Tech layoffs: Amazon, Intel to cut more jobs amid AI push, cost control
Amazon has cut hundreds of AWS jobs amid wider tech layoffs, with Intel, Microsoft, and TikTok also reducing staff to curb costs and prioritize AI. Amazon's CEO warned AI will impact office roles. Intel plans 5,500 U.S. cuts, Microsoft trims 4% of staff, and TikTok restructures its ecommerce division.
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First Post
29 minutes ago
- First Post
Microsoft bars China-based engineers from Pentagon support after US scrutiny
Microsoft, a key contractor for the US government, has previously experienced high-profile breaches by Chinese and Russian hackers. It said that it had disclosed its arrangements with China-based personnel to the government read more Microsoft said it will no longer allow engineers based in China to provide technical assistance for US military cloud computing systems, following a report that raised concerns over potential cybersecurity threats and prompted a high-level review by the Pentagon. The move comes after investigative outlet ProPublica published a report detailing how Chinese engineers had been involved in supporting the Pentagon's cloud infrastructure, under the supervision of American 'digital escorts'. These escorts, employed via subcontractors and holding security clearances, were reportedly often not equipped with the technical expertise to detect cybersecurity risks posed by the Chinese engineers' work. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Microsoft, a key contractor for the US government, has previously experienced high-profile breaches by Chinese and Russian hackers. It told ProPublica that it had disclosed its arrangements with China-based personnel during the government's authorisation process. Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw said on the social media platform X that the company had modified its procedures 'in response to concerns raised earlier this week … to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance' for services supporting the Pentagon. Review launched, senator raises alarm Earlier on Friday, Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and chair of the Senate intelligence committee, sent a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding clarification on Microsoft's reported practices. Cotton, who also serves on the armed services committee, requested a list of contractors using Chinese personnel and more detail on how digital escorts are trained to identify suspicious activities. 'The US government recognises that China's cyber capabilities pose one of the most aggressive and dangerous threats to the United States, as evidenced by infiltration of our critical infrastructure, telecommunications networks, and supply chains,' Cotton wrote. He added that the military 'must guard against all potential threats within its supply chain, including those from subcontractors'. In a video statement posted on X, Hegseth said he had ordered a two-week review to ensure that no China-based engineers were involved in other Department of Defence cloud contracts. 'I'm announcing that China will no longer have any involvement whatsoever in our cloud services, effective immediately,' Hegseth said. 'We will continue to monitor and counter all threats to our military infrastructure and online networks.'
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns of AI superintelligence outpacing Earth's energy limits: 'Chips will outrun power needs'
Bloomberg Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has issued a stark warning: the real limit to AI's growth isn't technology—it's electricity. As companies chase artificial general intelligence, their energy demands are skyrocketing. As the world marvels at the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence—writing code, diagnosing illnesses, even composing symphonies—an unexpected crisis is taking shape behind the scenes. The real limit to AI's growth, it turns out, may not be algorithms or microchips but something far more elemental: electricity. In a striking episode of the Moonshots podcast, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt offered a sobering assessment of the future of AI. 'AI's natural limit is electricity, not chips,' he declared. Schmidt, who now chairs the Special Competitive Studies Project, a pro-AI think tank, explained that the U.S. alone may need an additional 92 gigawatts of power to sustain its AI ambitions—a demand equivalent to building 92 nuclear power plants. For perspective, only two such plants have been constructed in the U.S. over the past three decades. As companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and Google sprint toward artificial general intelligence (AGI)—machines with reasoning capabilities that rival or surpass human intelligence—their growing appetite for energy is becoming impossible to ignore. 'We need energy in all forms… and we need it quickly,' Schmidt emphasized during a recent testimony before Congress. This is not just a theoretical concern. Microsoft has already signed a 20-year nuclear power deal to revive the shuttered Three Mile Island facility, while Sam Altman of OpenAI has invested heavily in Helion, a fusion energy startup. Meanwhile, tech companies are snapping up water rights and power contracts in a desperate bid to keep their servers cool and their models humming. In fact according to a report from Quartz, Microsoft's 2023 environmental report revealed a 34% spike in water use, totaling 1.7 billion gallons—just to cool its AI-driven data centers. By 2027, AI workloads could require enough water to serve all of Canada for a year, according to researchers. This surge in energy and resource consumption is igniting broader fears. Environmental groups like Greenpeace warn that AI's unchecked growth could derail national and international climate goals. And yet, the lure of 'superintelligence'—AI so advanced it could transform medicine, law, defense, and scientific research—is too great for companies and investors to resist. 