In January 2038, many computer systems that still use 32-bit signed integers to track time will encounter a fatal overflow. These systems record time as the number of seconds since January 1, 1970, but the 32-bit limit will max out at 03:14:07 UTC on 19 January 2038, rolling the count into negative values. Unless updated to 64-bit timekeeping, affected systems in critical areas like databases, embedded devices, and file systems will fail or produce corrupted data.
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