semiconductors

Tiny tech, big AI power: what are 2-nanometre chips?

BY KATIE FORSTER

  • - Yes, and TSMC is already developing "1.4-nanometre" technology, reportedly to go into mass production around 2028, with Samsung and Intel not far behind.
  • Taiwan's world-leading microchip manufacturer TSMC says it has started mass producing next-generation "2-nanometre" chips. 
  • - Yes, and TSMC is already developing "1.4-nanometre" technology, reportedly to go into mass production around 2028, with Samsung and Intel not far behind.
Taiwan's world-leading microchip manufacturer TSMC says it has started mass producing next-generation "2-nanometre" chips. 
AFP looks at what that means, and why it's important:

What can they do?

The computing power of chips has increased dramatically over the decades as makers cram them with more microscopic electronic components.
That has brought huge technological leaps to everything from smartphones to cars, as well as the advent of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT.
Advanced 2-nanometre (2nm) chips perform better and are more energy-efficient than past types, and are structured differently to house even more of the key components known as transistors.
The new chip technology will help speed up laptops, reduce data centres' carbon footprint and allow self-driving cars to spot objects quicker, according to US computing giant IBM.
For artificial intelligence, "this benefits both consumer devices -- enabling faster, more capable on-device AI -- and data centre AI chips, which can run large models more efficiently", said Jan Frederik Slijkerman, senior sector strategist at Dutch bank ING.

 Who makes them?

Producing 2nm chips, the most cutting-edge in the industry, is "extremely hard and expensive", requiring "advanced lithography machines, deep knowledge of the production process, and huge investments", Slijkerman told AFP.
Only a few companies are able to do it: TSMC, which dominates the chip manufacturing industry, as well as South Korea's Samsung and US firm Intel.
TSMC is in the lead, with the other two "still in the stage of improving yield" and lacking large-scale customers, said TrendForce analyst Joanne Chiao.
Japanese chipmaker Rapidus is also building a plant in northern Japan to make 2nm chips, with mass production slated for 2027.

What's the political impact?

TSMC's path to mass 2nm production has not always been smooth.
Taiwanese prosecutors charged three people in August with stealing trade secrets related to 2nm chips to help Tokyo Electron, a Japanese company that makes equipment for TSMC.
"This case involves critical national core technologies vital to Taiwan's industrial lifeline," the high prosecutors' office said at the time.
Geopolitical factors and trade wars are also at play.
Nikkei Asia reported this summer that TSMC, which counts Nvidia and Apple among its clients, will not use Chinese chipmaking equipment in its 2nm production lines to avoid disruption from potential US restrictions.
TSMC says they plan to speed up production of 2nm chips in the United States, currently targeted for "the end of the decade".

How small is two nanometres?

Extremely tiny -- for reference, an atom is approximately 0.1 nanometres across.
But in fact 2nm does not refer to the actual size of the chip itself, or any chip components, and is just a marketing term.
Instead "the smaller the number, the higher the density" of these components, Chiao told AFP.
IBM says 2nm designs can fit up to 50 billion transistors, tiny components smaller than a virus, on a chip the size of a fingernail.
To create the transistors, slices of silicon are etched, treated and combined with thin films of other materials.
A higher density of transistors results in a smaller chip or one the same size with faster processing power.

Can chips get even better?

Yes, and TSMC is already developing "1.4-nanometre" technology, reportedly to go into mass production around 2028, with Samsung and Intel not far behind.
TSMC started high-volume 3nm production in 2023, and Taiwanese media says the company is already building a 1.4nm chip factory in the city of Taichung.
As for 2nm chips, Japan's Rapidus says they are "ideal for AI servers" and will "become the cornerstone of the next-generation digital infrastructure", despite the huge technical challenges and costs involved.
kaf/ane/stu/abs

