ABS

ASML, the Dutch maker of the lithography machines essential for advanced chips, says it sold 'absolutely nothing' in Europe in 2026, with its equipment going almost entirely to Asia-based chipmakers. The company is calling on the European Union to help create demand for advanced semiconductor manufacturing on the continent. The remark is drawing attention as Europe pushes to build domestic chip capacity and reduce reliance on Asian supply chains.

Major AI laboratories say the scenario in which AI models gain the ability to improve themselves autonomously is approaching. The claim, reported by ABC News, revives debate among researchers and policymakers about how soon recursive self-improvement could arrive and what safety measures would be needed. Observers are weighing whether current models show early signs of this capability or whether lab statements reflect competitive positioning.

Planet Labs has delivered its Pelican-12 spacecraft to Cape Canaveral ahead of the upcoming SpaceX Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. The satellite's arrival at the Florida launch site marks a key milestone ahead of integration with the rocket. Planet's Pelican constellation provides high-resolution Earth imaging, and the mission continues the company's deployment of next-generation imaging satellites aboard SpaceX's regular small-payload rideshare flights.

Supersonic Labs has released Julia 1, an open decision model with 144.3 million parameters that is small enough to run on a standard CPU without specialized hardware. The model is aimed at decision-making tasks rather than general text generation, and its open availability plus low hardware requirements make it notable among practitioners seeking lightweight alternatives to large AI models.

A called second strike was overturned after a manager used Major League Baseball's Automated Ball-Strike challenge system, with the review showing the pitch outside the zone. The moment highlights how the ABS system is changing games this season, letting teams contest borderline calls that once stood, and drawing attention to how often umpires' strike-zone decisions are being corrected.

A first strike call was overturned after a challenge under MLB's automated ball-strike (ABS) system, which allows players to contest ball and strike rulings. The replay of the automated review confirmed the call on the field was wrong, flipping the pitch to a ball. It is an early example of how the new challenge system is changing game management and officiating debates.

MLB's ABS challenge system, which allows players to contest umpire ball-strike calls via automated tracking, is being tracked with team and player rankings for the 2026 season. Coverage focuses on how often teams and individual players are successfully using challenges, and which clubs are adapting fastest to the technology as it takes on a larger role in the sport.