STEM

[Cadavre Exquis]

Anthropic Releases Claude 4 Models That Can Autonomously Work For Nearly a Full Corporate Workday
Posted by msmash on Thursday May 22, 2025 @01:20PM from the moving-forward dept.

Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 today, positioning Opus 4 as the world's leading coding model with 72.5% performance on SWE-bench and 43.2% on Terminal-bench. Both models feature hybrid architecture supporting near-instant responses and extended thinking modes for complex reasoning tasks.

The models introduce parallel tool execution and memory capabilities that allow Claude to extract and save key facts when given local file access. Claude Code, previously in research preview, is now generally available with new VS Code and JetBrains integrations that display edits directly in developers' files. GitHub integration enables Claude to respond to pull request feedback and fix CI errors through a new beta SDK.

Pricing remains consistent with previous generations at $15/$75 per million tokens for Opus 4 and $3/$15 for Sonnet 4. Both models are available through Claude's web interface, the Anthropic API, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud's Vertex AI. Extended thinking capabilities are included in Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans, with Sonnet 4 also available to free users.

The startup, which counts Amazon and Google among its investors, said Claude Opus 4 could autonomously work for nearly a full corporate workday -- seven hours. CNBC adds:

"I do a lot of writing with Claude, and I think prior to Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, I was mostly using the models as a thinking partner, but still doing most of the writing myself," Mike Krieger, Anthropic's chief product officer, said in an interview. "And they've crossed this threshold where now most of my writing is actually ... Opus mostly, and it now is unrecognizable from my writing."

Krieger added, "I love that we're kind of pushing the frontier on two sides. Like one is the coding piece and agentic behavior overall, and that's powering a lot of these coding startups. ... But then also, we're pushing the frontier on how these models can actually learn from and then be a really useful writing partner, too."

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

New sodium-based solid-state batteries may unlock faster charging and higher capacity
A novel NASICON electrolyte developed by BAM researchers may hold the key to stable, high-performance sodium solid-state batteries. Promising room-temperature operation, better safety, and lower costs.

Nathan Ali · 2025.05.20

BAM’s NASICON breakthrough pushes sodium solid-state batteries closer to real-world use (Image source: BAM)

Researchers at Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) are re-engineering solid-state batteries to overcome the ceiling reached by today’s lithium-ion cells. Their project centers on a new sodium super-ionic conductor (NASICON) electrolyte that could unlock faster charging, longer service life and lower costs without compromising safety.

Conventional lithium-ion packs rely on graphite anodes that store a finite number of ions. Switching to metallic lithium —or the cheaper, more abundant sodium— would raise energy density by as much as 40 percent. The catch is that solid anodes need a solid electrolyte, and the rigid interface between the two often forms voids that disable the battery. A partially liquid anode can solve that interface problem, but only if the whole system stays stable.

BAM’s team, led by guest researcher Gustav Graeber, has already shown that a liquid alkali-metal anode can deliver 100 times the power of graphite. Right now, though, that record output appears only at about 250°C (482°F). To bring the technology down to room temperature, the researchers add potassium to lower the anode’s melting point. Most solid electrolytes degrade in contact with potassium, so the electrolyte becomes the new bottleneck.

NASICON materials break that impasse. They conduct ions well at ambient conditions and tolerate potassium, especially when doped with hafnium. Hafnium, however, is scarce and expensive. The BAM project therefore, screens earth-abundant dopants that can match hafnium’s stabilizing effect. The most promising compositions are already being integrated and cycled in prototype sodium cells.

If the search succeeds, sodium-based solid-state batteries could move from the lab to everyday devices and electric vehicles. Higher energy density would extend operating time, while solid electrolytes would improve intrinsic safety. Faster charging and a supply chain that leans on plentiful sodium rather than scarce lithium and cobalt would make the technology attractive for grid storage as well—an incremental but meaningful step toward lower-carbon energy systems.

Saludos.

[el malo]

New sodium-based solid-state batteries may unlock faster charging and higher capacity
A novel NASICON electrolyte developed by BAM researchers may hold the key to stable, high-performance sodium solid-state batteries. Promising room-temperature operation, better safety, and lower costs.

Nathan Ali · 2025.05.20

BAM’s NASICON breakthrough pushes sodium solid-state batteries closer to real-world use (Image source: BAM)

Researchers at Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) are re-engineering solid-state batteries to overcome the ceiling reached by today’s lithium-ion cells. Their project centers on a new sodium super-ionic conductor (NASICON) electrolyte that could unlock faster charging, longer service life and lower costs without compromising safety.

