In this week’s News of Note, Amazon continues its competition with Starlink by launching another batch of internet satellites, WhatsApp receives a ban by congressional staffers and “the ChatGPT of quantum computing” launches in Canada. Elsewhere, Texas Instruments announces a major investment in semiconductor production in the United States.
- Tesla’s driverless robotaxi rollout officially begins in Austin, Texas. (TechCrunch, Sean O’Kane and Kirsten Korosec)
- The U.S. House of Representative’s chief administration officer announces a ban of the WhatsApp messaging app on congressional staffers’ government devices. (Andrew Solender, Axios)
- Amazon launches 27 Kuiper internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. (Annie Palmer, CNBC)
- Amsterdam attempts to make a discrimination-free AI for city’s welfare program. (Eileen Guo, Gabriel Geiger, Justin-Casimir Braun, MIT Technology Review)
- World’s first quantum computing super hub launches in Canada. (Rupendra Brahambhatt, Yahoo! News)
- Meta partners with Oakley for new line of AI smart glasses. (Mary Cunningham, CBS News)
- Texas Instruments to invest more than $60 billion in U.S.-based semiconductor production. (Lisa Eadicicco, CNN)