The American Institute of Architects has published an updated report on inbound trends within residential design. The latest AIA Home Design Trends Survey for Q4 2024 indicated an increase in stylistic diversity, the desire for "simpler" exterior details, and a continued shift away from the "Modern Farmhouse" trends that predominated in the previous decade.Comparing the findings to Q4 of 2023, there was a marked increase in the popularity of high-density development and multi-generational housing (55%), walkable neighborhoods (46%), and dedicated open space (34%) over the previous quarter of 2024.Popular home styles recorded in the latest AIA survey. Image credit: American Institute of ArchitectsIn terms of Home Styles, an upswing of front/side porches (34%), single-story homes (22%), and an increase in clients' queries for replicated mid-century styles (15%).Popular home exteriors trends recorded in the latest AIA survey. Image credit: American Institute of ArchitectsThe findin...

Atomic Heart has always been a strange game to think about. Even back when it launched, while its foundations were pretty decent, there was something to be said about the level of repetitiveness thanks to the games rather unnecessary open world. Since then, discussions about the title have been divided, with some praising the core gameplay, writing, and imaginative story, while others criticising the lack of variety present throughout the game, only punctuated by clever but brief bits of puzzle-solving. With its DLC releases, however, developer Mundfish has been hard at work experimenting with not only the gameplay, but with level design and writing as well. In many ways, the latest DLC Enchantment Under the Sea feels like a culmination of all the studio has learned when it comes to game design.While the previous DLCs for Atomic Heart have been wildly different, with one essentially offering up more of what was already present in the base game and the other being a wild alternate-reality take on the story, Enchantment Under the Sea is an interesting one where it focuses back on the central storyline of the game, while also eschewing the base games more open design in favour of linear levels. While the game kicks off with a bang, having you break out of the building where you fought off the previous antagonists and finding your wife, you very quickly end up reuniting with Granny and setting off to explore an underwater facility in an effort to find the all-important wedding rings."You very quickly end up reuniting with Granny and setting off to explore an underwater facility"In being a much more linear experience where youre constantly making unambiguous forward progress in some form or another, Enchantment Under the Sea often ends up showing some of the most creative aspects that Atomic Heart has ever seen. Not only does the game introduce a host of new enemy types that you will have to juggle with, each with their own unique weaknesses that require entirely new tactics than what you might be used to, the game also goes further with its puzzle solving aspects. Now dont get me wrong, youre not going to get puzzle designs that rival something like a classic Zelda title, but their presence still ends up providing quite a bit of variety, as well as some breaks, in between bouts of relatively difficult encounters.The writing also feels a lot better than what weve seen from Atomic Heart so far. Yes, there are still moments of unnecessary dialogue with jokes that tend to kill the tension that is otherwise bearing down on you. And yes, it does contribute to the identity crisis we mentioned even in our review of the games first DLC, Annihilation Instinct. But at least this time around, the jokes arent going to make you cringe or groan. Much of the humour comes from P3s attempts to reconnect with his wife, which tends to offer plenty of tender moments as well. While there is still a general sense that the studio was torn between making this a more serious story in an effort to wrap things up in time for the next DLC to serve as a finale of sorts, the presence of these jokes still ends up undermining quite a bit of the atmosphere they were going for with Enchantment Under the Sea.Aside from that, however, the story continues what has ostensibly been an insane ride from the get go. The underwater facility you spend much of the DLC exploring eventually ends up much more sprawling and spacious than you first thought, and my first impression was that Atomic Heart is trying its own hand at a Rapture-esque setting. While BioShocks Rapture served as more than just a scenic backdrop, offering up some commentary on the idea of objectivist philosophy and unchecked capitalism, while also being a rather fantastic setting for a horror