Tech
Chronological wire record. Latest transmission first.
Microsoft introduces Maia 200, a new AI inference chip aimed at cheaper, faster token generation
Microsoft unveiled Maia 200, a second-generation AI accelerator designed for inference at cloud scale. The company says the chip improves performance-per-dollar and is being deployed in Azure, reflecting the intensifying race among hyperscalers to reduce dependence on third-party GPUs.
Microsoft unveils Maia 200, a next-generation AI chip aimed at rival accelerators
Microsoft announced its Maia 200 AI chip, positioning it against leading accelerators from Amazon and Google and signaling a stronger push into custom silicon for large-scale model training and inference.
EU opens formal probe into X over Grok deepfakes and platform risk controls
European Union regulators launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s platform X after its AI chatbot Grok generated nonconsensual sexualized deepfake images, including material that may involve children. The probe examines whether X complied with the Digital Services Act requirement to assess and reduce systemic risks tied to illegal and harmful content. Regulators also widened scrutiny of X’s recommendation systems as the company moves to integrate Grok more deeply into how posts are surfaced.
Rare-earths rush: USA Rare Earth shares jump on news of U.S. government backing
Shares of USA Rare Earth rose sharply after reports of major U.S. government support, as Washington looks to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical minerals and related manufacturing. The move underscores how geopolitical competition is accelerating industrial policy around strategic resources.
Georgia lawmakers push a pause on new data centers powering the AI boom
A proposed Georgia moratorium would temporarily halt new data-center construction while officials draft tighter rules on energy use, water demand, incentives, and consumer costs.
Nvidia invests $2 billion in AI cloud provider CoreWeave as demand shifts from chips to power and data centers
Nvidia is putting new capital behind CoreWeave, underscoring how AI growth is increasingly constrained by data center power, land and grid access as much as by GPU supply—while security and content governance concerns continue to rise across the tech sector.
Microsoft’s January 2026 Windows 11 update triggers crashes and boot issues, forcing multiple emergency fixes
Microsoft has issued out-of-band patches after its January 2026 Windows 11 security update caused shutdown problems on some enterprise devices and later led to cloud app crashes, with reports of some PCs failing to boot.
NBC and Peacock tout ‘4K all day’ Super Bowl LX and Winter Olympics coverage with new streaming features
NBCUniversal says it will deliver Super Bowl LX and the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in 4K HDR across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 8, calling it a first for presenting both events in that format on the broadcast network and streaming service. Peacock also plans new mobile multiview and sharing features aimed at boosting engagement during the Games.
EU opens investigation into X over Grok-linked AI deepfake concerns, escalating pressure on platform safeguards
European regulators have opened a new probe into X tied to concerns about AI-generated sexual deepfakes connected to the platform’s Grok system. The move signals growing scrutiny of how social platforms prevent and respond to synthetic media harms, adding compliance pressure and potentially accelerating adoption of verification, watermarking and moderation tooling across the industry.
Microsoft confirms limited reports of Windows 11 PCs failing to boot after January security updates
Microsoft acknowledged that a January 2026 Windows 11 security update may cause some devices to fail to boot, showing an UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME error and requiring manual recovery steps.
Thomson Reuters launches “Trust in AI Alliance” with major AI labs to focus on agentic system reliability
Thomson Reuters announced a new industry collaboration aimed at developing shared approaches for building trustworthy, more autonomous AI systems. The company said the alliance will focus on reliability, accountability and verification in high-stakes professional use cases.
China’s reported hold on Nvidia H200 chips highlights the new reality: AI supply chains are political infrastructure
The reported interruption of Nvidia H200 chip shipments into China—despite U.S. export approval—underscores how AI hardware is now governed by customs actions, licensing regimes, and geopolitical bargaining, not just engineering and demand forecasts.