Digital World

TSMC says started mass production of 'most advanced' 2nm chips

  • "TSMC's 2nm (N2) technology has started volume production in 4Q25 as planned," TSMC said in an undated statement on its website.
  • Taiwanese tech titan TSMC has started mass producing its cutting-edge 2-nanometre semiconductor chips, the company said in a statement seen by AFP on Wednesday.
  • "TSMC's 2nm (N2) technology has started volume production in 4Q25 as planned," TSMC said in an undated statement on its website.
Taiwanese tech titan TSMC has started mass producing its cutting-edge 2-nanometre semiconductor chips, the company said in a statement seen by AFP on Wednesday.
TSMC is the world's largest contract maker of chips, used in everything from smartphones to missiles, and counts Nvidia and Apple among its clients.
"TSMC's 2nm (N2) technology has started volume production in 4Q25 as planned," TSMC said in an undated statement on its website.
The chips will be the "most advanced technology in the semiconductor industry in terms of both density and energy efficiency", the company said. 
"N2 technology, with leading nanosheet transistor structure, will deliver full-node performance and power benefits to address the increasing need for energy-efficient computing."
The chips will be produced at TSMC's "Fab 20" facility in Hsinchu, in northern Taiwan, and "Fab 22" in the southern port city of Kaohsiung. 
More than half of the world's semiconductors, and nearly all of the most advanced ones used to power artificial intelligence technology, are made in Taiwan.
TSMC has been a massive beneficiary of the frenzy in AI investment. Nvidia and Apple are among firms pouring many billions of dollars into chips, servers and data centres.
AI-related spending is soaring worldwide, and is expected to reach approximately $1.5 trillion by 2025, according to US research firm Gartner, and over $2 trillion in 2026 -- nearly two percent of global GDP.
Taiwan's dominance of the chip industry has long been seen as a "silicon shield" protecting it from an invasion or blockade by China -- which claims the island is part of its sovereign territory -- and an incentive for the United States to defend it.
But the threat of a Chinese attack has fuelled concerns about potential disruptions to global supply chains and has increased pressure for more chip production beyond Taiwan's shores.
Chinese fighter jets and warships encircled Taiwan during live-fire drills this week aimed at simulating a blockade of the democratic island's key ports and assaults on maritime targets.
Taipei, which slammed the two-day war games as "highly provocative and reckless", said the manoeuvre failed to impose a blockade on the island.
TSMC has invested in chip fabrication facilities in the United States, Japan and Germany to meet soaring demand for semiconductors, which have become the lifeblood of the global economy.
But in an interview with AFP this month, Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Chih-chung Wu said the island planned to keep making the "most advanced" chips on home soil and remain "indispensable" to the global semiconductor industry.
joy-amj/abs

Japan

SoftBank lifts OpenAI stake to 11% with $41bln investment

  • SoftBank had announced in April its planned investment of up to $40 billion in Open AI, and on Wednesday it said that the second tranche of $22.5 billion was completed.
  • Japanese tech investor SoftBank said Wednesday that its stake in OpenAI is now around 11 percent after completing the second stage of a $41-billion investment in the maker of ChatGPT. Having made colossal profits as well as losses on previous investments, flamboyant founder Masayoshi Son has pivoted SoftBank towards artificial intelligence (AI).
  • SoftBank had announced in April its planned investment of up to $40 billion in Open AI, and on Wednesday it said that the second tranche of $22.5 billion was completed.
Japanese tech investor SoftBank said Wednesday that its stake in OpenAI is now around 11 percent after completing the second stage of a $41-billion investment in the maker of ChatGPT.
Having made colossal profits as well as losses on previous investments, flamboyant founder Masayoshi Son has pivoted SoftBank towards artificial intelligence (AI).
SoftBank had announced in April its planned investment of up to $40 billion in Open AI, and on Wednesday it said that the second tranche of $22.5 billion was completed.
The final investment reached $41 billion and includes $30 billion from SoftBank's Vision Fund plus $11 billion from other third-party co-investors, it said.
"We are deeply aligned with OpenAI's vision of ensuring AGI benefits all of humanity," Son, 68, said in a statement.
AGI refers to artificial general intelligence, the mooted next stage of AI when computers could outperform humans in different tasks.
"SoftBank saw the potential of AI early and committed with a deep belief in its impact on humanity," said OpenAI chief Sam Altman.
"Their global leadership and scale help us move faster and bring advanced intelligence to the world," Altman said in the joint statement.
SoftBank and OpenAI, with Oracle, are also leading the $500-billion Stargate project to build AI infrastructure in the United States announced by President Donald Trump in January 2025.
SoftBank also announced this week that it is buying US data centre investor DigitalBridge in a deal worth around $4 billion.
stu/lga/fox

