Hiya, folks, welcome to TechCrunchs regular AI newsletter. If you want this in your inbox every Wednesday, sign uphere.OpenAI is making gains at the expense of its chief rivals. On Tuesday, the company announced the Stargate Project, a new joint venture involving Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, Oracle,and others to build AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the U.S. Stargate could attract up to $500 billion in funding for AI data centers over the next four years, should all proceed according to plan.The news was surely to the chagrin of OpenAI competitors like Anthropic and Elon Musks xAI, which will see no comparable enormous infrastructure investment. xAI intends to expand its data center in Memphis to 1 million GPUs, while Anthropic recently signed a deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazons cloud computing division, to use and refine the companys custom AI chips. But its difficult to imagine that either AI company can outpace Stargate, even, as in the case of Anthropic, with Amazons vast resources.Granted, Stargate may not deliver on its promises. Other tech infrastructure projects in the U.S. havent. Recall that, in 2017, Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn pledged and subsequently failed to spend $10 billion for a plant near Milwaukee.But Stargate has more backers and momentum, from what it seems at this juncture behind it. The first data center to be funded by the effort has already broken ground in Abilene, Texas. And the companies participating in Stargate have promised to invest $100 billion at the outset.Indeed, Stargate seems poised to cement OpenAIs incumbency in the exploding AI sector. OpenAI has more active users 300 million weekly than any other AI venture. And it has more customers. Over 1 million businesses are paying for OpenAIs services.OpenAI had first-mover advantage. Now it could have infrastructure supremacy. Rivals will have to be smart if they hope to compete. Brute force wont be a viable option.NewsImage Credits:Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto / Getty ImagesMicrosoft exclusivity no more: Microsoft was once the exclusive provider of data center infrastructure for OpenAI to train and run its AI models. No longer. Now the company only has a right of first refusal.Perplexity launches an API: AI-powered search engine Perplexity has launched an API service called Sonar, allowing enterprises and developers to build the startups generative AI search tools into their own applications.AI speeding the kill chain: My colleague Max interviewed the Pentagons chief digital and AI officer, Radha Plumb. Plumb said that the Department of Defense is using AI to gain a significant advantage in identifying, tracking, and assessing threats.Benchmarks in question: An organization developing math benchmarks for AI didnt disclose that it had received funding from OpenAI until relatively recently, drawing allegations of impropriety from some in the AI community.DeepSeeks new model: Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has released an open version of DeepSeek-R1, its so-called reasoning model, that it claims performs as well as OpenAIso1on certain AI benchmarks.Research paper of the weekImage Credits:MicrosoftLast week, Microsoft spotlighted a pair of AI-powered tools, MatterGen and MatterSim, which it claims could help design advanced materials.MatterGen predicts potential materials with unique properties, grounded in scientific principles. As described in a paper published in the journal Nature, MatterGen generates thousands of candidates with user-defined constraints proposing new materials that meet highly specific needs. As for MatterSim, it predicts which of MatterGens proposed materials are stable and viable. Microsoft says that a team at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology was able to use MatterGen to synthesize a new material. The material wasnt flawless. But Microsoft has released the source code of MatterGen, and the company says it plans to work with other outside collaborators to further develop the tech.Model of the weekGoogle has released a new version of its experimental reasoning model, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental. The company claims it performs better than the original on math, science, and multimodal reasoning benchmarks.Reasoning models like Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental effectively fact-check themselves, whichhelps them to avoid some of thepitfallsthat normally trip up models. As a consequence, reasoning models take a little longer usually seconds to minutes longer to arrive at solutions compared to a typical non-reasoning model. The new Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking also has a 1 million token context window, meaning it can analyze long documents such as research studies and policy papers. One million tokens is equivalent to about 750,000 words, or 10 average-length books.Grab bagImage Credits:GameFactoryAn AI project called GameFactory shows that its possible to generate interactive simulations by training a model on Minecraft videos and then extending that model to different domains.The researchers behind GameFactory, most of whom hail from the University of Hong Kong and Kuaishou, a Chinese company thats partially state-owned, published a few examples of the simulations on the projects website. They leave something to be desired, but the concept is still an interesting one: a model that can generate worlds in endless styles and themes.

From the visionary director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho brings us Mickey 17, a sci-fi epic like no other. Check out the gripping new trailer and get ready for a cinematic experience that will blow your mind!The VFX are made by:DNEG (VFX Supervisor: Chris McLaughlin)Framestore (VFX Supervisor: Stuart Penn)Rising Sun Pictures (VFX Supervisor: Guido Wolter)Turncoat Pictures (VFX Supervisor: Ryan Urban)The Production VFX Supervisor is Dan Glass.The Production VFX Producers are Whitney Gearin and Nicky Coats.Director: Bong Joon HoRelease Date: March 7, 2025 (USA) Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025The post Mickey 17 appeared first on The Art of VFX.

The inimitable Dennis Crompton, cofounder of Archigram, died on January 20, 2025. He was 89. News of his passing was confirmed by his daughter, Catherine, and his longtime friend and collaborator Sir Peter Cook, who called Crompton the Archigram keeper of the Flame.Few architects influenced more late20th century imaginations than Archigram, an ethos Crompton helped sustain as the groups primary archivist. Crompton was also a friend of The Architects Newspaper, and AN cofounder Bill Menking. Crompton and Menking first met in London decades ago and became close. Menking later contributed to Concerning Archigram, a title that was edited by Crompton and published in 1999.More recently, Archigram contributed signed editions of its artworks as the awards forANs Best of Design Awards.Diana Darling, CEO/creative director of AN Media Group, shared, As I reflect on the the more then 30 years of knowing Dennis and the Archigram crew, families, and friends, the memories come flooding back. I remember the historical times spent with Dennis in London and in the U.S. It was fun to work with him each year on the Archigram Best of Design print that we distributed to our top design winners. He was a kind, patient man who held the group together and kept them organized all of these years. Rest in Peace.Finding the Archigram GuysCrompton was born on June 29, 1935, in the northern England city of Blackpool. He later told Hans Ulrich Obrist that as a fairly young child I decided I wanted to be an architect, about the age of twelve. He said it was around that time when he used to take apart his mothers washing machine because I liked to know how things worked, which was an important part of Archigram.As a teenager, Crompton studied mathematics, physics, and art at college in Blackpool. He was accepted into architecture programs at University of Liverpool and University of Manchester, but he chose Manchester because the department there was more technical. He said Steen Eiler Rasmussens book Town and Buildings was a major early influence. After leaving Manchester, he went to work for the planning wing of the London County Council (LCC) on the South Bank development, where he met Ron Herron, who eventually introduced him to Warren Chalk. It was at the LCC where Crompton said he started thinking about concepts like total planning and systems design.Then in his twenties, he cofounded a magazine called Archigram in 1961 with Cook, Herron, Chalk, Michael Webb, and David Greene. The first magazine edition was raw: It was 2-pages long and made with an electric typewriter.That magazine eventually snowballed into the architecture group, Archigram, we know today. We decided something had to be said about the terrible state of English architecture at that time, Crompton noted in describing why he cofounded the magazine. We eventually became known as the Archigram guys, so thats what we went with as a group, Crompton said. At the age of 30, he started teaching at the Architectural Association (AA) in London, where he worked closely with Alvin Boyarsky in the AAs communications department. Later, Crompton would teach at institutions like the Bartlett School of Architecture and lecture widely.Archigram won its first competition in 1969 for a project in Montecarlo, which required them to form an official office. The group set up shop at 53 Endell Street in London. Among the groups best known works were its Plug-In City and contraptions, dubbed things that go bang in the night.Archival FeverIn 1975, Crompton left Archigram because of a national economic meltdown, where offices could only work three days a week due to power shortages, Crompton said. That year, he established the Archigram Archives, which he maintained his entire life.Herron and Crompton curated an Archigram retrospective in Vienna, Austria, in 1994. Crompton kept teaching at the AA and Bartlett his entire career and lectured widely. Concerning Archigram was published in 1999. Later, Crompton digitized Archigrams archives. Menking remained a close friend, so when the group launched the online version of its archive in 2010, Webb and Crompton did so from Menkings Tribeca loft. The online version was hosted by the University of Westminster but is no longer accessible.Michael Webb (back) and Dennis Crompton (front) in the loft of Bill Menking and Diana Darling during the 2010 launch of the Archigram archive. (Courtesy AN)Though Archigram didnt build buildings, its techno-obsessed antics inspired generations of architects. Without the groups countercultural provocations, there would be no gizmo-fancying folks like Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas, and Richard Rogers. Geoff Manaugh, writing in BLDG BLOGabout the online archive when it was announced, said