The Register Kettle

There's really only one topic for the Kettle this week - DeepSeek.What began as a Chinese hedge-fund venture has blown away nearly a trillion dollars in stock market value from Nvidia, Microsoft, and Meta. But is it all it's cracked up to be? We have our doubts, as you can see below.Tim Prickett-Morgan on The Next Platform has been following this story before it broke, Tobias Mann went hands on with the LLM on Sunday and our editor Chris Williams has been testing the Chinese system extensively. As ever, your host Iain Thomson keeps things polite.

t's that time of the year again and the tech world heads to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show.It's been a bit subdued this year, since Trump's tariff plans could drastically raise the cost of hardware from China and elsewhere, but the usual suspects unveiled this year's kit.Chip vendors and laptop slingers have been out in force hoping to piggyback the AI wave and this year's upgrade cycle, and there's been the usual grab bag of wacky ideas from plucky young startups. You can see the full discussion below.Chewing the fat we have our editor-in-chief Chris Williams, reporters Brandon Vigliarolo and Tobias Mann, and hosted by Iain Thomson. Nicole Hemsoth Prickett produced the episode.

It's been a rough week for the AI industry as a series of stories have showed the latest LLM technology in a less than flattering light.For example, it appears that AI makes workers less productive, mainly because they haven't been trained how to use it. Gartner, usually a tech cheerleader, has pointed out that expensive AI PCs don't appear to be selling. But there's still Microsoft's latest AI enthusiasm from Ignite - Redmond has to recoup that $10 billion investment in ChatGPT somehow.There's some spirited discussion, and not a few chuckles on this week's Kettle episode, that you can watch in full below. Chewing the fat we have our editor Chris Williams, reporters Brandon Vigliarolo and Tom Claburn.

Join The Register's Editor in Chief, Chris Williams along with Reg reporters, Tom Claburn, Iain Thompson,  and Brandon Vigliarolo as they unpack the possibilities.

In this week's Kettle it's all about AI - or rather whether the tech industry can make the technology not only work, but pay its way as well. With trillions of dollars being spent investors are starting to get twitchy about what they can see for their money and patience. Meanwhile, Nvidia and others are facing what could be their peak year for a while as the market settles down a little - for the moment at least. You can see the full discussion below. After a busy week of financial results and announcement in the field we're joined by Tom Claburn, who's done a deep dive into the returns on investment for AI spending, Tim Prickett-Morgan from our sister site The Next Platform - and he knows the market better than most - and Tobias Mann, who has been trawling through the financial figures so you don't have to. This episode was directed and produced by Nicole Hemsoth Prickett. For those who prefer just the audio, the Kettle is available via RSS and MP3, Apple, Amazon, and Spotify. So is the AI snake eating itself? Let us know in the forums.

In fact it was a tale of two outages. There was a minor Azure snafu but that was pretty much sorted by the time alerts to go out around the world after Crowdstrike pushed out what looks like a poorly coded and insufficiently tested update.While Apple and Linux users aren't directly effected, admins have been telling us all is not automatically well, since many networks have been taken down, meaning evn if your personal machine is working, it won't be able to do much without corporate data links. You can hear the whole story below.On this week's Kettle episode, we have Richard Speed in (a very hot) UK, plus our security expert Jessica Lyons and Brandon Vigliarolo who's been tracking the outage's global reach, and your host Iain Thomson.

With the continuing fallout from Snowflake now hitting over 100 million AT&T customers we discuss quite what is to be done. Constant vigilance is a given, but there's always the himan factor that ensures even the best security systems can be rolled over due to a single slip up. Then there's the promise of AI, or possibly the lack of promise. Machine learning was touted as a possible savior of the security industry, but - as with so much AI hype - the reality is looking somewhat less rosy. You can see the full discussion below. On this week's show we have Tobias Mann, Brandon Vigliarolo, The Register's security editor Jessica Lyons and your host Iain Thomson.

