Nvidia shows off the world’s largest GPU at its GTC conference

Nvidia’s Graphics Technology Conference keynote just wrapped, and the two-hour-plus talk covered a lot of really interesting topics — if you’re a graphical engineer, data scientist, or autonomous vehicle enthusiast. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang didn’t even allude to the upcoming 11-series graphics cards, or the long-rumored Turing-series cryptocurrency mining GPUs. There were a few tidbits of interest for the rest of us, like the introduction of the world’s largest GPU and a brand-new Nvidia Quadro GPU, but other than that it was mostly a technical talk aimed at enterprise customers. Let’s get into it.

Nvidia Quadro GV100

The first actual product shown off at Nvidia’s GTC keynote was the Quadro GV100, a new high-end professional-grade GPU. This thing is lightning-fast but unfortunately, it’s not for gaming so don’t get your hopes up. The GV100 is designed to power professional workstations and pump out CGI using cutting-edge real-time RTX raytracing which Nvidia first showed off at GDC. It features Nvidia’s next-gen Volta architecture and 32GB of memory, and if its predecessor, the GP100 is any indication, this card will cost more than an arm and a leg. The GP100 started at $7,000, so we can probably expect the GV100 to come in around that price.

The world’s largest GPU

Also unveiled at the GTC keynote was one of Nvidia’s most powerful — and most expensive — pieces of hardware: The Nvidia DGX-2, a GPU supercomputer that weighs in at around 350 pounds. The “mini” supercomputer features 16 individual Tesla V100 GPUs, each with 32GB of system memory. These cards all work together through Nvidia’s NVSwitch technology, meaning this massive machine is capable of crunching some serious numbers. Designed for deep-learning applications which require massive amounts of processing power, the DGX-2 is impressive, but again not for the average user. Unless you have a spare $400,000 laying around.

Clara medical imaging supercomputer

In what could be the most important announcement to come out of the GTC keynote, Nvidia briefly demoed a cloud supercomputing technology called Clara. The system could enable doctors and medical professionals working with old or outdated equipment to provide better care to patients without having to invest in multi-million-dollar imaging technology. The system, as demoed, can take the standard data output from a 15-year-old ultrasound machine, run it through its artificial intelligence models and actually infer more information than the ultrasound originally contained. During the demo, we saw Clara take a simple two-dimensional image of a heart beating and turn it into a fully three-dimensional image, complete with blood pressure estimates and other health diagnostics.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best graphics cards
• Nvidia’s next gaming cards could be the GTX 11 Series, not the GTX 20 Series
• Intel’s Radeon-backed ‘Hades Canyon’ mini PC runs games at 1080p, Ultra graphics
• Dell’s latest Inspiron notebook packs in AMD’s Ryzen APU with Vega graphics
• Asus ZenBook 13 UX331 billed as the ‘thinnest laptop with discrete graphics’

Tanks for the beer! Robotic vehicle follows you around, brings you a brewski

We’re lovers, not fighters here at Digital Trends — but for this awesome tank robot, we’re happy to make an exception. Created by maker Balázs Simon, the WalaBeer tank is a homemade Alexa-connected vehicle that treks around your apartment with the express goal of delivering you a beer. To do this, it uses Walabot, a do-it-yourself device that’s able to see through walls. You can keep your Roomba vacuum cleaner; this is the home robot for us!

“WalaBeer Tank is a voice-controlled, tracked vehicle that sees you with its special 3D sensor, Walabot,” Simon told Digital Trends. “It can do this by using microwaves; it doesn’t even need light to see. If you ask the tank to follow you, it will try to keep you in its target zone. If you leave the zone, the tank will move accordingly to keep you about 80 centimeter from its front. The fun part comes when you reach your destination and ask it to give you a beer. The top will open up and a crane will start to elevate with a beer.”

Balázs Simon

The tank’s electronics are built around an Arduino MKR1000 and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. The Arduino interacts with the hardware, while the Raspberry Pi processes the data from the Walabot, handles the voice commands of the Amazon Echo, and controls the Arduino in the robot’s “follow me” mode. The tank itself was sourced from an existing kit, reinforced with some extra wood and plastic. The beer-lifting mechanism was created using Erector Set pieces and a slow servo motor.

“I wanted to build a robot car for years,” Simon says. “I’ve had some ideas on how to build one from scratch, but a couple of months ago I found a cheap tank chassis on a web shop that looked great. I bought it immediately. It wasn’t a car, but it was better. I planned to use it as an experimenting platform. The plan was to build an autonomous vehicle. However, I thought that roaming around the house aimlessly was not that fun. I wanted to give it a purpose — and beer transporting seemed an interesting and awesome goal.”

