Volkswagen's MOIA America and Uber have officially begun on-road testing of self-driving ID. Buzz minibuses in Los Angeles, marking the first U.S. city in their multi-city rollout strategy. The initial fleet operates with human safety operators, targeting commercial service by late 2026 and fully driverless operations by 2027. This move leverages the specialized ID. Buzz AD equipped with a 27-sensor Mobileye platform and Uber's extensive ride-hailing network.

Intel and SambaNova's new heterogeneous AI inference platform combines GPUs/AI accelerators, SambaNova RDUs, and Intel Xeon 6 processors. Targeting a broad range of agentic workloads for H2 2026, it promises easy data center integration and competitive performance, aiming to challenge market leaders.

Apple and Lenovo received C-minus grades for laptop repairability in a new PIRG report, ranking them among the least repairable. Key issues include difficult disassembly, lack of transparency (Lenovo), and association with anti-right-to-repair lobbying groups.

Star Wars Eclipse, Quantic Dream's High Republic title, faces an uncertain future. Reports indicate very slow development and a lack of new hires. Its fate hinges on the commercial success of Quantic Dream's new free-to-play game, Spellcasters Chronicles, whose revenue is needed to fund Eclipse.

Intel has joined Elon Musk's Terafab chips project, partnering with SpaceX and Tesla to build a new semiconductor factory in Texas. This collaboration leverages Intel's chip manufacturing expertise to produce 1 TW/year of compute for AI, robotics, and other advanced applications, significantly bolstering Intel's foundry business.

Microsoft veteran Eric Boyd has joined AI leader Anthropic to head its infrastructure team, marking a major personnel shift in the competitive AI sector. Concurrently, Tagboard, a Redmond-based live broadcast production company, announced Marty Roberts as its new CEO, succeeding Nathan Peterson. Expedia Group also promoted Ryan Desjardins to Vice President of Technology, bolstering its efforts in AI integration.