AI News Archive: July 15, 2026 — Part 12
Sourced from 500+ daily AI sources, scored by relevance.
- The first OpenAI consumer device relies on motion and cameras
OpenAI launches a new consumer device that uses motion sensors and cameras for interaction.
- OpenAI’s first hardware gadget reportedly a mobile smart speaker
Apple sued OpenAI last week over alleged hardware trade secrets theft. Read more: OpenAI’s first hardware gadget reportedly a mobile smart speaker
- OpenAI's first hardware device will be a speaker
Apple's complaint, filed on Friday, accuses OpenAI of orchestrating a broad effort to systematically acquire and exploit Apple's confidential information through its former employees, recruiting practices and supplier relationships to accelerate its push into the consumer hardware business.
- OpenAI’s first device will be movable, screenless speaker built as AI companion
OpenAI’s first device will be movable, screenless speaker built as AI companion The Japan Times
- OpenAI’s first hardware device will be moveable home speaker built as AI companion
OpenAI’s first hardware device will be moveable home speaker built as AI companion The Straits Times
- OpenAIs first physical device is here, and its not what we expected
OpenAI's first hardware product is a $230 mechanical keyboard, not the AI companion device many expected.
- OpenAI's First Hardware Product Could Be a Portable AI Smart Speaker
OpenAI's First Hardware Product Could Be a Portable AI Smart Speaker PCMag
- OpenAI's First Hardware Product Could Be a Portable AI Smart Speaker
OpenAI's First Hardware Product Could Be a Portable AI Smart Speaker PCMag Australia
- Welcome Inkling by Thinking Machines
Welcome Inkling by Thinking Machines
- Inkling by Thinking Machines now available on Modal
Inkling, a general-purpose multimodal model by Thinking Machines, along with a custom trained DFlash speculator, is now available on Modal.
- Hack suggests AI music generator Suno scraped YouTube for training data
The hacker used an employee's credentials to access source code, which revealed how Suno scraped decades of audio.
- A hack just showed how Suno’s AI music was really built: millions of scraped songs
For years, musicians have said AI song generators fed on their work without asking. A hacker just opened the black box and showed them exactly how. Leaked source code from Suno, one of the biggest AI music tools, tells the story. It trained its model by scraping millions of songs and lyrics from across the […] This story continues at The Next Web
- AI Music App Suno Got Hacked, Giving a Glimpse of Just How Much Music It Scraped
That's a lot of artists not getting paid.
- A hacker accessed Suno source code that reportedly details how the company scraped millions of songs
Suno says it was breached in November and "no sensitive personal information was compromised."
- Source Code Hack Reveals Suno's AI Was Trained on Millions of YouTube Songs
The hack allegedly confirms the suspicions of record labels and artists that their music is used in the creation of AI music.
- Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba’s Qwen AI
The deal, which was rumored to be in the works last year, marks an important step for Apple's AI ambitions in a key market.
- Apple Intelligence AI service registered with Chinese cyberspace regulator
Apple Intelligence AI service registered with Chinese cyberspace regulator Reuters
- Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares rise 4% after Qwen AI set to be integrated in Apple Intelligence
The Cyberspace Administration of China on Wednesday included Apple's AI services on a list of approved providers.
- Apple Receives Approval for Alibaba-Powered AI Service in China
Apple Receives Approval for Alibaba-Powered AI Service in China The Information
- Apple Intelligence wins China approval, with Alibaba's AI model powering the rollout
China's cyberspace regulator cleared Apple's AI service, with Alibaba confirming its Qwen model will power the experience across Apple's operating systems
- China approves Apple Intelligence for iPhones, with Alibaba, Baidu emerging as partners
Chinese regulators have granted Apple a long-awaited licence to roll out its artificial intelligence service on iPhones in the country, with Alibaba Group Holding and Baidu serving as technical partners. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s internet watchdog, published a notice on Wednesday confirming the licence for Apple Intelligence – the AI feature used to summarise emails, draft reports, edit images and perform other tasks. It was granted alongside six other...
