Panasonic Hands Over Global TV Business to China’s Skyworth, Meta Strikes Major Deal with AMD for Instinct GPUs, and Discord Ends UK Age Verification Test Amid Privacy Concerns.
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Show Notes
Apple to Build Mac Mini in Houston
Apple is shifting some production of its Mac Mini desktop computer from Asia to a facility in Houston, with manufacturing slated to start later this year. This decision is part of a recent U.S. investment following a $600 billion commitment made last August, despite ongoing uncertainty about U.S. tariffs. The Houston facility is also being expanded to include a new training center, which is projected to create thousands of jobs, though Apple has a history of inconsistent follow-through on investment promises.
Read More: Reuters
Panasonic Hands Off TV Production to Skyworth
Panasonic is drastically reducing its commitment to its TV business by handing over the global manufacturing, marketing, and selling of Panasonic-branded TVs, including in the US and Europe, to the Chinese company Skyworth. Skyworth, a top TV brand, will manage sales and logistics, while Panasonic will offer expertise, quality assurance, and jointly develop high-end OLED models. This move is the culmination of Panasonic’s decade-long scaling back of its TV operations and mirrors a larger trend of Japanese companies leaving the TV market as South Korean and Chinese manufacturers gain dominance.
Read More: Ars Technica
Meta Strikes GPU Deal With AMD
Meta has entered a major deal with AMD to purchase up to six gigawatts of Instinct GPUs. The agreement includes an equity component, potentially granting Meta up to a 10 percent stake in AMD (up to 160 million shares) upon meeting GPU shipment milestones, starting in the second half of 2026. This deal also extends their existing EPYC CPU collaboration and reflects a broader industry effort by major AI companies to reduce reliance on NVIDIA for chip supply, though analysts warn that such closely linked deals carry risks if AI market demand slows.
Read More: Engadget
Meta Plans Stablecoin Comeback
Meta is planning a renewed effort to enter the stablecoin market by the end of the year. Instead of launching its own currency, as it did with the failed Libra/Diem project, Meta will integrate a dollar-pegged stablecoin through a third-party firm. This move is intended to reduce traditional banking fees and advance Meta’s position in “social commerce” and cross-border payments, allowing the company to proceed with less direct regulatory scrutiny.
Read More: CoinDesk
Discord Drops Persona Age Verification in UK
Discord has dropped its limited UK age verification test with provider Persona due to user privacy concerns and backlash, specifically regarding face scans and exposed code referencing facial recognition. Discord removed Persona mentions and now uses k-ID, which partners with Veratad for facial age estimation and ID scanning. Discord assures users that face scan data stays on the device and IDs are immediately deleted after confirmation. Users whose age isn’t determined with “high confidence” will default to a “teen” experience unless they complete a verification process involving a face scan or photo ID.
Read More: The Verge
DoD Eyes Grok for Classified Systems
The US Department of Defense (DoD) is reportedly planning to adopt Grok AI for its classified systems after a dispute with Anthropic, which refused the Pentagon’s request to use its Claude model for “all lawful purposes,” including mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. Although officials consider Grok less advanced than Claude, xAI agreed to the DoD’s terms. This move follows previous controversy over Grok’s output of offensive rhetoric. The DoD is also negotiating deals with OpenAI and Gemini, which it considers comparable to Anthropic’s technology.
Read More: Yahoo News
Anthropic Accuses Chinese AI Labs of Claude Distillation
Anthropic has accused three Chinese AI firms, DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax, of using approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts and over 16 million exchanges in “industrial-scale campaigns” to conduct “distillation attacks” on its Claude chatbot. Anthropic claims the companies illicitly extracted Claude’s capabilities to train their own AI models, which involves less powerful models learning from advanced ones, and was detected through IP correlation and other infrastructure indicators. Anthropic plans to upgrade its system to prevent these attacks, while the company itself is simultaneously facing a lawsuit from music publishers over the alleged use of copyrighted songs to train Claude.
Read More: Engadget
DJI Challenges FCC Import Ban
Chinese drone manufacturer DJI is challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to ban the import of all its new drone models and critical components, as well as those from other foreign drone companies like Autel, by filing a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. DJI claims the December ruling “carelessly restricts” its business and denies U.S. customers access to its latest technology, as it prevents companies from getting FCC approval for new models and components, though existing versions can still be sold.
Read More: Reuters
WhatsApp Working on Scheduled Messages
WhatsApp is finally developing a long-awaited scheduled messages feature, a capability already available on platforms like Telegram and iMessage. References to a “Scheduled Messages” menu were found in a recent TestFlight beta by WABetaInfo, although the feature is not yet functional for beta testers. The new function will eventually be rolled out to select beta testers for feedback before an official release.
Read More: 9to5Mac
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