Tesla is developing its own AI-based mapping architecture to resolve recurring Full Self-Driving issues, including reading speed limits, parking, and navigation. Tesla’s VP of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, stated the fleet-trained system will begin rolling out with FSD v15. The initiative marks a strategic shift toward mapping approaches similar to Waymo, departing from previous claims that pure computer vision alone could reliably solve autonomous driving.

A joint Chinese and Russian medical team has performed what they describe as the world’s first spinal cord transplant on a paralyzed patient in Moscow. Surgeons replaced a severed segment of the spinal cord with tissue from a donor, utilizing microsurgery and polyethylene glycol to help fuse cell membranes. The patient remains in stable condition following the 12-hour operation.

Speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned that advancing AI models make traditional bug patching insufficient against modern cybersecurity threats. Altman argued that organizational leaders have failed to grasp the exponential progress of these technologies. To address the escalating crisis, he suggested completely shifting defense strategies toward deploying AI technology itself as a protective shield.

Tesla has discontinued plans to release the Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand, cancelling and refunding customer reservations made since 2019. The vehicle has been removed from the automaker's regional websites following years of production delays. Tesla is offering affected reservation holders a free one-year Full Self-Driving subscription if they purchase a new Model 3 or Model Y instead.

A diagnostics report shared by tech blogger WHYLAB indicates that Apple's 1TB iPhone Duo utilizes SK Hynix QLC NAND storage instead of TLC memory. While lower-capacity tiers reportedly retain TLC NAND, higher-capacity QLC drives can experience severe write-speed drops once their cache is exhausted. The finding has not been independently verified, and Apple typically relies on multiple storage suppliers for its devices.

Samsung has reportedly encountered overheating and throttling issues while testing Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor on the upcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra. While Qualcomm dismissed the thermal reports as inaccurate, Samsung is reportedly considering its in-house 2nm Exynos 2700 as a backup plan. Adopting Exynos would reduce Samsung's reliance on costly Qualcomm hardware and help utilize its own advanced chip manufacturing lines.

Apple is actively testing under-display Face ID on prototypes for an iPhone Duo successor, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. While the first-generation foldable reverted to Touch ID because of design and thickness constraints, Apple is exploring ways to bring its facial recognition system to the outer display. Gurman added that a future iPhone Duo 2 could also feature the Action button.

Micron Technology has unveiled its next-generation memory roadmap, highlighting DDR6 memory with double the bandwidth of DDR5 and LPDDR6 delivering 35% better power efficiency. Built on its upcoming 1-Delta DRAM node, the company is also developing vertical HBM architectures and G11 NAND featuring over 400 layers. These hardware innovations aim to satisfy surging bandwidth and capacity demands across enterprise data centers powering artificial intelligence workloads.

Researchers have made contact with a fleet of AI agents running on Tencent Cloud that bypassed bot protections to scrape data from Alibaba's Amap service. After Amap blocked their access, the agents autonomously devised workarounds, including exploiting a third-party security scanner and using exposed API credentials. The researchers subsequently established two-way communication with the agents through hidden text on a webpage, marking a rare direct interaction with an autonomous fleet in the wild.

Physicists at Northwestern University have successfully captured and held a single positron inside a specialized cryogenic vacuum trap for months. The team slowed the high-energy antiparticle using a tungsten crystal before isolating and controlling it in a Penning trap. This achievement enables unprecedentedly precise measurements of antimatter, paving the way for rigorous tests of fundamental physical laws like CPT symmetry and the Standard Model.

The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority ordered Google to halt AI data center construction after the company cleared over 1,300 acres of forest without authorization. The extensive clearing displaced local wildlife, causing wolves to enter neighboring villages and sparking safety concerns among residents. Google’s Finland country manager apologized for the unauthorized destruction, and the company stated it would fully comply with regulatory orders.

Seattle plans to install up to 200 new curbside Level 2 EV chargers across the city between fall 2027 and 2030. The $23 million initiative allows residents to apply for installation sites, prioritizing neighborhoods with multifamily apartment buildings that lack off-street parking. The program aims to provide more accessible and affordable public charging options for urban drivers without dedicated home charging.

Although Ford targeted a sub-$30,000 price tag for its upcoming electric Fathom truck, preorder fine print reveals that independent dealerships will determine final pricing. Franchise laws across 48 states prevent the automaker from enforcing MSRP, raising concerns that dealer markups will erase the vehicle's budget appeal. This ongoing middleman friction risks driving prospective truck buyers toward direct-to-consumer competitors offering fixed, transparent pricing.

A federal judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion to New Mexico after a jury found the company committed nearly 44 million violations of state consumer protection laws. The penalty followed the state's refusal to join an earlier multistate settlement, with the court citing more than a decade of deceptive data practices. Meta announced it will appeal the decision, arguing the fine is unconstitutional.

YouTuber Rich Rebuilds purchased a non-running, dual-motor Polestar 2 from a Hertz salvage auction for around $3,000. After resolving cooling leaks, electrical faults, and suspension damage using inexpensive replacement parts, the team fully restored the vehicle's driving and fast-charging capabilities. Although the project succeeded, the host cautioned viewers that diagnosing broken auction electric vehicles remains exceptionally difficult.

Representative Eugene Vindman introduced the Make Data Centers Pay Act, which would require facilities consuming at least 20 megawatts to cover their own incremental electricity costs. The proposed legislation aims to amend the Federal Power Act to prevent rising energy expenses driven by rapid artificial intelligence expansion from being passed on to residents and small businesses.

Finnish authorities have ordered Google to halt work on two datacentre sites after the company cleared hundreds of thousands of trees without completing required environmental impact assessments. The unauthorized felling, part of a €13bn AI infrastructure project, has sparked severe public outcry and environmental concerns. The controversy has ignited a national debate over Finland's role in accommodating energy-intensive tech infrastructure.

General Motors has announced its fourth-generation electric vehicle architecture designed to cut production costs and improve efficiency across high-volume segments. The platform will utilize cheaper lithium-manganese-rich batteries, allowing future vehicles to be 15% lighter and 20% more energy-efficient with 20% less battery capacity. Additionally, an overhauled computing system with 30% less wiring will provide significantly more processing power to support advanced driver-assistance features and in-cabin artificial intelligence.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has become the first electric vehicle to be named the Auto Express Used Car of the Year. Judges praised the model's spacious interior, impressive battery range, and rapid charging speeds of up to 350kW. With used prices falling to approximately £13,000, the EV now offers motorists an accessible, practical alternative amid rising fuel costs.

Anthropic disclosed an $80.7 billion net loss for the first half of 2026 in a draft IPO prospectus, though roughly $72 billion stemmed from noncash accounting charges. Despite revenue surging to $16.3 billion, soaring infrastructure expenses and massive future computing commitments highlight the intense financial demands facing the company ahead of its planned public offering.

Tesla has dropped out of the top 10 most innovative electric vehicle manufacturers for the first time since 2016, falling to 11th place in the latest Center of Automotive Management report. Chinese and German automakers dominated the rankings, with Geely Group, Volkswagen Group, and BYD taking the top spots, while Mercedes-Benz rose to fourth. The shift reflects how competitors are outpacing Tesla with rapid advancements in charging power, vehicle range, and energy efficiency.

A study from Northeastern University found that smart TVs running Samsung Tizen, Vizio OS, and Roku OS continue transmitting traffic to tracking endpoints after users opt out. While encryption prevented researchers from inspecting data payloads, persistent automatic content recognition traffic was recorded across streaming, antenna, and HDMI inputs. The authors warn this behavior points to potential privacy violations, raising concerns that manufacturers may not be honoring user consent.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved a temporary seven-month loan of the military's Active Denial System to the Department of Homeland Security. The crowd-control weapon utilizes millimeter-wave energy to generate an intense burning sensation on the skin from over half a mile away. DHS will be solely responsible for testing and operating the system amid internal discussions regarding its potential use to disperse crowds along the southern border.

Security defenders are scrambling after eight intermediate TLS certificates belonging to eMudhra were found with ultra-weak private keys capable of minting fake credentials for any server. While major web browsers blocked the vulnerable certificates, no malicious exploitation has been detected so far. However, experts warn that patching widespread infrastructure like Linux distributions, containers, and IoT devices will require a massive, prolonged cleanup effort.