A bill of materials, along with build instructions, can be found at Hackster.io. If you don’t think you’ve got the necessary skills, though, Simon did mention that commercialization isn’t out of the question if the idea proves popular enough. We certainly hope so.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Forget weather stations; this gadget lets you monitor the entire planet
• Awesome Tech You Can’t Buy Yet: Stink-proof pet beds, origami kayaks, and more
• You can build your own smart home hub with Mozilla’s Project Things
• The best sedans you can buy
• Everything you need to know about Google Assistant

You need a GeForce GTX 1070 or better to get the best out of HTC’s Vive Pro

The pre-order option for HTC’s upcoming Vive Pro virtual reality headset is now live, and with it arrives an updated list of system requirements you need to get the best experience possible. The company now provides two sets of graphics card requirements: Minimum and recommended. The Vive Pro doesn’t ship until April, so you still have time to upgrade and get the most out of HTC’s newest VR headset when it finally arrives. 

Here are the hardware specifications: 

Minimum
Recommended

Processor:

Intel Core i5-4590
AMD FX 8350

Intel Core i5-4590
AMD FX 8350

Graphics:

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
AMD Radeon RX 480

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
Nvidia Quadro P5000
AMD Radeon Vega 56

Memory:

4GB

4GB

Video output: 

DisplayPort v1.2 

DisplayPort v1.2 

Connections: 

1x USB-A 3.1 Gen1 

1x USB-A 3.1 Gen1 

Platform: 

Windows 8.1
Windows 10 

Windows 8.1
Windows 10 

 Compared to the original Vive headset’s “recommended” requirements, the Pro’s minimum hardware specifications are seemingly unchanged save for the removal of the HDMI connection requirement, and an upgrade to USB 3.1 Gen1. But the Pro’s “recommended” system requirements are understandable given it demands a bit more processing power to render virtual reality at a higher visual level. The vanilla Vive unit provides a 2,160 x 1,200 combined resolution versus the Pro’s 2,880 x 1,600 combined resolution. 

The drawback to the Vive Pro is that for $799, you’re only getting the headset and its companion link box — base stations and controllers are not included in that price. The optional accessory starter kit includes two base stations and two controllers, setting you back an additional $450. A single controller costs $130 while a single base station is another $135. That said, you can get a complete HTC Vive “vanilla” first-generation kit for $500 and still have a great experience. 

Keep in mind, for the “best” experience for the Vive Pro, an upgrade to the GTX 1070 will cost at least $400 based on Nvidia’s Founders Edition pricing. But in the real world, prices are substantially higher due to a short supply and traditionally higher price tags supplied by manufacturers. Meanwhile, AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 56 suffers the same fate, with prices hovering around $538 and higher. 

So let’s do the math. If you’re just jumping onto the virtual reality bandwagon, here are the options along with how much you will likely spend in total if your graphics card needs an upgrade too. We threw Facebook’s Oculus Rift into the mix as well: 

Complete Cost
With GPU upgrade

HTC Vive Pro

$1,250

$1,800 (GTX 1070)

HTC Vive

$500

$870 (GTX 1060)

Oculus Rift

$400

$770 (GTX 1060)

If you’re already set hardware-wise, then the only component you need to consider is how much you want to sink into a niche market. If you need both the headset kit and a new graphics card to support the device, now simply isn’t a good time unless you have money to burn. As stated, the graphics card shortage is generating higher prices with the current stock. And with Nvidia’s next-generation graphics cards just around the corner, you’ll be better off playing the waiting game for now…. at least until June.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Twitter tease indicates HTC could reveal a 4K Vive VR headset at CES
• The best VR-ready laptops you can buy right now
• HTC Vive vs. Vive Pro
• The best graphics cards
• The best cheap gaming PCs

Qualification for this year’s Overwatch World Cup starts now

The third annual Overwatch World Cup will take place in California this November and Blizzard has now announced how qualification and team-building will play out this year. From now through April 28th, Blizzard will track the average skill rating of every country’s top 150 players, and the top 20 countries will get a seat at the Cup. France, South Korea, Thailand and the US will be this year’s Group Stage host countries and will automatically qualify, bringing the total number of competing teams to 24.

