Welcome to the September 15, 2025 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals three times a week.

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• U.S. Government Struggles to Track Its Cybersecurity Pros
• IT Hiring Takes a Back Seat in India
• Computers Taught to Read Dead Sea Scrolls
• IBM Leads Race for Quantum Advantage
• Malaysia Reins in Datacenter Growth
• AI Tool Detects LLM-Generated Text in Research Papers, Peer Reviews
• Could Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
• Exotic Phase of Matter Realized on Quantum Processor
• Study Reveals Widespread Keystroke Interception
• Animal Behavior Inspires Robot ‘Swarm Intelligence’
• Software Turns Everyday Objects into Animated Displays

U.S. Government Struggles to Track Its Cybersecurity Pros

According to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. government cannot accurately track its cybersecurity workforce. Reviewing 23 agencies, GAO found at least 63,934 cyber employees costing $9.3 billion plus $5.2 billion for 4,151 contractors, but most agencies “did not have quality information on their component-level and contractor cyber workforce," according to the GAO. The Office of the National Cyber Director has failed to provide guidance, with its key working group suspended earlier this year.
[ » Read full article ]

IT Hiring Takes a Back Seat in India

India’s IT hiring outlook has worsened as global outsourcing demand slows and U.S. tariff uncertainty weighs on spending. Staffing firm Teamlease cut its July–December hiring projection to 1–3% from 3–5%, while recruitment firm CIEL HR lowered its FY26 net headcount forecast to 6–8% from 10–11%, citing a 150,000 shortfall versus initial projections. Staffing company Adecco India reported a 7% hiring drop in early 2025, driven by weak demand and cost pressures.
[ » Read full article ]

Computers Taught to Read Dead Sea Scrolls

Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel developed a computational method to read the Dead Sea Scrolls. The tool enhances analysis of handwriting and parchment, helping scholars determine whether disparate fragments originated from the same scroll or scribe. Using multispectral imaging, the system distinguishes ink from parchment and background with high accuracy, replacing manual annotation. Tested on 20 fragments, the method achieved 98% parchment identification accuracy.
[ » Read full article ]

IBM Leads Race for Quantum Advantage

Legacy computer giant IBM is vying with Google, Microsoft, and startups in the race for “quantum advantage,” when quantum computers surpass classical ones. Seen as a fading innovator by some, IBM is now betting big, building larger clusters of quantum chips and unveiling its Quantum System Two, a liquid-helium-cooled machine already used for research. Its strategy leverages in-house chip fabrication, partnerships like one with AMD, and a developer certification program.
[ » Read full article *May Require Paid Registration ]

Malaysia Reins in Datacenter Growth

Malaysia, once the epicenter of Southeast Asia’s datacenter boom, is slowing its rate of expansion amid power and water constraints and U.S. pressure to limit Chinese access to advanced AI chips. The country has attracted major investments from U.S. tech giants and Chinese firms alike, especially in Johor, which has become Malaysia’s leading datacenter hub. However, new rules now require permits for exports of U.S.-made chips, raising scrutiny of Chinese-backed projects.
[ » Read full article ]

AI Tool Detects LLM-Generated Text in Research Papers, Peer Reviews

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has reported a sharp rise in suspected AI-generated text in research submissions in the past few years, with 23% of abstracts and 5% of peer-review reports flagged in 2024. Using Pangram Labs’ AI-detection tool, which achieved 99.85% accuracy, AACR found a surge in AI usage following ChatGPT’s release in late 2022, particularly in methods sections. Despite disclosure requirements, only 9% of submissions admitted AI use. While peer-review AI use was banned in 2023, detections have since increased.
[ » Read full article ]

Could Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?

Global nursing shortages are expected to reach 4.5 million by 2030, fueling demand for AI solutions like Nurabot, Foxconn’s autonomous nursing robot. Designed to handle repetitive and physically demanding tasks, Nurabot was designed to free nurses to focus on patient care. Built with Kawasaki’s robotics hardware and powered by NVIDIA’s AI platforms, Nurabot navigates wards, delivers medication, and responds to cues. Another robotic solution, Diligent Robotics’ Moxi robot, is currently in use in U.S. hospital wards.
[ » Read full article ]

Exotic Phase of Matter Realized on Quantum Processor

Researchers at Germany's Technical University of Munich, Princeton University, and Google Quantum AI used a 58-qubit superconducting quantum processor to realize a Floquet topologically ordered state, an exotic quantum phase predicted but never before observed. They directly imaged edge motions and introduced a new interferometric algorithm to probe topological properties, enabling the observation of particle “transmutation,” a defining feature of such states.
[ » Read full article ]

Study Reveals Widespread Keystroke Interception

A new study found that many websites capture keystrokes before users hit ‘submit’, raising potential legal and privacy concerns. Researchers at the University of California Davis, the Netherlands' Maastricht University, and colleagues found that nearly 40% of sites deploy third-party scripts capable of recording typed data, with about 3% transmitting it to remote servers.
[ » Read full article ]

Animal Behavior Inspires Robot ‘Swarm Intelligence’

Researchers at New York University and the Netherlands' Radboud University designed a framework that mimics animal swarm behavior to advance robotics. Their work addresses the challenge of creating decentralized control mechanisms so robots can coordinate without a leader. Using a new concept called “curvity,” robots are assigned positive or negative values that determine how they move in response to an external force and interact, allowing swarms to flock, flow, or cluster.
[ » Read full article ]

Software Turns Everyday Objects into Animated Displays

A tool developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers transforms static images into dynamic displays using barrier-grid animations—optical illusions created by sliding patterned overlays across interlaced images. The FabObscura tool allows users to design with unconventional patterns like zigzags, circles, or sine waves. By entering mathematical functions into the system, users can generate customizable animations for everyday objects. The software supports single and nested animations, enabling multiple sequences on one surface.
[ » Read full article ]