Innovation

Between protecting citizens and risks to individual freedoms, China is moving swiftly on AI regulation, while Europe and the United States lag behind amid regulatory delays and reliance on Big Tech. An intervention by Giordano Alborghetti

TSMC consolidates its crucial role in the AI era amid global expansion, geopolitical balances, and new demographic challenges. The article by Alessandro Aresu

Artificial intelligence companies begin rationing offers and products: a warning sign for a boom that depends on the speed of adoption. An in-depth analysis by the Wall Street Journal.

Drone piloting with console controllers, shooting games to recruit soldiers… For sixty years, the video game industry and military headquarters have maintained a codependent relationship. An in-depth report by the newspaper Le Monde

The RAM crisis disrupts the market. Qualcomm could produce memory with the Chinese company ChangXin Memory Technologies, while Meta and Microsoft are forced to raise device prices.

First, the Pentagon sealed off the US market to routers made abroad, then the FCC granted the California-based Netgear the only exemption: it will be allowed to continue selling models manufactured in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand until October 1, 2027. An exemption that can greatly benefit it compared to the rest of the market. And the American industry press is grumbling.

The US broadcaster NBC revealed the behind-the-scenes confrontation between Apple and xAI that ultimately pushed X to intervene on Grok, curbing the production of sexually explicit deepfakes. This is how Cupertino educated Musk’s Artificial Intelligence through threats.

On the minimum age for access to social media, the European Commission postpones the decision and opts for a complex and circumventable app: more than a solution, a tactical move that risks creating confusion, while simply applying the existing rules would suffice. Excerpt from the European Morning Briefing

After arriving very late to the world of headsets with the failed Apple Vision Pro, the bitten Apple, just like Meta, is now trying to dive headfirst into the smart glasses sector, which is attracting an increasing amount of investment. A first model is expected to be announced by the end of the year, but the uncertainty remains around AI-enhanced Siri, another chapter in which Cupertino is struggling to keep up with its rivals.

OpenAI would like to focus on artificial intelligence agents for businesses, a potentially more profitable market that Anthropic has already targeted. However, investors are not convinced and fear that Altman’s startup may end up wasting resources.

Amazon acquires the U.S. satellite operator Globalstar. Today’s $11.6 billion deal strengthens the Seattle giant’s strategy to expand its satellite network and compete with rival SpaceX in low Earth orbit.

Paris is swiftly advancing with the plan to equip the public sector with local software, abandoning those from outside the EU. The operation, already immense in itself as it requires cataloging the software used for conferences, such as antivirus programs, connection tools, email, and chat, stems from the need to replace Windows with Linux on the PCs of the Public Administration across all of France. But is this project truly feasible in a Europe that has little influence in the high-tech sector?

From the decade-long substantial bet on graphene to the geopolitical challenge of chips: during the Pavia Innovation Week, the key players in research and industry discussed the future of cutting-edge innovation in Italy and Europe.

A Kindle is not forever. Or at least, not for Amazon, which has declared the death of 2 million e-readers produced before 2013. From May 20th, it will no longer be possible to download new titles on these devices, news that has caused some anxiety among consumers. Facts and comments.

For 14 billion dollars, Intel is reacquiring full ownership of a factory in Ireland that it had sold only two years ago. The former American microchip giant is making a strong comeback after the cuts (and a generous public investment)?

The Japanese giant, besieged by Chinese and South Korean competitors, is changing strategy: less consumer electronics and more PlayStation video games. At the same time, it is reducing the number of exclusives for PC, a sector closer to its rival Microsoft’s Xbox. The high cost of RAM makes everything even more uncertain and could extend the lifespan of machines on the market, whose prices continue to rise.

While in Italy Agcom struggles to be heard by porn sites that continue to be accessible to everyone despite the threat of sanctions, Ireland, which is also studying restrictions for social media, is testing integrations included directly in the digital Wallet that should ensure the protection of personal data processed at the time of authentication. However, this solution will probably still require governmental dialogue with adult platforms and social media.

Supply chain control according to Beijing. Analysis by Alessandro Aresu.

When generative artificial intelligence, instead of easing work, amplifies its pace, complexity, and intrusiveness amid intense multitasking and increasingly blurred boundaries between life and work. An in-depth analysis by Professor Enrico Nardelli of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” director of the National Laboratory “Informatics and School” of CINI and former president of Informatics Europe.

Google, Meta, Snap, and Microsoft call the EU’s decision not to extend the law that helps tech companies detect online child pornography “irresponsible.” Excessive privacy obsession or indispensable protection of private life? Here’s what the data says.

OpenAI indefinitely pauses Stargate UK, the project on artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United Kingdom. But this is not the first time Altman’s company has stepped back from its investment promises.

Meta’s Superintelligence Labs team, led by child prodigy Alexandr Wang and costing Mark Zuckerberg hundreds of billions of dollars, has unveiled Muse Spark, its first artificial intelligence model, which, however, currently matches OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, or Google’s Gemini only in certain areas. Facts, figures, and comments.

A Washington appeals court has rejected Anthropic’s appeal to suspend the Pentagon’s decision to classify it as a supply chain risk, marking a partial victory for the Trump administration following the AI company’s objections to the use of its technology for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons.

Asml plummets on the stock market due to a new proposed law in the United States that tightens export restrictions on chip machinery to China. By 2026, the Chinese market is expected to account for 20% of Asml’s sales. Facts, details, and figures.

Anthropic restricts access to the new Claude Mythos Preview model after it discovered thousands of software vulnerabilities and launches an alliance with over 40 companies, including Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Cisco, and Broadcom, to strengthen cybersecurity. All the details.

Nikkei and Bloomberg clash with articles of opposing views on the fate of the foldable iPhone that has been talked about for almost ten years: will 2026 be the year of its debut, or will the project risk ending up like the Apple Car after one delay after another?

Two OpenAI executives take medical leave, triggering an earthquake in leadership. Meanwhile, some uncomfortable revelations describe Sam Altman as a sociopathic liar who does not live in the real world. Facts, figures, and comments.

Broadcom shares are rising after the company struck a deal with Google to supply AI chips and expand its collaboration with Anthropic, the developer of Claude. The American microchip manufacturer is thus attempting to challenge Nvidia’s dominance, the global leader in AI semiconductors. All the details.

Sony is the first major manufacturer to suspend orders for memory cards typically used for cameras: at the same time, the Big Tech company has raised the price of its PlayStation 5 gaming console once again.

Google’s new artificial intelligence model, Gemma 4, combines open source, local execution, and advanced capabilities in reasoning, audio-video processing, and managing complex conversations in multiple languages. All the details.

A major setback for Claude, the AI that many users disappointed by the pro-government stance of rival OpenAI are flocking to: a lapse in attention exposed the source code, leaving it vulnerable to rival software companies as well as hackers. And this is not the first leak to hit Anthropic after the “great refusal” to the Pentagon…

German companies, also strengthened by the financial support allocated by the Merz government, are rising to the challenge of this sector: intelligent robots, quantum computers, and advanced defense systems are no longer just futuristic scenarios, but “the foundations on which technological sovereignty is played.” The article by Pierluigi Mennitti

To understand the strategic value of Tbpn for OpenAi, it is important to highlight the structural and epochal transformation that has affected the world of technological communication in the United States. The analysis by Alessandro Aresu

Social networks act like cigarettes, products designed to create addiction that cause known harm, but are (apparently) regulated only after years of resistance from lobbyists and the companies themselves. The article by Enrico Pedemonte taken from Stefano Feltri’s Notes

Italy is considering a ban on social media for those under 15, but Australia, the first country in the world to introduce it for under 16s, is facing a harsh reality: young people and Big Tech are finding ways to bypass it. Meanwhile, Meta is testing new business models with a premium subscription on Instagram. Facts and commentary.

Tim and Cdp Venture Capital have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to identify innovative startups and SMEs with high potential of mutual interest and to enhance digital sovereignty.

Establishing a “proper” digital age of majority and banning social media use for younger users is a puzzle for many countries. In Italy, following incidents of violence in schools, Minister Valditara wants to prohibit them for those under 15, but the proposals—although bipartisan—submitted to Parliament have been stalled for over a year. Facts and comments.

To respond to competition from Google and Anthropic, OpenAI is merging ChatGPT, Codex, and its Atlas browser into a single desktop application after observing a mixed user response to the launch of multiple separate apps. All the details.

Amazon has failed both in the smartphone sector, with a Fire Phone that lasted just over a year on the market, and in wearable devices (the Halo line discontinued in 2023): now it could combine the two areas by creating an AI-enhanced phone that serves as the “home” for the new digital assistant Alexa Plus. So far, however, the Seattle-based Big Tech company has only been chasing its rivals in the smart algorithms sector.

Apple is viewed with greater suspicion in China since it has begun relocating to nearby India, but Tim Cook tries to reassure with sweet words. Meanwhile, at home in Cupertino, it has to keep the fiery Trump appeased, and does so by announcing accelerations in the American programs promised to the U.S. president. The bitten Apple continues to navigate both sides of the Pacific.

Confindustria Radio Televisioni is among the organizations that, through the association representing the main European broadcasters, has called on the EU to subject Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung to the rules of the Digital Markets Act also for smart TVs and virtual assistants, denouncing the growing power of Big Tech in content distribution. All the details.

The war in Iran tightens the noose on helium and risks halting the semiconductor market. Analysis by Gianclaudio Torlizzi taken from his X profile.

Although artificial intelligence has already entered newsrooms, the real change is yet to come… and it could be much more radical than what has been seen so far. The interview with Laura Turini for Stefano Feltri’s Notes

While ASML continues to break sales and order records, over the past year startups and initiatives aiming to challenge its de facto monopoly have increased. An analysis by Alessandro Aresu.

The role assigned to robots in modern literature is actually the same as that of slaves in the ancient world. Michele Magno’s Bloc Notes

There was a time when the housewife from Voghera, according to the stereotype, would vote based on what TV suggested to her: today, European broadcasters believe that consumers are instead guided in their daily content consumption by virtual assistants and the operating systems of their televisions. They are asking Europe to establish regulatory safeguards.

A U.S. district judge has temporarily blocked the Pentagon’s “ban” on Anthropic: the American government acted in retaliation, according to the ruling. All the details.

The EU has launched an investigation into Snapchat because it suspects that the platform allows adults to contact children and teenagers, facilitates access to prohibited content, and relies on age verification systems that appear too weak to ensure safety and privacy. All the details.

Hundreds more layoffs on the horizon at Meta, which continues to invest billions in artificial intelligence and introduces a new stock option program to retain executives. Facts, names, and figures.