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TL;DR: Live stream Manchester United vs. Athletic Club for free on RTBF Auvio. The best service for live streaming sport is ExpressVPN.

Manchester United surprised everyone by beating Athletic Club 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final matchup. It has been a really tough season for Ruben Amorim's side, but they've looked great in this competition. They have one foot in the final already, but the job is not done yet. They still need to focus in front of their own fans to make sure their spot in the final is booked.

If you want to watch Manchester United vs. Athletic Club for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Manchester United vs. Athletic Club?

Manchester United vs. Athletic Club kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on May 8. This fixture takes place at Old Trafford.

How to watch Manchester United vs. Athletic Club for free

Manchester United vs. Athletic Club is available to live stream for free on RTBF Auvio in Belgium.

RTBF Auvio is geo-restricted to Belgium, so if you're away from Belgium for this fixture, you'll have to use a VPN to get access to your usual coverage. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Belgium, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access RTBF Auvio from anywhere in the world.

Unblock RTBF Auvio by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Belgium

4. Visit RTBF Auvio

5. Stream Manchester United vs. Athletic Club in the Europa League for free

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to provide free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to RTBF Auvio without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Manchester United vs. Athletic Club before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ServusTV?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on ServusTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Austria

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Manchester United vs. Athletic Club for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Spurs have almost confirmed their spot in the Europa League final, likely against Manchester United. They beat Bodo/Glimt 3-0 in the first leg, so barring an embarrassing collapse in the second leg, they will secure their place in the showpiece event taking place on May 21.

If you want to watch Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur?

Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on May 8. This fixture takes place at the Aspmyra Stadion.

How to watch Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free

Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.

ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Austria, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access ServusTV from anywhere in the world.

Unblock ServusTV by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria

4. Visit ServusTV

5. Stream Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League for free

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to provide free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to ServusTV without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ServusTV?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on ServusTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Austria

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free with ExpressVPN.

Lenovo is updating its most eye-popping gaming laptop for 2025, and the new iteration makes your gameplay literally pop.

The Chinese tech giant announced the new Lenovo Legion 9i (Gen 10) today at Tech World Shanghai 2025, billing it as a powerful machine for both gamers and game developers. The big pull? Its 18-inch 4K display has an optional upgrade that will let the user view content in 2K 3D without wearing special glasses or hooking up a separate 3D-compatible monitor.

Credit: Lenovo

According to a press release, the Legion 9i's display uses "a combination of eye-tracking and lenticular lens array" to make visuals appear three-dimensional, as if they're emerging from the screen. Its Lenovo 3D Studio software suite will make it capable of displaying 2D and 3D content simultaneously, either side-by-side or stacked on top of one another, and bring support for 30 games plus "myriad other creation apps."

The 3D-enabled Legion 9i will also have a Dual Mode feature that lets it swap between a buttery 240Hz refresh rate at 4K and up to a borderline-overkill 440Hz refresh rate at FHD. The 2D-only model sticks with 240Hz at all resolutions.

SEE ALSO: The best gaming laptops of 2025

Glasses-free 3D laptops aren't new, but this is Lenovo's first official entry to the category that consumers will actually be able to purchase. (The company brought a conceptual 3D ThinkBook to Mobile World Congress this past February.) It certainly won't be an accessible option for those interested in trying the tech, if its specs are any indication.

The Legion 9i will come with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and will be configurable with up to a monstrous Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, 192GB of memory, and 8TB of storage (with four slots apiece for RAM and SSDs). That's a boatload of power, but Lenovo has done its best to ensure it runs cool and quiet: It has a vapor thermal system that puts dedicated fans right over its WiFi card, SSD, and RAM. This replaces the integrated liquid-cooling system in the original Legion 9i, a 16-incher from 2023, which worked quite well in practice.

Credit: Lenovo

Aesthetically, the Legion 9i looks almost exactly like its predecessor. Its Carbon Black top cover is still made from strong layers of carbon fiber that have been forged together by hand, resulting in camo-like patterns that are different from laptop to laptop. And it still has some ports on the back of its chassis below the lid hinges, but most of them have been moved to its sides, including two Thunderbolt 5 ports. It'll measure in at 15.87 x 11.67 x 0.94 to 1.1 inches (depending on the display type) and start at around a chunky 7.72 pounds.

