IF / News

Intel may allegedly split its chip business, with Intel and TSMC participating and operating it together. While the United States provides subsidies for the Chip Act, TSMC will help strengthen Intel’s 2nm and 3nm advanced processes. Tristan Gerra, an analyst at investment company Baird, pointed out that the Asian supply chain is discussing that the US government may be involved in a plan involving both TSMC and Intel. It is rumored that TSMC may hold a 20% stake in Intel’s spun-off wafer foundry service department (IFS) through technology valuation or actual investment. IFS will also introduce investment from American IC design giants such as Qualcomm and Broadcom, in order to promote innovative cooperation models and help Intel get out of the trough, while further checking the continued growth of Taiwanese IC design companies led by MediaTek to grab business from American companies. (Android Headlines, UDN, UDN)

GlobalFoundries (GloFlo) was founded in March 2009 when a struggling AMD spun off its manufacturing division to go fabless, a move designed to help it survive in the highly competitive semiconductor industry. Under the leadership of Thomas Caulfield, who became CEO in 2018, GloFlo pursued a strategy that led it to become the third-largest semiconductor foundry by revenue, and a public listing in 2021. However, speculation is currently brewing that Caulfield could be set to become the next CEO of AMD’s long time chip rival, Intel. Caulfield is set to move from CEO to executive chairman, with Tim Breen, who has also been at the company since 2018, taking over as CEO. This shift has led observers to question whether Caulfield may be preparing for a leadership role at Intel, which has been without a permanent CEO since Pat Gelsinger’s departure in Dec 2024. (Android Headlines, TechRadar, EE News Europe)

Qualcomm and IBM have announced expanded collaboration to drive enterprise-ready generative AI solutions across cloud and edge devices. Plans to integrate IBM watsonx.governance, designed to help businesses manage their AI responsibly at enterprise scale, into the Qualcomm AI Inference Suite and run on devices powered by Qualcomm’s high-performance, low-power platforms. IBM’s Granite 3.1 models have been optimized and are available for download via the Qualcomm AI Hub—empowering developers and businesses to harness the potential of AI at the edge with Qualcomm’s platforms. Qualcomm Cloud AI family of accelerators has received Red Hat OpenShift certification, enabling true hybrid cloud deployments.(Android Headlines, Qualcomm, IBM)

Qualcomm has announced that it is extending the software support for some of its current and future chipsets. The company now offers 8 years of software support for its Snapdragon 8 Elite phones and handsets running on the latest Snapdragon 8 and 7 series platforms. The company promises to provide Android OS updates, security patches and kernel upgrades to OEMs. Qualcomm has worked closely with Google to allow ASICs like the Snapdragon 8 Elite to be supported for 8 years with major OS updates and security patches, marking the longest software support in the industry. The efforts are part of the so-called Project Treble, allowing the integration of the latest Android without requiring OEMs to make significant changes to the code on the device, even if kernel updates are required.(GSM Arena, Qualcomm)

Apple plans to eventually integrate the modem component in its devices into the main processor, making the electronics more power-efficient and less costly to produce, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He would expect this in 2028 at the earliest. Apple debuted its first custom modem, the C1, in the new iPhone 16e. According to Apple, the C1 is the most power efficient modem that’s been included in an iPhone to date. Gurman said that Apple is already testing the so-called C2 modem as well as its successor, the C3, which is expected to arrive in 2027, by which time Apple hopes it will “outdo Qualcomm’s modem capabilities”. (MacRumors, GSM Arena, Twitter, Bloomberg)

United States President Donald Trump has announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will make an investment of USD100B in the US. The company had committed USD65B to building 3 factories in Arizona. The latest USD100B investment will go toward 2 additional chip manufacturing facilities located in Phoenix. This brings the total investment to USD165B. (Apple Insider, Android Headlines, WSJ, Yahoo, CNN)

