Tech
SpaceX chief Elon Musk ‘highly confident’ his Starship will reach orbit this year
Elon Musk has revealed that he’s “highly confident” his new SpaceX Starship, designed for voyages to the moon and Mars, will reach Earth orbit for the first time this year
The billionaire’s comments come despite a host of technical and regulatory hurdles yet to be overcome.
Mr Musk, who is the SpaceX founder and CEO addressed reporters and fans at his company’s “Starbase” building located in Boca Chica, Texas for a presentation that combined a high-tech pep rally with big-screen videos and a question-and-answer session.
His presentation came nine months after the private California-based space venture achieved the first successful launch and touchdown of a Starship prototype rocket in a test-flight after four previous landing attempts ended in explosions.
Musk, who is also the boss of EV maker Tesla, acknowledged difficulties SpaceX has faced in developing the “Raptor 2” engines for its Super Heavy rocket, a reusable next-generation launch booster designed to carry the Starship spacecraft to orbit.
He cited problems with melting inside the thruster chambers of the engines from intense heat.
“We’re very close to solving that,” and expected to scale up production to about seven or eight of the engines a week by next month and produce a new Starship and a booster every month by year’s end.
Musk highlighted.
“I feel at this point highly confident that we will get to orbit (with the Starship) this year,”
said Musk.
Such a time frame would mark an ambitious feat, even for an uncrewed orbital test flight of the Super Heavy/Starship combo, the next step up from SpaceX’s current workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, which Musk said has flown 144 successful launches and 106 return landings.
Tech
TSMC posts record profits on AI chip boom
TSMC posts record Q4 profit, driven by strong chip demand, exceeding predictions and signaling market dominance.
TSMC posts record Q4 profit, driven by strong chip demand, exceeding predictions and signaling market dominance.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has posted a record net profit for the fourth quarter, driven by strong demand for advanced chips.
Net profit surged 35% year-on-year, exceeding analyst expectations and signalling a dominant position in the semiconductor market.
Quarterly revenue also rose 20.5% compared to last year, supported by robust sales in AI and high-performance computing segments. The company’s success reflects the growing global appetite for cutting-edge semiconductor technology.
Looking ahead, TSMC plans to ramp up capital expenditure, projecting investments of up to $56 billion in 2026. The positive results have sparked an upbeat reaction across global markets, highlighting TSMC’s influence in the tech sector.
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#TSMC #Semiconductors #AIChips #TechNews #HighPerformanceComputing #StockMarket #QuarterlyEarnings #TechInvesting
Tech
X restricts Grok AI as global backlash grows
X restricts Grok AI from creating sexualized images amid global backlash and regulatory concerns, aligning with UK guidelines.
X restricts Grok AI from creating sexualized images amid global backlash and regulatory concerns, aligning with UK guidelines.
X has announced new restrictions on its Grok AI chatbot, preventing it from generating sexualized images of women amid mounting criticism and regulatory scrutiny worldwide.
The move comes after concerns over non-consensual image manipulation sparked widespread backlash from users, advocacy groups, and authorities.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the platform’s latest changes align with British law, as Ofcom launches a formal investigation to determine whether X has violated the Online Safety Act.
Regulators are closely monitoring the situation, highlighting growing global concerns about the ethical use of AI in image generation. Critics have argued that X’s initial measures were insufficient and did not adequately address the risks associated with sexualized AI content.
The controversy has also prompted action in Southeast Asia. Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to Grok entirely, citing the platform’s potential to generate inappropriate content.
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#GrokAI #XPlatform #AIRegulation #OnlineSafety #KeirStarmer #AIControversy #TechNews #DigitalEthics
Tech
AI drives memory prices higher as SK hynix and TSMC expand
Explore the rising global memory market driven by AI demand and hear insights from Brad Gastwirth on industry trends.
Explore the rising global memory market driven by AI demand and hear insights from Brad Gastwirth on industry trends.
The global memory market is on the rise, with prices climbing steadily thanks to booming AI infrastructure demand.
Companies like SK hynix and TSMC are investing heavily in advanced packaging and new facilities to meet this unprecedented growth.
We speak with Brad Gastwirth from Circular Technologies about the forces behind this upward momentum. From the difference between AI-driven and consumer-driven demand to the increasing memory requirements per AI system, Brad breaks down the trends shaping the industry.
We also explore the implications of lean DRAM and NAND inventories, disciplined supply growth, and the challenges of expanding packaging capacity versus wafer fabrication. Tune in to understand why incremental demand surprises can have a huge impact on memory pricing.
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#AIMemory #SKHynix #TSMC #TechInvesting #MemoryMarket #AIInfrastructure #Semiconductors #TickerNews
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