QtrendsChina chip toolmakers consolidate to counter US curbs
Chinese semiconductor equipment makers are consolidating to build national champions in response to tightening US export controls. Piotech, backed by China's Big Fund, plans to acquire Wuxi Shangji and expand into wafer-bonding technology. Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called China a 'great center of technology and industry,' signaling the country's growing influence in the chip sector despite Washington's restrictions.
Sources:
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that lets users chat without sharing phone numbers, using usernames instead. The update prioritizes privacy by allowing people to reserve and use unique usernames for messaging. Tech outlets report the feature is expected to launch widely soon, with guides already available on how to reserve usernames in advance.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that geofence warrants are protected by privacy rights, significantly limiting law enforcement's ability to demand location data from tech companies. The decision is widely seen as a major victory for digital privacy, curbing a practice that allowed authorities to surveil anyone near a crime scene. Tech and civil liberties groups have praised the ruling as a check on government overreach.
ByteDance is reportedly targeting early next year for its next-generation CPU development, according to sources. Separately, IBM has unveiled new chip technology that could extend Moore's Law for another decade. These developments highlight the accelerating race in semiconductor innovation, with major tech players investing heavily in next-generation processor architectures.
The smart glasses market is heating up with new applications and form factors. ZDNet tested the world's first HDR10 smart glasses, while BBC reporters tested AI-powered glasses in Paris with mixed results. Gizmodo reports that the World Cup is quietly driving adoption of smart glasses in sports, suggesting a growing niche for wearable display technology.