Technology

• Windows 10 21H2 and earlier is losing support for all OneDrive updates
• 22H2 will still get feature and security updates until October 2028
• Affected users are being urged to upgrade to Windows 11

Microsoft has announced it will end OneDrive sync app updates on Windows 10 version 21H2 and earlier starting August 15, 2026.

Besides no longer offering new features, affected devices will also be incompatible with new bug fixes and security updates, marking the official end of OneDrive on those devices.

The app will continue to function after losing update support, but system changes and emerging bugs could render it unfixable with time.

Windows 10 is starting to lose its OneDrive sync support

From the August 2026 deadline onward, users may experience reduced functionality, compatibility problems and security risks, with the company instead pushing Windows 11 as a viable alternative to keep OneDrive functioning as expected.

Some later versions of the ongoing OS, including version 22H2, will continue to receive feature, reliability and security updates until October 10, 2028. 22H2 was the final version of Windows 10 – the next upgrade after that represents a brand new OS that brings with it some hardware limitations.

"This change aligns OneDrive support with the Windows lifecycle policy and helps Microsoft focus ongoing investments on supported operating systems," Microsoft wrote in a support article.

Users who are reluctant to upgrade OS could still access OneDrive via the browser if the app end up breaking due to incompatibility.

Rather than issuing advice to make OneDrive compatible on Windows 10, Microsoft is urging affected users to finally upgrade to Windows 11. Windows 10 still accounts for around 28% of all Windows installs (per Statcounter), compared with 70% for Windows 11.

When the Western genre takes over the TV, it does so en masse. In 2026 alone, we've had Landman, The Madison, Marshals and Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch. Now, we're returning to Ransom Canyon for the Netflix's show second season.

Just over a year ago, we found out who killed Staten's (Josh Duhamel) son Randall, Staten once again breaking off his fledgling romance with Quinn (Minka Kelly), and seeing the land battle between Double K Ranch and the Fuller Ranch continues.

With season 2, we'll be diving even deeper into these messy and complicated issues. But, when does Ransom Canyon season 2 ride into view?

What time can I watch Ransom Canyon season 2 on Netflix?

Ransom Canyon season 2 drops on Thursday, July 23.

As for exact time, it should be the standard 12am PT / 3am ET release that many other Netflix TV Originals premiere at. For fans who don't live in North America, here's when you'll need to tune into Netflix for season 2:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK – 8am BST
• India – 12:30pm IST
• Singapore – 3pm SGT
• Australia – 6pm AEST
• New Zealand – 8pm NZDT

When do new episodes of Ransom Canyon season 2 come out?

(Image credit: Netflix)

All eight episodes of this season will be released at the same time. Unlike weekly drops on the likes of Prime Video, Apple TV, and Disney+, then, you won't need to wait around for new installment of Ransom Canyon 2.

As for the series' future, there's currently no public word on whether a third season has been greenlit. Hopefully, we won't be made to wait much longer.

The World Cup has arrived, bringing a wave of anticipation, celebration, and distraction that stretches far beyond the stadiums. For employers, it also serves as a real-time test of workforce operations as schedules, staffing needs, and employee engagement are all put under the spotlight.

During the six-week tournament, millions of employees will be watching matches, adjusting schedules, arriving late, swapping shifts, requesting time off, or turning up tired after late nights.

New UKG research of 8,000 employees across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US estimates the tournament could drive at least £12.6 billion in lost productivity.

In the UK alone, the impact could exceed £680 million, with employees not just planning to follow matches during working hours, alter their schedules, or miss work altogether --many admitted they would go to work hungover, secretly stream matches, and push the limits of what their employer would allow.

If England wins it all, almost a third of UK employees said they would take the day off whether that absence had been approved.

What the World Cup Reveals About the Future of Work

That creates a real challenge for employers. But the bigger lesson is not about football. It is about how work now happens.

The World Cup is a high-profile example of something organizations face every day: unpredictable employee behavior, sudden changes in demand, last-minute absences, weather disruption, supply chain delays, new regulations, and shifting customer expectations. For frontline-heavy industries in particular, disruption is not an exception to the operating model. It is the operating environment.

The question is whether workplace technology is built for that reality.

Many workforce systems were designed around predictability. They record schedules, track attendance, and report what happened after the fact. That matters, but it is no longer enough. When conditions change by the hour, organizations need more than systems of record. They need systems of action that help managers see risk earlier, make better decisions faster, and keep work moving in real time.

Three Workforce Strategies That Help Employers Stay Ahead of Disruption

The employers that come out ahead during the World Cup, and during the everyday disruption that follows it, will do three things differently.

1. See the disruption before it happens

Too often, workforce disruption becomes visible only once it has created a gap. Someone does not arrive. A shift is suddenly under-covered. A manager starts calling around for support. The business reacts after the damage has begun.

The World Cup gives organizations a chance to get ahead of that pattern.

Employees are already signaling intent. They know which matches matter to them. They know when they are likely to want flexibility, when they may need time off, and when they are more likely to be distracted or unavailable. Organizations that capture that intent early can turn it into useful operational data.

That does not mean monitoring employees or trying to control their behavior. It means giving people approved ways to communicate availability, preferences, and likely conflicts before they become last-minute absences. When that information is combined with historical absence patterns, demand forecasts, local schedules, and workforce data, managers can identify where risk is most likely to emerge.

A retailer, manufacturer, logistics operation, or hospitality business does not need to know every individual decision. But it does need to know where coverage pressure is building. High-interest match days, late kick-offs, local celebrations, and major national fixtures can all create predictable patterns of disruption.

Seeing that risk early allows organizations to plan differently. They can adjust staffing levels, open additional shifts, prepare contingency cover, or communicate expectations before managers are forced into crisis mode.

