Reviews of this second Blackwell GeForce GPU are imminent, and thanks to Benchleaks (via Tom’s Hardware), we’ve caught a purported Geekbench result (be skeptical with it, as with any such spillage).
The results are for the graphics tests from Geekbench and they suggest that the RTX 5080 will hit a score of around 262,000 in Vulkan and 256,000 in OpenCL.
That would represent about a 20% generational increase (just over) in performance compared to the RTX 4080 with the Vulkan score, but less than 10% for OpenCL. As Tom’s notes, Blackwell Vulkan performance appears stronger than OpenCL.
As our sister site further points out, the Vulkan score here is actually quite close to the RTX 4090, but the RTX 5080 is some way off with OpenCL, as the last-gen flagship is about 20% faster than the new graphics card.
Advertisement
The RTX 5090 is around 40% and 45% faster than the RTX 5080, if you were wondering how the new flagship stacks up, but again this is based on rumors.
(Image credit: Nvidia)
Analysis: In line with other speculation, pretty much
As always when looking at benchmarks, synthetic results aren’t as valuable as real-world gaming tests, and Geekbench is not the first place anyone would turn to for a metric to judge a graphics card’s gaming prowess by. But nonetheless, this does give us something of a clue about where the RTX 5080 might land in terms of raw power for PC games.
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
And, as this hint goes, it’s pretty much what I expected. Pushing the OpenCL score to one side, I’d say a 20% performance uplift (for rasterized, non-DLSS, non-ray tracing games) sounds about on the money, based on previous spinning from the rumor mill – but obviously we’re still a long way from being able to draw that conclusion.
Advertisement
It’s worth remembering that games which support DLSS 4 (and Nvidia’s new frame generation tech, MFG) can expect a way, way bigger frame rate boost from the RTX 5080, or indeed any of the new Blackwell desktop graphics cards. And it’s equally worth noting that while the RTX 4080 was an undoubted major leap in performance for an xx80-class graphics card, the price that Nvidia stuck on it was shocking at the time, and meant we weren’t a fan in our review (and this GPU did not fly off the shelves by any means, back in the day).
We’re now more acclimatized to Nvidia’s weighty pricing at the higher-end, and of course, with the RTX 5080, its MSRP has dropped back to $999 in the US (compared to $1,199 for the RTX 4080). So that’s something of a win for consumers, albeit a grand is still an eye-watering sum to be parting with for a desktop GPU.
Rarely does a one-liner so perfectly capture the state of the moment. Here, you have Microsoft CEO Satya Nadellasaying he’s “not in the details” about Stargate, the supposedly multi-hundred-billion AI infrastructure project driven by his marquee investment, OpenAI.
Nadella not being read in on the nebulous details of Stargate says a lot about how much Microsoft and OpenAI have drifted apart. Microsoft is mentioned in the Stargate press release since OpenAI’s models are still exclusive to Azure. But the most striking aspect of Stargate is not that the money isn’t there for it yet; it’s that OpenAI’s biggest backer has decided to not participate in what Sam Altman is calling “the most important project of this era.” As Nadella made clear on CNBC this week, he’s running his own, $80 billion AI infrastructure buildout and, going forward, OpenAI can get additional compute — with his blessing — elsewhere.
While it received fewer headlines this week, I found Nadella’s response to Elon Musk on X even more illuminating. In his response to Musk saying, “on the other hand, Satya definitely does have the money,” Nadella responded: “😂 And all this money is not about hyping AI, but is about building useful things for the real world!”
Advertisement
That post can only be interpreted as a dig at Altman. Nadella could have funded Stargate for OpenAI. He didn’t. What does he know that the rest of us don’t?
The splashy Stargate unveiling at the White House certainly accomplished its goal, which was clearly getting everyone to talk about big numbers. The headlines it generated prompted Mark Zuckerbergto make sure everyone ended the week knowing his data center will be even bigger than Stargate.
In a Friday post on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg said that Meta’s planned 2GW data center in Louisiana “is so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan,” with a map view of the square footage overlaid on the city to send the point home.
From his post (my emphasis added): “We’ll bring online ~1GW of compute in ‘25 and we’ll end the year with more than 1.3 million GPUs. We’re planning to invest $60-65B in capex this year while also growing our AI teams significantly, and we have the capital to continue investing in the years ahead.”
Advertisement
I have no doubt that Altman, Masayoshi Son, and Larry Ellison will be able to raise the billions they need to lessen OpenAI’s dependence on Microsoft for compute. (The US government isn’t giving money to Stargate, which makes the optics of announcing it alongside Trump all the more bizarre.) Ultimately, this all points to the theme that is quickly coming to define 2025: Big Tech sees AI as the most existential technology of the coming era and will keep spending like hell to make sure OpenAI doesn’t completely run away with it.
Steve Huffman,Illustration by William Joel / The Verge | Photo by Greg Doherty/Variety via Getty Images
AMA with spez
Few companies had as good of a 2024 as Reddit. Since going public last March, the company’s stock has soared 300 percent, giving the social network a valuation of $32 billion.
Advertisement
It’s an about-face from where Reddit was before going public, when its moderators were raging against its hurried platform changes and there was backlash to the company selling its data to Google and OpenAI.
With those controversies now seemingly in the rear-view mirror, Reddit is focused on growing its user base, staying profitable, and using AI to help people search its site more easily. I caught up with CEO Steve Huffman at CES a few weeks ago to hear his priorities for 2025, how he’s leading Reddit, his thoughts on the AI scaling debate, content moderation, and more…
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity:
Your IPO did very well. What have the last nine months or so been like for you personally?
Advertisement
We have a saying at Reddit that good numbers make good meetings. So we’ve had some good meetings.
Preparing to go public was intense. It’s telling the story over and over and over, which I enjoy doing, but it’s a lot of work. I think more than most new companies, we are in the public company rhythm already: close the quarter, do the audits, do the board meeting, earnings, and all of that. So it hasn’t been a major change for us from an operating point of view.
It’s a really exciting time for the new investors and employees. You won’t catch us complaining. What I keep telling the company is that everyone should be very proud of the work they’ve done and don’t take these moments for granted. I just tell them, look, enjoy the view. If you look at our history, there are lots of ups and downs. No doubt there are challenges in our future.
With your market cap where it is now, are you thinking of making swings you didn’t think you could make a year ago?
Advertisement
There are two classes of things that we would do. One is to execute the core strategy. We’ve got to hire. We’ve got to build. I think we’re very reasonable in terms of our investment size. The one sentence strategy for us is to grow the product and stay profitable.
What can you do with a high stock price? Maybe you can look at M&A that you wouldn’t otherwise. I’d say that’s not really our orientation right now because the acquisitions we’ve done over the last two years have been these 25-to-50-million-dollar deals. It’s kind of a sweet spot for us to get tech and teams. I’d say we’re always watching the market, but we’re not pursuing anything big or crazy right now because I like the core strategy. I think we can do what we want to do within our current capabilities.
What’s the main product focus for Reddit this year?
The first is the core of Reddit, which is community conversations. Everyone has a home on Reddit, but do you see that home in your first session? There’s a whole other dimension to our work, which is Reddit as an information source. Reddit has all of this incredible information. For the users who have a question that needs an answer, can we give them that answer? We just got into testing Reddit Answers. I’m finding that really helpful for searches about current events. A year from now, it’s a monetization product. It’s one of the few products where it kind of scratches every itch, so it’ll be a big focus.
Advertisement
What do you make of this debate about whether the AI industry has run out of data?
I think we’d have a different answer to that question literally every month. We want to have good relationships with other people in this space. We’re open for business.
At the same time, we want to maximize the value we get out of our own data. We have not experienced conflict between the two at this point. I love the [data licensing] relationships we have — the major ones being Google and OpenAI. At this point, we don’t need to make any particular partnership. I’d say they’re all nice to have but nothing is existential for us.