children

Chinese homeschool students embrace freer youth in cutthroat market

BY MARY YANG

  • On a Tuesday afternoon, she was the youngest at a nearby climbing gym, hoisting herself up the wall after a day of online Spanish studies from her living room and an acupuncture lesson taught by her mother.
  • Fourteen-year-old Estella spends her weekdays studying Spanish, rock climbing or learning acupuncture in her living room as part of her homeschooling since she left China's gruelling public school system.
  • On a Tuesday afternoon, she was the youngest at a nearby climbing gym, hoisting herself up the wall after a day of online Spanish studies from her living room and an acupuncture lesson taught by her mother.
Fourteen-year-old Estella spends her weekdays studying Spanish, rock climbing or learning acupuncture in her living room as part of her homeschooling since she left China's gruelling public school system.
Her parents withdrew her from her Shanghai school three years ago, worried she was struggling to keep up with a demanding curriculum they believe will soon be outdated in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
They are among a small number of parents in China who are rethinking the country's rigorous education system, in which school days can last 10 hours, with students often working late into the evening on extra tutoring and homework.
"In the future, education models and jobs will face huge changes due to AI," Estella's mother Xu Zoe told AFP, using a pseudonym.
"We wanted to get used to the uncertainty early."
Homeschooling is banned in China, although authorities generally overlook rare individual cases.
Just 6,000 Chinese children were homeschooled in 2017, according to the non-profit 21st Century Education Research Institute. By comparison, China had roughly 145 million primary and middle school students that year.
But that number of homeschoolers had increased annually by around 30 percent from 2013, the institute said.
Supporters say looser schedules centred around practical projects and outdoor activities help nourish creativity that is squashed by the national curriculum.
In Shanghai, Estella's school day ended at 5:00 pm, and she often spent around four hours a night on homework.
"Instead of just doing a stressful exam in school, I will do the things I was interested (in)," said Estella, who, unlike many students her age, will not be cramming for high school entrance exams she would have taken next year.
Her parents have hired tutors in science, maths, Spanish and gym, and together with Estella decide her schedule.
On a Tuesday afternoon, she was the youngest at a nearby climbing gym, hoisting herself up the wall after a day of online Spanish studies from her living room and an acupuncture lesson taught by her mother.
Xu, 40, said her daughter has grown more confident since leaving the highly competitive public school system.
"We don't use societal standards to evaluate ourselves but rather, what kind of person we want to be," she told AFP.

'Jobs are disappearing'

Experts say Chinese people are increasingly questioning the value of traditionally prized degrees from elite universities in an oversaturated market.
In 2023, fewer than one in five undergraduates from Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University found jobs immediately after graduation.
The country's unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds reached a two-year high of 18.9 percent in August, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
"(China) has out-produced. Too many PhDs, too many Masters, too many undergraduates. The jobs they are trying to get are disappearing," Yong Zhao, an author on China's education system,
told AFP.
Chinese authorities have tried to counter the competitive learning culture by cracking down on cram schools in recent years -- but tutoring, paid under the table, remains in demand.
While homeschooling is technically illegal, Zhao said families can generally "get away with it without causing too much attention".
One mother in Zhejiang province, who wished to remain unidentified for fear of repercussions, said she used an AI chatbot to create a lesson plan on recycling for her nine-year-old homeschooled son.
"The development of AI has allowed me to say that what you learn in a classroom, you don't need anymore," she told AFP.
Her son studies Chinese and maths using coursework from his formerpublic school in the mornings and spends afternoons working on projects or outdoor activities.
However, his mother, a former teacher, plans to re-enrol her son when he reaches middle school.
"There's no way to meet his social needs at home," she said.

