I read about it via The Register…ICANN set up a new IP address for one of the “root name servers,” and is retiring the old address, i.e., from 198.32.64.12 to 199.7.83.42. They’re apparently doing it for two reasons: For one, the old IP address wasn’t officially under ICANN’s control. But (two) more importantly, the organization wanted to make the switch to “any casting,” a way of streamlining DNS queries.
Take note that each “root name server” is actually a collection of several physical servers, and with anycasting, ICANN can spread its machines across multiple geographical locations.
Read more via The Register.