One of the challenges is that the AI companies don’t know what product they’re building. It’s not a bad thing. They are iterating themselves. ChatGPT itself, the central product in this conversation, was a demo. Then, a year later, it’s the most important piece of enterprise technology on Earth with questionable economics. That makes it very exciting. I don’t think any of these companies would be offended to hear me say that.
Advertisement
You were one of the first social media CEOs I saw to be very critical of TikTok. How does a US ban affect Reddit?
If you look at Reddit’s traffic graph over the last 19 years, you will not see the rise and fall of any particular platform. I think every content type should work on Reddit. Video on Reddit is largely camera-out — what I’m looking at — as opposed to camera-in, or who am I? That’s social media. I think the ban is the right thing to do for reasons I’ve mentioned that honestly have nothing to do with competition.
With Meta’s moderation changes, the broader conversation around social media feels like it’s changing right now.
For the last 10 years, people have been talking about whether speech is the problem, which is a crazy thought. You can’t have freedom without speech. I think that detour through questioning and relitigating core values of America, hopefully that era is coming to a close.
Advertisement
Are people playing politics? Of course, people always are. On the topic of moderation, we always just try to do things the right way, which, not coincidentally, are aligned with American values. It’s a Democratic platform. We believe very much in the power of people and the wisdom of crowds and voting processes. That is Reddit. So I’m glad to see a return to where we have been most of my life, which is an appreciation for free speech.
Trump gets to work for Big Tech: Why are Zuckerberg and other CEOs bending the knee? Look no farther than the comments the president made at the World Economic Forum this week, where he trashed the EU’s Digital Markets and Services Acts as a form of “taxation.” This kind of push back is exactly what Meta and other US companies have been praying for. We’ll see if it works for them.
As always, I want to hear from you, especially if your data center is even bigger. Respond here, and I’ll get back to you, or ping me securely on Signal.
UnitedHealth has confirmed the ransomware attack on its Change Healthcare unit last February affected around 190 million people in America — nearly double previous estimates.
The U.S. health insurance giant confirmed the latest number to TechCrunch on Friday after the markets closed.
“Change Healthcare has determined the estimated total number of individuals impacted by the Change Healthcare cyberattack is approximately 190 million,” said Tyler Mason, a spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group in an email to TechCrunch. “The vast majority of those people have already been provided individual or substitute notice. The final number will be confirmed and filed with the Office for Civil Rights at a later date.”
UnitedHealth’s spokesperson said the company was “not aware of any misuse of individuals’ information as a result of this incident and has not seen electronic medical record databases appear in the data during the analysis.”
Advertisement
The February 2024 cyberattack is the largest breach of medical data in U.S. history and caused months of outages across the U.S. healthcare system. Change Healthcare, a health tech giant and UnitedHealth subsidiary, is one of the largest handlers of health, medical data, and patient records; it’s also one of the biggest processors of healthcare claims in the United States.
UnitedHealth previously put the number of affected individuals at around 100 million people when the company filed its preliminary analysis with the Office for Civil Rights, the unit under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that investigates data breaches.
In its data breach notice, Change Healthcare said that the cybercriminals stole names and addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and government identity documents, which included Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and passport numbers. The stolen health data also includes diagnoses, medications, test results, imaging, and care and treatment plans, as well as health insurance information. Change said the data also includes financial and banking information found in patient claims.
Security researchers from Eclypsium find several bugs in multiple Palo Alto Networks firewalls
They claim the vulnerabilities are quite severe
Palo Alto Networks says if the OS is up to date, and security settings nominal, there is no risk
Security researchers have slammed Palo Alto Networks firewalls, claiming to have discovered severe vulnerabilities which undermine the entire point of the products.
Cybersecurity researchers Eclypsium published a report detailing a host of security flaws impacting Palo Alto Networks’ firewall firmware as well as misconfigured security features.
The company responded by saying the vulnerabilities were a stretch, that they’re close to impossible to leverage in the wild, and that they’ve not seen them abused anywhere.
LogoFAIL, PixieFAIL, and other woes
“These weren’t obscure, corner-case vulnerabilities,” the researchers said. “Instead these were very well-known issues that we wouldn’t expect to see even on a consumer-grade laptop. These issues could allow attackers to evade even the most basic integrity protections, such as Secure Boot, and modify device firmware if exploited.”
