24/09/2025

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Windows 10 updates shut, leaving users stuck

Nvidia plans US$100b OpenAI investment SAN FRANCISCO: Nvidia will invest up to US$100 billion (RM420 billion) in OpenAI and supply it with data centre chips, the companies said on Monday, marking a tie-up between two of the highest-profile players in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race. The move underscores the increasingly overlapping interests of the various tech giants developing advanced AI systems. The deal gives chipmaker Nvidia a financial stake in the world’s most prominent AI company, which is already an important customer. At the same time, the investment gives OpenAI the cash and access it needs to buy advanced chips that are key to maintaining its dominance in an increasingly competitive landscape. Rivals of both companies may be concerned the partnership will undermine competition. The deal will involve two separate but intertwined transactions, according to a person close to OpenAI. Nvidia will start investing in OpenAI for non-voting shares once the deal is finalised, then OpenAI can use the cash to buy Nvidia’s chips, the person said. “Everything starts with compute,“ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a statement. “Compute infrastructure will be the basis for the economy of the future, and we will utilise what we’re building with Nvidia to both create new AI breakthroughs and empower people and businesses with them at scale.” The two companies signed a letter of intent to deploy at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia systems for OpenAI and said they aim to finalise partnership details in the coming weeks. The power for those chips is equivalent to the needs of more than 8 million US households. Nvidia shares rose as much as 4.4% after the announcement to a record intraday high, while data centre builder Oracle gained about 6%. Oracle is working with OpenAI, SoftBank and Microsoft on a US$500 billion project called Stargate, a plan to build massive AI data centres around the world. Under the new deal, once the two sides reach a definitive agreement for OpenAI to purchase Nvidia systems, Nvidia will invest an initial US$10 billion, the person familiar with the matter said. OpenAI was most recently valued at US$500 billion. Nvidia will start delivering hardware as soon as late 2026, with the first gigawatt of computing power to be deployed in the second half of that year on its upcoming platform named Vera Rubin. Analysts said the deal was positive for Nvidia but also voiced concerns about whether some of Nvidia’s investment dollars might be coming back to it in the form of chip purchases. “On the one hand, this helps OpenAI pursue its ambitious goals for compute infrastructure while ensuring Nvidia gets that hardware built. On the other hand, past concerns about the ‘circular’ nature of such deals will only intensify,” said Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon. OpenAI, like Google, Amazon and others, has been working on plans to build its own AI chips, aiming for a cheaper alternative to Nvidia. – Reuters

“Such a large volume of new (computer) purchases are also bad for the environment,” including by creating large amounts of hard-to recycle electronic waste, they added. How many users are affected? Microsoft declined to answer AFP’s request for data on how many Windows users are unable to upgrade. But Consumer Reports tallied 650 million people worldwide still using Windows 10 in August. Another American outfit, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) estimates that up to 400 million computers are incompatible with Windows 11. What are the dangers ? Users unable to make the switch and who do not pay for security updates face a bigger threat of cyberattacks. “By receiving no updates, you’re no longer protecting yourself against the most recent cybersecurity risks,” Kraemer said. Although the rise in exposure is “very difficult” to quantify for individual users, as a group they would become priority targets for attackers sniffing for security holes. As time goes on, Windows 10 users may also find themselves

unable to install the latest third-party software, said Paddy Harrington of American consulting firm Forrester. “Application vendors rely on the operating system vendor to provide certain features and functions,” Harrington pointed out. “If these are not updated, the app vendor can’t be assured that their application will continue to function properly.” What alternatives do users have? Even the most recent antivirus software may not be enough to protect an operating system no longer receiving updates. “There’s a limit to how much protection they can offer... it’s much better than doing nothing, but should be a temporary patch while you find a permanent solution,” Harrington said. Users determined to stick with their existing hardware could switch instead to a different operating system, such as the open-source alternative Linux – already the choice for many devices like internet servers and the basis for Google’s Android smartphone operating system. “As long as your applications support that OS and your management and security tools will support it, it’s a good choice,” Harrington said. – AFP

o Consumer groups warn millions may be forced into costly upgrades, raising fears of cyberattacks and e-waste

PARIS: Microsoft’s plan to halt updates for its Windows 10 operating system in mid-October has raised hackles among campaign groups and left some users worried they must buy new computers to be safe from cyberattacks. Here is what you need to know about the planned end of support for the software. What happens on Oct 14 ? Computers running Microsoft’s 2015-vintage Windows 10 will receive no further updates from the American tech giant from Oct 14. Such downloads were used to “regularly patch (update) the operating system because it had become the target of many cyberattacks”, said Martin Kraemer, a computer security expert with American firm KnowBe4. What does this mean for users? Microsoft has urged its customers to upgrade to the latest version of its operating system: Windows 11, MONTREAL: A global gathering of aviation leaders starting yesterday in Montreal will need to navigate international rifts as it confronts high tech threats, rising pollution from flights and labour shortages. Technology is easing global aviation but remains vulnerable to attacks, with some of Europe’s biggest airports still facing disruptions on Monday after hackers knocked out automated check-in systems. Delegates to the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation’s triennial assembly from Sept 23 to Oct 3 have called for international cooperation to counter cyber threats. The agency, born in 1944 to manage the skies with a consensus-driven approach, is facing geopolitical tensions. Its 36-state governing council has weighed in on Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and actions by North Korea, reproaching them for disturbances to critical satellite navigation systems that violated international rules on aviation. “You know even during the Cold War era, after the USSR joined ICAO, there was cooperation in this very particular technical field that was not taking place outside,“ said Vincent Correia, co-director of McGill University’s Institute of Air and Space Law in Montreal. “I tend to be optimistic, but I know as well that the tensions are very, very high at the moment.” In a working paper, North Korea accused ICAO’s council of a double standard for not taking action against South Korea for alleged

released in 2021. But the company is also offering a US$30 (RM126) one-year extension of Windows 10 security updates for users whose computer hardware is not compatible with the new operating system. Consumer groups have blasted the move. “The lack of backwards compatibility for certain Windows 10 machines sold only a couple of years ago is a blow to consumers’ pocketbooks” as they face being forced to upgrade, US campaign organisation Consumer Reports said in a blog post last week. In Europe, French groups such as End Planned Obsolescence (HOP) have started a petition demanding free updates extending to 2030. Germany’s Verbraucherzentrale federation of consumer groups said in May that the move “worries consumers and leaves them unable to make free purchase decisions”.

UN aviation meet opens amid cyber threats, global tensions

military drone infiltration of its skies. Moscow did not comment. It said in a statement that the Russian delegation will work on promoting the country’s bid for membership on council, after losing its seat during the last assembly in 2022. Reuters reported on Monday that Russia is also calling for an easing of aviation related boycotts. Countries and carriers will also be under pressure to make advances on reducing pollution from flight, with airline asking for a hiring code of conduct to avoid its pilots being poached. Global passenger traffic is projected to grow to 7.2 billion by 2035, compared with 4.6 billion travelers in 2024. An additional 670,000 pilots alone will be needed by 2043, ICAO estimates. Brazil, whose travel sector is expected to grow 10% a year, is trying to attract and retain more women and minorities as it is already short on mechanics and fears a bigger shortfall looming. – Reuters With passenger traffic set to hit 7.2 billion by 2035, leaders weigh how to keep skies safe and sustainable. – UNSPLASH PIX trade group IATA acknowledging that the industry will not hit a target of reducing emissions by 5% in 2030. “It is clear that there are some airlines who struggle to see how we can afford the transition to net zero,“ IATA director-general Willie Walsh told reporters last week. Walsh said carriers were still committed to reducing pollution. Aviation is facing a staffing shortage as travel has spiked since the end of the pandemic, with India