Methane measurements for the masses
All illustrations: Greg Mably
From high above us, satellites track the devastating greenhouse gas emissions that can change our climate. Until now, their data was private and shared only with firms or governments. MetanSAT it changes. Launched on March 4, 2024, it is intended to identify specific problem areas and track methane emissions more broadly. Anyone will be able to access this data once the satellite is operational in early 2025. Want to take a look? You can take a look now data from MamineAIR, a research jet that may collect a few quarter of MamineSAT data.
Cleaning up thousands and thousands of liters of radioactive waste
The Hanford facility in eastern Washington currently houses radioactive nuclear waste resulting from the event of the primary atomic bombs seeping into the soil and polluting the surrounding environment. Now, the decades-long cleanup effort is set to begin capturing this waste by turning it into glass. This process, the so-called vitrificationrequires temperatures above 1,100°C, about as hot as lava flowing from a volcano. The waste is mixed with silica and other materials and heated in underground tanks to create molten glass, which is then poured into containment tanks to make solid glass. Currently, Wit plant in Hanford is in a “cold start” phase during which the power is up and running, but processing non-radioactive materials as a part of the testing. If all goes well, the actual cleanup will begin in 2025.
A plane that anyone can fly
It takes a mean time 55 hours flight time in the air to obtain a private pilot license in the United States, and that doesn’t even count the weeks of training on the ground. Airhart Aeronautics wants you to be ready to fly in just one hour. Their new personal plane, Airhart scarfhas been designed to be user-friendly, secure and as easy to learn as possible. With a single stick, pilots simply point in the direction they want to fly, and the plane follows them, even during takeoffs and landings. Sling’s computer system translates these controls into commands for the engine and flight systems. The first test flight is scheduled for 2025, with orders shipping to customers in 2026. However, with an initial price tag of $500,000, it may be some time before everyone can fly.
The way forward for agriculture
Farmers in India are facing a financial crisis exacerbated by debt, long supply chains and natural disasters. Given the small plots of around 20,000 square meters that constitute about 80 percent of farms in India, it is difficult to find a solution that is accessible to every farmer. Enter the farm stack. This database, designed by India’s Department of Agriculture and Social Welfare, will connect farmers and their land with government agencies and other companies, helping farmers access money, knowledge and early warnings of natural disasters. Thanks to a standard protocol called Unified agricultural services interfaceAgricultural companies can design products that they know can be easily integrated into the overall system. The government aims to achieve this by early 2025 60 million farmers registered on its website, and this number increases because the 12 months progresses.
New reusable rocket launcher
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are the world’s only reusable rocket boosters. But a brand new challenger is coming: Rocket Labs Neutron. Launched in mid-2025, Neutron will be capable of carrying 13,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit or 1,500 kilograms to Mars or Venus. It will be equipped with a reusable booster, whose task will be to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and land safely at the launch site. To remain competitive, Neutron is targeting a launch price of $50 million, slightly lower than Falcon 9’s $67 million price tag.
Profitable Robotaxis
Robotaxis guarantees private, direct and convenient journeys straight into the long run. But within the midst safety concerns and slow scaling, no robotics company has actually made a profit. Nevertheless, Chinese search giant Baidu expects it Apollo Go robotaxis to achieve this milestone in 2025. The fleet of around 500 taxis is the largest in China and new taxis are expected to be added in Wuhan by the end of 2024. Baidu is expected to have already served over 7 million rides. According to the corporate, the important thing to the service’s profitability is that the brand new sixth-generation vehicles cost only about US$28,000 to supply. Baidu plans to expand to Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East.
30 years of Java
According to our latest report, 2025 will be the 30th year of the second most popular programming language in the world The most popular programming languages breakdown. James Gosling launched Java in May 1995, focusing on creating a programming language in which different devices could easily communicate with each other. Instead of a typical compiler that translates code to run on a specific computer, Java compilers translate code into bytecode that can run on any computer that has a Java Virtual Machine. Java virtual machines then decode the bytecode into instructions for the device’s specific processor. This is commonly called the “write once, run all over the place” principle, which allows Java to be widely used on the Internet and accessed on many different devices. Want to learn Java? It’s not too late start Today!
More memory for AI machines
Generative AI needs huge amounts of fast and efficient memory to continue its stunning achievements. High-bandwidth memory (HBM), a stack of vertically connected DRAM dies, is a key component of the high-performance GPUs that train today’s most powerful artificial intelligence. The next generation of high-bandwidth memory is HBM4, which will accommodate up to 16 memory sticks in one module. While its predecessor, HBM3E (“E” stands for “prolonged”), can technically have stacks of up to 16, only stacks of up to 12 have been released. HBM4 will also have a 2048-bit interface and will transfer 1.5 terabytes per second, which will increase HBM3E throughput by 33 percent. DRAM manufacturers are expected to do this start production of the primary HBM4 devices in 2025
Moore’s latest law machine
