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Floating Wind Turbines Host Data Centers Underwater

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As data-center developers frantically seek to secure power for their operations, one startup is proposing a novel solution: Build them into floating offshore wind turbines.

San Francisco–based offshore wind-power developer Aikido Technologies today announced its plans to start housing data centers in the underwater tanks that keep its turbine platforms afloat. The turbines will supply the power for the servers, and onboard batteries and grid connection will provide backup.

The company’s first prototype, a 100-kilowatt unit, is scheduled to launch in the North Sea off the coast of Norway by the end of this year. A 15-to-18-megawatt project off the coast of the United Kingdom may follow in 2028.

Aikido is one of several companies planning data centers in unusual places—underwater, on floating buoys, in coal mines and now on offshore wind turbines. The creativity stems from the forces of several trends: rapidly rising energy demand from data centers, the need for domestic renewable power production, and limited real estate.

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The North Sea serves as an ideal first spot for floating, wind-powered data centers because European policymakers and companies are looking to regain domestic control over energy production. They’re also looking to host an AI economy on servers within the continent’s boundaries. Floating wind platforms keep the compute out of sight while tapping the stronger, more consistent air streams that blow over deep waters, where traditional, seabed-mounted turbine monopiles can’t go.

“A lot of energy in the clean-energy space is focused on powering AI data centers quickly, reliably, and cleanly in a way that does not upset neighbors and remains safe, fast, and cheap,” says Ramez Naam, an independent clean-energy investor who does not have a stake in Aikido. “Aikido has that, and a smart team,” he says.

Floating Wind-Power Designs Evolve

Aikido’s design builds on many iterations tested by the growing floating wind industry. When Norwegian energy giant Equinor finished construction on the world’s first floating wind farm in 2017, it kept the turbines upright with ballasted steel columns extending 78 meters into the water—a design called a spar platform. This gave it a dense mass like the keel of a boat. Since then, the floating wind industry has largely coalesced around a semisubmersible design based on oil and gas platforms. Semisubmersibles don’t go as deep as spar platforms; instead, they extend buoyancy horizontally. Anchors, chains, and ropes keep the platform floating within a certain radius.

Aikido is taking the semisubmersible approach. Its football-field-size platform holds the turbine in the center, and three legs extend tripod-like outward, like a Christmas-tree stand. At the end of each leg is a ballast that reaches 20 meters deep. This holds tanks largely filled with fresh water to maintain the platform’s buoyancy in the salty ocean.

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The data centers will go in the upper part of each ballast tank. There’s room for a 3- to 4-MW data hall in each tank, giving the platform a combined compute of 10 to 12 MW. Below the data halls is an open chamber used as a safety barrier, and below that sit the freshwater tanks. The water is piped up to the data center for liquid cooling of the servers. The warmed water is then funneled back down the ballast into the tank. There, proximity to the cold ocean water cools it again as the heat is conducted out through the tank’s steel walls.

“We have this power from the wind. We have free cooling. We think we can be quite cost competitive compared to conventional data-center solutions,” says Aikido CEO Sam Kanner. “This crunch in the next five years is an opportunity for us to prove this out and supply AI compute where it’s needed.”

One challenge, he says, is that liquid cooling can’t cover all the data center’s needs. For example, heat generated from Ethernet switches that connect the GPUs can’t be liquid-cooled with commercially available technology. So Aikido installed an air-conditioning method for that.

Another challenge is the marine environment, which is “pretty brutal to engineer around because there’s the increased salinity, there’s debris, and there’s various kinds of corrosion and fouling of metal piping that you wouldn’t have in a freshwater environment,” says Daniel King, a research fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation in Washington who focuses on AI infrastructure.

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Offshore Data Centers Face Challenges

Aikido’s plan avoids the prickly not-in-my-backyard complaints that are dogging both onshore wind and data-center projects. It might also circumvent some inquiries into water usage and power demand too, or so Aikido’s thinking goes.

But it might not be that easy. “Instinctively many people reach for offshore or even orbital outer-space data centers as a way to circumvent the typical burdens of environmental reviews,” says King. “But there could be more or additional requirements around discharging heat and the effects that has on marine life that are different from the considerations of a terrestrial data center. It’s unclear to me whether this actually makes life easier or harder for a developer.”

3D rendering of a crane lowering a pre-fabricated data center into a hollow semi-submersible platform for a floating wind turbine. Prefabricated data halls could be installed quayside, followed by final electrical and plumbing connections to commission the data center.Aikido

Aikido’s “design choice to use the fresh water in the ballast as a working fluid is a novel one” that, thanks to the closed-loop system, may “alleviate some of the engineering problems you see when a really high temperature fluid is pumping its heat directly into a marine environment,” King says.

Offshore sites are also vulnerable to sabotage, King notes. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fleets of vessels directed by the Kremlin have reportedly started messing with offshore wind and communications infrastructure in northern Europe. Russian and Chinese boats have allegedly cut subsea cables in recent years.

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But vandalism is a risk anywhere, including at conventional data centers, Aikido CEO Kanner notes. Unlike those on land, where the local police have jurisdiction, Aikido’s data centers would enjoy protection from national coast guards, which he suggests gives an added degree of security.

North Sea Hosts Clean Energy

Kanner first began thinking about offshore wind turbines as a place to build data centers after a chance phone call with a cryptocurrency billionaire. The financier wanted to know whether turbines in international waters could power servers generating digital tokens at a moment when crypto-mining faced increased scrutiny from regulators. The talks fizzled. But that encounter sparked Kanner’s curiosity about how to use power generated onboard floating turbines.

When ChatGPT emerged in 2022 and sparked a heated debate over how to power and cool such technology, the idea to put the data center in the floating turbine clicked for Kanner. The idea really congealed after he met with the chief executive of Portland, Ore.–based Panthalassa. The wave-energy company was proposing to enclose small, remote data centers in buoys attached to equipment that generates power from the surf. Panthalassa just completed its full-scale prototype tests off the coast of Washington state last summer.

At that point, Aikido had already designed a modular platform for floating wind turbines. Each platform consists of 13 major steel components that are snapped together with pin joints—like IKEA furniture. The platforms fold up in a flat configuration that takes up roughly half the space of other designs, allowing it to be transported by a wider range of ships, according to Aikido. From there, it was a matter of figuring out how to accommodate a data center in the unused space.

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Aikido’s prototype will use a refurbished Vesta V-17 turbine. It will need onboard batteries for backup power and will also be connected to the grid for additional power during seasons with less wind. Aikido envisions eventually sprinkling its data centers among large arrays of offshore turbines to tap into that larger power infrastructure.

Between Russia’s threat to expand its war in Ukraine to EU countries and the Trump administration’s bid to pressure Denmark into ceding sovereignty of Greenland to Washington, Europe is scrambling to build up its own energy production and AI capabilities. The North Sea, increasingly, looks like a primary theater of that effort. In January, nearly a dozen European nations banded together in a pact to transform the North Sea into a “reservoir” of clean power from offshore wind.

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Cyberpunk platformers, gallivanting geckos and other new indie games worth checking out

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Welcome to our latest roundup of what’s going on in the indie game space. Once again, there are some neat new games for you to check out this weekend. We’ve got a bunch of updates and announcements for upcoming titles to tell you about too.

There have been a bunch of solid indie showcases lately (and highlights from another one to tell you about below). If you want to learn about a ton of other games ASAP, you might want to set your alarm pretty early on April 25.

Starting at 5AM ET that day, the latest edition of Indie Life Expo takes place on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Bilibili and elsewhere. This one will feature more than 200 games! A rapid-fire Indie Waves segment will power through 160 of them. Organizers received 1,100 submissions for this installment, so hats off to them for featuring a sizable percentage of those.

Before that, you can check out another showcase on April 21. Top Hat Studios Presents: Spring Showcase 2026 will start at noon ET on the publisher’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

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The stream will feature Motorslice, Well Dweller and survival horror game Becrowned, as well premieres and other Top Hat games. I’ve been looking forward to Motorslice, which has a May release window. I wager we’ll get a precise release date for that during this stream.

Meanwhile, there’s an interesting Steam event taking place soon. InterfaceX26 will run from April 27 until May 4. This one is focused on games that deal with made-up operating systems and other custom interfaces. Organizers have brought together more than 150 developers and publishers, who are asking Valve to introduce an official “Fake OS” tag for games on Steam.

Some neat games will be included in a sale and a showcase on May 2, including Blippo+, TR-49 and The Roottrees are Dead. Expect demos and relevant new releases too. Speaking of which…

New releases

We’ve been waiting a very long time for Replaced. This cyberpunk adventure from Sad Cat Studios and publisher Thunderful finally landed this week on Steam, GOG, Xbox on PC and Xbox Series X/S. It’s on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Otherwise, the base game costs $20. A supporter edition that includes the soundtrack is $25. It’ll hit the Epic Games Store at a later date.

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The game was initially supposed to arrive in 2022. It certainly didn’t help that Sad Cat Studios was forced to relocate from Belarus to Cyprus after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the game is finally here and it debuted to generally positive reviews.

Replaced is a 2.5D action platformer set in an alternate version of 1980s America, in which you play as an AI trapped in a human body that may or may not dream of electric sheep. I haven’t yet had a chance to properly jump into this gorgeous-looking game, but I’m hoping to do so this weekend.

Speaking of games I’ve long had on my wishlist, Gecko Gods arrived this week. I think I first clapped eyes on this around 2022. Various trailers charmed me with the idea of a puzzle exploration platformer that casts you in the role of a gecko that’s able to run along walls and ceilings.

I’ve played around 90 minutes of this one so far. I dig the look and the gecko is very cute (being able to customize its appearance is a nice touch). I love that you “collect” different types of bugs by eating them. It’s a fairly relaxing game, which is broadly what I need at the minute.

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I think there are some issues here, though. I’ve explored two of the main five islands in the open world and it feels a bit sparse so far. The joy of being able to clamber up and around any object complicates things when it comes to more precise platforming sections. While the sailing sections are pretty, the boat is clunky to control on the choppy water. I ran into some mild technical issues as well on PS5 with occasional framerate dips and objects popping in. Hopefully, that’s something the developers at Inresin are able to address.

Gecko Gods — from publishers Super Rare Originals and Gamersky Games — is available now on Steam, PS5 and Nintendo Switch. It’s normally $20, but there’s a 10 percent launch discount until April 30 (on PS5, this only applies to PlayStation Plus members)

Another highly anticipated game landed this week in the form of Mouse: PI for Hire. We’ve had our eyes on this first-person shooter/detective game with sumptuous rubberhose-style animation for quite some time. Reviews have been generally positive so far, and it seems that there’s enough substance here to live up to those stellar visuals.

Mouse: PI for Hire — from Fumi Games and publisher PlaySide — is out now for $30. It’s available on PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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Thirsty Suitors developer Outerloop Games and co-publisher Outersloth served up the cooking-themed Dosa Divas this week. It tells the story of two sisters who set out on a journey with their mech to take down a fast food empire and reconnect communities through cooking.

It caught my eye when I saw it during a showcase a while back and it has a great concept, though I don’t exactly love turn-based combat. I’ve read a few lukewarm reviews of the game, and the consensus seems to be that the cooking mechanics and combat perhaps needed some more time to simmer.

If you’d like to try Dosa Divas yourself, you can pick it up on Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It’ll usually run you $20, but there’s a 10 percent launch discount until April 28.

If you’re looking for a puzzle game that can be relaxing or rather dark, depending on your mood, it might be worth checking out A Storied Life: Tabitha. As you pack up the home of a late loved one, you’ll need to decide which items to keep in the limited storage space you have and discard the rest. You’ll need to wrap fragile items in bubble wrap and vacuum pack soft items to save room in the boxes.

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As you save items, you’ll unlock words that you can use to fill in the blanks of your loved one’s life and tell their story, Mad Libs-style. Given that you’ll find items like a blackmail letter and a shirt with lipstick on the collar, it seems like there’s a lot of variety to the kinds of stories you can tell.

A Storied Life: Tabitha is available on Steam now. It’ll normally run you $15, but you can save 10 percent if you buy it before April 28.

To round out this section, I’ll quickly note that Hades 2 is out now on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S for  $30, with a 20 percent launch discount. It’s on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass too.

I bought Hades 2 when Supergiant Games brought it to Steam early access two years ago, telling myself I’d wait until the full game was out. But I still haven’t gotten around to it yet. There are always too many games tugging at my fragile attention span and Hades 2 faded into the background for me. I really ought to play it, I know!

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I’m keeping an eye out for Agefield High: Rock the School from Refugium Games. This spiritual successor to Rockstar’s Bully is set to arrive this summer on Steam. It emerged this week that it will hit PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later in the year.

It’s a coming-of-age adventure in which you play as Sam, a young lad who has moved to a new school in the early 2000s. He wants to make his last few months of high school a time to remember.

There’s a branching narrative with multiple endings here — you can opt to go to classes and be a good student, or skip school and cause trouble. As a mostly rule-abiding student way back when, I’d be tempted to go for the latter. This seems like a bit of a life sim with a broad array of activities and ways to get into bother. I’m looking forward to it.