2. Design flexibility into the operating model

The instinctive response to disruption is often to tighten control. But rigid rules can push behavior underground.

If employees believe there is no fair or practical way to adjust work around major life moments, they are more likely to find informal workarounds. That can mean last-minute sickness calls, unapproved absences, shift swaps that managers do not see, or colleagues covering gaps without the right skills, rest periods, or compliance checks.

The better approach is to make flexibility visible, fair, and operationally safe.

That means giving employees clear, approved ways to request time off, swap shifts, volunteer for extra hours, adjust availability, or pick up open shifts. It also means giving managers the tools to assess those requests against business need, skills, fatigue, labor rules, and fairness.

This is especially important on the frontline, where the margin for error is small. A missed shift in an office may delay a meeting. A missed shift in healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, or logistics can affect safety, service, cost, and compliance.

Flexibility cannot sit outside the workforce strategy. It must be built into it.

For employers, that shift is powerful. Flexibility becomes less of a concession and more of an operating capability. Employees get more transparency and control. Managers get fewer surprises. The business gets a better chance of protecting service levels without treating people like variables in a spreadsheet.

3. Act in real time when the plan changes

Even the best World Cup plan will not survive unchanged.

A match goes to penalties. Demand spikes unexpectedly. More employees call in sick than forecast. A local team advances further than expected. A manager discovers at short notice that the people available do not have the right skills or certifications.

This is where many workforce systems fall short. They can show the scheduling. They can record the absence. But they do not always help managers decide what to do next.

Modern workforce management has to move from static planning to real-time execution. Managers need to know where gaps exist, who is available, who is qualified, who is approaching overtime or fatigue limits, and what action will create the best outcome for the business and the employee.

That is where data and AI can play a practical role. Not generic AI layered onto old processes, but intelligence that understands workforce context and helps recommend the next best action. Should a manager offer an open shift? Redeploy someone from a lower-demand area? Approve a swap? Escalate a compliance risk? Adjust breaks? Bring in contingent support?

The value is not simply in having more data. It is in turning workforce data into action while there is still time to influence the outcome.

The real stress test for workplace technology is not whether an organization can create a schedule weeks in advance, but whether it can adapt that schedule minutes after conditions change.

The World Cup will pass. The operating lesson will not.

Every organization will face its own version of this disruption: seasonal demand, illness, weather, regulatory change, major events, economic pressure, and shifting employee expectations. The companies that treat these moments as one-off exceptions will keep solving them manually, shift by shift and manager by manager.

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• Avengers: Doomsday pre-sale tickets will go live later today (July 20)
• Fans think the new Marvel movie's first trailer could be released, too
• It would be an unusual move for Marvel to make, for one major reason

Update 2: well, I was completely wrong! The film's first official trailer has been released, so join me on our Avengers: Doomsday trailer breakdown live blog as I, well, break it down in real time.

Update: Okay, something might happen on the official trailer front.

Indeed, the Avengers: Doomsday Clock video on Marvel's YouTube channel, which has been counting down towards the movie's release date for months now, has been updated. The minutes and seconds part of the timer are now shown in green, and music now accompanies the ticking of said clock.

Does this mean Doomsday's first proper trailer will be with us at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST? I'm still sceptical and think it's simply counting down to the pre-sales ticket window finally opening — but we'll find out for sure in less than 30 minutes.

Original story follows.

Avengers: Doomsday tickets are finally set to go on sale later today (July 20) — and Marvel fans think the movie's first trailer could drop at the same time, too.

As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, cinephiles and comic-book fans alike will be able to pre-book their seat for one of 2026's hottest new movies very soon. And, with some theater chains, such as US-based company Regal, already telling fans where they'll be able to watch Doomsday in come December 18, fans will be able to buy advanced tickets before the day is over.

That's not the only Marvel-related thing that might happen today, though, because some people believe the pre-sales launch will coincide with the debut of Doomsday's official trailer.

In screenshots posted to Reddit pages including r/MarvelStudios, r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers, and r/LeaksandRumors, the app for popular US movie ticket company Fandango appeared to indicate that a new trailer would accompany the film's pre-sales launch.

Less than an hour later, users in a separate r/LeaksandRumors thread noted that the trailer banner had been scrubbed from the Fandango app. Some are seeing this as confirmation that we'll soon get a fresh look at the Marvel Phase 6 film — but I'm not entirely convinced that'll be the case.

Why Marvel shouldn't — and should — hold off on releasing a new trailer for Avengers: Doomsday

Will Robert Downey Jr make another SDCC appearance as Doctor Victor von Doom? (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

If Marvel unveils Avengers: Doomsday's fifth trailer — remember, four bite-sized teasers were released between December 2025 and January 2026 — today, it wouldn't be a complete shock.

Indeed, releasing a new trailer, which would likely end by telling people that they can pre-book tickets now, would further ramp up interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, and generate even more ticket sales. Releasing more new footage before Marvel holds its latest Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026, which will take place on Saturday, July 25, would also give it more time to highlight some of its other forthcoming film and Disney+ projects during said presentation, because Doomsday wouldn't dominate proceedings.

With SDCC 2026 just days away, though, I'm baffled by the suggestion that Marvel would release Doomsday's first trailer earlier than expected. The aforementioned flick is the comic titan's most anticipated movie in years, and, considering that past editions of SDCC have been where Marvel has made the biggest announcements and reveals about myriad films, I can't foresee a one-off change to that tried and tested — not to mention highly successful — strategy.

I guess we'll find out one way or the other in the hours ahead. For now, find out everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday. Once you're done, check out the first official artwork for Avengers: Doomsday, and prepare for your pre-Doomsday release MCU marathon by reading up on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

There is something poetic about quantum computing.

For decades, it has lived in the realm of possibility, whispered about in academic corridors, hyped in boardrooms, and misunderstood almost everywhere else. It promised to change everything, and yet, for the longest time, changed very little.

Until now.

Not because quantum has suddenly “arrived” - it hasn’t. But because the world around it has finally caught up.

We are, quietly, entering the age of hybrid intelligence, where classical computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum systems begin to work together. And that changes the question from “when will quantum matter?” to something far more interesting: What happens when quantum becomes part of how the world works?

From magic to mechanics

Quantum computing has long suffered from a branding problem.

It was either considered “Magic” because it would solve everything instantly; or a “Myth” because it was perpetually 10 years away!

The reality, as always, is more nuanced and much more powerful.

Quantum computers are not general-purpose machines; they are specialists. They are exceptionally good at specific classes of problems like optimization at massive scale, molecular simulation, cryptographic analysis, complex probabilistic modelling etc.

However, they are also fragile, error-prone, expensive and dependent on classical systems for almost everything else around them!

This leads to a simple but profound insight: Quantum will not replace classical computing. It will collaborate with it.

And that collaboration is where the real revolution begins.

The quiet role of AI

Ironically, the biggest accelerator for quantum computing hasn’t come from within the field itself. It has come from artificial intelligence.

AI has created the conditions for quantum to matter in three critical ways:

1. Made complexity usable - Quantum algorithms are not intuitive. AI helps design, optimize, and even discover them.
2. Improved error correction - One of quantum’s biggest challenges is “noise”. AI is now being used to stabilize and correct quantum systems in real time.
3. Created demand - AI has exposed the limits of classical computing—particularly in energy, consumption, and scale. Quantum is no longer a curiosity; it is a necessary complement.

What’s actually working (and what isn’t)

To understand the current state of the industry, we must separate the signal from the noise. First and foremost, what’s working is “Hybrid Workflows”. The hybrid architectures where classical systems prepare the problem, quantum executes the core computation, and classical systems interpret this result.

This is where real-world use cases are emerging.

Second, progress seems to be very domain specific as quantum is showing promise in areas where complexity explodes – drug discovery, materials science, logistics optimization, financial modelling etc. So, it’s not universal, but selective and meaningful.

Finally, ecosystems are forming. A new stack is emerging. Companies like IBM, Google, and Microsoft are building integrated quantum platforms, while hardware innovators like IonQ and Quantinuum push the boundaries of qubit fidelity.

What’s isn’t working ...yet

Fault tolerance at scale needs to evolve more as we’re still far from fully error-corrected quantum systems. Also, most enterprises are still only experimenting and not deploying quantum solutions at scale.

There is no “Windows moment”, or universal standard for quantum yet; every stack looks different.

And, perhaps most importantly, quantum still requires translation, from physics to business value.

A global race… with no clear finish line

Quantum computing has become a geopolitical priority. The United States is investing heavily through public-private partnerships; China is accelerating both research and infrastructure at a massive scale; and the UK and Europe are focused on Sovereign Quantum capabilities - ensuring they aren’t reliant on foreign stacks for critical security.

They are protecting their intellectual property more fiercely than they did with the internet.

This is not just about computing. It is about economic advantage, national security and scientific leadership.

And yet, unlike previous technology races, this isn’t winner-takes-all. Quantum systems will not exist in isolation. They will exist in networks.

Different players are taking fundamentally different approaches as the hyperscalers are positioning quantum as a “cloud-accessible capability”, as they abstract complexity and integrate with existing workloads.

But, as I have gone around the world talking to CEOs of various quantum companies, I am fascinated by what I call the “Plug-and-Play innovators”:

• Hardware pure-plays: Companies like IonQ and Quantinuum focus on hardware breakthroughs - trapped ions, new materials, and improved qubit fidelity. Their bet is that that “if we solve the physics, everything else follows.”
• The bridge builders: Firms such as Zapata AI and QC Ware are building the bridge between algorithms and applications. Their belief is “Quantum without software is just expensive physics.”

And then there is the gap. No one truly owns the interconnections between quantum and classical systems, nor the orchestration of the hybrid workloads. The missing layer is a neutral ecosystem where these players converge.

That gap will define the next phase of adoption needed for this to truly scale.

What this means for society

Quantum’s impact will not be immediate, but it will be profound.

Healthcare: Simulating molecules at quantum precision could accelerate drug discovery from years to months.

Climate: Optimizing energy grids and materials could unlock more efficient batteries and carbon capture.

Finance: Risk modelling and portfolio optimization could reach entirely new levels of sophistication.

Security: This is my personal passion. While quantum has the potential to break current encryption standards, it is also driving the development of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), making systems more secure in the long run. We must act now to prevent "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks, where encrypted data is stolen today to be cracked by quantum computers tomorrow.

A slightly uncomfortable truth

Quantum computing will create as many questions as it answers.

• Who gets access first?
• Who controls the infrastructure?
• How do we ensure equitable benefit?

We have seen this movie before with the internet and AI.

The difference this time is that we have the opportunity to design the system more deliberately.

Quantum has been “almost here” for decades. So, why does this moment feel real?

Because AI has created urgency and demand; infrastructure has matured to support hybrid models; and ecosystems are forming, not just technologies.

This is no longer about a breakthrough machine. It is about a connected system of capabilities.

A more human way to think about quantum

Perhaps the simplest way to understand quantum is this:

• Classical computers think in straight lines.
• AI learns patterns from data.
• Quantum explores possibilities simultaneously.

It is less like a calculator and more like imagination. And like imagination, it is most powerful when guided.

So, what should we do now?

