5 best news for December

American  startup will release world’s first failure-proof quantum computer

Startup QuEra Computing has announced plans to release the world’s first commercial fail-safe quantum computer by the end of 2024.

This device will have 256 physical qubits and 10 logical qubits, which is a significant advance in the field of quantum computing.

Logical qubits are created by combining several physical qubits to reduce errors and increase the reliability of calculations.

In December 2023, QuEra, in collaboration with Harvard University and other research organizations, published research demonstrating the successful operation of a quantum computer with 48 logical qubits.

This device, while not high-performance, provides a platform for software developers to test the code of future quantum computers.

MCDONALD’S integrates GOOGLE’S artificial intelligence into its operations worldwide

Starting in 2024, McDonald’s will begin a major technology overhaul using Google’s generative artificial intelligence.

The update involves installing new hardware and software, as well as using Google Cloud cloud services.

The program will cover thousands of establishments around the world. Artificial intelligence will be used to analyze huge amounts of data. This will optimize work processes and improve the quality of service.

So far, the company has not disclosed details of the use of AI. The statement only noted that new technologies will help managers quickly identify and solve problems in business processes. AI will also simplify staff work and create new opportunities for clients. For example, Wendy’s is already using this approach and is testing an AI system for taking orders.

PlayStation 5 surpassed Xbox in sales twice

The release of new game consoles from Sony and Microsoft at the end of 2020 marked the beginning of another round of the struggle for market leadership. And after more than two years, the PS5 shows a clear lead in sales over the Xbox Series X/S.

According to publisher Take-Two, 77 million current generation consoles have been sold by the end of 2023. Based on the official PS5 sales figures from Sony (50 million) and assuming that another 1.34 million PlayStation 5s were sold by the end of the year, we get that the Xbox Series accounts for about 25 million consoles sold. Thus, PS5 sales are almost double those of Xbox.

This is in line with earlier estimates by analysts about Sony’s three-fold gap over Microsoft in sales of new consoles. At the same time, Microsoft itself does not hide that it has been losing the “console wars” for many years in a row. Since the release of the first Xbox in 2001, the company has only once been able to outsell PlayStation (in the US, in 2014). The rest of the time Sony and Nintendo lead. What can explain this state of affairs? First of all, the marketing strategy of companies. Sony actively promotes its exclusive game brands (God of War, The Last of Us, Uncharted, etc.) that are not available on other platforms. This motivates gamers to buy PS5. At the same time, Microsoft is focusing on Game Pass subscription and cloud gaming.

The company works with the Environmental Defense Fund to help fight climate change.While carbon dioxide gets the lion’s share of the attention when it comes to global warming, there are other factors at play. According to the International Energy Agency, methane is responsible for about 30 percent of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. About 40 percent of methane emissions from human activity come from the energy sector. Identifying and mitigating these emissions is one of the most important actions we can take in the short term to combat climate change.

To that end, Google and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have once again teamed up to tackle this challenge. They have previously mapped methane leaks in major cities using sensors on Street View cars. This time they use a combination of satellite imagery and artificial intelligence.

EDF and its partners have developed a satellite to be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in early March. While other satellite monitoring programs exist, MethaneSAT will provide the most complete picture of methane emissions on the planet.

The satellite will orbit the Earth 15 times a day at an altitude of more than 350 miles and will focus on measuring methane levels in the largest oil and gas producing regions. It will be able to remove both large emissions from a single source and smaller sources of methane spread over a larger area.

EDF and its partners have developed algorithms based on Google’s cloud technology to calculate emissions at specific locations and track them over time. AI will also be used to identify oil and gas infrastructure such as storage tanks and pumping stations, similar to how Google uses AI to identify pavements, road signs and road names in satellite imagery for Maps.

Combining the methane map with the oil and gas infrastructure map is expected to provide a clearer picture of where emissions are coming from. This will give energy companies actionable information to help them stop leaks.

The results of the project will be available to the public on the satellite’s website and in Google Earth Engine later this year. “Having the MethaneSAT datasets available on Earth Engine, which has more than 100,000 monthly active users, makes it easier for users to identify trends and understand the relationship between human activities and environmental impacts,” Yael Maguire wrote in her blog. vice president of Google and general manager of Geo Developer and Sustainability. Earth Engine users will be able to compare methane data with other maps, such as maps of forests, regional boundaries, and water resources. They will also be able to view methane emissions over time.