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21 May 2025

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Celonis, Uniper & Microsoft drive AI-powered energy overhaul
Celonis, Uniper and Microsoft join forces to accelerate AI-driven digital transformation and operational excellence in the global energy sector.

Meridian Energy to replace five transformers at Manapouri Power Station
Meridian said the decision came after advice from independent experts.

Ventiva’s fanless cooling wants to revolutionize tomorrow’s laptops
Ventiva’s fanless PC cooling technology is evolving from a curiosity to what appears to be a genuine game-changer: not only is it demonstrating 45W cooling capabilities with two partners, but Ventiva is also claiming that its ICE9 system can cool up to 100 watts of thermal energy as well. Dell — the partner with which Ventiva originally worked with — is one of the companies interested in the 45W cooling solution. The other is Compal, a “white box” contract manufacturer that builds PCs for any number of vendors who then claim them as their own. Ventiva surfaced late last year, and we sat down with company executives at CES 2025. Rivals like Frore or xMEMS use a vibrating membrane to replicate the actions of a fan, moving cool air over heated elements within a PC and then outside the system. Ventiva essentially ionizes the air, which is pushed away from a charged wire and creates airflow. The amount of air moved, and how much cooling is applied, depends on a few factors: the size of the cooling component (which Ventiva calls an ICE), how much charge is applied, and how many ICE devices are working together. At CES 2025, however, Ventiva was talking about moving just 25 watts’ worth of thermal energy, enough for the 15W of an Intel Core Ultra “Meteor Lake”-U chip, for example., but not quite enough for the 28W “Arrow Lake” chips or the rival Ryzen AI 300 processors, whose TDPs are also about 28W. By pushing up to 40W, Ventiva’s partnerships with Compal and Dell would allow both companies to design laptop reference designs that could accommodate a wider variety of PC processors, including while they were running in excess of their rated TDP in turbo mode. The ICE technology is less than 12mm high, allowing thinner laptops to be made. Ventiva is also looking at the future. The company is demonstrating a 100W test laptop at Computex 2025 this week, which it will presumably use to strike even more partnerships. “AI-driven laptops are transforming the way we work, create, and play, but their increasing thermal output requires a new level of device heat management,” said Carl Schlachte, chairman, president and chief executive of Ventiva, in a statement. “This is our highest-performing thermal management system to date, enabling laptop OEMs and ODMs to push power to the limit, and stay totally cool, under any workload, from 3D design to AI development to immersive game playing.” While 100 watts of cooling is well below what gaming laptops can consume under full load, there’s certainly a chance that a midrange laptop might be able to use Ventiva’s solution for some sort of gaming application. And boy, wouldn’t a silent gaming laptop — without the need to dunk it in a vat of coolant — be a thing of beauty?

Meridian to replace transformers at Manapouri
Meridian Energy Limited will replace five of the transformers at Manapouri Power Station over the next two and a half years after receiving advice from independent transformer experts

JBL’s take-on-the-go Bluetooth speaker is at its lowest ever price
It’s that time of year again when the sun beckons us to go out and bask in its warmth once more. And I don’t know about you, but I love listening to music pretty much everywhere I go. This summer, take your music with you anywhere with the ultra-portable JBL Clip 5 Bluetooth speaker that’s now slashed down to just $49.95 on Amazon, matching the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this travel-friendly accessory. Unlike JBL’s other speaker lines, this one is fairly small and, as the name suggests, able to be clipped right onto your backpack, hooked onto your chair, looped into your belt loops, etc. And at just 280 grams, it’s light enough to carry around without it dragging you down. But small doesn’t mean weak. It lasts up to 12 hours on a full charge, plus 3 more hours if you activate Playtime Boost with a button press (which optimizes energy efficiency by tweaking sound output). If it wasn’t already obvious, JBL wants you to take this speaker with you everywhere, which is why it has an IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating. That means it’ll survive hikes, pool parties, and even beach trips. That said, you can even use it indoors. Why not? Enjoy great music while doing chores around your house, yard work, or relaxing on your patio. Whether you’re the heart of the party or the one who asks everyone to leave by 9pm, get yourself the JBL Clip 5 for under $50. It’s one of the best travel-friendly Bluetooth speakers at this price. Save 38% and get your party started with the JBL Clip 5Buy now at Amazon