TECHNOLOGY

NEW YORK — As artificial intelligence reshapes the global economy, the battle among cloud computing giants Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet's Google Cloud is intensifying, with investors scrambling to pick the best stock for 2026 gains amid surging demand for data centers, AI infrastructure and enterprise software.

ATLANTA — The Weather Channel and its popular mobile app are largely operating normally Saturday, April 25, 2026, with no widespread outage reported, though some users continue to experience minor glitches including inaccurate forecasts and app loading problems amid high spring weather demand.

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk on Saturday unveiled a major upgrade to xAI's Grok Imagine model, sharing a highly realistic AI-generated video that demonstrates dramatically improved lip sync and audio capabilities, instantly sparking a flood of user-created content and reigniting debates about the future of AI-generated media on the X platform.

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk on Saturday shared a breathtaking AI-generated video created with Grok Imagine, xAI's advanced text-to-video tool, sparking an immediate explosion of user-generated content on X as thousands of subscribers posted their own stunning creations and turned the platform into a showcase for the feature's creative potential.

SEOUL — As artificial intelligence spending fuels a memory chip supercycle in 2026, investors are weighing Samsung Electronics against SK Hynix to determine which Korean giant offers the stronger buy. Both companies are riding explosive demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI accelerators, but they present distinct risk-reward profiles amid intensifying competition and massive capital investments.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As artificial intelligence spending continues to reshape the semiconductor industry in 2026, investors face a high-stakes choice among Nvidia, Intel and AMD. The three companies represent very different bets on the AI chip market, with Nvidia maintaining overwhelming dominance, AMD mounting a credible challenge and Intel fighting for relevance through a costly turnaround.

VALVE has taken a major step toward reviving its living room gaming ambitions, with official store pages for the new Steam Machine, Steam Controller and Steam Frame now live, fueling intense speculation about imminent release dates and hardware availability in 2026.

AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla Inc. remains one of the most fiercely debated stocks on Wall Street in 2026, with analysts split between those urging investors to buy shares of the EV and AI pioneer for its long-term robotaxi and Optimus potential and those warning of overvaluation and slowing core auto demand as the company trades near record levels.

FanDuel users across the United States reported login difficulties, app glitches and betting platform disruptions Friday, prompting widespread frustration during a busy sports day, though the company has not declared a full outage.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple is closing in on its long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone market, with the latest rumors pointing to a September 2026 launch for the iPhone Fold alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models and a revolutionary crease-free design that could set a new standard for the category.

MILWAUKEE — Sensient Technologies Corp. shares skyrocketed more than 15% in morning trading Friday, climbing to around $114.75 after the specialty ingredients maker posted a strong first-quarter 2026 earnings beat, highlighted by robust growth in its natural colors business and upbeat commentary on full-year momentum.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Intel Corp. delivered a blockbuster first-quarter 2026 earnings report that sent shares soaring more than 22% on Friday, reigniting the long-running debate over whether the chipmaker represents a compelling buy for investors or remains a risky turnaround story best approached with caution.

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk announced Friday that Tesla has begun production of the Cybercab, the company's long-awaited purpose-built robotaxi, in a post on X that quickly drew millions of views and sparked widespread excitement about the future of autonomous transportation.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Intel Corp. shares surged more than 4% in midday trading Thursday, climbing to around $67.88 as investors positioned for the chipmaker's first-quarter 2026 earnings report after the bell and cheered the company's string of high-profile AI infrastructure wins.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Alphabet Inc. Class C shares (NASDAQ: GOOG) ticked up modestly Thursday, trading around $338.38 after gaining about 0.19% early in the session, as investors digested fresh artificial intelligence product announcements and positioned for the tech giant's highly anticipated first-quarter earnings next week.

DALLAS — Texas Instruments Inc. shares skyrocketed more than 18% Thursday after the analog chip giant crushed Wall Street expectations for the first quarter and issued upbeat guidance fueled by surging demand from data centers and industrial customers.

NEW YORK — Tesla Inc. shares fell more than 1.5% in early trading Thursday, dipping to $381.62 by 9:48 a.m. EDT on April 23 as investors paused after a strong run and awaited clarity on the company's delayed robotaxi unveiling and slowing electric vehicle demand.

Instagram experienced widespread disruptions Thursday, with thousands of users reporting problems accessing direct messages, loading feeds and posting content as the Meta-owned platform faced another bout of technical difficulties in 2026.

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.