Covering Scientific & Technical AI | Wednesday, July 8, 2026
What Drives the Offshoring Tide?
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/shipping.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="62" border="0" />As the tug of war continues between offshoring and reshoring, the goal of lawmakers has primarily been to identify incentives with which we can lure manufacturers back onto U.S. soil. But as one team of researchers has pointed out, we must first better understand what factors ultimately ... Full article
Robot Optimizes Datacenter Cooling
IBM developed a robot to map temperature and humidity levels in datacenters, ensuring that all equipment receives the optimal amount of cooling. Full article
Inside the Human-Robotics Systems Project
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/640px-K10_black_rover_at_Haughton_Crater.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="64" border="0" />NASA's Human-Robotic Systems Project, which includes a series of four interplanetary K10 rovers, each with a different task is explained by Terry Fong, Director of Intelligent Robotics Group and project manager of NASA Human Exploration Telerobotics. Full article
Modeling a Stronger Nuclear Weapon
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/SRAMmissile.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="63" border="0" />When it comes to systems that you really want to model out carefully, nuclear weapons likely come out at the top of that list. So when the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Kansas City Plant (KCP) found that their weapons’ metal tubing wouldn’t meet specifications, they turned to ... Full article
Iceland Wants Your Datacenter Business
A new independent study conducted by global research outfit BroadGroup Consulting reveals that Iceland is on track to becoming an international datacenter hub. The report describes Iceland's unique advantages: clean energy reserves, low power prices and a solid infrastructure.  Full article
Apple Hires Former EPA Chief Lisa Jackson
<p>Former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson is joining Apple as vice president for environmental initiatives. </p> Full article
LLNL Could Reverse Ocean Acidification
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/800px-El_Porto_California_(5802224463).jpg" alt="" width="95" height="64" border="0" />Scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have not only found but demonstrated a new technique that allows them to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide. Their system also produces carbon-negative hydrogen and alkalinity, the latter of which can be used to counterbalance ocean acidification. Full article
Efficiency Drive Saves Billions
A group of UK universities saved £1.38 billion ($2.09 billion) between 2005 and 2011 by investing in innovative technologies aimed at increasing efficiencies. Full article
Fluorescent Bulbs Shine Light on Political Divide
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/800px-Energiesparlampe_01.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="63" border="0" />A new study has found that eco-friendly labels on energy-saving light bulbs are repelling conservative customers. The study stated, “The more moderate and conservative participants preferred to bear a long-term financial cost to avoid purchasing an item associated with valuing environmental protections.” Full article
NASA, the Navy to Streamline Supply Chains with 3D Printers
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/navycarriers.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="68" border="0" />It would seem that additive manufacturing is poised to take on an even greater load for U.S. government agencies, as the Navy and NASA have both announced big plans for 3D printers. As it stands, the Navy’s aircraft carriers could benefit substantially from “floating factories” that could ... Full article
Cloud Computing Has Green Appeal
<p>As the Internet continues its ascent, so does the concentration of global greenhouse gases. The information technology sector is responsible for 2 percent of worldwide carbon emissions, a footprint that will continue to expand unless constructive counter-measures are taken. The answer could be hiding in the clouds. </p> Full article
How Self-Driving Cars Could Turn Our Roads Green
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/745px-Google_s_Lexus_RX_450h_Self-Driving_Car.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="77" border="0" />With self-driving cars coming up on the horizon, the big question has always been about safety. But recently, concerns about energy efficiency have arisen as well, posing questions such as the effects they may have on energy, oil, and climate change. Full article
Aircraft Mock-ups Emerge from Gulfstream’s 3D CAVE
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/GACCAVE.png" alt="" width="95" height="73" border="0" />Simulations may be increasingly taking advantage of HPC to become more and more sophisticated, but the way those mountains of data are displayed don’t always keep up in terms of staying on the cutting edge. But one avenue for reviewing digital designs, called a cave automatic virtual ... Full article
Datacenter Operators Weary of Green Messaging
According to a recent survey from the Uptime Institute, there's a new affliction hitting the datacenter community: green fatigue. The small players can't compete with the Googles and Microsofts of the world. Full article
3D-Printed Airway Saves Life
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/splint.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="53" border="0" />In the wake of plastic gun stories, a unique use case for 3D printing helps demonstrate that the additive manufacturing technology's potential to save lives deserves its own place in the spotlight. Now, doctors at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor have combined medical expertise with ... Full article
Robotic Ants May Aid in Search and Rescue Missions
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/tumblr_inline_mn46qbXBYj1qz4rgp.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="64" border="0" />Researchers have been studying fire ants hoping to learn about their underground navigation skills. They want to apply their findings to making robots that will be able to assist in search and rescue missions for people trapped underground. Full article
CoolEmAll Releases Prototype Datacenter Design Tools
The European Commission-funded project CoolEmAll has released the first prototypes of advanced tools aimed at facilitating more energy-efficient datacenters.  Full article
Swedish Datacenter Saves Big with Seawater
Datacenter operator Interxion uses seawater to cool its Stockholm facilities, saving over a million dollars in energy costs each year.  Full article
MIT Improves Carbon-Fiber Composites
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/800px-United_Airlines_-_Boeing_787_Dreamliner.png" alt="" width="95" height="53" border="0" />While advanced carbon-fiber composites have been used in the recent years, researchers are searching for materials that are even stronger and lighter. Composites made with carbon fibers coated with carbon nanotubes are being considered because they can be hundreds of times stronger than steel and only one-sixth ... Full article
NASA to 3D Print the Future of Food
<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/NASA-funds-3D-food-printer-starts-with-pizza.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="60" border="0" />NASA has awarded a $125,000 grant for a project intended to 3D print food for astronauts in space. The printer will mix together basic nutrients such as oil and protein powder to create the food. It will also allow the user to input their sex, age, and ... Full article