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Texas Instruments announces award agreement for CHIPS and Science Act funding
UK watchdog flags concerns in $35 billion Synopsys-Ansys dealIndiana got what it wanted Tuesday night in a 97-71 rout of Sam Houston State -- a lopsided victory where its bench played well and it didn't have to go down to the wire. The Hoosiers will look for more of the same Friday night in Bloomington when they continue their homestand against nonconference foe Miami (Ohio). Four players scored in double figures for Indiana (6-2) against the Bearkats, including 18 from reserve Luke Goode. The Illinois transfer hit four 3-pointers in less than four minutes of the first half, enabling the Hoosiers to take a 34-12 lead. Led by Goode, Indiana's bench contributed a whopping 36 points. "I thought it was a total team effort on everybody's part," Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson said. "Helps when your bench come off and play the way they did. Goode was fantastic but everybody off the bench played well." Indiana also got an encouraging 19-point performance from point guard Myles Rice, who struggled a bit in the first seven games in terms of making shots and running the offense. Rice (11.1 ppg) is one of four double-figure scorers in an attack led by Mackenzie Mgbako (16.8). Meanwhile, the RedHawks (5-2) are coming off a 73-60 home win Monday against Air Force. Bellarmine transfer Peter Suder poured in a career-high 42 points on 17-of-21 shooting, the highest-scoring game in program history since Wally Szczerbiak scored 43 in 1999. Suder, who averaged 10.5 ppg as a sophomore last season, is up to 17.4 ppg this season. He's hitting 58.8 percent of his field goals while also chipping in 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals. "I always say players win games, man. Coaches lose games," Miami coach Travis Steele told the Journal-News. "Peter was phenomenal. It was just get out of the way and just let him go." Forward Kam Craft, who Steele landed out of high school when he was still coaching at Xavier, is the RedHawks' second-leading scorer at 14.1 ppg. The Hoosiers have won 22 of the previous 25 meetings, including an 86-56 rout two years ago in Indianapolis. --Field Level Media
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Cyber cheats dupe citizens of ₹1.58 croreNEWS HIGHLIGHTS: LEHI, Utah and SHERMAN, Texas , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Instruments (TI) (Nasdaq: TXN) and the U.S. Department of Commerce today announced an award agreement of up to $1.6 billion in direct funding through the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, following the preliminary memorandum of terms announced in August 2024 . The funding will help support three of TI's new 300mm wafer fabs currently under construction in Texas and Utah. Support from the CHIPS Act, including the 25% investment tax credit, will help TI provide a geopolitically dependable supply of essential analog and embedded processing semiconductors. "As the largest analog and embedded processing semiconductor manufacturer in the U.S., TI is uniquely positioned to provide dependable, low-cost 300mm semiconductor manufacturing capacity at scale," said Haviv Ilan, president and CEO of Texas Instruments. "The increasing number of electronic devices in our lives depend on our foundational chips, and we appreciate the support from the U.S. government to make the semiconductor ecosystem stronger and more resilient." The CHIPS Act direct funding will support TI's investments through 2029 for three large-scale 300mm wafer fabs in Sherman, Texas (SM1 and SM2), and Lehi, Utah (LFAB2). Together, these fabs will manufacture tens of millions of analog and embedded processing chips every day that are critical to a variety of end markets, including automotive, industrial, personal electronics, communications equipment and enterprise systems. Specifically, the CHIPS Act direct funding will be distributed upon completion of project milestones, supporting: These connected, multi-fab sites in Texas and Utah will benefit from shared infrastructure, talent and technology sharing, and a strong network of existing suppliers and community partners. Combined, TI's three new fabs in Texas and Utah will create 2,000 company jobs, along with thousands of indirect jobs for construction, suppliers and supporting industries. TI is also investing in building its future workforce. As part of the CHIPS Act award agreement, TI will also receive up to $10 million for workplace development efforts in Texas and Utah . Consistent with TI's longstanding commitment to responsible, sustainable manufacturing and environmental stewardship, the company's 300mm wafer fabs will be entirely powered by renewable electricity. Additionally, TI is committed to reducing overall water consumption across its operations, endeavoring to achieve a 70% water reuse capability in Sherman, Texas , and Lehi , Utah. All of TI's new 300mm fabs are also designed to meet LEED Gold standards for structural efficiency and sustainability. Learn more: Notice regarding forward-looking statements This release includes forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as TI or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "forecasts," "estimates" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe TI's business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. See Item 1A of TI's most recent Form 10-K for a detailed discussion of risk factors that could cause results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. If we do update any forward-looking statement, you should not infer that we will make additional updates with respect to that statement or any other forward-looking statement. About Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (Nasdaq: TXN) is a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures, and sells analog and embedded processing chips for markets such as industrial, automotive, personal electronics, communications equipment and enterprise systems. At our core, we have a passion to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors. This passion is alive today as each generation of innovation builds upon the last to make our technology more reliable, more affordable and lower power, making it possible for semiconductors to go into electronics everywhere. Learn more at TI.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/texas-instruments-announces-award-agreement-for-chips-and-science-act-funding-302337541.html SOURCE Texas Instruments
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Video Live Streaming Software Market 2024: A Decade of Phenomenal Growth AheadIndiana encouraged by 'total team effort' with Miami (OH) up nextCauses are historic The early 21st century has been a period of significant economic transitions, marked by technological advancements, globalization, and dynamic geopolitical shifts. Between 2000 and 2024, the global economic landscape underwent dramatic phases of stability, crisis, recovery, and recalibration. This essay examines the key events shaping global GDP growth and inflation trends, exploring the complexities of economic stability in advanced and emerging markets. The early 2000s witnessed stable global GDP growth rates, ranging from 2.5 percent to 5.3 percent, following stabilization efforts after the dot-com bubble burst. This period was characterized by moderate economic expansion, driven by: Despite these gains, vulnerabilities persisted. The financial and structural risks embedded in global markets became evident in subsequent years. The 2008 global financial crisis marked the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. The collapse of financial markets, triggered by subprime mortgage failures and excessive leverage in financial institutions, led to a dramatic contraction in global GDP, which declined by 0.4 percent in 2009. The crisis had widespread repercussions: While recovery efforts in 2010 resulted in a brief rebound, with global growth peaking at 5.2 percent, the recovery was uneven. Persistent structural weaknesses, such as high unemployment and sluggish investment in advanced economies, hindered long-term recovery. During the 2010s, global GDP growth stabilized between 3 percent and 4 percent, reflecting a balance between growth in emerging markets and slower expansion in advanced economies. This stabilization, however, masked underlying vulnerabilities: Despite these challenges, the 2010s were marked by cautious optimism, with global trade and investment flows remaining robust. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused an unprecedented economic contraction. Global GDP growth plummeted to -2.7 percent as the pandemic disrupted supply chains, labor markets, and trade flows. The pandemic’s impact was far-reaching: Recovery in 2021 was robust, with global GDP growth surging to 6.6 percent, driven by vaccination rollouts, renewed consumer confidence, and government spending. However, the recovery highlighted disparities in economic resilience, particularly between advanced and emerging markets. By 2024, the global economy has transitioned from a rapid recovery phase to moderate and sustainable growth levels, stabilizing between 3.2 percent and 3.6 percent. This reflects a recalibration post-pandemic amidst ongoing challenges: Global inflation has risen sharply since 2019, peaking at 5.8 percent in 2024. Key drivers include: Advanced Economies Inflation in advanced economies has been relatively contained, peaking at 2.6 percent in 2024. Factors contributing to this include: Emerging Markets In contrast, emerging markets have faced higher inflation, averaging 7.9 percent in 2024. Key factors include: Emerging and Developing Europe has been particularly affected, with inflation spiking to 16.9 percent amid geopolitical tensions. Conversely, Emerging and Developing Asia has maintained relatively low inflation levels (2.1 percent) through disciplined monetary policies. Global Distribution of Real GDP Growth A regional analysis reveals stark contrasts in growth trajectories: Key Takeaways The global economic landscape from the early 2000s to 2024 reflects a dynamic interplay of stability, crisis, and recovery. While advanced economies demonstrate resilience through effective policies, emerging markets present a dichotomy of high growth potential and inflationary vulnerabilities. The period underscores the need for structural reforms, equitable growth strategies, and coordinated global responses to address persistent challenges. Sustainable growth and inflation control remain central to achieving long-term economic stability in an interconnected world. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );LiveDeal stock plunges to 52-week low, touches $9.77
Airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed during Thanksgiving week, a holiday period likely to end with another record day for air travel in the United States. AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday, most of them by car. However, travelers could be impacted by ongoing weather challenges and those flying to their destinations could be grounded by delays brought on by airline staffing shortages and an airport service workers strike . Here's the latest: Looking to de-stress while waiting for your flight? Many airports have a fleet of therapy dogs — designated fidos and puppers that are eager to receive pets and snuggles from weary travelers. Rules and schedules vary from airport to airport, but the group AirportTherapyDogs uses online crowdsourcing to share the locations of therapy dogs across its various social media accounts. Today, Gracie, a toy Australian shepherd, and Budge, an English bulldog, wandered the concourses at Denver International Airport, and an American Staffordshire Terrier named Hugo greeted travelers at Punta Gorda Airport in Florida. Some airports even feature other therapy pals. San Francisco International Airport’s fleet of animals includes a Flemish Giant rabbit and a hypoallergenic pig. “We cannot live on the wages that we are being paid,” ABM cabin cleaner Priscilla Hoyle said at a rally earlier Monday. “I can honestly say it’s hard every single day with my children, working a full-time job but having to look my kids in the eyes and sit there and say, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to have a home today.’” Timothy Lowe II, a wheelchair attendant, said he has to figure out where to spend the night because he doesn’t make enough for a deposit on a home. “We just want to be able to have everything that’s a necessity paid for by the job that hired us to do a great job so they can make billions,” he said. ABM said it is “committed to addressing concerns swiftly” and that there are avenues for employees to communicate issues, including a national hotline and a “general open door policy for managers at our worksite.” Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a hub for American Airlines. They described living paycheck to paycheck while performing jobs that keep planes running on schedule. Most of them earn $12.50 to $19 an hour, union officials said. Rev. Glencie Rhedrick of Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice said those workers should make $22 to $25 an hour. The strike is expected to last 24 hours. Several hundred workers participated in the work stoppage. Forty-four fights have been canceled today and nearly 1,900 were delayed by midday on the East Coast, according to FlightAware . According to the organization’s cheekily named MiseryMap , San Francisco International Airport is having the most hiccups right now, with 53 delays and three cancellations between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST. While that might sound like a lot of delays, they might not be so bad compared to last Friday when the airport suffered 671 delays and 69 cancellations. In an apparent effort to reduce the headaches caused by airport line cutting, American Airlines has rolled out boarding technology that alerts gate agents with an audible sound if a passenger tries to scan a ticket ahead of their assigned group. This new software won’t accept a boarding pass before the group it’s assigned to is called, so customers who get to the gate prematurely will be asked to go back and wait their turn. As of Wednesday, the airline announced, the technology is now being used in more than 100 U.S. airports that American flies out of. The official expansion arrives after successful tests in three of these locations — Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Tucson International Airport. ▶ Read more about American Airlines’ new boarding technology Travel can be stressful in the best of times. Now add in the high-level anxiety that seems to be baked into every holiday season and it’s clear travelers could use some help calming frazzled nerves. Here are a few ways to make your holiday journey a little less stressful: 1. Make a checklist of what you need to do and what you need to bring 2. Carry your comfort with you — think noise-canceling headphones, cozy clothes, snacks and extra medication 3. Stay hydrated 4. Keep up to date on delays, gate changes and cancellations with your airline’s app ▶ Read more tips about staying grounded during holiday travel Thanksgiving Day takes place late this year, with the fourth Thursday of November falling on Nov. 28. That shortens the traditional shopping season and changes the rhythm of holiday travel. With more time before the holiday , people tend to spread out their outbound travel over more days, but everyone returns at the same time, said Andrew Watterson, the chief operating officer of Southwest Airlines . “A late Thanksgiving leads to a big crush at the end,” Watterson said. “The Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving are usually very busy with Thanksgiving this late.” Airlines did a relatively good job of handling holiday crowds last year, when the weather was mild in most of the country. Fewer than 400 U.S. flights were canceled during Thanksgiving week in 2023 — about one out of every 450 flights. So far in 2024, airlines have canceled about 1.3% of all flights. Drivers should know that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the worst times to travel by car, but it should be smooth sailing on freeways come Thanksgiving Day, according to transportation analytics company INRIX. On the return home, the best travel times for motorists are before 1 p.m. on Sunday, and before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on Monday, the company said. In metropolitan areas like Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, “traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day,” INRIX transportation analyst Bob Pishue said. Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that he expects his agency to use special measures at some facilities to deal with an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers. In the past, those facilities have included airports in New York City and Florida. “If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” Whitaker said. The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of controllers that airline officials expect will last for years, despite the agency’s lofty hiring goals. 5. Auto club and insurance company AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday. Most of them will travel by car. 6. Drivers should get a slight break on gas prices . The nationwide average price for gasoline was $3.06 a gallon on Sunday, down from $3.27 at this time last year. 7. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 18.3 million people at U.S. airports during the same seven-day stretch. That would be 6% more than during the corresponding days last year but fit a pattern set throughout 2024. 8. The TSA predicts that 3 million people will pass through airport security checkpoints on Sunday; more than that could break the record of 3.01 million set on the Sunday after the July Fourth holiday. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the next busiest air travel days of Thanksgiving week. ▶ Read more about Thanksgiving travel across the U.S. Workers who clean airplanes, remove trash and help with wheelchairs at Charlotte’s airport, one of the nation’s busiest, went on strike Monday to demand higher wages. The Service Employees International Union announced the strike in a statement early Monday, saying the workers would demand “an end to poverty wages and respect on the job during the holiday travel season.” The strike was expected to last 24 hours, said union spokesperson Sean Keady. Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a hub for American Airlines. The two companies contract with American, one of the world’s biggest carriers, to provide services such as cleaning airplane interiors, removing trash and escorting passengers in wheelchairs. ▶ Read more about the Charlotte airport workers’ strike Parts of the Midwest and East Coast can expect to see heavy rain into Thanksgiving, and there’s potential for snow in Northeastern states. A storm last week brought rain to New York and New Jersey, where wildfires have raged in recent weeks, and heavy snow to northeastern Pennsylvania. The precipitation was expected to help ease drought conditions after an exceptionally dry fall. Heavy snow fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches (43 centimeters), with lesser accumulations in valley cities including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Around 35,000 customers in 10 counties were still without power, down from 80,000 a day ago. In the Catskills region of New York, nearly 10,000 people remained without power Sunday morning, two days after a storm dumped heavy snow on parts of the region. Precipitation in West Virginia helped put a dent in the state’s worst drought in at least two decades and boosted ski resorts as they prepare to open in the weeks ahead. ▶ Read more about Thanksgiving week weather forecasts Two people died in the Pacific Northwest after a rapidly intensifying “ bomb cyclone ” hit the West Coast last Tuesday, bringing fierce winds that toppled trees and power lines and damaged homes and cars. Hundreds of thousands lost electricity in Washington state before powerful gusts and record rains moved into Northern California. Forecasters said the risk of flooding and mudslides remained as the region will get more rain starting Sunday. But the latest storm won’t be as intense as last week’s atmospheric river , a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows over land. “However, there’s still threats, smaller threats, and not as significant in terms of magnitude, that are still going to exist across the West Coast for the next two or three days,” weather service forecaster Rich Otto said. As the rain moves east throughout the week, Otto said, there’s a potential for heavy snowfall at higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, as well as portions of Utah and Colorado. California’s Mammoth Mountain, which received 2 feet (0.6 meters) of fresh snow in the recent storm, could get another 4 feet (1.2 meters) before the newest system clears out Wednesday, the resort said. Another round of wintry weather could complicate travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, according to forecasts across the U.S., while California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages. In California, where two people were found dead in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more rain while grappling with flooding and small landslides from a previous storm . Here’s a look at some of the regional forecasts: 9. Sierra Nevada: The National Weather Service office issued a winter storm warning through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 mph (88 kph). Total snowfall of roughly 4 feet (1.2 meters) was forecast, with the heaviest accumulations expected Monday and Tuesday. 10. Midwest and Great Lakes: The Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday and the East Coast will be the most impacted on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, forecasters said. 11. East Coast: A low pressure system is forecast to bring rain to the Southeast early Thursday before heading to the Northeast. Areas from Boston to New York could see rain and breezy conditions, with snowfall possible in parts of northern New Hampshire, northern Maine and the Adirondacks. If the system tracks further inland, there could be less snow and more rain in the mountains, forecasters said. ▶ Read more about Thanksgiving week weather forecasts
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Myles Rice scored 18 points to lead Indiana to a 77-68 victory over Winthrop on Sunday. Rice made 7 of 13 shots and all four of his free throws for the Hoosiers (10-3), who improved to 9-0 at home by holding the Eagles (10-5) scoreless over the final 3:16 to wrap up the victory. He added four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Malik Reneau totaled 14 points and seven rebounds for Indiana. Trey Galloway added 11 points and five assists. Langdon Hatton had a game-high 11 rebounds to go with seven points off the bench. K.J. Doucet and Kasen Harrison both scored 14 to lead Winthrop, which fell to 1-4 on the road. Doucet grabbed 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Kelton Talford scored 13 and Paul Jones III and Nick Johnson added 10 points apiece. Rice had 12 points in the first half to help Indiana take a 41-37 advantage into the break. Doucet had eight points and Harrison and Jones both scored seven to keep Winthrop close. Luke Goode followed his basket with a three-point play to give Indiana a 54-47 lead with 15:15 left to play. Talford finished off a three-point play to get Winthrop within three with 11:34 to go. Reneau answered with a basket and Mackenzie Mgbako followed with a dunk as Indiana quickly pushed its lead back to seven. Johnson buried a 3-pointer with 3:16 remaining to pull Winthrop within a point at 69-68, but the Eagles went scoreless from there. Indiana will host Rutgers on Saturday in a Big Ten Conference matchup. Winthrop returns home to play South Carolina Upstate on Thursday in a Big South Conference opener. ____ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-toWp-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Tyrese Hunter tossed in a game-high 26 points to lead Memphis to a 99-97 upset victory over No. 2 UConn on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. Hunter, who played at Iowa State and Texas before transferring to Memphis, made eight field goals with 7-of-10 3-point shooting. The Tigers (5-0) connected on 12 of their 22 3-point attempts in the win. UConn's Hassan Diarra made a free throw to cut the Memphis lead to 99-97 with 2.2 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second free throw and collected the loose ball, but his desperation shot was off the mark. It was 92-92 when UConn's Liam McNeeley was called for an offensive foul with 40.3 seconds left. UConn coach Dan Hurley received a technical for arguing the foul call, and PJ Carter made all four free throws to give the Tigers a four-point lead. Memphis, which squandered a 13-point lead with four minutes to play in regulation, received 22 points from PJ Haggerty, 19 from Colby Rogers and 14 from Dain Dainja. Memphis will play the winner of Monday night's game between Colorado and Michigan State in Tuesday's semifinals. UConn will face the loser of that contest. Tarris Reed Jr. had a team-high 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for UConn (4-1) before he fouled out with 3:18 to play. He made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts. Alex Karaban added 19 points for the Huskies. Jaylin Stewart scored a career-high 16 points, Diarra had 12 and McNeeley added 10. UConn trailed 82-79 after Diarra made two free throws with 24.2 seconds to play in regulation. The Huskies then forced a turnover