Technology

ASPI has expanded its globally recognised Critical Technology Tracker to include a new patent-analysis capability, introducing patent-based rankings across more than 20 of the 74 critical technologies tracked. Developed by ASPI’s Cyber, Technology and Security Program, the Critical Technology Tracker (CTT) maps global research performance across emerging technologies that are reshaping national security, economic resilience and global strategic advantage. Since its most recent update in June 2026, the CTT has shown that China leads in 69 of 74 tracked technologies – a signal of a structural shift in global technological power.

"Building Safe and Resilient Homes" – the theme of the 37th International Day for Disaster Reduction, observed on October 13, 2026 – highlights the importance of disaster resilience at the household and community levels and the need for stronger capacity in disaster prevention, preparedness and emergency response. China is contributing practical, people-centered solutions to global disaster governance. Its earthquake early warning public service system now covers over 400 million users, including over 228 million mobile phone users receiving direct alerts, according to data released by the China Earthquake Networks Center in July. The system is now being upgraded with artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies to improve the speed and accuracy of early warning. AI is also accelerating disaster response. The "Diting" seismic wave large model automatically identified 452 pre-earthquake events and 429 aftershocks during the magnitude-6.8 earthquake that struck Dingri County in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region in January 2025, according to the Earthquake Science International Data Center.

Harris Technology Group Limited ( (AU:HT8) ) has issued an update. Harris Technology Group Limited has reported a change in director Garrison Huang’s relevant interests, with Huang and his associated entity Australian PC Accessories Pty Ltd acquiring an additional 1,000,000 ordinary shares off-market. The $20,000 purchase lifts his total holding to 107,806,096 shares, underscoring a further consolidation of his stake and signalling continued confidence and alignment between management and shareholders, with no trades occurring during a closed period. The transaction does not involve any changes to the director’s interests in contracts and was executed as an off-market purchase rather than through open market trading. This incremental increase in ownership reinforces the director’s long-term engagement with the company’s trajectory and may be viewed by investors as a supportive governance development, though it does not in itself alter the company’s operational strategy or immediate financial outlook.

Institutions are recalculating who controls the technology they rely on. Mozilla has an independent option to offer. For years, organizations consolidated technology around a small number of providers to make things simpler. Fewer systems. Tighter integrations. More economies of scale. But that consolidation went well beyond technology. It consolidated dependency, too. The resulting risks have been debated, studied, and challenged along the way, but concentration continued. More work, data and critical infrastructure kept moving to the same few providers, while credible alternatives narrowed. The deeper that dependency runs, the harder and more costly it becomes to change course. When something fails, changes or falls outside an institution’s control, that dependency becomes a risk for CIOs and CISOs to manage.

Chen Yinte plays the piano. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] A high school student in Shanghai is combining music and technology with community service, from piano performances at a local hospital to plans for a student-led music data competition.

NASA’s lunar surface infrastructure technologies will enable long-duration exploration and science missions for the Moon Base at the lunar South Pole with Artemis. Similar to when we build a new neighborhood here on Earth, we’ll need abundant power, water, landing pads and roads, and other foundational elements to support America’s long-term presence on the Moon. To support this, we are building technologies for generating and storing reliable power, extracting local resources that could be converted into drinkable water and oxygen, manufacturing and construction of landing pads and berms, and mitigation of abrasive lunar dust from critical systems. These technology advancements – tested on Earth, in simulated lunar gravity, and on the Moon – will enable long-term exploration and operations in the extreme environments of the lunar surface and pave the way for future human exploration of Mars. NASA’s Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) successfully demonstrated its ability to remove regolith from its various surfaces on the Moon during Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 in 2025.

Chiba, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)--Artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge digital technologies are on display as the CEATEC international exhibition opened on Tuesday at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, a city near Tokyo, joined by 821 companies and organizations from Japan and abroad. "As societal challenges become increasingly complex, it is important not only to create new technologies but also to change the future of industries, society and people's lives for the better," Takashi Niino, chairman of the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association, an industry group that organizes the four-day event, said in a speech at an opening ceremony. Among the exhibitors, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. demonstrated AI technology capable of identifying abnormal sounds and human voices in noisy manufacturing environments. Hitachi Ltd. presented its efforts to improve the efficiency of social infrastructure operations, including railways and power systems, using AI, while NEC Corp. showcased a service designed to protect organizations from cyberattacks.

The Hang Seng Index tumbled 0.8%, or 200 points, to around 24,065 on Tuesday, as a selloff in technology stocks on Wall Street extended into Asia, with investors reducing exposure to artificial intelligence-related shares amid concerns over stretched valuations and the returns on heavy AI spending. Brent crude climbed to around US$105.90 per barrel amid concerns over Middle East supply disruptions and uncertainty surrounding the Russia-Ukraine energy truce, reigniting inflation concerns and reinforcing expectations that global interest rates could remain elevated for longer. Electronic and health technology stocks led the decline with Tencent (-0.3%), Genscript Biotech (-12.4%), Kingboard Laminates (-5.6%), Z. AI Co. (-5.3%), and Lenovo (-4.6%) among the notable laggards. Investors also looked to upcoming quarterly earnings reports for indications of corporate margins and underlying demand, while assessing whether AI-related spending could deliver sustainable returns.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. As technology advisory firms eye expense management software that will make them stickier with customers, John Alexander Consulting is offering a partner approach.

Over the past few years, an overwhelming amount of empirical research has shown the harmful effects of screens on learning, particularly for young children. You can throw a rock in a bookstore and hit a book packed with the evidence. Take Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, Jared Cooney Horvath’s The Digital Delusion, or Michel Desmurget’s Screen Damage. While theirs were once fringe views, there is a large and growing awareness among parents and educators that is quite difficult to ignore. Many now know: the iPad is not an ideal medium for reading, note-taking, or completing assessments. Reading on paper tends to yield better comprehension than reading on screens. Writing by hand requires forms of cognitive and motor engagement that typing does not. The presence and use of laptops can distract students and interfere with classroom learning. Completing an analogue essay generates formative friction and enables a more reliable assessment of student competence and command of language. Not to mention, policing iPads and Chromebooks has proven to be an endless and ever-changing classroom management issue with no end in sight.

Talk therapy is booming. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 1 in 7 US adults received counseling in 2024. That’s up from around 1 in 10 just five years prior. The uptick is often attributed to the pandemic and to popular TV shows, like HBO’s Couples Therapy, reducing stigma. As demand grows, many prospective clients are turning to Wall Street-backed telehealth platforms advertising more flexible access to care. Some people are even confiding in AI chatbots for emotional support.

ODL, Inc. has been awarded an Editors’ Pick in Architect’s Newspaper’s 2026 Best of Products Awards. Recognized in the Openings – Doors category, the system combines severe-weather performance with a refined frame design engineered for easier installation and serviceability. The 2026 Architect’s Newspaper’s Best of Products Awards elite jury recognized new products for innovation, aesthetics, performance, sustainability, and value, connecting them with an audience of more than 1 million architects and other design professionals.

In a report released on October 9, Neil Beveridge from Bernstein maintained a Buy rating on Xiaomi, with a price target of HK$35.00. The company’s shares closed last Friday at HK$25.96. According to TipRanks, Beveridge is an analyst with an average return of -0.1% and a 42.75% success rate. Beveridge covers the Energy sector, focusing on stocks such as INPEX, Santos Limited, and Woodside Energy Group. Xiaomi has an analyst consensus of Moderate Buy, with a price target consensus of HK$34.53, which is a 33.03% upside from current levels. In a report released on September 24, Goldman Sachs also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a HK$39.00 price target. Based on Xiaomi’s latest earnings release for the quarter ending June 30, the company reported a quarterly revenue of HK$108.46 billion and a net profit of HK$9.42 billion. In comparison, last year the company earned a revenue of HK$115.96 billion and had a net profit of HK$11.9 billion

Driven largely by the increased computing needs of artificial intelligence (AI), data centers are running out of power to grow. In the U. S., data centers are on track to consume as much as 12 percent of total U. S. electricity by 2028. Thirty percent of a data center’s total power draw comes from cooling the infrastructure. A new study looks at a way to ease that strain: pairing data center cooling systems with an emerging geothermal technology called Cold Underground Thermal Energy Storage (Cold UTES). Cold UTES stores cold water underground during off peak hours and draws it back up to meet cooling demand when it’s needed most. Unlike a conventional battery, it can hold that stored cooling capacity for weeks or even an entire season. To test the idea, Andrew Chien, the William Eckhardt Distinguished Service Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, and his University of Chicago co-author Wedan Emmanuel Gnigba modeled Cold UTES equipped data centers in three major U. S. markets: Virginia, Arizona, and Texas—regions chosen for their differing climates and grid conditions. Across the three sites, Cold UTES increased available IT power capacity by 9.8 percent.

To register and submit an abstract, visit: https://www.sensor-systems.conferences.nature.com/ As advances in biology, engineering, materials science and data analytics converge, biosensors are poised to transform how we detect, monitor and understand the world around us. Fully realising that potential requires a united community excited to turn scientific innovation into solutions that reach the people and sectors that need them most.

(WO) — Advances in downhole battery monitoring technology are providing drilling operators with more than improved battery runtime estimates, offering additional insights into downhole conditions, tool performance and opportunities to reduce non-productive time (NPT). Traditional battery management systems relied primarily on capacity-based estimates to determine remaining runtime, often prompting operators to replace batteries earlier than necessary. According to Ultralife, one measurement-while-drilling (MWD) operator discovered that batteries were being retired with an estimated 50%–60% of their usable capacity remaining, representing approximately $1.9 million in avoidable annual costs.