AI breakthroughs, cybersecurity risks, space discoveries...

The International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) faced a significant technical failure during its board elections, attributed to the irretrievable loss of a trustee's private encryption key. This rendered the decryption of election results impossible under the "Helios" electronic voting system. The organization plans to adopt a two-out-of-three threshold mechanism for key management in the future. Meanwhile, it appears the incident highlights vulnerabilities in relying solely on human management for cryptographic processes in critical systems. The Register

OVH CEO Octave Klaba has forecasted a 5-10% price increase in cloud services by mid-2026, primarily due to rising RAM and NVMe drive costs driven by demand for AI hardware. While hyperscalers remain attractive for AI workloads, smaller IT departments may struggle with the financial burden, potentially reigniting discussions about cloud repatriation and private data centers. The Register

Google's Android 16 introduces an Advanced Protection mode, combining multiple security features such as malware scanning, spam protection, and memory tagging. However, the feature is not enabled by default, possibly to avoid usability concerns for less tech-savvy users. This raises questions about whether stronger default security should be mandatory or optional in a world of increasing cyber threats. Zdnet

A severe DRAM shortage, caused by prioritization of AI-focused high-bandwidth memory production, has led to skyrocketing DDR4 and DDR5 prices. Analysts suggest this could redefine the concept of "future-proofing" in PC building, urging consumers to upgrade strategically and avoid delayed purchases during volatile market periods. XDA Developers

Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora has warned of quantum computers being weaponized by hostile nation-states within five years, which could render current encryption standards obsolete. This poses a significant challenge for organizations to upgrade to quantum-safe solutions, highlighting the dual role of AI and quantum technologies as both opportunities and risks. Tech Radar

Researchers at RIKEN have created the first complete simulation of the Milky Way, mapping 100 billion stars over 10,000 years. Using a combination of traditional physics and AI-driven surrogate models, the project dramatically reduced computational demands, presenting new possibilities for addressing complex scientific challenges across fields like climate science and ocean dynamics. Science Alert

An international study suggests the Solar System is moving through the galaxy three times faster than previously believed, challenging the cosmological principle that matter is uniformly distributed. This finding could force scientists to reevaluate assumptions about the Universe's structure, with implications for our understanding of fundamental cosmology. Science Alert