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Slashdot: Commerce Dept. Chip Inquiry Was Halted After Nvidia Intervention

Commerce Dept. Chip Inquiry Was Halted After Nvidia Intervention Published on 2026-11-09T19:00:00Z An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: Investigators at the Commerce Department were deep into a monthslong investigation of a Singaporean company that they suspected of smuggling Nvidia's artificial intelligence chips into China when their work came to a sudden halt late last year. The investigation centered on Megaspeed, a data center company led by an executive who U.S. officials now believe to be a Chinese spy who had a relationship with Nvidia's chief executive, Jensen Huang. But the case was abruptly transferred to the Justice Department last year. The shift came after Commerce Department investigators working on the case received an email from Nvidia's general counsel seeking information about the inquiry into Megaspeed. It is not necessarily unusual for Commerce Department agents working on a case to speak with a company's representatives ...

Slashdot: Microsoft Removes PC-to-PC Migration from Windows 11, Points Users to OneDrive-Based Backup

Microsoft Removes PC-to-PC Migration from Windows 11, Points Users to OneDrive-Based Backup Published on 2026-11-07T23:35:00Z Windows 11 offered a PC-to-PC Migration feature that "moved files and settings directly between two PCs over Wi-Fi or Ethernet," reports Ghacks. But according to an updated Microsoft support page, the tool is no longer available. "Microsoft's support documentation now redirects users to Windows Backup, a tool that relies on OneDrive cloud storage instead of a direct connection between two computers..." Windows Backup works differently. It requires a personal Microsoft account and backs up supported folders (Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music) to OneDrive. Free OneDrive accounts include only 5GB of storage, and Microsoft's own promotional screenshot for Windows Backup shows 4.5GB of that allowance already in use. Years of photos, documents and downloads can exceed the free tier quickly. Windows Backup does carry some...

Slashdot: Is Mandating AI Use in the Workplace Backfiring?

Is Mandating AI Use in the Workplace Backfiring? Published on 2026-11-07T20:53:00Z Some workplaces are holding mandatory AI training sessions, while others "are requiring employees to use a specific number of tokens," reports the Washington Post, "or log a certain amount of time on AI platforms." The article's headline? "Why mandating AI use in the workplace can backfire." [A] lot of employers are going about it the wrong way, said Arvind Karunakaran, an assistant professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University. "You can consume a lot of tokens without creating a lot of value," Karunakaran said.... The adoption of AI is happening faster than the adoption of the internet did, according to a new report from Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. And many users report that AI tools have really helped — whether saving time and costs or increasing innovation. The same report, though, found...

Slashdot: Binance Says Hackers Used Fake Job Interviews, AI Tool to Steal $6.3 Billion In Crypto

Binance Says Hackers Used Fake Job Interviews, AI Tool to Steal $6.3 Billion In Crypto Published on 2026-11-03T20:00:00Z Binance says hackers spent months infiltrating its systems through fake job interviews, a tampered developer tool and compromised internal AI tools before stealing $6.34 billion in crypto in the Oct. 29 attack. Co-CEO Richard Teng said Binance has replenished 98% of the affected assets, and that it is still in the process of purchasing outstanding, more illiquid assets. CNBC reports: Preparations for the attack began in June, when a Binance Wallet DevOps engineer downloaded a tampered Homebrew installation "to install a popular AI coding tool after searching for it on a search engine," according to a security report published by Binance Tuesday. It said it detected the suspicious activity, replaced the engineer's device and rotated credentials as a precaution, but that by then the employee's "role and his related colleagues on our wallet infr...

Slashdot: Fujifilm To Bost Tape Production 5x As AI Fuels Archiving Demand

Fujifilm To Bost Tape Production 5x As AI Fuels Archiving Demand Published on 2026-11-03T19:01:00Z An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: In an announcement released Thursday, Fujifilm said it will invest roughly 10 billion yen (about $63 million) to increase its production capacity fivefold for an unlikely beneficiary of the AI era: magnetic tape. Fujifilm attributes the surge in archiving demand to the spread of generative AI, which the company remarked is producing "exponential growth" in data needs worldwide. The 5x increase in production capacity will be measured against fiscal year 2025 production levels. The investment in Fujifilm's Kanagawa Factory, Odawara site will make it "the largest investment Fujifilm has made to date in dedicated LTO tape facilities." The project will run from fiscal years 2026 through 2028 to fund manufacturing expansion and additional personnel, primarily to produce the latest-generation "FUJIFILM LTO Ul...

Slashdot: Apple HomeView Ultra, Drone and Laundry-Folding Robot Reportedly In Development

Apple HomeView Ultra, Drone and Laundry-Folding Robot Reportedly In Development Published on 2026-11-02T22:00:00Z According to The Information, Apple is developing a $1,000 HomeView Ultra smart home hub with a 9-inch touchscreen mounted on a motorized arm that can follow users around a room and autonomously respond to its surroundings. It's also said to be experimenting with more ambitious home robots, including a wheeled robot that follows people, a smart home drone and a machine capable of folding laundry. Notebookcheck reports: According to the report, HomeView Ultra will feature a larger 9-inch touchscreen mounted on a robotic arm. This arm can automatically turn the screen toward the user. With a camera and several sensors, this smart home hub is said to be "fully aware" of its surroundings and capable of acting autonomously. This autonomy ranges from turning on the lights when someone enters the room to shooing a cat away when it jumps onto a table. These sensors ...

Slashdot: SpaceX Is Reportedly Looking At Buying Boost Mobile

SpaceX Is Reportedly Looking At Buying Boost Mobile Published on 2026-11-02T21:00:00Z SpaceX has reportedly held talks with EchoStar about acquiring Boost Mobile or gaining access to its network, potentially giving Starlink a shortcut toward becoming a full-fledged U.S. mobile carrier. Engadget reports: According to Washington Post's sources, the deal could look like SpaceX acquiring Boost Mobile outright or gaining access to its cell network, which is leased from AT&T and T-Mobile. There could be a major hitch with the deal though, since SpaceX's potential mobile service would need the green light from those major mobile carriers, according to the report. The Washington Post also reported that major cell companies, which include AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, have already turned down Musk down for access to its cell networks in order to launch a separate SpaceX service. Last month, SpaceX reportedly held talks with Crown Castle to access at least 80,000 cellular tower s...