This Week's Top Five Stories in Technology
Why Trump is Targeting Asian Semiconductors With 100% Tariff
President Trump is threatening levies on foreign chips as TSMC, Samsung & SK Hynix face potential tariffs unless they boost US manufacturing investments
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to introduce 100% tariffs on semiconductor imports in a move that could fundamentally alter the global technology landscape.
The tariffs target the tiny chips that power everything from smartphones and laptops to pacemakers and solar panels, representing one of the most aggressive trade measures yet aimed at the technology sector.
These chips are so important to the modern economy that Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel, has described them as “the steel of the modern age”.
Trump has said that the companies in question could avoid the punitive taxes by committing to manufacturing in the US. In short, the world’s largest chipmakers now face a stark choice as they consider their access to one of the global economy’s most valuable markets.
The proposed tariffs would primarily impact Asian manufacturers who currently dominate global semiconductor production.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s semiconductor superpower, provides more than half of the global supply of the technologies, making chips for tech giants including Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft.
South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have established their country as one of the world's biggest semiconductor hubs, particularly for memory chip production.
The UK, US, Europe and China all rely heavily on Taiwan for semiconductors, making the island nation a critical chokepoint in global technology supply chains.
Robot Mall: China Opens First Store Selling Humanoid Robots
Beijing's Robot Mall brings humanoid technology to consumers with products ranging from US$278 to millions, featuring brands like Ubtech and Unitree
Beijing has opened what officials claim is the world's first dedicated robot shopping mall, marking a significant step in China's push to mainstream humanoid technology for everyday consumers.
The Robot Mall, located in Beijing's high-tech E-Town district, operates on a 4S model similar to automobile dealerships, offering sales, service, spare parts and customer surveys all under one roof.
The four-storey facility houses more than 100 types of robots from up to 200 brands, including established manufacturers like Ubtech Robotics and Unitree Robotics.
Products range dramatically in price and sophistication, from simple consumer gadgets priced at approximately US$278 to advanced humanoid units that cost several millions of dollars.
Among the mall's showcase pieces is a life-size Albert Einstein humanoid valued at roughly US$97,000.
Other notable exhibits include robotic dogs, chess-playing machines, dancing robots and animatronic historical figures such as Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Isaac Newton and Chinese poet Li Bai.
‘A Moment of Reckoning’: Inside Anthropic’s Landmark Lawsuit
Anthropic is facing a class action lawsuit over its alleged use of pirated books when training its Claude AI models, risking billions in damages to authors
Anthropic, the AI firm behind Claude, is in hot water.
Right now, the company is preparing for a potentially catastrophic legal challenge that could fundamentally reshape how AI companies train their technologies.
The class action lawsuit centres on allegations that the company downloaded millions of copyrighted works from shadow libraries including LibGen and PiLiMi to train its LLM, Claude.
Claude has since become one of the world’s most popular Gen AI models, rivalling companies like OpenAI and Google for dominance in the sector.
The financial implications for Anthropic could be astronomical.
Ed Lee, a Professor of Law at Santa Clara University, has suggested that the ruling could leave Anthropic facing a “business-ending liability”.
Statutory damages range from US$750 to US$150,000 per work, with the upper limit applying if infringement is deemed wilful.
Ed estimates that Anthropic could end up paying damages between US$1bn and US$3bn if just 100,000 works are included in the class action.
In the most extreme scenario, the company could face up to US$1.05 trillion if a jury decides Anthropic wilfully pirated 6 million copyrighted books.
Will AI Speed or Slow Big Tech’s Progress to Net Zero?
Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, Meta and Amazon have set tough net zero targets. So how will they tackle the challenge of power-hungry AI?
Big Tech companies have positioned themselves at the forefront of the global effort to achieve net zero.
But despite having ambitious targets and high-profile sustainability initiatives, the sector faces mounting scrutiny over both its progress and the credibility of its pledges — especially as the rapid expansion of AI drives up energy demands and emissions.
However, AI — although somewhat part of the problem — is also part of the solution.
The latest generation of AI models require immense computational power, running on thousands of high-performance GPUs in hyperscale data centres. These facilities demand constant power and advanced cooling, pushing energy use to new heights.
Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, Meta and Amazon have set tough net zero targets. So how will they tackle the challenge of power-hungry AI?
Big Tech companies have positioned themselves at the forefront of the global effort to achieve net zero. But despite having ambitious targets and high-profile sustainability initiatives, the sector faces mounting scrutiny over both its progress and the credibility of its pledges — especially as the rapid expansion of AI drives up energy demands and emissions.
However, AI — although somewhat part of the problem — is also part of the solution.
The latest generation of AI models require immense computational power, running on thousands of high-performance GPUs in hyperscale data centres. These facilities demand constant power and advanced cooling, pushing energy use to new heights.
Perplexity AI Offers to Buy Google Chrome for US$34bn
Perplexity's US$34.5bn offer for Google Chrome represents a fresh struggle for dominance over internet access as US antitrust scrutiny intensifies
Perplexity AI, a company that did not exist three years ago, has offered to buy the world's leading web browser.
Despite Google's stance that Chrome isn't available for purchase, Perplexity has put forward a US$34.5bn proposal for the browser.
The bid coincides with Google's regulatory wrestling with US antitrust authorities.
Following Judge Amit Mehta's April 2025 decision that Google unlawfully sustains a monopoly on internet searches, Perplexity is ready for any eventuality of a forced sale.
Perplexity's correspondence with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai states that the firm's plainly, suggesting that a sale would be in "the highest public interest" by transferring Chrome to "capable, independent" ownership.
This development has caught the immediate attention of the global tech sector.
Perplexity's proposal surpasses its own US$18bn company value by almost 100%.
The firm, founded only in 2022, has secured roughly US$1.5bn in funding thus far but maintains that a number of major VC funds have committed to supporting any deal with Google for Chrome.
Perplexity's Chief Business Officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, this week told Bloomberg that "multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full".
