Latest news with #data processing
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Morton Meyerson, Texas Businessman and Perot Lieutenant, Dies at 87
Morton Meyerson, an understated Texas businessman who helped the mercurial H. Ross Perot build Electronic Data Systems into a world-leading data processing company, and who later advised Mr. Perot during his quixotic 1992 presidential campaign, died on Monday at his home in Dallas. He was 87. His family said in an announcement that the cause was prostate cancer. Where Mr. Perot was all extravagant gestures — running for president, trying to fly food and medicine to Vietnam P.O.W.s, staging a commando raid in Iran — Mr. Meyerson was the quiet, stubborn, moneymaking computer programmer in the backroom who helped make his boss a billionaire. In 1967, barely a year after joining Electronic Data Systems, or E.D.S., he helped Mr. Perot secure and execute a critical contract to process Medicaid claims for Texas Blue Cross Blue Shield, transforming the company into a financial powerhouse. With that contract and an earlier one to process Medicare claims — the Social Security Administration would later say Mr. Perot had overcharged for it — the company's pretax profit, which had been $26,487 in 1965, rose to $2.4 million in 1968. The original five-person team Mr. Meyerson had led on the project became a 1,500-person team three years later, and the core of Mr. Perot's business. By 1979, Mr. Perot had tapped Mr. Meyerson to be the company's president. In that capacity, The New York Times wrote in 1982, 'Mr. Meyerson has broadened the customer base, and profits are up.' Mr. Perot had started E.D.S. in 1962 with a $1,000 check. In 1984, when General Motors bought the company, it had $1 billion in revenue. When Mr. Meyerson finally left E.D.S., by then under G.M.'s ownership, in 1986, 'it was the largest computer services company in the world,' he later wrote. And Mr. Perot, after years of a sometimes prickly but fruitful relationship with the computer wizard who proved to be a fount of moneymaking ideas, would call Mr. Meyerson 'the finest executive in the computer industry.' In his 1996 autobiography, 'My Life & the Principles for Success,' Mr. Perot said that Mr. Meyerson had 'bombarded us almost daily with creative ideas and changes that he thought would make the company more successful.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
03-08-2025
- CNN
On GPS: How did the hunger crisis in Gaza get so bad?
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework. The choices you make regarding the purposes and vendors listed in this notice are saved and stored locally on your device for a maximum duration of 1 year.
CNN
02-08-2025
- CNN
Iconic stretch of coastal highway offers beauty and danger. A new idea aims to make it safer
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework. The choices you make regarding the purposes and vendors listed in this notice are saved and stored locally on your device for a maximum duration of 1 year.
CNN
01-08-2025
- CNN
Watch water pour over New York train
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework. The choices you make regarding the purposes and vendors listed in this notice are saved and stored locally on your device for a maximum duration of 1 year.
Zawya
30-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
The AI revolution won't wait – and neither should we
The AI revolution is advancing at light speed around the world, impacting every industry, driving economic growth, and reshaping how we live and work. In Africa, the pace of technological adoption and innovation is inspiring—as AI-powered tools are being applied to agriculture, healthcare, finance, and much more. It's certainly no surprise, as Africa has many of the key ingredients to be a global player in data and AI: a young, tech-savvy population rich in entrepreneurial talent; established and expanding digital ecosystems (just look at mobile money, pioneered in Africa and now a global phenomenon); and ample land for building infrastructure like data centres. All this AI-related potential, however, relies on data processing —and data processing relies on energy. And, on a continent that continues to struggle with delivering reliable and affordable power, the urgency of this critical issue cannot be overstated. For example, Kenya's industrial sector alone accounts for over 50 percent of total electricity consumption, highlighting how crucial reliable power is for manufacturing and large-scale economic growth. Both the United Nations and the African Development Bank Group highlight that access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy are the lynchpin to ushering in an age of industrialisation, economic growth, and prosperity across the continent. AI is clearly not a short-term craze; it's a game-changer for the long-term that demands immense processing power. That's why hyperscale data centres are being built at a rapid pace in North America, Europe, and Asia. Used to train large AI models and operate cloud services, these facilities don't just use power, they devour it. Operating 24/7, data centres require stable, high-capacity baseload energy to keep servers running, data flowing, and cooling systems functioning. Globally, the International Energy Agency reported that data transmission networks consumed 260-360 TWh in 2022, or to put another way, that is 1-1.5 percent of global electricity use. While renewables like solar and wind are critical for long-term sustainability, their intermittent nature means they can't shoulder the load alone, especially in regions with limited storage or grid flexibility. If Africa is to compete globally in AI and cloud computing, energy strategies must put reliability and scale at the centre of infrastructure planning. The solution lies in pragmatism and scalability. Africa needs a diversified energy strategy that combines natural gas with renewables. Gas-fired power offers a reliable, on-demand energy source capable of delivering the baseload power data centres require. It emits 50 percent less CO2 than coal and is more scalable than renewable solutions today. At the same time, renewables must remain central to the continent's energy future. Solar and wind can be deployed 'behind the meter'—directly on or near data centre sites—to supplement gas and reduce emissions. This hybrid approach allows for energy resilience while accelerating the transition to a cleaner energy mix. Innovative models are already emerging on the continent. Project Spark, for example, is combining a liquid natural gas (LNG) multiuser port in Walvis Bay, Namibia, with vast land resources to develop LNG infrastructure and power plant that can deliver dependable power throughout the region. With an eye toward scalability and speed, it shows how targeted energy development can catalyse digital transformation across the continent. This kind of forward-looking investment is what Africa needs more of—not just more power, but the right kind of power in the right places. Data centres don't just need megawatts; they need planning, precision, and policy alignment to succeed. And that success depends on a balanced energy strategy, one that prioritises reliability and scalability alongside sustainability. By 2026, half of the world's hyperscale data centres will be in North America, while Africa still accounts for less than 1 percent. Africa must confront these issues head-on, by building energy and data infrastructure, or risk missing the window to lead. The opportunity is there but it demands urgency and coordinated action. For the energy needed to power the future—not just homes and hospitals but also the AI tools that will shape the next century—governments, investors, and the private sector must align around infrastructure that supports long-term digital competitiveness. Building world-class data centres is not only about technology, it's about creating jobs, stimulating industrial growth, and reducing electricity costs through large-scale, dependable infrastructure that serves both economic and human needs. Just as Africa revolutionised global banking through mobile money, the continent is now on the cusp of leading the next wave of digital transformation. But that future depends on energy systems that are built to scale, built to last, and built with balance in mind. What it needs now is the will and effective collaboration between the governments and the private sector to build the energy infrastructure necessary to match its ambitions, including power plants with renewables, updated transmission lines, more undersea cables to increase our connectivity to the world, and efficient storage systems. By embracing a hybrid energy approach and making strategic decisions to fund investments like Project Spark, Africa can create an energy foundation that not only powers data centers, but powers opportunity—for innovation, jobs, and inclusive economic growth. The AI revolution won't wait. And neither should we. Herta von Stiegel is the Founder & CEO of Ariya Capital Group, Chairperson of Britam Asset Managers (Kenya) and Daniel R. Weber is a Communications Consultant for Ariya Capital Group. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
