In a world where most of us work, communicate, play, explore, and make purchases online nearly every day, cybersecurity is more important than ever. Yet it's also a world where it's increasingly hard to know who to trust. Perhaps you've seen recent news reports that call into question the security practices of companies that you might rely on for the network for your home or small business. At ASUS, we're working to show you that not every networking company has the same level of commitment to cybersecurity. Recently, we joined FIRST, a longstanding and renowned organization that brings together a variety of computer security incident response teams from around the world. Our membership in FIRST enables us to take enterprise-level experience, security protocols, and incident response tactics and integrate them into the consumer market.

35 years of coordinating responses against cyberattacks
When you're the victim of a cyberattack, your priority is to re-secure your own hardware, data, and account access. But the incident response teams dedicated to cybersecurity have to take a larger view. What vulnerability made the cyberattack possible? What other systems could be affected? How quickly can a fix be deployed, and how might this fix affect other vital systems and functions? Answering these questions in today's connected world requires not just on-the-ground incident response teams, but international communication and coordination between these groups. Since 1990, this layer of coordination has been provided by FIRST—the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams. Consisting of members from government agencies, educational institutions, military divisions, and the private sector, FIRST works to ensure a safe internet for everyone by creating channels for incident response and security teams across the globe to work together.

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), a globally recognized leader in motherboards, mini PCs, and laptops, will participate in the renowned Bett 2025 education technology exhibition in London from January 22 to 24, 2025. ECS will showcase its new series of education laptops integrated with AI technology and multifunctional mini PCs, designed to enhance teaching efficiency and the learning experience. These products not only offer exceptional performance and portability but also incorporate innovative solutions to provide smarter technological support for the education sector.

A New Series of AI-Powered Education Laptops, Delivering Smart Learning Solutions
At Bett 2025, ECS will feature a series of lightweight AI laptops tailored for higher education, including the 14-inch UP40ML, UP42KP, and UP42PW models, as well as the 15.3-inch UP52PW model. These laptops are focused on improving the teaching and learning experience by offering powerful computing capabilities and advanced features. They support multiple processor platforms, such as Intel, AMD and Snapdragon, providing flexibility to meet various needs while maintaining a high-quality metal chassis for durability in campus environments.

Acer today expanded its line of Chromebook offerings for education with three new laptops plus one tablet model, all with brand new features to enhance reliability, versatility, and total cost of ownership, alongside performance technology to positively impact the school environment and promote student success.

"Acer Chromebooks have become an integral part of the school day for K-12 students," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, Acer Inc. "Our new line of Acer Chromebooks for school settings continues to build on the promises of collaboration, tech-readiness and access to information students need, while ensuring teachers and administrators provide the tools needed for students to succeed.

ASUS today announced the global launch of its latest education-focused laptops, the BR and CR series, at BETT 2025. Designed to address the evolving needs of modern classrooms, these devices combine upgraded performance, rugged durability and innovative features to empower K-12 students and educators in both in-classroom and hybrid learning environments.

ASUS BR series (BR1204CTA, BR1204FTA, BR1104CTA and BR1104FTA) and CR series (CR1104CTA, CR1104FTA, CR1204CTA, and CR1204FTA) are designed specifically for the needs of K-12 students, educators and IT administrators. Built with reliability and versatility in mind, these laptops enhance classroom learning by supporting diverse teaching methods, streamlining IT management, and empowering students with tools for creativity and collaboration. With new Intel processors, AI-powered features like Microsoft Copilot and thoughtful, student-centered designs, they are set to upgrade digital learning for the next generation.

TrendForce reports that the global notebook market in 2024 is projected to recover at a moderate pace, hindered by high interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties. Annual shipments are forecast to reach 174 million units, marking a 3.9% YoY increase. Looking ahead to 2025, reduced political uncertainty following the U.S. presidential election and the Federal Reserve's rate cuts in September 2024 are expected to stimulate capital flow. Combined with the end-of-service for Windows 10 and demand for commercial device upgrades, global notebook shipments are predicted to grow by 4.9% to 183 million units in 2025.

TrendForce notes that notebooks remain primarily productivity tools, with shipment growth driven largely by deferred replacement demand. The impact of AI-integrated notebooks on the overall market remains limited for now. However, AI features are expected to naturally integrate into notebook specifications as brands gradually incorporate them, resulting in a steady rise in the penetration rates of AI notebooks.

In a major stride toward building a shared national research infrastructure, the U.S. National Science Foundation has launched the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource pilot program with significant support from NVIDIA. The initiative aims to broaden access to the tools needed to power responsible AI discovery and innovation. It was announced Wednesday in partnership with 10 other federal agencies as well as private-sector, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. "The breadth of partners that have come together for this pilot underscores the urgency of developing a National AI Research Resource for the future of AI in America," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "By investing in AI research through the NAIRR pilot, the United States unleashes discovery and impact and bolsters its global competitiveness."

NVIDIA's commitment of $30 million in technology contributions over two years is a key factor in enlarging the scale of the pilot, fueling the potential for broader achievements and accelerating the momentum toward full-scale implementation. "The NAIRR is a vision of a national research infrastructure that will provide access to computing, data, models and software to empower researchers and communities," said Katie Antypas, director of the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure at the NSF. "Our primary goals for the NAIRR pilot are to support fundamental AI research and domain-specific research applying AI, reach broader communities, particularly those currently unable to participate in the AI innovation ecosystem, and refine the design for the future full NAIRR," Antypas added.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, 2023 -- The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced the launch of the TLA+ Foundation to promote the adoption and development of the TLA+ programming language and its community of TLA+ practitioners. Inaugural members include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Oracle and Microsoft. TLA+ is a high-level language for modeling programs and systems, especially concurrent and distributed ones. TLA+ has been successfully used by companies to verify complex software systems, reducing errors and improving reliability. The language helps detect design flaws early in the development process, saving time and resources.

TLA+ and its tools are useful for eliminating fundamental design errors, which are hard to find and expensive to correct in code. The language is based on the idea that the best way to describe things precisely is with simple mathematics. The language was invented decades ago by the pioneering computer scientist Leslie Lamport, now a distinguished scientist with Microsoft Research. After years of Lamport's stewardship and Microsoft's support, TLA+ has found a new home at the Linux Foundation.

Terra Nil is now available now!
Terra Nil is a game about transforming barren lifeless landscapes into thriving, vibrant ecosystems. Turn dead soil into fertile grassland, clean polluted oceans, plant sprawling forests, and create the ideal habitat for animals to call home. Then recycle your buildings and leave no trace that you were ever there. Terra Nil is an intricate environmental strategy game about transforming a barren wasteland into a thriving, balanced ecosystem. Bring life back to a lifeless world by purifying soil, cleaning oceans, planting trees, and reintroducing wildlife, then leave without a trace.

A reverse city builder
Use advanced eco-technology to purify the soil, creating plains, wetlands, beaches, rainforests, wildflowers, and more—then efficiently recycle everything you've built, leaving the environment pristine for its new animal inhabitants.