Conventional lithium-ion packs rely on graphite anodes that store a finite number of ions. Switching to metallic lithium —or the cheaper, more abundant sodium— would raise energy density by as much as 40 percent. The catch is that solid anodes need a solid electrolyte, and the rigid interface between the two often forms voids that disable the battery. A partially liquid anode can solve that interface problem, but only if the whole system stays stable.

BAM’s team, led by guest researcher Gustav Graeber, has already shown that a liquid alkali-metal anode can deliver 100 times the power of graphite. Right now, though, that record output appears only at about 250°C (482°F). To bring the technology down to room temperature, the researchers add potassium to lower the anode’s melting point. Most solid electrolytes degrade in contact with potassium, so the electrolyte becomes the new bottleneck.

NASICON materials break that impasse. They conduct ions well at ambient conditions and tolerate potassium, especially when doped with hafnium. Hafnium, however, is scarce and expensive. The BAM project therefore, screens earth-abundant dopants that can match hafnium’s stabilizing effect. The most promising compositions are already being integrated and cycled in prototype sodium cells.

If the search succeeds, sodium-based solid-state batteries could move from the lab to everyday devices and electric vehicles. Higher energy density would extend operating time, while solid electrolytes would improve intrinsic safety. Faster charging and a supply chain that leans on plentiful sodium rather than scarce lithium and cobalt would make the technology attractive for grid storage as well—an incremental but meaningful step toward lower-carbon energy systems.

Saludos.

Vaya titular, parece que han dado con el (n-ésimo) Santo Grial de las baterías hasta que te lees la parte en rojo. Estos angloparlantes y sus "may"s en los titulares.

Yo tambien podría hacerme rico antes de que acabe el año.. si me tocara la lotería. Para eso tendría que empezar a jugar primero.. pero la posibilidad está ahí. "May"

[Cadavre Exquis]

Researchers Build 'The World's Fastest Petahertz Quantum Transistor'. They Predict Lightwave Electronics
Posted by EditorDavid on Saturday May 24, 2025 @12:34PM from the got-a-light dept.

"What if ultrafast pulses of light could operate computers at speeds a million times faster than today's best processors?" asks the University of Arizona.

"A team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Arizona, are working to make that possible."

In a groundbreaking international effort, researchers from the Department of Physics in the College of Science and the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences demonstrated a way to manipulate electrons in graphene using pulses of light that last less than a trillionth of a second. By leveraging a quantum effect known as tunneling, they recorded electrons bypassing a physical barrier almost instantaneously, a feat that redefines the potential limits of computer processing power. A study published in Nature Communications highlights how the technique could lead to processing speeds in the petahertz range — over 1,000 times faster than modern computer chips. Sending data at those speeds would revolutionize computing as we know it, said Mohammed Hassan, an associate professor of physics and optical sciences. Hassan has long pursued light-based computer technology and previously led efforts to develop the world's fastest electron microscope...

[T]he researchers used a laser that switches off and on at a rate of 638 attoseconds to create what Hassan called "the world's fastest petahertz quantum transistor... For reference, a single attosecond is one-quintillionth of a second," Hassan said. "That means that this achievement represents a big leap forward in the development of ultrafast computer technologies by realizing a petahertz-speed transistor." While some scientific advancements occur under strict conditions, including temperature and pressure, this new transistor performed in ambient conditions — opening the way to commercialization and use in everyday electronics. Hassan is working with Tech Launch Arizona, the office that works with investigators to commercialize inventions stemming from U of A research in order to patent and market innovations.

While the original invention used a specialized laser, the researchers are furthering development of a transistor compatible with commercially available equipment. "I hope we can collaborate with industry partners to realize this petahertz-speed transistor on a microchip," Hassan said.

Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader goslackware for sharing the news.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

World-First Biocomputing Platform Hits the Market
Posted by BeauHD on Tuesday June 03, 2025 @11:30PM from the brain-in-a-vat dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from IEEE Spectrum:

In a development straight out of science fiction, Australian startup Cortical Labs has released what it calls the world's first code-deployable biological computer. The CL1, which debuted in March, fuses human brain cells on a silicon chip to process information via sub-millisecond electrical feedback loops. Designed as a tool for neuroscience and biotech research, the CL1 offers a new way to study how brain cells process and react to stimuli. Unlike conventional silicon-based systems, the hybrid platform uses live human neurons capable of adapting, learning, and responding to external inputs in real time. "On one view, [the CL1] could be regarded as the first commercially available biomimetic computer, the ultimate in neuromorphic computing that uses real neurons," says theoretical neuroscientist Karl Friston of University College London. "However, the real gift of this technology is not to computer science. Rather, it's an enabling technology that allows scientists to perform experiments on a little synthetic brain."

