Technology News
Latest technology news and updates
Total: 2635
Anthropic Refuses Pentagon Demand for Unfettered Access to Claude, Citing Conscience and Safety Limits
Anthropic has publicly refused a Pentagon demand for unrestricted access to its AI model Claude, citing ethical and safety limits on mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. The Defense Department reportedly threatened to label the company a supply-chain risk and invoke the Defense Production Act; talks between Anthropic's CEO and the defense secretary did not resolve the dispute.
AI-driven Memory Crunch Set to Shrink Smartphone Shipments and Send DRAM Prices Soaring
A market forecast warns that an AI-driven shortage of DRAM and NAND will depress global smartphone shipments to about 1.1 billion units this year and keep memory tight through 2027. Contract prices for DRAM and NAND are expected to surge sharply, hitting low-margin Android brands hardest while advantaging suppliers and premium device makers.
China’s AI Models Overtake US Usage — Rewriting the Hardware Playbook and Roiling Markets
OpenRouter data shows Chinese AI models surpassed US counterparts in weekly token usage in February 2026, driven by multiple efficient architectures and low costs. Markets split: Chinese cloud, data‑centre and power stocks surged while Nvidia’s valuation plunged, signalling a potential reallocation of AI value away from high‑end GPUs toward models and low‑cost infrastructure.
Kuaishou’s Spring Festival Gambit: Red‑Envelope Games Drive DAU to a New Peak
Kuaishou’s 2026 Spring Festival campaign produced record daily activity driven by gamified cash incentives and QR‑based greetings, with a 60% rise in users of a shake‑to‑get red‑envelope feature and nearly 80 million participants across key events. The results highlight the platform’s skill at converting cultural rituals into digital engagement, but leave open questions about sustainability and costs.
Vivo to Debut X300 Ultra at MWC 2026 as Chinese OEMs Push Further into the Global Flagship Market
Vivo will unveil its new flagship X300 Ultra at MWC 2026 in Barcelona, signalling a deliberate push into the global premium smartphone market. The debut is as much about courting carriers and international consumers as it is about showcasing new hardware and software features.
Meizu Pauses In‑House Phone Hardware Development, Bets on AI and Third‑Party Partners
Meizu has halted in‑house development of new domestic smartphone hardware projects due to fierce competition and soaring memory prices, and is seeking third‑party hardware partners while pivoting toward AI‑driven software centred on its Flyme OS. The shift reflects broader cost pressures and consolidation trends in China’s smartphone industry.
Meizu Retreats from In‑House Phone Hardware to Focus on AI and Flyme Ecosystem
Meizu has halted in‑house R&D for new domestic smartphone hardware and will seek third‑party manufacturing partners while shifting strategy toward AI‑driven software built around its Flyme platform. The move reflects mounting cost pressure and market contraction that favour software and ecosystem plays over standalone hardware efforts by smaller vendors.
Anthropic Backs Away: Safety Pledge Softened as Competition and Policy Uncertainty Bite
Anthropic has watered down its 2023 Responsible Scaling Policy, dropping a blanket pledge to pause model scaling when safety cannot be proven and replacing it with conditional delays tied to competitive position. The change reflects commercial pressures, a fragmented U.S. regulatory landscape and an intensifying race among leading AI developers.
Alibaba’s Qianwen to Debut AI Glasses at MWC 2026 as the Company Pushes Deeper into Hardware
Alibaba’s Qianwen plans to launch AI glasses at MWC 2026, opening reservations on March 2, and will follow with AI rings and earphones later in the year for global sale. The move signals Alibaba’s push to turn its AI models and cloud capabilities into a consumer hardware ecosystem, though global regulatory and product challenges remain.
Meizu Denies Bankruptcy Rumours as Smartphone Sector Faces Fresh Credibility Test
Meizu has publicly denied viral online claims that it is bankrupt, halting operations, or withdrawing its phones from sale, and said it will seek legal action against rumour‑mongers. The rebuttal aims to stabilise partners and customers but does not resolve the structural commercial pressures facing mid‑tier Chinese handset makers.
Rockchip Apologises After GitHub Freeze of MPP Media Framework; Replaces Code and Engages FFmpeg
Rockchip apologised after its MPP media framework repository was temporarily frozen on GitHub over licence compliance issues. The company says it has replaced the problematic code with internally developed, licence‑compliant code and has actively engaged with FFmpeg and GitHub to resolve the matter. The incident highlights licence‑compliance and supply‑chain risks for hardware vendors that rely on open‑source multimedia components, and it will likely spur stricter governance and tooling across the semiconductor ecosystem.
Google’s Nano Banana 2 Halves Image Costs and Pushes AI Visuals from Toy to Tool
Google’s Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) lowers the cost of AI image generation to about $0.067 per image while improving text rendering, multi‑panel consistency and real‑time reference via web search. The model consolidates Flash‑level speed with many Pro‑class features, positioning it as a production‑grade tool for enterprises, even as open‑source and lower‑cost competitors press on price and deployment flexibility.