AI & Technology news from the last 24 hours, AI-curated by PiQ Markets

European leaders are pursuing AI sovereignty amidst concerns over U.S. tech dominance and recent restrictions on advanced AI models. At the G7 summit and VivaTech, France is advocating for domestic AI development to lessen dependence on U.S. providers. Meanwhile, G7 nations are discussing granting "trusted partners" access to U.S. AI models, following U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's warning to Anthropic about foreign national access. VivaTech 2026 will focus on AI, tech sovereignty, and ethics, featuring figures like Jeff Bezos and Yann LeCun. However, Europe has reportedly received U.S. AI export controls poorly, highlighting international policy rifts.

Samsung's foundry business is seeing renewed strength, fueled by a surge in AI chip orders and production improvements, while rival TSMC faces capacity limits. Samsung is in discussions with potential clients including BYD and Google, and has already secured agreements with Nvidia and Tesla, positioning itself for a potential return to profitability in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Intel has advanced its next-generation 18A manufacturing process into risk production, seeking to draw in external clients with enhanced performance and design options amidst strong demand for its processors from AI service providers.

A prominent AI safety advocate has shifted their stance, now pushing for the release of advanced AI models after previously raising alarms about AI threats. This change signals a potential divergence in how AI development and deployment are approached by key figures in the field. Meanwhile, a PwC study indicates that AI is creating a split in the job market, with companies leveraging AI to augment human capabilities seeing positive outcomes, while others experience different results.

Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero appeared in court on June 17, 2026, marking the first time an ex-Prime Minister in Spain's democratic era has faced formal charges in a corruption investigation. The case involves allegations related to a €53 million airline bailout and the discovery of luxury jewelry. Zapatero's appearance at the National Court signifies a significant moment in Spanish legal history, as the judiciary probes potential wrongdoing during his tenure.

Hanoi is adjusting its plan to ban gasoline-powered motorcycles by implementing a phased rollout to lessen disruption. The initial phase, beginning in July 2026, will restrict these vehicles during specific hours in designated downtown areas. Subsequent phases will introduce broader restrictions.

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is spearheading a significant restructuring effort to revitalize the chipmaker. The strategy centers on divesting non-core assets, such as its network and edge divisions, to sharpen focus on its primary CPU and manufacturing operations. This initiative aims to streamline the company's structure and cultivate a more innovative environment to improve Intel's market position.

Snap Inc. has introduced its new augmented reality glasses, Spectacles, with a price tag of $2,195. The company is positioning these glasses as the potential successor to the smartphone, envisioning them as the next dominant computing platform. Preorders for the Spectacles are set to begin on June 16, with the devices expected to ship later this fall.

NTT is launching a $500 million fund to invest in AI infrastructure, focusing on photonics-based optical networks to support the growing demands of AI workloads. The initiative aims to address bottlenecks in current networks and reduce energy consumption.

SpaceX's market value surged past $2.93 trillion on Tuesday, a 17% increase that briefly positioned it as the fifth-largest company globally by market capitalization. This valuation surge saw SpaceX overtake Amazon. The company's stock performance reflects its growing influence in the aerospace sector.

Higharc is leveraging spatial artificial intelligence to revolutionize homebuilding by converting architectural floor plans into structured data. This technology aims to speed up the creation of construction documents and mitigate operational risks for homebuilders experiencing market challenges. The company's approach focuses on transforming 2D designs into 3D models, enabling more efficient workflows and potentially reducing costs and errors in the construction process.

HSBC is partnering with Google Cloud to significantly expand its artificial intelligence capabilities across its global operations. The bank plans to implement AI for 200 additional tasks within the next two years. Each AI-driven project is projected to generate more than $100 million in revenue or efficiency gains, underscoring the strategic importance of this collaboration for HSBC's future growth and operational optimization.

Amazon's Project Kuiper is experiencing a significant bottleneck, with hundreds of satellites ready for deployment but unable to launch. This delay is primarily due to issues with its contracted launch providers, specifically Blue Origin's New Glenn and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rockets. While Arianespace has been a reliable partner, the combined delays from other providers are impacting Amazon's ability to complete its low-Earth orbit constellation on schedule.

Anthropic has paused planned changes to its Claude Agent SDK token-based billing following developer concerns over potential cost increases. The AI company stated that "for now, nothing has changed" as it reevaluates its pricing structure to better align with user needs. This decision comes as developers expressed worries about the impact of the proposed changes on their projects and operational costs.

A reported cloud infrastructure deal between Microsoft and Oracle has collapsed, according to a Business Insider story citing security and compliance concerns. The report indicated Oracle's lack of FedRAMP authorization was a significant hurdle. Oracle has disputed these claims, stating its partnership with Microsoft remains productive and denying that the deal fell apart due to security issues.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is launching a promotion to attract customers away from VMware by offering free one-year licenses for its VM Essentials software. This initiative aims to encourage migration from VMware, with some partners anticipating a substantial increase in sales. However, concerns exist that the promotion's restricted scope might limit its effectiveness in driving broad adoption.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls for new societal norms and government regulation to guide the integration of artificial intelligence. He compares the current AI transition to the societal adaptations needed for automobiles, highlighting AI's potential to reduce the technological divide. Huang emphasizes the need for safety standards and a proactive approach to ensure AI benefits society broadly.

Powerful underwater currents, known as turbidity currents, that can damage subsea cables are more common than previously understood, according to a new study from Tsinghua University. These currents, capable of wreaking havoc on vital communication infrastructure, can form in seemingly calm environments such as lakes and reservoirs. This discovery challenges existing scientific assumptions about the conditions necessary for their formation and highlights a potential new threat to underwater cable networks.

Kuaishou Technology is reportedly in talks with General Atlantic for a significant investment in its video artificial intelligence division. The move comes as Kuaishou prepares for a planned initial public offering, aiming to secure a major U.S. investor beforehand. The specifics of the deal, including the amount of funding, have not yet been disclosed.

Apple is modifying its Hide My Email privacy feature, a change that could weaken its effectiveness. The company plans to shift anonymously generated email addresses to a new domain, potentially enabling apps and websites to identify and block these sign-ups more readily. This alteration has sparked user concerns regarding the feature's future privacy protections.

A new study reveals that horizontal gene transfer from bacteria into animal genomes is more common than previously understood. Researchers analyzing cockroach genomes found thousands of bacterial DNA fragments, indicating this process significantly contributes to animal genome diversity. The findings suggest that the exchange of genetic material between bacteria and animals may be a more widespread evolutionary mechanism than scientists had believed.