The great chip crisis threatens the promise of Moore’s Law

We tried out the first statewide vaccine passport 

Sponsored by KPMG The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology The chip crisis deepens 07.06.21 Good morning! Today we're looking at how Moore's Law is coming under threat due to the growing chip crisis, and whether New York's vaccine passport is up to scratch. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. The great chip crisis threatens the promise of Moore’s Law   The world is facing an economically devastating shortage of microchips.  Production has also slowed for smartphones, laptops, video-game consoles, TVs, and even smart appliances, all because of the lack of cheap microchips. Their use is so essential and so widespread that some observers think the chip crisis could threaten the global economic recovery from the pandemic. The car industry could lose more than $110 billion to the shortage in 2021. The spirit of Moore’s Law—the expectation that cheap, powerful chips will always be readily available—is now being threatened by something far more mundane: inflexible supply chains. Read the full story. —Jeremy Hsu This story is from the latest issue of our print magazine, which is all about change. Read the full thing and—if you're not a subscriber already, what are you waiting for?! You can join us for just $50 a year. We tried out the first US statewide vaccine passport On June 20, about 20,000 fans gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York City for a Foo Fighters concert. To get in, ticket holders needed to show proof that they’d been vaccinated—in the form of either a paper card or the state’s Excelsior Pass, a much-debated smartphone app that launched earlier this year.  The pass now has about 2 million downloads, which represents just 10% of fully vaccinated New Yorkers. Implementation has been marked by glitches, privacy concerns, and outrage over the state government’s failure to prioritize the needs of working-class communities of color.  So what’’s it like to use? Journalist Rebecca Chowdhury signed up in order to attend a comedy show at Union Hall in Brooklyn. Spoiler: It did not go smoothly for her. Read the full story. We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + We've all gone a bit bonkers during the pandemic, but this horse's birthday party is next level.   + Perfectly spherical cats.   + These bees twerk to stay warm.   + This list of American foods that horrify British people amused me (but I'd hate to imagine what the equivalent list for British foods would look like…)    + Take a virtual tour of the Statue of Liberty.   + This mango lassi souffle looks like my dream dessert.   + Follow these TikTok accounts for a quick hit of happiness. (WP $) Sponsor Message 5 steps to achieving net zero Companies are facing more pressure than ever to develop and execute a meaningful net-zero strategy. The message to leaders is clear: Climate risk is being viewed as a financial risk, a driver of business insecurity. In a world of concerned stakeholders, companies that fail to mitigate their emissions face the likelihood of reputation damage. Explore five pillars to achieving net zero and how to demonstrate progress toward your decarbonization goals. Read The Decarbonization Journey. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 England is set to become the most unrestricted country in Europe from July 19 This is a hugely risky gamble amid a rise in cases due to the Delta variant. (BBC)   + The UK's booster shots can't come at the cost of first doses elsewhere. (Wired UK)   + Indian police are investigating whether scammers sold thousands of shots of salt water instead of vaccines. (NYT $)  2 A Chinese team says it has the world's most powerful quantum computer Easily beating Google. (New Scientist $)   3 We've been ignoring the signs of climate change for 60 years  We can't claim we haven't been warned. (The Guardian)   + Hawaii is one of the wettest places on Earth, yet it's still battling wildfires. (NYT $)  4 The Ever Given has finally left the Suez Canal 🚢 It was physically stuck for six days, but ended up grounded for another three months thanks to bureaucracy. (Quartz)   + The inside story of how it got stuck in the first place. (Bloomberg $)  5 The case for getting off Twitter There are truly a million better ways to spend your time, and your mental health will thank you. (The Atlantic $)   + Twitter has lost its legal protections in India. (Reuters)  6 The REvil ransomware hackers are demanding $70 million  These attacks are only becoming more and more brazen. (WSJ $)   + Could the ransomware crisis force action against Russia? (TR)  7 Four-day week trials were an "overwhelming success" in Iceland Productivity remained the same or improved in the majority of workplaces. (BBC)   + How should you deal with burnout? (Wired $)  8 TikTok is upending the book industry 📚 And getting more people to take up the hugely fulfilling habit of reading. (NBC)   9 When did humans start making music? 🎶 There's no way to give a definitive answer to this, but it's fun to speculate. (Gizmodo)   10 Okay, self-driving cars are hard, admits Elon Musk 🚘 He's managed to build up a major track record of overpromising and underdelivering. (The Verge)   + Tesla's AI chief has explained why they use cameras instead of lidar. (The Next Web) 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2021 Join us as we examine the latest advancements in computing and the business needs driving them forward. Purchase your ticket today. See the list. Quote of the day "The lake is so warm you feel like you're in a hot tub." —Abi Buddington, who lives near a gas-fired power plant that's ramped up its output to meet growing demand for bitcoin mining, tells NBC about its impact on the environment in Seneca Lake, upstate New York. Top image credit: ASML Please send twerking bees to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. 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