JUPITER Exascale Supercomputer Planned in Germany

The JUPITER supercomputer is set to become the first European exascale computing system, according to a recent agreement (https://eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/one-step-closer-exascale-eurohpc-ju-and-forschungszentrum-julich-sign-hosting-agreement-exascale-2022-12-14_en) between the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) and the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) in Germany.

The supercomputer will be the first European system "to surpass the threshold of one billion billion calculations per second" and will support "high-precision models of complex systems and help to solve key societal questions," the announcement states.

JUPITER (which stands for Joint Undertaking Pioneer for Innovative and Transformative Exascale Research) will also "be designed with a strong consideration for sustainability and eco-conscious supercomputing." The water-cooled system will be installed at the Forschungszentrum Jülich research institute in 2023 and will be operated by the JSC.

PineTab2 Linux Tablet Announced

PINE64 has announced details of the forthcoming PineTab2 Linux tablet. In a lengthy blog post (https://www.pine64.org/2022/12/15/december-update-merry-christmas-and-happy-new-pinetab/) recapping the past year's activity, Lukasz Erecinski explains the demise of the original PineTab and shares details of the new model.

The "PineTab2 is much more than a spec-bumped version of the original," he says, "it is a complete physical redesign: you're getting a metal chassis that is very sturdy while also being easy to disassemble for upgrades, maintenance, and repair."

To facilitate end-user serviceability, the PineTab2's parts are modular, easy to reach, and easy to replace, Erecinski says, noting that "the camera modules, the daughter-board, the battery, and USB keyboard connector can all be replaced in under 5 minutes."

Two PineTab2 versions – featuring 8GB RAM with 128GB flash and 4GB RAM with 64GB flash storage – will be available upon launch, which is expected "sometime after the Chinese New Year," Erecinski says. Pricing of the tablet has yet to be determined.

NIST Says Use of SHA-1 Algorithm No Longer Advisable

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has deprecated use of the SHA-1 cryptographic algorithm.

According to the announcement (https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2022/12/nist-retires-sha-1-cryptographic-algorithm), the algorithm "has reached the end of its useful life," and NIST recommends that IT professionals replace it with newer, more secure options. "We recommend that anyone relying on SHA-1 for security migrate to SHA-2 or SHA-3 as soon as possible," said NIST computer scientist Chris Celi.

SHA-1, which stands for "secure hash algorithm," has been in use since 1995 and was "one of the first widely used methods of protecting electronic information." However, the announcement notes, "as attacks on SHA-1 in other applications have become increasingly severe, NIST will stop using SHA-1 in its last remaining specified protocols by Dec. 31, 2030."