- Alibaba’s Qwen to be integrated into Apple Intelligence
Alibaba’s Qwen AI model will be integrated into Apple Intelligence, bringing AI-powered experiences to users in China across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. Without switching between apps, users will be able to access Qwen’s capabilities—including text and image understanding, as well as content generation—directly on Apple devices. Today, China’s Cyberspace Administration announced the filing of […]
- Apple Intelligence AI service registered with Chinese cyberspace regulator
Apple Intelligence AI service registered with Chinese cyberspace regulator Nikkei Asia
- Apple gets long-awaited approval for Alibaba-powered iPhone AI tools in China
Apple gets long-awaited approval for Alibaba-powered iPhone AI tools in China The Straits Times
- Apple Intelligence nears launch on iPhones in China
Apple Intelligence includes a revamped Siri and tools to organize emails and summarize audio.
- Apple Intelligence finally gets regulatory approval in China
Apple will reportedly partner with Chinese firms Baidu and Alibaba to roll out its AI service in the country.
- New York Just Froze New Hyperscale AI Data Centers. Now This State May Enact a Similar Policy
Fifteen states have weighed moratoriums. An advancing bill in one key state may show how the crackdown spreads.
- Apple Intelligence Clears China Approval Hurdle as Alibaba and Baidu Set to Power AI Features
Apple Intelligence cleared a China approval hurdle, with Alibaba’s Qwen and Baidu set to support AI features for iPhone users in mainland China. The post Apple Intelligence Clears China Approval Hurdle as Alibaba and Baidu Set to Power AI Features appeared first on TechRepublic .
- China approves Apple Intelligence for iPhones, with Alibaba, Baidu emerging as partners
Apple Intelligence has secured regulatory clearance in China, opening a launch path for locally adapted AI features powered partly by Alibaba’s Qwen and Baidu technology.
- Apple gets approval for iPhone AI in China with Alibaba, Baidu
Apple gets approval for iPhone AI in China with Alibaba, Baidu The Mercury News
- Apple gets approval for iPhone AI in China with Alibaba, Baidu
Apple gets approval for iPhone AI in China with Alibaba, Baidu East Bay Times
- Apple chasing AI chip company deals, The Information reports
Apple chasing AI chip company deals, The Information reports Reuters
- Apple chasing AI chip company deals, The Information reports
Apple is reportedly exploring acquisitions of chip companies to enhance its AI server processors. The tech giant faces performance challenges with its current in-house M2 Ultra chips. A planned future AI server chip, internally codenamed Baltra, has experienced delays. Apple previously struggled to run Google's Gemini models on its own servers. The company possesses significant cash reserves for potential strategic investments.
- Apple is shopping for chip companies because its own AI servers can’t keep up
Apple built a trillion-dollar business on chips it designs itself. It cannot design the ones its AI needs fast enough, so it is going shopping. The iPhone maker is hunting for AI chip acquisitions, The Information reported. In recent months it has talked to bankers about deals and approached chip startups to ask if they […] This story continues at The Next Web
- Apple is reportedly shopping for AI chip companies
Apple's current M2 Ultra-powered servers don't seem to be cutting it, so the company is shopping around for more power.
- Report: Apple looking into buying chip startups to strengthen its AI infrastructure
The Information reports that Apple has been in talks with bankers and semiconductor startups as it explores acquisitions to strengthen its AI server capabilities. Here are the details.
- Cadence Automates PCB Design With AI Super Agents
Cadence is rapidly deploying "Super Agents" to offer agentic AI support, now with AuraStack, for Printed Circuit Board and advanced multi-chip packaging design.
- Cadence Expands AI Agents With AuraStack For PCB And Advanced Chip Packaging
Cadence believes the next level of AI-assisted engineering resides at the system level, and to that end, the company just announced its new AuraStack AI Super Agent.
- Cadence extends its AI agents beyond chips with AuraStack for circuit boards and packaging
Integrated circuit and electronic hardware design company Cadence Design Systems Inc. today announced a new artificial intelligence agent that assists with packaging and system design, the step after silicon has been customized and produced, marking how chips and components get used in electronic devices. AuraStack, a super-agent within the company’s Allegro AI studio, provides agentic […] The post Cadence extends its AI agents beyond chips with AuraStack for circuit boards and packaging appeared first on SiliconANGLE .