Eclypisum said the flaws were found in PA-3260, PA-1410, and PA-415. The first one reached end-of-sale in mid-2023, while the other two are still fully supported.
Advertisement
The bugs are tracked as CVE-2020-10713, CVE-2022-24030, CVE-2021-33627, CVE-2021-42060, CVE-2021-42554, CVE-2021-43323, and CVE-2021-45970, LogoFAIL, PixieFail, CVE-2023-1017, and Intel bootguard leaked keys bypass.
After the news broke, The Hacker News reached out to the company for comment. Palo Alto Networks responded by saying that “the scenarios required for successful exploitation do not exist on up-to-date PAN-OS software under normal conditions with secured management interfaces deployed according to best practice guidelines.”
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
In other words, if the firewalls’ OS is up to date, and secured management interfaces are properly deployed, there is no risk.
Advertisement
“Palo Alto Networks is not aware of any malicious exploitation of these issues. We stand by the quality and integrity of our technology,” it added.
“While the conditions required to exploit these vulnerabilities are not available to users or administrators of PAN-OS software, we are working with the third-party vendor to develop any mitigations that may be needed. We will provide further updates and guidance to impacted customers as they become available.”
Apple is making an executive change to try and improve its AI efforts and Siri. Kim Vorrath, who recently helped get the Vision Pro software out the door and has been at Apple for 36 years, has been brought over to Apple’s artificial intelligence and machine learning division and will serve as a “top deputy” to AI boss John Giannandrea, Bloomberg reports.
By bringing on Vorrath, whose resume at Apple includes work on the original iPhone software group, over to the AI team, it appears Apple wants to bring more rigor to Apple’s AI development. It also indicates that Apple may see AI as a bigger deal for its future than the Vision Pro.
Bloomberg also reports that “the artificial intelligence group is focused on revamping the underlying infrastructure of Siri and improving the company’s in-house AI models” this year, per a memo from Giannandrea.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is doubling down on Retro Biosciences, a biotech startup based in San Francisco that wants humans to live 10 years longer than what it calls a healthy human lifespan.
Altman previously provided Retro Biosciences’ entire seed round of $180 million. Now, the startup is raising a $1 billion Series A that Altman is joining, The Financial Timesreports.
Retro Biosciences, which says it plans to launch trials for drugs targeting diseases like Alzheimer’s, recently trained a model with OpenAI to turn regular cells into stem cells.
CEO Joe Betts-LaCroix told the FT he wants to move fast by discovering and developing a drug “in the 2020s.”
Advertisement
The startup joins other major billionaire-backed longevity efforts, including Altos Labs, which launched with $3 billion in 2022 backed by Jeff Bezos, and Unity Biotechnology, supported by both Bezos and Peter Thiel.
Another week has ended and, two of the world’s best streaming services aside (step up your game, Hulu and Disney Plus), there’s something new to watch on their rival platforms this weekend.
Indeed, from a couple of new movies that originally released in theaters in late 2024, to a bunch of new shows (and the return of a smash-hit Netflix series), there’s plenty for you to wrap your eyeballs around over the next few days. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
The Night Agent season 2 (Netflix)
The Night Agent: Season 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube
From The Recruit to Black Doves, Netflix has slowly been building out its back catalog of fun, dramatic, and thrilling spy genre shows. Few are more popular on the service, though, thanThe Night Agent, whose first season was a surprise overnight hit for the streaming titan and earned it a spot on our best Netflix shows list.
Two years on from that unprecedented success, the spy thriller is back for its second season. This time around, trust is in short supply for newly-minted Night Agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), who becomes embroiled in another wild conspiracy that’ll force him to question who he can really rely on. I’ll be tuning in to see if Netflix’s seventh most-watched English TV Original of all-time can build on its debut season’s almighty performance. Before you do likewise, get the lowdown on the show’s return with our The Night Agent season 2 hub. – TP
Prime Target (Apple TV Plus)
Prime Target — Official Trailer | Apple TV+ – YouTube
Apple TV Plus keeps its busy start to 2025 going with new espionage thriller Prime Target, which stars One Day actor Leo Woodall alongside Quintessa Swindell from Euphoria. In the Apple TV Original, Woodall plays a math genius, who’s working on a secret research project to discover patterns in prime numbers that eventually catches the attention of Swindell’s NSA surveillance operative.
