Technology

TSMC is raising prices for the second time in a year: The company blames increased costs and expansion. Long-term effects may be loss of business from customers feeling the squeeze.

Meta to combine VR apps: Folding Horizon Venues into the larger Horizon Worlds app may be the only way to maintain user traffic and waning engagement.

Celestial power beamed to Earth: Plans are underway to deploy solar power stations in space to solve the planet’s energy problems. The promising idea could fragment without international cooperation.

Fighting cybercrime one email at a time: Abnormal Security wants to stand out with its behavioral AI for cybersecurity. It could make companies safer, but vigilance is still necessary.

From 1,000 songs in your pocket to $3 trillion in theirs: The iconic music player set the computer maker on a course to dominate consumer products that carried over to the iPhone and beyond.

Big Tech gets corrected: Tech industry stocks have taken a beating so far in 2022, but given the pandemic’s upheaval, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Another reincarnation looms.

Faces of the forest: Huawei helps deploy wildlife surveillance tech to help ID pandas’ faces and curb species loss. It could inspire a whole new level of conservation.

China orders replacement of foreign-branded PCs, software within two years: Government agencies and state-backed businesses will need to switch to domestic alternatives, which could mean losses for Dell, HP, and Microsoft.

Rivian’s fall from grace: After a historic IPO, Rivian hits a speed bump with a stock price drop and supply chain headaches. However, the startup is positioned to regain its momentum.

Brands and retailers are adopting new technologies as they pursue supply chain optimization: Kraft Heinz, UPS, and Amazon are looking to AI, the cloud, and other tools to streamline operations.

Plastic waste or precious commodity? The Gigabot X 3D printer can transform waste plastic into goods without recycling. It could be pivotal for on-demand manufacturing.

XBox Live goes down globally: The game streaming service and games on devices were inaccessible as its cloud service went down. The trend of outages for high-bandwidth, high-traffic services continues.

GM gets bullish on EVs: GM thinks it can outmatch Tesla in the EV race by focusing on more-affordable options for cars and trucks. But can it keep up with the competition?

Lower internet costs, faster speed could propel broadband adoption: The White House, members of Congress, and 20 ISPs are on board to connect low-income households, but ongoing fiber shortages could delay efforts.

No green thumb needed: Researchers have developed a wearable device for plants. Paired with automation, it could make growing crops and gardens easier, but overreliance and cybersecurity pose big risks.

Cost-cutting and layoffs could hurt employer branding: Companies risk losing their employer reputations as they scale back to protect profitability.

The factory has eyes: Startup Invisible AI will deploy its computer vision analytics system in all of Toyota’s factories in North America. But the unprecedented insight could have some downsides.

Sustainability you can touch: Consumers are getting more options to purchase eco-friendlier laptops like Lenovo’s Slim 9i. But the greener option is to fix and maintain current devices.

Meta freezes hiring and reduces metaverse investment: Months after an audacious pivot into its VR future, Meta is contending with declining ad sales growth. Will the future wait for Meta to sort itself out?

On-demand product development: Fictiv’s digital manufacturing service gained momentum during the pandemic as product-hungry companies face wait times. But one platform won’t end all supply chain suffering.