The latest edition of the Galaxies Showcase — yet another indie spotlight event — took place this week and The Backworld caught my attention. This is a Mother-inspired RPG from Numor Games and publisher Top Hat with charming art direction (yes, I did see that one character doing a Naruto run), an intriguing mix of characters and…

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Oh no, why did the music stop? Why did it get so dark all of a sudden? What are these horrifying beasts that are chasing my character? Yup, there’s a heavy horror element here. Numor took inspiration from The Backrooms as well.

The Backworld will be released later this year. A demo just hit Steam.

A Study in Blue, from Relate Games, was another highlight of the Galaxies Showcase, thanks in large part to that impressive animation. This is a point-and-click adventure in which you play as two characters with complex pasts: private detective Kenneth and runaway Blue.

You’ll explore a semi-open world and solve crimes by collecting clues and calling out characters’ lies. There are three intertwined story acts and multiple endings. A Steam demo featuring a side quest from the main game that’ll take around two hours to complete is available now.

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I’m always going to be interested in any game that riffs on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. On the face of this trailer, Elementallis developer AnKae Games seems to borrow quite a bit of the design language and other ideas from the SNES classic. Still, if you’re going to crib from anything, it may as well be the best game of all time.

This 2D action RPG, which is also published by Top Hat and has a heavier focus on elemental powers than A Link to the Past, looks very much like my kind of jam. It’s coming to Steam, GOG, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One on April 28. Per the eShop listing, it’ll cost $18.

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How to Tell if Someone Else’s Apple AirTag Is Tracking You

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The biggest benefit of Apple’s AirTags is that they help you find your belongings, whether you’re looking for lost keys or keeping track of your luggage while traveling. But AirTags can also be used to track you without your knowledge. 

AirTags work by combining built-in sensors, wireless signals and Apple’s wide Find My network to let you keep tabs on your valuables. If you ever lose your wallet with an AirTag inside, for example, you can use the Find My app to locate it on a map, have it play a sound to help you find it nearby, or mark it as “lost,” which allows other Find My users to help you find it. 

One of the biggest complaints about AirTags, however, is that someone with malicious intent could easily slip one of the tiny tags into your bag and then track your movements without your consent. Multiple people have reported AirTag-related stalking incidents where the victims didn’t know the trackers were placed on them until much later.  

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Apple and Google (Android users have their own choice of Bluetooth trackers, such as the Moto Tag, which works with Google’s Find Hub) have since collaborated on an industry standard that alerts the user if a device is being used to track them without their knowledge. Thanks to this collaboration, Android users will be able to know if an AirTag is being used to track them, too. 

Apple, for its part, has also made some changes in the past few years that improve the ability to detect an unwanted AirTag. In the initial rollout, an AirTag would make a sound three days after it’s separated from its paired device. Now, that duration is 8 to 24 hours. If you have unwanted tracking notifications enabled (which we’ll get to below), you’ll receive an audible alert.

We should note here that the new AirTag is 50% louder than the first-generation model, and would therefore be theoretically better at alerting you to the unwanted AirTag. Apple has also said that the speaker on the second-gen AirTag is harder to remove than on the first-gen model, in case bad actors try to remove it. 

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an iPhone with Find My on the screen next to an AirTag 2

Apple’s Find My helps you set up and track an AirTag. It can also help notify you if an unwanted tracker is detected.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Detecting unwanted trackers

To be able to detect unwanted trackers, first enable unwanted-tracking notifications. For AirTags or other Find My accessories, these pop-up notifications (e.g., “AirTag found moving with you”) are available on devices with iOS 14.5 or later. For other Bluetooth tracking devices, these notifications are enabled on iOS 17.5 or later. 

You should enable Location Services, Find My iPhone, Bluetooth and Allow Notifications. Here’s how:

  • Head to Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Location Services and toggle it on. 
  • After that, head to Settings, then Apple Account, select Find My and turn Find My iPhone on. 
  • To enable Bluetooth, go to Settings, then Bluetooth and turn that on. 
  • Then go to Settings, then Notifications, scroll down to Tracking Notifications and toggle on Allow Notifications. Make sure airplane mode is off, or you won’t receive tracking notifications. 

Watch this: Testing the New AirTag, While Tim Cook’s White House Visit Sparks Apple Boycott Calls

What to do when you get the tracking notification

If you do get a notification like “Unknown tracker alert” or “Item detected near you,” you can try to find the unwanted AirTag by tapping it. Tap continue and then tap Play Sound or tap Find Nearby to locate the AirTag in question. 

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If it doesn’t play a sound or you’re unable to find it, the item may no longer be on your person. Apple suggests checking your other belongings or the area around you, just in case. If you want to review the notification at a later time, you can open the Find My app, tap Items and then tap Items Detected With You.

Be aware that there are often “false positives,” when notifications are triggered when someone nearby has a tracker on them. If you’re traveling on a train, plane or bus, waiting in line or seated in a public space, a mistaken tracking alert could stem from glitches or high-density Bluetooth environments. 

If you get an alert, though, it’s always a good idea to take it seriously and investigate what might be causing it.

If you do find an AirTag that doesn’t belong to you, hold the top of your iPhone near the tracker until you see a notification. Tap it, and this will launch a website that provides information like its serial number, the last four digits of the phone number or a blurred-out email address of its owner. If the AirTag is marked as “lost,” you may see a message with instructions on how to contact them. 

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If you’re concerned that the tracker is being used to monitor your movements and location, Apple advises taking a screenshot of the information above for your records. You can then disable the AirTag by pressing down on the back of the AirTag, turning it counterclockwise to remove the cover and removing the battery.  

Of course, before making any of these changes, it’s important to come up with a safety plan, especially if you’re afraid you’re being tracked by a current or former abusive partner. Contact your local law enforcement if you feel like your safety is at risk, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-SAFE (7233).

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Premier League Soccer: Stream Man City vs. Arsenal From Anywhere Live

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When to watch Man City vs. Arsenal

  • Sunday, April 19, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT).

Where to watch

  • Man City vs. Arsenal will air in the US  on NBC and Peacock Premium.
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Can English Premier League leader Arsenal hold its nerve, or will second-place Man City take the chance to close the gap on the Gunners in this crucial title race showdown at the Etihad? 

A home victory for the hosts on Sunday looks essential if Man City is to claim a sixth EPL title under manager Pep Guardiola. A win here would move City to within three points of Arsenal. The hosts can draw plenty of encouragement from the comfortable 2-0 win in last month’s League Cup final as they look to heap further pressure on the Gunners. That pressure may be starting to get to the league leaders.

While Arsenal’s 2-1 home defeat last Sunday against Bournemouth has given City renewed optimism that it can catch its title opponents, Mikel Arteta’s team nevertheless claimed a positive result in midweek. Arsenal’s goalless draw at the Emirates against Sporting Lisbon ensured its passage into the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the second season in a row. 

Man City takes on Arsenal on Sunday, April 19, at the Etihad Stadium, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. BST. That makes it an 11:30 a.m. ET or 8:30 a.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and a 1:30 a.m. AEST kickoff in Australia in the early hours of Monday morning. 

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Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrating, shouting.

Midfield star Declan Rice is set to start for Arsenal on Sunday. He recovered from an illness to star in the Gunners’ midweek 0-0 draw with Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.

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How to watch Man City vs. Arsenal in the US without cable 

Sunday’s crucial clash will be broadcast on NBC and streaming service Peacock. To catch the game live on Peacock, you’ll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus subscription. 

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Peacock offers two Premium plans, and after recent price increases, the ad-supported Premium plan costs $11 a month and the ad-free Premium Plus plan costs $17 a month.

How to watch the Premier League 2025-26 with a VPN

If you’re traveling abroad and want to keep up with Premier League action while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming.

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It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security. 

However, some streaming services may have policies that restrict VPN use to access region-specific content. If you’re considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.  

If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider’s installation instructions to ensure you’re connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verify whether your streaming subscription allows VPN use.

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Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Livestream Man City vs. Arsenal in the UK 

This Sunday afternoon clash is exclusive to Sky Sports and will be shown on its Sky Sports Main Event channel. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app. Cord-cutters will want to set up a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the game. 

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Now TV

Sky’s standalone streaming service Now offers access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £15 or sign up to a monthly plan from £35 a month right now.

Livestream Man City vs. Arsenal in Canada 

If you want to livestream EPL games in Canada this season, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has secured exclusive rights to the Premier League and is broadcasting all 380 matches live. 

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Fubo

Fubo is the go-to destination for Canadians looking to watch the EPL, with exclusive streaming rights to every match. It currently costs CA$27 for the first month, then CA$31.50 per month from then on.

