US gov’t allows Chinese telecom giant ZTE to purchase Nvidia H200 AI chips — firm joins Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance in access to Hopper tech

The United States has licensed Chinese telecom giant ZTE to purchase restricted Nvidia H200 AI chips, but Chinese regulators and domestic procurement initiatives may limit the material impact of the change.

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Elon Musk’s Colossus 2 data center installed 59 natural gas turbines without permission, report claims — thousands of tons of pollutants reportedly impact black communities in Mississippi already suffering from elevated lung disease rates

The population of the communities surrounding the Colossus 2 site, which is in the center of a lawsuit involving unpermitted natural gas turbines and pollution, is predominantly black.

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China claims chip exports nearly doubled to $177 billion in the first half of 2026 as memory prices surged — 96% year-on-year increase inflated by hikes
 China claims chip exports nearly doubled to $177 billion in the first half of 2026 as memory prices surged — 96% year-on-year increase inflated by hikes

The Chinese customs administration attributed the surge to global demand for AI hardware.

New York enacts one-year data center ban on projects larger than 50 megawatts — first US state to implement moratorium; will also pursue repealing tax exemptions
 New York enacts one-year data center ban on projects larger than 50 megawatts — first US state to implement moratorium; will also pursue repealing tax exemptions

New York is the first to pass a statewide data center moratorium, which pauses all projects greater than 50 MW for one year. The governor’s office said that it will create a GEIS to hold developments to “consistent standards,” and also study the environmental impact of the construction and operation of data centers.

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Nvidia slashes list of authorized customers in Asia in a bid to reduce AI chip smuggling, report claims — company sent field inspectors, called customers to check if business is genuine after pressure from Washington
 Nvidia slashes list of authorized customers in Asia in a bid to reduce AI chip smuggling, report claims — company sent field inspectors, called customers to check if business is genuine after pressure from Washington

The company culled its list of verified customers, cutting out more than half of its existing client list to reduce incidents of smuggling. Remaining clients have passed more stringent checks, including physical inspections of data centers and interviews with end users.

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Researchers create programmable material that can steer heat and remember its state without power — breakthrough could eventually aid AI chip cooling and silicon photonics
 Researchers create programmable material that can steer heat and remember its state without power — breakthrough could eventually aid AI chip cooling and silicon photonics

Researchers created a programmable thermal material that steers heat and retains its state without power, a breakthrough that could benefit AI chips, silicon photonics, and infrared devices.

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Tesla’s AI5 with 2nm-class node tapes out at Samsung Foundry — production starts soon, months after TSMC tape out
 Tesla’s AI5 with 2nm-class node tapes out at Samsung Foundry — production starts soon, months after TSMC tape out

Samsung Foundry soon to join TSMC in production of Tesla’s AI5 processor, a LinkedIn post reveals.

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Micron commits $500 million to GlobalWafers’ Texas wafer plant as it raises U.S. spending to $250 billion — memory maker aims to manufacture 40% of DRAM in the US by 2035

Running until 2035, the $250 billion spending target is attached to a goal of making 40% of Micron’s DRAM in the U.S. by the mid-2030s.

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Intel’s new space-grade Starfire chip is a Panther Lake SoC that puts an 18A CPU into orbit — chip designed for the US government leverages Intel 3 for the GPU

Intel has unveiled Starfire, a space-grade system-on-chip designed for the U.S. government.

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Meta expands colossal Hyperion AI supercluster plans to 5GW, pushes Louisiana investment past $50 billion as AI race accelerates — says it plans to invest over $1 billion in local infrastructure improvements
 Meta expands colossal Hyperion AI supercluster plans to 5GW, pushes Louisiana investment past $50 billion as AI race accelerates — says it plans to invest over $1 billion in local infrastructure improvements

Meta is expanding Hyperion from 2 GW to 5 GW, lifting its Louisiana investment above $50 billion as it races to secure more AI computing capacity.

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