game, Enchantment Under the Seas setting doesnt really bother going there. Sure, there are tiny tidbits of lore strewn about that players can find, be it through conversations with corpses or records on computers, but ultimately, the DLCs setting really is just a scenic backdrop to the action.The only real downside of the story in Enchantment Under the Sea is that it needs quite a bit of buy-in for the player to be able to understand. Essentially, since its picking things up where the game last left off, you cant just start with the DLC; you will absolutely have to finish at least the base game to understand whats going on. All in all, however, when you consider the fact that this is the third DLC release for the game, this isnt really that much of an issue."Essentially, since its picking things up where the game last left off, you cant just start with the DLC"When it comes to action, Enchantment Under the Sea brings with it new types of powers that players can experiment with, with the standouts being a grappling hook and a fireball. The grappling hook, called the Whip, is used quite extensively throughout the DLC, and ends up being surprisingly versatile, useful in both exploration as well as combat. In fact, the whip was likely the key inspiration behind most of the puzzles in the DLC, which often require you to grapple around to get a vantage point on the whole puzzle. There are also platforming challenges that involve heavy use of the whip, with a memorable example involving you having to constantly swing between two electrified train tracks to dodge oncoming trains while you try to look for safe nooks and crannies. While it wont exactly let you feel like Spider-Man as you swing around, it still offers a fun new way to explore the DLCs levels.In combat, the whip starts out with a simple enough function: you can grapple into enemies to get closer. This can then be further augmented by providing various buffs and debuffs, like letting you block an enemys major attack when you grapple into them. The fireball, while not nearly as versatile, still feels great to use. Essentially acting like a large grenade, fireballing becomes an excellent way to maintain crowd control when youre getting swarmed by lots of enemies, for example. The fireball unfortunately doesnt do much for exploration, aside from letting you destroy specific obstacles; this ends up feeling like little more than an afterthought.Really, the only real problem with the combat in Enchantment Under the Sea is one that cant really be solved with a DLC release, and would require a fundamental redesign of the entirety of Atomic Heart. The problem is that when you get into a big fight, readability essentially goes out the window. While enemies will let you know when theyre about to hit you, the general speed and abilities of the various enemies you fight always end up feeling like theyre ideas taken from a much faster game, but without the slowing down to make them more suited to Atomic Hearts combat. It doesnt help that enemies can also sometimes be quite difficult to even spot. While it doesnt feel too bad often, the few times the games readability became an issue stuck out like a sore thumb."Youre not going to be getting any ground-breaking new content"Ultimately, Enchantment Under the Sea just goes to show how strong the foundations of Atomic Heart have always been. Despite its identity crisis, the writing in the DLC is still some of the best from throughout the game, with characters feeling more like real people than they have in either the base game or the previous DLCs. The story also definitely feels like its coming to a head, and Enchantment Under the Sea feels like its getting ready for the big finale with the next DLC. Visually, the DLC takes heavy inspiration from BioShock, with its underwater facility feeling like it might just be as sprawling and huge as Rapture was. The more focused approach to storytelling, opting for linear levels rather than throwing the player into an open world also does wonders for not only the writing and pacing, but for gameplay as well.While youre not going to be getting any ground-breaking new content with Enchantment Under the Sea, it is quite easy to recommend the DLC, especially to players that like Atomic Heart. Not only does it offer up the same excellent shooter gameplay as the base game, but the level design, variety of encounters, new enemies, new powers, and fun writing all add up to being an excellent way to spend a weekend. Throw on top the fact that the DLCs story makes it feel like Mundfish is just about getting ready to wrap things up with the overarching plot of Atomic Heart and Enchantment Under the Sea ends up feeling like a DLC you just cant miss.This game was reviewed on PC.

After waiting years and years with no updates (and receiving one middling remastered trilogy), it finally happened Koei Tecmo announced a new Ninja Gaiden during the recent Xbox Developer_Direct. This isnt a reboot or separate project like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebounds homage to the classic NES series. Ninja Gaiden 4 is a full-fledged sequel and the newest mainline title occurring after 2012s Ninja Gaiden 3.Best of all, its out this Fall for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC while also launching day one on Game Pass. Here are ten new things we learned about Ninja Gaiden 4, and what makes it truly exciting for long-time series fans.Collaboration With PlatinumGamesWhile the announcement of a Ninja Gaiden sequel was shocking enough, it was even more surprising to hear that Team Ninja isnt alone. Its working with PlatinumGames of Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising fame to develop Ninja Gaiden 4. On Xbox Wire, Team Ninja head Fumihiko Yasuda explained that Koei Tecmos President, Hisashi Koinuma, and PlatinumGames CEO, Atsushi Inaba, share a close relationship, which led us to explore a collaborative development effort.PlatinumGames had the expertise we felt was ideal for working on Ninja Gaiden, and with support from Microsofts Phil-san, the three companies were able to take the next step towards creating a brand-new Ninja Gaiden.Return to TokyoPlayers will be returning to Tokyo in the sequel, but its a different metropolis this time around. Thats because the Dark Dragon, who Ryu Hayabusa defeated in Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, has returned. Hes far from happy as well, with his husk blanketing the city in a miasma rain causing it to crumble. The objective is simple: Navigate Tokyos winding paths and treacherous foes to defeat the Dark Dragon once and for all. Theres likely to be a sinister twist or two in wait how did the Dark Dragon return anyway? and we cant wait to see how it unfolds.A New FaceHowever, this time, players will be approaching the journey from a different perspective. Yakumo is a new playable character, part of the Raven Clan (which is opposed to the Hayabusa Clan) and a Master Ninja heir apparent. Hes been tasked with slaying the Dark Dragon. Series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa is still playable, appearing throughout the title, though how extensively remains to be seen. The kicker is that Yakumo opposes him at various points, again for unknown reasons, though their clans not getting along certainly doesnt help.Why did Team Ninja and PlatinumGames opt for a different protagonist? Director and producer Yuji Nakao noted, Since its been a while since the last game, we wanted a new hero to make the series more approachable for new players. Of course, we also wanted long-time fans to enjoy the game, so Ryu Hayabusa plays a significant role in the story, serving as a major challenge and growth milestone for Yakumo.High-Speed CombatIf theres one takeaway from the gameplay footage showcased thus far, its that Ninja Gaiden 4 is a triumphant return to the high-speed combat that defined the 3D series. The core theme is adversity, and it is prominent throughout each stage, with Yakumo facing all kinds of threats, from Fiends to an Order in charge of policing Tokyo (which could be those sick-looking cyberpunk-like samurai enemies). The action rarely lets up, even as you navigate and traverse Tokyos rainy street.Bloodraven FormTaking on multiple enemies at once and figuring out how to succeed, much less survive, has been a core tenet of the series. In this respect, Yakumo brings a new tool to the table Bloodraven Form. Described by Nakao as a technique that manipulates the blood of oneself and enemies, it involves wielding a massive bloody blade to cleave through multiple threats at a time.If you fulfil certain conditions, then a Bloodbath Kill is triggered, bisecting enemies in the blink of an eye (and a stylish red and black splash screen). Its unique for allowing players to instantly turn the tide of battle in their favor, though looking sick as heck is also a point in its favor.1v1 BattlesOf course, theres more than small fry to deal with. Youll engage in 1v1 battles against significantly stronger threats who will guard against attacks and match Yakumos speed. Studying their movements and searching for the right moments is the key to victory. Thus far, weve seen a few boss-like enemies, including a large cybernetic samurai and a fiendish being who fights with a parasol. Then there are the battles against Hayabusa himself.New and Returning MovesThe Flying Swallow and Izuna Drop return in stylish fashion, and theyre not exclusive to Ryu Yakumo can wield them as well (though both characters possess completely unique fighting styles). Team Ninja also promises the addition of new moves never-before-seen in the series. Ultimate and Obliteration Techniques also return, with the latter manifesting as brutal executions on Order troops from beheadings to disembowelling in the recent gameplay footage.More Verticality and New Traversal OptionsNinja Gaiden isnt just about brutal combat it also leans heavily into fast-paced mobility and traversal options. Team Ninja promises enhanced verticality, with the signature wall jumps and wall runs returning. However, players can also grind on rails, leaping from one to the other as necessary, and employ a grappling hook to traverse gaps. With Tokyo falling into ruin, youll have to contend with collapsing buildings and roads while traversing throughout.70-80 Percent CompleteIn case theres any doubt as to whether Ninja Gaiden 4 will launch this year, Nakao confirmed that its currently 70 to 80 percent complete, and the teams have entered the polishing phase. PlatinumGames will continue to work closely with Team NINJA, ensuring every detail meets the expectations of fans. Of course, this doesnt guarantee that itll meet its Fall release window it could very well move things around due to a certain open-world magnum opus launching at the same time but things are seemingly on track.Regardless, Nakao hyped more information so that fans would understand how fun and exciting the game is. He also said as both a fan and a developer, Nakao promised to do my utmost to deliver an experience that satisfies everyone.Potential DemoAnother interesting morsel from the same Xbox Wire interview is a potential demo. Yasuda said he was thrilled that we were finally able to make this announcement and hope it brings joy to our fans while adding, We are looking into ways to give you opportunities to get hands-on experience, so please stay tuned.For those familiar with Team Ninjas work, this isnt too surprising. Nioh 1 and 2 both received betas before their launches, with the feedback helping to improve the final experiences. The same goes for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Even Koei Tecmo has adopted the practice for other titles like the recent Dynasty Warriors: Origins. If Fall seems too far away, then rest assured that there may be a chance to play sooner rather than later.

