TECHNOLOGY

NEW YORK — Oracle Corp. shares climbed more than 5% in early trading Monday, reaching $145.41, as investors appeared to embrace the company's accelerating artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure growth amid a broader market recovery and fresh product announcements that underscore its push into enterprise AI applications.

BOCA CHICA, Texas — declared "Engineering is real magic" Sunday after posting a cinematic video of SpaceX's Super Heavy booster being caught midair by the launch tower's giant mechanical arms, a feat once dismissed as impossible that has become central to the company's push for reusable rockets.

SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's San Francisco residence came under apparent attack for the second time in less than 72 hours early Sunday, when surveillance footage captured a vehicle stopping near the property and a passenger firing shots, authorities said.

NEW YORK — As Sony continues to ride strong sales of the PlayStation 5 and its Pro variant, speculation about the PlayStation 6 release date has intensified, with rumors pointing to a potential launch window ranging from late 2027 to as late as 2029 due to an ongoing global shortage of memory chips driven by artificial intelligence demand.

CUPERTINO, California — Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max is shaping up as one of the most significant upgrades in years, with rumors pointing to a larger battery, the company's first variable aperture camera and a cutting-edge 2nm processor as the device prepares for a September 2026 launch alongside a new foldable iPhone.

Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and xAI, posted a rare note of gratitude on X late Sunday, calling it "such an honor to work with so many amazingly talented people." The comment came in reply to a widely shared video clip of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen praising Musk's intense, truth-seeking leadership style and comparing it to Steve Jobs' approach at Apple.

WASHINGTON — SpaceX's Starlink constellation, with nearly 10,000 operational low-Earth orbit satellites and more than 9 million subscribers worldwide, continues to dominate the satellite broadband market in 2026. Yet growing competition is emerging from both legacy geostationary operators and ambitious new low-Earth orbit projects aiming to erode Starlink's lead in speed, latency, pricing and global reach.

SAN FRANCISCO — As the foldable smartphone market matures in 2026, all eyes are on Apple's long-awaited entry into the category. Rumors suggest the company's first foldable device — potentially dubbed the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra — could launch in September or December alongside or shortly after the iPhone 18 lineup, directly challenging Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, expected in July.

TOKYO — Sony is preparing to launch its next flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 VIII, in May or June 2026, continuing its tradition of spring unveilings while introducing the most significant design overhaul in years for the premium lineup that emphasizes professional-grade camera features, a 4K display and audiophile elements.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Leaker Sonny Dickson has shared the first physical dummy units of Apple's long-awaited foldable iPhone alongside models of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, giving the world its clearest look yet at the unconventional proportions of the company's first book-style foldable device set to arrive later this year.

SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk's social media platform X is preparing to launch a standalone messaging app called XChat on April 17, 2026, according to its App Store listing, marking the latest step in Musk's long-promised vision of transforming X into an "everything app" with secure, encrypted communication at its core.

SEOUL, South Korea — In a bold clash between cutting-edge artificial intelligence and human esports excellence, Elon Musk has challenged League of Legends legend Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok and his T1 team to face xAI's Grok 5 in an exhibition match scheduled for 2026, sparking global excitement over whether machines can outplay the sport's greatest player.

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. — The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, the world's most advanced and expensive stealth bomber, continues to demonstrate unmatched penetrating strike capability as the U.S. Air Force deploys the aircraft in Operation Epic Fury against hardened targets in Iran.

NEW YORK — Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) remains a favored pick among Wall Street analysts in April 2026, with a consensus "Buy" or "Moderate Buy" rating from more than 40 firms and average 12-month price targets suggesting 10-20% upside from current levels near $245.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Midcontinent Communications, known as Midco, faced scattered but significant service disruptions Saturday, with numerous customers across South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska reporting internet, TV and phone outages despite the company's official outage map showing mostly normal operations.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As artificial intelligence infrastructure spending surges into 2026, the rivalry between NVIDIA Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. intensifies, with NVIDIA maintaining overwhelming dominance in AI accelerators while AMD gains ground through aggressive product launches and cost-effective alternatives.

NEW YORK — Verizon Communications customers across the United States are not experiencing a widespread service outage Saturday, according to real-time monitoring sites, the carrier's network status tools and scattered user reports on social media. While isolated complaints of spotty mobile or home internet service continue to surface, as they do on any given day, there is no indication of a national disruption similar to the major January 2026 event that affected millions.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max is shaping up as one of the most significant upgrades in years, with rumors pointing to a powerful 2nm A20 Pro chip, a larger battery that could deliver record endurance, and a groundbreaking variable aperture camera system as the tech giant prepares for its fall 2026 lineup.

Elon Musk on Saturday praised his artificial intelligence chatbot Grok for its irreverent sense of humor, sharing a Grok-generated pair of dark jokes about Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin that quickly went viral and sparked thousands of reactions across X.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Intel Corp. shares climbed to a new 52-week high Friday, trading at $62.34, up $0.62 or 1.00% midday on April 10, 2026, as investors bet on the chipmaker's deepening role in artificial intelligence infrastructure and progress in its ambitious foundry turnaround.

Google's Gemini artificial intelligence chatbot appeared fully operational Saturday, with no widespread outage detected as of early morning on April 11, 2026, according to major monitoring sites and official status pages.

SHANGHAI — Tesla Inc.'s Model Y surged to the top of China's passenger vehicle sales rankings in March 2026, registering 39,827 retail units and outpacing every electric vehicle, hybrid and internal combustion engine model in the world's largest auto market, according to data cited by prominent EV analyst Sawyer Merritt.

SAN FRANCISCO — NVIDIA Corp. solidified its commanding lead in the exploding artificial intelligence chip sector in early 2026, capturing roughly 80-85% of the AI accelerator market while the broader AI semiconductor industry hurtled toward half a trillion dollars in annual revenue amid insatiable demand for training and inference horsepower.

SAN FRANCISCO — As the artificial intelligence chatbot wars enter their fourth year, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and xAI's Grok are locked in a fierce battle for dominance, with market shares shifting rapidly and massive investments fueling next-generation models that could reshape technology, business and daily life by 2031.

BRUSSELS — Belgium has emerged as one of Europe's most dynamic artificial intelligence hubs in 2026, with a thriving ecosystem blending world-class research from imec, strong government support and a wave of well-funded startups delivering practical AI solutions across industries.

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk urged fans Friday to download the Tesla Robotaxi app immediately after the company rolled out a significant update featuring new safety tips, a darker user interface and clearer guidance on how the autonomous vehicles operate in limited service areas.

BENGALURU, India — India's artificial intelligence ecosystem has surged into global prominence in 2026, with more than 1,700 AI-focused companies and startups driving innovation in foundational models, healthcare diagnostics, enterprise automation and sovereign infrastructure.

SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung Electronics will discontinue its long-running Samsung Messages app in July 2026, the company confirmed this week, marking the end of an era for the in-house messaging service that shipped with Galaxy devices for more than 15 years.

PARIS — France has solidified its position as Europe's leading artificial intelligence hub in 2026, with more than 750 AI-focused companies driving innovation in foundational models, healthcare, enterprise platforms and defense applications. Backed by massive government investment under the France 2030 plan and strong venture capital inflows, French AI firms are challenging U.S. dominance while advancing European technological sovereignty.