The idea that the story is built around is the fact that prime numbers form the basis of the world’s most common types of encryption that are still widely used today, which is why a Cambridge graduate cracking the code is of seismic global proportions in this new series. The best way I can think to describe it is the Da Vinci Code meets Good Will Hunting and, while it might not rank among the best Apple TV Plus shows, it’s an absorbing watch no less. – Amelia Schwanke, entertainment editor
One of the best 52 movies of 2024 has finally made its streaming debut – well, in the US (sorry, UK and Australian readers). The Wild Robot is an absolute joy of a film, with its gorgeous, painterly art style and wonderfully realized animation, emotionally resonant story, and top-tier voice acting making for a perfect, easy-to-watch flick on Peacock this weekend.
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Marvel star Lupita Nyong’o voices Roz, a service robot who becomes shipwrecked on a remote island that’s inhabited by talking animals. Unsurprisingly, she’s viewed as an outsider by the creatures that live on it. But, armed with a steely determination to adapt to her environment, plus the fact that she becomes the adoptive mother of an orphaned goose called Brightbill (Heartstopper‘s Kit Connor), Roz resolves to not only ingratiate herself with the locals, but also become their protector-in-chief. A beautiful movie in more ways than one that deserves to be seen. – TP
Gladiator II (Paramount Plus)
Gladiator II | Official Trailer (2024 Movie) – Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington – YouTube
Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated follow-up to iconic 2000 movie Gladiator is now available on Paramount Plus (again, only in the US, though). If you weren’t among those who took part in last year’s unexpected double bill Glicked (that’s Gladiator II and Wicked), you can bring the thrill of the Colossuem to your home. It hasn’t performed as well as Wicked, which was recently nominated for Best Picture, but its 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating means it could be worthy of a spot on our best Paramount Plus movies round-up.
With a brilliant ensemble cast like Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Derek Jacobi, the movie is set 15 years after the first and is definitely worth your time if you are a fan of the original. It’s perfect if you’re looking for an action packed movie this weekend. Altogether now: are you not entertained!? – Lucy Buglass, entertainment writer
C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart (Max)
Max is now home to the TV adaptation of controversial author J. K. Rowling’s novel series of the same name, which were published under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The series follows private detective Cormoran Strike who teams up with his assistant Robin Ellacott to take on cases that have baffled the police, hoping they can finally get to the bottom of what happened. It’s no easy task and they work out of a cramped office, but they get the job done.
Advertisement
There’ll be weekly episodic releases for this one, and the series has already premiered in the UK where it’s been met with some seriously mixed reviews. It’s Rotten Tomatoes score is too low to guarantee a spot to our best Max shows, but you might have a good time with it regardless. – LB
Star Trek: Section 31 (Paramount Plus)
Paramount Plus has released its first-ever made Star Trek TV movie; a 100-minute spin-off of galactic proportions that focuses on the secret Star Fleet agency called Section 31. Star Trek: Section 31 sees Michelle Yeoh reprise her role as emperor Philippa Georgiou who we met in the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery before she eventually becomes a member of the special ops division.
It’s a little different to your usual Star Trek movies, with Yeoh previously describing it as a mix of Mission: Impossible and Guardians of the Galaxy, which makes sense with the plot’s merry band of mercenaries that get caught up in a heist to defend the United Federation of Planets against multi-universal threats. It’s been through a lot of iterations to get here (it was originally going to be a series), which means that“there was so much more” that was left out, Yeoh’s fellow star Sven Ruygrok told us. That might be why long-time Trekkies and newcomers alike have absolutely slammed it, with many labeling it one of the franchise’s worst-ever projects. Ouch! – AS
Harlem season 3 (Prime Video)
Harlem Season 3 – Official Trailer | Prime Video – YouTube
The third and final season of Harlem is out now. Prime Video’s beloved comedy series is coming to an end, but I’m sure the Amazon TV Original will go out on a high. You’ll get two episodes each week until the finale on February 6, and I’m sure this will beat the January Blues some of us might be feeling.