Reef sharks are abundant in the new marine proteted area. Enric Sala / National Geographic Pristine SeasA region of the Pacific Ocean thats larger than Switzerland is now fully protected from fishing, thanks to the creation of a massive new marine sanctuary in the Marshall Islands.The Marshall Islands are located in the west-central Pacific Ocean, between the Philippines, Hawaii and French Polynesia. The new marine protected area spans 18,500 square miles of water surrounding two remote, northern atolls, called Bikar and Bokak.Bikar and Bokaks coral reefs are a time machine, like diving in the ocean of 1,000 years ago, says Enric Sala, founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas, in a statement. They are our best baselines for what the ocean could look like if we truly let it be.The atolls, which are uninhabited, are flourishing with life, says Whitney Goodell, a marine ecologist at National Geographic Pristine Seas, to Theyre brimming with seabirds, deep-sea sharks, giant clams, fish and coralincluding endangered bristle-thighed curlew birds and vulnerable Napoleon wrasse fish. They also host a large green sea turtle nesting colony and a group of bumphead parrotfish, a type of fish thats important for coral reef health. The atolls are home to steephead parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos) and many other types of marine creatures. Enric Sala / National Geographic Pristine SeasNational Geographic Pristine Seas is an initiative that promotes the creation of new marine protected areas in collaboration with Indigenous and local communities. Since launching in 2008, the project has helped establish 29 marine sanctuary areas spanning more than two million square miles.In 2023, researchers with National Geographic Pristine Seas and the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority completed an exploratory expedition to the atolls to learn more about the creatures living up to 7,677 feet beneath the oceans surface.They made 452 dives near Bikar, Bokak, Bikini and Rongerik atolls, spending roughly 643 hours under the water. They also explored the area using a submersible and cameras, and they collected water samples for genetic testing.Bikar and Bokak were, if not the most pristine, some of the most pristine waters and coral reefs and coral atolls we have ever viewed anywhere on Earth, says Ryan Jenkinson, director of expeditions for National Geographic Pristine Seas, to Radio New Zealands Caleb Fotheringham.Scientists shared their findings from that expedition with local decisionmakers to inform a process called reimaanlok, a traditional Marshall Islands conservation philosophy that translates to look toward the future. The reimaanlok is rooted in the idea that coastal communities know best how to sustainably and equitably manage their local resources. The new marine protected area includes Bikar Atoll (shown here) and Bokak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Steve Spence / National Geographic Pristine SeasBy protecting the waters surrounding the atolls, Marshall Islands leaders hope to see a boost in fish populations, which will in turn provide food and jobs for coastal communities.The ocean as our ancestors knew it is vanishing, says Hilda Heine, president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, in the statement. Without sustainable ocean ecosystems, our economy, stability and cultural identity will collapse. The only way to continue benefiting from the oceans treasures is to protect it.The establishment of the marine protected area will likely be a boon to scientists, too, who expect to find new species of fish and invertebrates living in the pristine ecosystem. Researchers also hope the protection will ultimately help make the atolls coral reefs more resilient in the face of threats like climate change and disease.When you have these fully intact reefseven if the water gets so warm that some bleaching happens and some of the reef diesit will bounce back really, really quickly, Jenkinson tells Radio New Zealand. [Coral reefs] have adapted and evolved to bounce back but only if they are totally functioning.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Birds, Fish, Oceans, Pacific Ocean, Sea Birds, wildlife

The Tesla Roadster and the mannequin "Starman" on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy upper stage, with Earth in background. SpaceXAt the beginning of the year, scientists at the Minor Planet Center at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian, logged the discovery of an asteroid identified by an amateur astronomer. Within a day, however, they deleted the item, called 2018 CN41, because they realized it wasnt a natural object: It was a Tesla strapped to part of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.The designation 2018 CN41, announced in MPEC 2025-A38 on Jan 2, 2025, UT, is being deleted, reads the retraction notice. The next day it was pointed out the orbit matches an artificial object 2018-017A, Falcon Heavy Upper stage with the Tesla roadster.Now, the obvious question: How did a Tesla end up in space? The vehiclepreviously owned and driven by Elon Musk, CEO of both Tesla and SpaceXwas launched withFalcon Heavy on the rockets first test flight in 2018 to simulate the mass of a payload. Firmly attached to the Falcon Heavys upper stage, the car launched into orbit around Earth for six hours, then shifted into a solar orbit, which will remain stable for several million years, according to NASA. In the car sits a mannequin named Starman, and the sound system launched blasting Space Oddity by David Bowie.The car is now one of several human-made objects hurtling through deep space. But typically, the work of the Minor Planet Center (MPC) doesnt deal with artificial things. The MPC is instead responsible for tracking naturally occurring, small bodies in the solar system, like asteroids and comets. Citizen scientists can use the organizations publicly available catalog of observations to discover new objects.However, because there are more and more artificial objects launched and their observations incidentally end up in our catalog, distinguishing these Earthly creations from natural objects is not trivial, Peter Veres, an astronomer at the MPC, tells Smithsonian magazine. We rely on a catalog of artificial objects and a third-party software (sat_id by Bill Gray) that can identify most of the artificial objects, he adds.The recent hullabaloo started when an amateur astronomer from Turkey reported a small, previously unidentified near-Earth object from 2018 data. The object wasnt listed in sat_id, nor did it orbit Eartha feature that would normally be a sign of an artificial object, according to Veres. As a result, it appeared to be an asteroid.I was ecstatic and submitted the identification, the amateur astronomer tells Astronomys Mark Zastrow. The objects orbit around the sun brought it less than 150,000 miles from Earth, which is closer than the moonmaking it an object worth keeping an eye on.To a telescope, an artificial object and a rock in the same orbit look pretty similar without a lot of detailed follow-up investigation, Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics, tells Smithsonian magazine.But after submitting the finding, the amateur astronomer started having doubts. McDowell quickly figured out it was the Falcon upper stage, he adds to Astronomy. Being slightly embarrassed that I might have caused unnecessary excitement I quickly went to MPCs help desk and let them know the [near-Earth object] I just submitted was a rocket stage.Veres says the search for asteroids and comets isnt impacted by artificial objects in low Earth orbit, such as satellites. However, the artificial objects that can change their orbits, are traveling far from Earth or approach our planet decades after launching into distant space can be more difficult to differentiate from natural celestial bodies.The Teslas orbit is computed by NASA because of its notoriety, but most deep-space orbits of artificial objects are not disclosed, per Astronomy. The presence of these objects messes up the statisticshow many risky asteroids are out there and so on, McDowell tells Smithsonian magazine. I would say its a nuisance but not a hugely serious problemyet. But as space activity increases, it can become one.Such cases of mistaken identity remain relatively rare occurrenceslast year, submitters used the same MPC database to successfully discover 47 near-Earth objects, Veres says. Even still, this is not the first time that artificial objects have fooled their way into the MPCs minor planet database. For example, in 2020, the MPC deleted near-Earth object MPEC U58 after scientists realized its orbit matched that of a spacecraft booster from NASAs Lucy mission to Jupiters Trojan asteroids. Another identification turned out to be the Spektr-RG X-ray observatory, launched by Russia and Germany in 2019.This recent incident underscores the pressing need for improved communication and transparency among space agencies, private companies and nations, says Veres. Unfortunately, not all entities share their data in a timely manneror at all. A more collaborative approach to space traffic management and data sharing would significantly enhance the ability to differentiate between natural and artificial objects, benefiting both the scientific community and the safety of Earths orbital environment.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Existing open-source AI approaches are still not entirely open, which is a challenge that former Google and Apple engineers alongside a coalition of 13 universities are looking to solve.Read More

BioWare's "agile, focused" approach sees jobs cut and others redeployed across "EA teams"Mass Effect team "doesn't require support from the full studio"Image credit: BioWare News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 29, 2025 BioWare is "reimagining" how it works, saying that the team behind the next Mass Effect game "do[es]n't require support from the full studio."Consequently - and without clarifying the number of people impacted by the changes - general manager Gary McKay said the studio had "worked diligently" to redeploy BioWare staff "with other teams at EA."Reporting at IGN, however, also suggests a "smaller number" of Dragon Age team members have been laid off."Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been released, a core team at BioWare is developing the next Mass Effect game under the leadership of veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others," McKay explained in a statement."In keeping with our fierce commitment to innovating during the development and delivery of Mass Effect, we have challenged ourselves to think deeply about delivering the best experience to our fans. We are taking this opportunity between full development cycles to reimagine how we work at BioWare."Given this stage of development, we dont require support from the full studio. We have incredible talent here at BioWare, and so we have worked diligently over the past few months to match many of our colleagues with other teams at EA that had open roles that were a strong fit."Todays news will see BioWare become a more agile, focused studio that produces unforgettable RPGs," McKay's statement concluded. "We appreciate your support as we build a new future for BioWare."These cuts are the latest in a number of cuts across BioWare to match "the studio's changing needs."Dragon Age: The Veilguard game director Corinne Busche recently confirmed her departure from BioWare, revealing that it was a "voluntary" decision after receiving an offer outside of the developer."My departure was voluntary, as I have been presented with an opportunity I couldn't turn down," Busche said at the time. "I don't want to say much more right now, but you can count on it being in the CRPG space and upholding the tradition of great characters."

