August 15, 2025

The Download: Taiwan’s silicon shield, and ChatGPT’s personality misstep

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Taiwan’s “silicon shield” could be weakening Taiwanese politics increasingly revolves around one crucial question: Will China invade? China’s ruling party has wanted to seize Taiwan for more than half a century. But in…

August 2025

Nvidia, AMD may sell high-end AI chips to China if they pay US a cut

August 11, 2025
The global AI chip race narrative used to be about U.S. national security, but apparently now it’s about tariffs: Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the U.S. government 15% of the revenue they make from sales of high-end AI chips to China in exchange for licenses to sell to those chips in the country, the Financial Times reported, citing anonymous sources.

The Download: a quantum radar, and chipmakers’ deal with the US government

August 11, 2025
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. This quantum radar could image buried objects Physicists have created a new type of radar that could help improve underground imaging, using a cloud of atoms in a glass cell to detect reflected…

Apple’s new Siri may allow users to operate apps just using voice

August 11, 2025
Apple is testing a version of Siri that will be able to take actions on your behalf across various apps by following voice commands. The company plans to release a new version of App Intents, its framework gives developers the ability to allow users access to parts of their app via different systems, like search and Shortcuts.

This quantum radar could image buried objects

August 11, 2025
Physicists have created a new type of radar that could help improve underground imaging, using a cloud of atoms in a glass cell to detect reflected radio waves. The radar is a type of quantum sensor, an emerging technology that uses the quantum-mechanical properties of objects as measurement devices. It’s still a prototype, but its…

Nigerian profitable food delivery Chowdeck lands $9M from Novastar, Y Combinator

August 11, 2025
Chowdeck, a Lagos-based food delivery startup that has stayed profitable in a notoriously tough and low-margin market, has raised $9 million in Series A funding to launch a quick commerce strategy and expand into more cities in Nigeria and Ghana. The equity round was led by Novastar Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, […]

The hidden cost of living amid Mark Zuckerberg’s $110M compound

August 10, 2025
Mark Zuckerberg has spent 14 years gobbling up his leafy Palo Alto neighborhood, according to a New York Times report detailing how the Meta CEO has purchased 11 properties for over $110 million to create his own personal fiefdom in Crescent Park. The piecemeal compound features a main residence, guest homes, manicured gardens, and a […]