The iconic cast made up of Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Shoniqua Shandaie, Jerrie Johnson, Tyler Lepley and Whoopi Goldberg are all back, with a few surprises and new faces teased for the final instalment. We’ve got plenty of great comedy recommendations on our best Prime Video shows round-up if you need to fill the Harlem shaped hole in your heart, though nothing can quite compare to how great this is. – LB
Nearly a week after it was removed, the TikTok app is still missing from Apple and Google’s app stores.
The app was pulled from both stores after the US’ ban-or-divest law went into effect last weekend, which resulted in the service going dark within the United States. While TikTok came back online shortly after the ban, the app didn’t return to either mobile store. Apple and Google are at risk of paying billions in fines if they make TikTok available, and it’s unclear if President Donald Trump’s executive order refusing to enforce the ban actually removes that risk.
Apple and Google haven’t replied to multiple requests for comment from The Verge — including requests I made today — about if or when the app might be available again. Apple and Google do have statements about the removal of TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps like Lemon8 and Marvel Snap, but otherwise, no comment since.
TikTok didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment, either, however, Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner posted Friday evening on X, saying, “Our current estimation is that Marvel Snap will be back in the app stores as early as next week barring any setbacks.” Without explaining further, Second Dinner co-founder Ben Brode answered a question on Bluesky about what would happen for next month’s updates, saying, “we’re hoping to have it back before then.”
Advertisement
Because these app stores are the primary way many people get the software, TikTok’s absence basically means you can’t newly install the app — at least, for the time being — without jumping through a lot of hoops. It also means they can’t deliver updates to add new features or address any bugs, including potential security flaws.
If you had TikTok on your phone before the ban kicked in, however, the app should work for you as normal. (As a result, people are trying to sell used phones with the TikTok app still on them.) You can also use TikTok in a browser — including on your phone.
Update, January 24th: Added new details about Marvel Snap.
Immerse yourself in the epicenter of tech innovation at Disrupt 2025! From October 27 to 29, Moscone West in San Francisco transforms into the global hub for technology and venture capital. Experience 250+ powerful sessions, 200+ expert-led discussions, the thrilling Startup Battlefield 200, and unparalleled networking with 10,000 tech and VC leaders. This year, dive deeper into groundbreaking AI advancements to spark your next big idea.
Save now more than ever
2-for-1 Passes
The best deals of the year are here! From now through January 31, take advantage of registering for two of the same ticket type for half the price of one. Choose from Attendee, Investor, Founder, Non-Profit, Student, and Expo+ 2-for-1 Passes. Make the most of Disrupt 2025 by bringing a friend or colleague.
Super Early Bird Rates
Early birds get the biggest savings of the year! Super Early Bird rates are the lowest rates. Save up to $1,100 on select ticket types. Don’t wait — these incredible deals vanish after February 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Advertisement
What to expect at Disrupt 2025
Expect three dynamic days of exploring the cutting-edge innovations, trends, and products shaping startups today. You’ll also walk away with practical strategies for navigating the challenges and opportunities in the fast-changing tech landscape.
TechCrunch Disrupt continues its mission by bringing you the latest insights from pioneering founders, CEOs, and venture capitalists who will share their invaluable wisdom. This is a must-attend event for entrepreneurs looking to learn from the top minds in the industry. Here’s a preview of the distinguished speakers who joined us last year:
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Expand your knowledge and network
Maximize your learning with sessions at the Builders Stage! Dive into expert-led discussions on key topics such as fundraising, product iteration, bootstrapping, and scaling your business.
Choose from a wide range of breakout sessions and roundtable discussions, offering interactive presentations, thought-provoking discussions, and Q&A opportunities with experts from across the startup ecosystem.
Alongside our core focus on entrepreneurship and business growth, this year’s event will feature special tracks on AI and space, and more.
