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Is AI taking our jobs?

Even as Artificial Intelligence displaces a significant number of roles in the United Kingdom, it’s clear the net-positive impact on the job market remains favorable.

A new study estimates that evolution in AI technologies could create as many as 610,000 new jobs by 2028.

What’s more, employees can look forward to not just more jobs but better ones; an analysis of over 500 million job advertisements from 15 high-income countries revealed that employers in the U.K. were willing to pay 14% more to workers with AI skills.

People with AI skills also have an expanding choice of roles, as organizations in every industry look to hire data scientists, machine learning engineers, computer vision specialists, AI trainers, human-machine teaming managers, AI ethicists and compliance officers and more.

AI is increasing the job market

In the highly digitalized U.K. financial services sector, 75% of organizations are already leveraging AI and another 10% plan to adopt within a few years. The wide range of AI use-cases spanning process optimization, cybersecurity, fraud detection, customer support, credit scoring and compliance management etc.is opening up a variety of opportunities for job seekers with relevant skills.

20% of education sector professionals in the U.K. are using AI in their current role to improve learning content, motivate students and accommodate their different needs, or even to complete administrative tasks. As roles combining technology and education evolve, there will be a need for skilled learning experience designers to create effective learning platforms, content creator managers for ensuring educational content meets quality standards, and specialists who leverage AI tools to create and manage online communities for learners.

Even in healthcare, where human expertise and in-person interaction are highly valued, there’s a huge need for AI professionals, in the near future, to build algorithms that can generate personalized treatment plans and predictive analytics models that identify disease patterns and risk factors. With telemedicine becoming common, the healthcare industry will require staff who can operate AI-enabled remote patient monitoring systems.

The use of smart health assistants, AI-based medical imaging and intelligent hospital workflow optimization tools will create a demand for medical professionals with varying degrees of AI capability and also for medical AI specialists, telehealth coordinators, and data analysts for managing and processing massive volumes of health data.

But where are the skills?

In a recent UK survey, 68% of IT decision makers said that insufficient skills and expertise was their top challenge in implementing AI projects, more problematic than integrating disparate data and fragmented systems. Training is the obvious answer, but it appears that 19 percent of the U.K. workforce – 6.31 million employees – have not been trained in how to use AI tools at work.

Organizations need to take urgent measures to prepare their employees to deal with the change that AI will bring to their work and workplaces. Besides training employees in functional AI skills that enhance productivity, employers should build capabilities in communication, empathy and problem finding to optimize the performance of human-machine teams.

Training with and for AI

Traditional training methods, involving scheduled classroom-based lessons with standard curricula, are ineffective for AI technologies, which are evolving at a blistering pace. Organizations need to establish an environment of continuous, lifelong learning where employees can learn new skills on the job, throughout their careers.

AI-powered learning platforms support this by providing rich training materials that employees can access from anywhere, and at any time, to learn what they want, when they want it. Importantly, training also addresses cultural barriers to AI adoption, such as apprehension about learning new technologies.

Next Steps

To successfully bridge the AI skills gap, employers should follow best practices, including integrating AI literacy in different functions to prepare employees across the enterprise for a future in AI and partnering with educational institutions to offer learning programs aligned with business and market needs.

The U.K. government can play a major role in building an AI-ready workforce by offering incentives to organizations investing in AI training and also providing internship opportunities for young people to gain practical experience in AI tools and technologies. This is also in the administration’s interest because AI has the potential to increase GDP by £550 billion over the next decade.

Improve your CV and your career with the best resume builders.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to 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/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

For years, the artificial intelligence industry operated under a philosophy of rapid innovation. Whilst this benefits sectors like healthcare, the initial wave of optimism surrounding generative models is giving way to a challenging reality. Numerous national security agencies and research bodies are issuing warnings regarding the potential for these models to be weaponized.

At the heart of this warning is the realization that large language models do more than process text - they democratize technical knowledge and act as decision makers rather than tools. In the wrong hands, this capability can be applied to malicious cyber operations and the subversion of critical digital infrastructure.

Historically, executing sophisticated cyberattacks required years of specialized technical expertise in exploit development and network intrusion. Today, artificial intelligence bridges the knowledge gap for individuals who lack formal training but possess malicious intent.

Recent assessments by international security bodies, such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, highlight that the emergence of data driven molecular design models means that those with limited expertise can bypass monitoring from regulatory frameworks.

New frontier AI models such as Mythos could theoretically identify alternate synthetic pathways to design toxic chemicals using ordinary laboratory reagents.

Within enterprise environments, the exposure of software supply chains and cloud infrastructure also remains an acute vulnerability. Third party applications account for a high percentage of emerging security risks, and modern enterprise operations rely on a web of digital service providers and data aggregators that were barely visible a short time ago.

Every vendor represents a potential point of entry, and a single compromised credential at a small third party service provider can grant an attacker the freedom of lateral movement within a corporate or government network.

Current public skepticism is a response to the lack of transparency in how these frontier models are trained, monitored, and integrated. Companies developing models have a responsibility to ensure that their innovations do not compromise the stability of public systems.

This requires a commitment to the responsible deployment of these tools, prioritizing national security and architectural resilience over speed to market. The industry must move away from generic statements and focus on explicit, verifiable security practices.

A new framework for technological visibility

Organizations must adopt a rigorous approach to machine visibility and network defense. Traditional perimeter focused security tools are insufficient - defensive structures must shift toward continuous internal monitoring.

This means analyzing east west traffic within an organization network to scrutinize communications between systems and understand normal data flow patterns. Anomalies must become immediately apparent so security operations teams can act before an intrusion escalates.

Response times must also collapse. The traditional multi week window that attackers enjoy gives automated threats too much leeway to cause damage. Modern network detection and response platforms shrink attacker dwell times by identifying suspicious machine behavior in real time.

Because systems prefer structured layouts and consistent schemas, defender tools must leverage network telemetry to track how these models interact with internal data stores. Security teams need to see exactly how data is being processed, ensuring that unauthorized models are not mapping corporate assets.

Governments are responding to this reality with updated legislation, such as the strengthening of national cybersecurity laws in the UK. These updates expand the scope of statutory regulations to include essential digital service providers, managed service providers, and data centers.

Tougher penalties raise the cost of non compliance, and mandatory incident reporting requires organizations to alert regulators within tight windows, often 24 hours. These legislative changes acknowledge what technical experts have warned about for years - that cybersecurity breaches on critical infrastructure are a national security threat.

Breaches and automated attempts at exploitation are inevitable. The industry must treat advanced software infrastructure with the same level of caution as critical physical assets. In a world where automated systems can orchestrate complex network intrusions, the move towards more comprehensive security measures is essential.

We've featured the best endpoint protection software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to 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/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

If I'm going to watch yet another movie or TV show about a mafia-style gang in New York — because why bother in the wake of The Godfather and The Sopranos, right? — I want to come away from it having learned something new.

New MGM+ crime drama The Westies achieved this at conception, because I didn't know the first thing about the real-life Irish-American crime family of the same name. In fact, I didn't even know that they existed. But sure enough, they were known for racketeering, drug trafficking, and contract killing in Hell's Kitchen from 1960s-1980s.

I know what you're thinking: isn't Hell's Kitchen exactly where the Italian-American mob operated from in New York City. You'd be right in thinking that, and it's one of the main sources of dramatic tension across the show's eight-episode run.

Add in the fact that an FBI team has been tasked with tracking down our fictional version, led by family patriarch Eamonn Sweeney (J.K. Simmons), and you've got a proper old-school cat-and-mouse chase.

Interestingly, the biggest pro and con of The Westies is almost the same thing. While you're streaming it, you're engrossed — the storytelling itself is solid, dependable and superficially fun. But from the moment you switch it off, it will be completely erased from your mind.

Fans complained The Westies would be too tame just from the trailer — and I think they were right

After the above trailer for The Westies was released, I couldn't help but notice that the overwhelming fan response was to criticize scenes for being "too tame" compared to what mob behavior would have been like at the time.

