The jobs will be in areas such as software engineering, applied sciences, data science, design, technical writing and analytics.

Read more: Microsoft to create 550 Irish-based jobs in R&D investment

People have long dreamed of self-driving cars and humanoid robots, but the revolution has been slow. Why is that? Founder of robotic therapy equipment start-up RoboSculptor, Dennis Ledenkof talks about factors that hinder the development of robotics.

Read more: 5 challenges for robotic development

A number of new measures have been announced as part of Ireland’s national AI strategy, including expanded upskilling initiatives.

Read more: Irish Government unveils ‘refreshed’ national AI strategy

Anton Shilov reports via Tom's Hardware: FFmpeg is an open-source video decoding project developed by volunteers who contribute to its codebase, fix bugs, and add new features. The project is led by a small group of core developers and maintainers who oversee its direction and ensure that contributions meet certain standards. They coordinate the project's development and release cycles, merging contributions from other developers. This group of developers tried to implement a handwritten AVX512 assembly code path, something that has rarely been done before, at least not in the video industry. The developers have created an optimized code path using the AVX-512 instruction set to accelerate specific functions within the FFmpeg multimedia processing library. By leveraging AVX-512, they were able to achieve significant performance improvements -- from three to 94 times faster -- compared to standard implementations. AVX-512 enables processing large chunks of data in parallel using 512-bit registers, which can handle up to 16 single-precision FLOPS or 8 double-precision FLOPS in one operation. This optimization is ideal for compute-heavy tasks in general, but in the case of video and image processing in particular. The benchmarking results show that the new handwritten AVX-512 code path performs considerably faster than other implementations, including baseline C code and lower SIMD instruction sets like AVX2 and SSSE3. In some cases, the revamped AVX-512 codepath achieves a speedup of nearly 94 times over the baseline, highlighting the efficiency of hand-optimized assembly code for AVX-512.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Starting November 11, TSMC plans to stop supplying 7 nm and smaller chips to Chinese companies working on AI processors and GPUs. "The move is reportedly to ensure it remains compliant with US export restrictions," reports The Register. From the report: This will not affect Chinese customers wanting 7 nm chips from TSMC for other applications such as mobile and communications, according to Nikkei, which said the overall impact on the chipmaker's revenue is likely to be minimal. TrendForce further cites another China-based source who claims the move was at the behest of the US Department of Commerce, which informed TSMC that any such shipments should not proceed unless approved and licensed by its BIS (Bureau of Industry and Security). We asked the agency for confirmation. Any moves by the silicon supremo is likely to be out of caution to pre-empt accusations from Washington that it isn't doing enough to prevent advanced technology from getting into the hands of Chinese entities that have been sanctioned. As TrendForce notes, it "highlights the foundry giant's delicate position in the global semiconductor supply chain amid the heating chip war between the world's two superpowers."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Altair is known for its computational science and AI for industrial simulation and data analytics.

Read more: Siemens to buy Altair for $10bn to boost industrial software

ERICO® and TRUFAST® have teamed together to market the CADDY® PYRAMID family of rooftop pipe and equipment supports to the roofing market in North America.

In this session, learn about an exciting new nationwide apprenticeship program that addresses the workforce shortage plaguing the roofing industry.

Expert panel to discuss unlocking the value and power of women in the roofing industry, and why both genders should lean in.

Within eight decades, Bradford Roof Management has grown from a small sole proprietorship in the local Billing, Mont. area into a small but mightily influential company whose name and intellectual property extend far beyond the Northern Rocky Mountain region.

Beacon's Female Roofing Professional of the Year knows a thing or two about honest roofing, exceeding expectations and winning elections.

In the first seven months of this year, there have been over 5,000 I-9 audits of U.S. workplaces.

The U.S. Labor Dept. has launched an initiative to improve safety and enforcement in the engineered stone industry due to severe health risks from silica dust exposure. 

The EEOC has published “Promising Practices for Preventing Harassment in the Construction Industry,” a guideline recommending committed leadership, accountability, comprehensive policies, accessible complaint procedures, and tailored training to ensure a harassment-free workplace. 

The founder and owner of Red Dog’s Roofing wants to encourage the next generation to explore the rewarding careers roofing has to offer.

A biological scientist by education, Jared Jimenez always enjoyed building. After years of working for corporate America, he decided to build something new: a roofing company in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.

Westlake Royal Building Products introduced SwiftGuard, a synthetic roofing underlayment for steel, tile, shingle and shake roofing.