For enterprises, start experimenting with hybrid workflows now. Focus on use cases (optimization, simulation), not just the underlying physics, and build internal understanding early.

For policymakers, invest in open ecosystems, prioritize standards and interoperability, and balance competition with collaboration.

For technologists, think beyond silos and design for integration, not isolation. For the rest of us, stay curious.

Quantum computing will not change your life tomorrow, but it will quietly reshape the systems that your life depends on.

Closing thought

We often think of technological revolutions as moments.

In reality, they are transitions. Messy. Gradual. Non-linear.

Quantum computing is not a single breakthrough waiting to happen. It is a shift in how we solve problems; one that will unfold over years, across industries, and in ways we cannot fully predict.

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• Topping has unveiled its new and compact desktop DX1 II DAC
• It's relatively affordable at £119 (about $160, AU$240)
• Multiple inputs and outputs, some clearly designed for gamers

If you've been considering buying one of the best headphone DACs, it's probably because you want to connect them to an audiophile-friendly hi-fi system — or even to your phone or dedicated music player on the commute. But Topping's latest option aims squarely at a very different audience: gamers.

The Topping DX1 II is a new piece of kit which is slowly being released in different regions; it's just been released in the UK from Electromod. It costs £119 (about $160, AU$240), so it undercuts many other options save for models built specifically for smartphones or digital audio players.

The DX1 II seems to have a specific user in mind though. The DAC is designed for all budget-conscious, audiophile-curious buyers, but it does feel aimed at gamers more than most. And that is thanks to a few key considerations that seemingly make it a good pick for enhancing your games' sound.

For example, while the DAC has two headphone outputs (3.5mm and 4.4mm), they're two-way, so you can use headsets with microphones. It can also switch between USB Audio Classes, allowing you to use it alongside the Nintendo Switch and PS5 which are some of the few gadgets only using UAC 1.0.

A DAC is for life, not just for gaming

Despite some gaming features being the headline tools, the Topping DX1 II seems to be a solid all-rounder too — and given how much we loved the larger and more expensive Topping DX5 II, it's well worth taking a closer look.

The DAC can input from USB-C as well as optical, and output to optical, stereo RCA, 3.5mm or 4.4mm. There's support for 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD 256, so high-quality audio won't be a problem. There are also EQ tools as well as filter and gain settings.

A built-in amp can deliver up to 1,000mW audio, and since it's quite compact at 10x10x3.2cm, it'll fit into various existing set-ups — and that glossy white casework will make it look right at home next to a PS5.

As a prolific gamer, I'm not sure that I can see a DAC being crucial to a hardware set-up — although I absolutely recommend any one of the best wired gaming headsets. That said, the Topping is still very useful as an affordable entry-level DAC for my music that can get double use for gaming.

• Leather jacket belonging to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sells for $960k, way above the $40-60k estimate
• Huang's jackets have become a tech sector icon and a staple CEO 'uniform' piece
• The proceeds wil help fund fellowships and more across tech

A black Tom Ford leather jacket worn and signed by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has sold at a New York auction for $960,000.

"The response to this sale surpassed even our highest expectations," Sotheby's head of modern collectibles Brahm Wachter explained, with the jacket selling for around $900,000 more than auctioneers had anticipated, given the auction house's estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.

The jacket itself – one of many that the CEO has owned, of course – has become a staple recognized by the entire tech sector, with Huang rarely spotted out in public wearing anything else.

Jensen Huang's jacket sold for $0.9 million

This specific jacket came from Tom Ford's Spring-summer 2023 collection, however the CEO has been wearing similar jackets for years, leading similar examples to have become essential parts of any Nvidia keynote or tech conference.

Huang is one of a growing number of CEOs who have chosen uniformity and simplicity in their clothing – Mark Zuckerberg's blue jeans and grey t-shirt, and Steve Jobs' black turtleneck, also become similarly iconic.

Independent verifiers are said to have confirmed both the jacket's authenticity and the signature's authenticity, revealing that it was worn by Huanh at the 2023 Foxconn Tech Day.

Clearly, it being Jensen Huang's jacket is the core reason why it fetched nearly $1 million at auction. His company, Nvidia, is somewhat of an AI success story, having risen from a valuation of around $300 billion in 2020 to $4.9 trillion today.

At the time of writing, Nvidia is the world's most valuable companies, just a reach ahead of Apple - with the $940,000 cost buying you around 4653 shares in the company at today's market price.

The proceeds are set to help fund Edge Institute, a nonprofit that will support fellowships, grants and residencies across the tech sector.

Via CNBC

The “AI” label no longer makes companies special. In today’s world, that is a fact that needs to be accepted.

Even just a year ago, if a business simply mentioned being “AI-powered” it was enough to immediately gather attention and appear innovative. Investors quickly grew excited, and media outlets were quick to pick up the next “hot story.”

Of course, that didn’t always mean that there was truth to such statements. The concept of AI washing — when companies misrepresented or even outright lied about the use of AI tools in their operations — had certainly done its share of damage to this industry while it stayed prevalent.

But today, even without such lies, the effect of AI novelty is disappearing. Every fintech company now has some kind of AI story. Compliance platforms use AI monitoring. Banks and fintechs talk about AI-driven service personalization. Chatbots and AI assistants are utilized practically by every other platform, no matter which industry we look at.

At this point, saying your company uses artificial intelligence feels almost the same as saying you have a website. People have learned to expect it almost by default. And this creates a very different communications environment.

The first wave of AI companies mostly had to convince their audience that the technology was possible. That task has certainly been accomplished. Now, the second wave faces the task of convincing people that their particular implementation of AI is trustworthy, useful, and worth the attention in a market that’s beyond overcrowded already.

