are turning to to put extra pressure on victims, and more.

Takeaways The New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft is a significant case in the copyright issues surrounding AI.Bringing AI companies to account for copyright infringement is a complex and ongoing challenge.Different countries have different approaches to AI copyright, with China recognizing AI-generated images for copyright protection.The complexity of copyright laws and the interplay with AI technology require new legislation to address the issues.The future of AI copyright is uncertain, and it may take years to reach a resolution.

Over the last week AMD has been extolling the virtues of its latest kit, including the MI300 which Su's crew claim is the fastest AI processing package on the market.The market for AI accelerators is projected to reach $400 billion by 2027 and Nvidia and AMD are the two biggest ponies in the race. With a forecast $400 billion in sales up for grabs in the next four years, this could be a very lucrative duopoly unless someone else shakes up the market.Which is going to be difficult, since it's not just a matter of building a faster processor. Memory is much more important for AI workloads and packaging the units is also a major bottleneck that suppliers are struggling to deal with. As it is almost all of 2024's chip runs from both partners have probably been reserved by customers.The Next Platform's co-editor Timothy Prickett Morgan and The Register's own Tobias Mann were both on the ground in Santa Clara for the launches and share their take on the new technology, and how the market is going to develop. It's clear the supply shortage isn't going to clear in the next year or so, and are AMD and Nvidia in a rush to see things change? Warning: May contain sarcasm.Moderation is provided by The Register's US editor Iain Thomson and the show, and its accompanying podcast, is by our Deputy Editor in Chief (and The Next Platform's co-founder) Nicole Hemsoth Prickett. If you'd like to catch up on earlier editions there's an archive here.

The shift to hybrid working is going to have massive repercussions, not only on the lives of laborers but on interpersonal relationships, city structures, commercial real estate and the pension funds that depend on it, and the lives of billions. Many employees - particularly new ones - have sometimes never met their coworkers and so lack the crucial knowledge that only comes from personal contact.There are also security concerns about more staff being remote, although earlier predictions of a criminals' field day appear not to have borne fruit. These and other issues on this shift to a fully hybrid model are chewed over by four Register vultures. Full disclosure: We're all working from home today.Joining us from the UK in his man shed at the bottom of the garden is Richard Speed, security editor Jessica Lyons Hardcastle shares her experiences, and remote devotee Brandon Vigliarolo. Moderating is Iain Thomson and you can get the audio-only podcast version on your usual channels. You can also catch up on earlier editions here. ®

The billionaire tycoon was irate that Apple, IBM, Comcast, and others have pulled their ads from Twitter, aka X, and claimed this boycott could kill the social network.As journos following these big names in tech, and knowing all too well what it's like navigating the internet's seas with advertising dollars as the wind in our sails, we got together to analyze Musk's situation and outlook.On today's 16-minute show we have, clockwise from top left in the thumbnail, vultures Thomas Claburn, Brandon Vigliarolo, Chris Williams, and host Iain Thomson. 

The other day we challenged our fine Register readers to share their top technology predictions for 2024 – though with wrong answers only. The best suggestion will win an old ugly Microsoft-themed Christmas sweater.You can check out that contest here: it's got about a couple of hundred comments already, and we'll pick the winner at the end of the week. Feel free to dive in and take part. Think of it as an antidote to all the bleedin' obvious IT forecasts we're about to be buried in as the year draws to a close.For this latest Kettle, we decided to go through some of our favorite reader submissions so far – there's no final decision yet – make a few of our own terrible predictions for the next 12 months, and generally blow off some steam about this year's news.

By now you've probably all seen the drama at OpenAI unfolding: CEO Sam Altman being fired by the board, attempts to woo him back, attempts by Microsoft to hire him and his staff, who have threatened to quit.We've summarized the situation here, though as it's a fast-moving, evolving story, anything could happen in the next half hour. We got out vultures together to analyze what this means for OpenAI and Microsoft users, what this means for AI in general, and more.You can replay our catch-up below – or listen in via your favorite podcast distributor: RSS and MP3, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and Google.On today's show we have Iain Thomson as the host, Chris Williams, Brandon Vigliarolo, Tobias Mann, and Drew Cullen. This episode was produced and edited by Nicole Hemsoth Prickett. You can find previous Kettle shows right here. ®

The last two US administration have been steadily ratcheting up the limits of what kind of chips can be sold in China over fears that the hardware, and the equipment to make it domestically, could help support Chinese military and AI systems. With a lot of diplomatic arm twisting other countries were persuaded to join in and this month the US banned more types of chip sales.That said, some manufacturers aren't exactly playing ball and are designing chipsets slightly below the allowed limits, but which can also be purchased in bulk and used at scale - something China has proved adept at. There's also sanctions busting, to ease short-term pressures in some cases. You can see the whole session below.However, in the long term it looks inevitable that China will develop its own advanced chip technology, given the many billions it has invested in the project. It's like a question of when, not if, and it's a slightly extended Kettle as there's a lot to cover..Clockwise from the top left we have Tobias Mann, Chris Williams, Simon Sharwood, and Iain Thomson. Our producers were Nicole Hemsoth Prickett and junior producer, Mia Prickett (5) who thinks Simon talks funny. 

Far gone are the days when a car was a dumb machine you turned on and drove from A to B. Today it's a smartphone on wheels, and your data is possibly being taken for a ride.In a judgment affecting multiple class-action lawsuits, a US court has ruled automakers can harvest the data exchanged when owners sync their phones with their car's internal systems. El Reg's Brandon Vigliarolo has the full details, and discusses it today with fellow vultures senior reporter Thomas Claburn, cybersecurity editor Jessica Lyons Hardcastle, and US editor Iain Thomson.You can replay our whole chat below – or listen in via your favorite podcast syndication channel: Apple, Amazon, Spotify, Google, etc.Such personal data is both commercially valuable, but also increasingly being sought by governments, as Jessica explains.And, outside of the Land of the Free, European privacy protections are being wielded in an attempt to curb Big Tech. Thomas has the full details after being on the case for months.Your host Iain directs the chat, and our video and audio podcasts are produced by Nicole Hemsoth Prickett. Find previous Kettle-casts here

Social networks, once thought to have all-encompassing power to change our mood or voting strategy, have been hitting wall after wall this week.On Wednesday came the news that Meta's Facebook and Instagram are facing a ban on their personalized ad business in the EU unless they sort themselves out. Meta's also under the cosh over the name for its Twitter knock-off Threads, since a British software company says it owns the UK trademark to the name Threads and isn't in a mood to settle.With KETTLE Social networks, once thought to have all-encompassing power to change our mood or voting strategy, have been hitting wall after wall this week.On Wednesday came the news that Meta's Facebook and Instagram are facing a ban on their personalized ad business in the EU unless they sort themselves out. Meta's also under the cosh over the name for its Twitter knock-off Threads, since a British software company says it owns the UK trademark to the name Threads and isn't in a mood to settle.Then of course there's Elon Musk, who was bizarrely interviewed by the British Prime Minister at the UK's AI Summit this week. Figures out this week showed the value of his social media network has dropped from $44 billion to just $19 billion - a rocketeer who sure knows how to make things crash and burn, it seems.Discussing the news, clockwise from top left in the thumb: Chris Williams, Brandon Vigliarolo, Thomas Claburn, and Iain Thomson.