The 2022 IRE kicks off ABC Supply’s 40th anniversary celebration happening throughout 2022.

New single-ply membranes for roof replacement by Viking Products offers more options to roofing contractors.

With the pandemic causing added stress and anxiety, employers must show empathy and make available support and resources for employees suffering from mental health issues.

Now is the time to take the necessary steps to ensure your roofing company is in compliance with various safety and labor laws.

If roofing contractors don’t think train derailments will have an impact on workplace safety regulations, they should think again, said Legal Insights expert Trent Cotney.

A roundup of products and materials offered to the roofing industry. This month, check out the latest offerings in Safety Tools and Equipment.

MFM Building Products' Ultra HT Wind & Water Seal underlayment recently earned a UL Class A Fire Rating, enhancing its reputation as a top choice for steep-slope roofing projects.

IMETCO introduces IntelliWrap PR, a self-adhering, vapor-permeable roofing underlayment for steep and low-slope roofs, offering moisture protection, air-tight sealing, and easy installation.

The new synthetic underlayment from Veer Plastics achieved certification to the nail seal standard of ASTM D1970, making it one of the most reliable and high-performance underlayments on the market.

Construction workers are more likely to die by suicide or overdose than every other workplace-related fatality combined. Learn how to prevent such tragedies at this IRE educational session.

Holcim US announced a planned investment of around $100 million in its flagship Ste. Genevieve, Mo., production plant, expanding capacity by over 600,000 metric tons of cement while also reducing net CO2 emissions. 

Tesla's solar deployment continued to drop in the final quarter of 2023, though its energy storage saw massive increases compared to last year.

Fintech firm SquareDash has partnered with iink Payments to streamline insurance claim payments so that contractors can receive funds within 24-48 hours through digital check endorsements and cash flow acceleration.

Learn why contractors chose to install 82,000 square feet of McElroy Metal’s 24-gauge Medallion-Lok 16-inch standing seam metal roofing for a school district's eighth prototype building.

The Cypress Cove project involved installing a snap lock metal roofing system across a series of complex roofing structures — more than 500,000 square feet of surface in total.

M3 Roofing in Miami took on a 6,000 square-foot reroofing with the help of Polyglass' multi-ply roofing system.

Learn the risks and rewards of planning for a management buyout to exit your contracting business

Rick Damato, editorial director of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro, has decided to leave his quill in the ink well and retire after more than 40 years in media. He offers his thoughts and well wishes to readers.

View just a few of the images captured during the seventh annual NWiR Days, held Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas.

CertainTeed will donate a percentage of its sales from each of its co-branded GlasRoc Sheathing boards to the Susan G. Komen organization from October 2024 to October 2025.

A team of project analysts breaks down how they developed insurance supplements into a new and significant revenue stream for Built Strong Exteriors.

Roofing companies struggling to find the right technology to help their organization grow should use workflow maps to determine what products suit their needs, says Ryan Resides of Division 7 Roofing.

Holcim Building Envelope offers advice on assessing a roof's condition for the most effective repair options.

A new I-9 employment eligibility form allows opportunities for roofers to streamline operations and verify remotely

S-5! and National Women in Roofing have collaborated to launch a scholarship program supporting women pursuing careers in the skilled trades by offering financial aid, mentorship, and educational resources.

Roofing contractors will want to keep an eye out for synthetic underlayments meeting the ASTM’s new standard in the coming months.

SRS welcomes several special guests and a trio of country music bands, including the legendary duo Big & Rich, on stage at the Sugar Mill during the 2022 IRE.

In this session, industry leaders will cover some of the best and easiest ways you can grow and improve your business by aligning with your suppliers. 

MicroGuard, a series of antifungal additives for PVC, PU, and EVA applications, including foam, has been developed as a non-leaching antifungal agent free from metals and arsenic-based OBPA.

2023 International Roofing Expo keynote speaker Chris Czarnik offers a sober outlook on future difficulties facing the roofing industry's search for qualified workers and what steps contractors should take to ensure their talent pool remains full.

How to be an ally for women roofers in a male-dominated industry: NWiR session, initiatives, and background explained.

E-sports is already drawing massive crowds to packed arenas, and now League of Ireland teams are looking to join in.

Read more: League of Ireland teams establish major national e-sports tournament

Public-sector entities can improve customer service, delivery of benefits and services, efficiency, transparency, and more.