Committees will work a little differently this go around. GMs will be selected by Blizzard and while individuals can apply, Blizzard will also do a bit of scouting. As for coaches, anyone with an account in good standing can apply to coach their country’s team and their country’s top 150 players will each vote on who they would like to lead the team. After the first vote, the top three candidates will then be voted on again. The community lead will also be chosen through a two-step voting system. A country’s entire player base can vote for community lead and the top 10 from round one will be the candidates included in the second round of voting.

Committees will be revealed on May 31st and will hold tryouts from June 1st through July 5th. Final rosters can have up to 12 players and Blizzard will work with teams to select the seven players that will represent the team at various live events.

You can see a breakdown of voting round dates here and application links for Committee positions will be provided by Blizzard at a later date.

Source: Overwatch League

AT&T launches the base of its FirstNet public safety network

After roughly a year of partnership, AT&T’s LTE-based FirstNet public safety network is starting to come alive — the carrier has launched the service’s network core nationwide. The rollout provides the foundation for a communications network devoted solely to emergency crews, with multiple priority levels and toughened security that includes around-the-clock monitoring. This doesn’t represent full-fledged service, but it’s now more a matter of weeks than months.

AT&T is in the midst of a “controlled introduction” that gives first responders a relatively limited set of features. Cities will still have to connect their sites to the network core to make it truly useful. The provider expects to start moving more of its clients to FirstNet sometime between April and May, however. Also, the network core launch enables the use of FirstNet-friendly devices that are already either on the market or on the way, such as the Galaxy S9 or Netgear’s Nighthawk M1 mobile router. Ultimately, the hope is to have a full FirstNet experience within five years.

The AT&T network has the backing of all 50 states, but it’s still under close scrutiny. In the first five years, it’ll be partly dependent on $6.5 billion in success-driven payments from the First Responder Network Authority. There’s also the question of network upgrades. FirstNet is getting started just ahead of the first 5G deployments — AT&T previously said it would “explore” upgrading FirstNet to 5G, but it might not have much choice once 5G is mainstream and LTE seems old in the tooth. That could lead to a complicated (or at least expensive) transition.

Source: AT&T

Uber agrees to pay $10 million in discrimination lawsuit settlement

The San Francisco Chronicle reports today that Uber has agreed to a $10 million settlement in a class action lawsuit that claimed it discriminated against minorities and women who worked for the company. The lawsuit was filed in October and represents 420 women and people of color who were employed by Uber as software engineers going back to 2013. Additionally, the Chronicle reports that the company has also agreed to change how it manages compensation and promotion. The lawsuit alleged that women, black and Latino/Latina employees were not given raises, bonuses, stock and benefits at the same rate as male and white or Asian coworkers.

Uber has had an ongoing problem with discrimination and harassment. Former Uber employee Susan Fowler detailed her experience with harassment at the company last year in a blog post and Uber later fired more than 20 employees for harassment following an internal investigation. Earlier this year Uber hired its first chief diversity officer — a move that was recommended by those conducting a probe into the company’s culture.

“This settlement involves claims dating back to July 2013 and, while we are continually improving as a company, we have proactively made a lot of changes since then,” Uber said in a statement. “In the past year alone we have implemented a new salary and equity structure based on the market, overhauled our performance review process, published our first Diversity & Inclusion report and created and delivered diversity and leadership trainings to thousands of employees globally.”

The judge handling the case still has to approve the settlement and a hearing has been scheduled for May 1st.

Via: Axios

Source: Law.com

Here are the biggest announcements from Apple’s education event

That Apple would just a choose a massive high school in the Midwest to host a press conference was peculiar enough. Then Apple went and crafted class schedules for everyone and set up a room where people could try on Romeo and Juliet costumes, across from another room where drones were zipping around and virtual frogs were being dissected. We knew today’s press event wasn’t going to be business as usual, but we had no idea just how delightfully strange Apple wanted everything to be.

Just as Apple packed demos in to a handful of rooms at Lane Tech, it also squeezed a load of notable announcements into an hour-long press conference. In case you were busy this morning, join me for a quick — and I mean quick — recap of Apple’s biggest announcements from here in frigid Chicago.

Catch up on all of the news from Apple’s education event right here!

Mini created an electric version of one of its classics

Mini really wants everyone to know that it’s embracing the EV future. At an event ahead of the New York Auto Show, the automaker unveiled the Classic Mini Electric that’s exactly what the name implies: an older Mini that’s been electrified.