- Cadence's AuraStack agent melds AI with HPC to speed PCB, advanced packaging design
One-two punch offers a glimpse of how low-precision AI can complement high-precision simulations
- Elon Musk’s xAI sues Grok user over sexualised ‘deepfakes’
Elon Musk’s xAI sues Grok user over sexualised ‘deepfakes’ The Straits Times
- xAI sues a man for using Grok to generate CSAM ‘deepfakes’
The Elon Musk-owned xAI is suing a South Carolina man who allegedly used the company's Grok AI chatbot to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In a lawsuit reported earlier by Reuters, xAI claims Terry Wayne Harwood "knowingly and intentionally used Grok to circumvent safeguards, alter nonconsensual images, and generate and distribute CSAM," breaching the […]
- Where authorities are restricting data centres amid AI boom
Governments globally are restricting new data centre construction due to rising concerns. New York State enacted a one-year construction moratorium on large power-consuming facilities. Monterey Park, California, permanently banned data centres after resident backlash. Amsterdam barred new data centres or expansions until at least 2030. Australia plans legislation for AI standards, including data centre rules.
- Trump condemns New York's data centre ban amid AI boom
Trump condemns New York's data centre ban amid AI boom thenationalnews.com
- New York's AI data center pause sparks warnings US could lose ground to China
Energy Secretary Chris Wright says New York's AI data center pause is "backwards," while Sen. John Fetterman warns "China wins."
- ‘More bad news’ for people struggling with energy bills: AI data centers are driving costs even higher
The rapid growth of data centers across the country has already stressed power demand and driven up electricity bills. And those impacts are only worsening. Americans could see $6.3 billion added to their energy bills within the next three years, an increase primarily driven by data centers. PJM Interconnection, the largest power grid operator in the United States, revealed on Tuesday the results of its annual power auction —a way to secure electricity generation and set costs three years before that power is actually needed. During the auction, power providers bid on the prices they’re willing to accept during peak demand times, which then become part of customer electricity rates. This year, prices hit PJM’s cap of $325 per megawatt-day. That means an estimated additional $6.3 billion in energy costs, according to Monitoring Analytics, PJM’s independent market monitor. PJM’s auction also tries to secure future electricity demand, but this year it fell 6.8 gigawatts short of PJM’s reliability requirement, which is the amount of power it needs to guarantee grid reliability during a spike in demand. Stress on the power grid is especially concerning during extreme heat, like the country has seen this summer. Without enough capacity, communities could experience brownouts and blackouts. “These auction results show that demand for electricity continues to grow faster than electricity supply,” PJM president and CEO David Mills said in a statement. And the primary driver of that growth, the company said in a post ahead of the auction, is data centers. New data centers (as well as the expansion of existing data centers) can be developed quickly—up to two to three times faster than many of the ways to generate electricity, the grid provider says. “Prices will continue at the maximum level allowed” PJM manages the power grid for 13 states and the District of Columbia. Those 67 million customers have already been dealing with rate increases. Since 2024, these PJM auctions have added some $29 billion in utility costs because of data centers. In PJM’s December 2025 auction , data centers accounted for 40% of capacity costs, or $6.8 billion. “Today, PJM delivered more bad news for people already struggling with higher energy bills: Prices will continue at the maximum level allowed under the law,” Julia Kortrey, director of Strategic Initiatives for the States Program at the clean energy nonprofit Evergreen Action, said in a statement about Tuesday’s auction results. To Kortrey, these rate hikes were avoidable. “PJM continues to slow-walk cheap, clean energy that could lower bills for working families while protecting a system that delivers record profits for member utilities, rather than fixing its problems,” she said. “PJM continues to allow the same utility and fossil fuel companies to cash in while families get stuck with the bill.” Utility bills in general are spiking for millions of Americans. This week, Powerlines, a nonprofit that aims to lower utility bills, released a report showing that utilities across the country requested $18.6 billion in electric and gas rate increases during the first half of 2026 alone. In some instances, those hikes came from spikes in fuel costs or for upgrades to grid infrastructure. Data centers also play a part. Oncor, an electric utility in Texas, requested the largest single increase in the second quarter of 2026, according to that report: $1.2 billion in rate increases, “driven largely by its five-year transmission and distribution spending plan—a $45 billion investment focused on meeting demand from the oil and gas industry and data centers in the Permian Basin.”
