Techmeme
May 14, 2025, 2:50 PM

Top News

Google DeepMind:
Google DeepMind unveils AlphaEvolve, a Gemini-powered AI coding agent that designs and optimizes advanced algorithms using an evolutionary framework  —  New AI agent evolves algorithms for math and practical applications in computing by combining the creativity of large language models with automated evaluators
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
More: Warner Bros. Discovery, Vulture, CNBC, The Verge, Axios, The Hollywood Reporter, 9to5Mac, Android Police, The Verge, How-To Geek, PCMag, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Information, PCWorld, Reuters, Deadline, Fast Company, New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Chicago Tribune, Aftermath, Newser, WPXI-TV, Polygon, The Drum, MediaPost, Business Insider, StreamTV Insider, InsideHook, TODAY.com, Spyglass, Broadband TV News, Droid Life, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, SlashFilm, T3, Dexerto, Mashable, Pocket-lint, GamesRadar, Advanced Television, TVNewsCheck, Comic Book, Tom's Guide, KGW-TV, Android Headlines, Bloomberg, TVLine, Entertainment Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Adweek, IndieWire, Deadline, The Wrap, MacDailyNews, Consequence, Kotaku, BGR, The Streamable, Cord Cutters News, Streaming Better, and Media Play News
Belle Lin / Wall Street Journal:
Databricks agrees to acquire cloud database startup Neon for ~$1B, set to close in Databricks' Q2 2025; Neon's platform is based on the open-source PostgreSQL  —  The deal is aimed at making it easier for businesses to build artificial intelligence agents with their own data, Databricks CEO says
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft extends security updates for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 until October 10, 2028, after previously planning to end support on October 14, 2025  —  Microsoft 365 apps will continue to get security updates on Windows 10 for another three years.
Natalie Lung / Bloomberg:
Uber debuts Route Share, a pooled rides option that is similar to a bus and up to 50% cheaper than UberX, available during commuting hours in SF, NYC, and more  —  In contrast, its existing pooled rides option cuts costs as much as only 20%.  But there's a catch: Route Share pickups run every 20 minutes …
Bloomberg:
Sony reports Q4 revenue down 24% YoY to ~$17.7B, PlayStation 5 units sold in FY 24 down 11% YoY to 18.5M, and expects a ~$700M impact from US tariffs in FY 25  —  Silicon Valley Is Coming for the Pentagon's $1 Trillion Budget  —  The Trump administration wants startups to remake the US military …
Financial Times:
The US Commerce Department issues guidance stating that “using Huawei Ascend chips anywhere in the world violates US export controls” as they likely use US tech  —  Commerce department guidance aims to toughen export controls on tech used by China to make AI processors
Richard Leadbetter / Eurogamer.net:
Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal reintroduce the Kids Online Safety Act, mandating platforms like Meta to mitigate harms; Apple supports KOSA  —  Sens. Blackburn and Blumenthal are reintroducing the sweeping bill that failed in the eleventh hour last year.
Reuters:
At a JP Morgan event, Intel CFO David Zinsner says committed volumes of chips using Intel's 18A and 14A processes for customers are currently “not significant”  —  The volume of processors Intel (INTC.O) is set to produce for external customers using its upcoming manufacturing technology …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is developing a Vision Pro feature that lets users scroll content with their eyes, as part of visionOS 3  —  The eye-scrolling capability is being tested as part of visionOS 3, an upcoming version of the Vision Pro's operating system, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Stephanie Palazzolo / The Information:
Sources: Anthropic has new versions of Claude Sonnet and Opus, set to come out in the upcoming weeks, that can switch back to “reasoning” mode if they get stuck  —  The race to develop reasoning models that “think” harder is at full force.  At Anthropic, which arrived later …
Wired:
The CFPB withdraws its proposal for new rules to more tightly regulate US data brokers and their ability to sell sensitive information about Americans  —  Russell Vought, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has canceled plans to more tightly regulate the sale of Americans' sensitive personal data.
Jessica Lyons / The Register:
The EU's Vulnerability Database project, announced in June 2024, is now fully operational, while the US' NVD struggles with a vulnerability submission backlog  —  EUVD comes into play not a moment too soon  —  The European Vulnerability Database (EUVD) is now fully operational …
Reed Albergotti / Semafor:
Meta releases the Open Molecules 2025 dataset and the Universal Model for Atoms family of models to accelerate the development of new drugs and materials  —  THE SCOOP  —  Meta released a massive trove of chemistry data Wednesday that it hopes will supercharge scientific research …
Grant Stoner / IGN:
Sources, including former AbleGamers staff, detail abuse, financial mismanagement, and other issues at the nonprofit dedicated to promoting gaming accessibility  —  20 Years after AbleGamers' founding, new reports detail abuse fostered by management, mismanaged funds, and leadership that failed to protect employees.
Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
Bloomberg:
How Finland's district heating systems are harvesting heat from data centers; Microsoft's project in Kirkkonummi will be the largest in the world when completed  —  By pairing power-hungry computer processing facilities with district heating systems, Nordic countries are trying to limit their environmental downsides.
More: Tech.eu
New York Times:
US SEC filing: GD Culture Group, a struggling China-linked company that has only eight staff, plans to buy $300M in BTC and $TRUMP, creating ethical conflicts  —  The firm, which produces content for TikTok, recorded no revenue last year, but it announced this week that a mysterious stock sale …
Jennifer Elias / CNBC:
Google says it started testing an AI Mode button on the Google Search homepage with Labs users over the past week, replacing the I'm Feeling Lucky button  —  Google's stalwart search button has a new neighbor: AI Mode.  —  The artificial intelligence feature is being tested directly beneath …

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Tina Nguyen / The Verge:
CNBC: