Techmeme
December 11, 2023, 2:00 PM

Top News

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Beeper says “Beeper Mini is back” but now requires users to log in with their Apple ID, as phone number registration doesn't work; Beeper makes the service free  —  Just days after its debut, Beeper Mini was seemingly killed by Apple.  Now, the iMessage app for Android is back, but how long will it last this time?
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple plans to give added weighting to streams of songs mixed in Dolby Atmos from 2024, possibly leading to higher royalties, to push Spatial Audio  —  - Service will more heavily weigh songs offered in Dolby Atmos  — Push could encourage more music labels to adopt the format
Washington Post:
US officials: China is ramping up its ability to disrupt key US infrastructure; 2023 victims include a Hawaii water utility, a West Coast port, and a pipeline  —  A utility in Hawaii, a West Coast port and a pipeline are among the victims in the past year, officials say
Jackie Davalos / Bloomberg:
Microsoft partners with 60 unions representing 12.5M workers to create “an open dialogue” on AI's impact on them, and signs a ZeniMax staff contract on AI use  —  Microsoft Corp. is teaming up with labor unions to create “an open dialogue” on how artificial intelligence will impact workers.
Ana Swanson / New York Times:
The US awards the first CHIPS Act grant to BAE Systems, giving the defense contractor $35M to quadruple production of chips used in F-15 and F-35 fighter jets  —  The award, which will go to BAE Systems, is part of a new government program aimed at creating a more secure supply of semiconductors.
Olivia Poh / Bloomberg:
Quynh Nguyen / Bloomberg:
Vietnamese media reports that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sees Vietnam as a potential second home for the company and plans to open a design center in the country  —  Huang, speaking at a Hanoi semiconductor and artificial intelligence conference hosted by a Vietnam ministry Monday …
Sara Dorn / Forbes:
In a 2+ hour talk on X with Alex Jones, Andrew Tate, Jack Posobiec, and others, Elon Musk said X should avoid outright bans unless users “do something illegal”  —  Elon Musk and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, newly reinstated to X after a five-year ban, launched a live-streamed chat …
Associated Press:
Alex Konrad / Forbes:
Armada, which aims to bring AI grade computing to remote places like oil rigs using Starlink, raised a $40M Series A, a source says at a nearly $250M valuation  —  Led by former DataRobot CEO Dan Wright, one-year-old Armada is leveraging a “close collaboration” with Elon Musk's SpaceX …
Cade Metz / New York Times:
Paris-based Mistral AI raised €385M from a16z, Lightspeed, and others, sources say at a ~$2B valuation, and releases its open-source La plateforme model  —  The company has publicly released its latest technology so people can build their own chatbots.  Rivals like OpenAI and Google argue that approach can be dangerous.

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More News

Kris Holt / Engadget:

Earlier Picks

Washington Post:
Emily Nicolle / Bloomberg:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: