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Showing articles 151 - 165 of 607 total (matching filters).

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  tech 7

  The Fight Over US Climate Rules Is Just Beginning

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-12 10:30)

  The EPA is expected to formally propose rolling back the 2009 "endangerment finding," the scientific and legal foundation for all U.S. climate regulations under the Clean Air Act. This unprecedented move, pursued for years by right-wing groups, would create major legal and regulatory uncertainty for industries and trigger a lengthy court battle likely to reach the Supreme Court.

  Critics argue the administration's draft proposal uses a wide array of scientifically and legally dubious arguments to undermine the finding, including questioning whether global greenhouse gases can be regulated under the Clean Air Act. The original finding, mandated by a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, has endured because many industries valued the regulatory stability and level playing field it provided.

  Main topics: EPA endangerment finding rollback, legal and regulatory consequences, political and industry reactions, historical context of the finding.

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  tech 5

  China’s Lenovo warns of ‘prolonged’ memory crunch, looks to AI for rebound

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-12 12:14)

  Lenovo reported a significant profit drop despite revenue growth, attributing this to an unprecedented and prolonged surge in memory chip costs. The company's sales growth was primarily driven by a strong increase in demand for its AI-related businesses.

  The main topics covered are Lenovo's financial performance, the memory chip shortage impacting costs, and the strategic bet on AI-powered devices and services for future growth.

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  tech 6

  Record Low Snow in the West Will Mean Less Water, More Fire, and Political Chaos

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-13 18:25)

  Western U.S. states are experiencing record low and widespread snowpack levels, with many areas at less than half of normal. This "snow drought" is largely driven by unusually warm winter temperatures, causing precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow.

  The deficit threatens water supplies, as snowpack melt is a crucial source for rivers and reservoirs like the Colorado River Basin. It also increases the risk of severe wildfires later in the year by leaving forests drier.

  The crisis coincides with unsuccessful negotiations among seven states to agree on new terms for sharing the strained Colorado River water, governed by an outdated 1922 compact.

  Main Topics: Snowpack deficit, causes (warm temperatures), implications (water supply, wildfire risk), and the related political crisis over Colorado River water sharing.

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  tech 5

  Beijing warns tech giants to curb ‘involution’ amid AI giveaway war

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-15 06:30)

  Chinese regulators have warned major technology platforms to curb "involutionary competition," referring to cutthroat, low-quality price wars. The warning specifically addresses an intense giveaway battle among tech giants to attract users for their AI apps ahead of the Lunar New Year.

  The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) urged companies to uphold fair competition and foster healthy innovation, without naming specific firms. The term "involution" describes damaging economic practices that the government has vowed to combat across several industries.

  The main topics covered are regulatory intervention in the tech sector, the concept of "involution" in business competition, and the aggressive marketing strategies for AI applications during a key shopping period.

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  tech 5

  ByteDance ‘strengthening safeguards’ after Seedance AI video controversy

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-15 09:07)

  ByteDance is strengthening safeguards for its Seedance AI video tool following controversy over its ability to generate videos of copyrighted characters. The action comes after Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter, accusing the company of intellectual property infringement regarding its Marvel and Star Wars characters.

  The main topics covered are the intellectual property dispute between ByteDance and Disney, ByteDance's response to the controversy, and the broader context of similar actions taken against other AI services.

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  tech 4

  The Nothing That Has the Potential to Be Anything

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-15 12:00)

  According to quantum mechanics, a perfectly evacuated box still contains a fundamental residue of energy known as ground-state or zero-point energy. This energy exists in two forms: one associated with fields (like the electromagnetic field) and another with discrete objects (like atoms), and it cannot be eliminated due to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

  The concept, introduced by Max Planck, explains phenomena like molecular vibrations even near absolute zero, as demonstrated in a 2025 experiment on an ultra-cold molecule. A famous field-based effect is the Casimir force, where uncharged plates attract due to modifications in the field's zero-point energy between them.

  The main topics covered are the definition and inevitability of quantum zero-point energy, its explanation via the uncertainty principle, its historical background and explanatory uses, and modern experimental demonstrations including molecular studies and the Casimir effect.

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  tech 5

  Humanoids go mainstream as China’s robotics champions appear at CCTV spectacle

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-15 22:00)

  China's leading humanoid robotics companies were prominently featured in the state broadcaster CCTV's annual Spring Festival Gala, a major nationwide marketing event. Four firms participated through partnerships reportedly worth around 100 million yuan, showcasing their robots in comedy sketches, martial arts, and musical performances.

  The segment highlighted the industry's central role in national industrial policy and demonstrated the technological progress of Chinese humanoids. While entertainment is currently the primary application, the long-term goal is for these robots to become efficient industrial workers.

  The main topics covered are the showcase of Chinese humanoid robotics at a major televised event, the significant commercial partnerships involved, and the industry's current entertainment focus alongside its future industrial ambitions.

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  tech 6

  Alibaba unveils Qwen-3.5, sharpening global race to spread AI models

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-16 09:19)

  Alibaba Cloud has released its next-generation open AI model, Qwen-3.5, intensifying the global AI competition between China and the U.S. The launch was part of a wave of new model releases from major Chinese AI developers.

  The new open-source model shows significant performance improvements over its predecessor and is benchmarked as competitive with leading U.S. models from firms like OpenAI. A separate closed-source version, Qwen-3.5-Plus, boasts a massive context window and performance claimed to be on par with current industry leaders.

  The main topics covered are Alibaba's Qwen-3.5 AI model release, the China-U.S. AI race, and the technical specifications and benchmarked performance of the new models.

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  tech 5

  Kung fu, somersaults and scale: Unitree eyes 20,000-robot output in 2026 after gala

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-17 09:32)

  Unitree Robotics plans to dramatically increase its humanoid robot shipments, targeting 10,000 to 20,000 units in 2026, a significant jump from about 5,500 in 2025. This projection follows a high-profile performance at China's Spring Festival Gala, where its robots demonstrated advanced capabilities like autonomous kung fu, trampoline somersaults, and high-speed running. The showcase highlighted rapid technological progress in the past year, positioning Unitree at the forefront of China's humanoid robotics industry.

  The main topics covered are Unitree's production and shipment forecasts, its showcase at a major national gala, and the demonstrated advancements in its robots' capabilities.

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  tech 5

  AI Digital Twins Are Helping People Manage Diabetes and Obesity

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-17 11:00)

  Rodney Buckley lost 100 pounds in under a year using Twin Health's digital twin program, which employs wearables, AI, and coaching instead of GLP-1 drugs. Faced with the high cost of GLP-1 medications, some employers are turning to such non-drug alternatives for weight loss and metabolic health management.

  The Twin Health program creates a digital model of a user's metabolism using data from various devices, providing personalized food and activity recommendations. It operates on an outcomes-based payment model, where the company is paid only when users achieve specific clinical improvements like weight loss or reduced medication use.

  Main topics: digital health technology (digital twins/AI), employer healthcare cost management for obesity/diabetes, and personalized nutrition/wellness programs.

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  tech 5

  Big Tech Says Generative AI Will Save the Planet. It Doesn’t Offer Much Proof

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-18 15:17)

  Google has promoted a claim that AI could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 5-10% by 2030, a statistic originating from a Google-BCG report. However, an investigation by researcher Ketan Joshi found this estimate relies on flimsy evidence, citing BCG's "experience with clients" without robust proof.

  Despite Google's own sustainability report showing AI development is increasing its corporate emissions, the company continues to use the optimistic statistic in policy recommendations. The aggressive AI infrastructure build-out is, in reality, driving significant new energy demand, prolonging coal plants and adding gas power to grids.

  Joshi's new report, analyzing over 150 such claims, concludes that many high-profile assertions about AI solving climate change lack substantial evidence.

  Main Topics: Google's AI emissions reduction claim, the investigation into its evidence, the actual climate impact of AI infrastructure, and the scrutiny of tech industry environmental promises.

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  tech 5

  Chinese AI and robotics firms appoint millennial and Gen Z rising stars as chief scientists

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-19 04:00)

  Chinese tech companies like Tencent, AgiBot, and PrimeBot are appointing millennials and Generation Z researchers as chief scientists to lead AI and robotics innovation. These young experts, including Princeton graduate Yao and Peking University professor Dong Hao, focus on fundamental research and strategic planning for future technologies.

  The trend highlights a focus on attracting top-tier, globally educated talent with experience at elite institutions like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Imperial College London. Their work involves advancing core AI methodologies, such as optimizing model design through "context learning" and improving computer vision techniques.

  The main topics covered are leadership appointments in Chinese tech, the youth and global background of the new AI scientists, and their specific research focuses in artificial intelligence and robotics.

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  tech 4

  Inside the Gay Tech Mafia

  (Backchannel Latest / 2026-02-19 11:00)

  The article examines the persistent rumor of a "gay tech mafia" in Silicon Valley, an idea treated as open secret or conventional wisdom by some insiders. It details anecdotes from investors and founders suggesting gay men dominate the upper echelons and social networks of the tech industry, influencing funding and access.

  The piece notes that while prominent gay executives exist, the cabal theory has been dismissed by some as homophobic conspiracy. However, the perception has intensified, fueled by social media gossip and viral photos hinting at the intimate social culture of venture capital.

  The main topics covered are the alleged influence of gay men in Silicon Valley's power structures, the social dynamics and networking within the tech industry, and the resulting perceptions and accusations of discrimination or favoritism.

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  tech 5

  China’s tech giants report huge gains from Spring Festival marketing blitz

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-19 13:00)

  China's major tech companies, including Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent, reported significant user engagement for their new AI products during the Spring Festival Gala marketing campaign. ByteDance, in particular, reported 1.9 billion interactions across its AI services on the day, with its Doubao app processing a peak of 63.3 billion tokens per minute.

  This activity vastly outpaced a benchmark set by OpenAI, which reported processing 6 billion tokens per minute last October. ByteDance's video generation model, Seedance 2.0, was directly integrated into the gala's broadcast through several pre-recorded AI-generated segments.

  The main topics covered are the successful Spring Festival marketing campaigns by Chinese tech giants, the impressive engagement metrics for their AI services, and the specific integration and performance of ByteDance's AI products during the gala.

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  tech 6

  The next interface race: how AI is bringing smart glasses into focus

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-20 06:38)

  The AI boom is shifting technology interfaces from screens to wearable devices, with smart glasses emerging as a key frontier. Advances in AI and hardware miniaturization are driving this shift, aiming to create more intuitive interactions aligned with human cognition. Industry leaders believe these glasses, powered by AI agents, could redefine daily interaction as significantly as the smartphone did.

  The main topics covered are the evolution of technology interfaces, the role of AI and hardware in advancing smart glasses, and the vision for more natural, human-centric device interactions.