That is much harder.

The conversation has changed

AI investment has exploded over the last two years. Enterprise spending on gen AI jumped from $11.5 billion in 2024 to $37 billion in 2025. That’s a whole 220% YOY increase. AI-focused startups continue to dominate venture capital conversations, to the point where nearly every technology company now feels the pressure to position itself as part of this race.

But something else happened along the way: consumers became more educated. If at first, AI sounded like something magical, now people have actually used it. They have seen hallucinations and strange outputs, and they’ve dealt with incorrect recommendations. They’ve had time to realize that AI can be useful, but also that the technology comes with its own frustrations and limitations.

As such, being “AI-powered” is no longer enough to stand out. Consumers have already moved past that stage. One of the biggest mistakes I see today is when companies still assume they have not.

Now, the conversation revolves around a much deeper point: “What does your AI actually improve for me?” For AI-focused companies vying for attention, the benefits of their specific approach are now the key battlefield where they have to win.

This is particularly important for financial and fintech companies, because financial services are built on trust. People may tolerate or even find humor in mistakes from an entertainment app, but they will not be pleased when their money or personal data are put at risk because of AI malfunctions.

The numbers clearly show this trust gap. While AI adoption continues growing, only 13% of consumers truly trust AI systems, and about 30% remain neutral rather than confident. Many people are still uncomfortable giving AI fully autonomous control over important decisions, especially in areas connected to finance or personal data.

At the same time, enterprises themselves also often contribute to the problem of trust by rolling out AI models before building the necessary structures to govern them.

A recent survey by McKinsey discovered that less than 15% of organizations obtain full security and IT approval before deploying AI agents. Or, to put it in other words, the vast majority of these systems come out without proper oversight and responsibility frameworks around them.

This very reality has now become the defining challenge of the next AI adoption phase. The market is no longer asking whether companies can use artificial intelligence. It’s asking whether they can use it responsibly. And that is precisely why I am of the opinion that AI communication from here on out needs to be very different from what we saw during the first hype cycle. It’s no longer about who shouts the loudest.

The main victory condition will be for companies to explain — clearly and realistically — how their systems work and how they benefit their users. And then they will have to continue proving that through sustainable action.

Transparency and governance are now a product feature

One important area to account for is transparency around AI limitations. Now that the broad public already has enough context and experience to understand that AI can fail, pretending otherwise would only damage a company’s credibility.

To earn trust, strong, honest communication is necessary that will openly acknowledge those points of failure. When a business wishes to present its own AI solution, it will need to explain upfront where its model works well and where its shortcomings lie. Customers should have clear expectations and understanding of the risks before they engage with the technology.

Some might think that admitting to shortcomings would be a mistake, a vulnerability. But honesty can yield more results than those people expect.

Clients are generally much more comfortable using services when they understand where the borders are. When they know how decisions are made, that safeguards exist, and that human oversight is still involved in the process, so if something goes wrong, they have someone real to talk to.

This is where competent governance enters the picture.

Be it to partners, clients, or regulators, businesses increasingly need to demonstrate that they are responsible about how they employ AI in operations. Whether decisions can be audited.

A few years ago, these topics were often hidden deep inside technical documentation, if they were brought up at all. Now, explainability of AI models is one of the biggest signals of trustworthiness that a company can project.

And honestly, I think this is healthy for the industry.

By now, AI has stopped being a mere marketing decoration and is leaning more and more toward becoming a full-on infrastructure layer in corporate operations. That means it needs to be properly managed, so that possible mistakes do not create reputational and monetary damage to countless involved parties.

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For years, identity security has been designed to secure an organization's human users. But as agentic enterprises take shape, the identity equation is shifting. Artificial intelligence (AI) agents and AI-powered builders – software tools used to develop websites and applications without coding – are increasingly participating in how access is configured, governed and used.

AI agents are effectively new digital employees, so organizations need a way to know they exist and control what they do throughout their lifecycle. They are becoming operators, helping to administer and secure identity environments through machine-native interfaces.

To add another layer of complexity, desktop agents and AI assistants are also beginning to interact with enterprise applications and resources on behalf of users.

For an agentic enterprise to succeed, these agents need trusted access to do useful work but should not be given direct exposure to secrets they have no meaningful reason to access. To achieve this, organizations need a unified, AI-first identity model, centered on end-to-end visibility, governance and controls which strike a balance between security and appropriate access.

AI agents are reshaping identity

AI has created a new category of digital identity. Like human employees, autonomous agents must be discoverable and managed and governed so organizations can understand what systems and data they can access and who is responsible for their actions.

Traditional identity and access management (IAM) systems relied on static, one-time verification methods in response to access requests made by humans. But in the agentic enterprise, requests also come from autonomous software acting on behalf of human users. Organizations therefore need to know exactly who or what is accessing a system continuously, and if they have the correct permissions to access given information.

At the same time, AI is increasingly managing identities and access. Machine-native interfaces allow agents to help manage human users’ access, troubleshoot issues and support security workflows. While these capabilities can help organizations cut costs and improve efficiency, they are only successful when strong access guardrails are put in place.

AI has created a new category of digital identity. Like human employees, autonomous agents must be discoverable and managed and governed so organizations can understand what systems and data they can access and who is responsible for their actions.

Traditional identity and access management (IAM) systems relied on static, one-time verification methods in response to access requests made by humans. But in the agentic enterprise, requests also come from autonomous software acting on behalf of human users. Organizations therefore need to know exactly who or what is accessing a system continuously, and if they have the correct permissions to access given information.

At the same time, AI is increasingly managing identities and access. Machine-native interfaces allow agents to help manage human users’ access, troubleshoot issues and support security workflows. While these capabilities can help organizations cut costs and improve efficiency, they are only successful when strong access guardrails are put in place.

