technology industry

A US jury has ruled that Apple must pay a record $5.7 billion in a patent dispute over haptic technology, the vibration feedback used in its devices. The verdict ranks among the largest patent damages awards in US history and is expected to trigger appeals and scrutiny of how Apple licenses touchscreen feedback technology.

NVIDIA's GTC conference is in the spotlight, with audiences tracking announcements around its latest AI and semiconductor technologies. The event typically showcases new GPU architectures, software tools and partnerships, and this year's edition is being followed closely for clues about the company's next steps in the fast-moving AI hardware market.

US lawmakers are moving to require AM radio as standard equipment in all new cars, a mandate that automakers are actively resisting. The debate touches on emergency broadcasting, since AM radio remains a key channel for weather and safety alerts, while many manufacturers have already dropped it from electric vehicles due to interference concerns. Lawmakers argue public safety justifies keeping the decades-old technology on the road.

China is aiming for mass production of solid-state batteries by 2030, a technology seen as the next major leap for electric vehicles due to higher energy density and improved safety. CATL, the world's largest battery maker, has reportedly cautioned that the target is technically difficult, as manufacturing solid-state cells at scale remains a major engineering challenge for the entire industry.

Capcom, the Japanese studio behind Resident Evil, Onimusha and Monster Hunter, has announced plans to incorporate artificial intelligence into its game development process. The company says AI could support aspects of production, though it has not detailed exactly where the technology will be applied. The news is drawing attention from players and industry watchers debating how AI might change how major games are made.

China is rapidly becoming a leading force in health technology, driven by advances in AI healthcare, biotechnology and drug development. Analysts argue the country's growing dominance in medical innovation matters globally, as Chinese firms move from manufacturing to inventing new treatments and health tech. The scale and speed of China's investment in the sector has drawn attention from industry observers and policymakers worldwide.

Human-made ocean noise from shipping and industry is making it harder for whales to hear each other, interfering with the communication they rely on to find mates, navigate and stay in groups. Popular Science profiles an inventor who has developed a solution he says draws on ideas going back 200 years, aiming to cut underwater noise and restore whales' acoustic environment.

Commentary in the robotics industry argues that the race to build physical AI — intelligent machines operating in the real world — will ultimately be decided not just in labs but through patent filings, as companies race to lock up intellectual property covering robotics and embodied AI technologies.

Synthetic biology is being positioned as a transformative technology across multiple sectors. New reporting outlines how engineered biological systems are being applied to develop new medicines, improve crops and farming methods, and reshape industrial manufacturing processes. The field involves designing and building novel biological parts and organisms for practical use, and its expanding commercial role is drawing growing attention from scientists, industry and the public.

Yanpei Cao of Tripo AI has given an interview to Animation World Network discussing the company's SmartMesh technology, its open-source approach, and how its AI tools are being applied in previsualisation work. The conversation covers how AI-generated 3D assets could fit into animation and film production pipelines.

Legal AI company Harvey has announced a partnership with a Japanese legal data company, expanding its reach in the Asian legal market. Separately, legaltech firm Ivo unveiled an open-source AI model, adding to a wave of product moves across the legal technology sector. The developments highlight growing competition and international expansion among legal AI providers.

Meta has announced Muse Gadgets, a new open source project aimed at enabling custom AI hardware. Announced via Indian Television Dot Com, the initiative lets developers build their own AI-powered devices using Meta's tools. The open source approach signals Meta's continued push into the AI hardware ecosystem, following its broader strategy of releasing AI technology openly rather than keeping it proprietary.

Meta has open-sourced its Muse gadgets, allowing developers and hobbyists to build their own custom AI-powered devices. The move gives outside creators access to hardware designs and tools that were previously internal, potentially lowering the barrier for experimentation in AI hardware. Technology outlets are reporting on the release as part of Meta's broader push into open-source AI.

AI industry leaders are once again calling for government regulation of artificial intelligence, prompting debate about whether such appeals are genuine or strategic. Critics point out that tech executives have a long history of inviting regulation, often to shape rules in their favour or raise barriers for smaller competitors. Commentators argue the pattern repeats across past technologies, from social media to earlier waves of automation, and urge scepticism toward industry-led regulatory proposals.

Industrial real estate firm Meritex has acquired 121 Technology Park in Allen, Texas, and plans to expand the property in 2027. The deal adds to the company's holdings in the Dallas-Fort Worth industrial market, where demand for warehouse and technology-adjacent space remains strong. Details on the purchase price and the scale of the planned expansion were not disclosed in initial reports.

Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are joining a Pentagon warfare initiative, according to CNBC. The unusual mix of tech executives and political figures advising the Defence Department on military technology is drawing attention, with observers weighing the implications of closer ties between Silicon Valley and the US armed forces.

Inworld has acquired Ultravox, a Seattle-based startup building voice AI technology that was formerly known as Fixie. The acquisition brings Ultravox's team and voice AI capabilities under Inworld, a company focused on AI-driven experiences. Details of the deal, including financial terms, were not disclosed in initial reports, and reaction from the two companies' communities is still gathering.

Startup TypeSafe AI is drawing attention with its Jev Model, a technology that has reportedly inspired copycats and reignited discussion about alternatives to large language models. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company's approach is being closely watched in the startup world, with rivals attempting to replicate it and analysts debating whether non-LLM approaches could challenge dominant AI architectures.

A startup is proposing to use horizontal drilling methods, refined over decades by the oil and gas industry, to bury nuclear waste deep underground. The approach adapts directional drilling technology to carve disposal tunnels in rock formations, offering a potential solution to the long-standing problem of where to store spent nuclear fuel. It draws attention to how techniques from one energy sector could help another manage its environmental legacy.

MIND Technology, Inc., a Texas-based company supplying marine seismic survey equipment to the offshore energy industry, is seeing increased interest in its stock, with investors searching for its latest price, news, and trading history on finance platforms. Shares of the small-cap company, listed under the ticker MIND, are being tracked amid broader market moves, though no specific company announcement or earnings event has been confirmed as the trigger.

Law firm McDermott Will & Schulte is associated with TMT Finance USA 2026, an event focused on finance across the technology, media and telecoms sectors in the United States. The event is expected to bring together dealmakers, investors and advisers to discuss M&A, financing and market trends shaping the TMT industry in 2026.

New research suggests East Germany's Cold War spying operations, run largely through the Stasi, contributed an estimated $4.6 billion to the country's economy. The figure covers industrial and scientific espionage, including stolen Western technology that was copied and deployed by state firms. Commenters have reacted with skepticism and dark humor about the economics of state surveillance.

Commentators say 2026 marks the year major hardware brands have genuinely advanced gaming mouse technology, questioning whether smaller niche makers could have driven the same change. The discussion centres on mainstream manufacturers pushing new features and performance improvements, with debate over whether the industry's direction is now being set by big players rather than the enthusiast brands that traditionally led on innovation.