AI accelerators

Samsung is expected to more than double its production of HBM4 and HBM4E high-bandwidth memory DRAM next year, according to a report citing sources. The expansion targets surging demand for advanced memory used in AI accelerators, where Samsung competes with SK Hynix and Micron for supply deals with chip and data-center customers.

Reports highlight the growing environmental footprint of AI data centers, which consume large amounts of electricity and water to power and cool the servers behind artificial intelligence services. As AI adoption accelerates, questions are mounting over energy demand, carbon emissions and strain on local water supplies, prompting calls for greater transparency and sustainability measures from the tech industry.

China has released a new innovation blueprint that puts artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies at the center of its national development strategy. The plan signals Beijing's intent to accelerate self-reliance in advanced tech and strengthen its position in global competition over AI, semiconductors and emerging industries.

Nvidia has released a new software platform designed to prevent AI agents from acting improperly, adding safeguards around autonomous systems that carry out tasks on users' behalf. The move addresses growing concerns that agentic AI can take unintended or harmful actions without oversight, as companies increasingly deploy such tools in business workflows.

AMD has agreed to acquire World Labs, the AI startup founded by Fei-Fei Li, in a deal valued at $8.2 billion, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The acquisition would give the chipmaker access to World Labs' spatial intelligence technology and its team, deepening AMD's push into artificial intelligence beyond processors and accelerators.

Nvidia has introduced a new system designed to stop AI agents from malfunctioning or acting outside their intended instructions. The tool adds oversight to autonomous AI systems, which increasingly perform tasks on users' behalf in enterprise settings. Reports by Bloomberg and The Straits Times highlight growing industry concern about the safety and reliability of agentic AI as adoption accelerates.

Major technology companies are using guarantee structures to keep roughly $300 billion in AI-related financial commitments off their balance sheets, according to a Financial Times report. The arrangements, often backing data centre and infrastructure deals, raise questions about how much risk the sector is actually carrying as AI spending accelerates.

President Trump held a dinner with Dario Amodei, the chief executive of AI firm Anthropic, who has previously called for a slowdown in the development of advanced artificial intelligence. The meeting has drawn attention because of the apparent contrast between the administration's push to accelerate AI and Amodei's public warnings about the technology's risks.

Wired argues that the growing public backlash against data centers, driven by their strain on power grids, water supplies and local communities, has so far stopped short of a serious reckoning with their climate impact. The piece contends that debates over new data center construction focus on costs and land use while largely ignoring the carbon footprint of the AI boom that is accelerating their expansion.

President Donald Trump met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei at the White House and rejected calls to slow the AI race with China. The meeting signals the administration's intent to keep the United States accelerating in artificial intelligence rather than pausing development for safety coordination with Beijing, a stance that divides AI industry leaders and safety advocates.

Big technology companies are rapidly expanding their use of guarantees to back debt for AI data centres and chips, issuing up to $300bn in commitments in under a year. Much of this exposure is recorded off their balance sheets, raising questions about hidden financial risk as the AI investment boom accelerates.

Nvidia has released an open-source platform aimed at improving the safety of AI agents, the autonomous software systems that perform tasks on users' behalf. The announcement, reported by SC Media, is drawing attention from the cybersecurity and enterprise communities, who see it as a step toward making agent-based AI systems more trustworthy and controllable as adoption accelerates.

Nvidia has announced an open-source security system designed to prevent autonomous AI agents from acting beyond human control. The tool is aimed at keeping agentic AI systems within defined boundaries as companies increasingly deploy them for real-world tasks. The move positions Nvidia both as a leading AI chipmaker and as a voice on AI safety, drawing attention from developers and security watchers.

TSMC is shaping the economics of the entire AI chip industry, as the dominant contract manufacturer for leading chip designers. A report argues the Taiwan-based foundry effectively dictates what AI chip companies must pay for manufacturing capacity. With demand for AI accelerators surging, TSMC's pricing power and advanced process nodes give it leverage over customers like Nvidia, AMD and countless startups racing to ship AI hardware.

Trade unions are intensifying efforts to counter what they see as a growing risk from artificial intelligence to their members' jobs. The push reflects broader concerns across labour movements about automation replacing workers and eroding workplace protections, with unions seeking safeguards, negotiations and policy responses as AI adoption accelerates across industries.

Nvidia, the chipmaker led by chief executive Jensen Huang, has announced a new platform focused on the safety of AI agents. The product is aimed at ensuring autonomous AI systems behave reliably and securely as companies increasingly deploy them in real-world operations. Details on pricing and availability were not included in the initial announcement.

