عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Technology

Apple’s iPhone Development Schedule Delayed by China Lockdowns, Says Nikkei

CEO Tim Cook presents the new iPhone 11 at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, US, September 10, 2019. (Reuters)
CEO Tim Cook presents the new iPhone 11 at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, US, September 10, 2019. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Apple’s iPhone Development Schedule Delayed by China Lockdowns, Says Nikkei

CEO Tim Cook presents the new iPhone 11 at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, US, September 10, 2019. (Reuters)
CEO Tim Cook presents the new iPhone 11 at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, US, September 10, 2019. (Reuters)

Apple Inc has told its suppliers to speed up iPhone development after China's strict COVID-19 lockdowns hampered schedule for at least one of the new phones, Nikkei reported on Wednesday, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.

Lockdowns due to China's zero-COVID policy led iPhone assembler Pegatron Corp to suspend operations at its Shanghai and Kunshan plants last month.

Financial hub Shanghai remains largely paralyzed by a city-wide lockdown, which is now in its seventh week, while Beijing has ramped up quarantine efforts.

Apple last month forecast bigger problems as COVID-19 lockdowns snarled production and demand in China, with the war in Ukraine adding to the iPhone maker's woes.

In the worst-case scenario, Apple expects the manufacturing schedule and initial production volumes of the new phones to be hurt, the Nikkei business daily reported.

Apple and its suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

Most Viewed

 
 
Technology

Musk Launches 'Terafab' Project to Make Own AI Chips

(FILES) CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, South African-Canadian-US businessman Elon Musk speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
(FILES) CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, South African-Canadian-US businessman Elon Musk speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
TT
TT

Musk Launches 'Terafab' Project to Make Own AI Chips

(FILES) CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, South African-Canadian-US businessman Elon Musk speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
(FILES) CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, South African-Canadian-US businessman Elon Musk speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Elon Musk announced Saturday a plan to make chips for artificial intelligence, robotics and data centers in space, in the latest bold project by the world's richest person.

The "Terafab", a manufacturing facility based near Austin, Texas, will aim to produce one terawatt of computing power per year, Musk said.

A terawatt is equivalent to one trillion watts. That is slightly less than the total power generation capacity of the United States, according to an industry group.

Musk said the project would be run jointly by his electric-vehicle firm Tesla and his rocket company SpaceX.

He did not disclose the initial investment. Previous US media reports have put the figure between $20 billion and $25 billion, AFP said.

Musk, who has no prior experience in semiconductors, said the Terafab was necessary because Tesla and SpaceX's demand for computing power was expected to far exceed that of global chip suppliers.

"We're very grateful to our existing supply chain, to Samsung, TSMC, Micron, and others... but there's a maximum rate at which they're comfortable expanding," Musk said.

"That rate is much less than we would like... and we need the chips, so we're going to build the Terafab."

An "advanced technology fab" in Austin will have the facilities to design, manufacture, test and improve each chip, Musk said.

Eventually, the project aims to make chips to support 100 to 200 gigawatts of computing power on Earth, and a terawatt in space.

Musk did not give a timeline for the Terafab's output, and has previously promised grand results from other projects on compressed time scales.

He said the Terafab would ultimately help humanity become a "galactic civilization" capable of harnessing the resources of other planets and stars.

Technology

Tencent Integrates WeChat with OpenClaw AI Agent Amid China Tech Battle

FILE PHOTO: Tencent's logo is displayed at its booth at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tencent's logo is displayed at its booth at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
TT
TT

Tencent Integrates WeChat with OpenClaw AI Agent Amid China Tech Battle

FILE PHOTO: Tencent's logo is displayed at its booth at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tencent's logo is displayed at its booth at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

Tencent launched a tool on Sunday to integrate its WeChat messaging platform with the OpenClaw agent, deepening its push into AI agents that have become a key battleground among China's technology companies.

The software, called ClawBot, will appear as a contact within WeChat, allowing users of China's most popular app with over 1 billion monthly active users to connect directly ⁠with OpenClaw, Reuters reported.

Users can send ⁠and receive commands to interact with the AI agent through the messaging interface.

The integration comes as OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent that can perform tasks such as transferring files and ⁠sending emails on users' behalf, has gained traction in recent weeks.

Users have rushed to install and experiment with agent products, prompting tech firms to explore business opportunities even as authorities warn of security risks.

Tencent's WeChat integration follows the company's launch earlier this month of its own AI agent suite, comprising QClaw for individual ⁠users, ⁠Lighthouse for developers and WorkBuddy for enterprises.

Last week, Alibaba launched Wukong, an artificial intelligence platform for enterprises that coordinates multiple AI agents to handle complex business tasks including document editing and meeting transcription within a single interface.

Baidu quickly followed with a series of AI agents built on OpenClaw, spanning desktop software, cloud services, mobile tools and smart-home devices.

Technology

OpenAI to Introduce Ads to All ChatGPT Free and Go Users in US

The ChatGPT app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
The ChatGPT app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

OpenAI to Introduce Ads to All ChatGPT Free and Go Users in US

The ChatGPT app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
The ChatGPT app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. (Reuters)

OpenAI will begin showing ads to all users of the free and Go versions of ChatGPT in the United States in the coming weeks, a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

The move was ‌first reported ‌by The Information.

OpenAI has ‌recently ⁠integrated Criteo, an ⁠advertising technology firm that provides an interface for buying ads and improving targeting, into its advertising pilot for the free and Go versions of ChatGPT in ⁠the US, Criteo said in ‌a statement earlier ‌this month.

Criteo has been pitching advertisers ‌on committing between $50,000 and $100,000 ‌in spending, according to The Information.

OpenAI has also advised advertisers that supplying more variations of ad text and ‌visuals can increase how often ads are shown and improve ⁠performance, ⁠the Information added.

OpenAI has been exploring advertising as a new revenue stream as usage of ChatGPT has surged, Reuters has reported.

The company is seeking to diversify revenue as it faces rising costs for computing infrastructure amid intensifying competition in generative AI.