- The data center backlash is spreading across the country
New York just became the first state to enact a one-year ban on large new data centers while the state government scrambles to develop regulations addressing challenges like energy demand and water use. “As data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it’s my responsibility to take action and lead,” Governor Kathy Hochul said when she announced the executive order , which applies to data centers 50 megawatts (MW) and larger. Hochul also said that she wants to repeal tax exemptions for large data centers. New York is far from alone: Across the U.S., states and cities are taking a range of steps—from ratepayer protection laws to zoning restrictions, moratoriums, and permanent bans—as opposition to data centers grows. Here’s a snapshot: Arizona Under a new ratepayer protection law , state regulators will create rules so data center grid costs won’t be passed to other customers. The state also passed a three-year pause on data center applications for sales tax exemptions. Tucson is working on a new zoning restriction for large data centers. California While many cities and counties across the country have paused data center development, the L.A.-area city of Monterey Park was the first to permanently ban new construction . No statewide moratorium is under consideration yet. Florida A new state law requires data centers to pay their full cost of service and stops utilities from passing data center costs to other customers. Sarasota County has a moratorium in place to stop new large data centers. Georgia Though a statewide moratorium failed this year, 11 counties have moratoriums in place on data center construction. Illinois A state bill would make data centers cover their own costs and boost clean energy use while limiting water consumption. Two counties and two municipalities have moratoriums in place. Iowa Five counties have enacted moratoriums on data center construction. Linn County created strict new zoning rules, including 1,000-foot residential setbacks and detailed water studies. Indiana Seven counties have moratoriums in place. Indianapolis’s city council just voted to recommend a moratorium on approving new data centers, and another city is poised to vote on a moratorium. Maine A statewide data center moratorium passed the legislature, but was vetoed by the governor. Another new law excludes data centers from state tax incentives. Six cities have moratoriums. Maryland Four counties have moratoriums in place, along with the city of Baltimore, which is pausing construction for a year while it works on an impact study. Michigan Twenty-seven towns and cities and 12 counties have moratoriums on new data centers, ranging from months to a year. A bipartisan statewide bill is moving through the legislature, but the governor has said she won’t sign it. Minnesota Minneapolis, along with two other cities, has a moratorium in place on large data center development. A state law restricts data centers to industrial districts. A statewide moratorium was proposed but didn’t pass. New Jersey A new law requires regulators to create a new electric rate for large data centers, make data centers pay for electric upgrades, and require operators to reduce or shift energy use when demand is high. Three counties have banned data centers. New York Before Hochul’s executive order, the state legislature passed a bill that that would impose a one-year moratorium on new data centers of 20 MW or larger—a broader threshold than the executive order. Hochul hasn’t yet signed or vetoed the bill. Two towns have moratoriums in place. Oklahoma A new state law requires large utility customers to cover their cost of service. Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa have moratoriums in place, though a preapproved Meta project in Tulsa was allowed to move forward. A state moratorium stalled. Virginia The town of Warrenton, where Amazon had proposed a 220,000-square-foot data center, enacted a permanent ban on data centers. Two other counties enacted new zoning restrictions. In 2025, state regulators created a new utility rate tier for large users like data centers, requiring them to sign contracts to cover their majority of their costs on the electric grid. The legislature is considering a statewide moratorium. Washington A new state law requires data centers to meet the same strict clean energy requirements as utilities. A bill with more regulations, opposed by Microsoft and other tech companies in the state, failed. In Seattle, the city council temporarily froze new siting for large data centers that require uninterruptible power, giving the city time to conduct impact studies. Spokane also has a moratorium in place. Wisconsin The state legislature considered, but did not pass, a ratepayer protection bill and a moratorium. Five local governments have moratoriums in place; the town of Port Washington, near Milwaukee, was the first in the country to pass an outright ban through a referendum. Approval problems Several other states have local moratoriums in place, from Missouri to North Carolina. (This map tracks the changes across the country.) Others are moving in the other direction—New Hampshire, for example, passed a law stopping local governments from specifically restricting data centers versus other businesses. But even in places without new rules, data centers are struggling to get local approval. Data Center Watch , a group tracking opposition, reported that in the first quarter of this year, 75 data center projects collectively worth $130 billion were stopped or delayed. That’s about the same number as were blocked in all of 2025.
- Boulder City, Nev., Reacts to Surprise Data Center Approval
A data center that some residents in the area were fighting, originally proposed under a city lease, recently received a green light from the Trump administration to build on public land instead.
- Michigan City Rejects Data Center Waiver Request
The Wixom City Council rejected a developer’s request to end the data center moratorium, calling the request “unreasonable as it relates to the potential health, safety and welfare impacts in the city.”
- ASML shares fall after hiking sales forecast for second time this year on strong AI chip demand
ASML on Wednesday raised its guidance for a second time this year as its customers continue to ramp up their production capacity of AI chips.