Nvidia has unveiled an AI sound model research project called Fugatto that “can create any combination of music, voices and sounds” based on text and audio inputs. Described by Nvidia as “the world’s most flexible sound machine,” many appear to agree that the new model represents an audio breakthrough, with the potential to generate a wide array of sounds that have not previously existed. While popular sound models from companies including Suno and ElevenLabs “can compose a song or modify a voice, none have the dexterity of the new offering,” Nvidia claims. Read more

Microsoft is releasing a mini PC designed specifically to access the cloud version of Windows. The $349 Windows 365 Link is a compact, fanless system that will connect local monitors and peripherals to Windows in the cloud. Microsoft plans to bring it to market next year as a companion to the Windows 365 cloud suite, helping companies transition employees to virtual machines. The concept is described as the first move toward a new type of “boot to cloud PCs” that offer little in the way of versatility, but are cheap, easy to operate and secure. Read more

Subscription-free streaming platform Plex — which features more than 600 channels, movies and TV shows — has redesigned its user interface to emphasize discovery and personalization. The new look is available in preview on mobile, with a public rollout planned in the weeks to come. “For personal media pros, we’ve centralized media libraries into a dedicated tab,” explains Plex, noting it’s added an option to save favorite libraries and quickly access power-user features. The Watchlist now has a dedicated spot in the navigation bar. Customers are using Plex to “find any title, anytime,” then linking it across services or adding it to the Watchlist. Read more

The GitHub Secure Open Source Fund will award financing to select applicants in a program designed to fuel security and sustainability for open-source projects. Applications are open now and close on January 7. During that time, 125 projects will be selected for a piece of the $1.25 million investment fund, made possible through the participation of American Express, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Chainguard, HeroDevs, Kraken, Mayfield Fund, Microsoft, Shopify, Stripe and others. In addition to monetary support, recipients will be invited to take part in a three-week educational program. Read more

Google DeepMind has come up with an error correction technique it says will make quantum computers more reliable, particularly at scale. While quantum computing holds tremendous promise — potentially able to solve in just a few hours problems it would take a conventional computer “billions of years” to figure out, Google claims — the systems are notoriously unstable, due to the delicacy of the “quantum state.” AlphaQubit is an AI-based decoder that identifies quantum computing errors with accuracy. Combining DeepMind’s machine learning expertise with Google Quantum AI error correction, the technique advances efforts to create a reliable quantum computer. Read more