The following compilation is a digest of five of the ten technologies the MIT Technology Review highlighted. These include cryptocurrency mining, covid pill, fusion reactors, synthetic data for AI and carbon removal from the atmosphere. The November issue hosted the other five. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin use vast amounts of electricity. For example, in 2021, the Bitcoin network consumed upwards of 100 terawatt-hours, more than Finland's typical annual energy budget. Proof of stake offers a way to set up such a network without requiring so much energy. And if all goes as planned, Ethereum, which runs all sorts of applications in addition to the world's second-largest cryptocurrency, will transition to it in the first half of 2022. The shift has been projected to cut energy use by 99.95%.
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