Justin Carter, Contributing EditorJanuary 29, 20252 Min ReadImage via Bend Studio/PlayStation.At a GlanceBend and Bluepoint's projects were recently canceled by PlayStation as the publisher shifts away from live-service games.Two weeks after Sony cancelled its in-development live-service game, Bend Studio has laid off an unknown number of contractors.Several designers contracted to work on the unannounced game have revealed they were recently let go or will be laid off after February 14. These workers were part of Bend's level and system design teams. One designer stated Bend "made the decision to prematurely rescind all ongoing contracts except for a select few that will be hired full time."Both Bend and Bluepoint Games were working on separate live-service projects at the time of their cancellation. Bluepoint was leading development on a title based on Sony Santa Monica's God of War series. After the projects were ended, Bend community manager Kevin McAllister said the company still had a future, and planned on "creating cool shit."The live-service losses at PlayStationPlayStation has previously conducted layoffs after pulling the plug on its various live-service games. When it cut 900 jobs last year, it killed several planned titles, including one for the Twisted Metal series. It similarly shut down Concord developer Firewalk Studios after the game commercially underperformed.In late 2023, Naughty Dog similarly cut contractor positions across its QA, art, and production teams. Those cuts came after work on the studio's Last of Us multiplayer spinoff was suspended following a troubled development cycle. The spinoff was officially canceled months later.The cancellation of its multiplayer project means Bend Studio will have not shipped a game for over six years. The last game the company released wasDays Gonein 2019.Game Developer has reached out to Sony for confirmation on Bend's contractor layoffs, and will update this story when a statement is provided.Read more about:Layoffs[Company] PlayStationAbout the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Microsofts cloud and AI businesses are doing pretty well and their impact is being felt across the company. In its Q2 2025 earnings, Microsoft announced revenue of $69.6 billion for the quarter, up 12 percent year-over-year, and net income of $24.1 billion, which is up 10 percent year-over-year.As for the AI business, CEO Satya Nadella says in a statement that it has surpassed an annual revenue run rate of $13 billion, up 175 percent year-over-year. The companys Azure and other cloud services business grew 31 percent year-over-year, a slight decrease from 33 percent YoY growth the previous quarter.The companys gaming revenues didnt fare so well. Gaming revenue declined 7 percent, and Xbox hardware revenue declined 29 percent. Microsoft has been moving away from a focus on its own hardware with messaging like its This is an Xbox ad campaign and bringing Xbox Game Studios games to other platforms, and those changes could be contributing to the decline.That means the focus is instead on games and services, and thats where the business is seeing some improvements. Xbox content and services revenue were up 2 percent, driven by growth in Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft says. (Last quarter, Microsofts software gaming revenues were way up even as Xbox hardware revenue declined.)Microsoft also said that it saw Windows OEM and Devices revenue growth of 4 percent year-over-year, a slight bump from 2 percent in Q1.Well update this story with anything notable from Microsofts earnings call, which kicks off at 5:30PM ET. Nadella typically speaks during the call, and in addition to touching on the companys previous quarter, were curious if hell discuss recent developments like the Stargate AI infrastructure project, the rise of DeepSeek, or his selfie with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Its one week into Elon Musks new role as chief cost-cutter for the Trump administration, but today, his side hustle as CEO of Tesla takes center stage with the release of the companys latest earnings report. During the fourth quarter of 2024, Tesla said it earned $2.3 billion in net income on $25.7 billion in revenue. That represents a 1.9 percent increase year over year compared to $25.2 billion in revenue in Q4 2023 and a 70 percent decrease in net income. (The companys net income in Q4 2023 includes a one-time non-cash tax benefit of $5.9 billion.)Analyst consensus predicted $27.26 billion in revenue, according to an average of estimates compiled by LSEG. For the full year, Tesla said it earned $7.1 billion in net income on $97.7 