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Tech News
Nvidia has agreed to acquire Hugging Face, the AI development platform known for hosting open-weight models, in a deal valued at $13 billion. The acquisition strengthens Nvidia's position in the open-source AI ecosystem beyond its core chip business.
ANBERNIC revealed its RG DS Plus handheld in a YouTube video, showing dual 4.3-inch screens, a free-stop hinge, and a capacitive stylus that stores in an integrated slot like the original Nintendo DS. The device runs Linux rather than Android and will ship with a new custom DS emulator called NNDDSS, which supports screen swapping, touch input, save states, microphone use, and over 70 shader options.
A new open-source utility called balrogg recompresses existing Ogg Vorbis and Opus audio files without any loss of quality, typically shaving 8-12% off .ogg files and 3-8% off .opus files. The command-line tool, licensed under GPLv3 and hosted on GitHub, supports batch processing across multiple cores, adjustable compression effort levels from -1 to -9, and optional progress reporting during encoding and decoding.
Nvidia has agreed to purchase AI model repository Hugging Face for $13 billion, a huge jump from the $7 billion valuation the startup rejected from Nvidia just last year to stay independent. The chipmaker says the acquisition will accelerate adoption of open-weight AI models, which let developers download and customize systems rather than rely on proprietary offerings from firms like OpenAI and Anthropic. The deal, expected to close by 2027, surpasses Nvidia's 2020 purchase of Mellanox as its biggest acquisition to date.
Sequoia Capital chairman Doug Leone, worth an estimated $11.7 billion, told his dentist to perform a root canal without novocaine so he wouldn't miss a scheduled meeting. He described gritting through the drilling by comparing it to a soldier's battlefield injuries, then went straight to his meeting before changing his sweat-drenched shirt.
The Toronto Blue Jays posted an animated promotional clip for a Nestea brand partnership that showed telltale signs of AI generation, including garbled text and a character with three arms. When fans called out the flaws, the team's social media account insisted the video was made by a real animator, a claim a community note later disputed.
Apple is facing a new legal challenge in the UK targeting its App Tracking Transparency feature, marking the third such lawsuit in the country. The suit reportedly introduces a new angle compared to prior cases, though it continues to center on claims that Apple's privacy rules unfairly disadvantage third-party developers while exempting its own apps.
The LTO Consortium, backed by HPE, IBM, and Quantum, reports that shipped capacity of LTO-compatible tape media rose 57% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026. The surge follows a 9% dip in 2025 and comes after 2024's record 176.5 exabytes shipped, with LTO-9 tapes driving much of the latest growth. Quantum's CEO attributes the rebound to enterprises needing durable, cost-effective long-term storage as AI-driven data volumes explode.
HTC has launched its Vive Eagle AI glasses globally at $499, offering a camera and audio experience similar to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses but with a key difference: a $49 magnetic Power Boost battery pack that snaps onto the frame to extend usage without removing the glasses. The built-in battery lasts four to five hours, and the add-on pack allows continuous use, unlike Meta's design, which requires placing the glasses in a case to recharge.
Yum! Brands has finished divesting Pizza Hut, selling its non-China operations to private equity firm LongRange Capital for $1.5 billion after already selling Pizza Hut China to Yum! China Holdings for $1.2 billion. Yum! could earn up to $75 million more by 2030 if Pizza Hut meets performance benchmarks, while CEO Chris Turner said the move frees the company to focus on KFC, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill.
Early reviews of Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 5 earbuds highlight strong audio performance alongside a notable design choice: repairable components, a rarity for true wireless earbuds. Details on pricing, battery life and full specs were not disclosed in available coverage.
HTC is bringing its Vive Eagle smart glasses to the US market after debuting them last year, offering a screen-free, glasses-first design. The device includes a 12MP ultrawide camera, 32GB of encrypted storage, and support for either OpenAI or Gemini voice assistants, running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 chip. Pricing starts at $499 for standard or sunglass lenses, rising to $599 for photochromic versions.