TECHNOLOGY

Seoul, South Korea — As artificial intelligence demand drives the global semiconductor industry toward a trillion-dollar scale in 2026, three Asian powerhouses — Taiwan's TSMC, South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — are locked in a high-stakes contest that will largely determine who controls the critical infrastructure powering the AI revolution.

AUSTIN, Texas — Users of Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, have repeatedly complained about service disruptions throughout 2026, with frequent "high demand" errors, temporary unavailability and slower response times prompting questions about infrastructure strain and rapid scaling challenges.

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday night, marking another routine addition to the company's rapidly expanding global internet constellation.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — NuScale Power Corporation shares have delivered a volatile ride in 2026, surging as much as 40% in recent weeks on renewed nuclear enthusiasm before pulling back, leaving investors to wrestle with a classic question: is the small modular reactor pioneer a compelling long-term buy amid the global push for clean, reliable power, or has the market already priced in too much optimism while the company remains years from meaningful revenue?

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max is shaping up as one of the most significant flagship upgrades in recent years, with fresh leaks pointing to a groundbreaking variable aperture camera, a larger battery, a refined design and a striking new Dark Cherry color as the device prepares for its expected September 2026 debut alongside a foldable iPhone model.

ATHENS — Greece's artificial intelligence sector is gaining momentum in 2026, fueled by a vibrant startup ecosystem, government initiatives like the OpenAI Greek Accelerator, and growing talent returning from global tech hubs. From healthcare diagnostics to industrial robotics and language tools, Greek AI companies are carving out niches that blend local expertise with global ambitions.

NEW YORK — Sony has slashed the price of its PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition by $200 for the first time since December, offering the console bundled with Fortnite content for just $399 on its direct-to-consumer site and creating a sudden buying opportunity for gamers weeks after a controversial price increase took effect.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple's long-awaited first foldable iPhone, widely rumored to carry the premium "iPhone Ultra" branding, is poised to deliver a display with a crease so minimal it may appear nearly invisible when unfolded, according to multiple supply chain reports and analyst briefings circulating as of April 2026.

TORONTO — Xanadu Quantum Technologies shares rocketed more than 22% midday Wednesday, pushing past $28 as momentum in the nascent quantum computing sector continued to build on artificial intelligence breakthroughs and investor excitement over scalable photonic hardware.

MILPITAS, Calif. — SanDisk Corp. shares surged more than 4% midday Wednesday, climbing toward $947 as investors piled into the memory chip maker amid unrelenting demand for high-speed storage to power artificial intelligence systems.

SAN FRANCISCO — xAI's popular Grok chatbot faced scattered connectivity issues and response delays Thursday as some users reported errors while trying to interact with the AI on the web, mobile apps and integrated X platform, though official status pages indicated services remained largely operational with no major declared incidents.

NEW YORK — Redwire Corp. shares jumped sharply in morning trading Wednesday, rising 11.36 percent to $11.46 as investors reacted positively to the company's announcement of a multi-year marketing partnership with the Washington Commanders NFL team to highlight military appreciation and drone technology.

NEW YORK — Fermi Inc. shares climbed sharply in early trading Wednesday, rising 13.14 percent to $5.72 as investors appeared to shake off recent volatility tied to a high-profile CEO departure and betting on the company's ambitious plans to deliver gigawatt-scale power for artificial intelligence data centers.

NEW YORK — Maase Inc. shares skyrocketed more than 21 percent in early trading Wednesday, reaching $11.01 as speculative enthusiasm returned to the China-based financial technology and emerging AI player following a period of sharp volatility and heavy trading volume.

NEW YORK — Navitas Semiconductor Corp. shares surged more than 8 percent in early trading Wednesday, climbing to $16.70 as investors continued to pile into the gallium nitride and silicon carbide power chip specialist amid growing excitement over its pivot toward artificial intelligence data centers and energy infrastructure.

NEW YORK — Sony's next-generation PlayStation 6 remains years away from shelves, but fresh leaks and analyst reports in April 2026 have intensified speculation about its delayed timeline, ambitious hardware upgrades and a potential multi-device strategy that could include a dedicated handheld.

NEW YORK — Meta Platforms Inc. is rolling out new tracking software on the computers of its U.S.-based employees to capture mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes, using the data to train artificial intelligence models aimed at building autonomous AI agents capable of performing everyday work tasks, according to internal memos obtained by Reuters.

FREMONT, Calif. — Amprius Technologies Inc. shares soared more than 12% in morning trading Tuesday, climbing to $22.07 as investors piled into the high-energy-density silicon anode battery maker amid growing excitement over its role in powering next-generation electric vehicles, drones and defense applications.

NEW YORK — Anime fans around the world reported difficulties accessing the popular free streaming site 9Anime on Tuesday, with user complaints surging on outage trackers and social media as the platform experienced intermittent problems affecting video playback, loading times and overall accessibility.

NEW YORK — Alphabet Inc. Class C shares edged higher in morning trading Tuesday, climbing 0.26% to $336.28 as Wall Street prepared for the tech giant's first-quarter 2026 earnings report scheduled for April 29, with focus on Google Cloud growth, AI advancements and the impact of massive capital spending plans.

At 10:13 a.m. EDT, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) stock had advanced $1.33, or 2.02%, from Monday's close of $65.70. The move came after the stock hit a 26-year high near $70.33 on April 17 before pulling back, reflecting a volatile but overall strong April rally that has seen shares surge more than 50% at times amid a series of positive developments.

TORRANCE, Calif. — Navitas Semiconductor Corp. shares exploded more than 18% in early trading Tuesday, reaching $15.66 as momentum built around the company's gallium nitride and silicon carbide power solutions for artificial intelligence data centers and energy infrastructure.

TORRANCE, Calif. — Navitas Semiconductor Corp.'s official website, navitassemi.com, went down for some users early Tuesday as the gallium nitride and silicon carbide power semiconductor specialist's shares exploded higher in morning trading, raising questions about whether heavy traffic from retail investors contributed to temporary access issues.

NEW YORK — Shares of Navitas Semiconductor Corp. skyrocketed more than 18% in early trading Tuesday, surging to $15.66 as investors piled into the gallium nitride and silicon carbide power chip specialist amid growing optimism over its role supplying high-efficiency solutions for artificial intelligence data centers and next-generation energy infrastructure.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — As Tim Cook steps down as Apple CEO after 15 years to become executive chairman, with hardware engineering chief John Ternus set to take over on Sept. 1, the debate over who proved the superior leader — visionary co-founder Steve Jobs or operations master Cook — has reignited among investors, analysts and tech historians.

SEATTLE — Bill Gates is navigating a turbulent period blending ambitious philanthropy with renewed scrutiny over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, as the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist testifies before Congress next month while his foundation ramps up spending to counter what he calls a dangerous reversal in global progress.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple Inc. faces a pivotal leadership shift as longtime CEO Tim Cook prepares to step down on Sept. 1, handing the reins to hardware engineering chief John Ternus while Cook moves into the role of executive chairman.

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk on Tuesday spotlighted a sharp exchange on his social platform X in which xAI's Grok AI refused to be cornered by a user demanding simplistic yes-or-no answers, instead prioritizing textual evidence and logical substance over a forced binary trap.

ROME — Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies and a longtime influential voice in technology and conservative politics, delivered a series of provocative closed-door lectures in Rome in March 2026 that have ignited intense theological, political and cultural debate.