billion in revenue, a 6 percent decrease compared to 2023. Analyst consensus predicted $27.26 billion in revenueTesla said it sold $692 million in regulatory credits to other automakers in Q4, representing about a quarter of its profits. For the full year, it sold nearly $2.8 billion in credits, but Trump has said he wants to kill Californias emissions program that allows Tesla to rake in these credit sales.Tesla said it was making progress on bringing down the cost of goods sold (COGS) per vehicle to under $35,000, its lowest level yet. The company attributes this to raw material cost improvement. And it reiterated its intention to release a more affordable EV later this year. Meanwhile, deliveries of the refreshed Model Y, which starts at $61,630, are expected in the first quarter of this year.Plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025, the company said. These vehicles will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line-up.Tesla shared some updates about its efforts to develop fully autonomous vehicles. Tesla said its drivers have now cumulatively driven over 3 billion miles on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as of January. It also claims to have increased AI training compute by over 400% in 2024. And it says it remains on track to unlock an unsupervised FSD option for our customers and the Robotaxi business, which we expect to begin launching later this year in parts of the US. FSD is also coming to Europe and China, the company said.Tesla also said it was making progress on growing its manufacturing footprint. It shared new pictures of its newly completed Shanghai Megapack factory, as well as the upcoming Semi truck factory in Nevada, where production is slated to start later in 2025.Teslas Semi factory in Nevada. Screenshot: TeslaTeslas Megapack factory in Shanghai Screenshot: TeslaAnother interesting photo included in the earnings report was of the companys 50,000 GPU training cluster in Giga Texas called Cortex. According to the company:Cortex helped enable V13 of FSD (Supervised)1, which boasts major improvements in safety and comfort thanks to 4.2x increase in data, higher resolution video inputs, 2x reduction in photon-to-control latency and redesigned controller, among other enhancements. FSD (Supervised) can now start from park and perform unpark, reverse and park capabilities.Teslas 50,000 GPU training cluster in Giga Texas called Cortex Screenshot: TeslaIn terms of the Cybertruck, Tesla said it anticipates the polarizing EV will soon become eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, helping to improve affordability and access for even more customers. Of course, Trump has signaled his intention to eliminate the tax credit at some point in the future.Tesla included an interesting chart in its shareholder letter outlining the new technologies in the Cybertruck that will also appear in the companys future vehicles. Unsurprisingly the company does not appear to be interested in using the trucks stainless steel exoskeleton, which is incredibly difficult to manufacture, in any subsequent models.A chart of the Cybertrucks technologies that will carry over to future vehicles. Screenshot: TeslaThe earnings report comes on the heels of a disappointing production and delivery report, in which the company revealed that its sales had fallen year over year for the first time in over a decade. Despite the recent arrival of a refreshed Model Y in North America, Teslas lineup is increasingly looking a little stale, especially in the companys most important market of China, where domestic automakers continue to churn out new, cheap technologically impressive EVs. But it also comes as Musk continues to consolidate power within the US government, installing former employees to key positions and overseeing a potentially massive purge of federal workers. Musk is reportedly sleeping at the Department of Government Efficiency headquarters in Washington, DC a retread of his habits of sleeping on the floor of Teslas factory during the Model 3 production ramp.Investors have asked repeatedly about Teslas plan to release a more affordable model. Last year, the company abandoned its plan to build a more affordable Model 2 vehicle that was rumored to cost around $25,000. But after backlash from investors, Musk recommitted to it although its still unclear whether it will be an entirely new vehicle or simply a more affordable Model 3. Musk said the two-seat Cybercab would be available to buy for $30,000 starting in 2026, though production challenges loom.Musk and other Tesla executives will be on hand to answer questions during a webcast at 5:30PM ET.See More: