NerdNews

Waymo has doubled its weekly robotaxi rides to over 200,000 in less than a year, with commercial operations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix, and plans to launch in Austin and Atlanta in 2025.

IBM has completed its $6.4 billion acquisition of Hashicorp, expanding its hybrid cloud platform with Hashicorp's infrastructure-as-code tool Terraform. The deal aims to infuse Hashicorp technology into every datacenter and boost commercial growth. Despite regulatory scrutiny and developer concerns over Hashicorp's licensing changes, the acquisition has been approved by UK and US regulators.

Amazon's Alexa+ uses generative AI for more conversational interactions, integrates with third-party apps and websites, and can summarize complex topics. It will be available in March for $20/month or free for Prime members. Alexa+ aims to simplify tasks and provide accurate information, but its real-world performance remains to be seen.

OpenAI's GPT-4.5 model is a research preview for ChatGPT Pro users, with a focus on emotional intelligence, creativity, and conversational warmth. It's slower and more expensive than previous models, but offers more human-like responses and improved writing quality.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin is pushing engineers to work 60-hour weeks in the office to develop AI models, including Gemini, that could potentially replace them. Brin believes this is necessary to stay competitive with companies like OpenAI and Microsoft. However, critics argue that AI may not be able to fully replicate the work of human engineers, and that the push for longer hours may be more about cost-cutting than innovation.

Bjarne Stroustrup, creator of C++, has issued a call to action to defend the language from 'serious attacks' due to its memory safety shortcomings. He proposes the use of 'Profiles', a framework to improve memory safety, and urges the C++ community to respond to the criticism. The language has been shunned by cybersecurity agencies and experts in recent years, with many advocating for the use of languages like Rust instead.

Call center firm Teleperformance SE is using an AI system to 'soften' English-speaking Indian workers' accents in real-time, making them more understandable to customers. The company's clients include Apple, Samsung, and TikTok.

Flora is a startup that offers an 'infinite canvas' for creative professionals, integrating with existing AI models to provide a visual interface for generating blocks of text, images, and video. The goal is to allow designers to do 100X more creative work, with the product initially focused on working with visual design agencies.

TechCrunch has created a glossary of AI terms, including AI agent, chain of thought, deep learning, fine-tuning, large language model, neural network, and weights. The glossary aims to help readers understand the technical terms used in AI coverage.

Alphabet's Taara chip is a silicon photonic chip that uses light to transmit high-speed data through the air, potentially providing low-cost internet connectivity. The chip is small, about the size of a fingernail, and uses software to steer light, unlike its predecessor which used a system of mirrors and sensors. Taara's technology can transmit data at speeds of up to 20 Gbps over distances of up to 20 kilometers.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna talks about the company's approach to AI, focusing on smaller, specialized models rather than large, generalist ones. He also discusses IBM's investments in quantum computing and its potential to revolutionize industries. Krishna believes that the economic benefits of AI will accrue to both large companies training foundation models and smaller companies applying those models to specific use cases.

Lenovo has announced two concept AI accessories, the AI Display and AI Stick, which have built-in NPUs capable of 32 TOPS, allowing users to do local AI work on any computer via USB. These devices are part of Lenovo's concept lineup at MWC 2025 and may or may not come to market.

Lenovo has announced new laptops with generative AI features, including the Yoga Pro 9i Aura edition and the IdeaPad Slim 3x. The Yoga Pro 9i Aura edition is powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor and features a 16-inch 3.2K PureSight Pro display. The IdeaPad Slim 3x runs on the Snapdragon X chip and comes with a dedicated key for Microsoft's Copilot assistant.

Google's X lab has developed a chip called Taara that can deliver high-speed internet access via beams of light, potentially replacing traditional fiber optic cables. The technology can transfer data at speeds of up to 20 Gbps over distances of up to 12 miles. Taara uses a silicon photonic chip to steer, track, and correct beams of light, and is currently in use in 12 countries.

AMD has announced the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, mid-range GPUs set to compete with Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti. The RX 9070 costs $550, while the RX 9070 XT starts at $600. Both GPUs feature RDNA 4 architecture, improved ray tracing, and AI accelerators. They also support PCIe Gen 5, HDMI 2.1b, and DisplayPort 2.1a. AMD claims the RX 9070 XT can hit native framerates at or above the RTX 5070 Ti at 4K.

The US Cyber Command has reportedly paused its cyberattacks on Russia, according to recent reports. The pause is said to be a tactic to get Russia to the negotiating table to discuss Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, CISA has denied any change in its posture, and other security news includes phishing suspects using fishing gear as an alibi, Apple's 'Find My' device-tracking tool being turned into a snooping tool, and various vulnerabilities and exploits being reported.

The FAA has ordered staff to find funding for a deal with Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, to upgrade air traffic control communications. This could potentially upend a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon. Discussions have been verbal, which is unusual for a matter like this, and it's unclear if the Verizon contract has ended or if a Starlink deal is official.

Signal, a privacy-focused messaging app, has become the number-one downloaded app in the Netherlands, with a 958% rise in downloads since December. This surge is attributed to growing awareness of privacy and distrust of big tech, particularly in the wake of policy changes and geopolitical events. Signal's non-profit status and minimal metadata tracking have made it an attractive alternative to other messaging apps.

Apple is preparing to launch the M4 MacBook Air and iPad Air, with the MacBook Air expected to arrive very soon. The new MacBook Air will feature a spec-bump upgrade with a new M4 chip, while the iPad Air is expected to get an M3 chip update. Both devices are expected to be released in the near future, although exact release dates have not been confirmed.

Intel has delayed the opening of its new Ohio semiconductor factory to 2030, with production likely starting in 2031. The company was set to receive $7.9 billion in funding from the federal government, but the delay may impact the US's ambition to become a semiconductor superpower.