It's been a busy week in space, with Boeing's test pilots still stuck on the International Space Station thanks to their faulty capsule, and then being forced to take shelter from space debris. The debris came from RESURS-P1, a decommissioned Russian satellite launched in 2013, which broke up this week into over 100 observable pieces, all traveling at around 17,000mph. As the debris field approached the ISS astronauts were forced to take cover in a hardened safety chamber. Not that the station has long left, as NASA awarded a contract this week to deorbit the platform in 2030. By then there may be a replacement, and there'll almost certainly be a rival in the form of China, which is building its own space station. It's also been a good week for the Middle Kingdom, with the Chang'e-6 re-entry capsule bringing back the first samples from the far side of the Moon. You can see the full discussion below.

On Thursday the US government effectively banned Kaspersky security software on US servers on national security grounds, or at least made it useless given the lack of updates come September. Then, as we were filming this week's Kettle, 12 members of Kaspersky's C-suite were sanctioned as well - although not the Russian business' eponymous CEO Eugene. So what on earth is going on? Is this overreach by the US government or is there something more sinister going on? Joining us on this week's Kettle is our security editor Jessica Lyons to give us the full story, along with Tom Claburn to add in wisdom on the software side. As ever The Register's editor Chris Williams has pithy comment and your host is Iain Thomson, with producer Nicole Hemsoth Prickett turning chat into gold.

The tech world has been gathering in Taipei for the annual extravaganza that is Computex and all the chip makers have been strutting their stuff - one in particular. Nvidia didn't even book a spot at the show and instead host its own keynote where Jensen Huang, just crowned CEO of the world's second most valuable corporation, reflected on a stellar year and told us what's coming down the line. He then, rather bizarrely, wondered off to sign a young lady's chest. Such shenanigans weren't seen from other CEO. A fired-up Pat Gelsinger touted Intel's return to form and bought a new chip along with him. AMD, Qualcomm and Arm were also showing off the fruits of their labor and what OEMs have done with them. You can see the full discussion below and the squid discussed is here - although the image may haunt your dreams. On this week's show our man on the spot Simon Sharwood is joined by Joining us this week is Chris Williams and Tobias Mann, with your host Iain Thomson.

With US Editor Iain Thomson; Editor in Chief, Chris Williams; Systems Editor, Tobias Mann; and Reporter, Brandon Vigliarolo

Joining us on this week's transatlantic Kettle is Richard Speed fromThe Register's UK team, and Tom Claburn - both of whom sat through endless Microsoft briefings so you didn't have to. You can get the full details in the video below.But it wasn't all about software - Microsoft's making another play for Windows on Arm and i's looking like this time it's serious. Tobias Mann has been going over the details, with The Register's editor Chris Williams adding words of wisdom. This week's show is hosted by Iain Thomson

For this latest The Register's Kettle, Jessica Lyons explains the security threat from China, Brandon Vigliarolo covers the bizarre case of an American nuclear missile base blocking a Chinese coin mining operation, and Tom Claburn adds his experience to the debate, hosted by Iain Thomson. 

The latest episode of The Register's Kettle security editor Jessica Lyons gives the inside scoop on the show - having pounded the floors for news nuggets, Brandon Vigliarolo adds pithy comment, our editor Chris Williams sketches out the big picture, and your host Iain Thomson dove into some of the gloomier aspects of the show.

Buying $110B of your own stock is legal, but isn't a good look.It's earnings season and Apple showed less-than-stellar performance over the second quarter of 2024, but had a solution.Was it to invest in the next must-have tech gadget? Maybe build its own AI model or search engine so that it doesn't have to rely on Google's technology in those areas? No, it was to spend $110 billion on its own shares - the largest share buyback in American history and a movie that the markets loved.But - as we discuss in the Kettle you can watch below -stock buybacks (a practice that used to be illegal until the 1980s) are a bit of a red flag. When tech companies stop investing in development and start slashing the cash on buy their own shares - we're looking at you IBM, Intel, Google, Boeing etc…

Companies are increasing prices in the technology industry to drive profits, even when there is no significant cost pressure.The AI and GPU market may be heading towards a bubble, with companies financing themselves through loans using depreciating assets as collateral.Customers face challenges in managing costs and navigating vendor pricing, especially when migrating to the cloud.Open source solutions may offer an alternative to control costs, but there are challenges in maintaining and securing these solutions.

Intel is introducing Gaudi 3, its competitor to Nvidia's AI hardware. While Gaudi 3 may not look impressive on paper, Intel claims it can go toe to toe with Nvidia in most AI workloads. However, Intel will need to step up its game in the next year to stay competitive, especially with the upcoming release of Blackwell, which is expected to be much faster than Gaudi 3. Google is also entering the AI hardware market with its ARM-based CPU, joining other cloud providers in offering ARM designs. The cost of AI and the sustainability of the infrastructure are still uncertain.

Joining the show this week is Thomas Claburn, who covered the original story, The Register's security editor Jessica Lyons, as well as editor in chief (and open source coder) Chris Williams with the host Iain Thomson.This episode was produced by Brandon Vigliarolo.

AI is playing a significant role in the financial success of big tech companies, particularly in the advertising sector.Google's use of AI to improve advertising campaigns for small businesses highlights the importance of AI in its future business.AMD's AI accelerator is expected to contribute significantly to its bottom line and position the company as a strong competitor in the AI market.Intel faces challenges in the AI market, including manufacturing issues and competition from Qualcomm.The adoption of AI in business processes requires careful consideration of risks and the need for trust and scrutiny in AI models.

00:00 Boeing's Troubles03:57 Tesla Cybertruck Issues05:34 Microsoft Copilot08:05 Concerns about AI in Software Development13:18 Tesla's Disappointing Numbers

Get yourself a cup of your favorite brew and enjoy about 18 minutes of El Reg hacks with more than 100 years of technology experience between them going through the highs and lows of yesteryear systems.

This week, the incredible scandal that is the UK's Post Office Horizon computer system, that ruined people's lives, finally exploded into the mainstream. This week we discuss how and why public-sector IT projects go off the rails, and what could be done to prevent it.

Believe us, we wish there was a simple solution that could stop ransomware dead in its tracks for good. But there is no such solution, no matter what someone might tell you or sell you. There is a debate to be had over the effectiveness of ransom payment demands, and whether a ban would work. Today we discuss that, the deplorable tactics criminals are turning to to put extra pressure on victims, and more.

Takeaways The New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft is a significant case in the copyright issues surrounding AI.Bringing AI companies to account for copyright infringement is a complex and ongoing challenge.Different countries have different approaches to AI copyright, with China recognizing AI-generated images for copyright protection.The complexity of copyright laws and the interplay with AI technology require new legislation to address the issues.The future of AI copyright is uncertain, and it may take years to reach a resolution.

Over the last week AMD has been extolling the virtues of its latest kit, including the MI300 which Su's crew claim is the fastest AI processing package on the market.The market for AI accelerators is projected to reach $400 billion by 2027 and Nvidia and AMD are the two biggest ponies in the race. With a forecast $400 billion in sales up for grabs in the next four years, this could be a very lucrative duopoly unless someone else shakes up the market.Which is going to be difficult, since it's not just a matter of building a faster processor. Memory is much more important for AI workloads and packaging the units is also a major bottleneck that suppliers are struggling to deal with. As it is almost all of 2024's chip runs from both partners have probably been reserved by customers.The Next Platform's co-editor Timothy Prickett Morgan and The Register's own Tobias Mann were both on the ground in Santa Clara for the launches and share their take on the new technology, and how the market is going to develop. It's clear the supply shortage isn't going to clear in the next year or so, and are AMD and Nvidia in a rush to see things change? Warning: May contain sarcasm.Moderation is provided by The Register's US editor Iain Thomson and the show, and its accompanying podcast, is by our Deputy Editor in Chief (and The Next Platform's co-founder) Nicole Hemsoth Prickett. If you'd like to catch up on earlier editions there's an archive here.

The shift to hybrid working is going to have massive repercussions, not only on the lives of laborers but on interpersonal relationships, city structures, commercial real estate and the pension funds that depend on it, and the lives of billions. Many employees - particularly new ones - have sometimes never met their coworkers and so lack the crucial knowledge that only comes from personal contact.There are also security concerns about more staff being remote, although earlier predictions of a criminals' field day appear not to have borne fruit. These and other issues on this shift to a fully hybrid model are chewed over by four Register vultures. Full disclosure: We're all working from home today.Joining us from the UK in his man shed at the bottom of the garden is Richard Speed, security editor Jessica Lyons Hardcastle shares her experiences, and remote devotee Brandon Vigliarolo. Moderating is Iain Thomson and you can get the audio-only podcast version on your usual channels. You can also catch up on earlier editions here. ®

The billionaire tycoon was irate that Apple, IBM, Comcast, and others have pulled their ads from Twitter, aka X, and claimed this boycott could kill the social network.As journos following these big names in tech, and knowing all too well what it's like navigating the internet's seas with advertising dollars as the wind in our sails, we got together to analyze Musk's situation and outlook.On today's 16-minute show we have, clockwise from top left in the thumbnail, vultures Thomas Claburn, Brandon Vigliarolo, Chris Williams, and host Iain Thomson. 

The other day we challenged our fine Register readers to share their top technology predictions for 2024 – though with wrong answers only. The best suggestion will win an old ugly Microsoft-themed Christmas sweater.You can check out that contest here: it's got about a couple of hundred comments already, and we'll pick the winner at the end of the week. Feel free to dive in and take part. Think of it as an antidote to all the bleedin' obvious IT forecasts we're about to be buried in as the year draws to a close.For this latest Kettle, we decided to go through some of our favorite reader submissions so far – there's no final decision yet – make a few of our own terrible predictions for the next 12 months, and generally blow off some steam about this year's news.

By now you've probably all seen the drama at OpenAI unfolding: CEO Sam Altman being fired by the board, attempts to woo him back, attempts by Microsoft to hire him and his staff, who have threatened to quit.We've summarized the situation here, though as it's a fast-moving, evolving story, anything could happen in the next half hour. We got out vultures together to analyze what this means for OpenAI and Microsoft users, what this means for AI in general, and more.You can replay our catch-up below – or listen in via your favorite podcast distributor: RSS and MP3, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and Google.On today's show we have Iain Thomson as the host, Chris Williams, Brandon Vigliarolo, Tobias Mann, and Drew Cullen. This episode was produced and edited by Nicole Hemsoth Prickett. You can find previous Kettle shows right here. ®

The last two US administration have been steadily ratcheting up the limits of what kind of chips can be sold in China over fears that the hardware, and the equipment to make it domestically, could help support Chinese military and AI systems. With a lot of diplomatic arm twisting other countries were persuaded to join in and this month the US banned more types of chip sales.That said, some manufacturers aren't exactly playing ball and are designing chipsets slightly below the allowed limits, but which can also be purchased in bulk and used at scale - something China has proved adept at. There's also sanctions busting, to ease short-term pressures in some cases. You can see the whole session below.However, in the long term it looks inevitable that China will develop its own advanced chip technology, given the many billions it has invested in the project. It's like a question of when, not if, and it's a slightly extended Kettle as there's a lot to cover..Clockwise from the top left we have Tobias Mann, Chris Williams, Simon Sharwood, and Iain Thomson. Our producers were Nicole Hemsoth Prickett and junior producer, Mia Prickett (5) who thinks Simon talks funny. 