'We don't know what AGI or superintelligence will ultimately deliver,' Schmidt admitted, 'but we know it's coming. And we must plan now to make sure we have the energy infrastructure to support it.' The tension is real. On one hand, AI promises to solve global challenges. On the other, its development could strain—and possibly break—the very systems it aims to improve. The irony is poignant: machines designed to think like humans may one day need more power than humanity can afford to give. AI has long been portrayed as the brain of the future. But Eric Schmidt's warning makes it clear: without electricity, there's no intelligence—artificial or otherwise. As society edges closer to superintelligence, perhaps the more pressing question isn't how smart our machines will become, but whether we'll have enough power to keep them running.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns of AI superintelligence outpacing Earth's energy limits: 'Chips will outrun power needs'
As the world marvels at the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence—writing code, diagnosing illnesses, even composing symphonies—an unexpected crisis is taking shape behind the scenes. The real limit to AI's growth, it turns out, may not be algorithms or microchips but something far more elemental: electricity. In a striking episode of the Moonshots podcast, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt offered a sobering assessment of the future of AI. 'AI's natural limit is electricity, not chips,' he declared. Schmidt, who now chairs the Special Competitive Studies Project, a pro-AI think tank, explained that the U.S. alone may need an additional 92 gigawatts of power to sustain its AI ambitions—a demand equivalent to building 92 nuclear power plants . For perspective, only two such plants have been constructed in the U.S. over the past three decades. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Data Science others Project Management MBA Operations Management Digital Marketing MCA Others Data Science Degree Public Policy Artificial Intelligence healthcare PGDM Data Analytics Technology Leadership Design Thinking Healthcare Management Finance Cybersecurity Product Management CXO Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK DABS India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIT Madras CERT-IITM Advanced Cert Prog in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Postgraduate Cert in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Prof Cert in DS & BA with GenAI India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 30 Weeks IIM Kozhikode SEPO - IIMK-AI for Senior Executives India Starts on undefined Get Details The Silent Race for Power As companies like OpenAI , Microsoft , Meta, and Google sprint toward artificial general intelligence (AGI)—machines with reasoning capabilities that rival or surpass human intelligence—their growing appetite for energy is becoming impossible to ignore. 'We need energy in all forms… and we need it quickly,' Schmidt emphasized during a recent testimony before Congress. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Senior Living Homes in Trishal May Surprise You Senior Living | Search Ads Undo This is not just a theoretical concern. Microsoft has already signed a 20-year nuclear power deal to revive the shuttered Three Mile Island facility, while Sam Altman of OpenAI has invested heavily in Helion, a fusion energy startup. Meanwhile, tech companies are snapping up water rights and power contracts in a desperate bid to keep their servers cool and their models humming. In fact according to a report from Quartz, Microsoft's 2023 environmental report revealed a 34% spike in water use, totaling 1.7 billion gallons—just to cool its AI-driven data centers. By 2027, AI workloads could require enough water to serve all of Canada for a year, according to researchers. You Might Also Like: What is Artificial Super-intelligence? Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns AI will soon outsmart humanity and we are not ready A Global Brain with a Local Cost This surge in energy and resource consumption is igniting broader fears. Environmental groups like Greenpeace warn that AI's unchecked growth could derail national and international climate goals. And yet, the lure of 'superintelligence'—AI so advanced it could transform medicine, law, defense, and scientific research—is too great for companies and investors to resist. 'We don't know what AGI or superintelligence will ultimately deliver,' Schmidt admitted, 'but we know it's coming. And we must plan now to make sure we have the energy infrastructure to support it.' The tension is real. On one hand, AI promises to solve global challenges. On the other, its development could strain—and possibly break—the very systems it aims to improve. The irony is poignant: machines designed to think like humans may one day need more power than humanity can afford to give. AI has long been portrayed as the brain of the future. But Eric Schmidt's warning makes it clear: without electricity, there's no intelligence—artificial or otherwise. As society edges closer to superintelligence, perhaps the more pressing question isn't how smart our machines will become, but whether we'll have enough power to keep them running. You Might Also Like: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt sounds alarm on AI data centers' soaring power demand: 'We need energy in all forms'
