The research team at Microsoft has taken the wraps off a new type of analog optical computer that uses photons and electrons to process continuous value data instead of traditional transistors that crunch through binary ones and zeroes. Called the Analog Iterative Machine, or AIM, it “has the potential to surpass state-of-the-art digital technology and transform computing in years to come,” Microsoft suggests. AIM is made to solve difficult optimization problems bedeviling industries such as finance, logistics, transportation, energy, healthcare and manufacturing. Continue reading Microsoft’s Light-Based Computer Could Usher in a New Era

According to new figures released from Kantar Media this week, the country’s largest marketers are cutting their advertising budgets as part of the transition toward increased spending on digital ads. Kantar reports that the top 10 advertisers reduced spending by 4.2 percent last year to $15.3 billion, as compared to 2013. Top advertiser Procter & Gamble, for example, cut its ad spending by 14.4 percent in 2014. Much of the spending is shifting to digital segments including video and mobile. Continue reading Digital Spending Grows Amongst Nation’s Biggest Marketers