Software
Oracle | September 25, 2023
Oracle releases the new Java 21 to boost productivity, performance, and AI/ML support.
Its features include string templates, record patterns, virtual threads, and more.
Java 21 introduces the Vector API and aims to be the go-to for ML libraries.
Oracle unveiled Java 21, marking the second update to the programming language in 2023, following Java 20's release in March. The latest iteration of Java brings a slew of enhancements designed to boost developer productivity and application performance and cater to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) development needs. Notably, Oracle's commitment to long-term support for Java 21, spanning at least eight years, aims to provide organizations with flexibility in migrating their applications. Additionally, support for Java 11 has been extended until January 2032.
Key updates in Java 21 include:
JEP 430: String Templates (Preview): Simplifying Java program development by enabling the incorporation of real-time-calculated values into strings
JEP 440: Record Patterns (Third Preview): Empowering developers to expand pattern matching for complex data queries, enhancing productivity
JEP 441: Pattern Matching for Switch: Enhancing the efficiency and reliability of projects by enriching the semantic nature of Java
JEP 443: Unnamed Patterns and Variables (Preview): Improving code readability and maintainability by enhancing record patterns
JEP 439: Generational Z Garbage Collector (ZGC): Boosting developer productivity by reducing heap memory overhead and garbage collection CPU requirements
JEP 444: Virtual Threads: Optimizing the creation, maintenance, and monitoring of high-throughput, concurrent applications with lightweight virtual threads
JEP 446: Scoped Values (Preview): Enabling sharing of immutable data within and across threads
JEP 448: Vector API (Sixth Incubator): Introducing an API for reliable runtime compilation of vector computations on supported CPU architectures
JEP 453: Structured Concurrency (Preview): Streamlining error handling, cancellation, improving reliability, and enhancing observability
A standout feature in Java 21 is the finalization of virtual threads (JEP 444) within Project Loom, according to Georges Saab, Oracle's senior vice president of Oracle Java Platform and chair of the OpenJDK governing board. Virtual threads simplify the development of scalable and responsive applications, especially for those not well-versed in low-level threading APIs. This feature allows libraries and frameworks to build highly concurrent applications without requiring direct thread management, facilitating the creation of scalable programs that harness all available CPUs.
Georges Saab, Oracle's senior vice president of Oracle Java Platform and chair of the OpenJDK governing board, reportedly remarked,
Our answer is, we don't want to add a machine learning library, we want to make Java the platform to run all machine learning libraries on.
[Source – IT Pro Today]
Java 21 is geared toward AI, with JEP 448's introduction of a vector API as a prominent AI-focused feature. This API aids runtime execution, an essential component in modern AI applications utilizing vector embeddings in databases. Furthermore, projects like Valhalla, Panama, and improvements to the garbage collector aim to support AI and ML workloads by optimizing Java for processing large, intricate datasets. The overarching goal is to make Java the platform of choice for running all machine learning libraries, rather than adding a standalone machine learning library to the language.
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IoT Business News | February 20, 2019
HERE Technologies, a global leader in mapping and location platform services, and a Gold-level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), today announced that Oracle Internet of Things (IoT) Cloud has integrated the HERE Location Suite into its IoT services. This new integration enhances Oracle’s lineup of IoT applications by improving location precision for industrial assets connected to Oracle IoT Cloud applications to enable real-time machine health monitoring, remote warehouse operations management, freight transportation and last-mile delivery, and supply chain spatial health metrics. IoT is expanding at a rapid rate as enterprises and vendors become more aware of the possibilities of connectivity. As IoT evolves and the world becomes increasingly connected, more precise, accurate location data has become an ever-more critical component to effective IoT operations. Accurately pinpointing assets reveals crucial information about their functioning and usage, which offers businesses more valuable information about their products. For more than 15 years, HERE has been powering Oracle products with fundamental location functionalities, including mapping, geocoding and truck routing. This latest integration builds on that strong relationship. “Through our collaboration with Oracle we are creating an opportunity for customers to transform their businesses. Now that the HERE Location Suite is integrated into Oracle IoT Cloud, customers gain actionable intelligence to increase operational efficiency, from finding assets more quickly to proactively identifying and fixing vulnerabilities,” said Sandy Hogan, SVP General Manager Americas at HERE. “As a trusted, longtime partner, HERE provides Oracle with complete global mapping coverage and high-quality geocoding for the precise location insights required for our IoT applications,” said Jai Suri, Senior Director, Product Management, IoT Cloud at Oracle.
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IoT Tech News | January 18, 2019
Oracle has launched the latest version of Java Card, its open application platform that secures some of the world’s most sensitive devices. The Java Card 3.1 is an extensive update that aims to offer more flexibility in order to meet the special hardware and security requirements of both existing secure chips and emerging IoT technologies. The Java Card 3.1 has features that addresses use cases across markets ranging from telecom and payments to cars and wearables. There are nearly six billion Java Card-based devices deployed every year. But the software platform, which is known to run security services on smart cards and secure elements, is already a leader in the market since many years. This platform has introduced some new features that make applications more portable across security hardware critical to IoT, which allows new uses for hardware-based security, such as multi-cloud IoT security models, and makes Java Card a suitable solution for billions of IoT devices that require security at the edge of the network. Security remains a key benchmark for the industry as 2019 begins to develop. Earlier this month BCC Research put together a report which predicted that the IoT security market, valued at £1.31bn, will reach £4bn by 2023 at a CAGR of 25.1%.
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