Samsung’s tri-fold smartphone will reportedly be available in select markets only. However, Samsung is keeping the door open to the possibility of making its tri-foldable available worldwide according to sales. Samsung’s tri-foldable will have the same crease visibility as the Galaxy Z Fold 6. (Android Headlines, Phone Arena, Twitter)

Samsung’s tri-foldable phone will reportedly not launch at the same time as the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7. Instead, the new device will be revealed at “a later point in time”. Samsung typically releases its Galaxy S FE models in Sept-Oct timeframe. So, it is possible that the company will hold the unveiling during that timeframe.  (Android Headlines, Twitter, Android Authority)

Infinix has unveiled ZERO Series Mini Tri-Fold Concept Device, whicn seamlessly transforms between a smartphone, a hands-free fitness and entertainment companion, and a compact camera, unlocking new possibilities for mobility, creativity, and functionality. Designed with a triple-folding mechanism and dual hinges that folds and unfolds vertically into itself, this concept brings a fresh perspective on how smart devices integrate into modern lifestyles.(Android Central, PR Newswire)

Xiaomi has showcased Xiaomi Modular Optical system, which consists of a custom Xiaomi 15 phone and a magnetic clip-on camera lens. This lens module connects to the phone via magnets and has the camera sensor inside of it. The system includes a large 4/3 sensor and a fast f/1.4 lens with a 35mm equivalent focal length. This aims to enhance mobile photography by offering improved image quality and creative possibilities. There are two pins included on the camera lens provided with this concept phone, which create an “instant hardware connection” with the phone, once user place it on that ring. Xiaomi refers to this connection as “Laserlink”. (Android Headlines, Fonearena, Android Authority)

realme has unveiled a concept with a a smartphone that supports interchangeable lenses. The Realme Interchangeable Lens Concept phone has large camera bump on the back of the phone with two built-in cameras: a primary camera and an ultrawide camera. The camera island’s frame is a sort of special mount, which can take a Leica M mount screw-on adapter to attach Leica M lenses. realme has showcased 73mm and 234mm camera lenses, demonstrating how the former acts as a 3X lens for taking portrait photos with depth of field, while the latter gives this smartphone the ability to snap 10X telephoto images using a optical zoom without relying on software-based computational photography.(GSM Arena, Liliputing)

Tecno has introduced a smartphone camera technology called SpectraVision Camera. It is a 2Mp color-rendering sensor that, combined with an in-house algorithm, is designed to reproduce realistic, true-to-life colors. The module utilizes a 9-channel spectral sensor, which captures a broader spectrum of light and richer color details. Combined with the self-developed algorithm, Tecno revealed that this feature significantly surpasses traditional 4-channel RGGB and RYYB solutions. The company has also introduced Tecno Imaging Matrix technology (TIM), which promises “unparalleled precision in color restoration” that aligns with human vision, even in challenging lighting conditions. The technology also works with the Tecno Universal Tone algorithm – a self-developed software designed to represent skin colors realistically.(GSM Arena, Android Headlines)

Contemporary Xiaoju New Energy Technology (“Xiaoju”) is officially established. The company’s business scope covers sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) battery swapping infrastructure, operations of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and battery leasing services. This company is indirectly co-owned by CATL and Beijing Xiaoju Technology Co., Ltd., an affiliate of DiDi.  (CN Beta, Sina)

Apple has announced it is making a USD500B program of investment into the United States. The official press release said that it will be spread across the next 4 years, in a pledge that “builds on Apple’s long history of investing in American innovation”. As part of this package of U.S. investments, Apple and partners will open a new advanced manufacturing facility in Houston to produce servers that support Apple Intelligence. The USD500B commitment includes Apple’s work with thousands of suppliers across all 50 states, direct employment, Apple Intelligence infrastructure and data centres, corporate facilities, and Apple TV+ productions in 20 states. Apple remains one of the largest U.S. taxpayers, having paid more than USD75B in U.S. taxes over the past 5 years, including USD19B in 2024 alone. (Apple Insider, Apple)

Honor has announced that it aims to convert the company into a global AI device ecosystem. To do so, the company has announced that it is introducing a new Honor Alpha Plan, a three-step strategy, that focuses on intelligent phones, AI ecosystem, and AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). The new Alpha plan comprises three steps that include the development of an intelligent phone, opening industry boundaries, and co-create a new paradigm of AI ecosystem, lastly, with the help of AGI, Honor intends to “open human potential boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for civilization”. The said intelligent phone will be incorporating human-centric AI — primarily built to maximize human potential. Honor also shared its plans to bring the world’s first GUI (Graphical User Interface)-based mobile AI agent. The company is also partnering with Google Cloud and Qualcomm Technologies. Honor has also announced a new imaging technology called AiMAGE. It utilizes an AI Kernel to run device-cloud AI models, aiming to enhance image clarity. Honor aims to bring AI to the masses, and as a testament to its commitment, the company has announced that it will be investing over USD10B over the next 5 years to fund the endeavour. (Android Central, Android Headlines, Honor)

Honor has announced that it has committed to bringing 7 years of Android OS and security updates to its Magic series. Honor provides monthly updates for its flagship devices which eventually drop down to quarterly updates. Honor claims that the extended support not only extends the lifespan of devices and reduces e-waste, in line with the sustainability standards, but also ensures users enjoy secure, high-performing devices with the latest AI technology throughout their extended lifecycles. The extension is a part of the new Honor “Alpha Plan”. (Android Central, 9to5Google, GSM Arena)

Xiaomi has announced HyperAI, which is Xiaomi’s own suite of a range of AI features. HyperAI is said to be embedded with Google’s deeply customised AI assistant and relies on Xiaomi’s advanced multimodal processing capabilities.  It comes with AI Writing that summarises, organises, spellchecks notes, articles, and emails. The AI Speech Recognition automatically converts speech to text whereas AI Interpreter provides real-time translation for in-person interactions, phone calls, and online meetings. HyperAI also introduces AI Art that turns sketches in to artistic images. AI Erase Pro and AI Reflection Removal also aid in editing images by removing any unwanted objects in the photos and any reflective surfaces respectively. There is also AI Image Expansion that extends image’s boundaries by generating background image that blends naturally with the original image. The Xiaomi 15 series, Pad 7, and 7 Pro will be the first devices to receive HyperAI. (Android Headlines, 91Mobiles)

According to the EssilorLuxottica’s CEO Francesco Milleri, Ray-Ban Meta glasses have sold 2M units so far, and the annual production capacity is being increased to 10M by the end of 2026. Milleri described the smart glasses as “a great success”, and said that their retention has been increasing over time too. He further suggested that the multi-modal visual AI feature, currently limited to the US, Canada, and Australia, will “soon” expand to other countries worldwide. (Android Central, UploadVR, Android Headlines)

Samsung appears to be working on an innovative pair of smart glasses featuring an adjustable display system and support for prescription lenses. A newly discovered patent, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), details a gear-based mechanism that allows users to tweak the positioning of the display for a more customised viewing experience. The patent outlines a unique system where the smart glasses can adjust the display using gears or actuators. This could allow for dynamic adjustments based on a user’s vision needs, ensuring that digital overlays align more naturally with their field of view.(Android Headlines, SamMobile, Xpertpick, USPTO)

Meta Platforms, after pushing into augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI), has identified its next big bet: AI-powered humanoid robots. The company is making a significant investment into the category — futuristic robots that can act like humans and assist with physical tasks — and is forming a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division to conduct the work. Meta plans to work on its own humanoid robot hardware, with an initial focus on household chores. Its bigger ambition is to make the underlying AI, sensors, and software for robots that will be manufactured and sold by a range of companies. Meta’s goal is to provide what Google’s Android operating system and Qualcomm’s chips did for the phone industry by building a foundation for the rest of the market.(Android Headlines, The Verge, Bloomberg, Yahoo, Yahoo, Digitimes)