Welcome to the September 23, 2026 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals twice a month.
 Trump Orders AI Rebrand as ‘Super Intelligence’U.S. President Donald Trump said he is directing the U.S. government to refer to artificial intelligence as “super intelligence” in documents, arguing that “artificial” makes the technology sound fake. During his United Nations General Assembly speech Tuesday, Trump rejected efforts to establish global controls on AI and said the U.S. would encourage its development rather than restrict it. He also dismissed warnings advanced AI could pose catastrophic risks, comparing them to past climate-change warnings. [ » Read full article ]Axios; Josephine Walke (September 22, 2026)  Poor Data Sharing Undermining EU Cyber Defenses, Auditors SayThe European Court of Auditors said inadequate information-sharing among EU member states is weakening efforts to combat cyberattacks. In a report, the Court described poor data-sharing as the “Achilles heel of the entire system,” warning that timely, actionable information is essential during serious cyber incidents. The report cited a September 2025 ransomware attack on an aviation technology provider that disrupted airports in London, Brussels, Berlin, Dublin, and other cities; none of the affected countries notified the EU cybersecurity agency or other member states. [ » Read full article *May Require Paid Registration ]Reuters; Philip Blenkinsop (September 21, 2026)  Microsoft to Give DARPA Access to Quantum SystemMicrosoft will give the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on-site access to its latest quantum computing hardware at a new research center in Maryland established with the University of Maryland and other partners. The facility will house a quantum system using Microsoft’s Majorana 2 chip, allowing DARPA experts to independently test and evaluate the technology. DARPA is assessing several quantum approaches for potential use in economically feasible systems by 2033. [ » Read full article ]U.S. News & World Report; Stephen Nellis (September 22, 2026)  U.N. Panel Calls for AI GuardrailsThe United Nations-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, in a report released Monday, urged world leaders and technology companies to strengthen AI safeguards. The report examined an OpenAI test involving AI agents that breached network restrictions and accessed Hugging Face’s database without being prompted. “Researchers have long warned that three conditions could lead to loss of control: a misaligned goal, the capability to pursue it, and an environment that allows it,” ACM A.M. Turing Award laureate Yoshua Bengio said. [ » Read full article ]The Hill; Ryan Mancini (September 21, 2026)  EU Moves to Curb Energy and Water for DatacentersThe European Commission (EC) is introducing sustainability rules for EU datacenters with more than 500 kW of capacity, measuring energy use, water efficiency, and electricity sourcing. The rules aim to improve transparency as the EU plans to triple datacenter capacity by 2035 to support AI and digital services. European datacenters consumed 68 TWh of electricity in 2024, with usage projected to reach 114 TWh by 2030. The EC is not imposing energy or water limits, but plans to implement minimum performance standards next year. [ » Read full article ]euronews; Marta Pacheco (September 21, 2026)  FAA Launches AI Tool to Assist Air Traffic Control at D.C.-Area AirportsThe U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched its AI-powered SMART system at three major Washington, D.C.-area airports to help reduce flight delays and cancellations by predicting air-traffic problems before they occur. The cloud-based platform analyzes airline schedules, weather, airport capacity, flight paths, and controller staffing data, then provides recommendations to human air-traffic planners. Officials say the new system will complement rather than replace controllers, potentially giving them more time to address developing problems. [ » Read full article *May Require Paid Registration ]The Washington Post; Liam Scott (September 21, 2026)  Survey Finds Growth in After-School STEM, Rural Access GapsAfter-school STEM opportunities have expanded substantially, with 92% of parents of participating children reporting access to STEM activities in 2025, up from 69% in 2014, according to a survey commissioned by the nonprofit advocacy group Afterschool Alliance. Math, science, and engineering were the most commonly available STEM subjects, while computer science and technology were reported less frequently. Rural parents reported lower STEM availability than urban parents, particularly for computer science and technology. [ » Read full article ]Government Technology; Julia Gilban-Cohen (September 18, 2026)  India Secures $12 Billion In Chip Investment PledgesIndia has secured up to $12 billion in semiconductor investment pledges within months of launching a new chip policy. Applied Materials plans to invest $5 billion in India over the next decade, while Lam Research expects to spend about $1 billion on a manufacturing facility there. Micron plans to test and assemble hundreds of millions of chips in India in 2027, while Tata Electronics signed agreements to expand wafer manufacturing, assembly, testing, and local materials production. [ » Read full article ]NDTV (India) (September 18, 2026) CS Grads Facing Recession-Like Job ProspectsCollege graduates from majors most exposed to AI have experienced weaker early-career employment and earnings since ChatGPT’s release, according to a U.S. Census Bureau working paper. The most AI-exposed 10% of majors saw initial employment fall by five percentage points and initial earnings decline 13%, comparable to losses associated with graduating during a major recession. About half of the earnings decline came from graduates moving into lower-paying industries such as retail and food service. Computer science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, and networking were among the fields most exposed to AI. [ » Read full article ]The Register (U.K.); Brandon Vigliarolo (September 18, 2026) CISA Cyber Decoy Guidance Aims to Strengthen Critical Infrastructure Defenses  The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released guidance for critical infrastructure organizations on using cyber decoys to strengthen threat detection and response. The guidance recommends placing decoys in areas users rarely access and configuring them for high-fidelity alerts. CISA describes deployment as a three-phase process covering preparation, execution, and analysis. [ » Read full article ]Security Week; Ionut Arghire (September 18, 2026)  Lithium Batteries May Help Unravel Mystery of Ancient Papyrus ScrollsAn algorithm originally developed by researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology to virtually unroll lithium-ion battery layers could also help decipher carbonized papyrus scrolls buried by Mount Vesuvius. The team created replica scrolls using carbon-based ink mixed with lead sulfate, then carbonized them under conditions resembling the ancient eruption. CT scans and the modified algorithm were successful in virtually unrolling and deciphering the text, providing a way to test techniques used on the Herculaneum scrolls. [ » Read full article ]NIST; Ron Cowen (September 17, 2026)  Quantum Computer Confirms 48-Year-Old Math ProblemA team led by researchers from Zhejiang and Tsinghua universities in China used a 121-qubit superconducting quantum processor to experimentally prove two geometry theorems, including a 1978 International Mathematical Olympiad problem. The significance is not speed or the difficulty of the problems, but demonstrating that quantum hardware can perform automated logical reasoning through mathematical deductions. The system used a hybrid implementation of a well-known approach called Wu’s method for one theorem and symbolic proof search, supported by simplified machine learning, for the other. [ » Read full article ]ScienceAlert; Nieldm David (September 17, 2026) |