'Don't be afraid'

Time with children her age was one of the biggest losses for 24-year-old Gong Yimei, whose father pulled her out of school at age eight to focus on art.
She studied on her own with few teachers, and most of the people she called friends were twice her age.
But at home, Gong told AFP she had more free time to consider her future.
"You ask yourself, 'What do I like? What do I want? What is the meaning of the things I do'?" said Gong, who hopes to launch an education startup.
"It helped me more quickly find myself."
Back in Shanghai, college is an uncertainty for Estella, whose family plans to spend time in Europe or South America to improve her Spanish.
Her mother, Xu, is hopeful that homeschooling may become more mainstream in China. Xu said she would encourage other parents considering it to take the leap.
"You don't need to be afraid," she said.
mya/dhw/lga/pbt

bitcoin

How company bets on bitcoin can backfire

BY LUCIE LEQUIER

  • -  Many companies borrowed money to buy bitcoin, betting that its price would keep rising.
  • The year-end plunge in cryptocurrencies has rattled companies that had bet heavily on bitcoin, sending share prices tumbling and reviving fears of a bubble.
  • -  Many companies borrowed money to buy bitcoin, betting that its price would keep rising.
The year-end plunge in cryptocurrencies has rattled companies that had bet heavily on bitcoin, sending share prices tumbling and reviving fears of a bubble.
Below AFP explains what happens to these bitcoin-buying firms when prices drop.
- Why accumulate bitcoin? - 
Bitcoin surged this year, reaching a record above $126,000 in October.
Companies began buying and holding bitcoin to diversify their cash reserves, protect against inflation or attract investors chasing high returns.
Some were already linked to the cryptocurrency, such as exchanges or "mining" firms that use powerful computers to earn bitcoins as rewards.
Others from unrelated industries also started buying in, boosting demand and driving its price even higher.
- Why is buying risky? - 
Many companies borrowed money to buy bitcoin, betting that its price would keep rising.
Some relied on convertible bonds, which offer lower interest rates while giving lenders the option to be repaid in shares instead of cash.
But problems can emerge if a company's share price falls -- for example, if a drop in the bitcoin price makes its business model less appealing.
Investors may then demand cash repayment, leaving the company scrambling for liquidity. 
- What happens when bitcoin drops? - 
Trouble surfaced after the summer when bitcoin began falling, eventually dropping below $90,000 in November, undermining confidence in companies heavily exposed to it.
"The market quickly started to ask: 'Are these companies going to run into trouble? Could they go bankrupt?'" said Eric Benoist, a tech and data expert at Natixis bank. 
Carol Alexander, a finance professor at the University of Sussex, told AFP that regulatory uncertainty, cyberattacks and fraud risks are also deepening investor mistrust. 

What happened to Strategy ?

Software company Strategy is the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, owning more than 671,000 coins, or about three percent of all the bitcoin that will ever exist. 
Over six months, however, its share price more than halved, and its market value briefly dropped below the total value of its bitcoin holdings.
Pressure stemmed largely from its heavy use of convertible bonds, exposing it to the risk of repaying large amounts of debt in cash.
To reassure investors, Strategy issued new shares to create a $1.44 billion reserve to fund dividend and interest rate payments. 
Semiconductor firm Sequans took a different route, selling 970 bitcoins to pay down part of its convertible debt.
Strategy and Sequans did not respond to AFP requests for comment.
- Could problems spread? - 
If struggling companies sell large amounts of bitcoin, prices could fall further, worsening losses. 
"The contagion risk in crypto markets is pretty considerable," Alexander said.
She added, however, that the impact would likely be confined to the crypto sector, with no major risk to traditional markets.
"Bitcoin is inherently volatile in both directions, and we view that volatility as the cost of long-term upside," Dylan LeClair, head of bitcoin strategy at Japan's Metaplanet, told AFP. 
Originally a hotel company, Metaplanet now holds around $2.7 billion worth of bitcoin.