Livestream Man City vs. Arsenal in Australia 

Livestreaming rights for the EPL are now with Stan Sport, which is showing all 380 matches live, including this game.

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Stan

Stan Sport will set you back AU$20 a month (on top of a Stan subscription, which starts at AU$12). It’s also worth noting that the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial.

A subscription will also give you access to Premier League, Champions League and Europa League action, as well as international rugby and Formula E.

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Dublin’s Audrey AI closes $1.8m pre-seed funding round

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The investment will fund growth across auditing and engineering, with expansion expected across Ireland and the UK.

Dublin-based start-up Audrey AI has announced the closure of a $1.8m pre-seed funding round, which was led by Sure Valley Ventures and Delta Partners. There was additional participation from Enterprise Ireland, former CEO of Calypso Donnchadh Casey, former CBO of Wayflyer Conor Jones, alongside former Big 4 auditors.

Established in 2025 by Ryan Loughran and David Burke, who met on the Founders programme at Dogpatch Labs, Audrey AI develops AI solutions for financial auditors. The AI-powered platform aims to automate the most time-consuming parts of financial audit engagements.

The organisation has stated that the newly secured funds will be put towards the expansion of Audrey AI’s specialist audit and engineering teams, as the company expands its reach across Ireland, the UK and “beyond”.

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Commenting on the announcement, Loughran, who is also the company’s CEO, said: “Developers have Copilot, lawyers have Harvey, but auditors still primarily work in Excel. We’re building AI that understands auditing deeply enough to raise the bar on quality, not just speed, freeing auditors to focus on the judgement and oversight that matters most.” 

A number of Irish organisations operating within the artificial intelligence space have already announced major investments in April. Start-up Otel AI, which is building an AI platform for hotel managers, recently announced a raise of €2m, bringing the company’s total funding to date to €2.8m. 

E-commerce technology company Zellor raised €850,000 in its very first external funding round. The start-up, which is led by CEO Niall O’Sullivan, received backing from Enterprise Ireland and a number of strategic Irish investors.

Galway-based AI security software start-up Octostar, which also has offices in Italy and the UK, raised €6.1m in an extended seed funding round. 

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Updated, 1.05pm, 16 April 2026: This article was amended to clarify Audrey AI’s expansion plans.

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ZionSiphon malware designed to sabotage water treatment systems

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ZionSiphon malware designed to sabotage water treatment systems

A new malware called ZionSiphon, specifically designed for operational technology, is targeting water treatment and desalination environments to sabotage their operations.

The threat can adjust hydraulic pressures and raise chlorine levels to dangerous levels, researchers found during their analysis.

Based on its IP targeting and political messages embedded in its strings, ZionSiphon appears to focus on targets based in Israel.

Wiz

Researchers at AI-powered cybersecurity company Darktrace found a flawed encryption logic error in the malware’s validation mechanism that makes it non-functional but warn that future ZionSiphon releases could fix the flaw to unleash its power in attacks.

Upon deployment, the malware checks whether the host IP falls within Israeli ranges and whether the system contains water/OT-related software or files, to ensure it is running in water treatment or desalination systems.

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Strings from the targets list
Strings from the targets list
Source: Darktrace

Darktrace notes that the logic for country verification is broken due to an XOR mismatch, causing the targeting to fail and triggering the self-destruct mechanism instead of executing the payload.

If ZionSiphon were to activate, it could cause significant damage by increasing chlorine levels and maximizing the flaw and pressure.

It does this via a function named “IncreaseChlorineLevel(),” which appends a text block on existing configuration files to maximize the chlorine dose and flow as much as it is physically supported by the plant’s mechanical systems.

“IncreaseChlorineLevel()” checks a hardcoded list of configuration files associated with desalination, reverse osmosis, chlorine control, and water treatment OT/Industrial Control Systems (ICS),” Darktrace says.

“As soon as it finds any one of these files present, it appends a fixed block of text to it and returns immediately.”

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“The appended block of text contains the following entries: “Chlorine_Dose=10”, “Chlorine_Pump=ON”, “Chlorine_Flow=MAX”, “Chlorine_Valve=OPEN”, and “RO_Pressure=80”.”

The intention to interact with industrial control systems (ICS) is obvious from scanning the local subnet for the Modbus, DNP3, and S7comm communication protocols.

However, Darktrace has found only partially functional code for Modbus, and merely placeholders for the other two, indicating that the malware is still in an early development phase.

ZionSiphon also has a USB propagation mechanism that copies itself to removable drives as a hidden ‘svchost.exe’ process and creates malicious shortcut files that execute the malware when clicked.

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Creating shortcuts on removable drives
Creating shortcuts on removable drives
Source: Darktrace

USB propagation is key in critical infrastructure systems, where computers that manage security-critical functions are often “air-gapped,” meaning they are not directly connected to the internet.

While ZionSiphon isn’t operational in its current version, its intent and potential for damage are concerning, and all that’s needed to unlock both is to fix a minor verification error.

AI chained four zero-days into one exploit that bypassed both renderer and OS sandboxes. A wave of new exploits is coming.

At the Autonomous Validation Summit (May 12 & 14), see how autonomous, context-rich validation finds what’s exploitable, proves controls hold, and closes the remediation loop.

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Leakers claim PlayStation 6 could offer at least 3x the performance of the PS5

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YouTube channel Moore’s Law Is Dead recently made new claims about the performance of upcoming next-generation consoles based on supposedly leaked internal documents from AMD. Although most analysts expect the PlayStation 6 to improve ray tracing performance over the PlayStation 5 significantly, its overall impact on game performance remains a…
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Man gets 30 months for selling thousands of hacked DraftKings accounts

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Hacker

23-year-old Kamerin Stokes of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for selling access to tens of thousands of hacked DraftKings accounts.

According to court documents, the accounts were hijacked by Nathan Austad (aka Snoopy) with the help of Joseph Garrison (a third accomplice charged in May 2023) in a massive November 2022 credential-stuffing attack that compromised nearly 68,000 DraftKings accounts.

U.S. prosecutors said Austad and Garrison used a list of credentials stolen in multiple breaches to hack into DraftKings accounts, then sold access to others who stole around $635,000 from roughly 1,600 compromised accounts.

Wiz

While they made over $2.1 million selling some of these hijacked DraftKings accounts (as well as FanDuel and Chick-fil-A accounts) through their own “shops,” they also sold many in bulk to Stokes (also known online as TheMFNPlug), who resold them through his own “shop.” 

One month later, the sports betting giant said it had to refund hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from hacked accounts, after all available funds were withdrawn following the addition of a new payment method and a $5 deposit to verify its validity.

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DraftKings “cash-out” instructions (BleepingComputer)

​After being arrested, pleading guilty, and released while awaiting trial, Stokes reopened his shop with a new “fraud is fun” tagline and continued selling access to compromised accounts for various retailers.

Prosecutors said he also admitted “he had been running these types of shops for three years” and that he relaunched the shop because he needed money to pay his attorney.

“Kamerin Stokes victimized thousands of users of an online betting website though [sic] a cyberattack,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton noted in a Thursday press release.

“After pleading guilty to federal crimes, Stokes audaciously reopened his criminal business, marketed using the tagline’ fraud is fun,’ and said that he opened the new Shop in part because ‘gotta pay my attorneys,’ referring to his prosecution in this case.”

After reopening his website, Stokes was again remanded into federal custody after being arrested for violating the conditions of his pretrial release.

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In addition to 30 months in prison, Stokes was given 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,327,061 in restitution and $125,965.53 in forfeiture.

AI chained four zero-days into one exploit that bypassed both renderer and OS sandboxes. A wave of new exploits is coming.

At the Autonomous Validation Summit (May 12 & 14), see how autonomous, context-rich validation finds what’s exploitable, proves controls hold, and closes the remediation loop.

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Shipping Antimatter by Truck to Understand the Universe

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A truck makes a historic trip around CERN’s facility on the France-Switzerland border, transporting the world’s most expensive material for the first time.

The antimatter inside is made by CERN’s enormous particle accelerator, and then antimatter particles are decelerated and captured for storage, shipment and study.

Antimatter is the mirror opposite of matter. The particular type of antimatter transported was 92 antiprotons, the negatively charged equivalent to the positively charged protons found in regular matter. This perplexing and precious material could hold the key to unlocking some of the largest looming mysteries remaining in physics, going back to the origins of our universe.

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antiproton penning trap a large blue cylinder with multiple layers of shielding that contains magnets and a vacuum chamber to contain antimatter particles

Animation of the Penning Trap that holds antiprotons in place, preventing them from annihilating with the surrounding matter.

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When matter and antimatter meet, they annihilate, turning most of their mass into pure energy. This reaction is the stuff of science fiction, powering spaceships and super weapons. However, with current technology, it would take billions of years to acquire enough antimatter to do any serious damage.

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Annihilation is routine at CERN’s antimatter factory, happening on a small scale with individual particles and showing up as a line on a graph (pictured below).

a graph showing annihilation signals from matter-antimatter annihilation

This is what it looks like to scientists when matter and antimatter annihilate.

BASE/CERN

One of the mysteries the study of antimatter could solve is the reason why there’s so much more matter than antimatter in the observable universe, a question with roots going all the way back to the big bang.

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So far, the science shows that matter and its antimatter equivalents are identical opposites in weight and magnetism. Stefan Ulmer, founder and spokesperson of the BASE experiment at CERN, believes more precise measurements could help find discrepancies which could hold the key.

The search for these discrepancies means that the antimatter particles must leave their birthplace at CERN because the same enormous magnets necessary to produce antimatter also make it difficult to study due to magnetic interference.

This may seem like a lot of work just to get more precise measurements of particles, but Ulmer says chasing answers to the biggest questions in science “makes you creative,” and this is his own version of heaven.

To see the truckload of antimatter make its historic trip, check out the video in this article.

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Blue Origin uses a recycled rocket to launch satellite for AST SpaceMobile

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Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket rises from its Florida pad, sending an AST SpaceMobile satellite into orbit. (Blue Origin via YouTube)

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture used a previously flown New Glenn rocket booster to send a satellite into orbit today, taking its competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to new heights.

And after it aced its second launch, the first-stage booster — nicknamed “Never Tell Me the Odds” — made yet another successful touchdown on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

The rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:25 a.m. ET (4:25 a.m. PT), sending AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 telecom satellite into low Earth orbit.

The twice-used booster made its first flight last November when it launched NASA’s Escapade probes on a mission to Mars. Blue Origin’s Florida team recovered and refurbished the booster for today’s launch.

Blue Origin executed the same maneuver today. The webcast showed the booster settling down to a touchdown on the landing craft, which was christened Jacklyn as a tribute to Bezos’ mother. Team members could be heard cheering at Mission Control in Florida, at the company’s headquarters in Kent, Wash., and at other outposts in Texas and Alabama.

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“Welcome back once again, Never Tell Me the Odds,” launch commentator Tabitha Lipkin said. “It’s good to say that twice.”

This was the third launch for Blue Origin’s orbital-class New Glenn rocket. The first liftoff in January 2025 sent a payload into orbit to test the communication and control systems for Blue Origin’s Blue Ring space mobility platform. Blue Origin tried to recover the booster that was used for that mission, nicknamed “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” but the booster missed its chance and couldn’t be saved.

After today’s successful booster touchdown, the focus shifted to the mission’s primary objective: deploying BlueBird 7 from the rocket’s second stage in low Earth orbit. That was due to take place an hour and 15 minutes after liftoff.

If all goes well, BlueBird 7 is destined to join six other satellites in Texas-based AST SpaceMobile’s constellation. The BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver cellular broadband connectivity directly from space to standard smartphones.

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AST SpaceMobile aims to have up to 60 satellites in its constellation by the end of 2026. The company is aiming to start providing commercial satellite service in partnership with AT&T and Verizon later this year.

Direct-to-device connectivity is shaping up as a fast-moving frontier for satellite broadband services. SpaceX was the first to enter the fray: It struck a D2D deal with T-Mobile in 2022 and is ramping up its Starlink satellite network to accommodate the needs of cellular subscribers.

Last week, Amazon announced that it will acquire Globalstar, a Louisiana-based satellite operator, and will partner with Apple to beef up D2D services. That deal is expected to give a boost to the Amazon Leo satellite broadband network, a Starlink competitor that’s due to begin commercial service this year.

Rocket reusability is another technological realm where SpaceX has long been a leader but is now facing heightened competition. The ability to recover and reuse rocket boosters plays a huge part in SpaceX’s strategy to drive down launch costs — and today’s launch demonstrated that Blue Origin is able to leverage rocket reusability as well.

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Crime blotter: Second suspect sought in $2 million iPhone theft

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iPads are stolen from a Best Buy, G-Love is caught up in the fake Ledger app scam, and AirTags solve two thefts, all in this week’s Apple Crime Blotter.

Police officer securing metal handcuffs on a persons wrists behind their back, showing only their hands and forearms in a neutral indoor setting
Man in handcuffs. Image Credit: Pixabay

The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
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