The first 115 units will begin shipping this summer at $35,000 each, or $20,000 when purchased in 30-unit server racks. Cortical Labs also offers a cloud-based "wetware-as-a-service" at $300 weekly per unit, unlocking remote access to its in-house cell cultures. Each CL1 contains 800,000 lab-grown human neurons, reprogrammed from the skin or blood samples of real adult donors. The cells remain viable for up to six months, fed by a life-support system that supplies nutrients, controls temperature, filters waste, and maintains fluid balance. Meanwhile, the neurons are firing and interpreting signals, adapting from each interaction.

The CL1's compact energy and hardware footprint could make it attractive for extended experiments. A rack of CL1 units consumes 850-1,000 watts, notably lower than the tens of kilowatts required by a data center setup running AI workloads. "Brain cells generate small electrical pulses to communicate to a broader network," says Cortical Labs Chief Scientific Officer Brett Kagan. "We can do something similar by inputting small electrical pulses representing bits of information, and then reading their responses. The CL1 does this in real time using simple code abstracted through multiple interacting layers of firmware and hardware. Sub-millisecond loops read information, act on it, and write new information into the cell culture."

The company sees CL1 as foundational for testing neuropsychiatric treatments, leveraging living cells to explore genetic and functional differences. "It allows people to study the effects of stimulation, drugs and synthetic lesions on how neuronal circuits learn and respond in a closed-loop setup, when the neuronal network is in reciprocal exchange with some simulated world," says theoretical neuroscientist Karl Friston of University College London. "In short, experimentalists now have at hand a little 'brain in a vat,' something philosophers have been dreaming about for decades."

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Scientists in Japan Develop Plastic That Dissolves in Seawater Within Hours
Posted by msmash on Wednesday June 04, 2025 @01:30PM from the encouraging-feedback dept.

Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife. From a report:

While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo say their new material breaks down much more quickly and leaves no residual trace.

At a lab in Wako city near Tokyo, the team demonstrated a small piece of plastic vanishing in a container of salt water after it was stirred up for about an hour. While the team has not yet detailed any plans for commercialisation, project lead Takuzo Aida said their research has attracted significant interest, including from those in the packaging sector.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Samsung dry cell breakthrough set to bring cheaper solid-state batteries
Samsung's commercial solid-state battery launch is set to coincide with that of Toyota, as it tries to get an early start in the electric car market. It has now achieved a solid-state battery breakthrough that addresses the cost concerns.

Daniel Zlatev · 2025.06.17

Samsung's solid-state battery. (Image source: Marklines.com)

Samsung will be applying the dry production method that Tesla touted as a way to slash battery costs by half, to its upcoming solid-state batteries.

The goal is to lower the biggest hurdle before mass solid-state battery adoption for electric vehicles, their manufacturing costs, as Samsung aims to launch them in 2027.

Coincidentally, that is when both Toyota and the world's largest battery maker CATL said they will start mass solid-state battery production, too.

If Samsung masters the dry electrode production method that Tesla is now scaling for cheaper manufacturing of the Cybertruck's 4680 batteries, it may realize cost advantages and flip the script on the Chinese juggernauts when the superior battery chemistry starts being installed in electric vehicles en masse.

Samsung's solid-state battery specs are already some of the best in the industry, hitting the technology's 500 Wh/kg energy density potential. Due to the inherent advantages of the solid-state battery technology, Samsung teased a 9-minute charging time and 600 miles on a charge from a pack with the footprint of current EV batteries.

What's even more important, though, Samsung is focusing on solid-state battery production costs, something that initially made CATL peg them for mass release no earlier than 2030. The biggest battery maker has come around since then, acknowledging how fast the field is progressing and saying that its own solid-state battery program will be ready for mass production in 2027.

Samsung is banking on two breakthrough production methods to lower its solid-state battery costs. The first is roll pressing, a procedure that doesn't require cumbersome sealing of the cell with the so-called Warm Istactic Press technique prior to applying 600 MPa high-temperature pressure underwater to fuse the electrode and electrolyte materials into a solid.