that Archigrams ideas seem unbuilteven unbuildablebut those ideas actually lend themselves surprisingly well to the environment in which we now live, full of extreme suburbs, drive-in everything, KFC-supplied army bases in the middle of foreign deserts, robot bank tellers, and huge, HVAC-dependent wonderlands on the exurban fringe. He continued: The irony, for me, is that Archigrams ideas have, in many ways, actually been constructedbut in most cases it was for the wrong reasons, in the wrong ways, and by the wrong people.In 2011, Crompton joined Menking to honor Michael Webb at a benefit party for the Storefront for Art and Architecture.Menking (left) and Crompton (right) with Webb (center) on the mic during a 2011 event for Storefront. (Dillon DeWaters/Courtesy Storefront for Art and Architecture)Later, Crompton designed a book in 2016 for artist Nancy Goldring and writer Peter Lamborn Wilson. It was published by Spuyten Duyvil. Crompton also editedArchigram: The Book, which was published in 2018. Todd Gannon reviewed the title forAN, with mention of the critique of the groups antics: Archigram unapologetically privileged pleasure over politics and rarely bothered to unpack theoretical propositions beyond pithy captions. Its reluctance to address head-on the thornier sociopolitical implications of its work left its members exposed to searing criticism, particularly in the early 1970s.Archigram TenArchigrams archive was ultimately sold in 2019 to M+ in Hong Kong. After pandemic delays, a portion of the collection was on view in the exhibitionArchigram Citiesin 2020, along with an accompanying series of hybrid events. Archigrams publications were numbered like comic books. After issue nine, published in 1970, there was a half-issue in 1974, and then silence. Until now: Archigram Ten was just released earlier this month. At its core, Archigram 10 aims to reaffirm the groups commitment to imagining architecture beyond the confines of tradition, looking to challenge practitioners to rethink the limits of their discipline, just as the group did over half a century ago, according to coverage in Architecture Today. Contributors include Hitoshi Abe, Odile Decq, Elizabeth Diller, Thom Mayne, and Eric Owen Moss. Additional engagement with the title is forthcoming in AN.

When it comes to foliage, theres a reason its called greenery. But for Cornwall-based photographer Tom Leighton, common plants take on otherworldly dimensions when rendered in unexpected hues.The artists latest series, Fabled Gardens II, focuses predominantly on giant rhubarb, ferns, and rhododendrons, highlighting the captivating patterns and layers of leaves, fronds, and flowers. Leighton illuminates the botanicals at night, setting crisp outlines against dark backgrounds. Leightons photographs (previously) emphasize what he describes as the forces that shape the natural world, tapping into the power of light and color to illustrate dynamic biological processes like photosynthesis, reproduction, growth, and decay.The artist is currently preparing for forthcoming print releases. Follow updates on Instagram, and explore more on his website and Behance.Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Beguiling Botanicals Fluoresce in Tom Leightons Otherworldly Photographs appeared first on Colossal.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus aren't groundbreaking by any means, but the refinements and polish make them easy to recommend.

Samsung's flagship phone of 2025 is finally here, and it's a boringly awesome device.

The new Samsung Galaxy phones have just been revealed, and pre-orders are now open. If you have a phone to trade in, you could score a Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 or Galaxy S25+ without paying a cent upfront. There will be more deals, but AT&T has some of the first.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in titanium black.SamsungSamsung Galaxy S25 UltraIf you have an eligible phone to trade in, AT&T will give you a discount of up to $1,300 off the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which makes the 256GB storage model free, since its regular price is $1,299.You need to trade in a phone with a trade-in value of $230 or more and to pick or upgrade to an eligible AT&T unlimited plan which costs from $75.99 a month. The plan runs for 36 months.For instance, if you have a Samsung Galaxy S24 with 128GB storage in good condition, youll get the full $1,300 trade-in value.Theres another part to this deal: when you take it up, you can get a Galaxy Watch and/or Galaxy Tab for 99c per month, that is, under $36 each.Samsung Galaxy S25 And Galaxy S25+If you prefer the S25 or S25+, there are deals here, too. If you have an eligible phone, that is a Samsung Galaxy S, Z or Note series, you can snag the S25 or S25+ for free. The phone can be in any condition and from any year. So if you have a Samsung Galaxy S21+ with 128GB storage, even if it doesnt power on and off, has a screen with cracks and doesnt have the activation lock turned off, it will still have a trade-in value of $800, which is the price of the Samsung Galaxy S25.This deal also has the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Tab deal of $0.99 a month for 36 months. And it also requires an AT&T plan costing from $75.99 a month. All offers available from att.com.The deals highlighted in this post were independently selected by the Contributor and do not contain affiliate links.

Big data and artificial intelligence concept. Machine learning and cyber mind domination concept in ... [+] form of women face outline outline with circuit board and binary data flow on blue background.gettyHealthcare for neurodivergent individuals has long been riddled with challenges, from delayed diagnoses to fragmented care systems.The burden often falls disproportionately on families, particularly caregivers, who navigate waitlists, insurance battles, and limited resources. But as awareness of neurodivergence grows, so does the opportunity to rethink how healthcare is delivered, taught, and financed.With innovative tools and a shift toward inclusive, patient-centered care, organizations like the Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC) are driving systemic change. As Dr. Mai Pham, founder of IEC, explains, the goal is to create a healthcare system that works for everyone, not just those who fit neatly into its traditional framework.A Personal Mission Becomes a Systemic SolutionFor Pham, the journey to reimagine healthcare began at home. gettyFor Pham, the journey to reimagine healthcare began at home. My second-born, Alex, is 22 and autistic, she shares. Our familys experience with their mental health crisis in high school led to questioning and exploration on my part about how we failed them and how the healthcare system failed us.MORE FOR YOUDespite her position as a national healthcare leader, Pham found herself unprepared for the realities of navigating a system ill-equipped to serve families like hers. I realized families without our resources and healthcare connections would face even worse challenges, she says.This realization galvanized Pham to launch IEC, which focuses on preparing clinicians to work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), designing systems to meet diverse patient needs, and finding better ways to finance those services. We need to balance professional expertise with the wisdom of patients and caregivers lived experiences, Pham emphasizes. Healthcare should aim for holistic well-being, not just the absence of disease.The Caregiver BurdenThe gaps in the healthcare system place an incredible burden on caregivers, often mothers, who are ... [+] forced to become full-time coordinators of their childs care.gettyThe gaps in the healthcare system place an incredible burden on caregivers, often mothers, who are forced to become full-time coordinators of their childs care. Robin McIntosh, CEO of Avela Health, shares her personal experience: Many caregivers, myself included, quit their jobs to manage the overwhelming coordination required to access quality healthcare. From navigating waitlists to driving to distant appointments, its an exhausting journey.Compounding the issue is the lack of diverse care options. Most families are funneled into Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), which may not be suitable for every child. This overreliance on caregivers and the limited spectrum of services make an already challenging journey even more daunting, McIntosh notes.Building a Culture of InclusionFor meaningful change, healthcare systems must embrace inclusivity at every level. gettyFor meaningful change, healthcare systems must embrace inclusivity at every level. IEC is leading the charge by building coalitions that bring healthcare leaders and community members together to co-create solutions.Our healthcare partners tell us that the process changes them, says Pham. It creates a new appreciation for the value of community input and results in better solutions that are more likely to be effective. It also takes the pressure off healthcare leaders to have all the answers.One example of this collaborative approach is the Always Uniquely Me app, developed by IEC in a project on Long Island. The app allows individuals with IDD or their caregivers to upload personal information, such as communication preferences, anxiety triggers, and tips for effective interactions. It humanizes the person to that clinician and helps reduce stress for everyone involved, Pham explains.Pham envisions the app being useful beyond the IDD community. Wouldnt that also be incredibly helpful for people with dementia? Or non-English speakers? she asks. Were trying to create the healthcare equivalent of curb cutsa system designed to be inclusive rather than retrofitted.The Role of Technology in Transforming CareTechnology is proving to be a game-changer in improving healthcare for neurodivergent individuals. ... [+] Telehealth, for example, allows clinicians to observe patients in their home environments, reducing the stress of traveling to medical offices.gettyTechnology is proving to be a game-changer in improving healthcare for neurodivergent individuals. Telehealth, for example, allows clinicians to observe patients in their home environments, reducing the stress of traveling to medical offices.Telehealth offers a clearer window into a patients daily life, says McIntosh. Its improving both accessibility and quality of care for autistic individuals.AI-powered platforms are another promising innovation. Avela Health uses AI to deliver scalable, personalized care plans grounded in evidence-based methodologies like Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI). These tools integrate seamlessly into daily routines, offering families practical solutions, McIntosh says.Beyond care delivery, technology is also enhancing clinician efficiency. Pham highlights the potential of AI to streamline administrative tasks, such as notetaking, allowing clinicians to focus on patient care. No one enters this field to take notes, she says. Technology can free up time for what truly matters.

Key TakeawaysTikTok, which was scheduled to get banned as per the divest-or-ban bill, became unavailable for many users.However, after Trump assumed office, he promised to sign an order that would delay the ban, which allowed TikTok to restore services for the time being.The final fate of the company is yet to be decided.After being unavailable for just 12 hours, TikTok is back online for many users with the message Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trumps efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!TikToks struggle with the US government has been going on for a year now. Last year former president Joe Biden signed a bill that forced TikTok to either part ways with its parent company ByteDance or risk getting banned in the US.TikTok obviously opposed this decision and engaged in a legal battle that went on till the end of 2024. In the end, TikTok lost and was scheduled to get banned.On Saturday night, the app became unusable for many. It was also unavailable on Apple and Google Play Store.However, things took a turn when Trump assumed office on January 20. As per his promise to keep TikTok around for a while, he promised to issue an executive order on the same day as his term began to delay the execution of the law.He urged TikToks partners to allow the app to keep operating and also promised that neither of them will be held accountable regardless of what happens with TikTok in the end.This assurance allowed TikTok to restore services even before the order was signed.Its unclear why Trump is so invested in saving TikTok. During his first term, it was he who suggested the idea of banning this platform. But this time, he has been rallying for it, openly speaking against the ban and promising to save it.It might have something to do with the fact that TikTok is very popular among the youth, and this time, they were his chief target for his vote bank. He did win the youth vote by a significant margin and confessed that TikTok might have something to do with it.What Happens Now?The fate of the company is yet to be decided. But TikTok is hoping for at least a 90-day extension to get enough time to handle this issue.During this time, it would try to sell the company to a non-Chinese owner. There have been rumors that this owner might be Elon Musk. However, nothing official has been confirmed just yet. Also, instead of a complete sell-off, might look to establish a 50-50 joint venture between ByteDance and the new American owner. This would be a win for all parties involved.ByteDance will be happy that it wont completely lose its precious app and access to the American market and the US authorities will be assured that the company is no longer engaging in any activity that could harm the country or its citizens.TikTok and CEO Shou Chew are very happy with Trumps quick response. He has expressed his gratitude to him multiple times. He even posted a video thanking him for his support and promising to keep cooperating with him to create a long-term solution that works for both parties.He also promised to attend Trumps Make America Great Again Victory Rally in Washington, DC before the official inauguration.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Alpa is a tech writer and editor with a wealth of experience in alternative finance, fintech, cryptocurrency, app security software, and the medical industry. Shes passionate about breaking down complex topics and sharing informative content that provides value. View all articles by Alpa Somaiya Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.

In a nutshell: Xiaomi is introducing an exclusive gaming technology to its latest flagship Pad 6S Pro tablet. The virtualization software, dubbed "WinPlay," should run at least some AAA Windows titles on HyperOS, though users should not expect GeForce-level performance. Xiaomi System Software Development Director Zhang Guoquan recently introduced WinPlay as a potential turning point for tablet gaming. WinPlay is a new virtualization technology designed to run Windows games on HyperOS, a complex translation layer enabling triple-A gaming on mobile devices.WinPlay can work entirely offline, eliminating the need for cloud servers. The system exploits the underlying capabilities of Xiaomi HyperCore, the kernel running at the heart of the HyperOS computing platform. It's a "three-layer" virtualization technology specifically designed to run games, meaning it cannot run other Windows apps.Running the WinPlay Engine for the first time was an "incredible" experience, Guoquan said. Users can download, install, and run Windows games directly from Steam, and the translation technology reportedly only presents a 2.9 percent GPU performance loss.Despite being touted as a powerful virtualization solution for the latest Windows games, hardcore gamers will likely find WinPlay disappointing. Tomb Raider 9 (2013) runs at an average of 45 frames per second, though power consumption for the whole device is just 8.3W. Xiaomi says the WinPlay experience is comparable to running native games on a tablet.Xiaomi had to rewrite HyperCore's system architecture to make WinPlay run in the kernel space and intelligently allocate resources. The virtualization tech can support dedicated gaming peripherals over Bluetooth, including keyboards, mice, and controllers. However, the company optimized WinPlay for Xbox controllers, which can provide additional haptic feedback effects. Multiplayer is supported as well, with up to four people playing together. // Related StoriesGuoquan noted that WinPlay is still a work-in-progress virtualized mobile gaming solution and is only available in beta form for users running the Hyper OS 2 Beta system. The technology is only compatible with the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 tablet for now. Xiaomi has no plans for additional device support or a specific release timeline to reveal, for that matter. Guoquan only confirmed that developers plan to continue to improve WinPlay after a period of user feedback on the beta.Image credit: Trusted Reviews