Latest news with #microchip
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Trump calls for US tech boss to resign over ties to China
Donald Trump has called for the boss of US microchip giant Intel to resign over questions about his links to Chinese military suppliers. The US president said Lip-Bu Tan should quit 'immediately' after a US senator raised concerns about the executive, whose former employer has pleaded guilty to selling software to a Chinese military university. 'The CEO of Intel is highly conflicted and must resign, immediately,' Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. 'There is no other solution to this problem. Thank you for your attention to this problem!' Intel shares fell by 4.5pc in pre-market trading in the US. Mr Tan, who was born in Malaysia, joined Intel earlier in March. He had worked at Cadence, a Silicon Valley microchip software company, from 2009 until 2023. Last week, Cadence pleaded guilty to violating US export controls on semiconductor design tools and paid a $140m (£104m) fine over sales to the National University of Defence Technology. The university is on a US blacklist for producing supercomputers used to simulate nuclear explosions and military wargames. The violations occurred between 2015 and 2021, while Mr Tan was leading the company. Separately, an investigation by Reuters revealed that Mr Tan's venture capital firm had invested in hundreds of Chinese companies, some of which are subject to US export controls or reportedly have military ties. Tom Cotton, a Republican senator, this week wrote to Intel's chairman demanding that the company come clean about Mr Tan's investments. He asked whether the company was aware of Cadence being under investigation before hiring Mr Tan, and whether it required him to sell stakes in Chinese semiconductor companies before hiring him. 'Intel is required to be a responsible steward of American taxpayer dollars and to comply with applicable security regulations,' Mr Cotton wrote. Intel has secured promises of billions in US subsidies to support domestic chip manufacturing and is a key supplier to the US defence industry. Mr Trump's intervention comes a day after he announced 100pc tariffs on chip imports to the US, in a threat to manufacturing hubs such as Taiwan. Intel had responded to Mr Cotton's letter by saying that 'Intel and Mr Tan are deeply committed to the national security of the United States and the integrity of our role in the US defence ecosystem.' The company was contacted for comment on Mr Trump's post.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Did Donald Trump just give China a major advantage on AI?
Last month, the Trump administration quietly reversed one of its own policies by lifting a ban on US tech giant Nvidia's H20 microchip exports to China. For anyone who has followed Donald Trump's erratic record on trade, another U-turn might not sound like a notable development. But this time, the stakes are much higher because these microchips are critical to powering the next generation of artificial intelligence. Whichever country dominates microchip production will likely lead the global AI race, with massive implications for military strategy and economic output. For nearly three years, the US has tried to keep these powerful chips out of China's hands. Now, by reopening the door, has Mr Trump handed Beijing a major advantage on AI? We spoke to three experts to explain how we got here. Back in April, the Trump administration banned H20 microchip exports to China, toughening restrictions put in place by the Biden administration. It has since reversed that decision. According to Jason Van Der Schyff, a fellow at Australian Strategic Policy Institute's technology and security program, this backflip may be in response to the booming black market demand for high-powered US chips in China. "Over a billion dollars worth of restricted chips were smuggled into China in just a few months," he said. "The reversal may be a pivot by the administration, recognising if you don't offer a legal channel for the slightly degraded chips, buyers will simply go around you." Professor Shahriar Akter, who specialises in the study of advanced analytics and AI at the University of Wollongong said this move seems to follow "a philosophy in Silicon Valley that if you sell more" it will pour more back into "your research and development". Associate Professor in Information Systems at Curtin University, Mohammad Hossain, suggested the Trump administration is trying to kill two birds with one stone. The US is trying to maintain leverage in a broader geopolitical trade-off involving China's critical exports, rare earth elements, while "keeping China dependent on US technology", he said. Nvidia is the tech giant behind these highly sought after microchips and it is led by CEO Jensen Huang who is the ninth-richest man in the world. The H20 is a step-down from Nvidia's top-tier chips (H100 and B200) and was specifically designed to comply with US export restrictions while catering to the Chinese market. "Basically, [H100 and B200 chips] can do things much faster than the H20," Mr Van Der Schyff said. "If we consider how quickly AI is moving any impediment that could be brought to time more than anything is going to maintain that US strategic advantage." While the H20 is less powerful, Mr Van Der Schyff warns that "these aren't toys … even slightly downgraded chips still enable model training at scale". "If you're concerned about national security, letting an adversary access chips that are only one rung down the ladder still poses a strategic risk." While the US hopes to stall China's progress in artificial intelligence, experts warn this strategy may have the opposite effect. China's push to dominate AI is already underway and restricting exports to only H20 chips incentivises them to accelerate domestic developments. "At present in the world, 50 per cent of AI researchers are being produced by China alone," Dr Akter said. Chinese tech giants like Huawei and Biren Technology have been ramping up their own AI accelerators. "Huawei's chips are already being deployed in major training clusters," Mr Van Der Schyff said. Still, China's domestic developments trail behind industry leaders like Taiwan's TSMC and South Korea's Samsung when it comes to cutting-edge manufacturing. "There isn't necessarily a danger that China catches up overnight but these restrictions do however give Beijing a clear incentive to sort of go all in on industrial policy for their own semiconductors to accelerate domestic progress," Mr Van Der Schyff said. "We've seen this play out previously with 5G and also with aviation." All three experts cautioned that it's difficult to gauge China's true AI capabilities. "Given the closed nature of China's systems and their propensity to not always tell us the truth", it's unclear how much China's artificial intelligence has developed, Mr Van Der Schyff said. Dr Akter used an analogy to explain the uncertainty: "There are two types of AI technologies", one is called glass box and the other is called black box. "Glass box technology is basically explainable AI, which is open source and we can explain where data is coming from and how it is being used to develop AI models and what would be the outcome." Whereas, black box technology is the opposite, we cannot trace back to the source of the data and we cannot tell what models have been used. That opacity makes it difficult for the rest of the world to assess whether Beijing is playing catch-up or quietly pulling ahead. The country that has the upper hand in microchip production will likely lead the global AI race and that has significant repercussions, experts said. "The country that dominates compute will dominate AI, and AI will shape everything from military planning to economic productivity."