Advertisement
Don’t miss the Startup Battlefield, featuring over 200 companies presenting their groundbreaking innovations, plus the exciting Startup Battlefield pitch competition.
Whether you’re scheduling 1:1 meetings through the event app, joining receptions and side events, or having impromptu chats, you’re sure to build meaningful relationships that can help drive your business forward.
Lock in the lowest possible ticket rates
Lock in incredible savings today — secure your Super Early Bird ticket or bring a +1 with the 2-for-1 Pass while this offer lasts!
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
Frank Scheufens, Product Manager at PNY Technologies explains the benefits and uses of Digital Twins in this second installment.
Frank Scheufens
Product Manager for Professional Visualization at PNY Technologies EMEA.
Advertisement
Operating Digital Twins: virtually manage, monitor and optimize physical assets
A digital twin operates through a cycle of data collection, transmission, analysis, and user interaction. The process begins with data collection, where physical assets are fitted with sensors that monitor various parameters—such as temperature, pressure, or movement. This data is then transmitted to the digital twin via cloud or edge computing, allowing the digital model to update in real-time. Advanced algorithms and analytics are applied to the incoming data, helping the twin predict future states, identify anomalies, and provide actionable insights.
The real power of a digital twin lies in its interactivity. Operators can interact with the model to test hypothetical scenarios, diagnose problems, and adjust operations without affecting the actual physical asset. This simulation capability, coupled with real-time data, provides a dynamic environment for experimentation and optimization.
The role of AI in Digital Twin projects
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role in maximizing the potential of digital twins. AI’s ability to handle massive datasets, identify patterns, and make predictions allows digital twins to go beyond basic monitoring. In many cases, machine learning algorithms are integrated into the twin to enable predictive analytics—forecasting potential failures or maintenance needs before they occur. This predictive capability helps organizations shift from reactive to proactive maintenance, reducing costs and avoiding unexpected downtime.
AI can also help with anomaly detection, identifying unusual behavior patterns in the data. In industries like manufacturing or aviation, these patterns might indicate a need for maintenance or signal a potential issue. Additionally, AI algorithms can simulate various scenarios within the digital twin, allowing organizations to optimize processes and test changes without risking real-world consequences. In some advanced applications, AI even enables the digital twin to make autonomous decisions, adjusting operations based on the analyzed data.
Advertisement
Challenges in Digital Twin projects
While digital twins offer immense benefits, they also come with challenges that need to be managed carefully. One of the most significant is data management. The vast quantities of data generated by sensors can be overwhelming, requiring robust storage, processing, and analysis capabilities. Integrating a digital twin with existing, sometimes outdated, systems can also be challenging. Legacy infrastructure isn’t always compatible with modern digital twins, necessitating extensive adjustments and integrations. Another challenge is the high initial cost. Developing a digital twin, especially for complex systems, involves significant investment. This includes installing sensors, building models, integrating AI capabilities, and ensuring cybersecurity. The initial expense can be a barrier for smaller organizations or those with tight budgets.
Cybersecurity is another critical concern. Digital twins rely on a constant flow of data, often transmitted through the internet or other networks. This data transmission can become a vulnerability, exposing the twin to potential cyber threats if not adequately secured. Keeping a digital twin accurate over time also requires continuous maintenance. Models must be regularly calibrated and adjusted to reflect changes in the physical object they represent, which can be a demanding and time-consuming process.
Why Digital Twins require special platforms
Developing and managing a digital twin demands a specialized platform due to the unique requirements of real-time data processing, integration, and visualization.
A dedicated platform offers several benefits:
Advertisement
Data integration: These platforms can aggregate data from various sources—IoT devices, cloud databases, and other systems—seamlessly. This allows the digital twin to have a holistic view of the physical system.
Advanced analytics: Many platforms include built-in analytics and machine learning tools, making it easier to apply AI to data analysis and predictions. • Scalability: A specialized platform can grow as the digital twin project expands, whether it’s adding more assets, increasing data points, or integrating additional processes.