What's the sector's future?

According to Benoist, companies will need to generate income from their bitcoin holdings -- such as through financial products -- rather than relying solely on rising prices. 
"Not all of them will survive," but "the model will continue to exist," he said.
New initiatives are emerging such as French entrepreneur Eric Larcheveque's crypto treasury firm, The Bitcoin Society. 
He told AFP that falling prices are "a good opportunity because it allows you to buy more bitcoin cheaply."
lul/ajb/jkb/gv/ceg

tech

UK tech campaigner sues Trump administration over US sanctions

  • Ahmed faces the "imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion" from the United States, the court filing said.
  • The chief of a prominent anti-disinformation watchdog has sued President Donald Trump's administration over a US visa ban, calling it an "unconstitutional" attempt to expel the permanent American resident, court filings show.
  • Ahmed faces the "imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion" from the United States, the court filing said.
The chief of a prominent anti-disinformation watchdog has sued President Donald Trump's administration over a US visa ban, calling it an "unconstitutional" attempt to expel the permanent American resident, court filings show.
Imran Ahmed, a British national who heads the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), was among five European figures involved in tech regulation whom the US State Department said this week would be denied visas.
The department accused them of attempting to "coerce" US-based social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose. The European Union and several member states strongly condemned the move and vowed to defend Europe's regulatory autonomy.
The campaigner filed his complaint Wednesday in a New York district court against Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, US Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Ahmed, a critic of billionaire Elon Musk, holds US permanent residency, commonly known as a "green card."
"I am proud to call the United States my home," he said in a statement. "My wife and daughter are American, and instead of spending Christmas with them, I am fighting to prevent my unlawful deportation from my home country."
Ahmed faces the "imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion" from the United States, the court filing said.
However, a district judge granted a temporary restraining order barring Ahmed's arrest or detention, with a further hearing scheduled for Monday.
When reached for comment Thursday, the State Department expressed defiance.
"The Supreme Court and Congress have repeatedly made clear: the United States is under no obligation to allow foreign aliens to come to our country or reside here," a spokesperson said.
Rogers said earlier that Ahmed was sanctioned because he was a "key collaborator" in efforts by former president Joe Biden's administration to "weaponize the government" against US citizens.

'Not be bullied'

"My life's work is to protect children from the dangers of unregulated social media and AI and fight the spread of antisemitism online. That mission has pitted me against big tech executives -- and Elon Musk in particular -- multiple times," Ahmed said.
"I will not be bullied away from my life's work."
The crackdown also targeted former European commissioner Thierry Breton, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of the German nonprofit HateAid, and Clare Melford, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index.
Condemning the move, the European Commission said it was seeking clarification from Washington, and if needed "will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures."
Breton, the EC's former top tech regulator, often clashed with tycoons including Musk -- a Trump ally -- over their obligations to follow EU rules.
The State Department has described him as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.
The DSA stipulates that major platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, provide transparency for users and ensure researchers can carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content.
But the act has become a bitter rallying point for US conservatives who see it as a weapon of censorship against right-wing thought in Europe and beyond, an accusation the EU furiously denies.
Ahmed's CCDH also frequently clashed with Musk, reporting a spike in misinformation and hate speech on X since the billionaire's 2022 takeover.
bur-ac/mlm

tech

EU 'strongly condemns' US sanctions against five Europeans

  • Stephane Sejourne, his successor in charge of the EU's internal market, said on X that "no sanction will silence the sovereignty of the European peoples".
  • The European Union and some member states reacted sharply Wednesday to US sanctions imposed on five European figures involved in regulating tech companies, including former European commissioner Thierry Breton.
  • Stephane Sejourne, his successor in charge of the EU's internal market, said on X that "no sanction will silence the sovereignty of the European peoples".
The European Union and some member states reacted sharply Wednesday to US sanctions imposed on five European figures involved in regulating tech companies, including former European commissioner Thierry Breton.
They were responding after the US State Department announced Tuesday it would deny visas to the five, accusing them of seeking to "coerce" American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.
France, Germany and Spain also condemned the news from Washington.
A statement from the Commission said: "We have requested clarifications from the US authorities and remain engaged. If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.
"Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination." 
Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, often clashed with tycoons including Elon Musk over their obligations to follow EU rules.
The State Department has described him as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.

