Sources: SoftBank halts talks about a ~$50B acquisition of US data center operator Switch, a setback to Masayoshi Son's goal to roll out Stargate infrastructure — SoftBank Group Corp. has halted talks about an acquisition of US data center operator Switch Inc., a setback …
London-based enterprise AI video startup Synthesia raised a $200M Series E led by GV at a $4B valuation, up from $2.1B after raising $180M in January 2025 — W — hile AI video generators like OpenAI's Sora, Google's Veo, and Kling are best known for creating “AI slop” …
Power prices surge in Virginia, home to the world's largest data center hub; record demand is expected during the winter storm, partly due to data center needs — Power prices in the largest U.S. grid rose sharply on Sunday as demand in a region with the world's largest concentration …
Meta's decision to deprioritize VR in favor of AI and internet-connected glasses has chilled the VR industry, leading to concerns about its future — Meta's deprioritizing virtual reality in favor of artificial intelligence and Internet-connected smart glasses has chilled the industry, leading to concerns about its future.
A deep dive into Apple's AI strategy reset, as it prepares to announce a Gemini-powered personalized Siri next month and a reimagined chatbot-like Siri at WWDC — Apple shakes up its AI efforts with a Google partnership, management changes and two new versions of Siri.
Q&A with David Liu, CEO of PlusAI, which is slated to go public next month, on the ongoing commercial trial of its autonomous truck driving software, and more — With his company set to hit the public markets in February, Liu envisions a future where most vehicles, commercial or not, are driving themselves.
Microsoft confirms it does provide BitLocker recovery keys for encrypted data if it receives a valid legal order and the user has stored the keys on its servers — The tech giant said it receives around 20 requests for BitLocker keys a year and will provide them to governments in response to valid court orders.
Sources: the EU's executive arm is drafting new legislation aimed at promoting tech sovereignty and openly discussing the security risks posed by US tech — Trump's Greenland threats inject urgency into region's efforts to reduce its reliance on American technology
Elliptic: ruble-backed stablecoin A7A5 surpassed $100B in transactions in under a year, but demand cooled and daily volume fell from a peak of $1.5B+ to ~$500M — The ruble-backed stablecoin created to circumvent sanctions on Russia has surpassed $100 billion in transactions in less …
Counterpoint: India smartphone shipments were flat YoY at ~153M; Apple shipped 14M iPhones, raising its share of shipments to a record 9%, up from 7% in 2024 — Apple's iPhone is gaining ground fast in India, shipping about 14 million units in 2025, based on market data shared exclusively with TechCrunch.
How Chinese tech companies navigate geopolitical tensions: TikTok and Manus adopted a “China shedding” strategy, while Shein and Meituan seek non-US growth — Chinese firms must contend with geopolitical tensions and mistrust to do business in the United States.
Sources: UBS plans to make cryptocurrency investing available for some private banking clients in Switzerland, starting with bitcoin and ether — UBS Group AG plans to make cryptocurrency investing available for some private banking clients, in what could become a significant move …
Malaysia lifted its temporary ban on Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot after xAI added safety measures; Grok remains subject to continuous monitoring by authorities — Malaysia lifted its temporary ban on Elon Musk's Grok artificial intelligence chatbot after the company behind it added safety measures …
Israeli startup Claroty, which makes security tech for hospitals, manufacturing, and industrial systems, raised a $150M Series F, sources say at a $3B valuation — Israeli cybersecurity firm cites rising attacks on hospitals and industrial systems. — Israeli cybersecurity unicorn Claroty …
South Korea's Kospi stock index breaks through the record 5,000 level, driven by chip stocks, led by Samsung, up ~3X, and SK Hynix, up ~4x, in the past year — Kospi is up almost 20% in 2026 as reforms to woo investors spur market — South Korea's Kospi benchmark has broken through …
Meir Orbach / CTech : Docs: Israeli AI chip startup Hailo is pursuing an urgent IPO via a SPAC merger at a valuation of less than $500M; ...