Far gone are the days when a car was a dumb machine you turned on and drove from A to B. Today it's a smartphone on wheels, and your data is possibly being taken for a ride.In a judgment affecting multiple class-action lawsuits, a US court has ruled automakers can harvest the data exchanged when owners sync their phones with their car's internal systems. El Reg's Brandon Vigliarolo has the full details, and discusses it today with fellow vultures senior reporter Thomas Claburn, cybersecurity editor Jessica Lyons Hardcastle, and US editor Iain Thomson.You can replay our whole chat below – or listen in via your favorite podcast syndication channel: Apple, Amazon, Spotify, Google, etc.Such personal data is both commercially valuable, but also increasingly being sought by governments, as Jessica explains.And, outside of the Land of the Free, European privacy protections are being wielded in an attempt to curb Big Tech. Thomas has the full details after being on the case for months.Your host Iain directs the chat, and our video and audio podcasts are produced by Nicole Hemsoth Prickett. Find previous Kettle-casts here

Social networks, once thought to have all-encompassing power to change our mood or voting strategy, have been hitting wall after wall this week.On Wednesday came the news that Meta's Facebook and Instagram are facing a ban on their personalized ad business in the EU unless they sort themselves out. Meta's also under the cosh over the name for its Twitter knock-off Threads, since a British software company says it owns the UK trademark to the name Threads and isn't in a mood to settle.With KETTLE Social networks, once thought to have all-encompassing power to change our mood or voting strategy, have been hitting wall after wall this week.On Wednesday came the news that Meta's Facebook and Instagram are facing a ban on their personalized ad business in the EU unless they sort themselves out. Meta's also under the cosh over the name for its Twitter knock-off Threads, since a British software company says it owns the UK trademark to the name Threads and isn't in a mood to settle.Then of course there's Elon Musk, who was bizarrely interviewed by the British Prime Minister at the UK's AI Summit this week. Figures out this week showed the value of his social media network has dropped from $44 billion to just $19 billion - a rocketeer who sure knows how to make things crash and burn, it seems.Discussing the news, clockwise from top left in the thumb: Chris Williams, Brandon Vigliarolo, Thomas Claburn, and Iain Thomson. 

In this week's Kettle the topic is one that's been much in the news this week - the much-underrated insider threat issue.While there are thousands of security shops willing to sell elaborate firewalls, zero-trust barriers, and AI security systems that claims to be able to spot a wrong'un easily. But time and again the most effective thieves are already inside the building and using their corporate-issued credentials.Such was the case this week in the NSA of all places, where a rogue systems engineer, who resigned in anger, tried to sell purloined documents to a Russian agent in exchange for cryptocurrency. Brandon Vigliarolo covered the case and explains what motivated the plot and the surprisingly easy way he was discovered.News of another insider who did get away with it, it seems, came on Tuesday, as an ex-staffer at Dutch chip-making biz ASML appears to have taken a new job with Huawei, and is accused of taking secrets with him. Tobias Mann has the inside information of the case and, as Biden's sanctions bite harder, we may see more of these sorts of shenanigans.Then there's the ultimate insider - yourself. On Wednesday Jessica Hardcastle reported on an ACLU Freedom of Information lawsuit showing that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement hired security snoops to trawl through social media content to look for anti-American sentiments. She explains the complex web behind this and it's something we all had a lot to say on. You can see the full discussion below.So join us for 15 minutes of news, insight, and more than a little snark in the latest Kettle, hosted by Iain Thomson and spun to gold by producer Nicole Hemsoth Prickett. There's also an audio version available on Apple, Amazon, Spotify and Google.

 It has been a bad week for thousands of tech workers this week, with multiple corporations announcing that headcount reduction will continue for the time being.Around 50 percent of Bandcamp were let go by Epic ahead of the site's sale to Songtradr, Stack Overflow cut headcount by 28%, and LinkedIn showed around 700 people - largely engineers - the door despite Microsoft making very healthy profits. Meanwhile, Nokia slashed its worker numbers by 14,000 after profits slumped and Qualcomm let 1,000 people go last week.As long as there have been jobs there have been layoffs. While the problem will always be with us the last few years have seen these rounds of redundancies increase in size and frequency.So, as a timely topic and one close to readers' hearts, in this week's Kettle we ask why the layoffs keep happening. Is it post-COVID belt tightening, corporate greed, the demands of Wall Street, or even AI coming to take over certain job types?This week we have we have journos Brandon Vigliarolo, Tobias Mann, Jessica Hardcastle, and Iain Thomson. The Kettle producer is Nicole Hemsoth Prickett.