Microsoft Strung Together Tens of Thousands of Chips in a Pricey Supercomputer for OpenAI (6 minute read)
Microsoft's billion-dollar investment in OpenAI in 2019 was accompanied by a commitment to construct a cutting-edge supercomputer for the AI research start-up. To create the new technology, Microsoft had to find ways to combine tens of thousands of Nvidia's A100 graphics chips and reposition server racks to avoid power outages. Microsoft now uses the supercomputer it created for OpenAI to train and run its own large AI models while also selling it to other customers. The company is now working on the next generation of its AI supercomputer.
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Science & Futuristic Technology
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FDA approves new nasal spray to treat migraine headaches in adults, Pfizer says (2 minute read)
The US FDA has greenlit a new nasal spray that can treat migraine pain. Zavzpret can relieve pain and other migraine symptoms in as little as fifteen minutes after use. It works by blocking calcitonin gene-related peptide, a protein that causes inflammation when released. Zavzpret is due to be sold in pharmacies from July. The drug offers an alternative for people who cannot use other migraine treatments due to heart disease or other conditions.
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Ultrathin Metasurface Displays Take Aim at the LCD (9 minute read)
Scientists have developed a new kind of metasurface display roughly 1/100 the thickness of the average human hair that could offer 10 times the resolution and consume half as much energy as LCD screens. A display made with the technology could offer over 1,000 frames per second. The metasurface could replace the liquid crystal layer in LCD displays. Displays made with the metasurface don't require polarizers, which are responsible for half of the wasted light intensity and energy use in LCD displays. The metasurface is stable and does not degrade over time.
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Programming, Design & Data Science
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How To Build Recommendation Algorithms And System Designs (7 minute read)
This article explores the system design and recommendation algorithm strategies of several well-known companies. It offers an overview of each company's design approach and includes links to more detailed articles. The companies include Airbnb, Amazon, Dropbox, Google Maps, Netflix, Signal Messenger, Spotify, TikTok, Uber, Yelp, YouTube, and Zoom.
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halp (GitHub Repo)
halp is a tool that can help find the correct arguments for command-line tools. It has a list of commonly used options/flags and can provide quick access to the manual page or cheat sheet of the given command. halp is useful for those who frequently use the command-line, as finding the right commands can be time-consuming.
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The End of Silicon Valley (Bank) (17 minute read)
This article details the events that occurred during the last few months leading up to Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. Bank runs can have devastating effects on banks, as they may not have enough assets to pay out to all depositors. This can cause more depositors to start withdrawing their funds, making matters worse. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures accounts to avoid bank runs by ensuring that depositors don't lose their money. Silicon Valley Bank had been technically insolvent due to unliquidated assets, but it was expected that they would eventually become liquid and pay their full value.
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First Republic Bank shares plunge, prompting trading halt as startups process SVB crash (2 minute read)
First Republic Bank shares experienced a significant decline in early trades, leading to trades of the bank being paused, despite government activity over the weekend to address the Silicon Valley Bank crisis and potential contagion. The bank tried to address investor concerns by announcing that it had raised its financial position through additional liquidity from the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase. First Republic Bank possesses more than $70 billion in unused liquidity to support its operations. Other regional banks were also impacted by a trading hit.
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Guardrails (GitHub Repo)
Guardrails is a Python package for specifying structure and type, validating, and correcting the outputs of large language models.
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Kainos - Senior Software Engineer (United Kingdom)
Kainos is hiring a Senior Software Engineer to help build out the next generation of features for its Smart Product Suite which helps hundreds of customers maximize their return on investment from Workday.
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