'Extraterritorial censorship'

The DSA stipulates that major platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, provide transparency for users and ensure researchers can carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content.
But the act has become a bitter rallying point for US conservatives who see it as a weapon of censorship against right-wing thought in Europe and beyond, an accusation the EU furiously denies.
"The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on X: "France condemns the visa restriction measures taken by the United States against Thierry Breton and four other European figures."
"These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty," he added, saying Europe would defend its "regulatory autonomy".
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wrote in a post on X Wednesday: "The DSA was democratically adopted by the EU for the EU –- it does not have extraterritorial effect."
The visa bans, he added, "are not acceptable".
Spain's foreign ministry also condemned the US measures, saying in a statement: "A safe digital space, free from illegal content and disinformation, is a fundamental value for democracy in Europe and a responsibility for everyone." 

A 'witch hunt'

Breton himself drew parallels with McCarthyism, the communist witch hunt that shook the United States in the 1950s.
"Is McCarthy’s witch hunt back?" he asked in a post on X, complete with a broomstick emoji.
"As a reminder: 90% of the European Parliament -- our democratically elected body -- and all 27 Member States unanimously voted for DSA," he added. "To our American friends: 'Censorship isn't where you think it is'."
Breton, before his time as a commissioner, served as finance minister in France and led several major French technology companies. And even after quitting the commission in 2024 he continued to exchange barbs online with Musk.
Stephane Sejourne, his successor in charge of the EU's internal market, said on X that "no sanction will silence the sovereignty of the European peoples".
The visa ban also targeted British national Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that fights online misinformation; and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of HateAid, a German organisation that the State Department said functions as a trusted flagger for enforcing the DSA.
Clare Melford, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also on the list.
A British government spokesperson said: "While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the Internet free from the most harmful content."
A statement from HateAid called the US government decision an "act of repression by an administration that increasingly disregards the rule of law and tries to silence its critics with all its might".
A GDI spokesperson said the measures were "an egregious act of government censorship" as well as "immoral, unlawful, and un-American". 
adc/jj/rh

videogame

First Bond game in a decade hit by two-month delay

  • "007 First Light is our most ambitious project to date, and the team has been fully focused on delivering an unforgettable James Bond experience," the Danish studio wrote on X. Describing the game as "fully playable", IO Interactive said the two additional months would allow their team "to further polish and refine the experience", giving players "the strongest possible version at launch".
  • A Danish video game studio said it was delaying the release of the first James Bond video game in over a decade by two months to "refine the experience".
  • "007 First Light is our most ambitious project to date, and the team has been fully focused on delivering an unforgettable James Bond experience," the Danish studio wrote on X. Describing the game as "fully playable", IO Interactive said the two additional months would allow their team "to further polish and refine the experience", giving players "the strongest possible version at launch".
A Danish video game studio said it was delaying the release of the first James Bond video game in over a decade by two months to "refine the experience".
Fans will now have to wait until May 27 to play "007 First Light" featuring Ian Fleming's world-famous spy, after IO Interactive said on Tuesday it was postponing the launch to add some final touches.
"007 First Light is our most ambitious project to date, and the team has been fully focused on delivering an unforgettable James Bond experience," the Danish studio wrote on X.
Describing the game as "fully playable", IO Interactive said the two additional months would allow their team "to further polish and refine the experience", giving players "the strongest possible version at launch".
The game, which depicts a younger Bond earning his licence to kill, is set to feature "globe-trotting, spycraft, gadgets, car chases, and more", IO Interactive added.
It has been more than a decade since a video game inspired by Bond was released. The initial release date was scheduled for March 27.
dax/ekf/jxb

