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2025-05-19 01:46:18 ·

Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation?

Home Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation?

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Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation?

5 min read

Published: May 18, 2025

Key Takeaways

The US has signed a deal with the UAE to build the largest AI data center outside of the US.
UAE will also be able to acquire 500K advanced NVIDIA AI chips every year from 2025.
Saudi Arabia AI firm HUMAIN announced a partnership with NVIDIA to build 500 MW of AI factories in the next five years.

Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East has turned out to be quite fruitful for both parties. The US has signed a new deal with the UAE, wherein ‘the Middle East powerhouse’ will build a 10-square-mile AI facility in Abu Dhabi with a power capacity of 5 gigawatts.
Remember, this kind of power can support 2.5 million Nvidia B200 chips. The facility will be built by Emirati government-backed AI company G42. This is the same company in which Microsoft invested billion last year.
However, the US seems to be cautious about the deal and would control a large part of the facility, even after it’s operational. Howard Lutnick, the US Secretary of Commerce, said that American companies will operate the data center and offer cloud services through the Middle East.
This agreement would also allow the UAE to import 500K advanced Nvidia AI chips every year starting as early as 2025. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also accompanied Trump on his visit.
Additionally, the agreement requires the UAE to reposition their national security regulations with the US, considering the country’s strong trading ties with China. This is important to prevent any diversion of US technology to other countries, specifically China.
Recently, during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the country unveiled HUMAIN, an AI firm that is part of the country’s public investment fund. HUMAIN recently announced a landmark deal with NVIDIA, planning to build AI factories with a total capacity of 500 MW in the next 5 years, which will run on millions of NVIDIA GPUs.
These AI data centers will become launchpads for training and deploying AI models on a larger scale. Saudi Arabia wants to become an international AI powerhouse to drive the next wave of AI development in the Middle East, and its partnership with NVIDIA might just be the beginning.
AI Shaping Geopolitical Ties
The Middle East has been trying to ramp up its AI investments and efforts in recent years. For instance, the UAE hired Eric Xing, a pioneer AI researcher, in 2020 to lead the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. Following this, Saudi Arabia roped in Jürgen Schmidhuber, another AI pioneer, to head its King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
However, the quality of AI research from these countries has been subpar so far when compared to China and the US. This is largely due to restricted access to advanced computing resources. That could quickly become a thing of the past, though, thanks to the new deal with the US.
The Middle East seems to be standing at an important crossroads. While it needs to maintain its trading ties with China, it cannot sever US relations owing to the latter’s AI supremacy. As of 2023, China accounts for around 11% of the UAE’s total exports, valued at billion. At the same time, it also accounts for 20% of the country’s imports at billion.
A powerhouse like the UAE is not dumb enough to ditch China to please the US. Therefore, this deal will be a meticulously planned affair from both countries. While the US will ensure the AI chips do not end up in China, the UAE will be cautious not to ruffle China.
Trump Exploring New Markets
The US has also shown a lot of trust in the Middle East with this deal. Earlier, such deals were blocked by the US administration, citing the Middle East’s close connections with China. However, Trump has been quick to realize that he needs to tap the potential of the ‘oil money’ to stamp America’s authority over artificial intelligence.
Another reason behind the US’s interest in the Middle East could be that it has blocked the Chinese market for manufacturers like Nvidia and AMD. In fact, a new law is under discussion that could require US companies to introduce location tracking in exported AI chips so that they do not end up in the hands of their Chinese counterparts.
These strict measures will eventually lead to a total loss of Chinese markets. Also, note that China contributed 13% of Nvidia’s total revenue for the year ended January 2025. So, the US-Middle East deals could also be a desperate move by the former to find new markets for its huge AI production units.
Also, Trump doesn’t seem to have many options. After exiling the Chinese markets, the Middle East is the biggest emerging AI producer and consumer globally. Other strong candidates like India haven’t shown much interest in AI technological developments, at least not until the time of writing.
What’s more, the South American market may not be enough to cover for loss in Chinese revenue. So, in all probability, it seems like the US needs this deal more than the Middle East.
The Middle East, on the other hand, also seems to be in the mood to redefine traditional partnerships through strategic investments and diplomatic tools, creating a win-win situation for both parties.
Mohammed Soliman, a senior at the Middle East Institute, said that this shift will improve the country’s technological partnership with the US. However, this does not mean that the UAE is abandoning China – it’s just recalibrating its tech strategy to prepare for the future.

Krishi is a seasoned tech journalist with over four years of experience writing about PC hardware, consumer technology, and artificial intelligence. Clarity and accessibility are at the core of Krishi’s writing style.
He believes technology writing should empower readers—not confuse them—and he’s committed to ensuring his content is always easy to understand without sacrificing accuracy or depth.
Over the years, Krishi has contributed to some of the most reputable names in the industry, including Techopedia, TechRadar, and Tom’s Guide. A man of many talents, Krishi has also proven his mettle as a crypto writer, tackling complex topics with both ease and zeal. His work spans various formats—from in-depth explainers and news coverage to feature pieces and buying guides.
Behind the scenes, Krishi operates from a dual-monitor setupthat’s always buzzing with news feeds, technical documentation, and research notes, as well as the occasional gaming sessions that keep him fresh.
Krishi thrives on staying current, always ready to dive into the latest announcements, industry shifts, and their far-reaching impacts. When he's not deep into research on the latest PC hardware news, Krishi would love to chat with you about day trading and the financial markets—oh! And cricket, as well.

View all articles by Krishi Chowdhary

Our editorial process

The Tech Report editorial policy is 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 by real authors.

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#trump #uss #new #salesman #middle

Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation?
Home Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation? News Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation? 5 min read Published: May 18, 2025 Key Takeaways The US has signed a deal with the UAE to build the largest AI data center outside of the US. UAE will also be able to acquire 500K advanced NVIDIA AI chips every year from 2025. Saudi Arabia AI firm HUMAIN announced a partnership with NVIDIA to build 500 MW of AI factories in the next five years. Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East has turned out to be quite fruitful for both parties. The US has signed a new deal with the UAE, wherein ‘the Middle East powerhouse’ will build a 10-square-mile AI facility in Abu Dhabi with a power capacity of 5 gigawatts. Remember, this kind of power can support 2.5 million Nvidia B200 chips. The facility will be built by Emirati government-backed AI company G42. This is the same company in which Microsoft invested billion last year. However, the US seems to be cautious about the deal and would control a large part of the facility, even after it’s operational. Howard Lutnick, the US Secretary of Commerce, said that American companies will operate the data center and offer cloud services through the Middle East. This agreement would also allow the UAE to import 500K advanced Nvidia AI chips every year starting as early as 2025. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also accompanied Trump on his visit. Additionally, the agreement requires the UAE to reposition their national security regulations with the US, considering the country’s strong trading ties with China. This is important to prevent any diversion of US technology to other countries, specifically China. Recently, during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the country unveiled HUMAIN, an AI firm that is part of the country’s public investment fund. HUMAIN recently announced a landmark deal with NVIDIA, planning to build AI factories with a total capacity of 500 MW in the next 5 years, which will run on millions of NVIDIA GPUs. These AI data centers will become launchpads for training and deploying AI models on a larger scale. Saudi Arabia wants to become an international AI powerhouse to drive the next wave of AI development in the Middle East, and its partnership with NVIDIA might just be the beginning. AI Shaping Geopolitical Ties The Middle East has been trying to ramp up its AI investments and efforts in recent years. For instance, the UAE hired Eric Xing, a pioneer AI researcher, in 2020 to lead the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. Following this, Saudi Arabia roped in Jürgen Schmidhuber, another AI pioneer, to head its King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. However, the quality of AI research from these countries has been subpar so far when compared to China and the US. This is largely due to restricted access to advanced computing resources. That could quickly become a thing of the past, though, thanks to the new deal with the US. The Middle East seems to be standing at an important crossroads. While it needs to maintain its trading ties with China, it cannot sever US relations owing to the latter’s AI supremacy. As of 2023, China accounts for around 11% of the UAE’s total exports, valued at billion. At the same time, it also accounts for 20% of the country’s imports at billion. A powerhouse like the UAE is not dumb enough to ditch China to please the US. Therefore, this deal will be a meticulously planned affair from both countries. While the US will ensure the AI chips do not end up in China, the UAE will be cautious not to ruffle China. Trump Exploring New Markets The US has also shown a lot of trust in the Middle East with this deal. Earlier, such deals were blocked by the US administration, citing the Middle East’s close connections with China. However, Trump has been quick to realize that he needs to tap the potential of the ‘oil money’ to stamp America’s authority over artificial intelligence. Another reason behind the US’s interest in the Middle East could be that it has blocked the Chinese market for manufacturers like Nvidia and AMD. In fact, a new law is under discussion that could require US companies to introduce location tracking in exported AI chips so that they do not end up in the hands of their Chinese counterparts. These strict measures will eventually lead to a total loss of Chinese markets. Also, note that China contributed 13% of Nvidia’s total revenue for the year ended January 2025. So, the US-Middle East deals could also be a desperate move by the former to find new markets for its huge AI production units. Also, Trump doesn’t seem to have many options. After exiling the Chinese markets, the Middle East is the biggest emerging AI producer and consumer globally. Other strong candidates like India haven’t shown much interest in AI technological developments, at least not until the time of writing. What’s more, the South American market may not be enough to cover for loss in Chinese revenue. So, in all probability, it seems like the US needs this deal more than the Middle East. The Middle East, on the other hand, also seems to be in the mood to redefine traditional partnerships through strategic investments and diplomatic tools, creating a win-win situation for both parties. Mohammed Soliman, a senior at the Middle East Institute, said that this shift will improve the country’s technological partnership with the US. However, this does not mean that the UAE is abandoning China – it’s just recalibrating its tech strategy to prepare for the future. Krishi is a seasoned tech journalist with over four years of experience writing about PC hardware, consumer technology, and artificial intelligence. Clarity and accessibility are at the core of Krishi’s writing style. He believes technology writing should empower readers—not confuse them—and he’s committed to ensuring his content is always easy to understand without sacrificing accuracy or depth. Over the years, Krishi has contributed to some of the most reputable names in the industry, including Techopedia, TechRadar, and Tom’s Guide. A man of many talents, Krishi has also proven his mettle as a crypto writer, tackling complex topics with both ease and zeal. His work spans various formats—from in-depth explainers and news coverage to feature pieces and buying guides. Behind the scenes, Krishi operates from a dual-monitor setupthat’s always buzzing with news feeds, technical documentation, and research notes, as well as the occasional gaming sessions that keep him fresh. Krishi thrives on staying current, always ready to dive into the latest announcements, industry shifts, and their far-reaching impacts. When he's not deep into research on the latest PC hardware news, Krishi would love to chat with you about day trading and the financial markets—oh! And cricket, as well. View all articles by Krishi Chowdhary Our editorial process The Tech Report editorial policy is 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 by real authors. More from News View all View all #trump #uss #new #salesman #middle

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Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation?

Home Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation? News Trump Is the US’s New AI Salesman in the Middle East. A Smart Move or Desperation? 5 min read Published: May 18, 2025 Key Takeaways The US has signed a deal with the UAE to build the largest AI data center outside of the US. UAE will also be able to acquire 500K advanced NVIDIA AI chips every year from 2025. Saudi Arabia AI firm HUMAIN announced a partnership with NVIDIA to build 500 MW of AI factories in the next five years. Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East has turned out to be quite fruitful for both parties. The US has signed a new deal with the UAE, wherein ‘the Middle East powerhouse’ will build a 10-square-mile AI facility in Abu Dhabi with a power capacity of 5 gigawatts. Remember, this kind of power can support 2.5 million Nvidia B200 chips. The facility will be built by Emirati government-backed AI company G42. This is the same company in which Microsoft invested $1.5 billion last year. However, the US seems to be cautious about the deal and would control a large part of the facility, even after it’s operational. Howard Lutnick, the US Secretary of Commerce, said that American companies will operate the data center and offer cloud services through the Middle East. This agreement would also allow the UAE to import 500K advanced Nvidia AI chips every year starting as early as 2025. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also accompanied Trump on his visit. Additionally, the agreement requires the UAE to reposition their national security regulations with the US, considering the country’s strong trading ties with China. This is important to prevent any diversion of US technology to other countries, specifically China. Recently, during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the country unveiled HUMAIN, an AI firm that is part of the country’s public investment fund. HUMAIN recently announced a landmark deal with NVIDIA, planning to build AI factories with a total capacity of 500 MW in the next 5 years, which will run on millions of NVIDIA GPUs. These AI data centers will become launchpads for training and deploying AI models on a larger scale. Saudi Arabia wants to become an international AI powerhouse to drive the next wave of AI development in the Middle East, and its partnership with NVIDIA might just be the beginning. AI Shaping Geopolitical Ties The Middle East has been trying to ramp up its AI investments and efforts in recent years. For instance, the UAE hired Eric Xing, a pioneer AI researcher, in 2020 to lead the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. Following this, Saudi Arabia roped in Jürgen Schmidhuber, another AI pioneer, to head its King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. However, the quality of AI research from these countries has been subpar so far when compared to China and the US. This is largely due to restricted access to advanced computing resources. That could quickly become a thing of the past, though, thanks to the new deal with the US. The Middle East seems to be standing at an important crossroads. While it needs to maintain its trading ties with China, it cannot sever US relations owing to the latter’s AI supremacy. As of 2023, China accounts for around 11% of the UAE’s total exports, valued at $41.8 billion. At the same time, it also accounts for 20% of the country’s imports at $77.42 billion. A powerhouse like the UAE is not dumb enough to ditch China to please the US. Therefore, this deal will be a meticulously planned affair from both countries. While the US will ensure the AI chips do not end up in China, the UAE will be cautious not to ruffle China. Trump Exploring New Markets The US has also shown a lot of trust in the Middle East with this deal. Earlier, such deals were blocked by the US administration, citing the Middle East’s close connections with China. However, Trump has been quick to realize that he needs to tap the potential of the ‘oil money’ to stamp America’s authority over artificial intelligence. Another reason behind the US’s interest in the Middle East could be that it has blocked the Chinese market for manufacturers like Nvidia and AMD. In fact, a new law is under discussion that could require US companies to introduce location tracking in exported AI chips so that they do not end up in the hands of their Chinese counterparts. These strict measures will eventually lead to a total loss of Chinese markets. Also, note that China contributed 13% of Nvidia’s total revenue for the year ended January 2025. So, the US-Middle East deals could also be a desperate move by the former to find new markets for its huge AI production units. Also, Trump doesn’t seem to have many options. After exiling the Chinese markets, the Middle East is the biggest emerging AI producer and consumer globally. Other strong candidates like India haven’t shown much interest in AI technological developments, at least not until the time of writing. What’s more, the South American market may not be enough to cover for loss in Chinese revenue. So, in all probability, it seems like the US needs this deal more than the Middle East. The Middle East, on the other hand, also seems to be in the mood to redefine traditional partnerships through strategic investments and diplomatic tools, creating a win-win situation for both parties. Mohammed Soliman, a senior at the Middle East Institute, said that this shift will improve the country’s technological partnership with the US. However, this does not mean that the UAE is abandoning China – it’s just recalibrating its tech strategy to prepare for the future. Krishi is a seasoned tech journalist with over four years of experience writing about PC hardware, consumer technology, and artificial intelligence. Clarity and accessibility are at the core of Krishi’s writing style. He believes technology writing should empower readers—not confuse them—and he’s committed to ensuring his content is always easy to understand without sacrificing accuracy or depth. Over the years, Krishi has contributed to some of the most reputable names in the industry, including Techopedia, TechRadar, and Tom’s Guide. A man of many talents, Krishi has also proven his mettle as a crypto writer, tackling complex topics with both ease and zeal. His work spans various formats—from in-depth explainers and news coverage to feature pieces and buying guides. Behind the scenes, Krishi operates from a dual-monitor setup (including a 29-inch LG UltraWide) that’s always buzzing with news feeds, technical documentation, and research notes, as well as the occasional gaming sessions that keep him fresh. Krishi thrives on staying current, always ready to dive into the latest announcements, industry shifts, and their far-reaching impacts. When he's not deep into research on the latest PC hardware news, Krishi would love to chat with you about day trading and the financial markets—oh! And cricket, as well. View all articles by Krishi Chowdhary Our editorial process The Tech Report editorial policy is 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 by real authors. More from News View all View all

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2025-05-19 00:53:36 ·

Computex 2025: Watch NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang deliver the opening keynote today

Computex 2025 is about to kick off, and the cavalcade of announcements about the latest chips, laptops, gaming devices and more from leading brands has already begun. The event in Taiwan will kick off Sunday nightwith a keynote at the Taipei Music Center from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. There will be a livestream for anyone not attending in person, so you can watch along right here.

