The Daily Index — Thursday, May 15, 2025 · TLDR Index

Across today’s newsletters

Today’s Index

TLDR

MEET ALPHAEVOLVE, THE GOOGLE AI THAT WRITES ITS OWN CODE—AND JUST SAVED MILLIONS IN COMPUTING COSTS

Google DeepMind's AlphaEvolve is an artificial intelligence agent that can invent brand-new computer algorithms. It pairs Google's large language models with an approach that tests, refines, and improves algorithms automatically. The system has already been deployed across Google's data centers, chip designs, and AI training systems, boosting efficiency and solving mathematical problems that have stumped researchers for decades. The system represents a major leap in AI's ability to develop sophisticated algorithms for both scientific challenges and everyday computing problems.

links.tldrnewsletter.com · 7 min

TLDR AI

ALPHAEVOLVE: DEEPMIND'S GEMINI-POWERED CODING AGENT FOR ALGORITHM DESIGN

Google DeepMind's AlphaEvolve uses Gemini models to iteratively generate and improve complete algorithm solutions, not just isolated functions. The system proposes code, tests it through automated evaluators, and builds upon successful approaches to develop increasingly effective algorithms across entire codebases. This process has yielded significant improvements across Google's infrastructure, from data center efficiency and chip design to AI training optimization. Select researchers will receive early access to the tool, but it's unclear if or when it will become widely available.

deepmind.google · 4 min

TLDR Web Dev

MIGRATING TO POSTGRES

Motion previously used CockroachDB for its scalability, but recently migrated to Postgres due to escalating costs and performance issues. Its single-region setup didn't fully use CockroachDB's distributed capabilities. The migration addressed problems with Prisma migrations timing out, slow ETL processes, and inconsistent query speeds, where CockroachDB's query planner often resulted in slower performance than Postgres. A custom ETL solution was built using Bun to migrate the data.

engineering.usemotion.com · 10 min

TLDR InfoSec

CHIPMAKER PATCH TUESDAY: INTEL, AMD, ARM RESPOND TO NEW CPU ATTACKS

Intel, AMD, and Arm have released security advisories on CPU vulnerabilities, including a branch privilege injection issue (CVE-2024-45332) that revives Spectre-BTI attacks on Intel processors. Intel is issuing microcode updates for this vulnerability and others identified by ETH Zurich and VU Amsterdam, which found three new Spectre v2 attacks that undermine domain isolation. In total, Intel patched 25 additional advisories for various high and medium-severity vulnerabilities, while AMD addressed several high-severity flaws in its Manageability Tools and CPU Libraries.

securityweek.com · 2 min

TLDR Crypto

SEC DELAYS SOLANA AND DOGECOIN ETF PROPOSALS

The SEC has delayed its decision on in-kind redemptions for BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF and is soliciting public comments on amendments to its creation and redemption process. Previously, the agency had preferred a cash-only model requiring the immediate sale of bitcoin upon redemption. Concurrently, the SEC postponed proposals for the Grayscale Litecoin and Solana Trusts and opened comment periods for the 21Shares Dogecoin ETF.

links.tldrnewsletter.com · 5 min

TLDR

UBER'S NEW BUS-LIKE FEATURE FOR COMMUTERS IS NEARLY 50 PERCENT CHEAPER THAN UBERX

Uber's new type of ride service travels along a set route every 20 minutes with up to three passengers. Route Share will cost up to 50% less than an UberX ride. The service will be available in select cities and only during commuting hours. Uber says the service is a complement to public transit. The company has also announced a new price lock feature that allows customers to lock in a certain price for up to 10 routes for a $2.99 per month fee. Customers can now prepay for up to 20 rides a month at a reduced rate.

theverge.com · 4 min

TLDR

BIG TUNNELING MILESTONE!

The Boring Company has successfully continuously mined in a Zero-People-in-Tunnel (ZPIT) configuration. Its machine can simultaneously advance forward and build tunnels without a human in it. Each 'ring' in the tunnel weighs around 24,000 pounds. ZPIT continuous mining is the Holy Grail for Boring Machines as it is the safest, fastest, and least expensive architecture for building tunnels.

threadreaderapp.com · 1 min

TLDR

ROBOT CHEFS TAKE OVER AT SOUTH KOREA'S HIGHWAY RESTAURANTS, TO MIXED REVIEWS

South Korean tech companies are now deploying collaborative robots to work alongside humans in hotels, elder care, schools, and restaurants. The bots are supposed to solve a looming labor shortage in the rapidly aging nation. The government plans to increase the number of bot workers to 1 million by 2030. The reaction to the introduction of robots has been met with mixed emotions from both workers and customers.

restofworld.org · 12 min

TLDR

MICROSOFT PULLS PLUG ON BING SEARCH APIS

Microsoft will retire Bing Search APIs on August 11. All existing instances of Bing Search APIs will be decommissioned completely and the API will no longer be available for use. Developers who need a real alternative are recommended to check out Brave Search APIs, which generally offers a more cost-effective solution, especially for developers with lower usage needs.

neowin.net · 2 min