Tech

How Tokyo’s drone show spectacular took flight

Published

5 years ago

August 4, 2021

Brittany Coles

How did almost two thousand drones light up the sky to create a spectacular better than fireworks? the idea for a done show began down under

The drone show was the true highlight of the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony

1,824 drones formed the shape of the world 175m in the air.

https://twitter.com/Olympics/status/1418571211982970884

The shapes kept rotating and shifting against each other, and some turned bright blue

Millions of us, across the world were transfixed as the drones rotated just like Planet Earth.

It was breathtaking and was quite literally the turning point that made most of us believe in the Olympics again.

A photo shows a sphere made of drones during the Opening Ceremony of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at National Stadium in Tokyo on July 23, 2021. The summer Olympic games will run until Aug. 8th. ( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )

Did you know Australia was behind the whole light show?

Back in 2019 the country was burning through a devastating black summer, so instead of having sparking flames in the air AKA fireworks, drone light shows became the answer.

“You can’t rely on people to be responsible with fireworks,” signatory Susan Fahey commented under the petition calling for the cancellation of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks show in 2019. “Fireworks displays are unnecessary when you can have amazing drone light shows.”

They can be fully customised to create anything imaginable, even to John Lennon’s song ‘imagine’ like we saw in Tokyo.

To perform a drone show, multiple quadcopters coordinate to fly in programmed, preset patterns, tracing out shapes in the sky that are often choreographed to music.

The drones are also relatively lightweight – less than a jar of Vegemite

After a few test runs, the lightweight drones in Tokyo were all controlled by a team of just 15 people.

In a perfect performance – trained pilots, animators and programmers manoeuvred the high-tech equipment.

With the man behind the idea describing the drone spectacular as “an amazing feat of technology.”

“A lot of the story really came from the creative talents here in Japan, and then we collaborated on best ways to integrate the drones into the overall story,” Intel Olympic and Paralympic general manager Rick Echevarria said.

Will fireworks be replaced in the next few years as this emerging technology gains a sky hold?

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Tech

OpenAI and Anthropic launch faster, smarter AI tools for enterprise coding

OpenAI and Anthropic launch advanced coding models, revolutionizing enterprise software development and intensifying the AI tooling competition.

Published

2 days ago

February 6, 2026

Harvey Vargas

OpenAI and Anthropic launch advanced coding models, revolutionising enterprise software development and intensifying the AI tooling competition.

OpenAI and Anthropic have unveiled powerful new AI coding models aimed at transforming enterprise software development. GPT-5.3 Codex operates 25% faster than its predecessor, tackling complex tasks and following real-time directions without losing context.

Claude Opus 4.6 introduces ‘agent teams’, allowing multiple AI agents to work on tasks simultaneously. The update also includes a one-million-token context window, enabling large volumes of text and code to be processed in a single prompt.

GitHub now supports multiple coding agents, letting developers compare AI approaches on the same problems. Both OpenAI and Anthropic are pushing for enterprise adoption, highlighting the potential for professional applications across industries.

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#AI #MachineLearning #TechNews #EnterpriseTech #OpenAI #Anthropic #SoftwareDevelopment #Coding

Tech

Nvidia and Amazon explore massive OpenAI funding round

Nvidia CEO downplays $100B OpenAI investment, as Amazon eyes $50B stake in AI startup

Published

6 days ago

February 2, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Nvidia CEO downplays $100B OpenAI investment, as Amazon eyes $50B stake in AI startup

In Short:
– OpenAI aims to raise up to $100 billion, with Amazon considering a $50 billion investment.
– Funding will support Project Stargate and address projected losses of $14 billion by 2026.

Nvidia’s CEO has confirmed the company will participate in a major funding round for OpenAI, though the previously mentioned $100 billion commitment is not final.

This investment comes as OpenAI seeks to raise up to $100 billion, potentially valuing the AI startup at around $830 billion. Amazon is also reportedly in discussions to contribute up to $50 billion.

The funding is intended to support OpenAI’s ambitious $500 billion Project Stargate, aimed at pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence.

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News

Big Tech earnings spark investor unease over AI spending

Investors monitor Big Tech’s AI investments, with Meta thriving while Microsoft and Tesla face uncertainty over growth and returns.

Published

1 week ago

January 30, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Investors monitor Big Tech’s AI investments, with Meta thriving while Microsoft and Tesla face uncertainty over growth and returns.

Investors are reacting sharply to Big Tech earnings this week, sending a clear signal that massive spending must translate into real growth. Markets are becoming less forgiving as companies pour billions into artificial intelligence, data centres and future tech while returns remain uncertain.

Meta has delivered a standout performance, posting a 24 percent jump in revenue for the December quarter, fuelled by AI-powered advertising. The company is doubling down on its strategy, with aggressive investment in AI and infrastructure expected to drive a further 33 percent growth this quarter.

Microsoft and Tesla tell a more cautious story. Microsoft reported only modest growth in its Azure cloud business, raising questions about its exposure to OpenAI, while Tesla plans to double spending on AI and autonomous driving. Analysts warn of a widening gap between bold AI ambitions and what investors expect in returns.

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