Welcome to the March 14, 2025 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals three times a week.

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• Ethan Klein Tapped for U.S. CTO
• D-Wave Claims 'Quantum Advantage'
• Fortran, Delphi Rise in Tiobe Popularity Index
• 1 in 5 Women in Tech Plan to Switch Jobs
• Tech Majors Support Tripling Nuclear Power by 2050
• China's Top Universities Prioritize AI, Other 'National Strategic Needs'
• Nissan Tests Driverless Vehicles on Busy City Streets
• Intel Names Lip-Bu Tan as CEO
• Meta's Community Notes to Use Open-Source Tech from X
• Researchers Build an Operating System for Quantum Networks
• Volt Typhoon Strikes Massachusetts Power Utility
• AI Makes Its Way to Vineyards

Ethan Klein Tapped for U.S. CTO

The U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) said Ethan Klein, an emerging technology policy adviser during the first Trump administration, has been nominated as chief technology officer (CTO) for the White House, a role that went unfulfilled under the previous administration. If confirmed as CTO, Klein would fill the same role that Michael Kratsios served during the first Trump administration. Kratsios is Trump’s nominee to lead the OSTP.
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D-Wave Claims 'Quantum Advantage'

A "quantum processor" created by researchers at Canada's D-Wave Quantum Systems solved a physics problem on the behavior of magnetism in certain solids that, the company claims, would take hundreds of thousands of years to calculate on the largest conventional supercomputers. Although others have claimed to have achieved such quantum advantage over classical computers, researchers at D-Wave say their result is the first that solves an actual physics question.
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Fortran, Delphi Rise in Tiobe Popularity Index

Older programming languages such as Fortran and Delphi are making a comeback, based on the results of March's index of language popularity from Tiobe. Delphi/Object Pascal came in at No. 10 in the latest ranking, and Fortran was ranked 11th. Legacy language Ada was ranked 18th, while Cobol came in at No. 20. Tiobe CEO Paul Jansen attributed these "dinosaur" languages' enduring popularity to "the many vital legacy systems that keep the world running.”
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1 in 5 Women in Tech Plan to Switch Jobs

Generative AI skills are helping boost women in the technology sector as many look to switch jobs, according to Ensono's latest Speak Up survey of 1,500 female-identifying full-time tech professionals. Almost 90% of respondents said possessing generative AI know-how has enhanced their job performance and unlocked new opportunities. Nearly 20% are planning to leave their current companies this year, a rate similar to that seen in 2022's "Great Resignation."
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Tech Majors Support Tripling Nuclear Power by 2050

During the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston, Amazon, Google, and Meta Platforms signed a nonbinding pledge in support of efforts to increase nuclear energy production across the globe at least threefold by 2050. The pledge was first adopted by more than 20 countries in December 2023 and has been signed by major players in the finance and other industries.
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China's Top Universities Prioritize AI, Other 'National Strategic Needs'

China's Peking, Renmin, and Shanghai Jiao Tong universities will expand undergraduate enrollment as they prioritize "national strategic needs" such as developing AI talent. Peking University plans to add 150 undergraduate spots this year focused on areas of "national strategic importance," fundamental disciplines, and "emerging frontier fields" such as information science and technology. In January, China issued its first national action plan to build a "strong education nation" over the next 10 years.
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Nissan Tests Driverless Vehicles on Busy City Streets

Nissan Motor is testing its driverless technology in its Serena minivan on the streets of Yokohama, Japan, alongside other vehicles and pedestrians. The technology currently is at the industry's Level Two, with a human behind a remote-control panel in a different location and another behind the wheel of the vehicle, each ready to take over if an issue arises.
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Intel Names Lip-Bu Tan as CEO

Intel named former board member and long-time industry executive Lip-Bu Tan as its new CEO. The former CEO of Cadence Design Systems, Tan is joining a beleaguered semiconductor company that has lost market share and has been struggling to execute a strategy to keep up with rival chip makers.
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Meta's Community Notes to Use Open-Source Tech from X

Meta's forthcoming Community Notes feature will employ the same open-source algorithm as X's Community Notes, though Meta said in a blog post that it would adapt the algorithm for its platforms over time. Community Notes, a crowdsourced content moderation tool that will replace third-party fact-checking, uses contributors to provide extra context on content posted to Meta's platforms (except advertisements). Around 200,000 people already have applied to become contributors.
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Researchers Build an Operating System for Quantum Networks

Researchers at the Netherlands' Delft University of Technology have built what they are calling the first operating system for quantum networks. Called QNodeOS, the operating system can control devices on a quantum network no matter the qubit type and can handle both quantum information and traditional signals from classical computers. In tests, QNodeOS could handle quantum computers made from specially processed diamonds or electrically charged atoms, and successfully ran two programs simultaneously.
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Volt Typhoon Strikes Massachusetts Power Utility

China-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) actor Volt Typhoon launched a cyberattack on Massachusetts utility Little Electric Light and Water Departments (LELWD) in 2023. A new report by cybersecurity firm Dragos, which assisted federal agents in the ensuing investigation, indicated the Volt Typhoon subgroup Voltzite infiltrated LELWD's infrastructure for more than 300 days and performed "server message block traversal maneuvers and remote desktop protocol lateral movement."
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AI Makes Its Way to Vineyards

The wine industry increasingly is adopting AI to supplement its workforce and improve decision-making, efficiency, and sustainability while reducing waste. Autonomous tractors help farmers reduce fuel use and pollution, while automated irrigation systems make water use more efficient by monitoring soil and vines. Smart sensors help target spraying of insecticides or other material for crop retention, and the AI-powered farm management platform Scout can analyze images to monitor a crop's health and predict yields.
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