EL PAÍS examines the argument, prominent among some AI researchers, that there is roughly a one-in-ten chance advanced artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity. The piece weighs expert warnings about uncontrolled AI development against sceptics who consider such extinction estimates exaggerated, reflecting an ongoing debate as AI capabilities and investment continue to grow rapidly.

Nvidia has assembled a group of partners including AI lab Anthropic and chip designer Arm for a new AI security platform. The coalition suggests Nvidia is extending beyond hardware into security tooling as AI deployment accelerates. Details about the platform's scope and the exact roles of each partner remain limited.

Huawei's Ascend AI chips have overtaken Nvidia in China's artificial intelligence market, according to a report by Fortune. The shift reflects the impact of US export restrictions that have limited Nvidia's access to Chinese customers, pushing domestic firms toward homegrown alternatives. The development marks a significant milestone for China's semiconductor self-sufficiency efforts and intensifies the technology rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

Health insurers are warning that the rapid spread of artificial intelligence in medicine could drive billions of dollars in additional healthcare costs, citing the potential for AI-enabled care to expand utilization and billing volumes. Medical billing companies are pushing back, arguing the technology actually reduces administrative expenses and improves efficiency. The dispute highlights a growing divide in the industry over how AI will reshape health spending, with insurers and billing firms offering sharply conflicting forecasts as adoption accelerates across hospitals and physician practices.

A startup is developing artificial intelligence tools designed to detect and counter future AI-driven threats, described in a Wall Street Journal exclusive as a defense against a possible 'AI pandemic.' The company aims to build safeguards against malicious or runaway AI systems before they cause widespread harm. The report highlights growing investor and public interest in AI safety as generative AI adoption accelerates.

Scientists say artificial intelligence could help bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction, according to a report. AI is being used to analyze the mammoth genome and accelerate efforts to edit elephant DNA so the Ice Age giant's traits could be recreated. The idea of de-extincting the mammoth has drawn both excitement and skepticism about whether such a creature can truly be brought back.

Land prices for data centers in the United States have risen almost tenfold in two years. In the first half of 2026, companies spent roughly $6 billion on land for future data centers, 79 percent more than a year earlier, with land taking up a growing share of overall development budgets as the AI-driven building boom accelerates.

Consultancy Bain & Company says artificial intelligence is reshaping retail in ways that will push underperforming stores out of the market. The firm argues retailers that fail to adopt AI-driven operations, pricing and customer insights risk losing ground to more efficient competitors, accelerating store closures across the sector.

WIRED argues that growing public and political resistance to data centers, driven by energy demands and local impacts, should be framed as a climate reckoning but so far is not. The piece contends the backlash focuses on siting and costs while missing the industry's broader carbon footprint, and urges climate to become central to the debate.

Security experts are warning that autonomous AI agents, which act on behalf of users across systems and services, are opening up a new attack surface for cybercriminals. Because these agents can access tools, data and credentials without constant human oversight, attackers may exploit them through prompt manipulation, hijacked integrations or abused permissions. The debate centers on how companies should secure agent-driven workflows as adoption accelerates.

NVIDIA has launched an open agent safety platform developed with around 100 industry partners, aimed at securing autonomous AI agents as their deployment accelerates across industries. The initiative is intended to provide shared standards and tooling for monitoring and controlling agent behaviour. Details beyond the announcement, such as specific partners, features or timelines, were not immediately available.

NVIDIA has announced an open agent safety platform aimed at securing AI agents, embedding security features at the silicon level. The effort comes with a coalition of roughly 120 partners spanning the technology industry. The move signals NVIDIA's push to make security a foundational element of agentic AI infrastructure as adoption of autonomous AI agents accelerates.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman says artificial intelligence can compress what used to take startup founders three months of work into roughly 17 minutes. The claim, made as AI tools spread rapidly through the startup world, has drawn attention from founders and investors weighing how dramatically AI can accelerate product development and company building.

A new Politico report examines how the White House's push to accelerate artificial intelligence development has run into friction with Anthropic, the safety-focused AI company. The piece suggests the administration's deregulatory ambitions are being complicated by Anthropic's cautious stance, making the company a flashpoint in the debate over how fast and how safely AI should advance in the United States.

New coverage highlights how artificial intelligence is transforming the semiconductor sector, driving demand for advanced chips and the specialized materials needed to produce them. Commentators point to surging investment in AI accelerators and knock-on effects across the supply chain, as chipmakers and material suppliers reposition to serve booming AI workloads. Analysts say the shift is redrawing competitive lines across the global industry.