tech industry

Dutch chip equipment maker ASML said it is not selling its chipmaking machines in Europe, warning that the region risks falling behind the United States, China and India in semiconductors. The comments are drawing wide attention, with debate about Europe's industrial competitiveness and dependence on foreign technology picking up in both Indian and Chinese online discussions.

Leading figures in artificial intelligence have called on the United Nations to establish international controls over AI development, warning that the technology they helped create could pose risks to humanity. The appeal, discussed around a UN Security Council session on AI, has reignited debate over how governments should regulate a fast-moving technology that even its own builders say needs oversight.

China has introduced new travel rules that are causing concern among major technology companies and their employees, particularly those working in artificial intelligence and other high-tech fields. The measures are reported to affect the movement of expertise and capital, raising questions about how firms and skilled workers will operate, with observers warning of growing uncertainty for the country's tech sector.

A US jury has ruled that Apple must pay a record $5.7 billion in damages over patented haptic technology, the feedback system used in its devices. The verdict ranks among the largest patent awards in US history and is expected to trigger appeals, with significant implications for how touchscreen and vibration technology patents are valued and enforced against major hardware makers.

Tech companies are competing to create dedicated AI hardware, and Meta believes it has developed a winning device. The company is betting that purpose-built AI hardware could be the next major platform shift, following a wave of investment across the industry. Details about the device's features and launch plans remain limited, but Meta's entry adds to growing competition in the emerging AI gadget market.

BYD says its solid-state electric vehicle battery technology is almost ready for real-world use. The Chinese automaker is among several manufacturers racing to commercialize solid-state batteries, which promise greater range, faster charging and improved safety over today's lithium-ion cells. Any movement toward production from a company of BYD's scale is being closely watched across the auto industry, as a breakthrough could reshape competition in the fast-growing electric vehicle market.

The All-In Podcast discusses a turbulent week in AI: Anthropic's long-expected IPO may be at risk, Meta has launched its Muse model to strong interest, falling token prices are squeezing AI companies' margins, open-source models are winning market share, and alignment efforts are described as failing. Commentators frame these as signs that the AI industry's economics and safety promises are both under strain.

Politico reports on a startup aiming to bring the approach popularized by SpaceX — rapid iteration, aggressive engineering timelines and heavy private funding — to the nuclear power industry. The piece examines how that playbook could shake up a sector long defined by slow, over-budget reactor projects, though no specific details about the company or its technology are available beyond the headline.

Japan's Defense Ministry is planning a new system to support startups developing unmanned aerial vehicles and related products. The move would give emerging defense-tech firms backing to develop drones and other equipment for national security use, reflecting Japan's broader push to grow its domestic defense industry and adopt advanced unmanned technology.

Apple Music is set to open a concert venue at the landmark Battersea Power Station in London. The announcement pairs one of the world's biggest music streaming services with one of the capital's most recognisable industrial buildings, which has been redeveloped in recent years into a shopping and cultural destination. Details on opening dates and programming have not yet been given.

Analysts and industry watchers are debating how long the current shortage of memory chips will last. Demand from AI infrastructure, limited wafer capacity, and the shift of production toward HBM are squeezing supply of conventional DRAM and NAND. Building new manufacturing capacity takes years, so many expect tight supply and high prices to persist well into the coming years, though forecasts differ on the exact timeline.

An Australian AI researcher describes how many people in Silicon Valley genuinely believe in catastrophic risks from artificial intelligence, offering an insider's perspective on the anxieties shaping the tech industry. The remarks highlight the growing gap between those who treat advanced AI as an existential threat and sceptics who see such fears as overblown or self-serving.

The Guardian reports that Silicon Valley's leading AI figures, who aim to transform society through artificial intelligence, are being caught off guard by democratic forces. The piece suggests the industry's power players failed to anticipate public and political resistance to their sweeping plans. It frames a growing tension between technologists' ambitions and the accountability that democratic institutions demand.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says those warning of an AI apocalypse 'have ulterior reasons', dismissing existential-risk claims from prominent figures in tech. The remarks add fuel to the ongoing split between AI executives warning of catastrophic danger and industry leaders who argue such warnings serve business or political interests.

US-based chipmaker GlobalFoundries reports strong demand for Chinese optical modules as data centre construction accelerates, and is expanding its presence in China to serve domestic clients amid the infrastructure boom. The news, reported by the South China Morning Post, highlights how data centre buildout continues to drive semiconductor and optical component supply chains even as US-China tech tensions persist.

Thales, Bull and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) are joining forces to develop software for quantum computers, in a project linked to the French armed forces. The collaboration ties major French industry and research players together around quantum technology with defence applications, and is drawing attention in French tech circles.

Tech companies are competing to develop dedicated hardware for artificial intelligence, and Meta believes it has produced a winning device. NPR reports on the race, noting that Meta considers its offering a standout in a crowded field where rivals are also rushing to ship AI-focused gadgets to consumers.

Matt Mullenweg has used his supermajority voting power to remove the board of directors that had voted to fire him, according to a Fortune report. The move reverses his own dismissal and underlines his controlling stake in the company. The power struggle has drawn attention across the startup and tech community, with observers weighing in on governance implications of a founder able to overrule and dismiss the very board that removed him.

Qualcomm has renewed its patent licensing agreement with Apple, extending the arrangement through 2027. The deal keeps in place the payments Apple makes to use Qualcomm's wireless technology in iPhones, a relationship that has swung between litigation and cooperation for years. The renewal signals continued reliance on Qualcomm modems even as Apple works on its own in-house modem development.

A federal jury has ordered Apple to pay $5.7 billion in damages related to patents covering the Taptic Engine, the haptic technology behind the vibration and touch feedback in its devices. The verdict ranks among the largest patent damages awards against Apple and is likely to draw appeals and close scrutiny across the technology industry.

Adform says AI assistants can now access 800 of its advertising platform's capabilities. Buyers using its FLOW platform received 29 read-only skills in July, while Dell and Publicis Groupe tested the wider server at Cannes. Industry observers are asking whether these agents can actively change live campaigns or only read data, a key question for how much control advertisers will hand over to AI.

Thales, Bull and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) are working on software for quantum computers intended for the French armed forces, according to a report by Clubic. The collaboration points to growing defence interest in quantum computing in France, with the three organisations combining industrial and research expertise on the technology.

The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre is drawing attention to the situation of workers affected by the technology transition, including those in manufacturing and supply chains whose jobs and rights are reshaped as industries shift to new technologies. The initiative highlights concerns over labour conditions, job displacement and corporate responsibility during this economic change.

Meta's data center expansion is drawing construction and operations workers to communities near its facilities, and purpose-built workforce housing is emerging to accommodate them. Reports describe how these housing developments serve the influx of employees tied to large-scale data center projects, highlighting the local economic ripple effects of the tech industry's infrastructure boom.

A Saturday Night Live sketch exchange is drawing attention for the way it captures the widening gap between the tech industry's promises about artificial intelligence and how ordinary people actually experience it. Commentators say the comedy bit lands because it voices widespread public skepticism about AI hype, turning a late-night laugh into a pointed commentary on the technology's real-world usefulness.

On September 23, Tech Policy Press hosted an event at Betaworks in New York City featuring Gil Duran, author of The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy, a New York Times bestseller published by Simon & Schuster. The discussion focused on Duran's arguments about tech industry power and its influence on democracy and politics in the United States.