Hi there, this is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
🤔 Apple reportedly discussed buying Mistral and Perplexity
🧠 Nvidia’s releases a new 'robot brain'
⚠️ Intel warns US stake could hurt global sales
🍌 Google Gemini’s AI image model gets a ‘bananas’ upgrade
🌍 Trump threatens tariffs on countries with digital taxes
🛡️ Google will block apps from unverified developers
🎁 + 9 other news you might like
🔮 + 6 handpicked research papers and tools
🤔 Apple reportedly discussed buying Mistral and Perplexity LINK
Apple is reportedly discussing buying AI search firm Perplexity and French company Mistral, especially since its Google Search deal is at the mercy of a future court decision.
Executive Eddy Cue is the most vocal proponent for a large AI purchase, having previously championed unsuccessful M&A attempts for Netflix and Tesla that were rejected by Tim Cook.
In opposition, Craig Federighi is hesitant on a major AI agreement because he believes his own team can build the required technology to solve Apple's current AI deficit themselves.
🧠 Nvidia’s releases a new 'robot brain' LINK
Nvidia released its next-generation robot brain, the Jetson Thor, a new system-on-module created for developers building physical AI and robotics applications that interact with the world.
The system uses an Ada Lovelace GPU architecture, offering 7.5 times more AI compute and 3.5 times greater energy efficiency compared to the previous Jetson AGX Orin generation.
This hardware can run generative AI models to help machines interpret their surroundings, and the Jetson AGX Thor developer kit is now available to purchase for the price of $3,499.
⚠️ Intel warns US stake could hurt global sales LINK
Intel warns that the US government becoming a significant stockholder could subject it to additional regulations like foreign subsidy laws, potentially harming the 76% of its revenue from sales outside the US.
The investment may create an advantage for rivals like AMD by fueling concerns in China, one of Intel's largest markets, about scrutiny and sanctions similar to those faced by Huawei.
The company disclosed the arrangement may substantially limit its ability to pursue future strategic transactions, which could reduce the willingness of other third parties to engage in deals beneficial to stockholders.
🍌 Google Gemini’s AI image model gets a ‘bananas’ upgrade LINK
Google is launching Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, a new AI model designed to make precise edits from natural language requests while maintaining the consistency of details like faces and backgrounds.
The tool first gained attention anonymously on the evaluation platform LMArena under the name “nano-banana,” where it impressed users with its high-quality image editing before Google revealed its identity.
To address potential misuse, the company adds visual watermarks and metadata identifiers to generated pictures and has safeguards that restrict the creation of non-consensual intimate imagery on its platform.
🌍 Trump threatens tariffs on countries with digital taxes LINK
Donald Trump threatened substantial tariffs and new export restrictions on countries with digital service laws, accusing them of unfairly targeting major American technology companies for economic benefit.
The European Union is likely safe from these additional tariffs due to a recent deal, but the administration is considering other punitive actions against officials enforcing the Digital Services Act.
Instead of trade actions, sources claim the White House might impose sanctions, probably taking the form of visa restrictions against specific personnel responsible for implementing the European law.
🛡️ Google will block apps from unverified developers LINK
Google is mandating identity verification for developers distributing apps on all Android devices, expanding the policy beyond the Play Store to include internet-sideloaded sources and other app stores.
To get verified, developers must provide their legal name, address, email, and phone number, which could push independent developers to register as a business for their own privacy’s sake.
This new system will go live for all developers in March 2026, starting enforcement in Brazil, Indonesia, and Singapore before its global rollout begins across Android devices in 2027.
Other news you might like
- Google's new smart home hardware looks mostly familiar in leaked imagesLINK
- Spotify launches a messaging feature in a bid to become more socialLINK
- Perplexity sued by Japanese media giants for stealing information and presenting false informationLINK
- Silicon Valley is pouring millions into pro-AI PACs to sway midtermsLINK
- YouTube secretly tested AI video enhancement without notifying creatorsLINK
- Tesla could have avoided that $242.5M Autopilot verdict, filings showLINK
- Parents sue OpenAI over ChatGPT’s role in son’s suicideLINK
- Linux is 34 years old today — Linus Torvalds meekly announced this free new OS in the comp.os.minix newsgroup on this day in 1991LINK
- Study says AI chatbots inconsistent in handling suicide-related queriesLINK
Latest research and tools
Fenster: a minimal library for creating simple cross-platform 2D graphical applications with support for user input and audio playback.LINK
WiFi-3D-Fusion: a tool for real-time 3D motion sensing and visualization using local Wi-Fi signals, with a self-learning system that automatically improves its detection capabilities over time.LINK
TCP/IP stack for xv6-riscv: a project that adds networking capabilities to the xv6-riscv operating system by integrating a TCP/IP protocol stack.LINK
Gonzo: a terminal tool for analyzing log streams in real-time, featuring AI-powered insights, visualizations, and support for the OpenTelemetry protocol.LINK
iOS 18.6.1 zero-click remote code execution proof-of-concept: a demonstration of a security flaw that allows an attacker to run code on a device remotely, without requiring any interaction from the user.LINK
JWST detection of CO2 dominated gas coma surrounding interstellar obj. 3I/ATLAS: the James Webb Space Telescope found that the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is surrounded by a gas cloud made mostly of carbon dioxide.LINK
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