Huang’s keynote is scheduled for 11PM ET/ 8PM PT on May 18, and we can expect to hear all about the company's developments in the AI space. It’ll be followed that same day by a keynote from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Computex this year will, perhaps unsurprisingly, focus heavily on AI, with the overall theme being "AI Next." It’ll also highlight products in three categories: AI & Robotics, Next-Gen Tech and Future Mobility.
For Huang, the Computex keynote is a return home: He was born in Taiwan before eventually emigrating to the US, where he was instrumental in co-founding NVIDIA and guiding it to its current domination in the AI space. His appearance also caps off a busy week that saw him balancing the increasingly challenging diplomatic side of the AI landscape. After participating in President Trump's tour of Middle East nations — during which NVIDIA inked deals with Saudi and UAE-linked tech firms to sell its AI chips — NVIDIA downplayed its reported expansion plans in China.
An estimated 1,400 exhibitors will be in attendance at Computex, including ASUS, Acer and AMD, all of which have previously made big announcements at the annual expo. In fact, as of Friday, Acer has already gotten a jump on the others by making some announcements for the show, including the new Swift Edge AI laptop and five gaming monitors. Our senior reviewer Sam Rutherford has also managed to get his hands on the new Acer Predator Triton 14 AI, and he liked it so much he called it his new "most anticipated gaming laptop of the year."
Computex 2025 will run from May 20 to May 23, and we expect even more PC news in the next few days.
Update, May 18, 6:22PM ET: Added additional background info on Jensen Huang and NVIDIA China news.
Update, May 15, 1:50PM ET: Added YouTube embed, and details on Jensen Huang's recent travels.
Update, May 16, 4:45PM ET: Added details on Acer's Computex announcements, which were unveiled today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at
#computex #watch #nvidia #ceo #jensen

Computex 2025: Watch NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang deliver the opening keynote today
Computex 2025 is about to kick off, and the cavalcade of announcements about the latest chips, laptops, gaming devices and more from leading brands has already begun. The event in Taiwan will kick off Sunday nightwith a keynote at the Taipei Music Center from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. There will be a livestream for anyone not attending in person, so you can watch along right here. Huang’s keynote is scheduled for 11PM ET/ 8PM PT on May 18, and we can expect to hear all about the company's developments in the AI space. It’ll be followed that same day by a keynote from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Computex this year will, perhaps unsurprisingly, focus heavily on AI, with the overall theme being "AI Next." It’ll also highlight products in three categories: AI & Robotics, Next-Gen Tech and Future Mobility. For Huang, the Computex keynote is a return home: He was born in Taiwan before eventually emigrating to the US, where he was instrumental in co-founding NVIDIA and guiding it to its current domination in the AI space. His appearance also caps off a busy week that saw him balancing the increasingly challenging diplomatic side of the AI landscape. After participating in President Trump's tour of Middle East nations — during which NVIDIA inked deals with Saudi and UAE-linked tech firms to sell its AI chips — NVIDIA downplayed its reported expansion plans in China. An estimated 1,400 exhibitors will be in attendance at Computex, including ASUS, Acer and AMD, all of which have previously made big announcements at the annual expo. In fact, as of Friday, Acer has already gotten a jump on the others by making some announcements for the show, including the new Swift Edge AI laptop and five gaming monitors. Our senior reviewer Sam Rutherford has also managed to get his hands on the new Acer Predator Triton 14 AI, and he liked it so much he called it his new "most anticipated gaming laptop of the year." Computex 2025 will run from May 20 to May 23, and we expect even more PC news in the next few days. Update, May 18, 6:22PM ET: Added additional background info on Jensen Huang and NVIDIA China news. Update, May 15, 1:50PM ET: Added YouTube embed, and details on Jensen Huang's recent travels. Update, May 16, 4:45PM ET: Added details on Acer's Computex announcements, which were unveiled today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at #computex #watch #nvidia #ceo #jensen

WWW.ENGADGET.COM

Computex 2025: Watch NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang deliver the opening keynote today

Computex 2025 is about to kick off, and the cavalcade of announcements about the latest chips, laptops, gaming devices and more from leading brands has already begun. The event in Taiwan will kick off Sunday night (US time) with a keynote at the Taipei Music Center from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. There will be a livestream for anyone not attending in person, so you can watch along right here (see NVIDIA YouTube stream embedded below). Huang’s keynote is scheduled for 11PM ET/ 8PM PT on May 18 (11AM on May 19 in Taiwan Time), and we can expect to hear all about the company's developments in the AI space. It’ll be followed that same day by a keynote from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Computex this year will, perhaps unsurprisingly, focus heavily on AI, with the overall theme being "AI Next." It’ll also highlight products in three categories: AI & Robotics, Next-Gen Tech and Future Mobility. For Huang, the Computex keynote is a return home: He was born in Taiwan before eventually emigrating to the US, where he was instrumental in co-founding NVIDIA and guiding it to its current domination in the AI space. His appearance also caps off a busy week that saw him balancing the increasingly challenging diplomatic side of the AI landscape. After participating in President Trump's tour of Middle East nations — during which NVIDIA inked deals with Saudi and UAE-linked tech firms to sell its AI chips — NVIDIA downplayed its reported expansion plans in China. An estimated 1,400 exhibitors will be in attendance at Computex, including ASUS, Acer and AMD, all of which have previously made big announcements at the annual expo. In fact, as of Friday (May 16), Acer has already gotten a jump on the others by making some announcements for the show, including the new Swift Edge AI laptop and five gaming monitors. Our senior reviewer Sam Rutherford has also managed to get his hands on the new Acer Predator Triton 14 AI, and he liked it so much he called it his new "most anticipated gaming laptop of the year." Computex 2025 will run from May 20 to May 23, and we expect even more PC news in the next few days. Update, May 18, 6:22PM ET: Added additional background info on Jensen Huang and NVIDIA China news. Update, May 15, 1:50PM ET: Added YouTube embed, and details on Jensen Huang's recent travels. Update, May 16, 4:45PM ET: Added details on Acer's Computex announcements, which were unveiled today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/computex-2025-watch-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-deliver-the-opening-keynote-today-205326666.html?src=rss

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2025-05-18 20:34:33 ·

Watch The NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, Computex 2025 Keynote Live Here!

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Computex 2025Hardware
Watch The NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, Computex 2025 Keynote Live Here!

Hassan Mujtaba •
May 18, 2025 at 03:00pm EDT

NVIDIA will be hosting its Computex 2025 keynote featuring CEO, Jensen Huang, which will be live from the Taipei Music Center in Taipei, Taiwan.
NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang, To Present Computex 2025 "CEO" Keynote Live In Less Than 24 Hours!

We are just a few hours away from the NVIDIA CEO keynote, which will feature CEO Jensen Huang as he presents his vision of the future of AI. The event will take place today at 11 AMat the Taipei Music Center in Taipei City.
The keynote is expected to be 1:30 hours long and will feature lots of guests, mainly hailing from Taiwan, as the firm enters the next chapter of its AI journey on all fronts, including data centers and client PCs. NVIDIA has been leading the charge in AI as they were the first to enter the realm of today's most popular tech world back in 2017 with the arrival of Volta GPUs and their Tensor architecture, which later entered the more mainstream realm with the arrival of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 20 series in 2018.
NVIDIA has since released Hopper and Blackwell, both of which are in high demand, and we are likely going to hear about the next big update from NVIDIA in the form of the Blackwell Ultra AI series, which will feature the GB300 class chips and AI infrastructure.

Watch the NVIDIA Keynote at COMPUTEX

May 18, 8:00 p.m. PT | May 19, 11:00 a.m. Taipei Time
Join us at the Taipei Music Center for NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s live COMPUTEX keynote and other exciting events.
A COMPUTEX conference pass is required to attend in person, or you can watch the livestream for free.
via NVIDIA

NVIDIA is also likely to make some consumer-centric updates for the RTX segment, which will include the new GeForce RTX 5060 GPU and several AI software updates. The company will also showcase how it plans to further extend its operations within Taiwan and secure a closer relationship with the likes of TSMC and other suppliers and equipment manufacturers.

NVIDIA Computex 2025

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Watch The NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, Computex 2025 Keynote Live Here!
Menu Home News Hardware Gaming Mobile Finance Deals Reviews How To Wccftech Computex 2025Hardware Watch The NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, Computex 2025 Keynote Live Here! Hassan Mujtaba • May 18, 2025 at 03:00pm EDT NVIDIA will be hosting its Computex 2025 keynote featuring CEO, Jensen Huang, which will be live from the Taipei Music Center in Taipei, Taiwan. NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang, To Present Computex 2025 "CEO" Keynote Live In Less Than 24 Hours! We are just a few hours away from the NVIDIA CEO keynote, which will feature CEO Jensen Huang as he presents his vision of the future of AI. The event will take place today at 11 AMat the Taipei Music Center in Taipei City. The keynote is expected to be 1:30 hours long and will feature lots of guests, mainly hailing from Taiwan, as the firm enters the next chapter of its AI journey on all fronts, including data centers and client PCs. NVIDIA has been leading the charge in AI as they were the first to enter the realm of today's most popular tech world back in 2017 with the arrival of Volta GPUs and their Tensor architecture, which later entered the more mainstream realm with the arrival of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 20 series in 2018. NVIDIA has since released Hopper and Blackwell, both of which are in high demand, and we are likely going to hear about the next big update from NVIDIA in the form of the Blackwell Ultra AI series, which will feature the GB300 class chips and AI infrastructure. Watch the NVIDIA Keynote at COMPUTEX May 18, 8:00 p.m. PT | May 19, 11:00 a.m. Taipei Time Join us at the Taipei Music Center for NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s live COMPUTEX keynote and other exciting events. A COMPUTEX conference pass is required to attend in person, or you can watch the livestream for free. via NVIDIA NVIDIA is also likely to make some consumer-centric updates for the RTX segment, which will include the new GeForce RTX 5060 GPU and several AI software updates. The company will also showcase how it plans to further extend its operations within Taiwan and secure a closer relationship with the likes of TSMC and other suppliers and equipment manufacturers. NVIDIA Computex 2025 Subscribe to get an everyday digest of the latest technology news in your inbox Follow us on Topics Sections Company Some posts on wccftech.com may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com © 2025 WCCF TECH INC. 700 - 401 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada #watch #nvidia #ceo #jensen #huang

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Watch The NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, Computex 2025 Keynote Live Here!

Menu Home News Hardware Gaming Mobile Finance Deals Reviews How To Wccftech Computex 2025Hardware Watch The NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, Computex 2025 Keynote Live Here! Hassan Mujtaba • May 18, 2025 at 03:00pm EDT NVIDIA will be hosting its Computex 2025 keynote featuring CEO, Jensen Huang, which will be live from the Taipei Music Center in Taipei, Taiwan. NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang, To Present Computex 2025 "CEO" Keynote Live In Less Than 24 Hours! We are just a few hours away from the NVIDIA CEO keynote, which will feature CEO Jensen Huang as he presents his vision of the future of AI. The event will take place today at 11 AM(TPE Time) at the Taipei Music Center in Taipei City. The keynote is expected to be 1:30 hours long and will feature lots of guests, mainly hailing from Taiwan, as the firm enters the next chapter of its AI journey on all fronts, including data centers and client PCs. NVIDIA has been leading the charge in AI as they were the first to enter the realm of today's most popular tech world back in 2017 with the arrival of Volta GPUs and their Tensor architecture, which later entered the more mainstream realm with the arrival of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 20 series in 2018. NVIDIA has since released Hopper and Blackwell, both of which are in high demand, and we are likely going to hear about the next big update from NVIDIA in the form of the Blackwell Ultra AI series, which will feature the GB300 class chips and AI infrastructure. Watch the NVIDIA Keynote at COMPUTEX May 18, 8:00 p.m. PT | May 19, 11:00 a.m. Taipei Time Join us at the Taipei Music Center for NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s live COMPUTEX keynote and other exciting events. A COMPUTEX conference pass is required to attend in person, or you can watch the livestream for free. via NVIDIA NVIDIA is also likely to make some consumer-centric updates for the RTX segment, which will include the new GeForce RTX 5060 GPU and several AI software updates. The company will also showcase how it plans to further extend its operations within Taiwan and secure a closer relationship with the likes of TSMC and other suppliers and equipment manufacturers. NVIDIA Computex 2025 Subscribe to get an everyday digest of the latest technology news in your inbox Follow us on Topics Sections Company Some posts on wccftech.com may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com © 2025 WCCF TECH INC. 700 - 401 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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2025-05-18 15:08:31 ·

Nvidia's H20 follow-up in China won't be based on Hopper, says Jensen — Reportedly switching from HBM to GDDR7

Future AI accelerators for China will not use the Hopper architecture, as Jensen Huang hints at a potential switch to Blackwell.
#nvidia039s #h20 #followup #china #won039t

Nvidia's H20 follow-up in China won't be based on Hopper, says Jensen — Reportedly switching from HBM to GDDR7
Future AI accelerators for China will not use the Hopper architecture, as Jensen Huang hints at a potential switch to Blackwell. #nvidia039s #h20 #followup #china #won039t

WWW.TOMSHARDWARE.COM

Nvidia's H20 follow-up in China won't be based on Hopper, says Jensen — Reportedly switching from HBM to GDDR7

Future AI accelerators for China will not use the Hopper architecture, as Jensen Huang hints at a potential switch to Blackwell.

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2025-05-18 11:41:12 ·

NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang Finally Held The “Iconic” Dinner In Taiwan With Several Executives; Spotted Distributing Souvenirs To The Media

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Computex 2025Hardware
NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang Finally Held The “Iconic” Dinner In Taiwan With Several Executives; Spotted Distributing Souvenirs To The Media

Muhammad Zuhair •
May 18, 2025 at 07:27am EDT

Image Credits: UDN

NVIDIA CEO's visit to Taiwan around the Computex timeline is indeed a memorable moment, especially when it comes to the iconic dinner Team Green holds with members of Taiwan's business community.
NVIDIA's CEO Claims TSMC Will Have a Lot To Do Moving Forward, Reiterates Commitment To Taiwan As Well
Jensen's visit to Taiwan this year holds significance way higher than any other time of the year, given that at the Computex 2025 event, NVIDIA disclosed what it anticipates for the future. Not just this, but it is likely the time of year when Jensen meets up with its Taiwanese partners to formulate the future strategy. But, the dinner NVIDIA's CEO holds with executives in Taiwan is indeed a highlight, and this time as well, Taiwan Economic Daily spotted Jensen at a local restaurant, where not only met the likes of TSMC, MediaTek and Quanta executives, but was also seen talking to the media, in particular distributing them free meals and drinks.
Image Credits: CNA
Interestingly, when meeting with TSMC's Chairman CC Wei, Jensen revealed that TSMC has a lot of work coming their way, suggesting that the AI supply chain is yet again expected to witness a "boom" in operations, credited to the demand NVIDIA now faces from partners other than the Big Tech, notably Middle East firms. Jensen also claimed that Team Green has plans to build large-scale data centers in Taiwan and that the region is an integral part of the company's business moving into the future.

NVIDIA's CEO also revealed that the firm is working with its Chinese partners as well, and they should expect a "new solution" pretty soon. Jensen isn't like the other traditional executives out there, as the Taiwan media claimed that he spent most of the time interacting with the public, responding to media's questions and even entertaining them with souvenirs, which shows that he indeed has a hospitable nature. This is what sets him apart, and his nature is one of the reasons for how far NVIDIA has come in the tech industry.
As to when we can see Jensen the next time, it will probably be at his Computex 2025 keynote, which is set to start a few hours from now. Like always, we'll be there live on the showfloor, providing you with the latest updates.

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#nvidias #ceo #jensen #huang #finally

NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang Finally Held The “Iconic” Dinner In Taiwan With Several Executives; Spotted Distributing Souvenirs To The Media
Menu Home News Hardware Gaming Mobile Finance Deals Reviews How To Wccftech Computex 2025Hardware NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang Finally Held The “Iconic” Dinner In Taiwan With Several Executives; Spotted Distributing Souvenirs To The Media Muhammad Zuhair • May 18, 2025 at 07:27am EDT Image Credits: UDN NVIDIA CEO's visit to Taiwan around the Computex timeline is indeed a memorable moment, especially when it comes to the iconic dinner Team Green holds with members of Taiwan's business community. NVIDIA's CEO Claims TSMC Will Have a Lot To Do Moving Forward, Reiterates Commitment To Taiwan As Well Jensen's visit to Taiwan this year holds significance way higher than any other time of the year, given that at the Computex 2025 event, NVIDIA disclosed what it anticipates for the future. Not just this, but it is likely the time of year when Jensen meets up with its Taiwanese partners to formulate the future strategy. But, the dinner NVIDIA's CEO holds with executives in Taiwan is indeed a highlight, and this time as well, Taiwan Economic Daily spotted Jensen at a local restaurant, where not only met the likes of TSMC, MediaTek and Quanta executives, but was also seen talking to the media, in particular distributing them free meals and drinks. Image Credits: CNA Interestingly, when meeting with TSMC's Chairman CC Wei, Jensen revealed that TSMC has a lot of work coming their way, suggesting that the AI supply chain is yet again expected to witness a "boom" in operations, credited to the demand NVIDIA now faces from partners other than the Big Tech, notably Middle East firms. Jensen also claimed that Team Green has plans to build large-scale data centers in Taiwan and that the region is an integral part of the company's business moving into the future. NVIDIA's CEO also revealed that the firm is working with its Chinese partners as well, and they should expect a "new solution" pretty soon. Jensen isn't like the other traditional executives out there, as the Taiwan media claimed that he spent most of the time interacting with the public, responding to media's questions and even entertaining them with souvenirs, which shows that he indeed has a hospitable nature. This is what sets him apart, and his nature is one of the reasons for how far NVIDIA has come in the tech industry. As to when we can see Jensen the next time, it will probably be at his Computex 2025 keynote, which is set to start a few hours from now. Like always, we'll be there live on the showfloor, providing you with the latest updates. Subscribe to get an everyday digest of the latest technology news in your inbox Follow us on Topics Sections Company Some posts on wccftech.com may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com © 2025 WCCF TECH INC. 700 - 401 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada #nvidias #ceo #jensen #huang #finally

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NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang Finally Held The “Iconic” Dinner In Taiwan With Several Executives; Spotted Distributing Souvenirs To The Media

Menu Home News Hardware Gaming Mobile Finance Deals Reviews How To Wccftech Computex 2025Hardware NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang Finally Held The “Iconic” Dinner In Taiwan With Several Executives; Spotted Distributing Souvenirs To The Media Muhammad Zuhair • May 18, 2025 at 07:27am EDT Image Credits: UDN NVIDIA CEO's visit to Taiwan around the Computex timeline is indeed a memorable moment, especially when it comes to the iconic dinner Team Green holds with members of Taiwan's business community. NVIDIA's CEO Claims TSMC Will Have a Lot To Do Moving Forward, Reiterates Commitment To Taiwan As Well Jensen's visit to Taiwan this year holds significance way higher than any other time of the year, given that at the Computex 2025 event, NVIDIA disclosed what it anticipates for the future. Not just this, but it is likely the time of year when Jensen meets up with its Taiwanese partners to formulate the future strategy. But, the dinner NVIDIA's CEO holds with executives in Taiwan is indeed a highlight, and this time as well, Taiwan Economic Daily spotted Jensen at a local restaurant, where not only met the likes of TSMC, MediaTek and Quanta executives, but was also seen talking to the media, in particular distributing them free meals and drinks. Image Credits: CNA Interestingly, when meeting with TSMC's Chairman CC Wei, Jensen revealed that TSMC has a lot of work coming their way, suggesting that the AI supply chain is yet again expected to witness a "boom" in operations, credited to the demand NVIDIA now faces from partners other than the Big Tech, notably Middle East firms. Jensen also claimed that Team Green has plans to build large-scale data centers in Taiwan and that the region is an integral part of the company's business moving into the future. NVIDIA's CEO also revealed that the firm is working with its Chinese partners as well, and they should expect a "new solution" pretty soon. Jensen isn't like the other traditional executives out there, as the Taiwan media claimed that he spent most of the time interacting with the public, responding to media's questions and even entertaining them with souvenirs, which shows that he indeed has a hospitable nature. This is what sets him apart, and his nature is one of the reasons for how far NVIDIA has come in the tech industry. As to when we can see Jensen the next time, it will probably be at his Computex 2025 keynote, which is set to start a few hours from now. Like always, we'll be there live on the showfloor, providing you with the latest updates. Subscribe to get an everyday digest of the latest technology news in your inbox Follow us on Topics Sections Company Some posts on wccftech.com may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com © 2025 WCCF TECH INC. 700 - 401 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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Engadget Compartió un vínculo

2025-05-17 09:53:53 ·

Computex 2025: How to watch NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang deliver the opening keynote

Computex 2025 is kicking off in a few days, and it’s sure to bring a ton of announcements about the latest chips, laptops, gaming devices and more from leading brands. The event in Taipei will kick off on Monday, May 19 with a keynote at the Taipei Music Center from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. There will be a livestream for anyone not attending in person, so you can watch along right here.

Huang’s keynote is scheduled for 11PM ET/ 8PM PT on May 18, and we can expect to hear all about the company's developments in the AI space. It’ll be followed that same day by a keynote from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Computex this year will, perhaps unsurprisingly, focus heavily on AI, with the overall theme being "AI Next." It’ll also highlight products in three categories: AI & Robotics, Next-Gen Tech and Future Mobility.
Huang's appearance in Taipei comes on the heels of participating in President Trump's tour of Middle East nations, during which NVIDIA inked deals with Saudi and UAE-linked tech firms to sell its AI chips.
An estimated 1,400 exhibitors will be in attendance at Computex, including ASUS, Acer and AMD, all of which have previously made big announcements at the annual expo. In fact, as of Friday, Acer has already gotten a jump on the others by making some announcements for the show, including the new Swift Edge AI laptop and five gaming monitors. Our senior reviewer Sam Rutherford has also managed to get his hands on the new Acer Predator Triton 14 AI, and he liked it so much he called it his new "most anticipated gaming laptop of the year."
Computex 2025 will run from May 20 to May 23, and we expect even more PC news in the next few days.
Update, May 15, 1:50PM ET: Added YouTube embed, and details on Jensen Huang's recent travels.
Update, May 16, 4:45PM ET: Added details on Acer's Computex announcements, which were unveiled today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at
#computex #how #watch #nvidia #ceo

Computex 2025: How to watch NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang deliver the opening keynote
Computex 2025 is kicking off in a few days, and it’s sure to bring a ton of announcements about the latest chips, laptops, gaming devices and more from leading brands. The event in Taipei will kick off on Monday, May 19 with a keynote at the Taipei Music Center from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. There will be a livestream for anyone not attending in person, so you can watch along right here. Huang’s keynote is scheduled for 11PM ET/ 8PM PT on May 18, and we can expect to hear all about the company's developments in the AI space. It’ll be followed that same day by a keynote from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Computex this year will, perhaps unsurprisingly, focus heavily on AI, with the overall theme being "AI Next." It’ll also highlight products in three categories: AI & Robotics, Next-Gen Tech and Future Mobility. Huang's appearance in Taipei comes on the heels of participating in President Trump's tour of Middle East nations, during which NVIDIA inked deals with Saudi and UAE-linked tech firms to sell its AI chips.   An estimated 1,400 exhibitors will be in attendance at Computex, including ASUS, Acer and AMD, all of which have previously made big announcements at the annual expo. In fact, as of Friday, Acer has already gotten a jump on the others by making some announcements for the show, including the new Swift Edge AI laptop and five gaming monitors. Our senior reviewer Sam Rutherford has also managed to get his hands on the new Acer Predator Triton 14 AI, and he liked it so much he called it his new "most anticipated gaming laptop of the year." Computex 2025 will run from May 20 to May 23, and we expect even more PC news in the next few days. Update, May 15, 1:50PM ET: Added YouTube embed, and details on Jensen Huang's recent travels. Update, May 16, 4:45PM ET: Added details on Acer's Computex announcements, which were unveiled today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at #computex #how #watch #nvidia #ceo

WWW.ENGADGET.COM

Computex 2025: How to watch NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang deliver the opening keynote

Computex 2025 is kicking off in a few days, and it’s sure to bring a ton of announcements about the latest chips, laptops, gaming devices and more from leading brands. The event in Taipei will kick off on Monday, May 19 with a keynote at the Taipei Music Center from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. There will be a livestream for anyone not attending in person, so you can watch along right here (see NVIDIA YouTube stream embedded below). Huang’s keynote is scheduled for 11PM ET/ 8PM PT on May 18 (11AM on May 19 in Taiwan Time), and we can expect to hear all about the company's developments in the AI space. It’ll be followed that same day by a keynote from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Computex this year will, perhaps unsurprisingly, focus heavily on AI, with the overall theme being "AI Next." It’ll also highlight products in three categories: AI & Robotics, Next-Gen Tech and Future Mobility. Huang's appearance in Taipei comes on the heels of participating in President Trump's tour of Middle East nations, during which NVIDIA inked deals with Saudi and UAE-linked tech firms to sell its AI chips.   An estimated 1,400 exhibitors will be in attendance at Computex, including ASUS, Acer and AMD, all of which have previously made big announcements at the annual expo. In fact, as of Friday (May 16), Acer has already gotten a jump on the others by making some announcements for the show, including the new Swift Edge AI laptop and five gaming monitors. Our senior reviewer Sam Rutherford has also managed to get his hands on the new Acer Predator Triton 14 AI, and he liked it so much he called it his new "most anticipated gaming laptop of the year." Computex 2025 will run from May 20 to May 23, and we expect even more PC news in the next few days. Update, May 15, 1:50PM ET: Added YouTube embed, and details on Jensen Huang's recent travels. Update, May 16, 4:45PM ET: Added details on Acer's Computex announcements, which were unveiled today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/computex-2025-how-to-watch-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-deliver-the-opening-keynote-205326621.html?src=rss

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AI News Compartió un vínculo

2025-05-16 20:22:26 ·

Can the US really enforce a global AI chip ban?

When Huawei shocked the global tech industry with its Mate 60 Pro smartphone featuring an advanced 7-nanometer chip despite sweeping US technology restrictions, it demonstrated that innovation finds a way even under the heaviest sanctions. The US response was swift and predictable: tighter export controls and expanded restrictions.Now, with reports suggesting Huawei’s Ascend AI chips are approaching Nvidia-level performance—though the Chinese company remains characteristically silent about these developments—America has preemptively escalated its semiconductor war to global proportions. The Trump administration’s declaration that using Huawei’s Ascend chips “anywhere in the world” violates US export controls reveals more than policy enforcement—it exposes a fundamental fear that American technological dominance may no longer be guaranteed through restrictions alone.This global AI chip ban emerged on May 14, 2025, when President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded the Biden-era AI Diffusion Rule without revealing details of a replacement policy. Instead, the Bureau of Industry and Securityannounced guidance to “strengthen export controls for overseas AI chips,” specifically targeting Huawei’s Ascend processors. The new guidelines warn of “enforcement actions” including imprisonment and fines for any global business found using these Chinese-developed chips—a fundamental departure from traditional export controls, which typically govern what leaves a country’s borders, not what happens entirely outside them.The South China Morning Post reports that these new guidelines explicitly single out Huawei’s Ascend chips after scrapping the Biden administration’s country-tiered “AI diffusion” rule. But the implications of this global AI chip ban extend far beyond bilateral US-China tensions. By asserting jurisdiction over global technology choices, America essentially demands that sovereign nations and independent businesses worldwide comply with its domestic policy preferences.This extraterritorial approach raises fundamental questions about national sovereignty and international trade. Should a Brazilian AI startup be prevented from using the most cost-effective chip solution simply because those chips are manufactured by a Chinese company? Should European research institutions abandon promising collaborations because they involve hardware Washington deems unacceptable?According to Financial Times reporting, BIS stated that Huawei’s Ascend 910B, 910C, and 910D were all subject to the regulations as they were likely “designed with certain US software or technology or produced with semiconductor manufacturing equipment that is the direct product of certain US-origin software or technology, or both.”Industry resistance to universal controlsEven within the United States, the chipmaking sector expresses alarm about Washington’s semiconductor policies. The aggressive expansion of export controls creates uncertainty beyond Chinese companies, affecting global supply chains and innovation partnerships built over decades.“Washington’s new guidelines are essentially forcing global tech firms to pick a side – Chinese or US hardware – which will further deepen the tech divide between the world’s two largest economies,” analysts note. This forced binary choice ignores the nuanced reality of modern technology development, where innovation emerges from diverse, international collaborations.The economic implications prove staggering. Recent analysis indicates Huawei’s Ascend 910B AI chip delivers 80% of Nvidia A100’s efficiency when training large language models, though “in some other tests, Ascend chips can beat the A100 by 20%.” By blocking access to competitive alternatives, this global AI chip ban may inadvertently stifle innovation and maintain artificial market monopolies.The innovation paradoxPerhaps most ironically, policies intended to maintain American technological leadership may undermine it. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged earlier this month that Huawei was “one of the most formidable technology companies in the world,” noting that China was “not behind” in AI development.Attempting to isolate such capabilities through global restrictions may accelerate the development of parallel technology ecosystems, ultimately reducing American influence rather than preserving it. The secrecy surrounding Huawei’s Ascend chips—with the company keeping “details of its AI chips close to its chest, with only public information coming from third-party teardown reports”—has intensified with US sanctions.Following escalating restrictions, Huawei stopped officially disclosing information about the series, including release dates, production schedules, and fabrication technologies. The chips specified in current US restrictions, including the Ascend 910C and 910D, haven’t even been officially confirmed by Huawei.Geopolitical ramificationsIn a South China Morning Post’s report, Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, warns that “if the guidance is enforced strictly, it is likely to provoke retaliation from China” and could become “a negotiating point in ongoing trade talks between Washington and Beijing.” This assessment underscores the counterproductive nature of aggressive unilateral action in an interconnected global economy.The semiconductor industry thrives on international collaboration, shared research, and open competition. Policies that fragment this ecosystem serve no one’s long-term interests—including America’s. As the global community grapples with challenges from climate change to healthcare innovation, artificial barriers preventing the best minds from accessing optimal tools ultimately harm human progress.Beyond binary choicesThe question isn’t whether nations should protect strategic interests—they should and must. But when export controls extend “anywhere in the world,” we cross from legitimate national security policy into technological authoritarianism. The global technology community deserves frameworks that balance security concerns with innovation imperatives.This global AI chip ban risks accelerating the technological fragmentation it seeks to prevent. History suggests markets divided by political decree often spawn parallel innovation ecosystems that compete more effectively than those operating under artificial constraints.Rather than extending controls globally, a strategic approach would focus on out-innovating competitors through superior technology and international partnerships. The current path toward technological bifurcation serves neither American interests nor global innovation—it simply creates a more fragmented, less efficient world where artificial barriers replace natural competition.The semiconductor industry’s future depends on finding sustainable solutions that address legitimate security concerns without dismantling the collaborative networks that drive technological advancement. As this global AI chip ban takes effect, the world watches to see whether innovation will flourish through competition or fragment through control.See also: Huawei’s AI hardware breakthrough challenges Nvidia’s dominanceWant to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.
#can #really #enforce #global #chip

Can the US really enforce a global AI chip ban?
When Huawei shocked the global tech industry with its Mate 60 Pro smartphone featuring an advanced 7-nanometer chip despite sweeping US technology restrictions, it demonstrated that innovation finds a way even under the heaviest sanctions. The US response was swift and predictable: tighter export controls and expanded restrictions.Now, with reports suggesting Huawei’s Ascend AI chips are approaching Nvidia-level performance—though the Chinese company remains characteristically silent about these developments—America has preemptively escalated its semiconductor war to global proportions. The Trump administration’s declaration that using Huawei’s Ascend chips “anywhere in the world” violates US export controls reveals more than policy enforcement—it exposes a fundamental fear that American technological dominance may no longer be guaranteed through restrictions alone.This global AI chip ban emerged on May 14, 2025, when President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded the Biden-era AI Diffusion Rule without revealing details of a replacement policy. Instead, the Bureau of Industry and Securityannounced guidance to “strengthen export controls for overseas AI chips,” specifically targeting Huawei’s Ascend processors. The new guidelines warn of “enforcement actions” including imprisonment and fines for any global business found using these Chinese-developed chips—a fundamental departure from traditional export controls, which typically govern what leaves a country’s borders, not what happens entirely outside them.The South China Morning Post reports that these new guidelines explicitly single out Huawei’s Ascend chips after scrapping the Biden administration’s country-tiered “AI diffusion” rule. But the implications of this global AI chip ban extend far beyond bilateral US-China tensions. By asserting jurisdiction over global technology choices, America essentially demands that sovereign nations and independent businesses worldwide comply with its domestic policy preferences.This extraterritorial approach raises fundamental questions about national sovereignty and international trade. Should a Brazilian AI startup be prevented from using the most cost-effective chip solution simply because those chips are manufactured by a Chinese company? Should European research institutions abandon promising collaborations because they involve hardware Washington deems unacceptable?According to Financial Times reporting, BIS stated that Huawei’s Ascend 910B, 910C, and 910D were all subject to the regulations as they were likely “designed with certain US software or technology or produced with semiconductor manufacturing equipment that is the direct product of certain US-origin software or technology, or both.”Industry resistance to universal controlsEven within the United States, the chipmaking sector expresses alarm about Washington’s semiconductor policies. The aggressive expansion of export controls creates uncertainty beyond Chinese companies, affecting global supply chains and innovation partnerships built over decades.“Washington’s new guidelines are essentially forcing global tech firms to pick a side – Chinese or US hardware – which will further deepen the tech divide between the world’s two largest economies,” analysts note. This forced binary choice ignores the nuanced reality of modern technology development, where innovation emerges from diverse, international collaborations.The economic implications prove staggering. Recent analysis indicates Huawei’s Ascend 910B AI chip delivers 80% of Nvidia A100’s efficiency when training large language models, though “in some other tests, Ascend chips can beat the A100 by 20%.” By blocking access to competitive alternatives, this global AI chip ban may inadvertently stifle innovation and maintain artificial market monopolies.The innovation paradoxPerhaps most ironically, policies intended to maintain American technological leadership may undermine it. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged earlier this month that Huawei was “one of the most formidable technology companies in the world,” noting that China was “not behind” in AI development.Attempting to isolate such capabilities through global restrictions may accelerate the development of parallel technology ecosystems, ultimately reducing American influence rather than preserving it. The secrecy surrounding Huawei’s Ascend chips—with the company keeping “details of its AI chips close to its chest, with only public information coming from third-party teardown reports”—has intensified with US sanctions.Following escalating restrictions, Huawei stopped officially disclosing information about the series, including release dates, production schedules, and fabrication technologies. The chips specified in current US restrictions, including the Ascend 910C and 910D, haven’t even been officially confirmed by Huawei.Geopolitical ramificationsIn a South China Morning Post’s report, Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, warns that “if the guidance is enforced strictly, it is likely to provoke retaliation from China” and could become “a negotiating point in ongoing trade talks between Washington and Beijing.” This assessment underscores the counterproductive nature of aggressive unilateral action in an interconnected global economy.The semiconductor industry thrives on international collaboration, shared research, and open competition. Policies that fragment this ecosystem serve no one’s long-term interests—including America’s. As the global community grapples with challenges from climate change to healthcare innovation, artificial barriers preventing the best minds from accessing optimal tools ultimately harm human progress.Beyond binary choicesThe question isn’t whether nations should protect strategic interests—they should and must. But when export controls extend “anywhere in the world,” we cross from legitimate national security policy into technological authoritarianism. The global technology community deserves frameworks that balance security concerns with innovation imperatives.This global AI chip ban risks accelerating the technological fragmentation it seeks to prevent. History suggests markets divided by political decree often spawn parallel innovation ecosystems that compete more effectively than those operating under artificial constraints.Rather than extending controls globally, a strategic approach would focus on out-innovating competitors through superior technology and international partnerships. The current path toward technological bifurcation serves neither American interests nor global innovation—it simply creates a more fragmented, less efficient world where artificial barriers replace natural competition.The semiconductor industry’s future depends on finding sustainable solutions that address legitimate security concerns without dismantling the collaborative networks that drive technological advancement. As this global AI chip ban takes effect, the world watches to see whether innovation will flourish through competition or fragment through control.See also: Huawei’s AI hardware breakthrough challenges Nvidia’s dominanceWant to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here. #can #really #enforce #global #chip

WWW.ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE-NEWS.COM

Can the US really enforce a global AI chip ban?

When Huawei shocked the global tech industry with its Mate 60 Pro smartphone featuring an advanced 7-nanometer chip despite sweeping US technology restrictions, it demonstrated that innovation finds a way even under the heaviest sanctions. The US response was swift and predictable: tighter export controls and expanded restrictions.Now, with reports suggesting Huawei’s Ascend AI chips are approaching Nvidia-level performance—though the Chinese company remains characteristically silent about these developments—America has preemptively escalated its semiconductor war to global proportions. The Trump administration’s declaration that using Huawei’s Ascend chips “anywhere in the world” violates US export controls reveals more than policy enforcement—it exposes a fundamental fear that American technological dominance may no longer be guaranteed through restrictions alone.This global AI chip ban emerged on May 14, 2025, when President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded the Biden-era AI Diffusion Rule without revealing details of a replacement policy. Instead, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced guidance to “strengthen export controls for overseas AI chips,” specifically targeting Huawei’s Ascend processors. The new guidelines warn of “enforcement actions” including imprisonment and fines for any global business found using these Chinese-developed chips—a fundamental departure from traditional export controls, which typically govern what leaves a country’s borders, not what happens entirely outside them.The South China Morning Post reports that these new guidelines explicitly single out Huawei’s Ascend chips after scrapping the Biden administration’s country-tiered “AI diffusion” rule. But the implications of this global AI chip ban extend far beyond bilateral US-China tensions. By asserting jurisdiction over global technology choices, America essentially demands that sovereign nations and independent businesses worldwide comply with its domestic policy preferences.This extraterritorial approach raises fundamental questions about national sovereignty and international trade. Should a Brazilian AI startup be prevented from using the most cost-effective chip solution simply because those chips are manufactured by a Chinese company? Should European research institutions abandon promising collaborations because they involve hardware Washington deems unacceptable?According to Financial Times reporting, BIS stated that Huawei’s Ascend 910B, 910C, and 910D were all subject to the regulations as they were likely “designed with certain US software or technology or produced with semiconductor manufacturing equipment that is the direct product of certain US-origin software or technology, or both.”Industry resistance to universal controlsEven within the United States, the chipmaking sector expresses alarm about Washington’s semiconductor policies. The aggressive expansion of export controls creates uncertainty beyond Chinese companies, affecting global supply chains and innovation partnerships built over decades.“Washington’s new guidelines are essentially forcing global tech firms to pick a side – Chinese or US hardware – which will further deepen the tech divide between the world’s two largest economies,” analysts note. This forced binary choice ignores the nuanced reality of modern technology development, where innovation emerges from diverse, international collaborations.The economic implications prove staggering. Recent analysis indicates Huawei’s Ascend 910B AI chip delivers 80% of Nvidia A100’s efficiency when training large language models, though “in some other tests, Ascend chips can beat the A100 by 20%.” By blocking access to competitive alternatives, this global AI chip ban may inadvertently stifle innovation and maintain artificial market monopolies.The innovation paradoxPerhaps most ironically, policies intended to maintain American technological leadership may undermine it. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged earlier this month that Huawei was “one of the most formidable technology companies in the world,” noting that China was “not behind” in AI development.Attempting to isolate such capabilities through global restrictions may accelerate the development of parallel technology ecosystems, ultimately reducing American influence rather than preserving it. The secrecy surrounding Huawei’s Ascend chips—with the company keeping “details of its AI chips close to its chest, with only public information coming from third-party teardown reports”—has intensified with US sanctions.Following escalating restrictions, Huawei stopped officially disclosing information about the series, including release dates, production schedules, and fabrication technologies. The chips specified in current US restrictions, including the Ascend 910C and 910D, haven’t even been officially confirmed by Huawei.Geopolitical ramificationsIn a South China Morning Post’s report, Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, warns that “if the guidance is enforced strictly, it is likely to provoke retaliation from China” and could become “a negotiating point in ongoing trade talks between Washington and Beijing.” This assessment underscores the counterproductive nature of aggressive unilateral action in an interconnected global economy.The semiconductor industry thrives on international collaboration, shared research, and open competition. Policies that fragment this ecosystem serve no one’s long-term interests—including America’s. As the global community grapples with challenges from climate change to healthcare innovation, artificial barriers preventing the best minds from accessing optimal tools ultimately harm human progress.Beyond binary choicesThe question isn’t whether nations should protect strategic interests—they should and must. But when export controls extend “anywhere in the world,” we cross from legitimate national security policy into technological authoritarianism. The global technology community deserves frameworks that balance security concerns with innovation imperatives.This global AI chip ban risks accelerating the technological fragmentation it seeks to prevent. History suggests markets divided by political decree often spawn parallel innovation ecosystems that compete more effectively than those operating under artificial constraints.Rather than extending controls globally, a strategic approach would focus on out-innovating competitors through superior technology and international partnerships. The current path toward technological bifurcation serves neither American interests nor global innovation—it simply creates a more fragmented, less efficient world where artificial barriers replace natural competition.The semiconductor industry’s future depends on finding sustainable solutions that address legitimate security concerns without dismantling the collaborative networks that drive technological advancement. As this global AI chip ban takes effect, the world watches to see whether innovation will flourish through competition or fragment through control.See also: Huawei’s AI hardware breakthrough challenges Nvidia’s dominanceWant to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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2025-05-16 19:24:09 ·

Tesla's Robotaxi Rollout Looks Like A Disaster Waiting To Happen

Ready or not–and despite a spotty safety record–the EV maker is racing to launch a pilot ride service in Austin to show off its self-driving chops.

Elon Musk is rolling out a handful of Tesla robotaxis in Austin next month, where up to 20 self-driving electric Model Ys will be unleashed to ferry passengers around the Texas city’s streets. He’s betting the future of Tesla on their success, as the automaker’s electric vehicle revenue tanks thanks to faster-growing Chinese rivals and a political backlash against Musk’s right-wing politics and role as job-slasher-in-chief for the Trump Administration.

But there’s a big hitch: Tesla hasn’t proven its self-driving taxis are safe enough to start delivering rides. Given its misleadingly named Autopilot and Full Self-Drivingsoftware’s deadly track record, Musk’s failure to provide detailed safety and technical data about Tesla’s technology and his determination to rely on cheap cameras instead of more robust sensors to navigate complicated urban environments, the Austin rollout could be a debacle.

For the latest in cleantech and sustainability news, sign up here for our Current Climate newsletter.

“It's going to fail for sure,” Dan O’Dowd, a long-time critic of Musk’s autonomous driving claims who’s spent his own money on Super Bowl commercials to call out Autopilot and FSD safety flaws, told Forbes. His anti-Tesla initiative, The Dawn Project, tests every update of FSD, a more advanced version of which is powering Musk’s robotaxis in Austin, as soon as they’re available. That update is to roll out to all Tesla drivers who pay a monthly subscription fee.

A pre-production Tesla Cybercab at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
O’Dowd has been putting the current version of FSD through its paces. “We drove it around Santa Barbara for 80 minutes and there were seven failures,” said O’Dowd, whose company Green Hills Software supplies security tech to defense and aerospace industry customers. “If there had not been a driver sitting in the driver's seat, it would’ve hit something.”
While the company hasn’t booked a dollar of robotaxi revenue, that hasn’t stopped the world’s wealthiest person from declaring victory. “I don’t see anyone being able to compete with Tesla at present,” Musk said on the company’s April 22 results call. His assessment may be premature.“I was looking for a signal this was ready. I didn't get that.”

The sole public demonstration of Tesla’s robotaxi chops was staged drives of its new “Cybercab” at Warner Brothers Studio in Los Angeles last October. The event included hauling invited Tesla fans around a fake cityscape–free of pedestrians but with lots of Tesla technicians keeping close tabs on vehicles. It struck safety researcher Noah Goodall, who published a technical analysis of Tesla’s safety data, independently from his role with the Virginia Department of Transportation, as more amusement park attraction than real-world test.
“It was just operating vehicles on a closed track on a movie lot. It was not impressive at all,” he said. “Navigating a real urban environment with uncertainty, other parties moving around, situations where just braking is not enough, that’s difficult. I was looking for a signal this was ready. I didn't get that.”
Autonomy Promises
In the decade since Tesla began selling customers its Autopilot and FSD features–for which it currently charges –the software has been linked to several fatal accidents where human drivers trusted the tech to drive their car, only for it to crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened multiple probes of Tesla’s Autopilot feature since 2016, including one last year to determine if it needed additional safety features after linking Autopilot to those 13 deaths. Last October, NHTSA also began investigating problems with FSD linked to two fatalities.
Despite the names, this software has always been designed to have a human behind the wheel. For the past decade, Musk has repeatedly claimed “full autonomy”–where a car can drive without human assistance–was only months or a year away, repeatedly missing his targets. Now, with Tesla’s EV sales down 13% in the first quarter, the company needs some buzz to reassure investors CEO Musk can turn things around. Robotaxis, as well as AI and humanoid robots, are exactly that, according to Musk.
So it’s running extensive tests in downtown Austin. “There’s just always a convoy of Teslas going all over to Austin in circles,” Musk said on the call. But a recent Business Insider story, citing interviews with former Tesla test drivers, doesn’t inspire confidence. The program “feels very forced,” one former worker said. "It's this breakthrough moment for Tesla, but there is also this feeling of so many last-minute details being up in the air.”The downtown Austin skyline.Getty Images
Tesla’s program will operate in a very limited area of Austin and rely heavily on remote operators to minimize accidents, according to an executive with another autonomous tech company, based on conversations with Texas officials, who asked not to be identified as the matter isn’t public.
To back up the AI driving the vehicles, Tesla has also hired human staff to monitor and assist if they get into jams, taking full control if necessary. “As we iterate on the AI that powers them, we need the ability to access and control them remotely,” the company said in a posting for one such job. Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo, the leader in robotaxi tech, also uses remote operators to assist the vehicles by providing suggested solutions to tricky situations, but those people don’t actually drive them. Lag and latency in cellular networks make remote operations unsafe.
Limited Data
Along with limited tests, there’s a dearth of trustworthy data about how well Tesla’s self-driving software operates. The company does file occasional safety performance reports about the software, but it’s not peer-reviewed by outside technical experts and it frames the data as positively as possible, according to Goodall, a technical witness in a lawsuit against Tesla over the death of Walther Huang, killed in 2018 when his Model X slammed into a highway divider while running on Autopilot.
“With Full Self Driving, when they first started publishing numbers on that, they neglected to share that they’d only rolled the software out to drivers who had a very high safety score of 90 or above,” he said. “So of course the data showed it was safer, as your safest drivers were the only ones that had it.”
By contrast, Waymo frequently posts detailed reports on how its robotaxis are performing, claiming the data is peer-reviewed by experts.
Tesla also hasn’t yet shared details with the public about where in Austin it will offer its robotaxi service or exactly how it will operate. The city’s police and fire departments told Forbes the company contacted Austin’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force, which includes their staff, and the city provided Tesla with “maps of schools and school zones; information about traffic control for special events; and information about our fire and police vehicles and procedures.”
But a request to see communications between Tesla and the city was denied. “The City of Austin is withholding responsive documents without a ruling from the Attorney General’s office, as permitted by law,” it said in an email. “All responsive information has been withheld due to 3rd party.”
The city didn’t respond to a question to confirm Tesla is that third party. The company, Musk and Ashok Elluswamy, head of Tesla’s autonomous vehicle program, didn’t respond to emails about the Austin rollout.
NHTSA this week requested details about Tesla’s Austin plans to understand how the vehicles perform in bad weather. It’s been investigating Tesla collisions involving Autopilot and FSD in poor visibility situations since last October. It’s not clear if the company has responded yet.
Tesla has had a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California for a decade, which requires companies to share safety data. Numerous competitors, including Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox, which hopes to operate robotaxis this year, Nuro and even Apple, which abandoned its program, have all submitted data on test miles logged including “disengagements”–when a human driver has to take over–as well as accident reports. Tesla hasn’t.
Not Just Driving
It’s hard to talk about Musk’s robotaxi dreams without comparing his approach to Waymo’s. The Alphabet unit has spent 16 years and billions of dollars trying to master every aspect of what a robotaxi has to do. Long before it gave its first paid rides to customers in Phoenix in 2018, the company tested intensely on public roads, privately at the “Castle,” its test facility at a decommissioned Air Force base in Central California, and with endless miles in virtual simulation to train its AI.A Waymo robotaxi in San Francisco.dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
Recognizing that robotaxis aren’t just a technical challenge, it also recruited people from the airline industry and businesses specializing in customer service. For robotaxis to work, the cars have to be good at doing small things that can be tough to master but are critical, like picking up and dropping off passengers.
“We've been working on that for a long time,” said Chris Ludwick, director of Waymo’s product management team. “The first challenge with PUDOis that when you get there, the on-road scene is going to be somewhat different each time. You may encounter construction or a stopped delivery truck or something like that. This leads to a whole suite of challenges of what do you do when you can't do the exact thing that you said to the rider when they requested the ride.”
That includes developing a sophisticated app to guide passengers to the safest, most convenient spots for them and other road users. “You can't just block traffic. That's unacceptable. If you do that the community gets upset,” Ludwick said. “There's just a lot of small details you have to get right.”
As far as safety, Waymo has avoided major accidents, injuries and fatalities so far, but its AI-enabled driver isn’t flawless. The company just recalled software in its fleet to fix a flaw that could cause vehicles to hit chains, gates and other barriers, following a NHTSA investigation.
Cheaper Robotaxis
In all the years Musk has promised autonomous Teslas and a robotaxi service, he hasn’t talked about what it’s doing to master ride-service essentials. But he does talk a big game about Tesla’s cost advantage.
“The issue with Waymo’s car is it costs way more money,” the billionaire said on Tesla’s results call. “Their car is very expensive, made in low volume. Teslas probably cost 25% or 20% of what a Waymo costs and are made in very high volume,” last month.
A base Model Y with FSD software costs consumers about before taxes. While Waymo doesn’t disclose the cost of its modified, electric Jaguar I-PACE robotaxis, the lidar, radar, computers and other sensors mean it’s likely double that of Tesla’s vehicles. Those costs should drop substantially over the next year or so as Waymo shifts to lower-cost sensors and cheaper vehicles, including Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and a small electric van from China’s Zeekr.
Boasts about cheaper Tesla robotaxis will be meaningless if they can’t safely pick up and drop off riders without causing traffic jams, yielding to pedestrians or avoiding collisions.
That’s made harder by the fact that Tesla uses eight 5-megapixel cameras as the main sensors for its system–far lower resolution than the 48-megapixel system on Apple’s iPhone 16. They’re inexpensive, but struggle with sunlight glare and low light conditions. Musk denied that was the case on Tesla’s April 22 call, but tests by O’Dowd’s Dawn Project after that found FSD disengages when directly facing the sun.“He thinks havingdoes not add enough benefit to outweigh the cost. This is a pretty typical engineering argument in general but incorrect in this particular case.”

“We went out and took the car and drove it directly into the setting sun and guess what: it gave up,” O’Dowd said. “It starts flashing and it starts panicking, red lights going, it starts making noises, says put your hands back on the wheel.”
By contrast, Waymo uses multiple sensors, including the much more expensive lidar, to ensure its vehicles see all potential road hazards, in daylight or at night, in 3D.Elon Musk attends a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump on April 30, 2025.The Washington Post via Getty Images
“Musk has repeatedly said lidar is expensive and not needed,” said Missy Cummings, an artificial intelligence expert who advised NHTSA on autonomous vehicles. “He thinks having it does not add enough benefit to outweigh the cost. This is a pretty typical engineering argument in general but incorrect in this particular case.”
After the Austin rollout, Musk said last month the goal is to expand to other U.S. markets, China and Europe, “limited only by regulatory approvals.” And one day soon, he envisions every person who owns a Tesla flipping a switch and deploying their car while not in use to a Tesla robotaxi network, helping them make additional cash on the side.“It’s all lies.”

The world’s wealthiest person has achieved remarkable things with Tesla’s EVs, SpaceX rockets and Starlink satellites. But for years he’s also repeatedly failed to deliver big ideas he touted as potential game-changers or massive moneymakers, including battery swapping stations, solar tile roofs, the Hyperloop and high-speed underground transportation networks created by his Boring Co. Whether self-driving vehicles join that list remains to be seen.
After repeatedly promising and failing to deliver vehicles that safely drive themselves for the past decade, let alone pick up riders, his track record isn’t looking good.
Critics have a harsher interpretation. “It's all lies, everything he says,” said O’Dowd.
More from Forbes
#tesla039s #robotaxi #rollout #looks #like

Tesla's Robotaxi Rollout Looks Like A Disaster Waiting To Happen
Ready or not–and despite a spotty safety record–the EV maker is racing to launch a pilot ride service in Austin to show off its self-driving chops. Elon Musk is rolling out a handful of Tesla robotaxis in Austin next month, where up to 20 self-driving electric Model Ys will be unleashed to ferry passengers around the Texas city’s streets. He’s betting the future of Tesla on their success, as the automaker’s electric vehicle revenue tanks thanks to faster-growing Chinese rivals and a political backlash against Musk’s right-wing politics and role as job-slasher-in-chief for the Trump Administration. But there’s a big hitch: Tesla hasn’t proven its self-driving taxis are safe enough to start delivering rides. Given its misleadingly named Autopilot and Full Self-Drivingsoftware’s deadly track record, Musk’s failure to provide detailed safety and technical data about Tesla’s technology and his determination to rely on cheap cameras instead of more robust sensors to navigate complicated urban environments, the Austin rollout could be a debacle. For the latest in cleantech and sustainability news, sign up here for our Current Climate newsletter. “It's going to fail for sure,” Dan O’Dowd, a long-time critic of Musk’s autonomous driving claims who’s spent his own money on Super Bowl commercials to call out Autopilot and FSD safety flaws, told Forbes. His anti-Tesla initiative, The Dawn Project, tests every update of FSD, a more advanced version of which is powering Musk’s robotaxis in Austin, as soon as they’re available. That update is to roll out to all Tesla drivers who pay a monthly subscription fee. A pre-production Tesla Cybercab at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. O’Dowd has been putting the current version of FSD through its paces. “We drove it around Santa Barbara for 80 minutes and there were seven failures,” said O’Dowd, whose company Green Hills Software supplies security tech to defense and aerospace industry customers. “If there had not been a driver sitting in the driver's seat, it would’ve hit something.” While the company hasn’t booked a dollar of robotaxi revenue, that hasn’t stopped the world’s wealthiest person from declaring victory. “I don’t see anyone being able to compete with Tesla at present,” Musk said on the company’s April 22 results call. His assessment may be premature.“I was looking for a signal this was ready. I didn't get that.”   The sole public demonstration of Tesla’s robotaxi chops was staged drives of its new “Cybercab” at Warner Brothers Studio in Los Angeles last October. The event included hauling invited Tesla fans around a fake cityscape–free of pedestrians but with lots of Tesla technicians keeping close tabs on vehicles. It struck safety researcher Noah Goodall, who published a technical analysis of Tesla’s safety data, independently from his role with the Virginia Department of Transportation, as more amusement park attraction than real-world test. “It was just operating vehicles on a closed track on a movie lot. It was not impressive at all,” he said. “Navigating a real urban environment with uncertainty, other parties moving around, situations where just braking is not enough, that’s difficult. I was looking for a signal this was ready. I didn't get that.” Autonomy Promises In the decade since Tesla began selling customers its Autopilot and FSD features–for which it currently charges –the software has been linked to several fatal accidents where human drivers trusted the tech to drive their car, only for it to crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened multiple probes of Tesla’s Autopilot feature since 2016, including one last year to determine if it needed additional safety features after linking Autopilot to those 13 deaths. Last October, NHTSA also began investigating problems with FSD linked to two fatalities. Despite the names, this software has always been designed to have a human behind the wheel. For the past decade, Musk has repeatedly claimed “full autonomy”–where a car can drive without human assistance–was only months or a year away, repeatedly missing his targets. Now, with Tesla’s EV sales down 13% in the first quarter, the company needs some buzz to reassure investors CEO Musk can turn things around. Robotaxis, as well as AI and humanoid robots, are exactly that, according to Musk. So it’s running extensive tests in downtown Austin. “There’s just always a convoy of Teslas going all over to Austin in circles,” Musk said on the call. But a recent Business Insider story, citing interviews with former Tesla test drivers, doesn’t inspire confidence. The program “feels very forced,” one former worker said. "It's this breakthrough moment for Tesla, but there is also this feeling of so many last-minute details being up in the air.”The downtown Austin skyline.Getty Images Tesla’s program will operate in a very limited area of Austin and rely heavily on remote operators to minimize accidents, according to an executive with another autonomous tech company, based on conversations with Texas officials, who asked not to be identified as the matter isn’t public. To back up the AI driving the vehicles, Tesla has also hired human staff to monitor and assist if they get into jams, taking full control if necessary. “As we iterate on the AI that powers them, we need the ability to access and control them remotely,” the company said in a posting for one such job. Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo, the leader in robotaxi tech, also uses remote operators to assist the vehicles by providing suggested solutions to tricky situations, but those people don’t actually drive them. Lag and latency in cellular networks make remote operations unsafe. Limited Data Along with limited tests, there’s a dearth of trustworthy data about how well Tesla’s self-driving software operates. The company does file occasional safety performance reports about the software, but it’s not peer-reviewed by outside technical experts and it frames the data as positively as possible, according to Goodall, a technical witness in a lawsuit against Tesla over the death of Walther Huang, killed in 2018 when his Model X slammed into a highway divider while running on Autopilot. “With Full Self Driving, when they first started publishing numbers on that, they neglected to share that they’d only rolled the software out to drivers who had a very high safety score of 90 or above,” he said. “So of course the data showed it was safer, as your safest drivers were the only ones that had it.” By contrast, Waymo frequently posts detailed reports on how its robotaxis are performing, claiming the data is peer-reviewed by experts. Tesla also hasn’t yet shared details with the public about where in Austin it will offer its robotaxi service or exactly how it will operate. The city’s police and fire departments told Forbes the company contacted Austin’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force, which includes their staff, and the city provided Tesla with “maps of schools and school zones; information about traffic control for special events; and information about our fire and police vehicles and procedures.” But a request to see communications between Tesla and the city was denied. “The City of Austin is withholding responsive documents without a ruling from the Attorney General’s office, as permitted by law,” it said in an email. “All responsive information has been withheld due to 3rd party.” The city didn’t respond to a question to confirm Tesla is that third party. The company, Musk and Ashok Elluswamy, head of Tesla’s autonomous vehicle program, didn’t respond to emails about the Austin rollout. NHTSA this week requested details about Tesla’s Austin plans to understand how the vehicles perform in bad weather. It’s been investigating Tesla collisions involving Autopilot and FSD in poor visibility situations since last October. It’s not clear if the company has responded yet. Tesla has had a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California for a decade, which requires companies to share safety data. Numerous competitors, including Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox, which hopes to operate robotaxis this year, Nuro and even Apple, which abandoned its program, have all submitted data on test miles logged including “disengagements”–when a human driver has to take over–as well as accident reports. Tesla hasn’t. Not Just Driving It’s hard to talk about Musk’s robotaxi dreams without comparing his approach to Waymo’s. The Alphabet unit has spent 16 years and billions of dollars trying to master every aspect of what a robotaxi has to do. Long before it gave its first paid rides to customers in Phoenix in 2018, the company tested intensely on public roads, privately at the “Castle,” its test facility at a decommissioned Air Force base in Central California, and with endless miles in virtual simulation to train its AI.A Waymo robotaxi in San Francisco.dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Recognizing that robotaxis aren’t just a technical challenge, it also recruited people from the airline industry and businesses specializing in customer service. For robotaxis to work, the cars have to be good at doing small things that can be tough to master but are critical, like picking up and dropping off passengers. “We've been working on that for a long time,” said Chris Ludwick, director of Waymo’s product management team. “The first challenge with PUDOis that when you get there, the on-road scene is going to be somewhat different each time. You may encounter construction or a stopped delivery truck or something like that. This leads to a whole suite of challenges of what do you do when you can't do the exact thing that you said to the rider when they requested the ride.” That includes developing a sophisticated app to guide passengers to the safest, most convenient spots for them and other road users. “You can't just block traffic. That's unacceptable. If you do that the community gets upset,” Ludwick said. “There's just a lot of small details you have to get right.” As far as safety, Waymo has avoided major accidents, injuries and fatalities so far, but its AI-enabled driver isn’t flawless. The company just recalled software in its fleet to fix a flaw that could cause vehicles to hit chains, gates and other barriers, following a NHTSA investigation. Cheaper Robotaxis In all the years Musk has promised autonomous Teslas and a robotaxi service, he hasn’t talked about what it’s doing to master ride-service essentials. But he does talk a big game about Tesla’s cost advantage. “The issue with Waymo’s car is it costs way more money,” the billionaire said on Tesla’s results call. “Their car is very expensive, made in low volume. Teslas probably cost 25% or 20% of what a Waymo costs and are made in very high volume,” last month. A base Model Y with FSD software costs consumers about before taxes. While Waymo doesn’t disclose the cost of its modified, electric Jaguar I-PACE robotaxis, the lidar, radar, computers and other sensors mean it’s likely double that of Tesla’s vehicles. Those costs should drop substantially over the next year or so as Waymo shifts to lower-cost sensors and cheaper vehicles, including Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and a small electric van from China’s Zeekr. Boasts about cheaper Tesla robotaxis will be meaningless if they can’t safely pick up and drop off riders without causing traffic jams, yielding to pedestrians or avoiding collisions. That’s made harder by the fact that Tesla uses eight 5-megapixel cameras as the main sensors for its system–far lower resolution than the 48-megapixel system on Apple’s iPhone 16. They’re inexpensive, but struggle with sunlight glare and low light conditions. Musk denied that was the case on Tesla’s April 22 call, but tests by O’Dowd’s Dawn Project after that found FSD disengages when directly facing the sun.“He thinks havingdoes not add enough benefit to outweigh the cost. This is a pretty typical engineering argument in general but incorrect in this particular case.” “We went out and took the car and drove it directly into the setting sun and guess what: it gave up,” O’Dowd said. “It starts flashing and it starts panicking, red lights going, it starts making noises, says put your hands back on the wheel.” By contrast, Waymo uses multiple sensors, including the much more expensive lidar, to ensure its vehicles see all potential road hazards, in daylight or at night, in 3D.Elon Musk attends a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump on April 30, 2025.The Washington Post via Getty Images “Musk has repeatedly said lidar is expensive and not needed,” said Missy Cummings, an artificial intelligence expert who advised NHTSA on autonomous vehicles. “He thinks having it does not add enough benefit to outweigh the cost. This is a pretty typical engineering argument in general but incorrect in this particular case.” After the Austin rollout, Musk said last month the goal is to expand to other U.S. markets, China and Europe, “limited only by regulatory approvals.” And one day soon, he envisions every person who owns a Tesla flipping a switch and deploying their car while not in use to a Tesla robotaxi network, helping them make additional cash on the side.“It’s all lies.” The world’s wealthiest person has achieved remarkable things with Tesla’s EVs, SpaceX rockets and Starlink satellites. But for years he’s also repeatedly failed to deliver big ideas he touted as potential game-changers or massive moneymakers, including battery swapping stations, solar tile roofs, the Hyperloop and high-speed underground transportation networks created by his Boring Co. Whether self-driving vehicles join that list remains to be seen. After repeatedly promising and failing to deliver vehicles that safely drive themselves for the past decade, let alone pick up riders, his track record isn’t looking good. Critics have a harsher interpretation. “It's all lies, everything he says,” said O’Dowd. More from Forbes #tesla039s #robotaxi #rollout #looks #like

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Tesla's Robotaxi Rollout Looks Like A Disaster Waiting To Happen

Ready or not–and despite a spotty safety record–the EV maker is racing to launch a pilot ride service in Austin to show off its self-driving chops. Elon Musk is rolling out a handful of Tesla robotaxis in Austin next month, where up to 20 self-driving electric Model Ys will be unleashed to ferry passengers around the Texas city’s streets. He’s betting the future of Tesla on their success, as the automaker’s electric vehicle revenue tanks thanks to faster-growing Chinese rivals and a political backlash against Musk’s right-wing politics and role as job-slasher-in-chief for the Trump Administration. But there’s a big hitch: Tesla hasn’t proven its self-driving taxis are safe enough to start delivering rides. Given its misleadingly named Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) software’s deadly track record, Musk’s failure to provide detailed safety and technical data about Tesla’s technology and his determination to rely on cheap cameras instead of more robust sensors to navigate complicated urban environments, the Austin rollout could be a debacle. For the latest in cleantech and sustainability news, sign up here for our Current Climate newsletter. “It's going to fail for sure,” Dan O’Dowd, a long-time critic of Musk’s autonomous driving claims who’s spent his own money on Super Bowl commercials to call out Autopilot and FSD safety flaws, told Forbes. His anti-Tesla initiative, The Dawn Project, tests every update of FSD, a more advanced version of which is powering Musk’s robotaxis in Austin, as soon as they’re available. That update is to roll out to all Tesla drivers who pay a $99 monthly subscription fee. A pre-production Tesla Cybercab at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. O’Dowd has been putting the current version of FSD through its paces. “We drove it around Santa Barbara for 80 minutes and there were seven failures,” said O’Dowd, whose company Green Hills Software supplies security tech to defense and aerospace industry customers. “If there had not been a driver sitting in the driver's seat, it would’ve hit something.” While the company hasn’t booked a dollar of robotaxi revenue, that hasn’t stopped the world’s wealthiest person from declaring victory. “I don’t see anyone being able to compete with Tesla at present,” Musk said on the company’s April 22 results call. His assessment may be premature.“I was looking for a signal this was ready. I didn't get that.”   The sole public demonstration of Tesla’s robotaxi chops was staged drives of its new “Cybercab” at Warner Brothers Studio in Los Angeles last October. The event included hauling invited Tesla fans around a fake cityscape–free of pedestrians but with lots of Tesla technicians keeping close tabs on vehicles. It struck safety researcher Noah Goodall, who published a technical analysis of Tesla’s safety data, independently from his role with the Virginia Department of Transportation, as more amusement park attraction than real-world test. “It was just operating vehicles on a closed track on a movie lot. It was not impressive at all,” he said. “Navigating a real urban environment with uncertainty, other parties moving around, situations where just braking is not enough, that’s difficult. I was looking for a signal this was ready. I didn't get that.” Autonomy Promises In the decade since Tesla began selling customers its Autopilot and FSD features–for which it currently charges $8,000–the software has been linked to several fatal accidents where human drivers trusted the tech to drive their car, only for it to crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened multiple probes of Tesla’s Autopilot feature since 2016, including one last year to determine if it needed additional safety features after linking Autopilot to those 13 deaths. Last October, NHTSA also began investigating problems with FSD linked to two fatalities. Despite the names, this software has always been designed to have a human behind the wheel. For the past decade, Musk has repeatedly claimed “full autonomy”–where a car can drive without human assistance–was only months or a year away, repeatedly missing his targets. Now, with Tesla’s EV sales down 13% in the first quarter, the company needs some buzz to reassure investors CEO Musk can turn things around. Robotaxis, as well as AI and humanoid robots, are exactly that, according to Musk. So it’s running extensive tests in downtown Austin. “There’s just always a convoy of Teslas going all over to Austin in circles,” Musk said on the call. But a recent Business Insider story, citing interviews with former Tesla test drivers, doesn’t inspire confidence. The program “feels very forced,” one former worker said. "It's this breakthrough moment for Tesla, but there is also this feeling of so many last-minute details being up in the air.”The downtown Austin skyline.Getty Images Tesla’s program will operate in a very limited area of Austin and rely heavily on remote operators to minimize accidents, according to an executive with another autonomous tech company, based on conversations with Texas officials, who asked not to be identified as the matter isn’t public. To back up the AI driving the vehicles, Tesla has also hired human staff to monitor and assist if they get into jams, taking full control if necessary. “As we iterate on the AI that powers them, we need the ability to access and control them remotely,” the company said in a posting for one such job. Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo, the leader in robotaxi tech, also uses remote operators to assist the vehicles by providing suggested solutions to tricky situations, but those people don’t actually drive them. Lag and latency in cellular networks make remote operations unsafe. Limited Data Along with limited tests, there’s a dearth of trustworthy data about how well Tesla’s self-driving software operates. The company does file occasional safety performance reports about the software, but it’s not peer-reviewed by outside technical experts and it frames the data as positively as possible, according to Goodall, a technical witness in a lawsuit against Tesla over the death of Walther Huang, killed in 2018 when his Model X slammed into a highway divider while running on Autopilot. “With Full Self Driving, when they first started publishing numbers on that, they neglected to share that they’d only rolled the software out to drivers who had a very high safety score of 90 or above,” he said. “So of course the data showed it was safer, as your safest drivers were the only ones that had it.” By contrast, Waymo frequently posts detailed reports on how its robotaxis are performing, claiming the data is peer-reviewed by experts. Tesla also hasn’t yet shared details with the public about where in Austin it will offer its robotaxi service or exactly how it will operate. The city’s police and fire departments told Forbes the company contacted Austin’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force, which includes their staff, and the city provided Tesla with “maps of schools and school zones; information about traffic control for special events; and information about our fire and police vehicles and procedures.” But a request to see communications between Tesla and the city was denied. “The City of Austin is withholding responsive documents without a ruling from the Attorney General’s office, as permitted by law,” it said in an email. “All responsive information has been withheld due to 3rd party.” The city didn’t respond to a question to confirm Tesla is that third party. The company, Musk and Ashok Elluswamy, head of Tesla’s autonomous vehicle program, didn’t respond to emails about the Austin rollout. NHTSA this week requested details about Tesla’s Austin plans to understand how the vehicles perform in bad weather. It’s been investigating Tesla collisions involving Autopilot and FSD in poor visibility situations since last October. It’s not clear if the company has responded yet. Tesla has had a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California for a decade, which requires companies to share safety data. Numerous competitors, including Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox, which hopes to operate robotaxis this year, Nuro and even Apple, which abandoned its program, have all submitted data on test miles logged including “disengagements”–when a human driver has to take over–as well as accident reports. Tesla hasn’t. Not Just Driving It’s hard to talk about Musk’s robotaxi dreams without comparing his approach to Waymo’s. The Alphabet unit has spent 16 years and billions of dollars trying to master every aspect of what a robotaxi has to do. Long before it gave its first paid rides to customers in Phoenix in 2018, the company tested intensely on public roads, privately at the “Castle,” its test facility at a decommissioned Air Force base in Central California, and with endless miles in virtual simulation to train its AI.A Waymo robotaxi in San Francisco.dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Recognizing that robotaxis aren’t just a technical challenge, it also recruited people from the airline industry and businesses specializing in customer service. For robotaxis to work, the cars have to be good at doing small things that can be tough to master but are critical, like picking up and dropping off passengers. “We've been working on that for a long time,” said Chris Ludwick, director of Waymo’s product management team. “The first challenge with PUDO (the company’s shorthand for pickup, drop-off) is that when you get there, the on-road scene is going to be somewhat different each time. You may encounter construction or a stopped delivery truck or something like that. This leads to a whole suite of challenges of what do you do when you can't do the exact thing that you said to the rider when they requested the ride.” That includes developing a sophisticated app to guide passengers to the safest, most convenient spots for them and other road users. “You can't just block traffic. That's unacceptable. If you do that the community gets upset,” Ludwick said. “There's just a lot of small details you have to get right.” As far as safety, Waymo has avoided major accidents, injuries and fatalities so far, but its AI-enabled driver isn’t flawless. The company just recalled software in its fleet to fix a flaw that could cause vehicles to hit chains, gates and other barriers, following a NHTSA investigation. Cheaper Robotaxis In all the years Musk has promised autonomous Teslas and a robotaxi service, he hasn’t talked about what it’s doing to master ride-service essentials. But he does talk a big game about Tesla’s cost advantage. “The issue with Waymo’s car is it costs way more money,” the billionaire said on Tesla’s results call. “Their car is very expensive, made in low volume. Teslas probably cost 25% or 20% of what a Waymo costs and are made in very high volume,” last month. A base Model Y with FSD software costs consumers about $55,000 before taxes. While Waymo doesn’t disclose the cost of its modified, electric Jaguar I-PACE robotaxis, the lidar, radar, computers and other sensors mean it’s likely double that of Tesla’s vehicles. Those costs should drop substantially over the next year or so as Waymo shifts to lower-cost sensors and cheaper vehicles, including Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and a small electric van from China’s Zeekr. Boasts about cheaper Tesla robotaxis will be meaningless if they can’t safely pick up and drop off riders without causing traffic jams, yielding to pedestrians or avoiding collisions. That’s made harder by the fact that Tesla uses eight 5-megapixel cameras as the main sensors for its system–far lower resolution than the 48-megapixel system on Apple’s iPhone 16. They’re inexpensive, but struggle with sunlight glare and low light conditions. Musk denied that was the case on Tesla’s April 22 call, but tests by O’Dowd’s Dawn Project after that found FSD disengages when directly facing the sun.“He thinks having [lidar] does not add enough benefit to outweigh the cost. This is a pretty typical engineering argument in general but incorrect in this particular case.” “We went out and took the car and drove it directly into the setting sun and guess what: it gave up,” O’Dowd said. “It starts flashing and it starts panicking, red lights going, it starts making noises, says put your hands back on the wheel.” By contrast, Waymo uses multiple sensors, including the much more expensive lidar, to ensure its vehicles see all potential road hazards, in daylight or at night, in 3D.Elon Musk attends a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump on April 30, 2025.The Washington Post via Getty Images “Musk has repeatedly said lidar is expensive and not needed,” said Missy Cummings, an artificial intelligence expert who advised NHTSA on autonomous vehicles. “He thinks having it does not add enough benefit to outweigh the cost. This is a pretty typical engineering argument in general but incorrect in this particular case.” After the Austin rollout, Musk said last month the goal is to expand to other U.S. markets, China and Europe, “limited only by regulatory approvals.” And one day soon, he envisions every person who owns a Tesla flipping a switch and deploying their car while not in use to a Tesla robotaxi network, helping them make additional cash on the side (as long as they pay Tesla $99 per month).“It’s all lies.” The world’s wealthiest person has achieved remarkable things with Tesla’s EVs, SpaceX rockets and Starlink satellites. But for years he’s also repeatedly failed to deliver big ideas he touted as potential game-changers or massive moneymakers, including battery swapping stations, solar tile roofs, the Hyperloop and high-speed underground transportation networks created by his Boring Co. Whether self-driving vehicles join that list remains to be seen. After repeatedly promising and failing to deliver vehicles that safely drive themselves for the past decade, let alone pick up riders, his track record isn’t looking good. Critics have a harsher interpretation. “It's all lies, everything he says,” said O’Dowd. More from Forbes

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2025-05-16 04:45:45 ·

The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio

The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studioSave this picture!© Timeraw StudioCommunity Center•Tai Xing Shi, China

Architects:
AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio
Area
Area of this architecture project

Area:
2400 m²

Year
Completion year of this architecture project

Year:

2024

Photographs

Photographs:Timeraw Studio More SpecsLess Specs
this picture!
Urban Regeneration by the Canal - Taixing, situated in the south-central region of Jiangsu Province, stands as the convergence of Huai and Wu cultures. Established in the first year of Shengyuan during the Southern Tang Dynasty, it is a millennium-old city with a rich history. Historically, Taixing County was characterized by an intricate network of waterways, thriving alongside and in harmony with the water, and its fortified walls were constructed in the shape of a turtle's shell. Encircling the city were two moats, both inside and outside the walls, with several winding watercourses resembling snakes in between, forming a pattern reminiscent of the Black Tortoise and White Snake, commonly known as the " City laid out in the shape of a turtle and snake." In recent times, with the city's growth, a new urban layout gradually emerged to the north and east of the old city, intersected by the Rutai Canal and Qiangxi River. Notably, the Rutai Canal, linking the Yangtze River in the west and the Yellow Sea in the east, has served as a pivotal regional waterway spanning Rugao and Taixing since ancient times.this picture!In 2023, Taixing City embarked on the "Double Water Nourishing City" supporting facilities project, utilizing the Rutai Canal and Qiangxi River as the foundation. The project involves renovating the disorganized factories, wharves, and shacks along the rivers to create a riverside scenic zone for leisure activities. This scenic zone encompasses numerous cultural squares, parks, and small ancillary garden buildings. The question arises: how can these unused buildings be put to good use? On the one hand, they can enhance services for citizens' riverside leisure activities; on the other hand, the operational revenue generated can alleviate the maintenance costs of public green spaces. This represents the trend towards operational management of urban assets against the backdrop of urban renewal. Consequently, Taixing City has decided to revamp and repurpose six idle ancillary buildings scattered along the parks by the two rivers, endowing them with commercial attributes to leverage their footfall-drawing potential and infuse more vitality into the riverside scenic zone.this picture!The value of architectural assets and waterside living - In the northwest direction of the north gate of the old county town, there lies a junction formed by the Rutai Canal and other waterways. Following partial rerouting of the canal in modern times, the construction of urban highway bridges in the vicinity and the development of high-rise residential areas have enclosed this area, transforming it into a relatively spacious waterfront spot within the community. The site features a children's playground beloved by residents, making it a must-visit destination for citizens taking strolls and engaging in fitness activities along the Rutai Canal.this picture!The site originally housed two independent two-story buildings with concrete frame structures. One building features a V-shaped floor plan, while the other boasts a zigzag floor plan. Together, these two buildings, along with the river channel, enclose an approximately triangular plot of land. To address the elevation differences within the site, stairs and flower beds have been incorporated into the current design.this picture!At the onset of designing this project, the owner's requirement was to impart operational capabilities to these idle urban assets. Often, this is mistakenly interpreted in isolation as necessitating a "tailor-made" design based solely on operational demands. The business needs appear to be prioritized in the design brief, with a tendency to conflate building renovation and interior refurbishment, which represents an all-too-common shortcut in urban renewal. Building renewal constitutes a vital component of urban revitalization: it aids in realigning the site's traffic and spatial connections with the city through renovation and reconstruction, and employs functional integration to reintegrate the building into the city's fabric. Additionally, renovation extends the lifecycle of buildings and enhances their adaptability to a broader range of business types. Furthermore, it delves deeper into the site's unique attributes and leverages them to boost the building's appeal.this picture!To capture the cultural and geographical essence of a site, one must revert to the perspective of the city. In this water-laden town, water serves not merely as a geographical feature but also as a cultural emblem deeply ingrained in the fabric of daily life. The teahouses lining the canal bustle with activity, offering a pot of tea, a plate of steamed silken tofu, a basket of steamed pork buns, and a bowl of fish noodle soup. Old tea enthusiasts wander over to the riverside teahouses with their enamel mugs, where the aroma of steaming Xuanbao small wontons blends with the sesame fragrance of Huangqiao sesame cakes, wafting towards the river's heart. They sip on "Langli tea" brewed with canal water while watching barges glide by, leaving ripples in their wake. These are taste memories nurtured by the canal.The clanging of washing sticks at the riverbank, the tapping of chess pieces under the eaves of riverside houses; children leaning over railings to count passing sandboats, morning joggers' silhouettes mirrored in the shimmering waves, elderly couples taking a stroll and pausing at the flood embankment, pointing to the newly erected buildings across the river and reminiscing about the ferry pier of yesteryears. These scenes and people collectively paint a unique and vibrant picture of life along the waterfront in Taixing.Hence, the primary objective of renovating this site is to honor and perpetuate this vibrant atmosphere, providing a comfortable and inviting environment for people to linger and gather. By fostering conditions conducive to meeting the diverse needs of citizens, the potential value of the architecture can be fully realized.this picture!Revitalization strategy - With these considerations in mind, let's revisit the original site and buildings. Serving as administrative offices, each building boasts a modest area and features just one staircase inside. The elaborate decoration of the building facades actually obstructs the indoor view of the canal. The outdoor area between the two buildings, segmented by varying heights, struggles to serve as an effective venue for events. These are the aspects of the buildings that necessitate renovation and upgrading.this picture!this picture!this picture!More crucially, the site requires a powerful spatial configuration to redefine and distinguish this area, establishing it as a significant destination along the riverside scenic corridor. We define this spatial configuration as a prominent, large-scale open area, aimed at strengthening the connectivity between the site and the public spaces of adjacent blocks. By analyzing the types of traditional public spaces along the canal, we discovered that the awning form exhibits strong applicability. Both the boat awning and the market awning on the shore exhibit a form that is both sheltered and open. This convenient and easily maintainable semi-outdoor public space can effectively adapt to the complex surrounding environment, while encouraging the emergence of temporary and diverse public activities. It is a common spatial outcome nurtured by canal culture. Furthermore, utilizing the roofs of existing buildings to create more platforms that offer both accessibility and river views is undoubtedly a morphological projection of the site's characteristics onto the architectural form, and also facilitates the creation of favorable conditions for shaping outdoor commercial spaces.this picture!The final design employs a large canopy to complement the originally fragmented site. This canopy extends over the triangular site and portions of the V-shaped building's rooftop, creating a flat and expansive area between the two structures, akin to a waterfront urban stage. The height difference of the site is seamlessly integrated into the surrounding stepped seating areas. The V-shaped building's rooftop achieves a more direct connection to the ground through the addition of stairs and setback terraces. Likewise, the newly added columnar staircase adjacent to the building on the northern side of the site becomes a dynamic element in the space, directing individuals to the rooftop platform of the L-shaped building. Besides providing a vast shaded area for activities, the canopy alleviates the oppressive feeling imparted by the surrounding dense high-rise residential buildings. As people move under the canopy, their gaze is directed towards the canal and the ships navigating through it, restoring the appropriate scale of waterside life. The concave shape in the middle of the canopy collects rainwater from the rooftop and directs it to a reserved oval drain below through a cantilevered stainless steel spout, creating a "dragon spitting water" landscape.this picture!Technical measures - After assessing the concrete frame structure of the existing building, structural reinforcement was carried out on the foundation, beams, slabs, and columns. Transparent peripheral protective structures, such as glass curtain walls, were reintroduced. The horizontally extended white aluminum panels suggest a layered, accessible roof that steps back progressively. For the large canopy spanning approximately 1,000 square meters, a combination of curved grid glued bamboo-steel structure and membrane structure was selected through technical comparison. The basic configuration of the roof consists of several full-length square steel beams and V-shaped columns. The grid units composed of engineered bamboo members facilitate the creation of a gradual curved surface.this picture!this picture!The curved mesh glued bamboo-steel structure imbues this enclosed space with structural expression and illumination, emphasizing the openness and airiness of the structure to foster a relaxed and joyful atmosphere. This stands in contrast to the confined interior of buildings, suggesting the equitable use of public spaces and leveraging technical expression to promote community interaction and sharing.this picture!Community space - Benefiting from the maturity of the commercial and residential districts surrounding the project, as well as its strategic location adjacent to water, we defined the building as Taixing Teahouse—a venue that embodies the local morning tea culture of Taixing during the initial project planning stage. This decision was made after a comprehensive assessment of various factors, including project scale, surrounding traffic conditions, and potential impacts on nearby residents. Leveraging the separation of two buildings, we designated separate areas for the morning tea hall and private dining rooms. In the morning tea area, the middle section of the V-shaped layout serves as an open kitchen, showcasing the production of morning tea as an intangible cultural heritage.Upon completion, this revitalized venue has garnered immense popularity among Taixing residents. The riverside morning tea hall is often fully booked, while private dining rooms offering a panoramic view of the canal have become a favorite gathering spot for families and friends. The small plaza underneath the canopy is utilized by residents at various times of the day and has also hosted numerous cultural events in Taixing. Additionally, the semi-outdoor terrace on the second floor and the rooftop terrace on the third floor under the canopy have transformed into outdoor spaces for leisure bars. Evidently, the transformed space has transcended its original singular function, and its aesthetic appeal has been acknowledged through daily use by residents. It has emerged as a neighborhood hub in the contemporary waterfront living environment, seamlessly integrating culture, nature, and even spiritual and emotional sustenance.this picture!Conclusion - In the process of renewing urban idle buildings and neglected spaces leftover from the incremental development era, the approach of merely pursuing commercial value by forcibly integrating untimely commercial format often proves unsustainable. The crucial solution lies in reverting to the essence of the site, by examining the relationship between the architecture and the urban fabric, deeply exploring the site's potential, and reestablishing its public character. Only when the space genuinely transforms into a delightful venue for public interaction and fosters an organic connection with the city can commercial vitality naturally emerge. This incremental renewal strategy, which prioritizes public use over commercial gain, not only respects the natural evolution of urban spaces but also achieves a harmonious coexistence between public and commercial values. It stands to become a pivotal approach in urban renewal.this picture!

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Project locationAddress:Tai Xing Shi, ChinaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this office
MaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on May 16, 2025Cite: "The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio" 16 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . < ISSN 0719-8884
#canopy #pavilion #canal #aeseu #architectural

The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio
The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studioSave this picture!© Timeraw StudioCommunity Center•Tai Xing Shi, China Architects: AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio Area Area of this architecture project Area: 2400 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 Photographs Photographs:Timeraw Studio More SpecsLess Specs this picture! Urban Regeneration by the Canal - Taixing, situated in the south-central region of Jiangsu Province, stands as the convergence of Huai and Wu cultures. Established in the first year of Shengyuan during the Southern Tang Dynasty, it is a millennium-old city with a rich history. Historically, Taixing County was characterized by an intricate network of waterways, thriving alongside and in harmony with the water, and its fortified walls were constructed in the shape of a turtle's shell. Encircling the city were two moats, both inside and outside the walls, with several winding watercourses resembling snakes in between, forming a pattern reminiscent of the Black Tortoise and White Snake, commonly known as the " City laid out in the shape of a turtle and snake." In recent times, with the city's growth, a new urban layout gradually emerged to the north and east of the old city, intersected by the Rutai Canal and Qiangxi River. Notably, the Rutai Canal, linking the Yangtze River in the west and the Yellow Sea in the east, has served as a pivotal regional waterway spanning Rugao and Taixing since ancient times.this picture!In 2023, Taixing City embarked on the "Double Water Nourishing City" supporting facilities project, utilizing the Rutai Canal and Qiangxi River as the foundation. The project involves renovating the disorganized factories, wharves, and shacks along the rivers to create a riverside scenic zone for leisure activities. This scenic zone encompasses numerous cultural squares, parks, and small ancillary garden buildings. The question arises: how can these unused buildings be put to good use? On the one hand, they can enhance services for citizens' riverside leisure activities; on the other hand, the operational revenue generated can alleviate the maintenance costs of public green spaces. This represents the trend towards operational management of urban assets against the backdrop of urban renewal. Consequently, Taixing City has decided to revamp and repurpose six idle ancillary buildings scattered along the parks by the two rivers, endowing them with commercial attributes to leverage their footfall-drawing potential and infuse more vitality into the riverside scenic zone.this picture!The value of architectural assets and waterside living - In the northwest direction of the north gate of the old county town, there lies a junction formed by the Rutai Canal and other waterways. Following partial rerouting of the canal in modern times, the construction of urban highway bridges in the vicinity and the development of high-rise residential areas have enclosed this area, transforming it into a relatively spacious waterfront spot within the community. The site features a children's playground beloved by residents, making it a must-visit destination for citizens taking strolls and engaging in fitness activities along the Rutai Canal.this picture!The site originally housed two independent two-story buildings with concrete frame structures. One building features a V-shaped floor plan, while the other boasts a zigzag floor plan. Together, these two buildings, along with the river channel, enclose an approximately triangular plot of land. To address the elevation differences within the site, stairs and flower beds have been incorporated into the current design.this picture!At the onset of designing this project, the owner's requirement was to impart operational capabilities to these idle urban assets. Often, this is mistakenly interpreted in isolation as necessitating a "tailor-made" design based solely on operational demands. The business needs appear to be prioritized in the design brief, with a tendency to conflate building renovation and interior refurbishment, which represents an all-too-common shortcut in urban renewal. Building renewal constitutes a vital component of urban revitalization: it aids in realigning the site's traffic and spatial connections with the city through renovation and reconstruction, and employs functional integration to reintegrate the building into the city's fabric. Additionally, renovation extends the lifecycle of buildings and enhances their adaptability to a broader range of business types. Furthermore, it delves deeper into the site's unique attributes and leverages them to boost the building's appeal.this picture!To capture the cultural and geographical essence of a site, one must revert to the perspective of the city. In this water-laden town, water serves not merely as a geographical feature but also as a cultural emblem deeply ingrained in the fabric of daily life. The teahouses lining the canal bustle with activity, offering a pot of tea, a plate of steamed silken tofu, a basket of steamed pork buns, and a bowl of fish noodle soup. Old tea enthusiasts wander over to the riverside teahouses with their enamel mugs, where the aroma of steaming Xuanbao small wontons blends with the sesame fragrance of Huangqiao sesame cakes, wafting towards the river's heart. They sip on "Langli tea" brewed with canal water while watching barges glide by, leaving ripples in their wake. These are taste memories nurtured by the canal.The clanging of washing sticks at the riverbank, the tapping of chess pieces under the eaves of riverside houses; children leaning over railings to count passing sandboats, morning joggers' silhouettes mirrored in the shimmering waves, elderly couples taking a stroll and pausing at the flood embankment, pointing to the newly erected buildings across the river and reminiscing about the ferry pier of yesteryears. These scenes and people collectively paint a unique and vibrant picture of life along the waterfront in Taixing.Hence, the primary objective of renovating this site is to honor and perpetuate this vibrant atmosphere, providing a comfortable and inviting environment for people to linger and gather. By fostering conditions conducive to meeting the diverse needs of citizens, the potential value of the architecture can be fully realized.this picture!Revitalization strategy - With these considerations in mind, let's revisit the original site and buildings. Serving as administrative offices, each building boasts a modest area and features just one staircase inside. The elaborate decoration of the building facades actually obstructs the indoor view of the canal. The outdoor area between the two buildings, segmented by varying heights, struggles to serve as an effective venue for events. These are the aspects of the buildings that necessitate renovation and upgrading.this picture!this picture!this picture!More crucially, the site requires a powerful spatial configuration to redefine and distinguish this area, establishing it as a significant destination along the riverside scenic corridor. We define this spatial configuration as a prominent, large-scale open area, aimed at strengthening the connectivity between the site and the public spaces of adjacent blocks. By analyzing the types of traditional public spaces along the canal, we discovered that the awning form exhibits strong applicability. Both the boat awning and the market awning on the shore exhibit a form that is both sheltered and open. This convenient and easily maintainable semi-outdoor public space can effectively adapt to the complex surrounding environment, while encouraging the emergence of temporary and diverse public activities. It is a common spatial outcome nurtured by canal culture. Furthermore, utilizing the roofs of existing buildings to create more platforms that offer both accessibility and river views is undoubtedly a morphological projection of the site's characteristics onto the architectural form, and also facilitates the creation of favorable conditions for shaping outdoor commercial spaces.this picture!The final design employs a large canopy to complement the originally fragmented site. This canopy extends over the triangular site and portions of the V-shaped building's rooftop, creating a flat and expansive area between the two structures, akin to a waterfront urban stage. The height difference of the site is seamlessly integrated into the surrounding stepped seating areas. The V-shaped building's rooftop achieves a more direct connection to the ground through the addition of stairs and setback terraces. Likewise, the newly added columnar staircase adjacent to the building on the northern side of the site becomes a dynamic element in the space, directing individuals to the rooftop platform of the L-shaped building. Besides providing a vast shaded area for activities, the canopy alleviates the oppressive feeling imparted by the surrounding dense high-rise residential buildings. As people move under the canopy, their gaze is directed towards the canal and the ships navigating through it, restoring the appropriate scale of waterside life. The concave shape in the middle of the canopy collects rainwater from the rooftop and directs it to a reserved oval drain below through a cantilevered stainless steel spout, creating a "dragon spitting water" landscape.this picture!Technical measures - After assessing the concrete frame structure of the existing building, structural reinforcement was carried out on the foundation, beams, slabs, and columns. Transparent peripheral protective structures, such as glass curtain walls, were reintroduced. The horizontally extended white aluminum panels suggest a layered, accessible roof that steps back progressively. For the large canopy spanning approximately 1,000 square meters, a combination of curved grid glued bamboo-steel structure and membrane structure was selected through technical comparison. The basic configuration of the roof consists of several full-length square steel beams and V-shaped columns. The grid units composed of engineered bamboo members facilitate the creation of a gradual curved surface.this picture!this picture!The curved mesh glued bamboo-steel structure imbues this enclosed space with structural expression and illumination, emphasizing the openness and airiness of the structure to foster a relaxed and joyful atmosphere. This stands in contrast to the confined interior of buildings, suggesting the equitable use of public spaces and leveraging technical expression to promote community interaction and sharing.this picture!Community space - Benefiting from the maturity of the commercial and residential districts surrounding the project, as well as its strategic location adjacent to water, we defined the building as Taixing Teahouse—a venue that embodies the local morning tea culture of Taixing during the initial project planning stage. This decision was made after a comprehensive assessment of various factors, including project scale, surrounding traffic conditions, and potential impacts on nearby residents. Leveraging the separation of two buildings, we designated separate areas for the morning tea hall and private dining rooms. In the morning tea area, the middle section of the V-shaped layout serves as an open kitchen, showcasing the production of morning tea as an intangible cultural heritage.Upon completion, this revitalized venue has garnered immense popularity among Taixing residents. The riverside morning tea hall is often fully booked, while private dining rooms offering a panoramic view of the canal have become a favorite gathering spot for families and friends. The small plaza underneath the canopy is utilized by residents at various times of the day and has also hosted numerous cultural events in Taixing. Additionally, the semi-outdoor terrace on the second floor and the rooftop terrace on the third floor under the canopy have transformed into outdoor spaces for leisure bars. Evidently, the transformed space has transcended its original singular function, and its aesthetic appeal has been acknowledged through daily use by residents. It has emerged as a neighborhood hub in the contemporary waterfront living environment, seamlessly integrating culture, nature, and even spiritual and emotional sustenance.this picture!Conclusion - In the process of renewing urban idle buildings and neglected spaces leftover from the incremental development era, the approach of merely pursuing commercial value by forcibly integrating untimely commercial format often proves unsustainable. The crucial solution lies in reverting to the essence of the site, by examining the relationship between the architecture and the urban fabric, deeply exploring the site's potential, and reestablishing its public character. Only when the space genuinely transforms into a delightful venue for public interaction and fosters an organic connection with the city can commercial vitality naturally emerge. This incremental renewal strategy, which prioritizes public use over commercial gain, not only respects the natural evolution of urban spaces but also achieves a harmonious coexistence between public and commercial values. It stands to become a pivotal approach in urban renewal.this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less Project locationAddress:Tai Xing Shi, ChinaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this office MaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on May 16, 2025Cite: "The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio" 16 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . < ISSN 0719-8884 #canopy #pavilion #canal #aeseu #architectural

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The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio

The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studioSave this picture!© Timeraw StudioCommunity Center•Tai Xing Shi, China Architects: AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio Area Area of this architecture project Area: 2400 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 Photographs Photographs:Timeraw Studio More SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Urban Regeneration by the Canal - Taixing, situated in the south-central region of Jiangsu Province, stands as the convergence of Huai and Wu cultures. Established in the first year of Shengyuan during the Southern Tang Dynasty, it is a millennium-old city with a rich history. Historically, Taixing County was characterized by an intricate network of waterways, thriving alongside and in harmony with the water, and its fortified walls were constructed in the shape of a turtle's shell. Encircling the city were two moats, both inside and outside the walls, with several winding watercourses resembling snakes in between, forming a pattern reminiscent of the Black Tortoise and White Snake, commonly known as the " City laid out in the shape of a turtle and snake." In recent times, with the city's growth, a new urban layout gradually emerged to the north and east of the old city, intersected by the Rutai Canal and Qiangxi River. Notably, the Rutai Canal, linking the Yangtze River in the west and the Yellow Sea in the east, has served as a pivotal regional waterway spanning Rugao and Taixing since ancient times.Save this picture!In 2023, Taixing City embarked on the "Double Water Nourishing City" supporting facilities project, utilizing the Rutai Canal and Qiangxi River as the foundation. The project involves renovating the disorganized factories, wharves, and shacks along the rivers to create a riverside scenic zone for leisure activities. This scenic zone encompasses numerous cultural squares, parks, and small ancillary garden buildings. The question arises: how can these unused buildings be put to good use? On the one hand, they can enhance services for citizens' riverside leisure activities; on the other hand, the operational revenue generated can alleviate the maintenance costs of public green spaces. This represents the trend towards operational management of urban assets against the backdrop of urban renewal. Consequently, Taixing City has decided to revamp and repurpose six idle ancillary buildings scattered along the parks by the two rivers, endowing them with commercial attributes to leverage their footfall-drawing potential and infuse more vitality into the riverside scenic zone.Save this picture!The value of architectural assets and waterside living - In the northwest direction of the north gate of the old county town, there lies a junction formed by the Rutai Canal and other waterways. Following partial rerouting of the canal in modern times, the construction of urban highway bridges in the vicinity and the development of high-rise residential areas have enclosed this area, transforming it into a relatively spacious waterfront spot within the community. The site features a children's playground beloved by residents, making it a must-visit destination for citizens taking strolls and engaging in fitness activities along the Rutai Canal.Save this picture!The site originally housed two independent two-story buildings with concrete frame structures. One building features a V-shaped floor plan, while the other boasts a zigzag floor plan. Together, these two buildings, along with the river channel, enclose an approximately triangular plot of land. To address the elevation differences within the site, stairs and flower beds have been incorporated into the current design.Save this picture!At the onset of designing this project, the owner's requirement was to impart operational capabilities to these idle urban assets. Often, this is mistakenly interpreted in isolation as necessitating a "tailor-made" design based solely on operational demands. The business needs appear to be prioritized in the design brief, with a tendency to conflate building renovation and interior refurbishment, which represents an all-too-common shortcut in urban renewal. Building renewal constitutes a vital component of urban revitalization: it aids in realigning the site's traffic and spatial connections with the city through renovation and reconstruction, and employs functional integration to reintegrate the building into the city's fabric. Additionally, renovation extends the lifecycle of buildings and enhances their adaptability to a broader range of business types. Furthermore, it delves deeper into the site's unique attributes and leverages them to boost the building's appeal.Save this picture!To capture the cultural and geographical essence of a site, one must revert to the perspective of the city. In this water-laden town, water serves not merely as a geographical feature but also as a cultural emblem deeply ingrained in the fabric of daily life. The teahouses lining the canal bustle with activity, offering a pot of tea, a plate of steamed silken tofu, a basket of steamed pork buns, and a bowl of fish noodle soup. Old tea enthusiasts wander over to the riverside teahouses with their enamel mugs, where the aroma of steaming Xuanbao small wontons blends with the sesame fragrance of Huangqiao sesame cakes, wafting towards the river's heart. They sip on "Langli tea" brewed with canal water while watching barges glide by, leaving ripples in their wake. These are taste memories nurtured by the canal.The clanging of washing sticks at the riverbank, the tapping of chess pieces under the eaves of riverside houses; children leaning over railings to count passing sandboats, morning joggers' silhouettes mirrored in the shimmering waves, elderly couples taking a stroll and pausing at the flood embankment, pointing to the newly erected buildings across the river and reminiscing about the ferry pier of yesteryears. These scenes and people collectively paint a unique and vibrant picture of life along the waterfront in Taixing.Hence, the primary objective of renovating this site is to honor and perpetuate this vibrant atmosphere, providing a comfortable and inviting environment for people to linger and gather. By fostering conditions conducive to meeting the diverse needs of citizens, the potential value of the architecture can be fully realized.Save this picture!Revitalization strategy - With these considerations in mind, let's revisit the original site and buildings. Serving as administrative offices, each building boasts a modest area and features just one staircase inside. The elaborate decoration of the building facades actually obstructs the indoor view of the canal. The outdoor area between the two buildings, segmented by varying heights, struggles to serve as an effective venue for events. These are the aspects of the buildings that necessitate renovation and upgrading.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!More crucially, the site requires a powerful spatial configuration to redefine and distinguish this area, establishing it as a significant destination along the riverside scenic corridor. We define this spatial configuration as a prominent, large-scale open area, aimed at strengthening the connectivity between the site and the public spaces of adjacent blocks. By analyzing the types of traditional public spaces along the canal, we discovered that the awning form exhibits strong applicability. Both the boat awning and the market awning on the shore exhibit a form that is both sheltered and open. This convenient and easily maintainable semi-outdoor public space can effectively adapt to the complex surrounding environment, while encouraging the emergence of temporary and diverse public activities. It is a common spatial outcome nurtured by canal culture. Furthermore, utilizing the roofs of existing buildings to create more platforms that offer both accessibility and river views is undoubtedly a morphological projection of the site's characteristics onto the architectural form, and also facilitates the creation of favorable conditions for shaping outdoor commercial spaces.Save this picture!The final design employs a large canopy to complement the originally fragmented site. This canopy extends over the triangular site and portions of the V-shaped building's rooftop, creating a flat and expansive area between the two structures, akin to a waterfront urban stage. The height difference of the site is seamlessly integrated into the surrounding stepped seating areas. The V-shaped building's rooftop achieves a more direct connection to the ground through the addition of stairs and setback terraces. Likewise, the newly added columnar staircase adjacent to the building on the northern side of the site becomes a dynamic element in the space, directing individuals to the rooftop platform of the L-shaped building. Besides providing a vast shaded area for activities, the canopy alleviates the oppressive feeling imparted by the surrounding dense high-rise residential buildings. As people move under the canopy, their gaze is directed towards the canal and the ships navigating through it, restoring the appropriate scale of waterside life. The concave shape in the middle of the canopy collects rainwater from the rooftop and directs it to a reserved oval drain below through a cantilevered stainless steel spout, creating a "dragon spitting water" landscape.Save this picture!Technical measures - After assessing the concrete frame structure of the existing building, structural reinforcement was carried out on the foundation, beams, slabs, and columns. Transparent peripheral protective structures, such as glass curtain walls, were reintroduced. The horizontally extended white aluminum panels suggest a layered, accessible roof that steps back progressively. For the large canopy spanning approximately 1,000 square meters, a combination of curved grid glued bamboo-steel structure and membrane structure was selected through technical comparison. The basic configuration of the roof consists of several full-length square steel beams and V-shaped columns. The grid units composed of engineered bamboo members facilitate the creation of a gradual curved surface.Save this picture!Save this picture!The curved mesh glued bamboo-steel structure imbues this enclosed space with structural expression and illumination, emphasizing the openness and airiness of the structure to foster a relaxed and joyful atmosphere. This stands in contrast to the confined interior of buildings, suggesting the equitable use of public spaces and leveraging technical expression to promote community interaction and sharing.Save this picture!Community space - Benefiting from the maturity of the commercial and residential districts surrounding the project, as well as its strategic location adjacent to water, we defined the building as Taixing Teahouse—a venue that embodies the local morning tea culture of Taixing during the initial project planning stage. This decision was made after a comprehensive assessment of various factors, including project scale, surrounding traffic conditions, and potential impacts on nearby residents. Leveraging the separation of two buildings, we designated separate areas for the morning tea hall and private dining rooms. In the morning tea area, the middle section of the V-shaped layout serves as an open kitchen, showcasing the production of morning tea as an intangible cultural heritage.Upon completion, this revitalized venue has garnered immense popularity among Taixing residents. The riverside morning tea hall is often fully booked, while private dining rooms offering a panoramic view of the canal have become a favorite gathering spot for families and friends. The small plaza underneath the canopy is utilized by residents at various times of the day and has also hosted numerous cultural events in Taixing. Additionally, the semi-outdoor terrace on the second floor and the rooftop terrace on the third floor under the canopy have transformed into outdoor spaces for leisure bars. Evidently, the transformed space has transcended its original singular function, and its aesthetic appeal has been acknowledged through daily use by residents. It has emerged as a neighborhood hub in the contemporary waterfront living environment, seamlessly integrating culture, nature, and even spiritual and emotional sustenance.Save this picture!Conclusion - In the process of renewing urban idle buildings and neglected spaces leftover from the incremental development era, the approach of merely pursuing commercial value by forcibly integrating untimely commercial format often proves unsustainable. The crucial solution lies in reverting to the essence of the site, by examining the relationship between the architecture and the urban fabric, deeply exploring the site's potential, and reestablishing its public character. Only when the space genuinely transforms into a delightful venue for public interaction and fosters an organic connection with the city can commercial vitality naturally emerge. This incremental renewal strategy, which prioritizes public use over commercial gain, not only respects the natural evolution of urban spaces but also achieves a harmonious coexistence between public and commercial values. It stands to become a pivotal approach in urban renewal.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less Project locationAddress:Tai Xing Shi, ChinaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this office MaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on May 16, 2025Cite: "The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio" 16 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1030080/the-canopy-pavilion-by-the-canal-aeseu-architectural-technology-and-art-studio&gt ISSN 0719-8884

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The Canopy Pavilion by the Canal / AESEU Architectural Technology and Art studio