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• Engineers reveal alternative to floating-point multiplication
• New method could reduce AI energy consumption by up to 95%
• But new calculation method would also need alternative hardware to existing GPUs

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies evolve, the demand for computing power - and consequently, electricity - has surged, as have concerns about its energy consumption.

Now, engineers from BitEnergy AI offers a potential solution - a new method of computation which could reduce the energy needs of AI applications by up to 95%.

Linear-Complexity Multiplication could apparently reducing the energy needs of AI applications by 95% by changing how AI calculations are performed, moving away from the traditional use of floating-point multiplication (FPM) in favor of integer addition.

From floating-point multiplication to linear-complexity multiplication

FPM is typically used in AI computations because it allows systems to handle very large or small numbers with high precision - however, it is also one of the most energy-intensive operations in AI processing. The precision FPM offers is necessary for many AI applications, particularly in areas like deep learning, where models require detailed calculations.

The researchers claim despite cutting energy consumption, there is no impact on the performance of AI applications. However, while the Linear-Complexity Multiplication method shows great promise, its adoption faces certain challenges.

One significant drawback is that the new technique requires different hardware to what is currently in use. Most AI applications today run on hardware optimized for floating-point computations, such as GPUs made by companies like Nvidia. The new method would require redesigned hardware to function effectively.

The team notes the hardware needed for its method has already been designed, built, and tested. However, this new hardware will need to be licensed and there is no telling how this hardware will be made available to the broader market.

Estimates suggest ChatGPT alone currently consumes approximately 564 MWh of electricity daily, enough to power 18,000 US households. Some critics predict that in just a few years, AI applications could consume around 100 TWh of electricity annually, putting them on par with the energy-hungry Bitcoin mining industry.

Via TechXplore

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• Engineers reveal alternative to floating-point multiplication
• New method could reduce AI energy consumption by up to 95%
• But new calculation method would also need alternative hardware to existing GPUs

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies evolve, the demand for computing power - and consequently, electricity - has surged, as have concerns about its energy consumption.

Now, engineers from BitEnergy AI offers a potential solution - a new method of computation which could reduce the energy needs of AI applications by up to 95%.

Linear-Complexity Multiplication could apparently reducing the energy needs of AI applications by 95% by changing how AI calculations are performed, moving away from the traditional use of floating-point multiplication (FPM) in favor of integer addition.

From floating-point multiplication to linear-complexity multiplication

FPM is typically used in AI computations because it allows systems to handle very large or small numbers with high precision - however, it is also one of the most energy-intensive operations in AI processing. The precision FPM offers is necessary for many AI applications, particularly in areas like deep learning, where models require detailed calculations.

The researchers claim despite cutting energy consumption, there is no impact on the performance of AI applications. However, while the Linear-Complexity Multiplication method shows great promise, its adoption faces certain challenges.

One significant drawback is that the new technique requires different hardware to what is currently in use. Most AI applications today run on hardware optimized for floating-point computations, such as GPUs made by companies like Nvidia. The new method would require redesigned hardware to function effectively.

The team notes the hardware needed for its method has already been designed, built, and tested. However, this new hardware will need to be licensed and there is no telling how this hardware will be made available to the broader market.

Estimates suggest ChatGPT alone currently consumes approximately 564 MWh of electricity daily, enough to power 18,000 US households. Some critics predict that in just a few years, AI applications could consume around 100 TWh of electricity annually, putting them on par with the energy-hungry Bitcoin mining industry.

Via TechXplore

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• AI’s energy demands are “accelerating the climate crisis”
• IT buyers not prepared for AI’s energy demands
• These are the best AI writers around today

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ChatGPT was born two years ago amid a flurry of hyperbolic hype, skepticism, and outright fear. The AI chatbot didn't immediately guide us to digital heaven, take over every job, or become sentient and send robots with Austrian accents after us, but ChatGPT has a made major impact on many people's lives nonetheless.

For ChatGPT's second birthday, I've collected some of the most notable (if not always most noble) ways OpenAI's experiment with a digital sidekick has changed day-to-day living for many people. I should say that while I did ask ChatGPT for examples of how it's changed the world, the AI either was self-deprecating about how it hasn't done so or insisted that everyone's lives are radically altered by its presence in ways that resemble the Matrix films more than reality. Still, even if you aren't one who employs the AI chatbot for all of the following examples, I'd bet you know someone who has at least experimented with doing so. Here are five ways ChatGPT has become a part of people's lives, large and small:

Homework Houdini

Teachers and school administrators quickly noted what ChatGPT could mean for students. Lazy students might ignore hallucinations or awful phrasing to turn in terrible papers, but those were easy to weed out and give an F. More clever students could enhance their work and research with ChatGPT and not always be caught. OpenAI quickly partnered with educational organizations to try and come up with useful ways to deploy the AI chatbot, with fun studying tools and helpful guides to complex subjects.

But, arguably, the bigger impact was changing how teachers do their lessons. Some have relied on extra strict rules for using ChatGPT, while others have replaced essays with oral reports or projects where students can't rely on ChatGPT to do everything for them. Thanks to ChatGPT, homework is disappearing.

ChefGPT

Some have always known how to transform whatever's in the freezer and cabinet into a culinary delight, but for others, ChatGPT has become a go-to resource for figuring out our meals.

ChatGPT has given everyone the option to describe whatever is in the pantry, and later on, just upload a photo of what's available to get a list of ideas for dishes, recipe included. Or maybe you saw something on a cooking show you'd like to try but altered for your taste or dietary restrictions; the AI chatbot has you covered. With the caveat that you want to make sure it hasn't hallucinated anything dangerous, you can quickly be on your way to a delicious dinner. And your AI sous-chef is on standby if you mess up along the way.

DIY coding buddy

Once upon a time, wannabe coders had to scour GitHub for projects, templates, and snippets to Frankenstein their way through building an app or website. Now, many are turning to ChatGPT as their go-to coding companion. Why sift through repositories when you can ask ChatGPT to “write a Python script to rename 1,000 files in a folder” or “explain recursion like I’m five”? It’s fast, straightforward, and skips the endless GitHub rabbit holes.

On the bright side, ChatGPT is making coding more accessible. You don’t have to be a tech wizard to get started; it’s like having a patient (and absurdly knowledgeable) teacher who can explain code, debug errors, or even write entire functions from scratch.

Of course, that leaves the collaborative community of GitHub stranded. Open-source projects on GitHub aren’t just about copying and pasting—they’re about learning from others, contributing to shared goals, and understanding best practices. ChatGPT doesn’t teach you why a line of code works; it just makes sure it does. That’s great for convenience but not so great for developing deeper programming skills or giving back to the broader developer ecosystem.

Imagination on screen

Gone are the days when creating stunning visuals required years of practice or pricey software. With ChatGPT’s image generation, anyone can produce intricate artwork, design concepts, or even memes in minutes.

Aspiring artists are using it to brainstorm ideas, and people are bringing their imagination to life, which is wonderful in many ways. That said, AI-generated images are also likely to cause debates or outright fights if you aren't careful.

Does AI-generated art devalue other kinds of visual creation or simply make it more accessible? Is it an homage or theft of your favorite artist's creation? No matter how you feel about it, it has made the posting of any image a lot more fraught than it used to be.

Cyrano AI

ChatGPT changed how people talk to each other. South Park wrote an entire episode (aided by ChatGPT) about kids using the AI chatbot to figure out how to respond to romantic partners. Satirical though that take may have been, it has a reality to it as well.

Plenty of people have asked the AI for help navigating social and romantic situations. It's like having Cyrano de Bergerac in your pocket, minus the tragic ending and excessive ruffles. ChatGPT has served as an interpreter for cryptic messages and broken down how to end things with someone you aren't into without causing a scene.

It used to be that a text you sent would be seen and discussed by all of the recipient's friends. Now, you have to consider that it will be analyzed by an AI confidant as well. It's not just romance, either. The AI offers everything from ideas on how to dress for a party to good icebreakers at a networking event.

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ChatGPT was born two years ago amid a flurry of hyperbolic hype, skepticism, and outright fear. The AI chatbot didn't immediately guide us to digital heaven, take over every job, or become sentient and send robots with Austrian accents after us, but ChatGPT has a made major impact on many people's lives nonetheless.

For ChatGPT's second birthday, I've collected some of the most notable (if not always most noble) ways OpenAI's experiment with a digital sidekick has changed day-to-day living for many people. I should say that while I did ask ChatGPT for examples of how it's changed the world, the AI either was self-deprecating about how it hasn't done so or insisted that everyone's lives are radically altered by its presence in ways that resemble the Matrix films more than reality. Still, even if you aren't one who employs the AI chatbot for all of the following examples, I'd bet you know someone who has at least experimented with doing so. Here are five ways ChatGPT has become a part of people's lives, large and small:

Homework Houdini

Teachers and school administrators quickly noted what ChatGPT could mean for students. Lazy students might ignore hallucinations or awful phrasing to turn in terrible papers, but those were easy to weed out and give an F. More clever students could enhance their work and research with ChatGPT and not always be caught. OpenAI quickly partnered with educational organizations to try and come up with useful ways to deploy the AI chatbot, with fun studying tools and helpful guides to complex subjects.

But, arguably, the bigger impact was changing how teachers do their lessons. Some have relied on extra strict rules for using ChatGPT, while others have replaced essays with oral reports or projects where students can't rely on ChatGPT to do everything for them. Thanks to ChatGPT, homework is disappearing.

ChefGPT

Some have always known how to transform whatever's in the freezer and cabinet into a culinary delight, but for others, ChatGPT has become a go-to resource for figuring out our meals.

ChatGPT has given everyone the option to describe whatever is in the pantry, and later on, just upload a photo of what's available to get a list of ideas for dishes, recipe included. Or maybe you saw something on a cooking show you'd like to try but altered for your taste or dietary restrictions; the AI chatbot has you covered. With the caveat that you want to make sure it hasn't hallucinated anything dangerous, you can quickly be on your way to a delicious dinner. And your AI sous-chef is on standby if you mess up along the way.

DIY coding buddy

Once upon a time, wannabe coders had to scour GitHub for projects, templates, and snippets to Frankenstein their way through building an app or website. Now, many are turning to ChatGPT as their go-to coding companion. Why sift through repositories when you can ask ChatGPT to “write a Python script to rename 1,000 files in a folder” or “explain recursion like I’m five”? It’s fast, straightforward, and skips the endless GitHub rabbit holes.

On the bright side, ChatGPT is making coding more accessible. You don’t have to be a tech wizard to get started; it’s like having a patient (and absurdly knowledgeable) teacher who can explain code, debug errors, or even write entire functions from scratch.

Of course, that leaves the collaborative community of GitHub stranded. Open-source projects on GitHub aren’t just about copying and pasting—they’re about learning from others, contributing to shared goals, and understanding best practices. ChatGPT doesn’t teach you why a line of code works; it just makes sure it does. That’s great for convenience but not so great for developing deeper programming skills or giving back to the broader developer ecosystem.

Imagination on screen

Gone are the days when creating stunning visuals required years of practice or pricey software. With ChatGPT’s image generation, anyone can produce intricate artwork, design concepts, or even memes in minutes.

Aspiring artists are using it to brainstorm ideas, and people are bringing their imagination to life, which is wonderful in many ways. That said, AI-generated images are also likely to cause debates or outright fights if you aren't careful.

Does AI-generated art devalue other kinds of visual creation or simply make it more accessible? Is it an homage or theft of your favorite artist's creation? No matter how you feel about it, it has made the posting of any image a lot more fraught than it used to be.

Cyrano AI

ChatGPT changed how people talk to each other. South Park wrote an entire episode (aided by ChatGPT) about kids using the AI chatbot to figure out how to respond to romantic partners. Satirical though that take may have been, it has a reality to it as well.

Plenty of people have asked the AI for help navigating social and romantic situations. It's like having Cyrano de Bergerac in your pocket, minus the tragic ending and excessive ruffles. ChatGPT has served as an interpreter for cryptic messages and broken down how to end things with someone you aren't into without causing a scene.

It used to be that a text you sent would be seen and discussed by all of the recipient's friends. Now, you have to consider that it will be analyzed by an AI confidant as well. It's not just romance, either. The AI offers everything from ideas on how to dress for a party to good icebreakers at a networking event.

You might also like...

• ChatGPT coded a game for me in seconds and I am simply astounded – and coders should be very worried
• ChatGPT's new 'Canvas' is the AI collaborator you didn't know you needed
• ChatGPT o1-preview can solve riddles faster than me and I kind of hate it for it
• ChatGPT's 4o-mini model just got a big upgrade – here are 4 of the best new features

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• Researchers spot new campaign that can turn off antivirus protection
• Malware uses legitimate Avast Anti-Rootkit driver to access kernel level
• Once antivirus is deactivated, the malware can proceed without detection

Hackers are using a legitimate Avast Anti-Rootkit driver to disguise their malware, turn off antivirus protection, and infect systems, experts have warned.

The vulnerable driver has been exploited in a number of attacks since 2021, with the original vulnerabilities being present since at least 2016, research by Trellix, has claimed, noting the malware can use the vulnerable driver to end the processes of security software at the kernel level.

The malware in question belongs to the AV Killer family, with the attack using a vector known as bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver (BYOVD) to infect the system.

Virus can turn off antivirus

Trellix outlined how the malware uses a file named ‘kill-floor.exe’ to place the vulnerable driver named ‘ntfs.bin’ into the default Windows user folder, before using the Service Control executable (sc.exe) to register the driver using the ‘aswArPot.sys’ service.