The original Legion 9i was one of the most powerful laptops Mashable has ever tested (having been only recently dethroned by the M4 Pro Apple MacBook Pro), and its $4,000+ price tag reflected as much. Lenovo hasn't yet revealed exactly how much the new model will cost when it arrives in the U.S. sometime this fall, but a number over the $5,000 mark wouldn't be shocking.

A new era of Whoop is here. As of May 8, two new Whoop devices have been announced: the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG. Alongside the new devices come three new tiers of membership for more affordable options that offer deeper health insights.

Included in our guides to the best fitness trackers and best sleep trackers, Whoop is a screen-free wearable made for both professional athletes and the everyday person. Here's everything you need to know about the new Whoop 5.0 and MG.

What to expect from the Whoop 5.0 and MG With the new Whoop devices come new stylish bands. Credit: Whoop / Mashable Composite

Already one of the most comfortable fitness trackers we've tested, the new Whoop devices will have a 7 percent smaller form with an over 14-day battery life to boot. The devices also come with a new Wireless PowerPack that unlocks a month of charging.

The new Whoop devices are getting a makeover, too. New, more sophisticated bands are coming that include colorful silicone, leather, and patterned knit bands.

The Whoop 5.0 and MG come with new insights that include blood pressure and medical-grade ECG monitors. Here's the full list of new features coming to the Whoop 5.0 and MG:

• Healthspan with Whoop Age: Assesses your health age based on daily habits. Provides you with a Whoop Age and a Pace of Aging score and suggestions on how to slow aging.

• Heart Screener with ECG: Whoop wearables now have an FDA-cleared ECG feature for readings anytime that can also be shared with a healthcare provider. It can detect signs of Atrial Fibrillation and Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications.

• Blood pressure insights: Whoop is the latest wearable to include blood pressure monitoring, providing both systolic and diastolic readings.

• Women's hormonal insights: Smart rings and fitness trackers are becoming rapidly popular for cycle tracking. The new Whoop devices help inform how your cycle affects your recovery, sleep, stress, and performance.

• Sleep performance update: Whoop reconfigured its Sleep Score to deliver more accurate data.

The Whoop app now features cycle tracking insights for all stages of life including menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause. Credit: Whoop Whoop's patent-pending blood pressure monitoring delivers daily readings. Credit: Whoop New affordable membership options Credit: Whoop

Like the popular Oura Ring, Whoop devices also feature a membership fee to access the wearable's full range of features. Previously, Whoop's membership options started at $239 annually or $399 for a two-year membership. Now the brand has unveiled three new membership tiers:

• Whoop One: Professional-grade fitness insights at Whoop's best price of $199 per year.

• Whoop Peak: Advanced health, fitness, and longevity insights designed to help you perform at your peak for longer. Priced at $239 per year.

• Whoop Life: The most powerful Whoop ever, delivering medical-grade health and performance insights. Priced at $359 per year.

Which membership tier you choose will determine which Whoop model you receive. The One and Peak tiers come with the Whoop 5.0, while the Life membership features the MG model.

All models are available for purchase at Whoop now.

Opens in a new window Credit: Whoop Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG Memberships start at $199 Shop Now

In 2023, Celine Song captivated audiences (and broke our hearts) with her Academy Award-nominated debut feature Past Lives. Now, the acclaimed writer and director looks to deliver another swoon-worthy love triangle with her second film, Materialists.

SEE ALSO: Summer Movie Preview: What's coming to theaters and streaming?

Distributed by A24, Materialists stars three of the world's buzziest stars: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. Johnson plays Lucy, a matchmaker and "eternal bachelorette" who helps couples find their happily ever after, while figuring she has no shot at her own. That all changes when not one but two potential suitors crash into her life.

In one corner we have Harry (Pascal), an incredibly attractive, incredibly rich bachelor who looks to sweep Lucy off her feet. But could this perfect "unicorn" be too good to be true?

In the other corner we have John (Evans), Lucy's (also incredibly attractive) ex-boyfriend. He's a theater actor by night and a cater waiter by day, and he seems determined to make things right with Lucy in a second go at their relationship. However, based on an argument in the trailer above, it seems like the two initially broke up over money concerns — something Harry would never have to worry about.

So will Lucy choose Harry and his riches, or John and her past? Either way, we can't wait to witness another Celine Song love triangle.

Materialists hits theaters June 13.

On May 8, Ultrahuman, the smart ring maker, announced plans to fulfill all U.S. orders out of its Texas-based facility. The tech company, which makes the Ultrahuman Air ring, plans to expand its Plano, Texas, factory, which opened in November 2024.

The "UltraFactory" is a partnership with U.S.-based SVtronics and has plans to expand annual manufacturing capacity to 500,000, meeting U.S. demand. This is part of Ultrahuman's goal to have the factory fulfill all U.S. orders. In a press release, the company stated, "By producing rings domestically, the company is ensuring faster shipping, better service, and increased reliability for U.S. consumers."

The Ultra Factory plans to scale up production to meet and fulfill U.S. demand. Credit: Ultrahuman

It's a well-timed move as tariffs disrupt the tech industry. Foreignly manufactured products like Framework laptops, Anker chargers, and Nvidia GPUs have all seen price hikes due to components and devices being made in China or other countries impacted by President Trump's tariffs. The smart rings manufactured at the Ultra Factory in Plano, Texas, will not face tariffs. But the motivation to expand the U.S. factory is not tariffs-based, according to the company.

A representative from Ultrahuman said that manufacturing in the U.S. allows the company to work more closely with the U.S. health and military sectors to craft hardware and not just software for its U.S. customer base.

The Ultrahuman ring is a popular alternative to the Oura Ring and is among the best smart rings we've tested at Mashable. It has a similar design and is equipped with many of the same features as the Oura Ring. While it's not without its faults, like a buggy app UX, it is a more affordable smart ring. All Ultrahuman Air rings cost $349, the same price as the cheapest Oura model. Ultrahuman rings also don't require a monthly membership to access their full range of features, like Oura's do.

Mohit Kumar, founder and CEO of Ultrahuman, said, "The UltraFactory in Plano, Texas, allows us to deliver products faster, enhance quality control, and further strengthen our commitment to American consumers to bring them cutting-edge health technology."

SAVE OVER $100: As of May 8, the Mac Mini 2024 (M4 Chip, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) is on sale for $494.92 at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Mac Mini 2024 (M4 Chip, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) $494.92 at Amazon
$599 Save $104.08 Get Deal

The Apple M4 chip is finally coming down in price, meaning deals on MacBooks and Mac Minis. Rejoice, lovers of all things Apple.

As of May 8, the Mac Mini 2024 (M4 Chip, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) is on sale for $494.92 at Amazon. This deal saves you over $100 on list price.

SEE ALSO: Best MacBooks of 2025: Which MacBook should you buy?

The 2024 Mac Mini boasts the M4 chip and heaps of power. Apple claims that its M4 chip is up to 13 times faster than its fastest silicone Mini model.

This model offers 16GB of RAM to support its 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, and holds a 256GB SSD that's ready to stock with movies, games, and much more. And if the built-in SSD isn't enough for you, the three thunderbolt ports let you expand the memory with an external SSD. It also has two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, HDMI, and an ethernet port.

Pick up the Mac Mini 2024 for over $100 off at Amazon.

Let's talk about the genius behind Sinners. 

On the surface, the hit movie from Ryan Coogler is about Preacher Boy resisting a vampire. But it's a film packed with history and lore. One where the closer you look, the deeper it gets. And there's a bigger story you might have missed. 

The film follows Sammie Moore (Miles Caton), a musician fighting off Remmick (Jack O'Connell), a bloodsucking villain who is building a hive mind coven. 

But if you listen closely to the opening monologue, Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) talks about a legend that exists in ancient Ireland, Choctaw land, and West Africa: 

"There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true it can pierce the veil between life and death. This gift can bring healing to their communities, but it also attracts evil."

That evil? Remmick. And that gift? Sammie's song, which literally conjures people from across time to dance at the juke joint.

Fans have speculated that Remmick might also be one of those mythic music makers, but as hypnotic as his Irish song and jig is, it doesn't pierce the veil like Sammie's tune. 

However, the gold coins, the accent, and the fact that Remmick knows exactly what he's looking for suggests Remmick is from a culture that knows of the legend. He may not just be here to feed, but rather, trying to find a way back to his people, to his past.

And Sammie's voice might be his ticket.

And it goes even deeper. Early in the film, Remmick was hunted by a band of Choctaw men. So was Remmick targeting their version of Sammie, a fire keeper with that same dangerous gift? 

All of this raises the real question: Could Ryan Coogler be setting up something much bigger? 

A prequel about Remmick's origin? A sequel about those Choctaw vampire hunters?  Basically, a whole trilogy hiding in plain sight. Coogler has said to Ebony he wrote it as a "finished thing."