Now that I've watched the entire season, I have to agree. Even if you don't know the story of the Westies, you're tuning into a gangster crime show expecting a severe level of violence — or even just an overarching sense of nasty brutality.

Of course, blood, guts and gore don't make a story any better objectively, but come on... we're trying to have some fun here. On top of that, it's difficult to invest in something new if you feel as though it is holding back, especially if it's aiming for a second season and beyond.

Still, the core storytelling is both engaging and well constructed. As Eamonn Sweeney's cronies face off against the local Italian-Americans, you're as engrossed in the inevitably fatal outcome as much as you are the complicated family dynamics.

The cast is stronger than its story

(Image credit: MGM+)

Bosch star Titus Welliver plays our ragged FBI lead Glenn Keenan, with an 80s "pornstache" so commanding that it might as well have had its own acting credit. When you can get past the facial accessories, you know you're in good hands... once Harry Bosch, always Harry Bosch, if you get what I mean.

If anything, I wish we had more of Simmons himself on screen. Sweeney isn't exactly the Don Corleone type, but it feels as though Simmons has somehow been a mobster boss in a former life. If you're selling him as number one on the call sheet, let's see that translated in each episode, please.

Really, I'm looking for holes when there aren't any — or at least I'm ripping tiny damaged flecks in the story's fabric into gaping tears. Because we've been so spoiled by shows such as Peaky Blinders and MobLand in recent years, we have to hold everything that comes after to an incredibly high standard.

Truthfully, The Westies just doesn't meet it. Not because there's anything wrong per se, but because the competition is so tough. It's kind of like studying really hard for an exam knowing you're going to get creamed by the kids who are naturally better at the same subject. Thems the breaks, so just enjoy the ride while it lasts.

The Westies begins airing on MGM+ from July 12.

• Zero Parades: For Dead Spies now has a free to play TTRPG
• It adapts the game's setting and mechanics for pen and paper
• It also comes with a free premade one shot to help you learn the game

Let’s face it, 2026 — with its component price hikes, sweeping layoffs, cancellations, expensive AAA titles, and Sony’s promise to stop making physical games — has been something of a year of Ls. But one of the few lights in this darkness, and game of the year contender, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies just announced brand new content is dropping: it’s a tabletop version of its gameplay, and it’s totally free.

If you head over to one-shot site you’ll find everything you need to get started including a simple core rulebook and a One Shot story set in the Zero Parades world 30 years before the events of the game.

The One Shot comes with everything you need to play your first session including location maps, premade characters, GM materials (to help whoever is running things) and adapted rules that bring the game’s mechanics to life in TTRPG form.

Scratching the itch

Anyone who has played Zero Parades: For Dead Spies or its spiritual predecessor Disco Elysium will have already felt the TTRPG inspired elements — all challenges in the games are already presented as dice rolls.

Just like in Zero Parades the pen and paper game has the same stats and Faculties — Action, Relation, Intellect — which determine how capable your character should be at certain actions, as well as details on how you can exert yourself to increase your odds of success — at the cost of raising your Fatigue, Anxiety, or Delirium respectively.

You also find items of clothing you can equip to make your stats better (and sometimes also worse), or tools which unlock actions like a camera allowing you to snap photos to use later — or to remember a sick spy moment you just pulled off, the decision is all yours.

As a major fan of both TTRPGs like Dungeons and Dragons and of Zero Parades I had been thinking of adapting the digital gameplay into something pen and paper for my regular playgroup. With this free release I don’t need to do any work at all — though I love there are the resources to create your own adventure and stories if you want to move away form the premade One Shot.

(Image credit: ZA/UM)

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is everything you’d want from a follow-up to Disco Elysium. It keeps the post-Soviet vibes and aesthetics with a whole new story and setting. The gameplay is very similar too, with a few updates that fine-tune mechanics in a way that feels better and yet utterly familiar.

There’s also that general and gradually growing weirdness that made Disco Elysium so much of a joy to play through.

So many people I know who loved Disco Elysium had no clue Zero Parades is a thing they can play, and the perfect game to scratch the itch Disco Elysium leaves you with.

Plus if you’re reading this article the day it comes out the full Zero Parades: For Dead Spies game is 10%-off for everyone, and 20% off for owners of Disco Elysium in the Steam Summer Sale. What are you waiting for? Go and play it!

• The EU's General Safety Regulation is set to be expanded
• Driver Distraction Warning systems will need to be fitted to new cars
• Privacy advocates are already voicing data concerns

As of this week, the European Commission has stated that all new vehicles registered in the European Union will have to be fitted with Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) systems to comply with new, more stringent safety legislation.

While European roads are among the safest in the world, the European Commission said in its announcement that "the number of deaths and injuries from road accidents is still too high." As a result, it is set to expand its General Safety Regulation to include several new requirements.

Among the new requirements are advanced emergency braking systems that detect pedestrians and cyclists, as well as "better forward vision" and camera-based driver distraction technology that audibly warns drivers to pay attention to the road.

Many new cars already feature this technology, which uses a small camera mounted behind the steering wheel or somewhere above the infotainment system in the center of the dashboard.

Constantly active, the system monitors the driver's eyes and facial expressions, intervening if it detects that the driver is looking away from the road for too long.

(Image credit: DS Automobiles)

Today's manufacturers' systems range from audible bleeps and on-screen safety notifications when it detects distraction, to the deactivation of automated cruise control and other functions.

Critics have already hit out at the decision, with the European Conservative describing the commission's move as the "latest annoying piece of EU overregulation," which arrives with little clarification on how the data will be handled.

These ADDW systems should operate in a closed-loop system, where all data is processed locally in the car and never uploaded to any third-party server.

However, since April 2018, all newly approved passenger cars and light vans in the EU have been required to include an eCall emergency system that automatically contacts emergency services in the event of a serious crash.

This, coupled with the fact that consulting firm McKinsey predicts that 95% of all vehicles will be connected to the internet by 2030, means it isn't a huge stretch to think that driver-monitoring data could eventually leave the vehicle.

Analysis: a data privacy nightmare

(Image credit: Volkswagen)

Analysis by Mozilla in 2023 examined the privacy policies of 25 car brands and found that every single one failed to meet its own privacy and security standards. Mozilla concluded that cars were "the worst product category we have ever reviewed for privacy."

In 2024, the Texas Attorney General opened an investigation into several automakers following reports that they had been collecting large amounts of driver data and selling it to third parties.

As the European Conservative points out, there is currently very little clarity from the EU over how driver data is handled, meaning there is the potential for these systems to eventually help determine insurance premiums or act as evidence in a court of law, for example.

Beyond this, ADDW technology can also prove extremely distracting when implemented poorly.

I've lost count of how many times a system has warned me to pay attention when all I'm doing is trying to find a simple function in a baffling series of touchscreen menus.

On the one hand, Euro NCAP says it will target "annoying" safety tech, but on the other, the European Union is mandating greater reliance on these systems. Now is a confusing time to be a motorist.

Asus ProArt RTX 5090: Two-minute review

The Asus ProArt GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 OC Edition is a specialised flagship GPU built for a niche audience and isn’t going to appeal to those looking for a premium upgrade for a gaming build. It’s aimed at creators, AI users and compact workstation builders who want full RTX 5090 performance without the bulk of larger 3.5 or 4 slot coolers.

The ProArt uses the normal RTX 5090 spec: 21,760 CUDA cores, 32GB of 28Gbps GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus and PCIe 5.0 support. The card has a 2482MHz default clock and a 2512MHz OC mode, and a 1000W power supply is recommended.

The 32GB of VRAM helps when rendering, running larger AI models or heavily modded 4K games would exceed the memory available on lower-tier cards. The ports — HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1b and USB-C — give excellent monitor setup flexibility.

The 304 x 140 x 50mm, 2.5-slot SFF-ready design is a key selling point, as most flagship RTX 5090 cards are much chunkier, while the slimmer ProArt leaves more room for nearby expansion cards, side-panel clearance and power-cable routing.

Installation is straightforward: a 1-to-4 adapter is included and the 16-pin socket on the card is angled back for easy cable routing, plus the included adjustable GPU support can be used to help prevent sag.

Build quality is top-notch, with no obvious flex, and the GPU avoids gamer-style RGB lighting in favour of a subdued creator/workstation look with brown wood-patterned laminate trim and subtle ProArt gold markings.

Cooling is provided by two large Axial-tech fans, a vapour chamber, liquid metal on the GPU and a double-vented backplate. In OC mode, the GPU peaked at 76°C and memory at 86°C, with a 36dB peak sound level, which is reasonable for a slimmer RTX 5090 cooler. Unfortunately there was noticeable coil whine under heavy loads, and at times it was louder than the fans.

Standard mode was about 5% cooler and 6% quieter, but most importantly, barely slower, while Quiet mode was about 7% cooler and 6% quieter than OC mode, but gave around 2% less performance.

placeholder image (Image credit: Future)

Overall performance is excellent, as expected from an overclocked RTX 5090. OC mode was about 3% faster than a stock RTX 5090, around 45% to 50% ahead of the RTX 5080 in compute loads, and up to 60% in gaming. The improvement is most obvious at 4K, in ray tracing and compute-heavy workloads.

The coil whine is frustrating given this is a card designed for creators, though it’s not so bad that you’d hear it outside a well-designed closed case.

Otherwise, the ProArt RTX 5090 OC Edition does a difficult job well. Yes, it’s expensive and specialised, but its slimmer design, quiet fans, 32GB of GDDR7 and top-end performance make it a capable choice for creators and high-end builders who can use what it offers.

That said, unless you can find it at a compelling price, it faces stiff competition from slim RTX 5090 cards that use AIO water cooling.

Asus ProArt RTX 5090: Price & availability

placeholder image (Image credit: Future)

• How much is it? It retails for about $4,099 / £3,799 / AU$6,499
• When can you get it? The Asus ProArt RTX 5090 is available now
• Where is it available? You can buy it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Asus ProArt RTX 5090 is available now, retailing for about $4,099 / £3,799 / AU$6,499 depending on the region and retailer. That makes it around the typical price for a premium RTX 5090, though it sits above many cheaper air-cooled cards with the same spec.

While the ProArt would always be an expensive card, AI data centre demand has really pushed up prices, so it’s a tough sell unless you really need the features.

The premium price mostly gets you the compact ProArt design rather than a big performance uplift. You still get the full RTX 5090 spec, a mild factory overclock, 32GB of GDDR7, USB-C display output, a slimmer 2.5-slot cooler and a three-year warranty.

The main competition is from other RTX 5090 cards, and if you don’t need the SFF-ready form factor, cheaper air-cooled models will get you very similar core performance for less, while larger premium or all-in-one (AIO) water-cooled RTX 5090 cards may offer lower temperatures, less noise or more overclocking headroom for similar money.

If the compact creator-focused GPU is perfect for your next build, the ProArt may be a compelling buy. If you just want the cheapest route to RTX 5090 performance, wait for the price to come down a little, or look at alternatives.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Asus ProArt RTX 5090: Specs

(Image credit: Future)

• Full RTX 5090 spec and 32GB of GDDR7
• Slimmer SFF-ready 2.5-slot design

Asus ProArt RTX 5090 vs stock RTX 5090 vs RTX 5080

Asus ProArt RTX 5090

Stock RTX 5090

RTX 5080

Process Node

TSMC 4N

TSMC 4N

TSMC 4N

Transistor Count (Billion)

92.2

92.2

45.6

CUDA cores

21,760

21,760

10,752

RT cores

170

170

84

Tensor Cores

680

680

336

Render Output Units

176

176

112

Cache (MB)

96

96

64

Boost Clock (MHz)

2,482 default / 2,512 OC

2,410

2,620

Memory Speed (Gbps)

28

28

30

Memory Type

GDDR7

GDDR7

GDDR7

Memory Pool (GB)

32

32

16

Memory Interface (bits)

512

512

256

Memory Bandwidth (GB/s)

1,792

1,792

960

PCIe Interface

5.0 x16

5.0 x16

5.0 x16

TBP (W)

575

575

360

Recommended PSU (W)

1,000

1,000

850

Power Connector

1 x 16-pin, 1-to-4 adapter

1 x 16-pin, 1-to-4 adapter

1 x 16-pin, 1-to-3 adapter

• Specs: 4 / 5

Asus ProArt RTX 5090: DesignFutureFutureFutureFuture

• Slimmer than most flagship RTX 5090 cards
• SFF-ready

The ProArt design is the main reason to choose this particular RTX 5090 over a more conventional option. Asus has kept the card to 304 x 140 x 50mm (12.0 x 5.5 x 2.0in) and a 2.5-slot thickness, which is much easier to work with than the very large 3.5-slot and 4-slot RTX 5090 designs.

It’s also SFF-ready, which means it fits Nvidia’s size guidelines for small-form-factor enthusiast builds rather than just being smaller than average. That doesn’t make it a tiny GPU, but it does mean the ProArt is built to work in more compact cases that support SFF-ready graphics cards, as well as larger systems where you want more room for other expansion cards or easier airflow.

Visually, it avoids the usual gaming-card look. The brown wood-patterned laminate trim and small ProArt gold details give it a more subdued workstation feel, and there’s no RGB lighting to worry about.

Cooling is handled by two large Axial-tech fans, a vapor chamber, liquid metal on the GPU and a double-vented backplate. That’s a decent cooling setup for a thinner RTX 5090, though the slimmer cooler does mean it has less heatsink volume than some of the much larger cards.

FutureFuture

The card includes a dual BIOS switch for Performance and Quiet modes, a solid backplate and an adjustable GPU holder in the box. The 16-pin power connector is angled back toward the end of the card, which helps cable routing, but you’ll still need to be careful with bend clearance, especially in smaller cases.

Overall, the design feels practical, premium and nicely understated, but it only really makes sense if you specifically need a thinner RTX 5090.

FutureFutureFutureFuture

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Asus ProArt RTX 5090: Performance

placeholder image (Image credit: Future)

• About 3% faster than a stock RTX 5090
• Excellent cooling and low fan noise
• Very noticeable coil whine

The Asus ProArt RTX 5090 is at its best when you look beyond gaming and treat it as a compact high-end creator card. In Geekbench 6 Compute and Blender, it performs at the level expected for a tuned RTX 5090, with small but useful gains over the stock RTX 5090.

The gap is much bigger against older or lower-tier cards. Across the compute tests, the ProArt was about 50% ahead of the RTX 5080 on average, and around 40% ahead of the RTX 4090. The RTX 4090 is still a very capable GPU, but the ProArt’s combination of 32GB of faster GDDR7 and Blackwell architecture gives it a clear advantage in compute workloads and makes it a worthwhile upgrade.

While not the focus, gaming is still excellent, as you’d expect from an RTX 5090. Cyberpunk 2077 reached 98fps at 4K using Ultra Ray Tracing and balanced scaling, while Black Myth: Wukong hits 88fps at 4K with ray tracing, Cinematic settings and 50% upscaling. So while not the point of the ProArt, it’s a very capable gaming card.

FutureFutureFuture

Thermals are quite good for a slim RTX 5090. The ProArt peaked at 75°C, which is much warmer than larger 5090s with aftermarket cooling, which typically run about 10°C cooler. The VRAM reached 86°C, which is again higher than most 5090s but not in any way problematic.

Fan noise was also very low, with the ProArt peaking at just 36dB in my testing. That’s about the same as 5090s with big coolers.

All in all, Asus has done a good job tuning the ProArt to keep performance high and fan noise under control, even if that means letting temperatures sit a little higher than some larger cards. That trade-off is perfectly fine for a 2.5-slot RTX 5090, and the GPU and VRAM temperatures stay well within reasonable limits.

The catch is coil whine, which is an electrical buzz caused by components vibrating under heavy power load, rather than the fans themselves. In fact, most of the time it's louder than the fans themselves.

Some coil whine isn’t unusual on very high-power graphics cards, but it’s still disappointing on a premium creator-focused model where low noise is a key selling point.

Benchmark results

Asus ProArt RTX 5090

Stock RTX 5090

RTX 5080 OC

Synthetic Benchmarks

3DMark Steel Nomad

14,440

14,430

8,743

3DMark Speed Way

14,366

14,560

9,435

3DMark Port Royal

38,501

36,310

22,021

Compute benchmarks

GeekBench 6 Compute (OpenGL)

391,245

383,000

275,612

GeekBench 6 Compute (Vulkan)

408,212

355,000

259,633

Blender (aggregate score)

4,551

4,440

3,001

Thermals / noise

Peak GPU temp

76°C

72°C

67°C

Peak VRAM temp

86°C

89°C

70°C

Idle temp

43°C

35°C

45°C

Peak sound level

36dB

50dB

38dB

Gaming (average fps)

Cyberpunk 2077 - 4K

98

94

50

Black Myth: Wukong 4K

88

84

55

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultra Ray Tracing, balanced scaling
Black Myth: Wukong: Ray Tracing, Cinematic, 50% upscaling

• Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Asus ProArt RTX 5090?Asus ProArt RTX 5090 Scorecard

Category

Notes

Score

Value

Very expensive but on par with other premium RTX 5090s.

3.5 / 5

Specs

A 5090 GPU with 32GB of GDDR7, USB-C display output and a mild OC mode.

4 / 5

Design

The 2.5-slot build and understated styling suit compact creator PCs.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Solid performance overall, with low fan noise and temps kept under control. The coil whine is frustrating though.

4 / 5

Final score

A capable specialised RTX 5090 for compact high-end builds, but the high price and coil whine keep it from being an easy recommendation for everyone.

4 / 5

Buy the Asus ProArt RTX 5090 if...

You want RTX 5090 performance in a slimmer build
The ProArt is easier to fit than many oversized flagship cards, while still giving you the mighty RTX 5090 GPU and 32GB of GDDR7.

You want a creator-friendly card
The subdued design, USB-C display output and included GPU holder make it a better match for a compact workstation or high-end creator PC.

Don't buy it if...

You just want the best-value RTX 5090
Cheaper RTX 5090 cards will get you very similar performance if you don’t need the ProArt size or features like the USB-C output.

Coil whine will bother you
Fan noise was low, but coil whine was very noticeable under heavy load, so it’s best in a case that insulates sound well.

How I tested Asus ProArt RTX 5090

• I spent about a week testing the Asus ProArt RTX 5090
• I ran synthetic, compute and gaming benchmarks
• I compared it against the stock RTX 5090, 4090 and the Asus ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC

Test System Specs

Here are the specs on the system I used for testing:

Motherboard: MSI Z890 Tomahawk Wi-Fi
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 285K
CPU Cooler: Corsair Titan 360 RX
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5 (2 x 16GB)
SSD: Samsung 9100 Pro
PSU: Corsair HX1000
Case: Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro

I spent about a week with the Asus ProArt RTX 5090, testing it in OC mode and comparing it against other high-end cards. The main comparisons were stock RTX 5090 and RTX 4090 performance and the Asus ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC.

I used 3DMark for synthetic performance, Geekbench 6 Compute and Blender for creator workloads, and games including Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong for real-world gaming results.

• Originally reviewed June 2026

Looking for a coffee machine that serves up a delicious espresso but won’t break the bank? Look no further than the Philips Baristina. This adorable, cost-friendly bean-to-cup machine currently holds the spot for the best budget coffee machine in Australia, and it’s now even cheaper in the Prime Day sales — just AU$418.99.

My colleague Cat Ellis couldn’t have been more positive in her Philips Baristina review, and she loved the fact it combines the best of bean-to-cup machines, with the convenience of capsule machines.

It handles all aspects of the coffee-making process — grinding, dosing, tamping and brewing, so you barely need to lift a finger. What’s more, it puts on a bit of a show, as it will automatically slide the portafilter into position once it's finished grinding and tamping. It’s unlike any other coffee machine I’ve come across.

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When Philips announced the Baristina, it certainly piqued my interest. My colleague Cat was able to get her hands on a unit first though, inflaming my jealousy.

What drew me to the compact machine was its simplicity. Once you’ve loaded in some beans and filled the water tank, just push the portafilter handle into its slot and slide it to the right. Select which drink you want — it can only brew a 40ml espresso or a 110ml lungo — and the machine will get to work grinding the perfect quantity of coffee into the filter basket and tamping it down.

Ensuring the whole process is as hands-off as possible, the machine will then slide the handle to the left and dispense the coffee into your cup.

It even helps with cleaning, as once your coffee has finished pouring, the handle will release so you can pull it free and knock out the grounds.

FutureFutureFutureFuture

I also love the look of the Baristina, in either its white or black guises it’s very modern. Do note that there’s no steam wand on this machine, but there is a matching Baristina Milk Frother. I do have this and use it daily to froth oat milk, perfect for lattes and cappuccinos. It’s also on sale right now during Prime Day.

The only negative Cat could find with the Philips Baristina is that it doesn’t let you adjust the grind size, so you'll have to choose beans that work with the machine's default settings. There’s no real guidance on this in the user manual, so it may require some trial and error. If your coffee tastes under- or over-extracted then you'll need to try a different bean.

Otherwise, there’s very little to find fault with the Baristina. It looks great, works a charm and brews a delicious espresso, all for an affordable price. What more could you ask for?

• The world's largest digital camera begins recording the changing universe every night
• Giant Chile observatory discovers thousands of hidden asteroids during early testing already
• A new sky survey captures fresh cosmic images every forty seconds overnight

A camera roughly the size of a small car has begun the most ambitious astronomical survey ever attempted from Earth.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, perched atop Cerro Pachón in northern Chile, officially started its Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

Every 40 seconds throughout the night, the 6,600-pound instrument captures a new image using its 3200-megapixel sensor, the largest digital camera ever built.

A decade-long cosmic recording begins

Over the coming decade, the camera will return to each patch of sky roughly 800 times, building a living record of celestial change.

Željko Ivezić, head of LSST, said the launch followed extensive system optimization and a careful review of technical readiness across multiple performance measures.

"Important factors that played a role in this decision included image quality, effective survey speed, system uptime and reliability, and calibration accuracy," Ivezić said.

The $800 million observatory is jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy's Office of Science.

“Today, we begin filming the greatest cosmic movie ever made…This moment reflects decades of vision, innovation and the power of federal investment,” said Brian Stone of the US National Science Foundation

Each night, the camera collects approximately 10 TB of data while generating as many as seven million alerts flagging changes across the sky.

During early optimization surveys lasting roughly six weeks, Rubin already discovered more than 11,000 previously unseen asteroids, including 33 near-Earth objects.

Mapping dark matter and the solar system

Scientists intend to use the completed dataset to build a new inventory of the solar system and the Milky Way galaxy.

The survey will also help researchers examine dark matter by studying the distorted light of distant background galaxies.

Bob Blum, director of the Rubin Observatory at NSF NOIRLab, said the project follows more than two decades of sustained engineering and scientific effort.

"Rubin Observatory is for everyone; the LSST will change how we do astronomy and astrophysics," Blum said.

Phil Marshall, deputy director of Rubin Operations for SLAC, noted that millions of alerts generated in recent months already demonstrate the system functioning as a genuine discovery machine.

Once complete, the final dataset will contain billions of astronomical objects and trillions of individual measurements, according to the observatory.

This data will be released regularly, marking the first time such a comprehensive astronomical archive becomes publicly accessible to researchers and the public alike.

