Hi there, this is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
🏭 Microsoft unveils an AI “super factory”
🎮 Valve announces three new products
🧠 OpenAI unveils GPT-5.1: smarter, faster, and more human
🫠 Russia's first humanoid robot falls during its debut
⚙️ Google will allow “experienced users” to install Android apps from unverified developers
🛒 Google will let users call stores, browse products, and check out using AI
🎁 + 15 other news you might like
🔮 + 5 handpicked research papers and tools
🏭 Microsoft unveils an AI “super factory” LINK
Microsoft is launching an AI “super factory” in Atlanta, a two-story complex designed for model training that will house hundreds of thousands of densely packed Nvidia GPUs for its partners.
The one-million-square-foot facility uses a liquid-cooling system and is part of the Fairwater network, connected by 120,000 miles of new fiber-optic cables to reduce latency between data centers.
Alongside the company's own operations, the site’s enormous computing power will be available to prominent AI firms, including OpenAI, Mistral AI, and Elon Musk's xAI for their projects.
🎮 Valve announces three new products LINK
Valve revealed the Steam Machine, a 6-inch cube console for the living room that runs a Linux-based OS and doubles as a computer with a KDE Plasma desktop environment.
The company also announced the Steam Frame, a standalone virtual reality headset that functions as its own PC and is reportedly able to stream any game from a user's Steam library.
A new Steam Controller was unveiled with magnetic thumbsticks, trackpads, a gyroscope, and grip buttons; it is designed for the Steam Machine but also works with PCs and laptops.
🧠 OpenAI unveils GPT-5.1: smarter, faster, and more human LINK
OpenAI unveiled GPT-5.1, introducing a "Thinking" model for complex topics and an "Instant" model that is warmer, more conversational, and better at following very precise user instructions.
The GPT-5.1 Thinking model adjusts its speed, answering simple questions about twice as fast while taking more time to provide a more thorough analysis for difficult technical topics.
New personalization features let users select one of eight communication styles, including Friendly or Cynical, and fine-tune how concise replies are or how often emojis should appear.
🫠 Russia's first humanoid robot falls during its debut LINK
Russia's first AI-powered humanoid robot, named AIdol, malfunctioned and toppled forward during its debut at a Moscow tech forum, landing flat on its face while walking across the stage.
The company's CEO explained the incident was caused by a calibration error in the robot's balance and motion control algorithms, which engineers will now fine-tune before its next demonstration.
AIdol features a silicone face with 19 servomotors to show emotions and is constructed with 77 percent domestically produced components as a result of Western sanctions on advanced imports.
⚙️ Google will allow “experienced users” to install Android apps from unverified developers LINK
Google is developing an advanced flow allowing experienced users to accept the risks and install Android apps from developers who have not completed the mandatory identity verification process.
A new developer account type for students and hobbyists is also being created, which bypasses full verification requirements but limits app installs to a small number of devices.
This installation flow for unverified software will include safeguards to protect users from scams, along with clear warnings to ensure they fully understand the risks before proceeding with installation.
🛒 Google will let users call stores, browse products, and check out using AI LINK
Google’s conversational shopping in AI Mode lets you describe desired items, with the system pulling suggestions and comparisons from billions of product listings that also show sponsored results.
The “Let Google Call” feature is an agentic AI that can phone local stores on your behalf to ask about item stock and current promotions, then sends you the information.
A new agentic checkout will monitor an item's price for you, confirm you still want to buy it when the cost drops, and then complete the purchase using Google Pay.
Other news you might like
- Microsoft to Use OpenAI’s Custom Chip Work to Help In-House EffortLINK
- Apple launches Digital ID on iPhone and Apple WatchLINK
- Cisco delivers strong Q1, starts to capture AI infrastructure spendLINK
- OpenAI fights NYT demand for 20 million private ChatGPT conversationsLINK
- EU investigates Google over ‘demotion’ of commercial content from news mediaLINK
- Inside Microsoft’s New AI ‘Super Factory’LINK
- China's Baidu unveils new AI processors, supercomputing productsLINK
- Coinbase joins Tesla in leaving Delaware for Texas: ‘Left us with little choice’LINK
- Microsoft says Windows is becoming an agentic OS, but users simply hate the ideaLINK
- Airbnb tests letting users order groceries through InstacartLINK
- Amazon is cracking down on illegal streaming on its Fire TV StickLINK
- Apple could make billions of dollars of extra commission from WeChat dealLINK
- OpenAI’s viability called into question by reported inference spending with MicrosoftLINK
- Elon Musk says Tesla’s robot could follow people around to stop crimeLINK
- Alibaba sets to compete with international AI players in product overhaulLINK
Latest research and tools
helm: a tool that helps users define, install, and upgrade applications running on Kubernetes.LINK
Continuous Autoregressive Language Models: this paper introduces a method for language models to generate text in a continuous space rather than from a fixed set of discrete tokens.LINK
ShaderGlass: a Windows overlay that applies visual effects, like retro TV filters, to your desktop, games, or videos in a floating window or full-screen.LINK
Jasmine: A Simple, Performant and Scalable Jax-Based World Modeling Codebase: the paper introduces a new software codebase built with JAX for creating AI world models that are designed to be simple, fast, and scalable.LINK
LLM Output Drift in Financial Workflows: Validation and Mitigation: this paper shows that language model outputs change over time in financial tasks and offers methods to detect and counteract these changes.LINK
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