Included within the malware is a hardcoded list of 142 processes used by common security products, which is used to check system process snapshots for any matches.

The malware then uses the ‘DeviceIoControl’ API to run the relevant commands to end the process, thereby preventing the antivirus from detecting the malware.

The hardcoded list includes processes belonging to a number of security products from names such as McAfee, Avast, Microsoft Defender, BlackBerry, Sophos, and many more.

As BleepingComputer points out, this isn’t the first time a BYOVD attack has exploited a vulnerable Avast driver, with the 2021 Avoslocker ransomware attacks abusing an Avast Anti-Rookit driver. Sentinel Labs also spotted and reported two high-severity flaws to Avast in the same year, which were patched shortly after.

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• Researchers spot new campaign that can turn off antivirus protection
• Malware uses legitimate Avast Anti-Rootkit driver to access kernel level
• Once antivirus is deactivated, the malware can proceed without detection

Hackers are using a legitimate Avast Anti-Rootkit driver to disguise their malware, turn off antivirus protection, and infect systems, experts have warned.

The vulnerable driver has been exploited in a number of attacks since 2021, with the original vulnerabilities being present since at least 2016, research by Trellix, has claimed, noting the malware can use the vulnerable driver to end the processes of security software at the kernel level.

The malware in question belongs to the AV Killer family, with the attack using a vector known as bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver (BYOVD) to infect the system.

Virus can turn off antivirus

Trellix outlined how the malware uses a file named ‘kill-floor.exe’ to place the vulnerable driver named ‘ntfs.bin’ into the default Windows user folder, before using the Service Control executable (sc.exe) to register the driver using the ‘aswArPot.sys’ service.

Included within the malware is a hardcoded list of 142 processes used by common security products, which is used to check system process snapshots for any matches.

The malware then uses the ‘DeviceIoControl’ API to run the relevant commands to end the process, thereby preventing the antivirus from detecting the malware.

The hardcoded list includes processes belonging to a number of security products from names such as McAfee, Avast, Microsoft Defender, BlackBerry, Sophos, and many more.

As BleepingComputer points out, this isn’t the first time a BYOVD attack has exploited a vulnerable Avast driver, with the 2021 Avoslocker ransomware attacks abusing an Avast Anti-Rookit driver. Sentinel Labs also spotted and reported two high-severity flaws to Avast in the same year, which were patched shortly after.

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• Game Assist mode is part of the Game Bar and is now in testing
• It pops up a compact Edge panel right in your gaming session
• You can look at online tips and guides without Alt-Tabbing out of the game

Microsoft is adding a new feature to the Edge browser that could give it a distinct edge over Chrome (and other rivals), at least for PC gamers.

This is the Game Assist mode, which is now in preview (testing) with Microsoft Edge beta version 132, and it’s part of the functionality integrated into the Game Bar on Windows 11.

The basic idea is to give you access to, say, game guides or tips while you’re playing a game. So, instead of having to Alt-Tab constantly in and out of the game to look at said guide in the browser – or have the guide open on your phone, staring at a small screen – you can have it right there in your game session.

Game Assist is essentially a mini version of Edge running in the Game Bar overlay, so you can look at those hints and tips – or whatever you want – and still see the game world, and when you’re about to be attacked by a monster or something that might be similarly disastrous if you’d Alt-Tabbed out.

This gaming-centric Edge panel shares the same data as the main Edge browser on your PC, so you get access to your favorites, cookies, and so on. It’s also trimmed down and streamlined so it doesn’t sap resources, Microsoft notes – which obviously wouldn’t be helpful for gaming.

Furthermore, Game Assist is aware of what you’re playing and can surface tips or walkthroughs appropriate to that game.

Analysis: Game on!

All in all, this sounds like a great idea – providing what Microsoft says about the Game Assist feature not using too much in the way of resources holds true. Of course, as it’s in beta right now, if you do try the capability out, it’s possible that Game Assist could be wonky in any number of ways.

To begin with, the test version only supports the English language and a ‘selection’ of popular games. The initially supported PC games include Baldur’s Gate 3, Diablo IV, Fortnite, and League of Legends, among others, but no doubt more will be added as we go along – assuming Game Assist makes it out of testing.

We don’t see why it wouldn’t, as this is a pretty neat idea for gamers who don’t have a multiple-monitor setup that allows them to peruse guides or tips on a separate large screen (and not a fiddly little smartphone screen). It also avoids clumsy Alt-Tabbing, as mentioned.

If it works well, this is a feature that we could see persuading a number of PC gamers to give the browser a whirl and perhaps drive more adoption of Microsoft Edge (which is, in fact, already rated as our top pick out of the best web browsers).

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