and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Solo Ball with 1.2 on the clock. Although Memphis shot 56.5 percent from the field (13 for 23) and 50 percent from 3-point territory (5 for 10) in the first half, the game was tied 40-40 after 20 minutes. Neither team led by more than six points in the half. UConn received 29 points from its bench in the first half. Reed scored 15 of those points and Stewart supplied the other 14. --Field Level MediaAs the central intelligence hub of the manufacturing process, the control room is the brain of the organization. When investing in technology to make the process more efficient (i.e., smarter), it is a logical place to start. Control rooms have made a major technological leap in recent years, transforming from on-site, reactive, and highly stressful spaces into professional, digital, and highly flexible environments that proactively avoid potential issues. Although they tended to look spectacular, with lots of screens or even flashing lights, traditional process control rooms were straightforward environments with limited possibilities. Operators monitored and controlled the manufacturing process on-site, based on limited sensor data. Anomalies were typically met with high stress, as it often took time to identify the root cause of the issue. This vision contrasts with that of their modern counterparts. While the screens are still in place, all information is now digitally available and can easily be distributed to any location. This means the control room could be located 100 miles away and even control multiple production plants. Alternatively, multiple small control rooms can handle day-to-day decisions, with a central crisis room managing escalations. Any configuration is possible, which makes contemporary control rooms very flexible. The large amount of available real-time data also allows staff to drastically cut the time needed to pinpoint and resolve issues. For example, in the past an alarm would be triggered when a temperature sensor exceeds a certain threshold. In most cases, a field worker would need to investigate the situation on-site. Today, a lot more information is available, allowing the control room staff to assess what’s happening from behind their desks. Boosting Efficiency The ultimate goal of the control room is to use predictive analytics to proactively prevent all emerging issues. While even the most sophisticated current systems cannot guarantee this, modern technology certainly plays a pivotal role in risk mitigation. This includes not only production hazards but also upholding safety protocols for workers. It is therefore critical that operators have direct access to all the information they need. This may sound basic, but it often isn’t the case; information is often not available in the same system. Organizations may choose to separate networks — for example, placing process data on one network, internal data on another, and a third that accesses the internet. This is a nightmare for operators, who must constantly switch between computers to do their jobs. That’s why state-of-the-art systems can integrate all information into a single (virtual) environment. Although the networks are still separated, the information appears to be in the same environment (“integration at the glass”), and operators only need a single keyboard and mouse to do their jobs, resulting in a more ergonomic way of working. Empowering the Operator The most critical presence in the control room is always the operator. Firms need to avoid overloading staff with an abundance of data. The optimal way to present and visualize the information is important and this will not only increase efficiency it will also enhance the operator’s job satisfaction and retention. For example, in Barco’s Global Control Room Report 2024 , 91 percent of operators working in highly efficient control rooms reported job satisfaction—significantly higher than the 51 percent of satisfied workers in less efficient environments. Smarter Systems, Reduced Risk In the control room every component is expected to function 24/7, and even scheduled interruptions should be minimal. How can organizations achieve this always-on ideal? The Barco report recommends investing in high-quality equipment. Control rooms are typically environments designed for the long haul, and this should be reflected in the hardware and software. Redundancy of all critical components, with seamless takeovers when the original unit fails, also helps ensure uptime. However, not all risks are related to the system. External threats, such as hackers, can arise. Security breaches can result in weeks of downtime or millions of dollars in ransom payments. Systems should therefore be extremely secure, shielding against all possible penetration attempts. Some organizations address this by completely isolating their critical systems (so-called “air-gapping”). However, this is not 100 percent safe and it can create a false sense of security while severely limiting system flexibility. Instead, the modern approach is to deploy a software platform that is completely secure upon installation (“secure by default”). Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.