Meta announced on Monday that it’s going to train its AI models on public content, such as posts and comments on Facebook and Instagram, in the EU after previously pausing its plans to do so in response to regulatory pressure due to to data privacy concerns. The company will start training its AI on users’ content in the EU this week, it said. Users’ interactions with Meta AI will also be used to train its models.The announcement comes after a limited version of Meta AI launched in the EU last month, well a ...

Core Insights - Intel has entered into a definitive agreement to sell 51% of its Altera semiconductor business to Silver Lake, valuing Altera at $8.75 billion [1][2] - The deal will make Altera operationally independent, with Intel retaining 49% ownership [1] - Raghib Hussain is set to become the CEO of Altera on May 5, 2025, succeeding Sandra Rivera [1] Financial and Strategic Implications - The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions [2] - Intel's CEO Lip-Bu Tan stated that the announcement reflects the company's commitment to focus, reduce expenses, and strengthen its balance sheet [2] - Altera is repositioning its product portfolio to target the fastest growing and most profitable segments of the FPGA market [2] Company Background - Altera was founded in 1983 by semiconductor veterans Rodney Smith, Robert Hartmann, James Sansbury, and Paul Newhagen [2]

Core Insights - The Trump administration is implementing significant tariff exemptions for the tech industry, maintaining a 10% universal baseline tariff while increasing tariffs on Chinese goods to 125% on top of an existing 20% tariff [1][2]. Group 1: Tariff Exemptions - U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released a list of product categories exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, effective retroactively from April 5 [3]. - Exempted categories include smartphones, laptops, hard drives, and semiconductors, which will not be subject to the 125% tariff or the universal baseline tariff [4]. Group 2: Industry Reactions - Tech giants such as Apple and Nvidia are likely to benefit from these exemptions, as consumers will avoid significant price increases on products like the iPhone [4]. - The announcement has been described as a "dream scenario for tech investors" by Daniel Ives, indicating positive sentiment in the tech investment community [4]. Group 3: Future Considerations - Despite the exemptions, the tech industry may still face additional targeted tariffs and restrictions, particularly as the Trump administration is reportedly preparing a national security investigation into semiconductors [4].

Core Points - The court hearing regarding the sale of Nikola's assets to Lucid Motors proceeded without objections until a lawyer raised concerns about the auction process [1][2] - Nikola's founder Trevor Milton, recently pardoned, may challenge a $168 million arbitration award he owes to Nikola, which is significant in the bankruptcy case [3][4] - Nikola still possesses assets, including hydrogen-powered trucks, and plans to sell them after the Lucid transaction, which includes the sale of its Arizona factory and hiring of 300 employees [5][6] Group 1 - The sale of Nikola's assets to Lucid Motors was verbally approved by Judge Thomas Horan, with no objections filed initially [1] - A lawyer representing ISSO LLC, linked to Trevor Milton, expressed concerns about the auction process, indicating potential future disputes [2] - Milton's actions may be an attempt to undermine Nikola's sale process and impact the arbitration award [5][6] Group 2 - The $168 million arbitration award is a critical element of Nikola's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, tied to false claims made by Milton during his tenure as CEO [4] - Nikola settled a class action lawsuit with shareholders by agreeing to distribute the arbitration award, highlighting the financial implications of Milton's actions [4] - Nikola's legal representatives believe Milton's involvement in the sale process is an attempt to harm the company for unclear benefits [5][6]

Group 1 - General Motors is laying off 500 workers at a factory in Canada due to weak demand for its all-electric BrightDrop vans [1] - The company is cutting one of the two shifts at the CAMI plant in Ontario and will idle the facility for 20 weeks starting in May [1] - GM stated that the layoffs are not related to the ongoing trade war initiated by President Donald Trump [1] Group 2 - BrightDrop was created as a separate entity within GM in 2021 but was absorbed back into GM in 2023 [2] - In 2024, BrightDrop's vans experienced a recall due to several battery fires [2] - Later in the previous year, GM moved BrightDrop under the Chevy brand [2]

Core Insights - Microsoft is purchasing 3.7 million metric tons of carbon removal credits from CO280 to help achieve its goal of becoming carbon-negative by 2030 [1][2] - The carbon capture project is expected to start in 2028 and will capture approximately 40% of the biogenic carbon dioxide released by the mill [1][7] - CO280 is collaborating with SLB Capturi to build the carbon capture facility, utilizing amine process technology [5] Microsoft’s Carbon Goals - The purchase of carbon credits is part of Microsoft's strategy to offset its greenhouse gas emissions, which totaled 17.1 million metric tons in 2023 [2][3] - Microsoft has been investing in renewable energy and carbon removal initiatives to meet its sustainability targets [3] CO280’s Project Details - CO280's first carbon capture project is located at a paper mill on the Gulf Coast, with plans for additional projects in the future [1][4] - The facility will capture carbon dioxide that would typically be released during the paper production process, effectively removing carbon from the atmosphere [6] - CO280 aims to double the carbon capture capacity in a second phase of the project [7] Financial Aspects - CO280 sells its carbon credits at approximately $200 per metric ton, allowing buyers to benefit from tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act [8] - The collaboration with paper mills will provide them with a share of the carbon credit proceeds, enhancing their financial performance [8]

Group 1 - Amazon CEO Andy Jassy emphasizes the need for companies to invest "aggressively" in AI to achieve future financial rewards, highlighting the requirement for substantial capital to keep pace with AI innovation and customer demand [1][3] - Amazon plans to spend over $100 billion on capital expenditures in 2025, with the majority allocated to AWS AI capabilities [2] - Jassy describes AI as a transformative force, stating that the current demand is unprecedented and that aggressive investment will benefit customers, shareholders, and the business [3] Group 2 - The primary expenses for AI currently include data centers and chips, with expectations that infrastructure costs will decrease over time [3][4] - Jassy notes that AI chips are more expensive than traditional CPU chips, but emphasizes the long-term utility of these assets [4] - Amazon's Trainium2 chips, released in late 2024, offer 30%-40% better price-performance compared to existing GPU-powered computing instances [4] Group 3 - Jassy anticipates changes in AI price dynamics, with a focus on reducing training costs and reallocating funds towards inference, which involves serving AI models [5] - The company is working on over 1,000 generative AI applications, with AI revenue growing at triple-digit year-over-year percentages, representing a multi-billion-dollar annual revenue run rate [5]

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang appears to have struck a deal with the Trump administration to avoid export restrictions on the company’s H20 AI chips.The H20, the most advanced Nvidia-produced AI chip that can still be exported from the U.S. to China, was reportedly spared thanks to a promise from Huang to invest in new AI data centers in the U.S. According to NPR, Huang made the proposal during a dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort sometime last week. Nvidia declined to comment.Many in the semiconductor industr ...

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) may have to pay a fine of $1 billion or more to resolve a U.S. export control investigation related to a chip it made that was used in a Huawei AI processor, according to a report by Reuters.TSMC did not provide any further comments as it is now “in [a] quiet period,” a spokesperson for the chipmaker said in an emailed statement to TechCrunch. It’s the latest development in a situation that first came to light in late 2024 involving TSMC, Huawei, and Xiamen ...

Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit, is deploying a small fleet of retrofitted test vehicles on the streets of Los Angeles starting Tuesday – a modest, yet meaningful step as the company inches toward offering public rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year. The data-collection effort marks Zoox’s entrance into its sixth city and lays the groundwork for a future robotaxi service. Unlike rival Waymo, which is already providing paid robotaxi rides in LA, Zoox is still in the early stages. This ...