Good Morning! Today we're diving into how faster, more efficient coding could actually help fight climate change by reducing power consumption and carbon emissions. Meta's joining forces with Elon Musk to challenge OpenAI's controversial shift from non-profit to for-profit status, while Google's making waves in the spatial computing world with their new Android XR SDK that brings familiar Android development tools into the extended reality space.

— Forrest Knight & Meghanadh Vasireddy

Want Your Code to Fight Climate Change? Make it Faster!

Context: As developers, we often think about code optimization for speed and cost savings. But here's an interesting angle: faster code could actually help combat climate change. A recent article by Itamar Turner-Trauring explores this fascinating connection between computation and carbon emissions.

Through hands-on experiments using Linux's perf tool, Turner-Trauring demonstrated how CPU usage directly correlates with power consumption. In one test, a simple Python program running computations for 5 seconds used 138.91 Joules, while a sleep command used only 7.12 Joules. But here's the cool part - optimizing code can reduce emissions in two ways:

• Reducing computation through more efficient code (a SIMD implementation used 19.83 Joules vs. 69.81 Joules for scalar code)

• Leveraging parallelism across multiple cores (parallel execution used 12 Joules vs. 21 Joules for single-core)

Impact: While individual developers working on small-scale applications might not see significant environmental impact, popular libraries like NumPy (with 354 million monthly downloads) could make a real difference. Even minor optimizations in widely-used software can lead to substantial reductions in electricity usage and, consequently, carbon emissions.

So next time you're optimizing code, remember - you're not just making it faster, you might be helping the planet too!

Meta Joins Fight Against OpenAI Profit Switch

Meta has joined Elon Musk's battle against OpenAI's non-profit to for-profit conversion, escalating tensions in the AI industry. The company sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, arguing that OpenAI's transition could create a problematic precedent in Silicon Valley's startup ecosystem.

What's at Stake: The core technical and legal dispute centers on OpenAI's transformation from a 501(c)(3) non-profit to a for-profit entity while retaining assets developed under its charitable status. Meta argues this could enable a new startup pattern:

• Collect tax-free donations for R&D

• Develop core technology without profit pressures

• Convert to for-profit once commercially viable

• Retain benefits and assets from non-profit phase

Technical Impact: The situation highlights a critical intersection of AI development governance and business structures. OpenAI's board chair Bret Taylor maintains that any restructuring would preserve the non-profit's mission while ensuring it receives full value for its stake in the for-profit entity. However, this unprecedented transition raises questions about how foundational AI research and development should be structured, especially as models like GPT transition from research projects to commercial products generating billions in revenue.

Read More Here

Google Unleashes Android XR SDK: Mobile Dev Gets Spatial

Remember when Android was just for phones and tablets? Well, Google just dropped a game-changer with their Android XR SDK Developer Preview, bringing Android development into the spatial computing era. This isn't just another VR platform – it's a full extension of the Android ecosystem you already know and love.

The coolest part? Most Android apps will work in XR right out of the box. For those wanting to go deeper, the SDK offers some serious spatial superpowers through familiar tools:

Core Features:

• Jetpack Compose for XR for declarative spatial UI

• SceneCore library for 3D content management

• ARCore integration for real-world interaction

• Full OpenXR 1.1 compliance with custom extensions

• Native Unity 6 support via OpenXR

• WebXR compatibility in Chrome

Tech Deep-Dive: The SDK isn't just slapping 2D apps into a virtual space. It's bringing serious tech to the table with AI-powered hand tracking, depth-aware occlusion, and environmental light estimation. Plus, it's all built on open standards like glTF 2.0 and OpenEXR, making it a breeze to work with existing 3D assets and tools.

Want to get your hands dirty? Google's hosting developer bootcamps in early 2025 with pre-release hardware access. Time to start thinking spatially!

🔥 More Notes

• HDMI 2.2 will be announced next month — and it may require a new cable

• Rhode Island’s online benefits system shuts down after cyberattack

• Klarna’s CEO says it stopped hiring thanks to AI but still advertises many open positions

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