Now Samsung has detailed a fiberization process that it is bringing not only to its pilot solid-state battery line production, but also to its conventional batteries in order to make them much cheaper to produce.

Samsung pegs the binder as the chief difference between the more energy-efficient dry electrode method, and the common wet production that includes coating with the use of toxic solvents, and baking in huge furnaces to dry up afterward.

Samsung's Teflon binder is calculated to stretch under the force and pressure of the roll pressing method, forming a "layer that supports the conductive material and the active material." The resulting separation film is thus stronger and evenly distributed, preventing the electrodes and solid electrolyte from coming in direct contact, while still allowing the free flow of charge between them.

Tesla is doing something similar with its dry-cathode battery production method, but has yet to manufacture such cells at scale to replace the second generation 4680 battery with 15% higher energy density that it uses in the Cybertruck on the cheap.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

UK Scientists Achieve First Commercial Tritium Production
Posted by EditorDavid on Saturday July 05, 2025 @06:34PM from the breeding-success dept.

Interesting Engineering reports:

Astral Systems, a UK-based private commercial fusion company, has claimed to have become the first firm to successfully breed tritium, a vital fusion fuel, using its own operational fusion reactor. This achievement, made with the University of Bristol, addresses a significant hurdle in the development of fusion energy....

Scientists from Astral Systems and the University of Bristol produced and detected tritium in real-time from an experimental lithium breeder blanket within Astral's multi-state fusion reactors. "There's a global race to find new ways to develop more tritium than what exists in today's world — a huge barrier is bringing fusion energy to reality," said Talmon Firestone, CEO and co-founder of Astral Systems. "This collaboration with the University of Bristol marks a leap forward in the search for viable, greater-than-replacement tritium breeding technologies. Using our multi-state fusion technology, we are the first private fusion company to use our reactors as a neutron source to produce fusion fuel."

Astral Systems' approach uses its Multi-State Fusion (MSF) technology. The company states this will commercialize fusion power with better performance, efficiency, and lower costs than traditional reactors. Their reactor design, the result of 25 years of engineering and over 15 years of runtime, incorporates recent understandings of stellar physics. A core innovation is lattice confinement fusion (LCF), a concept first discovered by NASA in 2020. This allows Astral's reactor to achieve solid-state fuel densities 400 million times higher than those in plasma. The company's reactors are designed to induce two distinct fusion reactions simultaneously from a single power input, with fusion occurring in both plasma and a solid-state lattice.

The article includes this quote from professor Tom Scott, who led the University of Bristol's team, supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering and UK Atomic Energy Authority. "This landmark moment clearly demonstrates a potential path to scalable tritium production in the future and the capability of Multi-State Fusion to produce isotopes in general."

And there's also this prediction from the company's web site:

"As we progress the fusion rate of our technology, aiming to exceed 10 trillion DT fusions per second per system, we unlock a wide range of applications and capabilities, such as large-scale medical isotope production, fusion neutron materials damage testing, transmutation of existing nuclear waste stores, space applications, hybrid fusion-fission power systems, and beyond."

"Scientists everywhere are racing to develop this practically limitless form of energy," write a climate news site called The Cooldown. (Since in theory nuclear fusion "has an energy output four times higher than that of fission, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.")

Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot for sharing the news.

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

Tesla Launches Solar-Powered 'Oasis' Supercharger Station: 30-Acre Solar Farm, 39 MWh of Off-Grid Batteries
Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday July 06, 2025 @03:34AM from the powering-ahead dept.

"Tesla has launched its new Oasis Supercharger," reports Electrek, "the long-promised EV charging station of the future, with a solar farm and off-grid batteries."

Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to the Supercharger stations, and CEO Elon Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid... Last year, Tesla announced a new project called 'Oasis', which consists of a new model Supercharger station with a solar farm and battery storage enabling off-grid operations in Lost Hills, California.

Tesla has now unveiled the project and turned on most of the Supercharger stalls. The project consists of 168 chargers, with half of them currently operational, making it one of the largest Supercharger stations in the world. However, that's not even the most notable aspect of it. The station is equipped with 11 MW of ground-mounted solar panels and canopies, spanning 30 acres of land, and 10 Tesla Megapacks with a total energy storage capacity of 39 MWh. It can be operated off-grid, which is the case right now, according to Tesla.

With off-grid operations, Tesla was about to bring 84 stalls online just in time for the Fourth of July travel weekend. The rest of the stalls and a lounge are going to open later this year.

The article makes that point that "This is what charging stations should be like: fully powered by renewable energy."

Saludos.