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Earth Intelligence

17 Mar 2024 — 8 min read

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CENTCOM Activity
Aligned Data Centers

Week Recap:

Three major Chinese state-owned banks, namely the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Bank of China, have stopped facilitating payments from Russian banks under sanctions, as reported by Russia's Izvestia on Wednesday. This halt in transactions began at the onset of 2024, according to Alexey Poroshin, CEO of the investment firm First Group, who spoke to Izvestia. The change was communicated to their Russian clientele in January, following the European Union's 12th set of sanctions against Russia and the US's implementation of secondary sanctions aimed at those aiding Russia in bypassing these sanctions in December.
Last year, Instagram managed to outpace TikTok in terms of app downloads, a significant shift from the previous trend observed during the pandemic. In 2020, amid global lockdowns, TikTok experienced a surge in popularity, amassing over 1 billion downloads and overtaking Instagram, which recorded 600 million downloads, even despite being banned in India. However, the momentum shifted as TikTok's download rate began to plateau, whereas Instagram continued to see an upward trajectory in its download figures. According to recent data, Instagram's downloads spiked by 20% to reach 786 million last year, compared to TikTok's modest 4% increase, which resulted in 733 million downloads. Furthermore, TikTok experienced a decline in its user base, losing 13 million users in the last quarter of 2023, while Instagram witnessed a growth of 12 million users during the same period.
John Barnett, a 62-year-old former Boeing quality inspector who raised concerns about alleged safety defects in planes, was declared dead in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday, with the preliminary cause being identified as a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O'Neal's announcement on Monday. Barnett, who had dedicated over 30 years of his career to the aerospace company, alerted aviation regulators in 2017 about what he perceived as grave safety issues that could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Roku has reported a breach that led to unauthorized access to 15,363 user accounts and their associated credit card information. The company alerted its customers that hackers used previously stolen login credentials to attempt buying streaming service subscriptions in a few instances. Roku identified that the compromised credentials likely came from earlier breaches at other services, employing a method known as credential stuffing, where attackers use leaked email-password combinations on various sites. Upon accessing a Roku account, the intruders sometimes altered login details to seize complete control. Despite the breach, Roku confirmed that no social security numbers, full payment card numbers, or birth dates were disclosed.
From the morning of March 14 to the early hours of March 15, Sanaa time, Houthi forces in Yemen, launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) towards the Gulf of Aden and another two ASBMs at the Red Sea. Fortunately, these missile launches did not result in any harm or damage to U.S. or coalition naval forces. In a proactive defense, the United States Central Command neutralized nine anti-ship missiles and two unmanned aerial vehicles within territories controlled by the Houthis in Yemen, identifying them as immediate threats to both merchant and U.S. Navy ships.
On March 14 a humanitarian mission was carried out by the U.S. Central Command in collaboration with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, delivering critical aid to the civilian population in Northern Gaza at 11:57 a.m. Gaza time. This operation saw the drop of 13,900 meals from a U.S. Air Force C-130, assisted by Jordanian contributions, aiming to provide vital support amidst the conflict. This airdrop is part of an ongoing series of U.S. and allied efforts to mitigate human suffering through continuous humanitarian assistance, with further missions planned to sustain this support.
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) has agreed to pay fines totaling $348 million to U.S. regulatory authorities for not adequately supervising its clients' and employees' trading activities, marking one of the highest penalties of this nature for a banking institution in 2024. The penalties were handed down in separate directives by the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Thursday. The OCC criticized JPMorgan for engaging in practices considered unsafe or unsound and for not implementing sufficient governance over the trading platforms it participates in. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve highlighted the bank's oversight failures, pointing out its inability to monitor billions of trading activities across at least 30 global trading venues from 2014 to 2023. Both regulators have demanded various corrective actions from the bank.
On March 15 at 8:21 p.m. EST, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket deployed 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission signified the 19th journey for its first stage booster, which had a diverse history of launches including GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8, and including this latest one, a total of 12 Starlink missions. This launch also marks the milestone of SpaceX having placed over 6000 satellites into orbit since the commencement of the Starlink project in 2019, showcasing the company's significant contribution to expanding global satellite infrastructure.
Apple has expanded its technological reach by acquiring the Canadian artificial intelligence startup DarwinAl, marking a significant stride towards embracing generative AI technology in 2024. This acquisition, completed earlier in the year, has led to the integration of numerous DarwinAl staff into Apple's AI division, as disclosed by sources familiar with the transaction who wished to remain anonymous due to the absence of a public announcement. DarwinAl has been recognized for its AI innovations, particularly in the realm of visual inspection of manufacturing components across various industries. A notable aspect of DarwinAl's expertise is in the development of AI systems that are both compact and efficient, a feature that aligns with Apple's interest in deploying AI functionalities directly on devices, minimizing reliance on cloud-based processing.

CENTCOM Activity:

On the morning of March 16, from 7:50 to 8:15 a.m. Sanaa time, the Houthis, launched two drones from Yemeni territories under their control towards the Red Sea. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces managed to intercept and eliminate one drone, while the other is believed to have fallen into the Red Sea. No damage or casualties were reported among nearby ships.
Later that evening, between 9 and 10:30 p.m. Sanaa time, CENTCOM neutralized an additional drone and five unmanned sea vessels in Yemen, under Houthi dominion, citing a direct threat to both commercial and U.S. naval vessels. These defensive measures aim to ensure the safety of navigation in international waters, safeguarding passage for merchant and U.S. naval ships.
Furthermore, on March 16, 2024, at 11:58 a.m. Gaza time, a humanitarian mission was carried out by the U.S. Central Command in collaboration with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, delivering vital supplies to civilians in Northern Gaza amidst ongoing conflict. This mission saw the dropping of 16 375-pound packages of essential food items, including rice, flour, milk, pasta, and canned goods, from a U.S. Air Force C-130 plane, supported by Jordanian aid. These airdrops represent an ongoing commitment by the U.S. and its partners to mitigate human suffering, with plans for continued support through future drops.

Blackstone has recently invested in Aligned Data Centers, a Dallas-based company. This investment takes the form of a $600 million senior secured credit facility, earmarked for the construction of Aligned's most ambitious project to date, an 80 MW, two-story data center located in Utah. Aligned Data Centers employs around 650 full-time staff and engages thousands of contractors, spreading its operational footprint not just across the United States but also into Latin America, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.
The new Utah data center, which comprises three buildings, marks Aligned's fourth hyperscale facility in the Salt Lake City area. Data centers are the backbone of the digital world, serving as centralized facilities where computing and networking equipment are housed to collect, store, process, distribute, or allow access to large amounts of data. These technological hubs are vital for the operation of various applications and services that businesses and consumers rely on daily, including email, cloud storage, online gaming, and e-commerce platforms.
The necessity for data centers stems from the growing demand for data processing power and storage capacity, fueled by the proliferation of digital content, big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. By providing a robust and reliable infrastructure, data centers enable companies to efficiently manage their IT operations, ensure data security, and deliver uninterrupted services to users globally. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, data centers play a crucial role in supporting the compute and application needs of our increasingly connected society.

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