Building a unified identity model for AI

Mechanisms for securing AI cannot simply be bolted onto identity systems designed for humans. It requires a complete rethink of the identity management model, where human and machine identities are governed through a single framework to prevent tool sprawl and unintentional security blind spots.

As organizations adopt AI tools throughout multiple operational layers, enterprise identity needs to evolve and become easier to manage and automate. Identity can no longer rely solely on human administration.

Tools designed specifically for autonomous agents, such as AI-first headless interfaces, allow builders and AI alike to perform identity-related tasks. Autonomous operators must also be trained to configure access, troubleshoot workflows and apply governance controls within approved policies and guardrails.

Visibility and governance across the entire AI agent lifecycle are also critical. As more agents are deployed, businesses must have complete visibility into their agents and actions.

Every AI should be treated as a first-class identity, with a designated human owner, as well as clear policies and full auditability throughout its entire lifecycle. As these agents operate across the enterprise, their actions should be traceable to a human user responsible.

Finally, AI agents need trusted ways to interact with enterprise resources without being given direct access to the credentials or secrets that enable them. Coding and desktop agents increasingly interact with systems on behalf of users, but exposing them to credentials or long-lived secrets creates unnecessary risk. Instead, access to enterprise resources should be brokered through just-in-time privileged controls.

This allows enterprises to maintain oversight of how permissions are granted, governed and audited without exposing the underlying secrets behind that access. Together, these capabilities create a unified identity model which extends governance across human and AI identities without creating a parallel identity stack.

The future of the agentic enterprise

AI agents cannot operate as intended and deliver meaningful value without access to enterprise systems. But granting unrestricted access or exposing sensitive information creates an entirely new risk to organizations.

The future of the agentic enterprise depends on maintaining governance, visibility and control across both human and digital identities. This means identity must become programmable, AI agents should be governed throughout their lifecycle and agent access needs to be given without unnecessary exposure to sensitive data.

A unified identity strategy provides the means to operate AI agents more safely and efficiently while maintaining centralized governance, accountability and control.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

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Recent evidence shows that energy cost pressures and a power grid capacity crunch risk becoming a bottleneck on the growth of the UK’s digital economy.

A report by Oxford Economics for the Nuclear Industry Association warns that growing grid capacity constraints and uncompetitive industrial electricity prices could drive data center developers overseas.

This comes as data center energy demands could increase fivefold by 2035 and data center operators face growing pressure for more sustainable energy in line with climate targets.

This is driving many data center developers to explore alternative supply sources such as flexible contracts and Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) which offer affordable, secure long-term power.

Yet many data center developers lack the resources to navigate these complex contracts or meet the high credit requirements.

There is an urgent need for creative new solutions to provide affordable sustainable power for our digital economy.

The energy chokepoint for the AI economy

The Government aims to make Britain the fastest AI-adopting country in the G7 and this will require accelerated data center expansion with AI data centers being prioritized for new demand connections to the grid. While this is welcome, demand-side connections will not alleviate the supply-side challenges from rising electricity costs to network capacity constraints.

Data centers have build times of 12-14 months yet large new renewable energy projects can face waits of 12-14 years to come online at a time when Britain faces rising non-commodity electricity costs such as Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) and Nuclear Regulated Asset Base (RAB) charges to fund new electric grid and nuclear energy infrastructure.

Ofgem has warned that data center power consumption could significantly exceed Britain’s current peak electricity consumption, risking rising energy costs.

The move towards flexible contracts

Flexible electricity contracts that allow companies to buy energy in chunks offer a potential solution to this by allowing data centers to tailor energy costs to their consumption.

Crucially, flexible contracts can be adjusted to hedge against fluctuating energy consumption for facilities such as AI data centers which have more variable patterns of energy use. This would also help avoid penalties for ramping up energy use to take on major new customers.

While fixed-price contracts can lock in long-term energy costs to offer certainty, flexible contracts enable data centers to take advantage of price fluctuations to secure cheaper power.

For example, we have a dedicated pricing team monitoring market movements round the clock. This could help facilities partially hedge against the risk of rising prices, setting a price for a portion of their consumption, while buying the rest when required to take advantage of favorable prices on the spot market.

For example, we implemented a flexible contract for an energy-intensive industrial chemicals company which included a cash-out arrangement, enabling them to lock in prices when costs are low and buy power in batches days or even months ahead as needed.

There are various kinds of flexible contract options based on the degree to which companies can forecast their energy consumption. For example, ‘tolerance banding’ which guarantees a set price within a certain range or ‘band’ of electricity consumption, can provide certainty amidst unpredictable, fluctuating costs.

As data center operators become more confident in forecasting energy consumption, this can create even cheaper options such as contracts that enable them to buy every kilowatt-hour above or below expected demand.

The CPPA model

Other contracts such as CPPAs could offer data centers a secure, sustainable, affordable power supply directly from suppliers at stable cost. Private-wire PPAs involving onsite generation could enable data centers to sell surplus power back to the grid, transforming energy from a cost into a revenue stream. On site generation could also help avoid the non-commodity costs for grid electricity such as TNUoS charges that comprise 60% of electricity bills and are set to increase to fund new infrastructure.

With targets to reduce operational emissions from buildings by 76%, CPPAs also help facilities meet climate targets by providing traceable green power. As large consumers with a relatively stable long-term demand, data centers are perfectly placed to tap into this market. Amidst growing energy price volatility and security risks, fixed-price CPPAs offer the chance to lock in power prices and supplies, providing certainty and security.