The car is ready for a reboot of The Italian Job. Except this time all the Mini’s are silent and need to be plugged in before pulling off a heist. The company retrofitted one of its older vehicles with a battery pack, electric motor and charging port. The iconic Mini badge on the front of the vehicle has been replaced with the electric logo that’s found on the company’s electric concept vehicle.

Sadly the classic Mini Electric is a one-off vehicle so don’t expect it to show up in showrooms anytime soon. The Mini electric concept, on the other hand, should make its way to showrooms in a production vehicle in 2019.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 New York Auto Show.

Source: Mini

Google sponsorship will cut ad time on Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’

Google is determined to drum up attention for Nest’s Hello video doorbell, and it’s going about it in an unusual way: by taking over a commercial break. When The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs on March 27th (that’s tonight if you’re reading in time), CBS will replace one of the usual ad breaks with a “More Show presented by Google’s Nest Hello video doorbell.” It’s the first takeover in the show’s history, CBS said.

This hearkens back to the early days of TV (and modern-day podcasts, for that matter), when sponsorships frequently took place in-show. And it’s not entirely surprising that CBS would go this route: it’s been a big fan of integrating ads into Colbert’s show as well as James Corden’s Late Late Show. This is breaking new ground for the network, however, and it told Variety that deals like this are “just the beginning.”

It’s certainly unusual for Google, which is still better known for its web ads than the few TV commercials it does run. The takeover makes sense for a tech company eager to capture your interest, mind you. It’s not only more likely to raise eyebrows (we’re writing about it, aren’t we?), it makes the sponsorship harder to skip — your DVR won’t pass over it, and you might see it show up in YouTube segments. Don’t be surprised if other industry giants follow suit.

Via: TechCrunch, Variety

Source: CBS Press Express

Quick Takes: There Will Be iOS 11.4, Apple Watch Trade-Up Program Expands, and More

In addition to our standalone articles covering the latest news and rumors at MacRumors, this Quick Takes column provides a bite-sized recap of other headlines about Apple and its competitors on weekdays.

Today’s edition of Quick Takes focuses on tidbits from Apple’s education-themed event at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago today. For bigger news from the event, we’ve put together a roundup of links and a video that recaps everything that Apple announced on stage in under three minutes.

Tuesday, March 27

• Apple confirms there will be an iOS 11.4 software update: It will be the first point-four version since iOS 8.4 was released with Apple Music in June 2015. iOS 11.3 remains in beta testing, so we’re likely a few months away from the public release of iOS 11.4.

  From the Introducing ClassKit for Education Apps entry in the News and Updates section of Apple’s Developer Program website:

  The ClassKit framework, coming in iOS 11.4, works with a powerful new iPad app called Schoolwork that helps teachers and students keep track of assignments and progress. With ClassKit, you can help teachers easily discover specific learning activities in your app, take students directly to the right activity with a single tap, and securely and privately share progress data to help teachers personalize instruction.

• Apple Watch’s trade-up program expands: The program is now available online or at Apple Stores in Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and select other countries. Trade-in values for the original Apple Watch, Series 1, and Series 2 models vary.
  
• Apple Pencil is now available for $89 with education pricing in the United States: The $10 discount is available to students, educators, and select faculty members. Proof of enrollment or employment at a K-12 or higher-education institution may be required.
• Apple has further discounted the price of refurbished 2017 iPad models: On the heels of introducing the sixth-generation 9.7-inch iPad, Apple has lowered the prices of refurbished fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad models, originally released in March 2017.

  In the United States, for example, a Wi-Fi model with 128GB of storage is available for $309, down from $359 previously and 28 percent off the original $429 price for the equivalent brand new model. Just keep in mind that fifth-generation iPads lack Apple Pencil support.

• iBooks Author is not being retired: Apple’s app for creating iBooks on Mac will remain in development, according to iMore’s Serenity Caldwell. In a tweet, she said Pages is not a replacement for iBooks Author, despite the app receiving updates related to creating e-books earlier today.
  

  OKAY, getting some clarifications on iBooks Author and Pages. Bear with me.

  iBooks Author is NOT being sunset. It’s continuing development. This Pages update is not a replacement.

  Instead, this is just bringing Pages’s ePub 3 features and export to iPad, with new templates.

  — Serenity Caldwell @🍎👩🏻‍🏫 (@settern) March 27, 2018

• Apple shares environmental report for the new sixth-generation iPad

For more coverage of Apple’s event, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4, iOS 11Tag: Quick TakesBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums