Richard Lawler Profile and Activity - The Verge
Richard Lawler joined The Verge as Senior News Editor in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget. He's been a tech blogger since before the word was invented and will never log off.
Apple — like Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and everyone else this side of Nvidia — is reportedly working on custom server hardware to power AI models as it prepares to introduce a slew of new features.
Apple's Project ACDC
Over the past decade, Apple has emerged as a leading player designing chips for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, and Mac computers. The server project, internally code-named Project ACDC—for Apple Chips in Data Center—will bring this talent to bear for the company’s servers, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Apple watcher Mark Gurman followed up, saying a similar-sounding project was canceled and it doesn’t make sense anyway: it would be too expensive, lack differentiation, and Apple prefers on-device AI. Update: Added Gurman’s rebuttal. [WSJ]
Sony's PlayStation Network Accounts
Sony's plan to force PlayStation Network accounts on PC players of crossplatform hit Helldivers 2 went over terribly. On Steam, it received 84,000 negative reviews in one day.
However, Sony has announced that the update implementing the requirement on May 6th is not going forward and "we’ll keep you updated on future plans." It was noted that the issue was related to an OpenAI outage that was addressed about 45 minutes later.
Meta's AI Assistant
NYT tech writer Brian Chen reports Meta’s AI assistant, now available in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, excels at editing text but like other chatbots, confidently makes up answers to basic questions.
Recent Layoffs at Google
As reported by CNBC, Google recently cut "at least 200 employees" in the Core engineering group, with some roles moving to India or Mexico.
Dave & Buster's Gaming Tie-In
CNBC reports a tie-in with Lucra Sports will eventually enable customers to bet against each other on games like Skee-Ball. In some places, D&B already has real gambling.
Tesla's Supercharger Network Plans
In the wake of more layoffs at Tesla that were especially hard on the charging division, Elon Musk stated the company still plans to grow its Supercharger network “at a slower pace.” The internal message, as reported by The Information, mentioned plans to build new Supercharger locations where critical.
Ver's Alleged Misconduct
You can read the details of Ver’s alleged misconduct here, but with this news arriving as Binance founder Changpeng Zhao was sentenced for failing to establish adequate anti-money laundering protections, it brings up Ver's past statements on money laundering.
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