The barriers to alternative contracts

Yet there are many barriers to flexible contracts and CPPAs market for smaller entities such as data centers. These contracts can be highly complex, contain stringent credit requirements and often require 10-15 year agreements. The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, which gives renewable developers a government-backed route to market through fixed long-term price support, can also act as a competing route to market for generators.

In some cases, this can make long-term corporate offtake agreements less attractive, particularly where developers can secure greater certainty through the CfD mechanism. For smaller customers seeking greener electricity, however, this route can offer an alternative when a direct CPPA may be harder to access.

Many data center projects are run by startups or smaller entities that lack the resources for such long-term commitments or credit requirements. Data centers also present a slightly higher credit risk than other facilities because their revenue streams are not based on a few large, long-term customers but split among many customers across the digital economy.

Opening the market to data centers

There is an urgent need for creative solutions to lower barriers to entry to the flexible contract market for smaller entities such as data centers. Security deposits or bank guarantees can help some firms meet the stringent credit requirements.

Other potential solutions include parent-company guarantees where a parent company makes a commitment to cover the cost in the event of a default or intercompany guarantees where large data center customers such as Amazon offer guarantees.

There are also solutions to simplify adoption and help CPPAs slot into existing energy use. For example, PPA import sleeving contracts, where energy is pre-purchased from a generator or utility and supplied directly to a facility through the grid, can help alleviate energy costs and security risks.

Tailoring contracts to specific energy needs

Independent partners can also help data centers optimize contracts for their specific energy needs and financial situation. Independent brokers can consolidate the process of negotiating with generators, suppliers and investors, speeding up and de-risking adoption.

Brokers can also help negotiate and monitor contracts suited to the precise profile of each data center. For example, cloud computing data centers with relatively steady, predictable demand may prefer fixed contracts whereas AI data centers processing huge amounts of data for many clients have a more variable, ‘peaky’ pattern of consumption and require flexible contracts.

Data centers can also work with partners to get live market intelligence on changing regulations or market movements. For example, we offered one client an early warning service so that they were able to minimize costs during the winter triads, half-hour periods of peak demand during the winter season.

Towards a new model of data center energy

Britain’s ability to compete in the accelerating AI race increasingly hinges on the ability to mitigate the risk of rising energy costs.

Energy security will also be critical to building truly sovereign AI capabilities for the UK. Lowering the barriers to the flexible contract market could create new opportunities at both ends, providing secure, sustainable and affordable power to unlock data center growth while unlocking vital investment in new renewable energy capacity.

Yet this will require tailored, adaptable contractual models from bespoke flexible contracts to PPAs and new ways of lowering barriers to entry including reducing complexity and stringent credit requirements. This could help provide secure, sustainable and affordable long-term power to fuel our digital economy.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

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Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 20, No. 1,135.

Qualcomm's been at the heart of chipmaking for smartphones and mobile devices for years, with its line of Snapdragon chips powering Android smartphones throughout the 4G and 5G era. With 6G set to roll out in the 2030s, the jury's still out on its potential impact. Qualcomm's CEO Cristiano Amon, however, has painted a curious vision.

Every step you take

Amon, who's been in charge of the American semiconductor manufacturer since he was promoted in 2021, outlined how he sees 6G shaping future hardware in an interview on Fox Business.

Quote of the day

This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.

The CEO is bullish on smart glasses hitting the mainstream, suggesting that the cameras built into these devices will be continuously streaming video and capture data in real-time (including audio) to feed a user's personal AI.

Where does 6G come into the picture? The technology permits far faster top speeds compared with today's 5G networks. Theoretically, future mobile networks can reach 1Tbps by taking advantage of the sub-terahertz spectrum. This comes alongside minimal latency.

Through the looking glass

Smart glasses have been out of vogue for many years – especially since Google's clunky Google Glass debut. Recently, however, they've found a new lease of life thanks to improving display technology as well as more intuitive and ergonomic form factors.

One of the best examples of this is the longstanding collaboration between Meta and Ray-Ban. Although these glasses look the part, the camera functionality has received plenty of backlash, with some owners even refraining from wearing them in public.

Although the technology might be there with 6G mobile networks, there are still plenty of obstacles in the way of the number of people happy to wear smart glasses for the new form factor to really take off.

To celebrate Evil Dead Burn coming out in theaters this month, I've put together the ultimate quiz to test fans of the popular horror franchise.

Ever since The Evil Dead was released in 1981, the series has been a favorite among genre fans and is widely recognizable, but have you been paying attention to it? I bet you won't be able to get a perfect score on my quiz, so now's your chance to prove me wrong!

Don't worry if you haven't seen Evil Dead Burn yet, because this quiz only covers the previous movies, meaning you won't find any spoilers for the new movie lurking in here.

But there's plenty of trivia about the rest of the franchise, from the original release to the 2013 remake. These horror movies are among the most fascinating, from the scripts all the way to what happened on set.

Feeling brave? Scroll down to try out the quiz now, and see if you can survive to the very end.

How did you do? Let me know your score in the comments below, and if you're hungry for more horror trivia, why not check out my Resident Evil movie quiz ahead of Zach Cregger's adaptation, which arrives later this year.

Or we've got an ultimate Walking Dead quiz for fans of the hit zombie series. If you think you're a superfan, join other quizzers and prove your knowledge.

For more horror streaming recommendations, I've got you covered too. Take a look at the best horror movies streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Shudder, and more in July 2026 to find something good to watch.

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 20, No. 1,135.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for July 20, No. 1,857.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for July 20 No. 869.

Up until fairly recently, laptop design followed a similar pattern, no matter whether you were picking a new Windows laptop or a MacBook.

Machines became thinner, many premium models shed ports, keyboards lost travel, and more components were soldered or glued into place.

Some companies presented these updates couched in the language of progress, even if they made computers less useful, less comfortable to use, and harder to keep alive over multiple years.

In 2026, the mood seems to be beginning to shift. HDMI and card slots have returned to premium laptops, and many manufacturers are paying closer attention to keyboards, batteries, and repair access.

Leading the way, Framework has turned replaceable hardware into its defining idea, and even Apple is showing signs that a modern laptop does not need to be an entirely sealed unit.

None of this is glamorous, which is part of the appeal: the next meaningful improvement in computing may be a machine that works well, connects to what you own, and can survive long enough to become boring.

(Image credit: Future)The laptop industry spent years mistaking subtraction for progress

Over the past 10 years, laptop design has been moving steadily towards the central tenets of thinner, lighter, and cleaner, while ports, removable batteries, and replaceable components disappeared.

The trade-offs were often presented as unavoidable – the price of owning something modern, sleek, portable.

Of course, some of these changes brought real benefits; today’s laptops are faster, quieter, and easier to carry than the bulky machines they replaced, and improvements in chip design mean they are more powerful than ever.

Problems arose though when minimalism became the goal rather than a means to an end. Removing an HDMI port saved a little space but left users carrying dongles; soldered storage reduced flexibility long after the initial purchase. The list goes on.

Several of those decisions have since been quietly reversed.

Apple returned to a more conventional keyboard after long-standing durability issues, then restored HDMI, MagSafe, and an SD card slot to the MacBook Pro.

Other manufacturers have also followed a similar path, adding ports and improving repair access without turning their laptops back into bulky desktop replacements.

Recent Surface devices have made batteries, displays, SSDs, and keyboards replaceable, while Dell and Lenovo now use modular USB-C ports in selected laptops so a damaged socket can be changed without replacing the motherboard.

These are still exceptions focusing on a few components, but they make this welcome comeback broader than a Framework-only experiment.

(Image credit: Framework)Framework designs laptops for their next owner – and their existing one

For anyone dispirited by the state of the modern laptop industry, Framework came to the rescue, building its laptops around many of the features the wider industry had abandoned.

Owners can replace the memory, storage, battery, keyboard, display, ports, and even the mainboard, while expansion cards make it possible to swap connections such as USB-C, HDMI, and an SD card reader.

Someone who bought a Framework Laptop 13 several years ago can install a newer mainboard or display without replacing the rest of the machine. A new generation does not automatically make the old one obsolete – owners can upgrade the part that matters and leave everything else alone.

It should also make buying second-hand less of a gamble, since a later owner can replace a tired battery or upgrade the mainboard rather than inheriting a sealed snapshot of the original specification.

Even the familiar design serves a purpose: Framework’s laptops may not look dramatically different with each release, but keeping the same basic chassis allows components made years apart to work together.

If we're being honest, that is far more useful than another cosmetic redesign.

Not everything is perfect with this strategy, of course. Framework machines can cost more than sealed rivals with similar specifications, and earlier models have not always matched the best laptops for battery life or overall polish.

Their long-term value also depends on a relatively small company continuing to support the platform. Even so, Framework has shown that repairability does not need to mean owning an awkward experiment rather than a normal laptop.

(Image credit: Apple)The MacBook Neo is Apple's concession, rather than a revolution

Apple’s new MacBook Neo takes a more cautious step in the same direction.

To start with, its battery is screwed into place and several ports sit on replaceable boards. Parts such as the display, speakers, and trackpad can also be removed without the level of adhesive found in many recent MacBooks.

Apple also published a repair manual from launch, a somewhat surprising move from the company, while iFixit awarded it 6 out of 10 – the best score for a MacBook in around 14 years.

The caveat – and sadly there is one – is that this makes the Neo more repairable, but not especially upgradeable.

Its memory and storage are soldered in place, so the specification chosen at checkout is the one owners will keep for the life of the machine. Given the crazy price hikes due to the AI memory boom, this can make things quite expensive.

One of its two USB-C ports is also limited to USB 2 speeds, and it lacks a backlit keyboard.

The result is that it's easier to restore or fix the original machine when something breaks, a small but meaningful achievement on an entry-level laptop, where a large repair bill can quickly make replacement look like the more economical option.

Perhaps the bigger win is that Apple has shown that a slim, polished MacBook does not need to be completely sealed shut.

(Image credit: iFixit)Repairability is useful even when you never hold a screwdriver

Most people will never replace a laptop battery or swap out a damaged port themselves, but they still benefit from a machine designed to make those jobs possible.

Accessible parts give places like independent repair shops, school technicians, and company IT teams a better chance of fixing a fault without replacing an entire assembly.

A commonplace issue like a worn battery becomes a simple routine repair, while a damaged charging socket is a small parts replacement rather than a motherboard-scale repair.

The same principle applies to ports and keyboards. These are among the most heavily used parts of any laptop, yet manufacturers have often treated them as secondary to thinness or appearance.

A useful selection of connections saves years of adapter clutter, while a comfortable, replaceable keyboard matters far more in daily use than a slightly slimmer lid.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The right to forget about your computer

The most mature technologies tend to disappear into the background. We do not want to admire a laptop’s design "courage" every time we connect a monitor, replace a battery, or type for several hours.

Fundamentally, we want it to work without creating new problems – and work for as many years as possible.

Framework has pushed that idea further than anyone else, while the MacBook Neo shows that parts of it can survive inside a mainstream product.

Neither will reverse years of sealed design overnight. What they do is suggest a different measure of progress: not how quickly a computer looks old, but how long it remains useful enough to ignore.

I tried the new Knockoff extension to filter out all the cheaply made junk I don’t want to buy.

It’s now available at select Walmart Vision Centers, Sam’s Club locations and Quay eyewear stores.