What’s New Today: Huawei launches MateBook Fold with SMIC’s 7nm chip, advancing self-reliant tech despite U.S. restrictions on advanced tools.
Fast-Track Insights: Halter raises $100M, becomes a unicorn, and expands smart cattle management tech across 18 U.S. states amid rising labor shortages.
Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest tech headlines making waves today. Let's dive into the day's top tech stories, from the MateBook Fold with SMIC’s 7nm chip to the Jadavpur University placement.
Huawei has launched its first-ever MateBook Fold laptop, powered by the 7-nanometer Kirin X90 chip, which was manufactured under SMIC's N+2 process. As a demonstration of Huawei's increasing reliance on its technologies, it is also raising questions about whether that choice will come at the cost of opting for the more advanced 5 nm-equivalent N+3 node from SMIC. SMIC, according to reports, appears to be facing scaling issues stemming from U.S. export controls. The dual-screen 18-inch OLED laptop based on HarmonyOS stands equal to Huawei's full-stack approach to hardware, software, and chip design integration.
The Agritech company Halter has recently raised $100 million in Series D funding, reaching a valuation of $1 billion and entering unicorn status. Led by Bond with NewView and an array of current investors following through to this new round, the funding will support Halter's growing profile in the U.S. The company's cattle management system—smart collars, towers, and an app—is all designed to increase production and sustainability. The firm is gaining traction as labor shortages rise in U.S. farming, with Halter technology enabling ranchers to more efficiently manage herds without needing to be physically with them.
The 22-year-old final-year computer science engineering student at Jadavpur University, Upayan, experienced a great summer thanks to the internship with Rubrik, a Bengaluru-based software firm, which subsequently offered a handsome ₹1.5 crore per annum package. This is the biggest domestic package for any JU student in recent years. He attributes his success to JU's academic rigor and faculty support, and stated his preference to work in India despite the general global opportunities.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) helps websites appear in AI-generated responses from ChatGPT, Google AI, and other platforms. GEO emphasizes structured content, verifiable data, and conversational tone to gain undue advantage in zero-click searches. In an ever-rising AI-driven search industry, it would be detrimental for businesses not to adapt their strategies. New content needs to be structured, easy to read, and, most importantly, linked back to the company itself. At the same time, GEO guarantees that all content is searchable, cited, and useful to an ever AI-dominant search field.
According to blockchain investigator ZachXBT, $4 million worth of scams were run through Coinbase phishing expeditions by Christian Nieves, who impersonated support staff to elicit seed phrases from users. More than 30 victims were defrauded of their money, which was then quickly laundered and gambled through Roobet. Although there was no breach of security at Coinbase, the users were exploited due to trust. Since then, Coinbase has further enhanced security controls and launched educational campaigns against the increasingly prevalent social engineering threats to the crypto space.