Technology

While I was thoroughly impressed with Sony's PlayStation VR 2 virtual reality headset, after putting it through its paces I’m sad to admit I’ve not used it in more than a year. The hardware is very slick and Horizon: Call of the Mountain is one immersive experience, but there’s been a lack of games to really pull me back into Sony’s VR world.

However, the recent PlayStation State of Play might just have me dusting off my PSVR 2. That’s because the game showcase featured Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow.

This is a VR game all about sneaking around infiltrating buildings and complexes in a pseudo medieval/Renaissance city to steal persons items.

The big hook is this is a Thief game, a series that gamers of a certain vintage will remember as the progenitor of salary games and immersive sims way back in 1998 with Thief: The Dark Project on PC. I am one such gamer, and absolutely love the quiet, smart exploring and pilfering the games offered; I think they even hold up today, mechanically speaking.

Thief was a smart game about knowing your environment and using tools to navigate it, such as noise arrows to distract guards, moss arrows to put a layer of soft flora on creaky wooden floors and, somewhat against traditional game logic, making areas darker rather than lighter as you creep through them.

While player character Garrett has a sword and a ‘blackjack’ club, he wasn’t designed for combat, with guards easily able to kill the thief. So the game was equally about running away as it was sneaking; if a guard caught you, Garrett’s nimble speed meant scarpering from the authorities was a totally legit tactic.

And I reckon this will translate really well into VR. While I’ve enjoyed faster paced games like Superhot in VR, I feel slower paced, more tactile experiences work better in virtual reality.

(Image credit: Sony)

Having more time to scope out an area, delicately shifting ornaments and peeking behind walls, and shifting paintings to uncover hidden alcoves, as shown in the Thief VR trailer, looks to be a more immersive experience that lends itself to the PSVR 2 and its tech, such as foveated rendering and eye tracking.

I can also see the dynamic mechanics of Thief working equally well in VR; the feel of carefully drawing back a bowstring to unleash a rope arrow or reaching out with one’s real and virtual hand to pinch out a candle, all supported by the haptics and smart tracking of the PSVR 2’s controllers.

While I’d not say Thief was known for the most captivating storytelling, the series had some interesting plotlines. This time you’ll be put in the padded boots of Magpie, who looks like she’ll stumble across some more intriguing things than just some valuables to snatch. And I think seeing The City and its characters in VR will definitely help suck one into the story.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt excited by a VR game, but Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow has both caught my next-gen gaming attention and also tickled my nostalgia. We could seen a new dawn for PlayStation VR games grow out of the shadows some time this year.

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• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles launches on September 30 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2
• The remaster of the 1997 classic will offer enhanced features like improved graphics, new battle features, and difficulty options
• The game will also be voice-acted with actors like Ben Starr, and cameos from Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Cody Christian and Briana White

Following months of rumors, Square Enix has officially announced a remaster of its 1997 classic, Final Fantasy Tactics.

Revealed during the June PlayStation State of Play, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is set to launch on September 30 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

This enhanced version has been created by a team composed of original and new developers. It includes all the features of the 1997 game, along with numerous enhancements.

The Ivalice Chronicles offers an overhauled UI to "make the game even more approachable and intuitive", as well as quicker and easier for players to control their units and see their turn order.

Since it's a remaster, the game's graphics have also been updated for HD displays, new difficulty levels have been introduced, and two new battle features have also been added: Tactical View and Battle Speed.

Tactical View will make it easier for players to get an overview of the land and plan their action across the battlefield, while Battle Speed essentially speeds up battles to allow players to get through easy fights quicker.

The remaster's story is also fully voice-acted in English and Japanese from a cast of recognisable talent, including Joe Pitts (Ramza), Gregg Lowe (Delita), Hannah Melbourn (Agrias), Timothy Watson (Cidolfus), and Harry McEntire (Mustadio).

Final Fantasy 16 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 actor Ben Starr will also offer the voice for Dycedarg, and cameos from Final Fantasy 7 Remake actors Cody Christian (Cloud Strife) and Briana White (Aerith Gainsborough) will also be featured.

Square Enix has confirmed that The Ivalice Chronicles will also include the classic version of Final Fantasy Tactics, which "stays true to the original in almost every aspect, but includes some handy features such as auto save."

Pre-orders for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles are now live. You can check out the version and pre-order details below.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles - Pre-order Bonuses:

• White Equipment for Ramza
• Weapon: Mythril Knife
• Accessory: Spiked Boots (Increase a unit's Jump attribute while equipped)
• Consumable items: High Potion x10
• Consumable items: Ether x10

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles - Deluxe Edition

• Full game
• Weapon: Akademy Blade (Raises a unit's speed attribute slightly while equipped)
• Headwear: Akademy Beret (Prevents the Charmed status while equipped)
• Combat Garb: Akademy Tunic (Grants Shell while equipped)
• Accessory: Ring of Aptitude (Boosts JP earned while equipped)
• Consumable Items: Phoenix Down x10
• Black Equipment for Ramza
• Red Equipment for Ramza

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles - Collector's Edition (Square Enix Store exclusive)

• Special Art Box
• Ramza Beoulve Figure (Akademy Version)
• Zodiac Stones Acrylic Art Set
• Chocobo Mini Plush set
• Pop-up Art - “Outlying Church”
• Art Sheet Set

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Summer Game Fest is almost here! It's no E3, but you know what? It might just be the next best thing.

This annual video game event showcases some of the most exciting upcoming video games for all major platforms. Hosted by the charismatic presenter Geoff Keighley it's an enjoyable watch, especially the main opening show.

Started back in 2020, some big titles shown at past events include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, The Last of Us Part 1, Zenless Zone Zero, Black Myth: Wukong, and more.

This year we have no idea what to expect, but some of the most anticipated games include Hollow Knight: Silksong, Arc Raiders, and a potential new Resident Evil title.

This is one gaming event that you won't want to miss, so read on for everything that you need to know about the event - plus my live reactions as things get into gear.

Summer Game Fest 2025 schedule

Here is the full schedule for Summer Game Fest 2025.

Summer Game Fest 2025 schedule

June 3

June 4

June 6

June 7

June 8

June 9

State of Unreal Showcase (6:30AM PT)

PlayStation State of Play (2PM PT)

Summer Game Fest Main Show (2PM PT)

Day of the Devs (4PM PT)

Frosty Games Fest (4PM PT)

Death Stranding 2 Game Premiere (7PM PT)

Devolver Digital showcase (5PM PT)

Xbox Games Showcase / Outer Worlds 2 Direct (10AM PT)

Black Voices in Gaming (9AM PT)

IOI Showcase (6PM PT)

PC Gaming Show (12PM PT)

Wholesome Direct (9AM PT)

Women-Led Games (10AM PT)

Latin American Games Showcase (11AM PT)

South Asian Games Showcase (12PM PT)

Green Games Showcase (1PM PT)

Summer Game Fest main show start time

Only interested in catching the main event? The Summer Game Fest main show (that's the one with Geoff on a stage showing us lots of cool trailers) is set to kick off at the following time:

June 6, 2025 at 5PM ET / 2PM PDT / 10PM BST / 11PM CEST.

Xbox Games Showcase start time

If you just want to watch the Xbox Games Showcase and subsequent Outer Worlds 2 Direct, here's what you need to know.

It takes place on June 8 at 1PM ET / 10AM PT / 6PM BST / 7PM CEST.

Hello and welcome to the beginning of my Summer Geoff Fest - sorry, Summer Game Fest coverage!

The main show is set to kick off tomorrow, and will almost certainly be filled with exciting reveals.

Our team has boots on the ground (well, currently boots in the air as he is still flying over to Los Angeles) ready to cover the event in full.

Here. We. Go...

State of Play recap

(Image credit: Sony)

Though seperate from the main show - yesterday's PlayStation Sate of Play presentation was part of Summer Game Fest. I covered the event live (absolutely obliterating my sleep schedule in the process) and it was definitely a strong showing.

If you missed the chance to watch it at the time, I've got you covered with a full list of everything announced in the order in which it happened.

Check it out below!

• Lumines Arise, PS5, PSVR 2
• Pragmata, 2026
• Romeo is a Dead Man, 2026
• Silent Hill f, , September 25, 2025
• Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, 2026
• Digimon Story Time Stranger, October 3 2025
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, September 30, 2025
• Baby Steps, September 8, 2025
• Hirogami, September 3, 2025
• Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots, September 5 2025
• Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, July 31 2025
• Cairn, November 5, 2025 (demo available today)
• Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, 2025
• Project Defiant fight stick
• Metal Gear Solid Delta, August 28 2025
• Nioh 3, early 2026 (demo available today)
• Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, PSVR 2
• Tides of Tomorrow, Feb 24, 2026
• Astro Bot free DLC later this month + the Astro Bot DualSense returning
• Sea and Remnants, 2026
• Sword of the Sea, August 19
• 007 First Light, 2026
• Ghost of Yotei, gameplay demonstration coming in July
• Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, coming to PS5 and PC in 2026

Who is Geoff Keighley?

(Image credit: The Game Awards)

If you're interested in Summer Game Fest, then you've undoubtedly heard the name Geoff Keighley more times than you can count. But who exactly is he?

A former game journalist turned present, Keighley had a strong career writing for outlets like Kotaku and GameStop, mainly focusing on long-form deep-dives into major games and studios.

He also frequently appeared on television, becoming a prominent face at events like E3.

Now, he helms his own events and shows acting as both the host and organizer - including the Game Awards and Summer Game Fest.

• Cisco patches three vulnerabilities in ISE and CCP tools
• One of the three has a 9.9/10 severity score
• Some ISE deployments are not vulnerable

Cisco has patched three vulnerabilities in its Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Customer Collaboration Platform (CCP) tools, including a critical-severity issue which has a public proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit.

Recently, three vulnerabilities were discovered, now tracked as CVE-2025-20286, CVE-2025-20130, and CVE-2025-20129. The former is described as a static credential reuse vulnerability, found in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) cloud deployments of ISE.

It has a severity score of 9.9/10 (critical), and stems from improper generation of login credentials, when ISE is deployed on cloud platforms. As a result, different Cisco ISE deployments can share the same credentials, as long as the software release and cloud platform are the same.

Proof of Concept available

As a result, threat actors could access ISE instances deployed in other cloud environments through unsecured ports, gaining access to sensitive data, being able to execute limited admin operations, modify system configurations, and even disrupt different services.

The silver lining here is that the flaw is exploitable only if the Primary Administration node is deployed in the cloud. If it’s on-prem, then the instance is not vulnerable.

"The Cisco PSIRT is aware that proof-of-concept exploit code is available for the vulnerability that is described in this advisory,” Cisco said.

ISE is a security policy management platform that provides secure network access control and visibility for devices and users, and CCP is a collaboration platform, allowing businesses to engage with their customers.

Here is a list of ISE deployments not vulnerable to attacks, according to Cisco’s advisory:

“- All on-premises deployments with any form factors where artifacts are installed from Cisco Software Download Center (ISO or OVA). This includes appliances and virtual machines with different form factors.

- ISE on Azure VMware Solution (AVS)

- ISE on Google Cloud VMware Engine

- ISE on VMware cloud in AWS

- ISE hybrid deployments with all ISE Administrator personas (Primary and Secondary Administration) on-premises with other personas in the cloud.”

Via BleepingComputer

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• Adolescence has officially become Netflix’s second-biggest English language TV series
• The number one slot is still taken by Wednesday, which returns for season 2 this year
• This news comes after Adolescence won Breakthrough Limited Series at the Gotham TV awards

Netflix's limited series Adolescence has become the second-biggest English-language TV series in the streaming giant's history.

It's performed so well that it's beaten Stranger Things season 4, one of our best Netflix shows. It'll be interesting to see if those placings change after the release of the highly anticipated Stranger Things season 5, which is the final installment and is set to be released in three parts.

Despite Adolescence's success, the number one slot is still held by Wednesday, which will return for season 2 in August. Meanwhile, the highest-ranked non-English-language show is the first season of Squid Game, which returns for season 3 in June.

What have audiences and critics said about Adolescence?

Stephen Graham delivers a powerful performance in Adolescence (Image credit: Netflix)

Adolescence was developed by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, and tells the story of a teenage schoolboy who's charged with murdering a fellow pupil, and the devastating toll the case takes on his family. The series has become a sensation, receiving a 99% Rotten Tomatoes critics score.

Recently, the limited series enjoyed success at the Gotham TV awards, where it won Breakthrough Limited Series and two acting awards for leading stars Stephen Graham and 15-year-old Owen Cooper.

A second season has been discussed, but nothing has been confirmed yet. When asked about the possibility, Graham told Variety: “Possibly, let’s see how the figures are. But yeah, there’s the possibility of developing another story.”

The series received widespread acclaim, with TechRadar's John-Anthony Disotto hailing it as "the TV show of the year". He praised the acting and the camera work in particular, saying, "It's an incredibly impressive filming technique that highlights the outstanding acting from the ensemble cast as well as inducing anxiety due to the sheer pace of the show."

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• Play Ransomware has hit 900 companies so far, new FBI advisory claims
• The group is calling victims on the phone to try and force them to pay the ransom demand
• It also added new vulnerabilities to its arsenal

Play Ransomware’s “body count” is almost hitting four digits, a new warning from top legal enforcement has revealed, urging businesses to stay on guard against attacks.

In an updated security advisory, published by the FBI, CISA, and the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC), it was said that Play and its affiliates exploited “approximately 900 entities”.

Play Ransomware, also known as Playcrypt, is an infamous ransomware operator. It is known for using the atypical triple-extortion method in which, besides encrypting and exfiltrating files, it also calls its victims on the phone to convince them to pay up.

SimpleHelp flaws targeted

The security agencies’ security advisory has been updated to reflect changes Play and its affiliates made in recent times. For example, it was said that the victims get a unique @gmx.de, or @web.de email address, through which they’re invited to communicate with the attackers.

Furthermore, the group seems to have added new vulnerabilities to the ones they were already targeting. Besides FortiOS (CVE-2018-13379, and CVE-2020-12812) and Microsoft Exchange (ProxyNotShell CVE-2022-41040 and CVE-2022-41082) bugs, they are now exploiting CVE-2024-57727 in remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool SimpleHelp, which they’re using for remote code execution (RCE) capabilities.

This vulnerability was first spotted in mid-January 2025, and has been exploited since.

To make things even worse, the agencies are saying that the Play ransomware binary is recompiled for every attack, which means it gets a new, unique hash, for each deployment. This complicates anti-malware and antivirus program detection.

Play was first spotted around 2020, and in the past, was known for targeting Windows-powered devices, but in late July 2024, security researchers saw a Linux variant targeting VMWare ESXi environments.

In a technical breakdown, Trend Micro’s Threat Hunting team said at the time that it was the first time Play was seen targeting ESXi environments, and it could be that the criminals are broadening their attacks across the Linux platform.

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Artificial intelligence has been growing by leaps and bounds, fueled by excitement around AI’s current capabilities and potential to drive further efficiencies, improvements and innovation.

McKinsey last year reported that 65% of organizations regularly use GenAI, nearly double from 10 months prior, and a new 2025 McKinsey report indicates that three times more employees are using GenAI for a third or more of their work than their leaders imagine. Meanwhile, a new KPMG survey suggests that 68% of business executives expect to spend $50 million to $250 million on GenAI over the next 12 months – that’s up 45% from the first quarter of 2024.

But despite that growth, if AI were a person, it would still just be a child approaching puberty.

In AI’s next stage of life, it will learn more about what to do and not do, making it more understandable and predictable. AI is not yet completely reliable and trustworthy; according to a recent report, only one-third of U.S. businesses said the majority of the outputs of their AI models are accurate. As a result, businesses are still unsure if they should use AI to make key decisions and act independently, which means they must provide the proper care and feeding to ensure their AI is enterprise-ready.

Companies are also getting more pragmatic about AI. After investing big on AI experimentation, they now expect to drive real business results with artificial intelligence, so ROI is becoming very important. The recent excitement about China’s DeepSeek, which reportedly has capabilities on par with U.S. models but works at a fraction of the cost and requires far less energy, illustrates how important cost and sustainability considerations around AI have recently become.

At the same time, enterprises are keenly aware they must continue to innovate to remain competitive, and 2025 will usher in exciting new technologies to help enable that. All of that means now is the time to force AI to grow up faster so that it is production-ready for the enterprise while balancing that “enterpriseness” with innovation and business value.

Here’s a crib sheet on how to grow your AI into a trusted and enterprising young adult.

Go back to basics to make AI enterprise-ready

Governance, reporting and security are critical in enterprise environments. But these important considerations, and all they entail, are often overlooked or undervalued when it comes to AI.

As businesses make the leap from experimental to more production-level AI deployments, it is crucial for enterprises to address governance, reporting and security to meet compliance requirements, protect their own and their customer data, and built trust.

Given the level of complexity involved, that can be daunting. But it is essential to accelerate the maturity and adoption of enterprise-ready versions of AI. Understand that you don’t have to go it alone. Collaborate with a partner with deep expertise in technology and your sector, turnkey solutions, products with baked-in scalability and sustainability, and a methodical approach. Together, you can advance the “enterpriseness” of your AI efforts and drive real business value.

Create a solid data foundation for innovation

Data is critical to AI success. The more context AI has, the better results it can deliver. To get quality AI outputs, you need high-quality data. Otherwise, it’s garbage-in, garbage-out.

That’s pretty well understood at this point. But data quality is just part of the AI challenge. The fact that data exists in silos across your far-flung enterprise, and that the bulk of that data is now unstructured, can also interfere with data quality and your company’s ability to use data effectively. Inconsistencies in data collection and stewardship create further complications.

Embrace real-time data processing capabilities and enforce data governance frameworks to ensure your systems meet quality expectations. Employ AI-powered data cleaning tools that sift through massive amounts of data because doing that manually is simply impossible.

Use data catalogs and lineage tracking systems to make it faster and easier to access and understand your data. High-quality data will help ensure the explainability of AI outcomes, which is critical to meeting internal and external regulatory compliance requirements and instilling user trust.

“Trust starts with exposure and evolves with use,” as LinkedIn co-founder and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman writes in “Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future.” “Once you learn what something is and how it functions, you begin to trust it. Trust equals consistency over time. In the context of AI, we first must develop trust in the technologies themselves – no easy feat when the technologies are somewhat unpredictable and capable of error.”

You don’t necessarily have to resolve all of your data challenges immediately. However, having at least a basic understanding of your data estate and adopting these approaches and capabilities where and when you need goes a long way in building trust and enabling success.

Be ready for what’s next: Agentic AI

To date, businesses have relied on AI primarily to analyze data to uncover trends and make predictions as well as to automate routine tasks (chatbots in customer service, for example). Much of this work has been highly reactive and typically involves some human supervision.

But now we’re starting to hear more and more about this exciting – and potentially disruptive – evolution of artificial intelligence called agentic AI. As you’re probably already aware, agentic AI systems will be able to make decisions and act autonomously with minimal human intervention.

Agentic AI is a big leap forward and represents most people’s vision for AI. It works independently, takes initiative and self-optimizes. Agentic AI will drive increasing adoption of small language models (SLMs) and often involve the collaboration of smaller AI experts that focus on particular tasks based on their specialized training.

Yet, while agentic AI creates great opportunity, it comes with undeniable risks. That makes it even more critical to prioritize accountability, explainability and responsibility by building robust frameworks to govern these systems and reduce the potential for unintended consequences.

Guiding a human from childhood through their teen years to become a responsible adult who works hard to contribute to society requires ample time and attention. The same is true with AI.

With great power comes great responsibility – and the future is bright.

We've featured the best Larger Language Models (LLMs).

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Imagine this: a whisper-quiet Rivian EV Amazon delivery truck pulls up to your front door, and before the driver even has a chance to step out, the back of the van briskly rolls up and out jumps a robot carrying a package to your doorstep.

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but that reality may be closer than we think, according to a new report from The Information, which says Amazon is already running tests.

Instead of humanoid robots taking the Amazon delivery crew's jobs, the humanoid robots would work in tandem with the human drivers. The robots would sit silently in the back, and when it's time for package delivery, they'd find the box, open the door, and carefully make their way to your home.

Amazon EV Delivery Truck: what if there was a robot in the back? (Image credit: Amazon)

Amazon is reportedly running test drives and deliveries in a specially created 'Humanoid Park', which we assume would help recreate some of the obstacles the humanoid robot might encounter, like cars, people, dogs, small wild animals, lawn sprinklers, porch lamps, porch swings... you get the idea.

The Information also reports that Amazon might be using large language models (LLMs) to help the humanoid robots deal with what is likely to be a hard-to-predict environment. Houses are not all cookie-cutter, after all. The doors, steps, lawns, and even distances to the front doors are all different. It's unlikely Amazon can program these robots to anticipate every unexpected obstacle, but LLMs can train them to handle a much wider variety without knowing in advance the specifics of each one.

There's no mention of the robots talking to Amazon customers, but with Amazon's investment in Anthropic's Claude AI, a chatty Amazon humanoid delivery bot seems possible.

Choose your bot

As for which robots Amazon might be using, it's already been testing Agility Robotics' Digit in a factory setting. I think it's unlikely, though, that Amazon uses that robot to complete home deliveries. Its odd appearance, which includes bird-like or backwards legs, might be somewhat off-putting for the average Amazon customer.

There's a larger issue with this kind of robot. I saw Digit in action at CES 2025 and, while impressive, it was painfully slow at most tasks. If you've ever seen your Amazon delivery person hop out of the truck, jump into the back, dash out with your package, and run to your front steps before capturing a photo for proof of delivery and then racing off to the next house, you know that an Amazon humanoid delivery robot better be fast.

Boston Dynamics all electric Altas can do a cartwheel, but could it deliver a package? (Image credit: Boston Dynamics)

There are other humanoid robot options out there from companies like Boston Dynamics and its all-electric Atlas. It's got speed and cartwheeling skills (see above), but there's no timeline for commercial adoption. Unitree G1 can do karate, but it's likely too small to carry larger Amazon packages.

According to the Information Report, there's a sense that the hardware may be the easy part, as, once they have the training in place, they can easily transfer it from one version of the Amazon delivery robot to another, ostensibly better one, all while improving that delivery algorithm.

I've asked Amazon for comment and will update this story if and when the company responds.

Amazon does have some robot delivery experience. It's been using drones (essentially flying robots) to deliver packages since 2022. Those mostly fly smaller packages and then carefully lower them to your backyard before flying off. It's not a service that Amazon offers everywhere.

None of this means Amazon's humanoid robots will be delivering packages anytime soon. Testing and development could take years, but if you add in the possibility of future driverless Rivian EVs, the combination of a self-driving car in the front and a ready-to-deliver robot in the back is a potentially cost-efficient combination for Amazon. How delivery personnel and customers might feel about it is another matter.

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As the various deadlines for net-zero approach, sustainability initiatives are climbing the boardroom agenda. In fact, two-thirds of businesses are expected to boost sustainability spending in 2025.

Cutting emissions will require a concerted effort from every department, and IT is an increasingly important voice in this conversation. Data storage, in particular, is emerging as a central element of an organization's efforts to decrease their carbon footprint. This is because a huge amount of data currently stored by UK businesses counts as “single-use data”. These are files, email conversations and other data that is generated but never used again – despite being stored where it continues to use energy and budget.

Recent NetApp research found that the overwhelming majority of IT leaders (92%) are aware of the environmental and financial impact of single-use data. The challenge is that AI – famously data and energy hungry – is a competitive advantage that businesses are unwilling to leave on the table.

As a result, organizations up and down the nation are facing a conundrum between the commercial and productivity benefits of AI, and staying on track with their sustainability progress to net-zero. So, how can businesses solve this challenge?

The invisible problem of data

When it comes to pollution, the environmental impact is often tangible and plain to see. Think of overflowing landfills and dirty rivers. But when the “landfill” resides in cyberspace, it’s mostly invisible and therefore easy to miss.

Single-use data might seem harmless, but the carbon footprint of unused data is a challenge that must be addressed; especially in our burgeoning AI age when 38% of data stored in the UK never gets accessed again after creation. This remains a substantial challenge for several reasons.

Firstly, around a third of IT leaders struggle to identify which data is single-use and which may be useful for future projects or training AI. On top of this, many are also feeling overwhelmed by the amount of accumulated data already, as sifting through stored archives requires more resource and budget than IT departments have available.

But challenging as this exercise may be, it is an important one. Not only because it will help cut emissions and save costs by reducing how much data businesses store, but an audit like this can also be massively beneficial in helping organizations get their house in order for AI.

Managing AI’s data appetite

It was, and still is, inevitable that AI will prompt an exponential rise in the data generated and stored. It is estimated that businesses will see their data estates grow by an average of 41% percent due to AI projects. For businesses that are already storing decades of data, this growth will be huge.

It’s easy to imagine a scenario of businesses hoarding data and plugging it all into AI tools as part of their implementation projects. Single-use data could become rife, costing businesses thousands as well as resulting in needless carbon emissions. Data management will be instrumental in avoiding this scenario. After all, the quality of the data used for AI is perhaps the most important factor in determining the success of AI initiatives.

Businesses must therefore ensure that their data is high quality, relevant, and useful before they begin their AI journey. Proper data infrastructure not only sets up AI projects for success, but it can help businesses stay on top of their emissions by enabling a strategic, deliberate and carefully considered approach to data growth.

Making storage more sustainable for AI

There are several approaches businesses can take to make their data storage more sustainable, even as AI implementation accelerates. Data lifecycle management policies are a fantastic place to start, which can include automated tiering and archiving of less frequently accessed datasets to more energy-efficient storage solutions.

This significantly reduces energy consumption. Elsewhere, data compression algorithms and deduplication efforts can help too. By reducing the physical storage footprint, businesses can reduce emissions by lowering the associated energy demands for both storage and retrieval.

Companies can reduce emissions by reforming their physical infrastructure too. For example, they can opt for energy-efficient data centers, choosing those with the latest cooling technologies that minimize power consumption and use renewable energy sources. Optimizing data center locations to take advantage of cooler climates or readily available green energy can also significantly reduce the carbon footprint.

Finally, businesses should not overlook the importance of responsible hardware lifecycle management. The reuse, refurbishment, and proper recycling of storage components is crucial to minimize electronic waste, further contributing to sustainability objectives.

Finding balance in a complex landscape

Ultimately, the convergence of net-zero targets and the promise of AI puts businesses at a critical juncture. The unchecked accumulation of data for AI’s sake risks undermining hard-won sustainability progress.

To navigate this challenge successfully, UK businesses need to find their own balance between innovation and responsibility. This begins with a commitment to data hygiene – regularly reviewing what is stored and why it is being kept – all while exploring various infrastructure options that align with sustainable practices.

Different organizations will require different approaches depending on their sector, size, and AI goals. What is clear is that the foundation upon which AI initiatives are built must incorporate energy efficiency and sustainability from the beginning. By taking a thoughtful, measured approach, businesses can harness the transformative power of AI while contributing towards a sustainable digital future.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, June 5 (game #1228).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1229) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1229) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1229) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1229) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1229) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• E

• K

• V

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1229) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1229, are…

• ELUDE
• KHAKI
• VISTA
• SMOKY

When I have four letters in a word and I’m searching for the fifth I try to put together common letter combinations with what I have. It doesn’t always pay off, but today i had I-S-T-A and L-U-D-E locked in, which made finding VISTA and ELUDE easier.

Meanwhile, for KHAKI it was just trying to think of words that included a K and a H – a very small gang with the letters I had available.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1229) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1229, are…

• SCION
• MISSY
• ARISE
• CUMIN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1228, Thursday, 5 June: CHIDE, RABBI, GUSTY, LANCE
• Quordle #1227, Wednesday, 4 June: BANAL, STOUT, SEDAN, HIPPO
• Quordle #1226, Tuesday, 3 June: FUGUE, SYRUP, FLACK, WORST
• Quordle #1225, Monday, 2 June: THINK, BELLE, CRONE, BOULE
• Quordle #1224, Sunday, 1 June: POINT, MERIT, WHOOP, APHID
• Quordle #1223, Saturday, 31 May: CRUMB, ELFIN, DRIER, QUITE
• Quordle #1222, Friday, 30 May: RAJAH, CAUSE, BLACK, ETUDE
• Quordle #1221, Thursday, 29 May: CRIER, DRAPE, STRUT, NEIGH
• Quordle #1220, Wednesday, 28 May: HELLO, BEADY, VIGIL, PURER
• Quordle #1219, Tuesday, 27 May: TWEET, RANGE, POPPY, RADAR
• Quordle #1218, Monday, 26 May: BLEAT, HOWDY, ASIDE, SCOOP
• Quordle #1217, Sunday, 25 May: OCEAN, AMBER, PIPER, GLEAN
• Quordle #1216, Saturday, 24 May: HUSKY, HEIST, FOGGY, POLAR
• Quordle #1215, Friday, 23 May: SHIRE, GIANT, AWAIT, CAPER
• Quordle #1214, Thursday, 22 May: LOSE, GLOVE, STINT, EXCEL
• Quordle #1213, Wednesday, 21 May: NOVEL, CHOSE, DIRTY, DONUT
• Quordle #1212, Tuesday, 20 May: DECOY, SHAKE, MAPLE, PURER
• Quordle #1211, Monday, 19 May: LINK, HANDY, DITCH, WAIVE
• Quordle #1210, Sunday, 18 May: QUACK, ROACH, PURGE, DOWNY
• Quordle #1209, Saturday, 17 May: STRIP, RANGE, UNITE, GEESE

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, June 5 (game #459).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #460) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… String's attached

NYT Strands today (game #460) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• SOYA
• TRAVEL
• BACK
• WART
• LOVE
• TOYS

NYT Strands today (game #460) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #460) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: bottom, 3rd column

Last side: top, 3rd column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #460) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #460, are…

• SEASICK
• SLEEPER
• PINWHEEL
• ELEVATOR
• BREAKAWAY
• SPANGRAM: YOYO TRICK

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

I really struggled today and had no idea what we were searching for, even after using two hints – SEASICK and SLEEPER seemed to suggest travel.

My third correct word, PINWHEEL, confused me even more; was it referring to the small wheels of a wheelie suitcase?

ELEVATOR and BREAKAWAY didn’t help much either, both still hinting at some vaguely travel-related group of words.

It wasn’t until the very end when I got the spangram that I finally understood what “strings attached meant”. Bravo Strands, bravo!

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, June 5, game #459)

• COCKLESHELLS
• PRETTY
• MAIDS
• SILVER
• BELLS
• CONTRARY
• SPANGRAM: GARDEN

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, June 5 (game #725).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #726) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CONVENTION
• REPORTER
• SHADOWBOXER
• CRIMINAL
• STANDARD
• NEWSHOUND
• PHOTOGRAPHER
• ROUTINE
• EDITOR
• REGULAR
• TRENDSETTER
• DRAWBACK
• SWINDLE
• SNICKERDOODLE
• COLUMNIST
• COMMON

NYT Connections today (game #726) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: New York Times employees
• GREEN: Nothing unusual
• BLUE: There’s pros and there’s…?
• PURPLE: Canines

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #726) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: NEWSPAPER JOBS 
• GREEN: EVERYDAY 
• BLUE: WHAT "CON" MIGHT MEAN 
• PURPLE: ENDING WITH KINDS OF DOGS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #726) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #726, are…

• YELLOW: NEWSPAPER JOBS COLUMNIST, EDITOR, PHOTOGRAPHER, REPORTER
• GREEN: EVERYDAY COMMON, REGULAR, ROUTINE, STANDARD
• BLUE: WHAT "CON" MIGHT MEAN CONVENTION, CRIMINAL, DRAWBACK, SWINDLE
• PURPLE: ENDING WITH KINDS OF DOGS NEWSHOUND, SHADOWBOXER, SNICKERDOODLE, TRENDSETTER

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

My only mistake today was including NEWSHOUND rather than PHOTOGRAPHER among the list of NEWSPAPER JOBS. I can see now that it was a trap, but my thinking was that the other possibilities were all about words rather than images. 

Making this mistake did, however, throw open the ENDING WITH KINDS OF DOGS group as I spotted setter (TRENDSETTER) and boxer (SHADDOWBOXER) along with hound.

From here the green EVERYDAY group was easy to pull together – you could almost say it was ROUTINE, which was fortunate as the blue group was today’s most tricky, although obvious in the aftermath of a completed game.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, June 5, game #725)

• YELLOW: PRECIPICE BRINK, CUSP, EVE, VERGE
• GREEN: PLUMBING EQUIPMENT PIPE, PLUNGER, SNAKE, WRENCH
• BLUE: WAYS TO MODIFY A CAR'S EXTERIOR BUMPER, GRILLE, RIM, SPOILER
• PURPLE: BEST FEMALE ROCK PERFORMANCE GRAMMY WINNERS APPLE, CROW, SUMMER, TURNER

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

• Silent Hill f officially launches on September 25 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC
• Konami released a new PS5 gameplay trailer showcasing combat and a variety of monsters
• Pre-orders are now open

Silent Hill f, the next mainline game in Konami's horror series, officially launches on September 25 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

The announcement comes from PlayStation's June State of Play showcase, where Konami shared a chilling story trailer featuring PS5 gameplay and a first look at third-person combat.

Silent Hill f follows Shimizu Hinako, a high school student struggling under society's pressure of expectations, as she navigates her hometown of Ebisugaoka, which has become shrouded in fog and is undergoing a disturbing transformation.

"Players will have to unravel mysteries, battle otherworldly threats, and come face-to-face with choices that will determine Hinako’s fate," Konami said.

The trailer, which you can watch below, shows the beginning of the transformation as Shimizu runs through her town, encountering various disturbing monsters, while also using a series of melee weapons to fend them off.

(Image credit: Konami)

Konami has previously stated that Silent Hill f is a standalone title in the Silent Hill timeline, suggesting it won't have any connection to any previous games in the series, and that newcomers will need no prior knowledge of the franchise to experience the horror game.

Silent Hill f will receive various editions at launch, including a physical Day One Edition, Digital Standard, and Digital Deluxe Editions.

The Digital Standard and Deluxe Editions of Silent Hill f will feature digital bonuses including outfits, soundtrack samples, artbook, and 48 hours of early access.

Both the Digital Standard Edition and physical Day One edition are now available to pre-order and include the early purchase bonus items, while the Digital Deluxe Edition comes as a digital download.

Physical pre-orders for the Day One Edition for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S at select retailers will also offer a steelbook.

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• Passion.io, a major no-code app-building app, operated a non-password-protected database
• The archive contained millions of records, with a total size of around 12TB
• It was since then locked down, but users should still take care

Millions of records containing sensitive, personally identifiable information, were sitting online in yet another unencrypted, non-password-protected database, experts have warned.

Found by security researcher Jeremiah Fowler, who discovered and reported his findings to vpnMentor, the database contained 3,637,107 records, and was 12.2TB in total size.

It belongs to a company called Passion.io, a Delaware-based no-code app-building platform that allows creators, influencers, entrepreneurs, and coaches, to create websites without having any prior coding knowledge. They can also create, and sell, interactive courses.

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Locking the archive down

Fowler said that he analyzed a “limited sampling of the exposed documents” and saw internal files, images, and spreadsheet documents marked as “users” and “invoices”.

These files contained people’s names, email addresses, postal addresses, and details about payments or payouts for users and app creators.

This type of information is a treasure trove for cybercriminals. They can use it to create convincing phishing emails, tricking Passion’s users into making rash, dangerous decisions. Besides phishing, the data can be used in identity theft, wire fraud, and other types of scams.

The researcher notified Passion.io about his findings, and got a response on the same day. The database was locked down, and the company confirmed it was working on putting guardrails in place so that mishaps like this one don’t repeat.

“We’re treating this very seriously and moving fast,” the company told Fowler.

So far, there is no evidence the information is circulating on the dark web - and it's also not known if Passion.io is the one managing the database, or if the job was outsourced to a third party.

Without a thorough investigation, there is no way of knowing for how long the database remained open, or if any threat actors found it already.

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