Technology News
Latest technology news and updates
Total: 302
Claude Code Upsets Software Labor Market: Micro‑apps for Everyone, “Cracked” Engineers for Startups
Anthropic’s Claude Code, powered by the Opus 4.5 model, is accelerating the creation of one‑off “micro‑apps” by non‑programmers while enabling a small cadre of AI‑augmented developers to deliver team‑level output alone. The result is simultaneous democratization of software creation at the edges and intensified concentration of value among elite “Cracked Engineers,” with significant implications for hiring, security and regulation.
China Validates Landing Cushioning System on ChuanYue‑1 Test Capsule, Clearing Key Step Toward Safer Crew Returns
China says the ChuanYue‑1 test cabin has successfully validated a landing buffer system intended to protect crews and equipment during touchdown. The verification is an important safety milestone that reduces program risk but does not yet constitute a fully certified crewed spacecraft.
China’s Private Space Sector Clears a Major Hurdle for Crew Flights as Landing Cushion Tech Is Validated
A Chinese private aerospace company has for the first time validated a landing-cushioning technology for crewed spacecraft, signaling the commercial sector’s move into human-rated systems. The milestone lowers a key technical barrier but is only an early step toward certified crewed flights, which will require more integrated testing and regulatory approvals.
China’s Commercial Space Push Accelerates: Private Crew Capsule Test and State Giants Recommit to Reusable Rockets
On January 18, private firm Interstellor announced a successful full-scale test of a crewed-capsule landing-buffer system, a first for China’s commercial space sector. The same week, state-owned CASIC and CASC set 2026 priorities that emphasise aerospace-defence business lines and a concerted push to master reusable-rocket technology, signalling tighter alignment between private innovation and state industrial strategy.
Airbus Teams Up with Chinese Robot Maker UBTECH to Push Humanoid Automation into Aerospace
UBTECH and Airbus have formed a partnership to develop humanoid robots for aerospace tasks, combining UBTECH’s bipedal platforms with Airbus’s operational expertise. The collaboration highlights both the practical appeal of human-form robots in human-centric environments and the central technical challenge: building safe, reliable "brains" for use in regulated, safety-critical settings.
China’s Humanoid Drive Hits a New Constraint: Training Data, Not Motors
China’s humanoid-robot sector is confronting a new chokepoint: the scarcity and high cost of high-quality training data. Companies and regional innovation centres are building motion-capture factories, standardised datasets and synthetic pipelines to turn robots that can move into robots that are practically useful, even as memory and chip supply constraints threaten overall scaling.
Washington’s 100% Tariff Ultimatum Forces Chipmakers to Choose: Pay or Build
The U.S. has begun imposing tariffs on certain imported semiconductors and warned foreign memory makers that failure to expand production on U.S. soil could trigger duties up to 100%. South Korea’s government and firms such as SK Hynix are urgently reassessing strategy amid rising uncertainty, while the policy risk accelerates a geopolitical reorganisation of global chip supply chains.
Brussels Moves to Ban Huawei and ZTE Gear from EU Networks, Pushing a Fraught Tech‑Sovereignty Agenda
The European Commission is preparing a draft cybersecurity law to make exclusion of so‑called "high‑risk" suppliers—targeting Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese vendors—mandatory across the EU. The proposal seeks to replace a voluntary 2020 framework with binding rules, but faces legal, economic and political hurdles including heavy reliance on Chinese-made solar panels and resistance from telecom operators and some member states.
Memory Modules Soar: Daily Price Swings and a Consumer Electronics Squeeze in 2026
Memory module prices in China have surged sharply in early 2026, with daily volatility and near-doubling in some segments driven by AI, data-centre demand and seasonal restocking. The spike threatens to raise consumer electronics prices, squeeze OEM margins and invite heavy capital spending that could sow future overcapacity risks.
Musk Sues OpenAI and Microsoft for Up to $134bn, Calling Early Support an ‘Institutional Takeover’
Elon Musk has sued OpenAI and Microsoft for up to $134 billion, arguing his early funding and non‑financial contributions were wrongfully captured when OpenAI shifted toward a commercial model. The case raises novel legal questions about the enforceability of founding missions and will test how courts value founder contributions when nonprofits convert to profit-seeking entities. The dispute comes as OpenAI begins testing ads in ChatGPT to generate new revenue streams.
Two Rocket Failures in One Day Expose China’s Launch Bottleneck and the Fragility of Commercial Space Ambitions
On 17 January 2026 two Chinese launch vehicles — a Long March 3B and the privately built Gushenxing-2 — failed in separate missions, highlighting a launch‑capacity bottleneck that threatens commercial space ambitions. The twin setbacks renew focus on the technical challenge of reusable rockets, the need for steady satellite‑constellation demand, and the role of regulation in shaping industry growth.
How China and the U.S. Are Steering AI in Different Directions — and Why It Matters
Chinese and U.S. AI strategies are showing meaningful divergence, shaped by different technical philosophies, civilisational values and policy choices. Export controls and governance gaps increase the risk of fragmented standards; embedding ethics and human control into AI systems is urgent to prevent harmful outcomes.