But let's be real. Doors like this don't always close.

Sinners is now in theaters.

Proactive work—for example, taking the initiative to improve workflows or design new resources—can energize you and create real value. But it also disrupts your routine and drains mental energy, making it harder to focus, make decisions, or stay engaged later in the day. To stay sharp while going the extra mile, take a few simple […]

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In this issue:

New research on compound AI systems and causal verification of the Confidential Consortium Framework; release of Phi-4-reasoning; enriching tabular data with semantic structure, and more.

NEW RESEARCH Towards Resource-Efficient Compound AI Systems

This research introduces Murakkab, a prototype system built on a declarative workflow that reimagines how compound AI systems are built and managed to significantly improve resource efficiency. Compound AI systems integrate multiple interacting components like language models, retrieval engines, and external tools. They are essential for addressing complex AI tasks. However, current implementations could benefit from greater efficiencies in resource utilization, with improvements to tight coupling between application logic and execution details, better connections between orchestration and resource management layers, and bridging gaps between efficiency and quality.

Murakkab addresses critical inefficiencies in current AI architectures and offers a new approach that unifies workflow orchestration and cluster resource management for better performance and sustainability. In preliminary evaluations, it demonstrates speedups up to ∼ 3.4× in workflow completion times while delivering ∼ 4.5× higher energy efficiency, showing promise in optimizing resources and advancing AI system design.

NEW RESEARCH Smart Casual Verification of the Confidential Consortium Framework

This work presents a new, pragmatic verification technique that improves the trustworthiness of distributed systems like the Confidential Consortium Framework (CCF) and proves its effectiveness by catching critical bugs before deployment. Smart casual verification is a novel hybrid verification approach to validating CCF, an open-source platform for developing trustworthy and reliable cloud applications which underpins Microsoft’s Azure Confidential Ledger service. 

The researchers apply smart casual verification to validate the correctness of CCF’s novel distributed protocols, focusing on its unique distributed consensus protocol and its custom client consistency model. This hybrid approach combines the rigor of formal specification and model checking with the pragmatism of automated testing, specifically binding the formal specification in TLA+ to the C++ implementation. While traditional formal methods are often one-off efforts by domain experts, the researchers have integrated smart casual verification into CCF’s continuous integration pipeline, allowing contributors to continuously validate CCF as it evolves. 

NEW RESEARCH Phi-4-reasoning Technical Report

This report introduces Phi-4-reasoning (opens in new tab), a 14-billion parameter model optimized for complex reasoning tasks. It is trained via supervised fine-tuning of Phi-4 using a carefully curated dataset of high-quality prompts and reasoning demonstrations generated by o3-mini. These prompts span diverse domains—including math, science, coding, and spatial reasoning—and are selected to challenge the base model near its capability boundaries.

Building on recent findings that reinforcement learning (RL) can further improve smaller models, the team developed Phi-4-reasoning-plus, which incorporates an additional outcome-based RL phase using verifiable math problems. This enhances the model’s ability to generate longer, more effective reasoning chains. 

Despite its smaller size, the Phi-4-reasoning family outperforms significantly larger open-weight models such as DeepSeekR1-Distill-Llama-70B and approaches the performance of full-scale frontier models like DeepSeek R1. It excels in tasks requiring multi-step problem solving, logical inference, and goal-directed planning.

The work highlights the combined value of supervised fine-tuning and reinforcement learning for building efficient, high-performing reasoning models. It also offers insights into training data design, methodology, and evaluation strategies. Phi-4-reasoning contributes to the growing class of reasoning-specialized language models and points toward more accessible, scalable AI for science, education, and technical domains.

NEW RESEARCH TeCoFeS: Text Column Featurization using Semantic Analysis

This research introduces a practical, cost-effective solution for enriching tabular data with semantic structure, making it more useful for downstream analysis and insights—which is especially valuable in business intelligence, data cleaning, and automated analytics workflows. This approach outperforms baseline models and naive LLM applications on converted text classification benchmarks.

Extracting structured insights from free-text columns in tables—such as product reviews or user feedback—can be time-consuming and error-prone, especially when relying on traditional syntactic methods that often miss semantic meaning. This research introduces the semantic text column featurization problem, which aims to assign meaningful, context-aware labels to each entry in a text column.

The authors propose a scalable, efficient method that combines the power of LLMs with text embeddings. Instead of labeling an entire column manually or applying LLMs to every cell—an expensive process—this new method intelligently samples a diverse subset of entries, uses an LLM to generate semantic labels for just that subset, and then propagates those labels to the rest of the column using embedding similarity.

