Technology News

Samsung has turned to Chinese technology groups to prop up its ailing semiconductor division, as it struggles to secure big US customers despite investing tens of billions of dollars in its American manufacturing facilities.

The South Korean electronics group revealed last month that the value of its exports to China jumped 54 percent between 2023 and 2024, as Chinese companies rush to secure stockpiles of advanced artificial intelligence chips in the face of increasingly restrictive US export controls.

In one previously unreported deal, Samsung last year sold more than three years’ supply of logic dies—a key component in manufacturing AI chips—to Kunlun, the semiconductor design subsidiary of Chinese tech group Baidu, according to people familiar with the matter.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 could be considered the most direct "sequel" to a Nintendo console that the company has ever made. The lineage is right there in the name, with Nintendo simply appending the number "2" onto the name of its incredibly successful previous console for the first time in its history.

Nintendo's previous consoles have all differed from their predecessors in novel ways that were reflected in somewhat new naming conventions. The Switch 2's name, on the other hand, suggests that it is content to primarily be "more Switch." And after spending the better part of the day playing around with the Switch 2 hardware and checking out some short game demos on Wednesday, I indeed came away with the impression that this console is "more Switch" in pretty much every way that matters, for better or worse.

Bigger is better

We've deduced from previous trailers just how much bigger the Switch 2 would be than the original Switch. Even with that preparation, though, the expanded Switch 2 makes a very good first impression in person.

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Nintendo’s pricey new Switch 2 has been updated to create a product that feels both familiar and improved. WIRED spent some time with it.

These mid-tier earbuds have 15 hours of battery life with noise canceling, and a magnetic design that keeps them charged—no case required.

These are the best umbrellas we’ve tested. They’ll protect you from showers and heavy rain and will hold up for the long haul.

The Science Museum Group’s latest digital stories are now on Google Arts & Culture. Inspired by their Wonderlab+ online hub, these narratives delve into scientific t…

An art studio hopes its concept for a phone case that can flip around to cover most of your screen will help cure your screen addiction.

Get 50% off select appliances, 15% off most regular-price items, free delivery, and other great savings today on WIRED.

Save 20% online and when you visit your local H&R Block store. You can save up to $50 when you use one of our (unique) codes.

Apple, Amazon, and other tech companies reliant on global supply chains stand to lose the most from President Trump’s trade policies, but some software firms expect more demand for their services.

Apple, Amazon, and other tech companies reliant on global supply chains stand to lose the most from President Trump’s trade policies, but some software firms expect more demand for their services.

President Donald Trump says taxing imports will strengthen domestic manufacturing. Hours before announcing new tariffs, his administration cut support for centers that help US firms do just that.

President Donald Trump says taxing imports will strengthen domestic manufacturing. Hours before announcing new tariffs, his administration cut support for centers that help US firms do just that.

The Heard and McDonald Islands are among the dozens of targets of President Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs. But they have no exports, because no one lives there.

The Heard and McDonald Islands are among the dozens of targets of President Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs. But they have no exports, because no one lives there.

Nintendo's Switch 2 presentation gave us pricing for the console ($449 to start) and Nintendo's product pages have given us pricing information for accessories ($80 for a Pro Controller, $90 for another pair of Joy-Cons, and $110 for a replacement dock, sheesh). But what Nintendo didn't mention during the presentation was game pricing, either for standalone Switch 2 titles or the Switch 2 Edition upgrades for existing Switch games.

Nintendo announced via its website after the presentation that Mario Kart World, the console's flagship launch title, will cost $50 when you buy a digital copy as part of a Switch 2 bundle. But the game will cost $80 when you buy it on its own, $30 more than the pack-in version and $20 more than the usual $60 price for first-party Switch games.

Pre-order listings at US retailers that have gone live since this morning also list several $80 games—we'll use Wal-Mart's as an example. The upgraded Switch 2 Editions for a trio of Switch games—2024's Super Mario Party Jamboree, 2023's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and 2022's Kirby and the Forgotten Land—are all going for $80, the same as Mario Kart World.

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Google’s President of Global Affairs, Kent Walker, gives an overview of Google's approach to creative content and AI training.Google’s President of Global Affairs, Kent Walker, gives an overview of Google's approach to creative content and AI training.

Google has set out a balanced approach for the responsible use of content in AI, designed to further cooperation and help build a thriving AI ecosystem.In the UK, the De…

Tim Stokely partnered with a crypto company to bid for TikTok as the social media company faces a deadline to either sell or be banned in the US. Amazon also placed a last-minute bid.

Last week, Health Secretary and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the Trump administration would hack off nearly a quarter of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees critical agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The downsizing includes pushing out about 10,000 full-time employees through early retirements, deferred resignations, and other efforts. Another 10,000 will be laid off in a brutal restructuring, bringing the total HHS workforce from 82,000 to 62,000.

"This will be a painful period," Kennedy said in a video announcement last week. Early yesterday morning, the pain began.

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