Disruptor

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The Disruptor: Thought-provoking commentary on technologies that are changing the way mankind does things.

How Open-RAN could ‘white-box’ 5G

Open-hardware, software-defined mobile radio infrastructure could kick-start private LTE and 5G and perhaps eventually lead to their supremacy over Wi-Fi for enterprises.

01/23/2020

Beyond Moore's Law: Neuromorphic computing?

Some researchers think brain-copying architectures should replace traditional computing. One group explains how that might work.

01/21/2020

Instant, secure ‘teleportation’ of data in the works

Quantum teleportation, where information is sent instantaneously, will secure the Internet, researchers say. Scientists are making progress.

01/14/2020

DIY communications networks to trend in 2020, says major telco

An across-the-board shift to privatizing communications networks is underway.

01/09/2020

Researchers aim for transistors that compute and store in one component

Materials incompatibilities have stalled efforts to integrate transistors and memory in a single on-chip, commercial component. That might be about to change.

01/06/2020

Space-data-as-a-service prepares to take off

Development of IoT services in space will require ruggedized edge computing. OrbitsEdge, a vendor has announced a deal with HPE for development.

12/12/2019

Researchers experiment with glass-based storage that doesn't require electronics cooling

A Microsoft Research project uses laser optics and artificial intelligence to store data in quartz glass.

12/05/2019

IoT sensors must have two radios for efficiency

To extend battery life, IoT radios that send data should be powered only when there's data to send, and a second, power-sipper radio should just listen for a wake-up signal for the principal radio. Academics say they’re making...

11/20/2019

Space-sourced power could beam electricity where needed

Harvesting solar energy in space would provide off-grid electricity at night, and for areas that don’t receive much sunlight. A project has just received funding.

11/13/2019

Cheap IoT satellite network gets approval

Swarm Technologies joins a slew of new satellite communications providers who have obtained FCC launch and communications approval. This startup is aiming at IoT.

11/06/2019

Wireless noise protocol can extend IoT range

On-off noise power communication (ONPC) protocol creates a long-distance carrier of noise energy in Wi-Fi to ping IoT devices.

10/31/2019

NICT successfully demos petabit-per-second network node

One-petabit-per-second signals could send 8K resolution video to 10 million people simultaneously, researchers say. Japan’s national research agency says it has just successfully demoed a networked version of it.

10/25/2019

Data center liquid-cooling to gain momentum

The serious number-crunching demands of AI, IoT and big data - and the heat they generate - may mean air cooling is on its way out.

10/16/2019

Reimagining-the-Internet project gets funding

A National Science Foundation-financed Internet replacement testbed project lays out its initial plans.

10/09/2019

How a simpler mmWave architecture can connect IoT

Upcoming 5G millimeter wave frequencies are being bandied as a good, solid network for IoT. But some say they may be too elaborate. A stripped-down version of millimeter wave technology may be the solution.

09/25/2019

Space internet service closer to becoming reality

New, low-latency space internet service offerings from OneWeb and SpaceX are closer to becoming reality.

09/19/2019

How 6G will work: Terahertz-to-fiber conversion

For 6G wireless to become a reality, it must overcome a few technical hurdles, such as connecting terahertz spectrum to hard, optical transmission lines. Researchers say they have solved the problem.

09/13/2019

Data center cooling: Electricity-free system sends excess building heat into space

A polymer and aluminum film solar shelter that transmits heat into space without using electricity could drastically cut data center cooling costs.

09/05/2019

Data center-specific AI completes tasks twice as fast

Researchers at MIT have developed an artificial intelligence-powered system based on reinforcement learning that could revolutionize data center operations.

08/29/2019