Technology

This story first appeared in China Report, MIT Technology Review’s newsletter about technology developments in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday. Even though I know that Temu and Shein, two Chinese e-commerce platforms, occupy the same off-price shopping space, I have to admit I didn’t expect the tensions between them to escalate…

A surprising set of materials could soon help make more efficient air conditioners that don’t overtax the electrical grid on hot days. As extreme heat continues to shatter records around the globe, electricity demand for air conditioning is expected to triple in the next few decades—an increase of about 4,000 terawatt-hours between 2016 and 2050,…

As part of the ongoing rebranding, Twitter has changed its official handle to @X. Other official handles related to the company have either let go of the “Twitter” moniker or replaced it with X. TechCrunch previously reported that the social network hadn’t reached out to the original owner of the @X handle — Gene X Hwang of […]

Leaders from the AI research world appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss and answer questions about the nascent technology. Their broadly unanimous opinions generally fell into two categories: we need to act soon, but with a light touch — risking AI abuse if we don’t move forward, or a hamstrung industry if we […]

Main Sequence, an Australian venture capital firm, said Wednesday it has raised the $450 million AUD (approximately $303 million) first close of its third fund. The venture capital firm, founded by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), has secured funding from new limited partners, including LGT Crestone, NGS Super, Daiwa Securities […]

During Spotify’s second-quarter earnings call this morning, CEO Daniel Ek teased a few ways the streaming service could introduce additional AI-powered functionality. Ek touched on how AI could be used to create more personalized experiences, summarize podcasts and generate ads. Earlier this year, the company launched a DJ feature that delivers a curated selection of […]

Most businesses look to reduce spending in tough times, with the software and digital technology sectors heavily targeted — but this isn’t the only option. Here’s an alternative.

Traditional processors from the likes of Intel, AMD, or Nvidia have well-known limitations around speed, energy efficiency, and electromagnetic interference. For instance, foundational chip makers like TSMC and Samsung are currently racing to move to the 3nm process for customers like Apple and Nvidia. In the meantime, photonics is becoming a bigger sector as chip […]