Welcome to the October 20, 2025 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals three times a week.

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• Factory Towns Revive as Defense Tech Makers Arrive
• Mesh Networks Reimagined
• Could Tech Provide the Shot Bourbon Industry Needs?
• Ring Cameras Set to Give More Focus to Law Enforcement
• Driverless Taxis to Take On London’s Black Cabs
• U.S. Army Races to Catch Up in a World of Deadly Drones
• Taiwan Flags Rise in Chinese Cyberattacks
• Scouts Can Earn Badges in AI, Cybersecurity
• Google Plans $15-Billion Datacenter Hub in India
• EU Updates Age Verification Blueprint App
• Open-Source Tool Helps Create Gradient 3D-Printed Designs

Factory Towns Revive as Defense Tech Makers Arrive

Drawn by local talent, cheap labor, and state cash incentives, defense-focused tech firms are breathing new life into old industrial towns. Swarm Defense Technologies last year transformed an empty factory in Auburn Hills, MI, formerly used by Qualcomm for making wireless computer chips, into a drone manufacturing facility, drawn by a local workforce who had experience building assembly lines. Anduril, meanwhile, is building a $1-billion weapons plant in Ohio to make drones and other AI-enabled weapons.
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Mesh Networks Reimagined

A mesh networking system developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins and Harvard universities and City College of New York was conceived for use during Internet shutdowns that sometimes take place during political protests worldwide. Traditional mesh networks often fail under stress, but the Amigo network introduces dynamic “cliques” to manage message routing efficiently and reduce overload. It also adds new cryptographic protections, including “outsider anonymity” and secure group removal, while retaining forward secrecy and post-compromise security.
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Could Tech Provide the Shot Bourbon Industry Needs?

The U.S. bourbon industry is struggling, with major brands like Bulleit and Wild Turkey seeing falling sales and several distilleries going bankrupt. But Kentucky-based Whiskey House is betting on technology to turn things around. The facility operates more like a data-driven manufacturing plant than a traditional distillery, using over 1,500 sensors and predictive control systems to monitor production in real time. Its founders believe automation and AI will bring consistency, efficiency, and innovation to a tradition-bound industry.
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Ring Cameras Set to Give More Focus to Law Enforcement

Amazon’s Ring is deepening ties with law enforcement through a new partnership with surveillance company Flock Safety that will let about 5,000 police agencies request Ring camera footage for investigations. The footage-sharing system, managed through Flock’s software, allows agencies to post requests in the Ring Neighbors app for users to voluntarily share videos.
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Driverless Taxis to Take On London’s Black Cabs

Waymo plans to launch driverless taxis in London next year, marking its European entry. A small fleet of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles will begin mapping the city’s complex streets before offering autonomous rides. Uber also plans a London robotaxi rollout with startup Wayve, which is already testing AI-powered vehicles. While Europe trails the U.S. and China in robotaxi adoption, the U.K. government is pushing for pilot projects by 2026 ahead of a full legal rollout in 2027.
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U.S. Army Races to Catch Up in a World of Deadly Drones

The U.S. Army is rapidly adapting to the proliferation of deadly drones on modern battlefields, drawing lessons from conflicts like Ukraine. Units are testing loitering munitions, AI-enabled reconnaissance drones, and electronic warfare systems to enhance lethality and survivability, while discarding older, less drone-resistant vehicles. “I don’t think the reality of what drones mean on the battlefield has really sunk in for the U.S. Army,” said Lt. Gen. David W. Barno.
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Taiwan Flags Rise in Chinese Cyberattacks

Taiwan's National Security Bureau reported an average of 2.8 million cyberattacks per day against the Government Service Network this year, up from 2.4 million last year, an increase it attributes to the Chinese government's "online troll army." The report said the "systemic cyberattacks" targeted Taiwan's medical, defense, telecommunications, and energy sectors, among others. "Beyond intelligence theft, these operations integrate dark web, Internet forum, and media channels to disseminate fabricated content, eroding public confidence in the government's cyber defenses," according to the report.
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Scouts Can Earn Badges in AI, Cybersecurity

Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, now allows scouts to earn merit badges in AI and cybersecurity. To earn the AI badge, scouts must consider how daily life is affected by the technology, learn about the impact of deepfakes, and complete a project that involves AI or explains AI to fellow scouts. Earning the cybersecurity badge requires learning about tools to safeguard against digital threats. The organization recently released Scoutly, an AI chatbot that answers questions about Scouting America and its merit badges.
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Google Plans $15-Billion Datacenter Hub in India

Google plans to invest $15 billion in building an AI infrastructure hub in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The project will include a datacenter powered by alternative energy and connected via a fiber-optic network. The initiative supports Andhra Pradesh's goal to establish 6 gigawatts of datacenter capacity by 2029. Investments in India’s datacenter market are expected to top $100 billion by 2027, according to CBRE Group.
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EU Updates Age Verification Blueprint App

A second version of the age verification app blueprint released by the European Commission calls for passports and identity cards, along with eIDs, to be included as onboarding methods for generating proof of age and supports the Digital Credentials API. The blueprint, unveiled in July, is fully interoperable with forthcoming EU Digital Identity Wallets and will provide a foundation for localized tools to be developed by EU member states and private sector firms.
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Open-Source Tool Helps Create Gradient 3D-Printed Designs

An open-source design system developed by University of Colorado Boulder computer scientists uses code to map both shapes and material distribution within 3D objects. With the OpenVCAD system, users can combine complex mathematical functions, assigning them as materials to different regions of a 3D object.
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