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Shares of Japanese toilet maker Toto gained the most in five years after booming memory demand excited expectations of growth in its little-known chipmaking materials operations.
The stock surged as much as 11%, its steepest rise since February 2021, after Goldman Sachs analysts said Toto’s electrostatic chucks used in NAND chipmaking will likely benefit from an artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout that’s tightening supplies of both high-end and commodity memory.

Analysts Sachiko Okada and Sayako Tominaga raised their rating for Toto to buy from neutral, citing hopes for "significant profit growth” from the firm’s chuck-making business. The memory industry’s tight supply-demand environment will be a tailwind, they said. Toto expects AI data center construction to continue to raise demand for its electrostatic chucks, a representative said.

Known for its heated toilet seats, the maker of "washlet" cleansing toilets has for decades been part of the semiconductor and display supply chain via its advanced ceramic parts and films. Its electrostatic chucks — which it began mass producing in 1988 — are used to hold silicon wafers in place during chipmaking while helping to control temperature and contamination, according to the company. The company’s new domain business accounted for 42% of its total operating income in the fiscal year ended March 2025, Bloomberg-compiled data shows.

The likes of Meta Platforms and Amazon.com are investing hundreds of billions of dollars into data centers for AI services, triggering widespread shortages of semiconductors. That’s spurring memory makers around the world to ramp up production, from SK Hynix to Samsung Electronics and Kioxia Holdings, and lifting demand for products such as Toto’s.

Fine ceramics are similar to the sanitary ceramics used in Toto’s toilets, but with strength comparable to metals. Ceramic is lighter than metal and able to resist higher temperatures without interfering electrically with chipmaking tools, but are more brittle and costly.

Japan’s long history in chip production has led many companies, including unlikely names like consumer product manufacturers, to build out semiconductor-related operations. MSG seasoning inventor Ajinomoto produces chip insulating films — a business that arose from its command of amino acids. Cosmetics firm Kao, which sells facial cleansers, also has a chip wafer cleaning business.

Thursday’s gains helped make ceramics the Topix’s best-performing sector in the afternoon in Tokyo. The toilet firm’s rise came amid a broad rally in AI shares, with OpenAI investor SoftBank and chip tool maker Disco climbing over 10%.

Видео, которое было снято в Большом театре 5 января 2026 года во время закрытого показа балета «Щелкунчик» для участников войны с Украиной. На видео заметно, что в дальнем углу сцены, припорошенном искусственным снегом, написано слово «хуй»: https://t.me/anthro_fun/3843

«Возможно, там только одно слово, адресованное участникам войны, а возможно, два (второе слово, может, мы не видим из-за ракурса, или оно затопталось, или успели стереть)».

В Большом театре заявили, что считают видео фейком, и не считают нужным разбираться, откуда он взялся: «Мы не комментируем использование „фотошопов“ или искусственного интеллекта зрителями, и это не является основанием для внутренних проверок в театре».

То, что надпись была реальной, подтвердил сотрудник, имеющий отношение к Большому театру. По его словам, ее действительно сделали во время закрытого показа для участников вторжения в Украину, который прошел вечером 5 января.

В течение новогодних каникул Большой театр показывал «Щелкунчика» практически ежедневно. Причем в те дни, когда балет стоял в афише, показов было по два — днем (в 12:00) и вечером (в 18:00 или 19:00). Исключением стало только 5 января, когда состоялся лишь один публичный показ «Щелкунчика» — в 19:00.

Сотрудник театра, рассказал, что слово «хуй» на искусственном снегу заметили не балерины, а зрители («Девочкам, когда танцуют, не до того, что на сцене»). По его словам, из-за инцидента прошло совещание с участием гендиректора Большого театра Валерия Гергиева.

Достоверно неизвестно, было ли слово «хуй» написано в знак протеста, и если да, то был ли это протест против войны. Подтвердить или опровергнуть это мог бы только человек, который сделал надпись. О том, что его нашли, не сообщалось. Сотрудник театра считает, что сделать это непросто.

«Я не совсем уверен, что за кулисами есть камеры, и, скорее всего, понять, кто это сделал, сложно… Когда поднялся занавес на последний фрагмент „Снежинки“, надпись уже была. То есть, скорее всего, ее делали в темноте во время предыдущей сцены», — сказал он.

Researchers have long been puzzled by the Roman dodecahedron(https://artsandculture.google.com/story/can-you-decode-the-roman-dodecahedron/5wVh18uEpJuMnA?hl=en). More than 100 of these strange 12-sided metal objects have been found throughout Europe—but their purpose remains unclear. Now, another discovery in England’s countryside has reignited the mystery surrounding the ancient artifacts.

A volunteer with the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group unearthed the dodecahedron in the Lincolnshire village of Norton Disney over the summer. The group’s secretary, Richard Parker, tells Smithsonian magazine the artifact is “the find of a lifetime.”

“[Dodecahedrons] are one of archaeology’s great enigmas,” he says. “Our example is remarkable. It’s in an excellent condition—considering it’s been buried for 1,700 years—and complete with no damage.

As Parker tells Live Science’s Tom Metcalfe, the group was performing a two-week search for artifacts in a field where metal detectorists had previously discovered Roman coins and broaches. When the dodecahedron appeared in the excavation’s final days, “we were completely surprised by it,” says Parker.

The hollow, grapefruit-sized object is made of copper alloy, as the Norton Disney group writes on its website(https://nortondisneyhag.org/?page_id=2406). Its 12 flat sides are punctuated by circular cut-outs and studs on each corner.

According to the group, the discovery brings the number of dodecahedrons unearthed in Roman Britain to 33, while about 130 have been discovered throughout the Roman Empire’s northwest provinces. This one stands out because it’s still in one piece, while many of the others were found fragmented or damaged.

“It is well cast, complete with no damage,” writes the group. “It is an example of very fine craftsmanship, finished to a high standard.” The newly discovered dodecahedron is also larger than many of its counterparts, some of which are as small as a golf ball, reports Live Science.

Some Roman dodecahedrons date to as early as the first century C.E. However, no visual or textual references to the objects have been found in historical records. Lacking context, the dodecahedron has become an enduring mystery of the Roman Empire.

“Nobody knows for certain how the Romans used them,” wrote Smithsonian magazine’s Sarah Kuta last year. “Some theories are that they functioned as measuring devices, calendars, ornamental scepter toppers, weapons or tools.”

The Norton Disney group thinks most of these theories are unlikely. Parker says the piece was cast in “sticky,” leaden metal—making it difficult to mold—and was fragile in texture.

“A huge amount of time, energy and skill was taken to create our dodecahedron, so it was not used for mundane purposes,” writes the group, adding: “They are not of a standard size, so will not be measuring devices. They don’t show signs of wear, so they are not a tool.”

Instead, the group agrees with experts who think dodecahedrons were used for ritualistic or religious purposes. As Smithsonian magazine wrote last year, researchers at Belgium’s Gallo-Roman Museum have hypothesized that Romans used the objects in magical rituals, which could explain dodecahedrons’ absence from historical records: With the Roman Empire’s eventual embrace of Christianity came laws forbidding magic. Practitioners would have had to keep their rituals—and related objects—a secret.

“Roman society was full of superstition,” writes the Norton Disney group. “A potential link with local religious practice is our current working theory. More investigation is required, though.”

The dodecahedron was recently shown on the BBC’s “Digging for Britain” and is now on display in the nearby National Civil War Center: Newark Museum.

“It still holds many secrets,” Parker tells Smithsonian. “It is hoped some more scientific tests on the dodecahedron will reveal more clues about its possible use and purpose.”