Federal program supports development of fault-tolerant quantum computing in CanadaTORONTO, Dec. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc. (“Xanadu”), a leading photonic quantum computing company, today announced that it has been selected to participate in the Canadian Quantum Champions Program (CQCP), a new, first-of-its-kind federal initiative designed to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing capabilities in Canada and anchor the country’s quantum leadership for ...

Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NASDAQ:ACB) ranks among the best sin stocks to buy in 2026. Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NASDAQ:ACB) has recently been making significant market growth in Europe and Australia, with the company stating on December 2 that its subsidiary, MedReleaf Australia, has signed a distribution agreement with Leafio, Montu Australia’s wholesale arm. The partnership intends to give medical professionals training materials while expanding patient access to medical cannabis products throughout Australia. ...

Core Insights - Oklo is positioned as a leading nuclear start-up with a multibillion-dollar market valuation despite reporting zero revenue, driven by the potential of small, modular nuclear reactors to meet future energy demands [1][3] - The company's path to commercialization hinges on successfully navigating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval process, with significant milestones expected in 2026 [3][8] Company Developments - In 2025, Oklo completed a phase 1 pre-application readiness assessment with the NRC, indicating that its microreactor design, Aurora, is prepared for a more in-depth regulatory review [5][6] - The completion of this phase is seen as a meaningful sign of progress, especially following the NRC's rejection of Oklo's previous license application in 2022 due to insufficient information [6] - Oklo has gained support through two Department of Energy initiatives: the Reactor Pilot Program and the Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aim to expedite the NRC regulatory process [7] Future Outlook - The Reactor Pilot Program aims to activate at least three test reactors by July 4, 2026, with Oklo's design being one of them, which would serve as a significant validation of its technology [7] - Overall, these developments suggest that 2026 will be a pivotal year for Oklo, potentially advancing its application into a more substantive review stage and moving closer to deploying its first Aurora reactor by late 2027 [8]

Core Insights - The 66th TOP500 supercomputer ranking was announced at the SC25 conference, highlighting the deployment of Germany's JUPITER Booster, which has achieved exascale performance, marking it as Europe's first exascale supercomputer and the fourth globally [1][8]. Group 1: Supercomputer Rankings - The top three positions in the ranking are held by the U.S. Department of Energy's El Capitan, Frontier, and Aurora, with El Capitan achieving a performance of 1.809 Exaflop/s, an increase from 1.742 Exaflop/s in the previous ranking [3][5]. - Frontier maintains its second position with a performance of 1.353 Exaflop/s, while Aurora remains third at 1.012 Exaflop/s, showing no change compared to previous rankings [5]. Group 2: European Achievements - The JUPITER Booster, based on the BullSequana XH3000 architecture, has successfully crossed the exascale threshold with a performance of 1 Exaflop/s, representing a significant milestone for Europe in the supercomputing domain [8][10]. - The presence of JUPITER, along with Finland's LUMI and Italy's Leonardo, in the TOP10 reflects the success of the EU's EuroHPC initiative, which aims to enhance Europe's competitiveness in supercomputing through collaborative resource integration [10][11]. Group 3: Global Investment Trends - Countries are significantly increasing their investments in supercomputing, with the U.S. planning to invest $1 billion for two new generation supercomputers, the UK launching a £2 billion investment for a world-class computing ecosystem, and the EU enhancing its EuroHPC network to strengthen its AI capabilities [12]. - Despite not having new systems in the TOP500 recently, China continues to advance its supercomputing research and development, indicating a trend towards a multipolar global computing landscape [12]. Group 4: International Collaboration - The competition in the supercomputing field is not a zero-sum game, as demonstrated by Europe's EuroHPC initiative, which promotes cross-national collaboration and resource integration to achieve exascale breakthroughs [13]. - There is a need for an open collaborative system across regions and disciplines to address global challenges such as climate change and energy transition, emphasizing the role of supercomputers in advancing technology for sustainable development [13].