“Rubin is bringing the universe to life, illuminating a treasure trove of discoveries: pulsating stars, supernova explosions, the fossil record of galaxies, clues to the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter, and entirely new phenomena never seen before,” the observatory team said.

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, July 9 (game #1124).

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 #1125) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• OUTKAST
• DEPECHE MODE
• FRESH-BAKED
• BALL GOWN
• DO NOT DISTURB
• À LA MODE
• STRIKE A POSE
• AIRPLANE MODE
• ERASURE
• SAFE MODE
• DECADENT
• NEW ORDER
• HOTSPOT
• PET SHOP BOYS
• MOLTEN
• LOCATION SERVICES

NYT Connections today (game #1125) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: iPhone options
• GREEN: Pudding levels
• BLUE: UK chart acts of yesteryear
• PURPLE: Umpire beginnings

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 #1125) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SMARTPHONE SETTINGS
• GREEN: DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS
• BLUE: '8OS SYNTH-POP BANDS
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1125) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1125, are…

• YELLOW: SMARTPHONE SETTINGS: AIRPLANE MODE, DO NOT DISTURB, HOTSPOT, LOCATION SERVICES
• GREEN: DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS: DECADENT, FRESH-BAKED, MOLTEN, À LA MODE
• BLUE: '8OS SYNTH-POP BANDS: DEPECHE MODE, ERASURE, NEW ORDER, PET SHOP BOYS
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS: BALL GOWN, OUTKAST, SAFE MODE, STRIKE A POSE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

There were a number of fashion links among today's tiles: A LA MODE, of course, STRIKE A POSE — which features in Madonna’s Vogue — BALL GOWN, and DEPECHE MODE, which was the name of a French fashion magazine.

What caught me out, however, was the SMARTPHONE SETTINGS, as I originally included SAFE MODE instead of DO NOT DISTURB.

Today’s game also featured my two favorite bands — PET SHOP BOYS and NEW ORDER, both of whom joined forces in the 1990s with Electronic and who still tour together occasionally.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, July 9, 2026, game #1124)

• YELLOW: NON-ALCOHOLIC DESIGNATORS: NA, SPIRIT-FREE, VIRGIN, ZERO-PROOF
• GREEN: MUSIC PUBLICATIONS: BILLBOARD, PITCHFORK, ROLLING STONE, SPIN
• BLUE: KINDS OF RUGS: PERSIAN, PRAYER, SHAG, THROW
• PURPLE: PONTIAC MODELS: FIREBIRD, G6, GRAND PRIX, TRANS AM

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.

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, July 9 (game #858).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… I think…

NYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• STAY
• STORY
• SNAKE
• LEEK
• ROBE
• HATE

NYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 1st row

• Last side: right, 6th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #859) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #859, are…

• BELIEVE
• HISTORY
• HASTE
• GOOD
• MERRY
• LOVE
• SENSE
• SPANGRAM: WECANMAKEIT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

Is it possible to look at today’s theme and not say to yourself “... therefore I am”? Apparently it is, because the words that complete “I think…” here were instead the more seemingly everyday “we can make it”.

Thinking that I was missing out on some cultural reference point I googled all of today’s game words, along with the spangram, and the AI result claimed that all the words feature in the 17th-century Irish Jacobite love song, Mo Ghile Mear (My Gallant Hero). And there was me thinking it was from Ted Lasso or a Taylor Swift song I’d not heard of.

Despite my ignorance I was able to navigate the game without using any hints.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, July 9, game #858)

• STICK
• GLOSS
• STAIN
• LINER
• TINT
• BALM
• PLUM
• SPANGRAM: KISSANDMAKEUP

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 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, July 9 (game #1627).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 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 #1628) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #1628) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1628) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1628) — 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 #1628) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• G

• S

• D

• H

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

Quordle today (game #1628) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1628, are…

• GREET
• STEAK
• DUSKY
• HAUTE

It took me a while to realize that my final word must have two letter Es.

But after getting that right I made the error of believing it had a rare letter too.

Fortunately I had enough lines left to survive my impulsiveness.

Daily Sequence today (game #1628) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1628, are…

• DECRY
• ADOBE
• CABIN
• ESSAY

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1627, Thursday, 9 July: CRUMP, PHONE, SHINY, STONY
• Quordle #1626, Wednesday, 8 July: GHOST, TREND, EXALT, ALONG
• Quordle #1625, Tuesday, 7 July: ARRAY, SUITE, KIOSK, BOULE
• Quordle #1624, Monday, 6 July: TRAWL, SPICE, PIANO, SHARK
• Quordle #1623, Sunday, 5 July: PINEY, SWOON, TITLE, PINTO
• Quordle #1622, Saturday, 4 July: ARGUE, MOTEL, OPERA, TRUCE
• Quordle #1621, Friday, 3 July: AVERT, MOTOR, MANIC, WORDY
• Quordle #1620, Thursday, 2 July: BULKY, PARSE, BELOW, MOVIE
• Quordle #1619, Wednesday, 1 July: EASEL, OTTER, LYRIC, SHACK
• Quordle #1618, Tuesday, 30 June: HALVE, DRYER, THERE, MINTY
• Quordle #1617, Monday, 29 June: SLURP, CRACK, CRANK, PHONY
• Quordle #1616, Sunday, 28 June: RUPEE, TOPAZ, FULLY, BEING
• Quordle #1615, Saturday, 27 June: PRINT, MARRY, SADLY, BICEP
• Quordle #1614, Friday, 26 June: JUICE, ARRAY, BONEY, SKIFF
• Quordle #1613, Thursday, 25 June: SHELF, TAWNY, HYPER, SOLVE
• Quordle #1612, Wednesday, 24 June: SOBER, ECLAT, GOOSE, NINNY
• Quordle #1611, Tuesday, 23 June: ARDOR, DADDY, SERVE, SHEAR
• Quordle #1610, Monday, 22 June: WAXEN, APNEA, CHIME, WAVER
• Quordle #1609, Sunday, 21 June: ABBOT, NOTCH, DREAD, LURID
• Quordle #1608, Saturday, 20 June: SLAIN, TAMER, VIPER, FALSE

• B-52 bombers receive gigabit weapon links through advanced fiber optic pylons
• The US Air Force plans 130 modern pylons for the aging strategic bomber fleet
• New pylons allow heavier weapons on upgraded B-52 aircraft for decades

The US Air Force is moving ahead with another major modernization effort for its fleet of 75 B-52H bombers, focusing on replacing weapons pylons originally designed during the late 1950s.

The proposed Advanced Wing Weapons Pylon introduces support for far heavier weapons while also bringing modern digital connectivity through the MIL-STD-1760E interface.

Those interface requirements include gigabit data transfer capability and fiber optic connections that allow advanced weapons to exchange significantly larger volumes of information with aircraft systems.

New pylons prepare decades-old bombers for future weapons

According to an Air Force business notice, the replacement pylon must carry either conventional or nuclear weapons weighing up to 20,000 pounds, while the wing hardpoint remains limited to 28,000 pounds.

This development effort will require about 36 months before reaching a critical design review, although industry feedback will determine whether that schedule remains achievable.

The service expects an initial production requirement of between 20 and 24 pylons, with at least 12 arriving during the first production year before expanding toward roughly 130 units.

The procurement replaces the Improved Common Pylon, introduced during the 1960s after its original design work began in 1959 for considerably lighter weapons.

Air Force documents explained that previous engineers never anticipated external weapons exceeding 5,000 pounds, leaving the current equipment facing structural concerns under modern operational requirements.

Officials said the replacement effort will identify suppliers capable of delivering accelerated pylon designs while modifying existing carriage equipment for newer and substantially heavier munitions.

The standardized electrical interface also enables modern avionics to exchange complex guidance, mission, and release information with sophisticated precision weapons through high-speed digital links.

Upgrade supports broader B-52J modernization effort

The pylon replacement forms part of the wider conversion turning today's B-52H fleet into the B-52J through new engines, modern radar, updated avionics, and expanded weapons integration capabilities.

The Air Force requested $30 million during fiscal 2027 for research and development supporting the new pylons, alongside another $50 million for integrating newer AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile variants.

Budget documents describe the Advanced Wing Weapons Pylon as "the key that unlocks all future heavy-weight weapon capabilities for the B-52," reflecting its importance within broader modernization plans.

The upgraded equipment increases both weapon weight capacity and carriage numbers, allowing each pylon to support eight JASSM missiles instead of six.

Separately, the Air Force requested $1 million during fiscal 2027 to begin examining possible long-term successors for the B-52, even as modernization continues.

Those parallel efforts illustrate how military planners intend to extend the bomber's operational usefulness toward almost 100 years while simultaneously examining eventual replacement options.

Whether every modernization objective proceeds according to current schedules remains uncertain, although ongoing investment shows continued confidence in extending the aircraft's military relevance for decades.

Via Aviation Tech Today

Since disclosing massive global surveillance programs, the former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden has been campaigning to strengthen privacy and the right of citizens to not be monitored by government agencies.

Nothing to hide

Snowden published his memoir, Permanent Record, in 2019 as a means to convey his full story – including his upbringing and how he came to be the whistleblower we all now know.

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.

In this book, the former NSA contractor used several analogies in a chain to underline what the right to privacy actually means, as he saw it, and to stress that just because you aren't using a particular right, that doesn't mean it shouldn't apply.

He argued that various freedoms may not apply to you, or make sense today, but that they may have meaning for you or those you know in the future. Privacy, too, fell into this category, and he urged more and more people to defend their rights.

Nothing to fear

The legacy of Snowden, since he first helped journalists reveal the breadth and extent of government-led spying in 2013, is far-reaching. His revelations sent shockwaves throughout not only the intelligence-industrial complex but society at several levels.

For example, there's been a dramatic surge in the use of software and applications in which end-to-end encryption can prevent communications data from being intercepted, either in a targeted or indiscriminate way.

Many of the practices he revealed were wound down thanks to the USA Freedom Act, while a US federal court ruled in 2020 that one of the NSA's mass surveillance programs, in which bulk telephone data was collected, was done so illegally and possibly unconstitutionally.

His disclosures also fuelled data protection movements and new laws around the world, like GDPR in the EU.

• Custom drone achieved a 261-minute flight after months of engineering refinements
• Guinness World Records recognizes Cape Town pilot for record-breaking multirotor endurance flight
• Software tuning unlocked crucial efficiency gains during the historic flight

A Cape Town YouTuber and drone pilot has secured a new Guinness World Record after keeping a custom-built multirotor drone airborne for 4 hours, 21 minutes, and 39 seconds.

The achievement followed months of redesigns, repeated testing, and engineering refinements that transformed an earlier prototype into an officially recognised endurance aircraft.

Rather than relying on a single breakthrough, the record came through a series of hardware and software improvements that steadily extended flight time beyond previous attempts.

Weight reduction and stronger construction unlocked longer endurance

Luke Bell had already exceeded the previous endurance benchmark with an earlier version that remained airborne for 3 hours, 31 minutes, and 6 seconds, although that attempt was never officially recognised.

Instead of submitting that result, Bell continued refining the aircraft with the goal of securing a larger margin and earning formal recognition from Guinness World Records.

One of the simplest improvements came after viewers suggested replacing two-piece clamp mounts with single-piece C-style clamps, reducing overall weight by approximately 26 grams.

Bell also rebuilt the airframe using continuous 1.88 metre carbon fibre tubes for each rotor arm, removing weak connection points that affected the earlier design.

Additional reinforcement connected the front rotor arms, while a custom mounting system secured the approximately 5 kg high-density SMC battery pack rated at 380 Wh/kg throughout the extended flight.

The drone also received specially designed 3D-printed landing gear incorporating thermoplastic polyurethane joints to absorb landing forces more effectively.

Live software tuning helped extend the record flight

Mechanical improvements alone did not deliver the final result because early test flights revealed vibration severe enough to interfere with the flight controller's inertial measurement units.

Bell replaced the original controller with a Cube Orange Plus system featuring isolated internal IMUs before installing an external antenna connected to a Here4 base unit for real-time kinematic positioning accurate to within 1 centimetre.

Further adjustments focused on the autopilot, where notch filter tuning removed resonant frequencies responsible for instability while reducing unnecessary power consumption during flight.

Bell also monitored live performance through a Wi Fi connection linked to a RadioMaster transmitter, allowing power logs and flight settings to be reviewed while the aircraft remained airborne.

The data showed the drone consumed about 500 W during straight flight, compared with roughly 450 W while turning, prompting a mid-flight route change with more frequent turns.

Flying at approximately 5.5 metres per second, or around 20 km/h, the drone eventually returned after 4 hours, 21 minutes, and 39 seconds before hovering until almost every remaining watt had been consumed.

This feat shows that larger batteries alone may not determine endurance, as careful engineering, software refinement, and efficiency improvements also played important roles.

Via Luke Maximo Bell (YouTube)

• Apex Recordhunter drone unofficially set a new air speed record of 434 mph
• High-speed demonstrator will help develop next-gen military drones
• Company targets further records with interceptor drones soon

Germany’s Quantum Systems Group has broken the world airspeed record for an electric drone, hitting speeds of 699km/h (434mph) during internal testing on June 26, 2026.

Though the company is yet to carry out a formal, independently verified attempt at setting a record under the official measurement rules to be recognized by both Guinness World Records and Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the speed far exceeds that of the current record holder – 657.59km/h (409mph).

The latest, unverified record was set in straight and level flight, and would represent a 6.3% increase over the current record. Official testing is expected within the coming weeks, the company said in a press release.

Record-breaker is merely a technology demonstrator

Quantum Systems explained that the Apex Recordhunter drone was developed over the past year, but “serves as a technology demonstrator for next-generation high-speed systems” rather than being a commercially viable product. “Several innovations from the project are expected to support future interceptor drone programs,” the company added.

It is a battery-electric, fixed-wing aircraft developed by the firm’s N3XT advanced development team, benefiting from Porsche-subsidiary-supplied V4Smart battery cells.

Of course, the drone and its successors would not target consumer photographer and hobby markets, instead focusing on high-speed interceptors for modern warfare. Quantum Systems says lessons learned from Apex will directly influence future interceptor platforms for real-world defense scenarios.

“Super proud of the Quantum Systems team, showing our engineering ambition across our Group and reinforcing our commitment to developing world leading technologies,” co-CEO Florian Seibel wrote.

Engineers from Quantum’s Ukrainian WIY Drones division also contributed to the program – a noteworthy inclusion because Russia has increasingly deployed high-speed, jet-powered one-way attack drones. Deploying high-speed drones like the one Quantum Systems has developed could be much cheaper and more accessible than sending off expensive air-defense missiles.

Records continue to be broken as rapid development continues

By mid-July, the company also hopes to have set two other records. The first – the highest speed achieved by an FPV interceptor drone carrying a 500g payload – by its STRILA Interceptor. Second, its SPYS drone, gunning for the highest speed achieved by an anti-aircraft class FPV interceptor drone.

These achievements and potential records reflect an ongoing global race to develop faster military drones, but they also underscore the growing relevance of airborne, remote and autonomous weapons in modern warfare.

That said, other electric drones have technically achieved even higher speeds. Tom’s Hardware recently reported of a New Zealand duo who recorded high speeds of 730km/h (453mph) – that Blackbird drone uses sawtooth carbon fiber prop blades.

Despite lacking official recognition, the duo had previously set a record of 626km/h (388mph) in December 2025 with a separate drone, before quickly being overtaken by another record-holder which achieved a higher 659km/h (408mph). Regardless, an 11.7% increase from December’s first record to today’s unofficial record confirms there’s plenty of scope to continue pushing the boundary.

• The Mac mini has emerged as an affordable system for agentic workloads
• Apple has seen "incredible demand" for the Mac mini and Mac Studio
• Apple silicon can handle an agentic AI while other architectures use a GPU and CPU

If you’re looking for the best way to explore and deploy agentic AI without breaking the budget, the Mac mini might be just what you’re looking for.

Apple’s Doug Brooks has expressed enthusiasm for how the Mac mini and Mac Studio desktop computers are capable of handling agentic AI tasks, thanks to Apple silicon, the ARM-based SoC that the company has introduced over the past half decade.

Success with local AI on these machines has been attributed to design choices made before the arrival of advanced LLMs, with the evolution of Apple’s Neural Engine highlighted as a key factor.

How the Mac mini is ideal for agentic AI

The Mac Studio is also suited to agentic AI (Image credit: Future)

Brooks is the senior product manager of Apple silicon, and referred to the “incredible demand” for Mac minis and Mac Studios when speaking to The Deep View before WWDC 2026.

Describing the Mac mini as an “amazing system” that can “tap into the strengths of Apple silicon and unified memory in a very power-efficient way, and increasingly they're delivering compelling price-performance as well.”

The price point of a Mac mini – compared to the more expensive Mac Studio – makes it particularly suited to teams exploring agentic AI but without the budget to pay for tokens and larger systems.

Neural Engine technology dates back to the A11 chip, and its evolution and inclusion within the current generation of Apple chips, and its high-performance, power-efficient compute processes are pivotal in delivering machine learning to the desktop.

As many AI tools were available first on the Mac (or released exclusively for macOS), it seems that upgrading to the latest Mac mini or switching from Windows has been instrumental in demand.

Mac mini: amazing for AI

Apple’s work on AI has seen deployment in everyday use across computers, tablets, and smartphones, and the company has been a leading exponent of hybrid AI, where an agent can “decide what needs to happen locally and what needs to happen in the cloud based on the workload.”

“For agentic workloads, people often want a system that's under their control, isolated from their primary machine, and capable of running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

But it is the strength of the Apple Mac mini and Apple Studio – as well Apple’s notebooks – in handling AI that seems to have enthused Brooks the most. He cites security and economics as concerns for developers and creators who are now realising that they can handle AI workloads sitting at their desk – whether using a Mac mini or something more powerful.

I test a lot of espresso machines here at TechRadar — over a dozen a year — and so far 2026 has delivered a particularly impressive crop. Whether you're looking for your first ever coffee maker or are a seasoned pro hunting for the perfect premium brewer, there's an option for you.

There are so many new espresso machines, in fact, that you might be spoilt for choice, which is where I come in. To help make your decision easier, I've rounded up this collection of the three best machines we've tested this year. Each one has been through our rigorous review process, and received a score of at least four and a half stars out of five.

If you can't see something that quite suits your needs, take a look at our complete roundup of the best espresso machines you can buy today, and the best Nespresso machines if you prefer your morning brew in pod form.

Philips Café AromisFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Release date: March 2026

Score: 5/5

This espresso machine (the Philips Café Aromis 8000 Series, to give it its full name) is a premium coffee maker that looks stunning, makes sublime coffee, and is fun to use as well. It has a menu of 50 drinks — hot and cold — and is astonishingly quiet in use too thanks to cleverly designed noise shielding.

Its milk system is particularly impressive, producing different textures to suit the type of drink you're making, and because the milk never enters the body of the machine itself, it's a piece of cake to keep clean. Just detach the carafe, disassemble it into its three hard plastic components, and wash them in the top drawer of your dishwasher. There are separate carafes for hot and cold milk, and they both work equally well with dairy or plant-based equivalents.

Espresso machines with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity are quite common, but after connecting your phone, usually all you get is a simple instruction manual. Not here. The Philips Home app is styled like an AI chatbot, and asks you a series of questions about your beans and taste preferences to help tailor the brew setting to your liking. It's certainly not cheap, but it's a superb espresso machine that earned a full five stars.

Read our full Philips Café Aromis review

Philips BaristinaFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Release date: February 2026

Score: 5/5

Philips has been really nailing it when it comes to espresso machines this year. The Baristina is very different to the Café Aromis, but if you're new to the world of speciality coffee, or just want something reasonably affordable, it's the better choice.

This is the smallest and cheapest bean-to-cup coffee maker I've ever tested, and it's so easy to use, it's a great option for anyone thinking of making the switch from coffee capsules. Just load your beans in the top, fill the water tank, push in the empty portafilter handle, and slide it to the right. The Baristina will grind the perfect dose of coffee into the basket, tamp it down, then slide the whole handle to the left and pull the shot for you.

It's a piece of cake, and much easier to clean than a typical automatic espresso machine because there's no moisture or debris building up inside an enclosed case. The only drawback is that it can't steam milk (unless you pick up a bundle with the standalone milk frother), but Philips has just launched an updated version — the Baristina Latte — that solves that particular issue. I'm very much looking forward to testing it

Read our full Philips Baristina review

Meraki Espresso Machine Gen 2FutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Release date: March 2026

Score: 4.5/5

The Meraki Espresso Machine Gen 2 (available direct from Meraki in the US, and from Bella Barista in the UK) is the most stylish coffee maker we've tested so far this year, with its satin finish, chrome and wood accents, pivoting touchscreen display, and separate 'towers' for its twin boilers, water tank, and bean hopper. It's huge, but if you've got the space, it's worth every centimeter.

This is a manual espresso machine, but is packed with thoughtful features that make achieving a delicious brew that little bit easier. For example, there are built-in scales beneath the grinder and grouphead to help you grind exactly the right dose of beans, then weigh your extracted coffee and stop the pump at precisely the right time. There's a temperature sensor to help you avoid scalding your milk, and if you really want a helping hand, you can scan a code on a bag of Meraki's own coffee beans, and the machine will adjust its own settings accordingly.

The standout feature, though, is its dual boiler, which is something we rarely see in a home espresso machine. "Not only does it produce exceedingly well-extracted espresso over and over again, it easily froths a range of milks without losing pressure or cooling down," said our reviewer Josh Russell.

Read our full Meraki Espresso Machine Gen 2 review

• Meta is crossing the border to build a data center in Alberta, Canada
• The data center will have a 1GW capacity and cost $9 billion to build
• It will eventually lead to 300 operational jobs, Meta says

Meta has announced its ambition to build a $9 billion datacenter in Alberta, Canada, with a 1GW capacity.

The project, which was announced in a Meta blog post, is set to be built just outside of Edmonton in Sturgeon County, with the construction expected to take two to three years.

Meta says the data center will support around 3,000 jobs during construction, and then 300 operation jobs when the data center is up and running.

1GW AI-optimized data center

Alongside the data center, Meta has announced that it will improve local infrastructure with a CAD $60 million in roads and water services. The project will also see its electricity usage matched with “100% clean and renewable energy,” with the full costs of the data centers’ energy use covered by Meta.

“This specific location met the factors we typically look for: good access to infrastructure, a robust electric grid and access to energy, a strong pool of talent, and a great set of community partners that helped us move this project forward,” a Meta spokesperson told CNBC.

The project marks Meta’s first data center venture in Canada, and will join a fleet of 32 other Meta campuses across the globe. Alberta was also chosen because of its lenient regulatory environment, allowing the construction to be approved with a comparatively small amount of legwork.

Meta also hopes “to plan for and meet our energy needs years in advance of this data center coming online” by working with Canadian energy services such as Greenlight Limited Partnership, Altalink, Capitol Power and the Alberta Electric System Operator.

The AI capacity offerings from Meta come relatively late in the game compared to industry leaders such as Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft, prompting it to undertake an aggressive buildout across the US and elsewhere.

Meta is also reportedly venturing into the cloud computing industry by selling excess capacity at some of its completed AI data centers in order to offset the costs of construction. Meta predicted that it would spend between $125-145 billion on AI and data centers in 2026.

If you're looking for a cheap portable power station this summer for camping, festivals, or just a little home backup unit for charging essential devices, the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 is our top pick.

Right now, Bluetti's Elite 30 V2 portable power station is down to $219 (was $299) at Amazon. And after putting this device through its paces, we found it a spectacular option for anyone who needs to top up and recharge smaller devices without spending too much.

Calling it a "spectacular option", we scored this one 4.5 stars after testing, and awarded it a Highly Recommended badge. For an all-rounder designed for power backup when you need it, there's not much to dislike, especially at this price. In the UK, the 288Wh unit also has a modest discount, dropping to £230 (was £239) at Amazon, too.

Today's top portable power station deal

288Wh | 600W

There's a lot we liked about the Bluetti Elite 30 V2, which scored 4.5 stars and earned a Highly Recommended badge in our review. We found it ultra-compact, and does very well everything a power station of this size and capacity needs to do.

In the UK: now £230 (was £239)View Deal

In our final verdict during our review of this unit, we said "The Bluetti E30 V2 is a compact, easy-to-use jack-of-all-trades power station. An all-rounder for general usage with spectacular port options, impressive output, and even more impressive lift." Bonus points, too, for including a built-in handle for extra portability.

The battery here uses LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry rather than the NMC lithium-ion found in older compact power stations. It's a meaningful upgrade for longevity: BLUETTI rates the Elite 30 V2 for 3,000+ charge cycles, which works out to roughly a decade of regular use, backed by a 5-year warranty.

At 600W of continuous rated power and 1500W in "Power Lifting" mode for resistive loads, it can run laptops, mini fridges, and CPAP machines comfortably, and briefly handle higher-draw appliances like kettles or hair dryers. The 288Wh capacity keeps things compact, but it's worth sizing that against what you actually plan to run — this isn't built for multi-day off-grid power, more for day trips, emergencies, and topping up devices.

Charging is fast for the category: 0-80% in around 45 minutes on AC power via Turbo mode, or a full charge in about 2 hours on standard. It also accepts up to 200W of solar input if you pair it with a compatible panel, though the solar charging cable is sold separately.

Port selection is generous for something this size: two USB-C outputs (140W and 100W), two USB-A ports, two AC outlets, two DC5521 ports, and a 12V car port — nine outputs in total. The built-in UPS function switches over in under 10 milliseconds, so it can sit between your wall outlet and sensitive electronics as automatic backup during outages.

Also consider: More portable power station deals

1070Wh | 1500W

We recommend this one for camping this summer - it's practically built for the job. In our review, it also earned top marks, making it one of the best of its class.

In the UK: now £379 (was £549)View Deal

1024Wh | 1800W

Earning top marks in our tests, we awarded this portable power station an Editor's Choice badge thanks to its compact design, versatile charging options, and robust performance.

In the UK: now £579 (was £699)View Deal

• US: Shop all the portable power stations at Amazon
• UK: See all portable power stations at Amazon.co.uk

Moving home is such a pain, and that's doubly true when half of your possessions are tech gadgets. I just spent weeks moving my belongings between two flats on opposite sides of London, and it would've taken half the time if I didn't have to shift countless large boxes that were 10% gadget and 90% packaging to keep said gadget from breaking.

Eventually I finished moving to The Ladder, as the area is called (not funny, since most tenants still aren't on it), and as soon as I had my foot on the rung, as it were, my turntable and hi-fi kit was the first thing I set up. The deposit had barely gone through before my Sony PS-LX310BT was on the cabinet and some Edifier M90s were either side.

That's right, the very first thing. Before I unpacked my clothes. I still haven't unpacked my books or computer. Getting some tunes going was the most important task.

This wasn't just because I wanted to enjoy some music while I unpacked, though, or because I wanted to claim the good speaker spots in the living room before my flatmate moved his own turntable in (OK actually, that was part of it). No: it's because getting your hi-fi set up in a new flat can save you loads of faff later on down the line.

Pride of place

(Image credit: Future)

Speakers aren't something you can just dump anywhere in your living room and get a good experience. A lot of thought needs to go into where they're placed.

Stereo speakers like mine need to be placed so they're spread evenly across a room, to put the listener in the sweet spot betwixt the two, not hidden together in a corner. You want to make sure they're placed on a surface that won't offer unwanted resonance, aren't too close to a wall and are, ideally, at ear level.

If you set up a living room and then bring your hi-fi kit into it, the ideal placement for all of this may already be taken up by other things. Books or DVDs or fancy liqueurs can hog the shelf space on which a speaker would ideally do best.

In my old apartment, the only convenient space for a turntable was on a shelf in the corner of the room. Reaching it to swap a record was a chore, and so I didn't bother using the player as much as I otherwise would.

That's why I thought it important to give my hi-fi set-up priority space in the room. Now, everything else can be place around it.

I'll admit, it wasn't perfect. As you can see in the pictures, I put my speakers on the same cabinet as the turntable. Great for taking pictures, not so great for music, because vibration interference might affect record playback. Unfortunately, it's the only place in the room where I could equally space the speakers, so it's something I'll have to make do with.

A mess of cables

(Image credit: Future)

"There's nothing as fun and sexy as cable management" is what I would say if I wanted to say something totally wrong. I hate the whole process of cleaning up wires and cables, and so often ignore it, leaving trails and black snakes and wire rat kings running like veins around my house.

(I know some people find great satisfaction in cable management and maintenance, with some cables ties and so on, and that's fair enough. It's just not my cup of tea. You can try and help me with mine, if you want though).

Unfortunately, this can quickly become a problem with a hi-fi set-up, when players and speakers need cables for power, cables for music, cables for the sake of it sometimes. I've created some pretty hideous messes in the past.

Sometimes, that makes moving house quite a pain, because you're left tangling or untangling countless wires. It's why I thought it important to set up everything quickly when I moved: I could refresh my cable situation, making sure I had all my audio cables in position before any annoying extras needed to be added.

I'm glad I did, because in the week I've moved here, the behind-the-cabinet area has turned into a nest of vipers. If I had to add my turntable now, it'd give me a migraine trying to work out what goes where.

That's especially true of power plugs, which are few and far between in any rental flat. Where I've plugged in the turntable and speakers, I also have to find space for a refrigerator, internet router, separate internet box (yeah, my ISP really likes taking up power points apparently), and various other things.

Since I've yet to buy a splitter, I'm constantly playing musical chairs with the plugs, removing and replacing them to find space for my laptop charger or projector. Thankfully, since the turntable and speakers were there first, they're too embedded to remove.

Where do the records go?

(Image credit: Future)

When I first set up my turntable and speaker, I thought those pieces of kit getting central spots would be the end of my space issue. I was wrong. And I'm not just talking about the fact that my flatmate and I have far more UK pint glasses than our kitchen storage can cope with.

Records. I'm talking about records. They're pretty big, aren't they? A lot bigger than my Spotify collection, that's for sure, because that takes up zero space.

Partly, I'm talking about how tall and wide records are. They just don't stack on all shelves, so you need to be smart about where you place them.

But the biggest problem for my flatmate and I soon became just how many records we have between us. We must have far north of 50 collectively, which makes them hard to fit on any kind of shelf.

Unfortunately, I didn't think of this ahead of time, and we only realized the issue when we'd already settled in the living room. Where were our records going to go? We'd already filled the crevices in the cabinet with bowls and plates, and reaching the shelves required a stretch, so that was no cigar.

It took some reorganization to carve out a space for them in one of the cabinet's areas, and that's only a half measure, because I had to sacrifice about three-fifths of my collection to the black void that is my unpacked room. But our favorite records are within reach, at least.

If I'd have thought this far in advance, I'd have saved some more cabinet space for records. But it just goes to prove the point: a hi-fi system takes thought, and if you don't bring it into your home before anything else (yes, including bowls and cutlery and little ramekins of the sort I have far too many of), you end up having to totally reorganize when it's too late.