AI

David Sacks: Trump's AI power broker

BY ALEX PIGMAN

  • "Even among Silicon Valley allies, he has outperformed expectations," said a former close associate, speaking anonymously to discuss the matter candidly.
  • From a total Washington novice, Silicon Valley investor David Sacks has against expectations emerged as one of the most successful members of the second Trump administration.
  • "Even among Silicon Valley allies, he has outperformed expectations," said a former close associate, speaking anonymously to discuss the matter candidly.
From a total Washington novice, Silicon Valley investor David Sacks has against expectations emerged as one of the most successful members of the second Trump administration.
He is officially chair of President Donald Trump's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. 
However, in the White House he is referred to as the AI and crypto tsar, there to guide the president through the technology revolutions in which the United States play a central role.
"I am grateful we have him," OpenAI boss Sam Altman said in a post on X.
"While Americans bicker, our rivals are studying David's every move," billionaire Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff chimed in.
Those supportive posts responded to a New York Times investigation highlighting Sacks's investments in technology companies benefiting from White House AI support.
Sacks dismissed the report as an "anti-truth" hit job by liberal media.
But the episode confirmed that this South African-born outsider has become a force in Trump's Washington, outlasting his friend Elon Musk, whose White House career ended in acrimony after less than six months.
"Even among Silicon Valley allies, he has outperformed expectations," said a former close associate, speaking anonymously to discuss the matter candidly.

'Mafia' member

Unlike many Silicon Valley figures, the South African-born Sacks has been staunchly conservative since his Stanford University days in the 1990s.
There he met Peter Thiel, the self-styled philosopher king of the right-wing tech community.
In the early 1990s, the two men wrote for a campus publication, attacking what they saw as political correctness destroying American higher education.
After earning degrees from Stanford and the University of Chicago, Sacks initially took a conventional path as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.
But Thiel lured his friend to his startup Confinity, which would eventually become PayPal, the legendary breeding ground for the "PayPal mafia" -- a group of entrepreneurs including Musk and LinkedIn billionaire Reid Hoffman -- whose influence now extends throughout the tech world.
After PayPal, Sacks founded a social media company, sold it to Microsoft, then made his fortune in venture capital.
A major turning point came during the COVID pandemic when Sacks and some right-wing friends launched the All-In podcast as a way to pass time, talk business and vent about Democrats in government.
The podcast rapidly gained influence, and the brand has since expanded to include major conferences and even a tequila line.
Sacks began his way to Trump's inner circle through campaign contributions ahead of last year's presidential election.
With Musk's blessing, he was appointed as pointman for AI and cryptocurrency policy.
Before diving into AI, Sacks shepherded an ambitious cryptocurrency bill providing legal clarity for digital assets.
It's a sector Trump has enthusiastically embraced, with his family now heavily invested in crypto companies and the president himself issuing a meme coin -- activity that critics say amounts to an open door for potential corruption.
But AI has become the central focus of Trump's second presidency with Sacks there to steer Trump toward industry-friendly policies.
However, Sacks faces mounting criticism for potential overreach.
According to his former associate, Sacks pursues his objectives with an obsessiveness that serves him well in Silicon Valley's company-building culture. But that same intensity can create friction in Washington.
The main controversy centers on his push to prevent individual states from creating their own AI regulations. His vision calls for AI rules to originate exclusively from Washington.
When Congress twice failed to ban state regulations, Sacks took his case directly to the president, who signed an executive order threatening to cut federal funding to states passing AI laws.