NEW RESEARCH Agentic Reasoning and Tool Integration for LLMs via Reinforcement Learning

This work introduces ARTIST (Agentic Reasoning and Tool Integration in Self-improving Transformers), a new paradigm for LLM reasoning that expands beyond traditional language-only inference. 

While LLMs have made considerable strides in complex reasoning tasks, they remain limited by their reliance on static internal knowledge and text-only reasoning. Real-world problem solving often demands dynamic, multi-step reasoning, adaptive decision making, and the ability to interact with external tools and environments. In this research, ARTIST brings together agentic reasoning, reinforcement learning (RL), and tool integration, designed to enable LLMs to autonomously decide when and how to invoke internal tools within multi-turn reasoning chains. ARTIST leverages outcome-based reinforcement learning to learn robust strategies for tool use and environment interaction without requiring step-level supervision.

Extensive experiments on mathematical reasoning and multi-turn function calling benchmarks show that ARTIST consistently outperforms state-of-the-art baselines, with up to 22% absolute improvement over base models and strong gains on the most challenging tasks. Detailed studies show that agentic RL training leads to deeper reasoning, more effective tool use, and higher-quality solutions.

PODCAST Materialism Podcast: MatterGen (opens in new tab)

What if you could find materials with tailored properties without ever entering the lab? The Materialism Podcast, which is dedicated to exploring materials science and engineering, talks with Tian Xie from Microsoft Research to discuss MatterGen, an AI tool which accelerates materials science discovery. Tune in to hear a discussion of the new Azure AI Foundry, where MatterGen will interact with and support MatterSim, an advanced deep learning model designed to simulate the properties of materials across a wide range of elements, temperatures, and pressures.

IN THE NEWS: Highlights of recent media coverage of Microsoft Research

• When ChatGPT Broke an Entire Field: An Oral History

  Quanta Magazine | April 30, 2025

  Large language models are everywhere, igniting discovery, disruption and debate in whatever scientific community they touch. But the one they touched first — for better, worse and everything in between — was natural language processing. What did that impact feel like to the people experiencing it firsthand?

  To tell that story, Quanta interviewed 19 NLP experts, including Kalika Bali, senior principal researcher at Microsoft Research. From researchers to students, tenured academics to startup founders, they describe a series of moments — dawning realizations, elated encounters and at least one “existential crisis” — that changed their world. And ours.

View more news and awards Opens in a new tab

The post Research Focus: Week of May 7, 2025 appeared first on Microsoft Research.

The pursuit of nuclear fusion as a limitless, clean energy source has long been one of humanity’s most ambitious scientific goals. Research labs and companies worldwide are working to replicate the fusion process that occurs at the sun’s core, where isotopes of hydrogen combine to form helium, releasing vast amounts of energy. While scalable fusion energy is still years away, researchers are now exploring how AI can help accelerate fusion research and bring this energy to the grid sooner. 

In March 2025, Microsoft Research held its inaugural Fusion Summit, a landmark event that brought together distinguished speakers and panelists from within and outside Microsoft Research to explore this question. 

Ashley Llorens, Corporate Vice President and Managing Director of Microsoft Research Accelerator, opened the Summit by outlining his vision for a self-reinforcing system that uses AI to drive sustainability. Steven Cowley, laboratory director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (opens in new tab), professor at Princeton University, and former head of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, followed with a keynote explaining the intricate science and engineering behind fusion reactors. His message was clear: advancing fusion will require international collaboration and the combined power of AI and high-performance computing to model potential fusion reactor designs. 

Applying AI to fusion research

North America’s largest fusion facility, DIII-D (opens in new tab), operated by General Atomics and owned by the US Department of Energy (DOE), provides a unique platform for developing and testing AI applications for fusion research, thanks to its pioneering data and digital twin platform. 

Richard Buttery (opens in new tab) from DIII-D and Dave Humphreys (opens in new tab) from General Atomics demonstrated how the US DIII-D National Fusion Program (opens in new tab) is already applying AI to advance reactor design and operations, highlighting promising directions for future development. They provided examples of how to apply AI to active plasma control to avoid disruptive instabilities, using AI-controlled trajectories to avoid tearing modes, and implementing feedback control using machine learning-derived density limits for safer high-density operations. 

One persistent challenge in reactor design involves building the interior “first wall,” which must withstand extreme heat and particle bombardment. Zulfi Alam, corporate vice president of Microsoft Quantum (opens in new tab), discussed the potential of using quantum computing in fusion, particularly for addressing material challenges like hydrogen diffusion in reactors.

He noted that silicon nitride shows promise as a barrier to hydrogen and vapor and explained the challenge of binding it to the reaction chamber. He emphasized the potential of quantum computing to improve material prediction and synthesis, enabling more efficient processes. He shared that his team is also investigating advanced silicon nitride materials to protect this critical component from neutron and alpha particle damage—an innovation that could make fusion commercially viable.

Spotlight: Blog post

MedFuzz: Exploring the robustness of LLMs on medical challenge problems

Medfuzz tests LLMs by breaking benchmark assumptions, exposing vulnerabilities to bolster real-world accuracy.

Read more Opens in a new tab Exploring AI’s broader impact on fusion engineering

Lightning talks from Microsoft Research labs addressed the central question of AI’s potential to accelerate fusion research and engineering. Speakers covered a wide range of applications—from using gaming AI for plasma control and robotics for remote maintenance to physics-informed AI for simulating materials and plasma behavior. Closing the session, Archie Manoharan, Microsoft’s director of nuclear engineering for Cloud Operations and Infrastructure, emphasized the need for a comprehensive energy strategy, one that incorporates renewables, efficiency improvements, storage solutions, and carbon-free sources like fusion.

The Summit culminated in a thought-provoking panel discussion moderated by Ade Famoti, featuring Archie Manoharan, Richard Buttery, Steven Cowley, and Chris Bishop, Microsoft Technical Fellow and director of Microsoft Research AI for Science. Their wide-ranging conversation explored the key challenges and opportunities shaping the field of fusion. 

The panel highlighted several themes: the role of new regulatory frameworks that balance innovation with safety and public trust; the importance of materials discovery in developing durable fusion reactor walls; and the game-changing role AI could play in plasma optimization and surrogate modelling of fusion’s underlying physics.

They also examined the importance of global research collaboration, citing projects like the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (opens in new tab) (ITER), the world’s largest experimental fusion device under construction in southern France, as testbeds for shared progress. One persistent challenge, however, is data scarcity. This prompted a discussion of using physics-informed neural networks as a potential approach to supplement limited experimental data. 

Global collaboration and next steps

Microsoft is collaborating with ITER (opens in new tab) to help advance the technologies and infrastructure needed to achieve fusion ignition—the critical point where a self-sustaining fusion reaction begins, using Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure OpenAI Service, Visual Studio, and GitHub (opens in new tab). Microsoft Research is now cooperating with ITER to identify where AI can be leveraged to model future experiments to optimize its design and operations. 

Now Microsoft Research has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) (opens in new tab) to foster collaboration through knowledge exchange, workshops, and joint research projects. This effort aims to address key challenges in fusion, materials, plasma control, digital twins, and experiment optimization. Together, Microsoft Research and PPPL will work to drive innovation and advances in these critical areas.

Fusion is a scientific challenge unlike any other and could be key to sustainable energy in the future. We’re excited about the role AI can play in helping make that vision a reality. To learn more, visit the Fusion Summit event page, or connect with us by email at FusionResearch@microsoft.com.

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The post Microsoft Fusion Summit explores how AI can accelerate fusion research appeared first on Microsoft Research.

Recently the internet has been consumed with the question of whether 100 people could win in a bare knuckle brawl with a gorilla. Now Robert Irwin has offered his thoughts on the debate.

The Australian conservationist and Bonds underwear model weighed in on the hypothetical in a lighthearted post to TikTok on Tuesday, noting that the question has been coming up a lot recently.

"I have been asked this question so much in the last week, it's ridiculous," said Irwin. "Like, I'm getting asked on the street now."

SEE ALSO: The internet can’t stop arguing over 100 men fighting 1 gorilla

The 100 people vs. one gorilla debate has spread significantly across social media platforms, with people arguing over everything from science to strategy. Even primate experts have weighed in, telling Rolling Stone that humans might theoretically stand a chance — if they all commit wholeheartedly to a kamikaze mission with devastating casualties.

For his part, Irwin was reluctant to firmly back one side or the other, acknowledging the sheer volume of people in the hypothetical scenario.

"Gorillas are strong, mate," said Irwin. "Like, really strong. But it's 100 people — I'm not sure."

Instead, Irwin was more concerned with the implications of attempting to beat up an endangered animal. Native to equatorial Africa, gorilla populations have been adversely impacted by threats such as habitat destruction, hunting, and the Ebola virus. This hasn't been helped by their slow reproductive rate either, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature regarding gorillas as critically endangered.

"Just as an animal conservationist, fighting an endangered species just doesn't sit right with me," said Irwin. "How many people does it take to save gorillas? That's the question we should be asking. Because there's not many of them left."

Irwin also considered that the internet debate ignored the fact that gorillas are typically docile, and wouldn't be interested in instigating a fistfight with a crowd of humans. There also seems to be little reason for humans to start something either, particularly if they value the structural integrity of their skulls.

"Yes, gorillas are super powerful, all of that," Irwin said. "But also, they're pretty chill. Most of the time they kinda just keep to themselves. They'll defend themselves and protect each other and all of that, but if they don't really have a reason they kind of just do their thing.

"We don't… we don't need to fight gorillas. Maybe let's just let this one remain a mystery."

Viewers were quick to call Irwin's response "the most Robert Irwin answer," with many dubbing him a "true man" due to his concern for the gorillas.

"him gentle parenting us like school children is sending me," said esmecaastro070.

"he really said 'it’s never HOW is the gorilla,'" quipped rayne333333.

AI has the power to streamline board operations. But with automation comes a hidden cost: the erosion of board chairs’ influence. As AI takes over routine tasks, it can quietly displace the strategic thinking that defines effective senior leadership. Here’s how to safeguard that power. Recognize which tasks carry influence. Power-conduit tasks—like shaping agendas, framing […]

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TL;DR: Live stream PSG vs. Arsenal in the Champions League for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League semi finals were always going to be tough games to call, but the first legs were incredibly tense. PSG narrowly won the first leg of their semi final against Arsenal, but that 1-0 advantage could easily be overturned in Paris.

Arteta's side will be desperate to start strongly in the Parc des Princes. They beat Real Madrid away from home in the quarter finals, so why couldn't they do the same and advance to the final?

If you want to watch PSG vs. Arsenal in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is PSG vs. Arsenal ?

PSG vs. Arsenal in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on May 7. This fixture takes place at the Parc des Princes.

How to watch PSG vs. Arsenal for free

PSG vs. Arsenal is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.

RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock RTÉ Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream PSG vs. Arsenal (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?

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TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Nebraska with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

More than a third of U.S. states still have restrictions in place for online adult content, meaning millions of potential users are locked out of their favorite sites after the introduction of age verification laws. That's frustrating for users, but there's a simple workaround that everyone should know about.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Nebraska, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Nebraska

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Unblock Pornhub for free in Nebraska with ExpressVPN.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Deflecting the ball

• Green: Data in football

• Blue: Baseball team characters

• Purple: In charge of popular football teams

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Prevent a goal

• Green: Stats for a running back

• Blue: MLB mascots

• Purple: Homophones of NFL head coaches

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #226 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Prevent a goal - BLOCK, PARRY, SAVE, STOP

• Stats for a running back - ATTEMPTS, FUMBLES, TOUCHDOWNS, YARDS

• MLB mascots - BLOOPER, MR. MET, ORBIT, WALLY

• Homophones of NFL head coaches - BOWLS, CAROL, READ, TAILOR

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 7 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: I'm in lobe

The words are transportation-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are types of train cars.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is All Aboard

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for May 7

• Engine

• Gondola

• Boxcar

• Flatbed

• Hopper

• Caboose

• All Aboard

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Rugged.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

ROCKY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Friend of Snow White.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 7, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

DWARF

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To expand.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 7, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

SWELL

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Happens most frequently.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for May 7 Hurdle Word 4 answer

MODAL

Final Hurdle hint

A new gadget.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

GIZMO

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for May 7 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: To recuperate

• Green: Excluding

• Blue: Used by an oracle

• Purple: Jewels

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Get better, as a broken bone

• Green: Not including

• Blue: Tarot minor Arcana suits

• Purple: Homophones of gemstones

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #696 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Get better, as a broken bone: HEAL, KNIT, MEND, RECOVER

• Not including: BESIDES, BUT, EXCEPT, SAVE

• Tarot minor Arcana suits: CUPS, PENTACLES, SWORDS, WANDS

• Homophones of gemstones": CHORAL, OPEL, PURL, QUARTS

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 7

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.