Security: Given the importance of data protection, dedicated platforms often include robust security features to safeguard sensitive information.
Visualization & interaction: Digital twin platforms provide tools for visualizing the model and interacting with it in a meaningful way, such as through 3D interfaces or augmented reality.
These platforms streamline the complex process of building and maintaining a digital twin, ensuring the project is efficient, scalable, and secure.
Types of Digital Twins: from components to processes
Digital twins come in various forms, each catering to different aspects of a physical system:
Component Twins: These focus on individual parts or components of a system, like an engine or a pump. Component twins are often used to monitor the health and performance of critical parts, predicting failures before they occur.
Asset Twins: These model entire assets, such as a vehicle or a machine. Asset twins are used to track the overall health, efficiency, and lifecycle of the asset, providing valuable insights for maintenance and upgrades.
System Twins: System twins represent groups of assets working together, like a factory production line. They help optimize workflows, identify bottlenecks, and improve overall efficiency.
Process Twins: These are the most comprehensive, simulating entire processes or operations. Process twins allow organizations to see how different components and systems interact over time, providing insights that can streamline complex workflows and improve productivity. Each type of digital twin offers a unique perspective, from the granular level of individual parts to the broad view of entire processes.
Security considerations for Digital Twins
Security is a top priority when it comes to digital twins, as they involve constant data exchanges between the physical and digital realms. The level of security varies based on implementation, but several challenges need to be addressed:
Data transmission: With data continuously flowing from the physical object to the digital twin, encryption is crucial. End-to-end encryption ensures that data remains secure during transmission, protecting it from interception.
Integration points: Digital twins are often connected to other systems, like cloud platforms or analytics tools. Each connection point can be a potential vulnerability, so it’s vital to secure them with proper authentication and encryption measures.
IoT device security: Many digital twins rely on IoT devices to gather real-time data, and these devices can be targets for cyberattacks. Ensuring they have up-to-date firmware, secure communication channels, and strong access controls is essential.
A multi-layered security approach, regular updates, and proactive monitoring are key to ensuring that digital twins remain secure while handling sensitive data.
Conclusion
Digital twins are revolutionizing industries by creating a bridge between the physical and digital worlds. They provide a dynamic, real-time view of physical systems, offering unprecedented opportunities for optimization, prediction, and innovation. However, they also come with challenges, from high initial costs to cybersecurity concerns. With the right platform, tools, and security measures in place, digital twins can offer significant advantages, helping organizations navigate the complexities of modern technology and stay ahead of the competition. As AI and IoT technologies continue to advance, the capabilities and applications of digital twins are only expected to grow, making them an integral part of the future of smart systems and connected industries.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
Ever since Elon Musk closed his deal to buy Twitter he’s claimed the company, now called X, is in “a very dire situation from a revenue standpoint.” Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that banks are preparing a coordinated move to sell off some of the $13 billion in debt they loaned Musk to finance the deal. It mentions an email sent to employees this month, also confirmed by The Verge, where the Chief Twit said, “…we’ve witnessed the power of X in shaping national conversations and outcomes,” but also claimed, “Our user growth is stagnant, revenue is unimpressive, and we’re barely breaking even.”
Part of the reason Bank of America, Barclays, and Morgan Stanley are holding so much of the debt is from trying to avoid selling at a loss after economic conditions changed, and Musk had an extended court battle attempting to get out of the deal. While equity investors have reportedly slashed the value of their stakes by as much as 78 percent, the Journal reports, “banks hope to sell senior debt at 90-95 cents on the dollar, while retaining more-junior holdings.”
As Musk referenced in his email, the report says the banks hope to use the narrative of Musk’s link to Donald Trump, as some unnamed investors may be interested in buying based on a belief that its financials are on the way up.
However, Musk also said that the company could become cash-flow positive “within months” nearly two years ago, and it still faces over $1 billion in annual interest payments on the loans. The platform is increasingly turning into a testing ground for his AI ambitions, as we reported earlier this month, and while X has added some features, like job listings and a new video tab, there’s little sign of the service he’d said would be able to “someone’s entire financial life” by the end of 2024.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login