'Out of control'

Tech lobbyists worry that by going solo, Sacks torpedoed any chance of effective national regulation.
More troubling for Sacks is the growing public opposition to AI's rapid deployment. Concerns about job losses, proliferating data centers, and rising electricity costs may become a major issue in the 2026 midterm elections.
"The tech bros are out of control," warned Steve Bannon, the right-wing Trump movement's strategic mastermind, worried about political fallout.
Rather than seeking common ground, Sacks calls criticism "a red herring" from AI doomers "who want all progress to stop."
arp/sms

tech

The European laws curbing big tech... and irking Trump

  • Trump has vowed to punish countries that seek to curb US big tech firms.
  • The European Union is back in the crosshairs of the Trump administration over its tech rules, which Washington denounced as an attempt to "coerce" American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.
  • Trump has vowed to punish countries that seek to curb US big tech firms.
The European Union is back in the crosshairs of the Trump administration over its tech rules, which Washington denounced as an attempt to "coerce" American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.
The US State Department said Tuesday it would deny visas to a former EU commissioner and four others, saying they "have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states -- in each case targeting American speakers and American companies". 
Trump has vowed to punish countries that seek to curb US big tech firms.
Brussels has adopted a powerful legal arsenal aimed at reining in tech giants -- namely through its Digital Markets Act (DMA) which covers competition and the Digital Services Act (DSA) on content moderation.
The EU has already slapped heavy fines on US behemoths including Apple, Meta and X under the new rules.
Here is a look at the EU rules drawing Trump's ire:

Digital Services Act

Rolled out in stages since 2023, the mammoth Digital Services Act forces online firms to aggressively police content in the 27 countries of the European Union -- or face major fines.
Aimed at protecting consumers from disinformation and hate speech as well as counterfeit or dangerous goods, it obliges platforms to swiftly remove illegal content or make it inaccessible.
The law instructs platforms to suspend users who frequently share illegal content such as hate speech -- a provision framed as "censorship" by detractors across the Atlantic.
Tougher rules apply to a designated list of "very large" platforms that include US giants Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Microsoft, Snapchat and X.
These giants must assess dangers linked to their services regarding illegal content and privacy, set up internal risk mitigation systems, and give regulators access to their data to verify compliance.
Violators can face fines of up to six percent of global turnover, and the EU has the power to ban offending platforms from Europe for repeated non-compliance.
Elon Musk's X was hit with the first fine under the DSA on December 5, a 120-million-euro ($140 million) penalty for a lack of transparency over what the EU calls the deceptive design of its "blue checkmark" for supposedly verified accounts, and its failure to provide access to public data for researchers.

Digital Markets Act

Since March 2024, the world's biggest digital companies have faced strict EU rules intended to limit abuses linked to market dominance, favour the emergence of start-ups in Europe and improve options for consumers.
Brussels has so far named seven so-called gatekeepers covered by the Digital Markets Act: Google's Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok parent ByteDance, Facebook and Instagram parent Meta, Microsoft and travel giant Booking.
Gatekeepers can be fined for locking in customers to use pre-installed services, such as a web browser, mapping or weather information.
The DMA has forced Google to overhaul its search display to avoid favouring its own services -- such as Google flights or shopping.
It requires that users be able to choose what app stores they use -- without going via the dominant two players, Apple's App Store and Google Play.
And it has forced Apple to allow developers to offer alternative payment options directly to consumers -- outside of the App Store, hitting it with a fine of 500 million euros in April.
The DMA has also imposed interoperability between messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger and competitors who request it.
The EU fined Meta 200 million euros in April over its "pay or consent" system after it violated rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
Failure to comply with the DMA can carry fines in the billions of dollars, reaching 20 percent of global turnover for repeat offenders.

RGPD and AI

The EU's data protection rules (RGPD) have also tripped up US tech giants, with Brussels issuing numerous fines since they came into force in 2018.
The rules require firms to seek the consent of users to collect personal data and to explain what it will be used for, and gives users the right to ask firms to delete personal data.
Fines for violations can go as high as 20 million euros, or four percent of a company's global turnover.
The EU has also adopted its AI act which will gradually bring in guardrails on using artificial intelligence in high-risk areas such as security, health and civic rights. In the face of pressure from the industry, the EU is considering weakening the measures and delaying their implementation.
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