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New 24/7 microchip scanning stations help lost pets in Lafayette parish
The Lafayette Animal Shelter & Care Center announced it recently installed free-to-use, 24/7 pet microchip scanning stations in three locations across Lafayette Parish. LASCC, in partnership with Friends of the Lafayette Animal Shelter, said the goal of the 24/7 pet microchip scanning stations is to help more lost pets get home faster and reduce the number of animals entering the shelter. The self-service scanners are now available in the following public parking lots: Lafayette Animal Shelter & Care Center: 410 N. Dugas Rd., Lafayette Lafayette Police Department: 900 E. University Ave., Lafayette Youngsville Police Department: 311 Lafayette St., Youngsville Each station includes clear instructions for scanning a found pet's microchip. These tools provide a critical after-hours option for people who find stray animals, especially when veterinary clinics are closed. 'The effort supports one of our top goals for this year: increasing the number of pets returned to their owners,' Shelter Manager Shelley Delahoussaye said. 'In 2024, LASCC took in 3,976 stray animals, but only 228 were reclaimed by their owners — a number that dropped by 77 compared to the year before. We know pets belong with their people, not in kennels. These new scanning stations give families another tool to help make that happen.' Microchips are a permanent form of identification and one of the most effective ways to reunite lost pets with their families, according to Lafayette Consolidated Government. Unlike tags or collars that can fall off, microchips provide a reliable, scannable link to an owner's contact information. In support of this initiative, LASCC is offering $15 microchips to all Lafayette Parish residents during weekday business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the shelter. Additionally, LASCC will host quarterly Saturday Microchip Clinics to expand access for residents who cannot visit during the week. The first clinic will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at LASCC. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette animal shelter launches 24-7 pet microchip scanners Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Broadcom Reportedly Cancels $1B Microchip Plant Investment in Spain Amidst Stalled Talks
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is one of the best US stocks to buy according to Billionaires. On July 13, Broadcom reportedly canceled its plans to invest in a microchip plant in Spain, according to news agency Europa Press. The news comes after talks between Broadcom and the Spanish government broke down, although the specific reasons for the collapse were not immediately disclosed in the initial report. Neither Spain's Digital Transformation Ministry nor Broadcom has yet commented on the matter. Nonetheless, the withdrawal is a setback for Spain's ambition to become a major player in Europe's microchip industry. The Spanish government had previously committed to allocating ~$14 billion towards its Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation/PERTE Chip program to support the semiconductor and microchip industry using funds from the EU's pandemic relief. Close-up of Silicon Die are being Extracted from Semiconductor Wafer and Attached to Substrate by Pick and Place Machine. Computer Chip Manufacturing at Fab. Semiconductor Packaging Process. Broadcom initially announced its intention to invest in Spain 2 years prior, in mid-2023. While the company did not disclose the exact investment amount at the time, the Spanish government had indicated that the project could be worth ~$1 billion and involve the construction of large-scale back-end semiconductor facilities unique in Europe. While we acknowledge the potential of AVGO as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rescue Shocked After Finding Stray Cat in Michigan, Who Is the Missing Pet of a Person in Germany
Trixie the cat was found as a stray in Montague, Mich., before being brought to Oceana County Animal Friends The shelter scanned the cat for a microchip and found one loaded with contact information for an owner in Germany Trixie the cat had been missing for 5 years before the shelter found her pet parentA woman and her cat are set to reunite after being apart for five years; the pet parent just needs to cross an ocean first. According to WZZM13, about six months ago, a family in Montague, Mich., found a feline living as a stray and took it in. Unfortunately, the new addition did not get along with their current pets, so the family brought the black cat to Oceana County Animal Friends in hopes of finding the pet a new home. The animal welfare nonprofit's director, Amy VanderWilk, told WZZM13 that she took the cat to the veterinary office to be spayed and checked for a microchip. The scan revealed that the mysterious feline did have a microchip, one that showed the cat's name was Trixie and that her owner could be contacted — in Germany. According to VanderWilk, when the shelter heard back from the microchip company and confirmed Trixie's registered owner, Olga Heigis, lived in Germany, they were baffled. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. After the nonprofit contacted Heigis, the story of how a cat with a German phone number ended up in Michigan began to make sense. Per WZZM13, Heigis used to live in Montague, Mich., but moved to Germany in 2020 for her husband's job. Trixie, who lived in Michigan with Heigis, disappeared a few months before her owner's big move and wasn't found until five years later. Trixie had likely been a stray cat until she was rescued by the Monatgue family, who brought her to Oceana County Animal Friends. 'When I talked to [Heigis], she had a friend who was on the phone. And he just kept getting on the phone saying, "Oh my god, you've made her day. She's just so excited and she's so happy.' And I was just floored," VanderWilk said of Heigis' reaction to Trixie being found. Heigis has already made plans to return to Montague and retrieve her dear cat, VanderWilk told WZZM13. The two friends are expected to reunite before the end of July. "Could you imagine somebody would fly from Germany to pick up their cat?" VanderWilk mused. "I just think it's amazing that she'll come get her. It's very cool." Read the original article on People