Core Insights - The 66th TOP500 list reveals that the "JUPITER Booster" from Germany has become the first E-class supercomputer in Europe, achieving a performance of 1 Exaflop/s, marking a significant milestone for European supercomputing [1][4] - The top three positions in the list remain dominated by U.S. Department of Energy's supercomputers: "El Capitan," "Frontier," and "Aurora," which have maintained their rankings without any new entrants in the top ten [1][3] Group 1: Supercomputer Rankings - "El Capitan" retains the top position with a performance of 1.809 Exaflop/s, an increase from 1.742 Exaflop/s in the previous ranking, and continues to lead in multiple benchmark tests [3] - "Frontier" holds the second position with a consistent performance of 1.353 Exaflop/s, while "Aurora" remains third with a performance of 1.012 Exaflop/s, showing no change from previous rankings [3] - The "JUPITER Booster" ranks fourth, achieving a performance of 1 Exaflop/s, making it the fourth E-class supercomputer globally [4] Group 2: Investment and Development Trends - Global investment in supercomputing is increasing, with the U.S. planning to invest $1 billion for two new generation supercomputers, focusing on integrated computing [5] - The UK has initiated the Isambard-AI project with a £2 billion investment plan to create a world-class computing ecosystem [5] - The EU is enhancing its EuroHPC high-performance computing network through the "AI Continent Action Plan," aiming to strengthen its competitive edge in the AI era [5] Group 3: International Collaboration and Future Directions - The EuroHPC initiative exemplifies successful multinational collaboration in achieving E-class breakthroughs, providing a model for international cooperation in supercomputing [6] - The supercomputing sector is characterized by technological competition, including architecture innovation and energy efficiency, necessitating a collaborative approach across regions and disciplines [6] - The focus on building a shared ecosystem and collaborative research is essential for addressing global challenges such as climate change and energy transition [6]

RT Avi Chawla (@_avichawla)How to build a RAG app on AWS!The visual below shows the exact flow of how a simple RAG system works inside AWS, using services you already know.At its core, RAG is a two-stage pattern:- Ingestion (prepare knowledge)- Querying (use knowledge)Below is how each stage works in practice.> Ingestion: Turning raw data into searchable knowledge- Your documents live in S3 or any internal data source.- Whenever something new is added, a Lambda ingestion function kicks in.- It cleans, proce ...

Core Insights - Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc. has advanced to Stage B of DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, positioning itself as a leader in utility-scale photonic quantum computing [1][2][3] - The QBI aims to evaluate which quantum computing approaches can achieve utility-scale and provide value within realistic budgets and timelines [2] - Xanadu's photonic quantum computing architecture offers advantages such as minimal cooling requirements, enhanced qubit connectivity, and a modular design, which are essential for practical quantum computing [3][4] Company Developments - Xanadu is set to present its strategic roadmap for developing a fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computer during the intensive year-long examination of Stage B [2][4] - The company recently announced a business combination agreement with Crane Harbor Acquisition Corp, expected to yield approximately US$500 million in gross proceeds, assuming no redemptions [5] - The combined entity will be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market and the Toronto Stock Exchange, enhancing its visibility and access to capital markets [5] Industry Impact - Xanadu's advancements in quantum computing are expected to deliver practical value across various industries, including drug discovery, advanced chemistry, aerospace, defense, and AI [4] - Successful completion of Stage B will allow Xanadu to advance to Stage C, where its quantum computer concept will be verified and validated [4]

Core Insights - Nuclear energy is experiencing a resurgence as a viable clean energy source, projected to become the world's second-largest low carbon electricity source by 2024, with U.S. generation capacity expected to quadruple by 2050 [1][2]. Company Summaries 1. Oklo - Oklo is developing a small, fast-spectrum reactor named Aurora, capable of supplying up to 75 megawatts of electric power, suitable for data centers [4]. - The reactor is designed to operate on high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), allowing for up to 10 years of operation without refueling [5]. - Currently pre-revenue and awaiting regulatory approval, Oklo is part of a government program to expedite the permitting process, aiming to activate its first reactor by mid-2026 [7]. 2. Centrus Energy - Centrus Energy is the only U.S. company licensed to produce HALEU, making it a critical partner for Oklo [8]. - The company primarily generates revenue from low-enriched uranium (LEU) sales, with some procurement from foreign sources [10]. - Centrus has a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to produce HALEU through June 30, 2026, with options for eight additional years, positioning it as a key supplier for the domestic HALEU market [11]. 3. NuScale Power - NuScale is designing small modular reactors (SMRs) and has received design approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, marking it as the first and only SMR to achieve this [12]. - The company is currently engaged in front-end engineering work for Romania's first SMR power plant, with a decision on full construction expected by mid-2026 [13]. - Like Oklo and Centrus, NuScale's technology remains unproven at a commercial scale, indicating potential volatility as it seeks to generate revenue [14].

Core Points - Aurora Cannabis Inc. has scheduled a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2026 financial results on November 5, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time [1][2] - The company will release its financial results before the market opens on the same day [1] - Miguel Martin, Executive Chairman and CEO, and Simona King, CFO, will host the conference call [2] Company Overview - Aurora Cannabis is a leading global medical cannabis company based in Edmonton, Alberta, serving both medical and consumer markets across Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand [3] - The company's brand portfolio includes various adult-use brands such as Drift, San Rafael '71, Daily Special, Tasty's, Being, and Greybeard, as well as medical cannabis brands like MedReleaf, CanniMed, Aurora, and Whistler Medical Marijuana Co [3] - Aurora holds a controlling interest in Bevo Farms Ltd., a major supplier of propagated agricultural plants in North America [3] - The company emphasizes science and innovation, focusing on high-quality cannabis products to lead in medical, wellness, and adult recreational markets [3][4]

Core Insights - The article discusses the introduction of the "Variable Adaptive Mixture of Experts (VA-MoE)" model by research teams from the University of Hong Kong and Zhejiang University, which aims to enhance weather forecasting by allowing for incremental learning without the need for complete retraining when new variables or stations are added [1][2]. Group 1: Model Overview - VA-MoE utilizes a phased training approach and variable indexing embedding mechanism to guide different expert modules to focus on specific types of meteorological variables, significantly reducing computational costs while maintaining accuracy [1][2]. - The model is designed to address the challenges posed by the asynchronous nature of meteorological data collection, which often requires full retraining of existing AI models when new variables are introduced [2]. Group 2: Research Highlights - The research results have been accepted at the ICCV25 conference under the title "VA-MoE: Variables-Adaptive Mixture of Experts for Incremental Weather Forecasting" [3]. - The study employs the ERA5 dataset, which includes continuous meteorological observation data from 1979 to the present, ensuring a comprehensive experimental foundation [5]. Group 3: Experimental Design - The dataset is divided into high-altitude variables for initial training and ground variables for incremental training, simulating the dynamic expansion of variables in actual observations [6][10]. - The initial training phase uses 40 years of data (1979-2020), while the incremental training phase uses 20 years of data (2000-2020) to adapt to new variable introductions [8]. Group 4: Performance Evaluation - VA-MoE has been shown to outperform similar models in upper-air variable forecasting, achieving significant improvements even with reduced data and parameters [7][20]. - The model's two-stage training strategy allows it to maintain or improve accuracy when new ground variables are introduced, demonstrating its capability to learn new information without losing previously acquired knowledge [20][21]. Group 5: Industry Implications - The advancements in AI-driven weather forecasting, as exemplified by VA-MoE, indicate a shift towards more efficient and adaptable modeling techniques that can better handle the complexities of meteorological data [22]. - The ongoing collaboration between academia and industry is expected to further drive innovations in weather modeling, enhancing predictive capabilities and operational efficiencies [23][25].