Cloud can’t take the heat: The UK’s heat wave causes Google and Oracle cloud data centers to shut down. Data infrastructure needs better cooling technologies to adapt to climate change.
Tech needs faster broadband: The FCC chair’s plan to raise broadband minimums to 100 Mbps is necessary for US global competitiveness but faces an uphill political battle.
Focusing on TikTok: As the social video platform cuts jobs around the world and deals with the departure of its chief security officer and accusations of data harvesting, we weigh in on what’s next.
Shopify broadens the services it offers merchants: It partnered with YouTube to allow creators and merchants to sell products on their channels and bolstered its logistics platform by buying Deliverr.
Big Tech pauses office expansion: The economic downturn has pushed beleaguered companies like Meta to rethink their strategies. Workers’ reluctance to return is another reason for companies to stall expansion plans.
FCC needs $3B more to ditch Huawei, ZTE networks: The “rip and replace” initiative is short on funds. Prolonged pushback on reimbursements could result in a dodgy patchwork of suboptimal equipment.
Tech execs worry about population growth: With rising robotics and automation set to disrupt human labor, the tech industry needs a highly skilled workforce.
EV sticker shock softens with time and perks: EVs are paying for themselves faster as automakers offer deals on free charging that could become a decisive factor for inflation-weary consumers.
AI startups target corporate fear: Mounting recession anxiety is infusing accounting AI startups with cash. Long-term investor interest in AI applications will remain diverse, but startups may have to pivot.
3D-print your inner superhero: A Hasbro-Formlabs partnership delivers personalized 3D printed action figures. It could be a sign of a manufacturing revolution yielding an array of customizable consumer goods.
The global effects of China’s economic slump: The world’s factory has been forced to cut down production for months. Tight government regulation has made investors cautious.
CPUs, storage, and Wi-Fi chips face price hike: Intel is warning that “inflationary pressures” will drive up prices this fall, indicating the end of a two-year boom period in semiconductors.
The scale of Big Tech’s lobbying efforts: Sides lobbying for and against Big Tech regulation are intensifying their efforts before the Senate’s recess. Companies like Amazon are backing groups to stall regulation.
Another EV charging problem: As ACs blast during a Texas heatwave, EV charging could lead to blackouts—but it doesn’t have to. Bidirectional charging can make EVs a lifeline, not a burden.
Chip fab plans are up in the air: Intel, TSMC, and others could pause US chip expansion plans while the $52 billion United States Innovation and Compatition Act languishes.
An alternative cloud: Big Cloud’s solid market lead isn’t stopping growth of other small-scale options. Rising providers that are winning customer trust for cheaper services could shake up power dynamics.
NIkon to end DSLR line: Smartphones have an opportunity to seize the camera market, but smaller bodies and lack of long lenses will be tough to overcome. Computational photography could help fill the gaps.
The layoff-hiring puzzle: In what seems like a paradox, scores of layoffs coincide with hiring growth. Tech moves away from broad expansion plans while still needing software innovation to stay afloat.
Walmart uses EV deal to strike out at Amazon: The big-box retailer’s agreement with Canoo explicitly prevents the automaker from selling to the ecommerce giant.
From hiring help to layoff harm reduction: Responding to shifting market conditions, startup Continuum shifts its focus to helping companies deftly execute layoffs. But another strategy adjustment may be necessary.