HeyWhatsNew: Google Doubles Down on Security and Nvidia Unveils New AI Chips
Hi there HeyUppers! It’s been another exciting week in tech and gaming. Let’s dive into the stories making headlines this week starting 17/03/2025.
Google Acquires Security Vendor Wiz to Increase Cybersecurity Across Its Platforms
Google’s expansion into cloud computing during an AI boom has prompted the company to acquire cybersecurity vendor Wiz for $32 billion. This is possibly Google's biggest acquisition to date. This cements Google’s commitment to improve cloud security and accelerate its ability to use multi-cloud infrastructure more securely.
On Tuesday, March 18, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced the proposed takeover. If accepted, Wiz will join Google Cloud, which pulled in $43.2 billion for Alphabet last year. The demand for data centers that provide sufficient computing power for AI is set to intensify the competition in the cloud computing space among Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.
A New Dawn for ASL
A research team at Cornell has created an AI-powered ring that features micro-sonar technology capable of continuously monitoring fingerspelling in American Sign Language (ASL) in real-time.
In its present state, SpellRing might be used to input text into computers or smartphones through fingerspelling, a method employed in ASL to articulate words without corresponding signs, including proper nouns, names, and technical terms. With additional advancements, the device—thought to be the first of its kind—has the potential to transform ASL translation by persistently monitoring complete signed words and sentences.
Nvidia Showcases New Rubin AI at Its Tech Conference
At Nvidia's artificial intelligence developer conference on March 18, founder and CEO Jensen Huang centered his keynote speech around the company's progress in AI and his forecasts for how the sector will evolve in the coming years. He mentioned that the demand for GPUs from the leading cloud service providers, such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, is increasing rapidly, and he anticipates that Nvidia's revenue from data center infrastructure will reach $1 trillion by 2028.
Huang's eagerly awaited announcement disclosed additional information about Nvidia's upcoming graphics architectures: Blackwell Ultra and Vera Rubin—named in honor of the renowned astronomer. Blackwell Ultra is expected to debut in the latter part of 2025, with its successor, the Rubin AI chip, anticipated to be released in late 2026. Rubin Ultra will be released in 2027.
Smartphone Camera Technology Could Benefit the Medical Industry
A team of researchers at Google have developed a way to monitor your heart rate using just your phone’s front-facing camera. The scientists discovered a more affordable alternative to wearables such as smartwatches and necklaces, a deep-learning system that examines video from a smartphone's front camera, called PHRM. This is more accessible to the general public as all it requires is a smartphone.
The system underwent rigorous testing to ensure accuracy across all skin tones. A diverse group of 495 volunteers contributed an impressive 225,773 facial videos, forming the foundation of the evaluation. To further refine performance, researchers conducted additional testing on 185,979 videos from 205 individuals, capturing a wide range of lighting conditions. This sort of extensive effort guarantees reliable results for everyone, regardless of skin color or environment.
Opera Expands the Efficiency of Its Browser by Introducing Agentic AI
Last week at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona, Opera introduced the Browser Operator, an AI agent capable of executing browsing tasks on behalf of users.
The company announced that the launch of agentic browsing represented “a significant paradigm change for browsers”, enabling users “to concentrate on more thrilling aspects of their lives instead”.
The Browser Operator, currently showcased as a feature preview, aims to enhance users' browsing experience with AI capabilities while ensuring their privacy is protected. The idea is straightforward: Browser Operator enables users to describe their requirements in everyday language, and the browser takes on the responsibility of completing those tasks for them.
That’s it for this week, Heyuppers! We hope you enjoyed this week’s dive into breaking tech news. Stay tuned for more news next week!
