Eres tú For the first time, an Australian rocket will take aim at low-Earth orbit With its first launch, Gilmour Space is "looking for 10 to 20 seconds of stable flight." Stephen Clark – May 14, 2025 3:33 pm | 0 Gilmour's Eris rocket inside a hangar at the launch site in northeastern Australia. Credit: Gilmour Space Gilmour's Eris rocket inside a hangar at the launch site in northeastern Australia. Credit: Gilmour Space Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Gilmour Space, a venture-backed startup based in Australia, is about to launch a small rocket from its privately owned spaceport on a remote stretch of the country's northeastern coastline. It's the first time anyone has attempted to reach orbit with a rocket designed and built in Australia. Gilmour's three-stage rocket, named Eris, could launch at any time during a 10-hour window Thursday, local time. In the United States, the launch window runs from 5:30 pm EDT Wednesday until 3:30 am EDT Thursday. The debut launch of Gilmour's Eris rocket is purely a test flight. Gilmour has tested the rocket's engines and rehearsed the countdown last year, loading propellant and getting within 10 seconds of launch. But Gilmour cautioned in a post on LinkedIn early Wednesday that "test launches are complex." Gilmour added on social media that "weather, systems checks, or technical issues may delay the flight—sometimes by hours, days, or longer." Gilmour, based in Gold Coast, Australia, was founded in 2012 by two brothers—Adam and James Gilmour—who came to the space industry after careers in banking and marketing. Today, Gilmour employs more than 200 people, mostly engineers and technicians. Most are recent engineering graduates in their 20s, along with a handful of space industry veterans with experience at companies like Rocket Lab, Firefly Aerospace, Avio, and Airbus. The company has raised approximately $90 million, primarily from venture capital firms, to get the first Eris rocket to the launch pad. The funding also paid for construction of Bowen Orbital Spaceport, Gilmour's launch site in the Australian state of Queensland. Apart from launch vehicles, Gilmour is working on its own satellite platform, which could launch on Eris or foreign rockets. Looking for stable flight But Eris is the core of Gilmour's business. Built to haul small satellites to orbit, the rocket stands 82 feet (25 meters) tall and has an unusual design for a modern launcher, with three stages, each powered by hybrid engines burning a proprietary solid fuel mixed with a liquid oxidizer. Hybrid engines are an unconventional choice. They have a low thrust density, meaning they produce less thrust per unit area of the engine's nozzle. Effectively, hybrid engines produce relatively little thrust for their size. Hybrid rocket engines also burn fuel more slowly than traditional solid- or liquid-fueled rockets, making it difficult to reach high thrust levels. Gilmour's Eris rocket stands on its launch pad in Queensland, Australia. Credit: Gilmour Space There are some advantages to hybrid engines. They are less complex (and probably cheaper) than a liquid-fueled rocket engine, and unlike a solid rocket motor, hybrid engines can be throttled or turned off in the event of a problem. For these reasons, Virgin Galactic's commercial suborbital rocket plane uses a hybrid engine burning a rubber-based solid fuel and liquid nitrous oxide. Gilmour's rocket uses hydrogen peroxide for an oxidizer. The company hasn't released details about the rocket's solid fuel, citing proprietary reasons. Four of Gilmour's Sirius engines power the first stage of the Eris rocket, collectively generating more than 100,000 pounds of thrust. A single Sirius engine is mounted on the second stage, and Eris' third stage is driven by a smaller liquid-fueled engine named Phoenix, also designed by Gilmour Space. Like many launch startups, Gilmour is setting modest expectations for the inaugural flight of Eris. The first time Gilmour will ignite four of its Sirius engines at the same time will be in the final moments before liftoff. "Eris is a first-of-its-kind rocket," Gilmour wrote on social media. "While it’s capable of reaching orbit, that’s not the expectation this time. (For context: SpaceX made orbit on its fourth try.) This mission is all about gathering critical data to improve future flights." Michelle Gilmour, the company's head of marketing and communications, told Ars the first milestone of the test flight "would simply be getting off the pad. Then, we’d be looking for 10 to 20 seconds of stable flight." A “manageable” drop zone If the rocket makes it that far, it will clear the coastline and head northeast, soaring over the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. This flight path raised concerns about environmental impacts to the Great Barrier Reef, but the government of Queensland determined the environmental risk "would likely be manageable" with drop zones for the first and second stages of the rocket outside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The Eris rocket will fly northeast from Bowen Orbital Spaceport over the Great Barrier Reef. Credit: Queensland Government Australia's government approved a launch facility license for Gilmour Space in April of last year, and the Australian Space Agency granted a launch permit for the first flight of the Eris rocket in November. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority gave Gilmour airspace approval in February. But then, Gilmour encountered more regulatory issues as a tropical cyclone churned off the coast of the launch site. The regulatory and weather delays abated, and the Australian Space Agency issued its final approval for Gilmour's launch last week. This is all uncharted territory for not just Gilmour, but also Australia's government. Australia hosted a handful of satellite launches with US and British rockets from 1967 through 1971, but Gilmour's Eris is the first all-Australian launch vehicle designed for orbital flight. The Eris rocket is capable of delivering about 670 pounds (305 kilograms) of mass into low-Earth orbit, a payload capacity roughly equivalent to Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle, which flies from New Zealand, home of the world's only other operational commercial spaceport in the Southern Hemisphere. A perfect flight for the Eris rocket would see it reach an orbit around 120 miles (200 kilometers) high at an inclination of 33 degrees to the equator, according to Gilmour. Just in case, the company has placed a jar of Vegemite, a popular food spread in Australia, on Eris' third stage in a tongue-in-cheek nod to Aussie culture. Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 0 Comments

Table of Contents Table of Contents The best selling Atari 2600 game: Pac-Man – 8 million The best selling NES game: Super Mario Bros. – 40 million* The best selling Sega Genesis game: Sonic the Hedgehog – 15 million* The best selling Game Boy game: Pokémon Red & Blue – 31 million The best selling SNES game: Super Mario World – 20.6 million* The best selling PS1 game: Gran Turismo – 10.85 million The best selling N64 game: Super Mario 64 – 11.91 million* The best selling Dreamcast game: Sonic Adventure – 2.5 million The best selling GBA game: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire – 16.22 million The best selling PS2 game: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – 17.33 The best selling Xbox game: Halo 2 – 8.46 million The best selling GameCube game: Super Smash Bros. Melee – 7.41 million The best selling DS game: New Super Mario Bros. – 30.80 million The best selling Xbox 360 game: Kinect Adventures! – 24 million The best selling PS3 game: GTA 5 – 29.52 million The best selling Wii game: Wii Sports – 82.90 million* The best selling Wii U game: Mario Kart 8 – 8.46 million* The best selling PS4 game: Marvel’s Spider-Man – 22.68 million The best selling Xbox One game: PUBG: Battlegrounds – 9 million The best selling Switch game: Mario Kart 8: Deluxe – 68.29 million The best selling Xbox Series X/S game: ???? The best selling PS5 game: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: 11 million Looking back at the entire video game console timeline lets us get a clear picture of how the industry has evolved. It is fun to rank the best consoles of all time and look at things like the best Nintendo launch games to remember what we were playing when we first got our hands on those new systems. Those kinds of subjective lists are fun, but there are some equally interesting objective things to explore as well. Game sales don’t necessarily represent the best games of all time, but do show what was most popular at the time for one reason or another. There’s typically a disconnect between what sells the best and what is the highest rated, which is fun to see. This isn’t the kind of thing most people know off the top of their head, so we dug through all the financial reports for as far back as we could to find the best selling games on every video game console. Note: We are only covering the major home and handheld consoles and leaving out the more niche systems that few people owned or remember. We are also only able to account for officially released sales data. It is possible some of these numbers have changed or are in the wrong order, but as of 2025, it is as up-to-date as possible based on the latest official data. Recommended Videos Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends The early consoles were mainly a way to play the best arcade games at home, so it makes sense that Pac-Man would be the top seller for the Atari 2600. What is a little surprising, though, is just how many copies this game sold in the end. Despite how niche video games were in the early 80s, Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 sold over 8 million copies. Space Invaders comes in at a distant second place with just over 6 million with Donkey Kong rounding out the top three with a little over 4 million. Related Nintendo We have to put a small asterisk on this entry because, despite being one of the best Mario games and certainly would’ve sold millions on its own, Super Mario Bros. was a pack-in game with the NES. That game was probably why most people bought the console, but we will never know for sure how many copies the game would have sold if it hadn’t been included with the system. However, bundle or not, the sales figure of over 40 million copies is nothing to sneeze at. Even Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. 3, which were also included in bundles, only sold 28 million and 18 million copies, respectively. If you don’t count bundles, the top selling NES game would then fall to Tetris with 8 million copies sold. Sega Just like Nintendo’s main mascot topped the charts for the NES, Sega’s own Sonic was easily the best selling Genesis game with 15 million sales. However, we have to put the same asterisk on Sonic as we did with Mario because it, too, was bundled with the console. If we look at second place, it is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with around 7.5 million copies. These are great numbers, but really goes to show just how dominant Nintendo was at the time over Sega. Adobe Stock / Digital Trends What else could be the best selling Game Boy game than the franchise that took over the world and hasn’t let go? The monster-catching games rocketed the franchise into the stratosphere and gave the handheld a second life almost 10 years after it first game out. Some might think it is a little unfair to bundle the sale of both games together, but that’s how Nintendo has always done it. Besides, the second best selling game is Tetris, but that was a pack-in game, and third place is Pokémon Gold and Silver with 23.7 million, so you have to go pretty far down the list to not have any kind of asterisk. Nintendo Act surprised, but another Mario game is at the top of the list. Again, we have to put a disclaimer on this game’s huge sales milestone for being part of a bundle with the console. Just like with the NES, though, Super Mario World is one of the best SNES games made and would likely have sold about as well regardless. If you want to find the next best selling game that isn’t a bundle, we have to go all the way to ninth place, where we get Street Fighter II Turbo at 4.1 million copies sold. Sony This was a very close race between first, second, and third place, but the first entry in Sony’s own racing game franchise squeaks out the win at 10.85 million copies. Besides just being a great game, Gran Turismo was, and still is, always a graphical showpiece for Sony consoles that draws a huge crowd just to show off what the system can do. Nipping at its heels in second place is Final Fantasy 7 at 10.02 million, followed by Gran Turismo 2 at 9.37 million. Taylor Frint/Digital Trends Graphic / Nintendo Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but a Mario game was the best selling game on a Nintendo system. Shocking, we know, but this is yet again a pack-in situation. In fact, first through fourth place all have that asterisk attached, including Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Fifth place, however, is Super Smash Bros. with no asterisk at a respectable 5.55 million. While there were tons of great N64 games, this console didn’t sell as well as Nintendo’s others so these are still great numbers considering the install base. Sega It almost isn’t worth it to include the Dreamcast on this list, but we wanted to acknowledge its loyal fans and that it did have some great games. Sadly, not even Sonic could save this system and its premier 3D adventure only managed to sell 2.5 million copies. Soulcalibur was second best with >1.3 million, and Shenmue took third with 1.2 million. Just like Mario will keep showing up at the top of home console sales, Pokémon remains the king of the handheld market. Ruby and Sapphire make perfect sense, but second place belongs to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, remakes of the first generation games with 12 million copies sold. It’s a little surprising how few copies the best PS2 games sold considering it itself is the best selling console. Don’t get us wrong, Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasGran Turismo 3: A-Spec gets the silver medal with 14.89 million, and GTA: Vice City holds bronze with 14.2 million. Micorosft Microsoft’s first console attempt went way better than expected, and that was largely due to launching with a Halo game. The sequel, Halo 2, was one of the most heavily marketed games at the time and revolutionized online play, allowing it to put the original Halo in second place at 6 million. The drop off to third place is huge, with Fable selling a still impressive 3 million copies. Nintendo Sadly, Nintendo’s grip on the console market continued to slip with the GameCube, but Super Smash Bros. Melee played a big part in keeping the system relevant at parties and in competitive scenes. It is also the first system where Mario was shoved to third place, though only technically, since Mario Kart: Double Dash is second with 6.88 million, and then Mario Sunshine comes in with 5.91 million. Photo by Dids from Pexels / Nintendo Meanwhile, the handheld side of things continues to print money and, in a rare twist, sees Mario on top and Pokémon way down at number five. 30.80 million are numbers Nintendo hand’t seen since the original Game Boy, followed by Nintendogs next with 23.96 million and Mario Kart DS only just losing out with 23.60 million. Xbox Be honest, did you see this one coming? You probably would have guessed Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Skyrim, or one of the other common best Xbox 360 games would be the best seller, but no, 24 million people purchased Kinect Adventures! That sounds even crazier when you see that it sold more than GTA VMinecraft at 22 million. Photo by Nikita Kostrykin on Unsplash This probably looks more like what you were expecting. GTA 5 absolutely crushes all other PS3 games in terms of sales by a huge margin, as one would think. Even Gran Turismo 5 in second place only sold 11.95 million copies, and Uncharted 3 in third at ~9 million. Despite its rough launch, the PS3 did end the generation with a lot of big sellers, but nothing compared to GTA. Nintendo loves to bundle games with its hardware, and no example is more famous than the Wii and Wii Sports. This pack-in game was the only game a huge number of people ever got for the system, which explains its astronomical sales. Mario Kart Wii, which was also a bundle, is second at 37/38 million, and Wii Sports Resort at third with 33.14 million. The first non-bundled game is fifth place’s Wii Play at 28.02 million, which still blows away most other consoles’ best sellers. Nintendo This would be a tough one to talk about if Nintendo didn’t manage one of the greatest turnarounds in video game history right after. 8.46 million copies for a Mario Kart game is abysmal, and this was also a bundle game. In fact, the top nine Wii U games were all part of a bundle at one time or another. The first game you can say sold the most without an asterisk is Mario Party 10 at just 2.27 million copies. Of course, many of these games would end up selling way better when ported to a future system. Sony This is the generation PlayStation really blasted ahead of the competition. Marvel’s Spider-Man was the perfect storm of a massive IP and a perfect development team to hit 22.68 million sales, but it wasn’t a complete blowout. God of War was almost the winner with 21.02 million sales, and GTA 5 somehow managed to sell almost as many copies on the PS4 as PS3 with 20 million. We don’t need to remind anyone how dismal the Xbox One generation was, but seeing PUBG: Battlegrounds as the top seller says it all. No offense to that game, but it selling more than Black Ops III at 7.37 million copies and COD: WWII at 6.23 million shows how small the audience was on this system. Nintendo If you didn’t think the platform could make a big difference, here’s your proof. Despite being an upgraded port of the Wii U game, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe sold more copies on the Switch than the total number of Wii U consoles. And these numbers don’t get any less crazy when you look at Animal Crossing: New Horizons selling 47.82 million, or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate selling 36.81 million. In fact, you have to go to the 22 best selling game on the Switch before sales drop below 10 million. Xbox Microsoft Sadly, there is no official data available for what the best selling Xbox Series X/S game is. Microsoft has stopped reporting a lot of its sales data for hardware and software units in favor of players and engagement, making it impossible to know for sure how many copies of games have actually sold. Sony We’re still in the midst of the PS5 generation, so these numbers are likely to shift, but there’s no doubt that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the clear game to beat with 11 million copies. Second place is a surprise hit: Black Myth: Wukong selling 5 million copies, and then an old familiar franchise taking third place in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, selling 3.97 million copies to date. We’ll keep an eye on this list as things evolve and more sales data comes out.

Apple users—specifically those who use Siri through products such as Macbooks, iPhones, and Apple TVs—may be entitled to make a claim after Apple’s class action lawsuit settlement, worth $95 million dollars, regarding the voice-activated assistant.The settlement comes from a lawsuit filed in 2021 by Californian Fumiko Lopez, who claimed that Apple, via Siri, conducted “unlawful and intentional interception and recording of individuals’ confidential communications without their consent and subsequent unauthorized disclosure of those communications.”“Apple intentionally, willfully, and knowingly violated consumers’ privacy rights, including within the sanctity of consumers’ own homes where they have the greatest expectation of privacy,” the lawsuit stated. “Plaintiffs and Class Members would not have bought their Siri Devices, or would have paid less for them, if they had known Apple was intercepting, recording, disclosing, and otherwise misusing their conversations without consent or authorization.”In 2019, Apple published a statement titled "Improving Siri’s privacy protections," in which they said they hadn't "been fully living up" to their "high ideals" and vowed to issue improvements.Apple agreed to the settlement on Dec. 31, 2024. According to the settlement website: "Apple denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit and denies that [they] did anything improper or unlawful."The website also provides information about who is eligible to file a claim and the deadlines they need to adhere to. Here’s what you need to know about how you can file a claim:Who is eligible to file a claim?People eligible to make a claim include those who owned or purchased a Siri device—which includes the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, Apple TV—between Sept. 17, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2024. They must have “purchased or owned a Siri Device in the United States or its territories and enabled Siri on that device.”According to the settlement agreement, eligible parties also should have “experienced an unintended Siri activation during a confidential or private communication.”Those not eligible include Apple employees, legal representatives, and judicial officers assigned to the case.How can you make a claim and when is the deadline?Claimants can submit a claim form via the settlement website, and can submit claims for up to five Siri devices. The deadline to make a claim is July 2, 2025. This is also the deadline to opt out of the payment, which would allow the customer to keep their right to bring any other claim against Apple arising out of, or related to, the claims in the case. Some of those eligible to make a claim may have received a postcard or an email—with the subject line “Lopez Voice Assistant Class Action Settlement”—notifying them about the settlement. This correspondence would likely include a Claim Identification Code and a Confirmation Code. Per the settlement website, people can use these codes when making a claim, but eligible Apple customers who haven’t received any correspondence can still file a claim.When can you expect to receive payment?On August 1, 2025, the courts are due to host a final approval hearing, but there could still be appeals. Payments will only be issued after any appeals are resolved. The settlement website is set to keep customers updated on timings and payment schedules, as and when that information is available.

Whether you’re seeking adventure, mystery, or a good scare, May’s PlayStation Plus Catalog has got you covered. Explore a vast desert world filled with action in Sand Land, delve into the cyberpunk universe of Soul Hackers 2 or step into the eerie world of Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted… There’s plenty to choose from in May’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup*. Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus Premium welcomes PS2’s FPS simulation classic, Battle Engine Aquila. All titles will be available to play on May 20.  PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium | Game Catalog  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Sand Land | PS4, PS5  From the creator of Dragon Ball comes a new action RPG, Sand Land! Create incredible vehicles to explore a desert world & beyond. Meet the Fiend Prince Beelzebub, his chaperone Thief, and the fearless Sheriff Rao, and follow the team on an extraordinary adventure in search of the Legendary Spring hidden in the desert. Learn how to control Beelzebub’s powers and lead your company of heroic misfits exploring the legendary world of Sand Land. Beware of the many dangers that populate it: between bandits, fierce wildlife, and the Royal Army, reaching the spring won’t be easy! Use your tact and imagination to develop tanks and other vehicles that will help you navigate this vast land, using a wide array of part combinations.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Soul Hackers 2 | PS5  Explore a dark, supernatural realm and investigate the world’s end in this sci-fi, neo-noir mystery. Amidst the glimmer of neon lights, technological advancement causes humans to be consumed by commercial convenience. In the shadows, a war between the Yatagarasu and the Phantom Society is brewing, Devil Summoners who harness the otherworldly powers of “Demons”. Existing in the secret sea of humanity’s data, a digital hivemind has evolved into sentience: Aion. Observing humankind from afar, Aion calculates that a world-ending disaster is imminent and creates two agents to combat against it: Ringo and Figue. Together, these agents of Aion must investigate and prevent a butterfly effect that will lead to the end of the world.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted – Full Time Edition | PS4, PS5  Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted is a collection of classic and original mini-games set in the Five Nights universe. Survive terrifying encounters with your favorite killer animatronics in a collection of new and classic Five Nights at Freddy’s experiences. Repair claustrophobic ventilation systems, troubleshoot broken animatronics that could activate at any moment, or spend your evenings cowering in the nighttime security guard office. Scenes from classic titles have been updated and remade for a fully immersive experience including Five Nights at Freddy’s, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, and Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location.   Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted – Full Time Edition is a combined version of Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted and its DLC, Curse of Dreadbear, for PS5 & PS VR2. The base version for PS4, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted, is also available as part of Game Catalog’s May lineup. Standard non-VR and VR modes included.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Battlefield V | PS4  Enter mankind’s greatest conflict with Battlefield V as the series goes back to its roots in a never-before-seen portrayal of World War II. Experience all-out multiplayer with your squad in the vast Grand Operations and the cooperative Combined Arms, or take on single player War Stories. Also includes Firestorm – Battle Royale, reimagined for Battlefield.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy | PS4, PS5  Delve into the renowned classics of open-world survival with the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy, now upscaled and enhanced for a new generation. Investigate the Zone’s origins, taking on the roles of legendary stalkers and forging paths that can lead to different outcomes based on your actions and decisions. Test your gumption while navigating through radioactive debris and anomalies, and put your reflexes to trial during intense gunfights. Search for the answers to the darkest mysteries that could cost you your sanity in sinister catacombs filled with starved mutants.   View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising | PS4, PS5  Rise to glory in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, a delightful fighting game experience for beginners and veterans alike. Newcomers can fully enjoy the intensity and thrills of one-on-one combat without needing to memorize complicated controls—simple inputs can be used to perform skills with the press of a single button! Embark on a journey through the vast skies of Granblue Fantasy and immerse yourself in an epic adventure while mastering the fundamentals of gameplay. As you take on more quests in this action RPG-inspired experience, you’ll continue to grow stronger.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Humankind | PS4, PS5  Humankind is a historical strategy game, where you’ll be re-writing the entire narrative of human history and combining cultures to create a civilization that’s as unique as you are. Combine up to 60 historical cultures as you lead your people from the Ancient to the Modern Age. Face historical events, take impactful moral decisions, and make scientific breakthroughs. Each battle in Humankind plays out like a mini turn-based board game on top of the actual world map. Unstack your armies and command each of your units, including the emblematic units of your culture and their special abilities. Construct siege weapons to besiege and occupy cities. Fight in large battles spanning multiple turns, and don’t hesitate to bring in reinforcements!  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life | PS5 This reimagined version of A Wonderful Life brings all of the heart and charm of the original to a new generation as the definitive experience of one of the most cherished entries in the long-running farming series. Put down roots on your new farm in the peaceful town of Forgotten Valley. Forge precious memories as you weave your own generation-spanning tale of friendship, family, and farming. Bring life to the land by cultivating crops and raising animals, find love among the town’s friendly folk, and make lasting memories with a family of your very own in this reimagining of a beloved farming classic.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Gloomhaven Mercenaries Edition | PS4, PS5 Experience a tough tactical RPG and lead your band of mercenaries through an unforgiving land where every choice is crucial. Carve your way through terrifying dungeons, dreadful forests and dark caves filled with horrific monsters to reap your rewards… or die trying. Sell your sword to anyone who can afford it, may they be city officials or corrupt cultists. You are paid to get results and not ask questions. Where will you draw the line?  PlayStation Plus Premium  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Battle Engine Aquila | PS4, PS5 The forces of the Forseti and the evil Muspell are in a fight to the death for a flooded world’s most limited resource: land. You are Hawk Winter, plucked from obscurity to pilot Battle Engine Aquila. Airborne or on land, you’ll harness Aquila’s versatile mobility and awesome fire power in guiding legions of allies to victory. By commanding a device so powerful and advanced, your battlefield decisions will shape the direction of each engagement and, ultimately, the entire war.  *PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and PlayStation Plus Premium/Deluxe lineups may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day. 

We all saw this coming Max pivots back to HBO Max as WBD rethinks ability to compete with Netflix WBD is relenting on trying to get everyone to sign up for its streaming service. Scharon Harding – May 14, 2025 12:27 pm | 0 The new logo looks familiar. The new logo looks familiar. Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) streaming service Max will be called HBO Max starting this summer, bringing back a name that WBD curiously ditched a couple of years ago. In May 2020, the company then known as WarnerMedia Group launched its flagship streaming service, HBO Max. The successor to the HBO Now subscription-based streaming service that launched in 2014, and not to be confused with the now-defunct HBO Go (which was a video on-demand streaming service accessible to those with subscriptions to the HBO cable channel), HBO Max offered “the entire HBO service,” per WarnerMedia’s announcement. HBO Max also combined content from other titles WarnerMedia owned, including titles from DC Comics and Cartoon Network. But the main draw continued to be the ability to stream HBO’s prestigious library via a Netflix-like streaming subscription. When WarnerMedia acquired Discovery in 2022 and became WBD, it sought to combine the libraries of HBO Max and the Discovery+ streaming service. WBD landed on Max as the name for the combined app. The name seemed to suggest access to a maximum amount of streaming content with maximum appeal. However, it questionably distanced itself from the legacy of high-budget, award-winning TV shows and recent popular movies that the HBO brand had been building since 1972. Max wasn’t just about pushing the high-end stuff you’d expect from HBO but also reality shows from Discovery, including 90 Day Fiancé and Naked and Afraid. WBD CEO David Zaslav’s management team “concluded that the ‘HBO’ in the name positioned the general entertainment service as slightly too rarified to match rivals like Disney+ or Netflix,” Deadline reported at the time. Today, Zaslav and company are doing an about-face, with the CEO saying that WBD is “bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate” the streaming service’s “growth in the years ahead.” WBD's announcement added that “returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering.” “It is also a testament to WBD’s willingness to keep boldly iterating its strategy and approach—leaning heavily on consumer data and insights—to best position itself for success,” the media conglomerate claimed. “Not everything for everyone” The announcement is a result of WBD rethinking its streaming strategy as leadership acknowledges that it failed to sell Max as an essential streaming service. Last month, executives admitted that Max is viewed as more of an add-on service, per The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Executives said at the time that they no longer want to try to push its streaming service as something for every member of the household. “What people want from us in a world where they’ve got Netflix and Amazon [Prime Video] are those things that differentiate us,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, told WSJ. The strategy pivot since has included moving further away from children’s programming and some Discovery content, like shows from the Food Network and HGTV. There have also been reports of WBD exploring splitting Discovery from Max. “We’re not fighting for the more-is-better game,” JB Perrette, WBD's streaming president and CEO, told WSJ. “We’ll let others deal with the volume.” In today’s announcement, Perrette doubled down on those sentiments: We will continue to focus on what makes us unique—not everything for everyone in a household, but something distinct and great for adults and families. It’s really not subjective, not even controversial—our programming just hits different. Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She's been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Tom’s Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK. 0 Comments

This week, President Trump traveled to the Middle East on a business and diplomacy mission, during which he greenlit the sale of hundreds of thousands of American-made AI chips to firms in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. These deals signal a major shift in the U.S.’s approach to cutting-edge AI technology. Previously, U.S. leaders had focused on limiting access to ultra-powerful chips, especially to countries that might pose national security threats. Now, Trump is using them as leverage for his larger trade ambitions. While Trump was at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh—held in parallel with his visit—the White House announced that Saudi Arabia was committing $600 billion in investments in the United States, “building economic ties that will endure for generations to come,” Onstage at the conference, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced his company was entering a massive partnership with Humain, a new company owned by the Saudi kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, and sending them hundreds of thousands of chips. Rival chipmaker AMD announced its own $10 billion Saudi Arabian project. Another deal in the works could send hundreds of thousands of chips to the Emirati firm G42. While Trump allies heralded the deal as mutually beneficial to all parties, some national security experts have concerns about the longterm impacts of spreading these chips around the world. “AI chips should not be bargaining chips for broader trade deals,” says Janet Egan, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). “They underpin US AI dominance, and we have to be really careful to not make short term decisions that might be beneficial for trade in the near term, but cede AI leadership in the longer term.”Early this year the Chinese company Deepseek revealed that it had developed a very powerful model mostly using Nvidia chips obtained before the Biden administration closed an export loophole in 2023, heightening the intensity of the race. President Biden, in his final weeks, ratcheted up export controls, including limits on countries in the Gulf. Last week, the Trump administration ripped up those rules, with a spokesperson calling them “overly complex, bureaucratic” and saying they “would stymie American innovation.” They then switched to a new tack: linking countries’ access to AI chips with larger trade negotiations. Transitioning to a negotiation-based approach, the administration argued, could allow for more flexibility from country-to-country and allow Trump to secure key business concessions from Middle Eastern partners. Business and governments in the Middle East have massive ambitions for AI, aiming to position themselves at the forefront of this emerging technology. They benefit from several strategic advantages to do so, including access to boundless energy, free-flowing capital thanks to oil and sovereign wealth funds, and a lack of government restrictions—allowing them to rapidly push through massive infrastructure projects. But until now, the Middle East had lacked one crucial puzzle piece: Access to cutting-edge American chips from companies like Nvidia.Now, the amount of chips that U.S. companies will reportedly send to the UAE and Saudi Arabia is massive: “We're talking about something larger than any AI training system that exists in the world today," says Alasdair Phillips-Robins, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Conceivably, the ultra-powerful models built with this training system could synthesize automated cyber-attacks, intelligence collection, and weapons development. This is potentially problematic to some U.S. analysts, given Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s close ties with China. In previous years, American spy agencies issued warnings that G42 could be a conduit for siphoning advanced American technology to China. G42 denied any connections to the Chinese government or military.“If you think about which country should be leading the future of potentially the most critical and transformative technology we've ever had, I would not want that to be a non-democratic authoritarian regime,” Egan says. On Tuesday, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, led by Michigan Republican John Moolenaar, wrote on Twitter that the new chip deals “present a vulnerability for the CCP to exploit.” Sam Winter-Levy, another Carnegie Endowment fellow, worries that the deal will encourage U.S. AI companies to move to the Gulf, where they might get better deals on energy and avoid U.S. regulations and community pushback. Prominent U.S. companies have wasted no time in seizing the new opportunity presented by the Trump administration. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and AMD’s Lisa Su all attended the Saudi-U.S.Investment Forum. The AI startup Scale AI—which has a partnership with the U.S. government to develop AI safety standards—announced its intentions to open an office in Saudi Arabia. Google, too, advanced an AI hub in the country. "You could end up in a position where some large proportion of U.S. computing power has been offshored to a bunch of states that can wield leverage over U.S. foreign policy to shape it in ways that may not align with US national interests,” says Winter-Levy,. Winter-Levy also contends that these AI chip deals go against Trump’s past emphasis on an “America first” foreign policy approach. "This is offshoring data centers that could be built in the United States. This is offshoring chips that could be going to US tech companies,” he says. “It's hard to reconcile this with an America First approach to industrial policy or economic policy in general.”

Now open for entries, the Architizer Vision Awards is expanding its mission with the launch of the Visionary 100, a new global spotlight on architecture’s best concept designers, storytellers and visual thinkers. Set for publication later in 2025 and validated by Architizer’s international jury, including renowned architects such as Steven Holl, Winka Dubbeldam and Daniel Libeskind, this vital new platform will shine a light on those defining the visual culture of architecture — today and tomorrow. To apply, simply enter the 2025 Vision Awards in one or more of the 50+ available categories. Every Winner in this year’s program is guaranteed a place in the Visionary 100, an exclusive editorial directory that will be updated each season and republished annually. Firms, individual professionals and students are eligible for inclusion. The Vision Awards Main Entry Period is open for just 4 weeks, so don’t miss out: Start your Vision Awards submission to secure a place in the running for the Visionary 100 and a host of other prizes for your work! Apply for the Visionary 100 Photograph by Kevin Scott, 2023 Vision Awards Special Mention, Architectural Photographer of the Year. Why the Visionary 100 Matters Featured on Architizer.com and shared with our audience of 4.75 million+ architects, clients and collaborators, this is your chance to be recognized for how you think and communicate about design, from the smallest details to the most ambitious concepts for buildings, cities and beyond. Architecture is evolving at breakneck speed, and so too is the way it’s communicated. The Visionary 100 will serve as a critical reference point for editors, curators, clients, and design leaders seeking to understand and celebrate who is shaping the visual culture of architecture today—and who will shape it tomorrow. This widely published feature will be more than a list: It will form a launchpad for architectural discourse and a benchmark for the next generation of creative leaders. Whether you’re an independent visualizer or part of an international design firm, inclusion in the Visionary 100 signals that your work is setting the pace for the profession. Start My Entry Select Winners and Finalists from Architizer One X Challenges and the inaugural Vision Awards. See the complete 2023 Vision Awards Winners’ Gallery here. A Program Built for Creative Thinkers Each winner of the 2025 Vision Awards, across every category, will automatically earn a place in the Visionary 100. The Vision Awards span three key category groups: Architectural Concept – Honoring bold, unbuilt proposals that reimagine the future of housing, cities, sustainability, and more, using up to six visuals to communicate each project. Architectural Vision – Celebrating single images and videos that capture the essence of architecture through renderings, photography, film, drawing, and physical models. Architectural Visionary – Recognizing firms and creators for outstanding portfolios of work across their chosen medium. Explore the categories in full here. Each submission will be judged by a world-class jury of architects, designers, and visual communication experts, with a strong focus on concept, clarity, innovation, and visual impact. See the judging criteria here. Share My Vision Select Winners and Finalists from Architizer One X Challenges and the inaugural Vision Awards. See the complete 2023 Vision Awards Winners’ Gallery here. Join a Global Festival of Ideas Architecture’s future is being written not only in buildings, but in the bold images, ideas, and narratives that shape how we understand our environment. Architizer created the Vision Awards to celebrate this vital part of design culture — the powerful act of envisioning what architecture can be. In addition to their inclusion in this key publication, select visionaries will be invited for exclusive editorial interviews, offering deeper insight into their creative process and the ideas driving their practice. Sound good? We thought so! Submit your work to the 2025 Vision Awards today and earn your place in the Visionary 100 — an essential index of design excellence for the years to come. Start My Entry The post The Visionary 100: Take Your Place Among Architecture’s Top 100 Creative Leaders appeared first on Journal.

Ready for more racing? This month’s free update from the Polyphony team comes with four new cars to rip around on your favorite GT7 circuits: the ’17 Ferrari 812 Superfast, ’01 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, ’12 Suzuki Carry KC, and ’21 Honda CR-V e:HEV EX Black Edition. In addition, three new events are coming to World Circuits and Sophy, the AI racing agent, has been expanded to support the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Layout. Update 1.59* for Gran Turismo 7 is available as of today Wednesday, May 14 at 11:00pm PDT / May 25 at 3:00pm JST / 8:00am CEST. Play Video New cars ’01 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) (Can be purchased from Brand Central / Used Cars) The peak of the 5th gen Corvette line-up revives the classic Z06 moniker. In 1999, a hardtop model was added to the Chevrolet Corvette C5 lineup. Though it removed the detachable roof and rear hatch from the coupé, this model utilises the increased rigidity from the new design to improve driving performance. Its dedication to performance is further evident from the fact that selecting the hardtop model included an automatic upgrade to the Z51 handling package and manual transmission. What’s more is that even with all these features, it was still cheaper than the standard coupé model. It’s no wonder that enthusiast drivers flocked to it despite its somewhat niche appeal. From 2001, the hardtop Corvette was equipped with a 384.6 BHP LS6 engine, an improved version of the LS1, and was renamed the Z06. The Z06 name was taken from a race package option code that had existed for the C2 Corvette. It featured a full titanium exhaust which is very unusual for a production car, along with reinforced suspension components with a specially tuned wheel alignment, and was only available with a manual transmission. However, in exchange for this wealth of equipment, there was a significant increase in the price. This made it the most expensive model yet, exceeding even the price of the convertible, which made it less obtainable to the users who had previously been attracted by its sturdy hardtop body and spartan equipment. Even so, further improvements were made to the Z06, with the maximum output increased to 405.3 BHP in 2002. Achieving over 394.5 BHP in a small block engine was an unprecedented feat, making it one of the fastest mass-production cars in the world. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image ’17 Ferrari 812 Superfast (Can be purchased from Brand Central) Adopting the classic V12 FR layout, this Ferrari achieves blinding speed while retaining usability. The 812 Superfast was released in 2017 as a successor to Ferrari’s historic tradition of front-engined 12-cylinder models. The 812 name itself refers to the engine’s power and layout, being ‘800 PS, 12 cylinders,’ while the Superfast moniker was carried over from the legendary ‘500 Superfast’ itself produced in 1964. The body styling was conceived by Ferrari’s own Styling Centre. With a long nose and short deck, the body proportions are typical of a 12-cylinder front-midship layout, however the refined aerodynamics and details give it the elegant aura of modern Ferrari design. The 788 BHP and 718 Nm (73.3 kgfm) produced by the naturally aspirated 6.5L V12 unit are routed to the rear tyres through a 7-speed DCT transaxle. The car is also notable for being the first Ferrari model to incorporate an electric power steering unit. Additionally, the running gear features an evolved version of the 4-wheel steering setup found on the previous F12berlinetta model, dubbed the ‘Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0’ system. The prime benefit of this system is it allows the nose to turn in sharply on even the tightest corners, despite the relatively long 2,720 mm wheelbase. With trunk space behind the seats and a spacious cargo area in the rear end, the 812 Superfast may be the perfect supercar for grand touring. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image ’21 Honda CR-V e:HEV EX・Black Edition  (Can be purchased from Brand Central) The 5th generation model of this popular SUV is the first to feature a hybrid system. In the 1990s, Honda set their sights on creating cars for leisure activities, dubbing the category ‘Creative Movers’. The first such model was Odyssey which released to widespread commercial success in 1994, and was followed in ’95 by a high ground clearance SUV model. This was the first generation CR-V. From then, the CR-V became a long-selling hit, especially in the North American market. Eventually reaching the model introduced here, the 2021 model which is based on the 5th generation CR-V originally introduced in 2016. The model notable feature of the 5th generation is the introduction of a hybrid powerplant, the first ever in the series. This system combines a 2L Atkinson cycle engine with 2 electric motors, able to operate in both series or parallel. This highly efficient system also allows the petrol engine to provide power when cruising at high speeds. The availability of a 4-wheel drive option with this hybrid system further contributed to the CR-V’s popularity. Aesthetically, many characteristics have been carried over from the previous generation model, but the body has been slightly enlarged to increase leg room for rear passengers, improving their comfort. Additionally, the car is also able to carry a large amount of luggage with over 1,100L of cargo space available just by folding down the back seats. The petrol model also featured a 3-row 7-seater layout. The fifth generation CR-V is not only a refined SUV, it also features numerous driver assist systems like collision avoidance braking and adaptive cruise control. This makes it a perfect choice not only for leisure but for everyday driving as well. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image ’12 Suzuki Carry KC  (Can be purchased from Brand Central) A quintessential example of the ‘micro-truck’ trend that’s sweeping the globe. Japan’s micro-car segment, known natively as ‘kei’ cars, has grown into an indispensable tool for everyday life. The kei segment of course features many passenger models, along with SUVs and sports cars too, but there are also a large number of commercial vans and trucks which support infrastructure. The Suzuki Carry is one such microtruck that reflects commercial kei cars as a whole. The Carry has a long history behind it, which stretches back to its birth in 1961. The 10th generation model was introduced as a full model change in 1999 in order to meet changes to the kei car certification standard introduced in 1998. The model introduced here is the 2012 model, the final model of the 10th generation following several other facelift models. The body has been enlarged over the previous generation, now measuring 3,395 mm long and 1,475 mm wide. The engine is located under the feet of the occupants in a semi-cabover configuration, and has a displacement of only 658 cc though the initial line-up did also feature turbocharged models. The Carry is available in a number of different model grades to fit purpose and price, but the KC is the most luxurious, featuring power steering and air conditioning as standard equipment. Along with a rear-wheel drive layout, it was also available with four-wheel drive allowing it to perform to its fullest even in the snow or on uneven mountain roads. The kei truck’s adorable aesthetics and excellent usability have also earned it attention from overseas. Preowned Carrys have found themselves to be popular for agriculture and farming in the U.S. where right-hand drive models are automatically qualified road-worthy 25 years after their initial release. A small body housing enormous potential, the Carry is yet another example of a uniquely Japanese car finding worldwide appeal. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image World Circuits (New Events) The following new events have been added to ‘World Circuits’: Lightweight K-Cup: Eiger Nordwand American Clubman Cup 700: Autódromo de Interlagos Ferrari Circuit Challenge: Deep Forest Raceway ​​ Gran Turismo Sophy The next-generation racing AI agent, ‘Gran Turismo Sophy’ is now available on the following courses. Look for the Sophy icon in ‘Quick Race’ and ‘Custom Race’ on each track to test your skills against Sophy Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Layout. Scapes ‘Shooting the perfect square’ has been added as a featured Curation in Scapes, enabling square-photos with geometric backgrounds for social media. *Internet connection and Gran Turismo 7 game required for update.

Save this picture!Luum Temple / CO-LAB Design Office. Image © César BéjarArtificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic idea in architecture — it is a concrete reality that is reshaping how we design. In seconds, computational systems can process and evaluate a wide range of variables — formal, programmatic, contextual, and regulatory — guiding architects toward highly optimized solutions. But as we embrace this algorithmic revolution, a critical question arises: can architectural intelligence be reduced to data-driven logic? In response, alternative approaches are gaining momentum — ones that value ways of building grounded in sensory experience, adaptation to place, and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge. In the exchange between artificial and ancestral forms of intelligence, a deeper understanding begins to take shape. Intelligence does not reside in the tools themselves, but in the intention and sensitivity with which we use them to navigate complex realities.Historically, architectural intelligence has expressed our ability to respond to spatial, climatic, cultural, and functional challenges. Early on, this intelligence was intuitive and empirical, rooted in vernacular knowledge passed down through generations and shaped by hands-on interaction with the built environment. Buildings were constructed using local techniques, available materials, and a deep awareness of context, revealing a form of intelligence that was practical, responsive, and deeply adaptive.With the rise of modernity and the application of the exact sciences to construction, architectural intelligence came to rely more heavily on technical and rational methods — calculations, standardizations, and codes. The emergence of digital technologies in the late 20th century, and more recently the growing use of AI, has vastly expanded the design toolkit. Generative algorithms, machine learning, and parametric modeling not only accelerate design processes but also introduce a new layer of systemic intelligence. These tools support more efficient decision-making. As Mario Carpo argues in The Second Digital Turn (2017), this shift is not only technological but also epistemological: we are witnessing a transformation in the way architecture is conceived, where human authorship blends into statistical and computational systems. In this landscape, AI becomes a design agent, capable of learning patterns and proposing solutions that often defy human intuition. Related Article How AI Will Make Everyone a Better Designer: For Better or Worse Save this picture!Save this picture!Yet as these technologies advance, there is also a renewed appreciation for traditional and natural forms of intelligence. Increasingly, contemporary projects are incorporating lessons from nature and vernacular practices. This is not a contradiction, but rather a reflection of a deeper tension: a reevaluation of what counts as "intelligent" when technical efficiency is considered alongside ecological, cultural, and social complexity. Within this broader perspective, the collective intelligence of communities also emerges as a key factor in decision-making processes.Save this picture!Save this picture!In the 1990s, philosopher Pierre Lévy introduced the idea of collective intelligence — a form of knowledge that is distributed across individuals and contexts, drawing on the contributions of many to generate shared insight. In this view, everyone has something to contribute, depending on the context, and each contribution holds value. Collective intelligence, then, is based on mutual recognition and the enrichment of knowledge through collaboration.Recognizing the role of the collective in architecture, the concept of architectural intelligence evolves into something more holistic. It is no longer just about mastering tools, but about cultivating the ability to connect innovation with tradition, data with intuition, global with local — all while respecting the knowledge of individuals and regions. This shift reframes architectural intelligence not only as a technical skill but also as an ethical and political act. Designing today requires listening to materials, to places, to people. Intelligence is no longer something imposed on the world through rules or systems; it is something that emerges from dialogue with the world.This expanded understanding is especially urgent in the context of climate change, where architecture must draw on all available forms of intelligence — natural, artificial, and collective — to adapt. Fittingly, this is the theme of the 2025 Venice Biennale. Curated by Carlo Ratti under the title Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective, the exhibition highlights the need for architecture to reach across generations and disciplines — from the sciences to the arts. As Ratti puts it, architecture must become “as flexible and dynamic as the world we are designing.” The Biennale features projects such as Living Structure, in the Natural Intelligence section, which explores what it truly means to build with nature. Led by architect Kengo Kuma, the installation investigates how traditional Japanese woodworking techniques, combined with AI, can turn irregular timber into structural material, pointing to a future that relies equally on reverence for nature and technological innovation. The Collective Intelligence section, meanwhile, focuses on how wisdom is built and shared through collective practices — from the favelas of Rio and refugee camps in Bangladesh to self-managed markets in Nigeria — showcasing urban ecosystems that reveal how material economies and social networks function in harmony.Save this picture!These and other initiatives suggest that architectural intelligence in the 21st century is less about seeking a single "perfect solution" and more about building networks of thoughtful, situated, and collaborative decisions. Intelligence is no longer an isolated technical attribute, but a relational quality — the ability to interpret the world through multiple lenses (technological, cultural, environmental) and translate that understanding into coherent, ethical, and responsive architectural solutions. In the balance between algorithms and ancestry, a new way of designing is emerging — one where intelligence is defined not by the tools we use, but by the quality of the decisions we make and the impact they have on people’s lives.Save this picture!We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Venice Biennale.This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: What Is Future Intelligence?, proudly presented by Gendo, an AI co-pilot for Architects.Our mission at Gendo is to help architects produce concept images 100X faster by focusing on the core of the design process. We have built a cutting edge AI tool in collaboration with architects from some of the most renowned firms such as Zaha Hadid, KPF and David Chipperfield.Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.

Giving Nvidia a helping hand US warns companies around the world to stay away from Huawei chips US aims to toughen export controls on tech used by China to make AI processors. Demetri Sevastopulo, Zijing Wu, and Ryan McMorrow – May 14, 2025 9:25 am | 10 Credit: Barcroft Media | Getty Images Credit: Barcroft Media | Getty Images Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more President Donald Trump’s administration has taken a tougher stance on Chinese technology advances, warning companies around the world that using artificial intelligence chips made by Huawei could trigger criminal penalties for violating US export controls. The commerce department issued guidance to clarify that Huawei’s Ascend processors were subject to export controls because they almost certainly contained, or were made with, US technology. Its Bureau of Industry and Security, which oversees export controls, said on Tuesday it was taking a more stringent approach to foreign AI chips, including “issuing guidance that using Huawei Ascend chips anywhere in the world violates US export controls.” But people familiar with the matter stressed that the bureau had not issued a new rule, but was making it clear to companies that Huawei chips are likely to have violated a measure that requires hard-to-get licenses to export US technology to the Chinese company. “The guidance is not a new control, but rather a public confirmation of an interpretation that even the mere use anywhere by anyone of a Huawei-designed advanced computing [integrated circuit] would violate export control rules,” said Kevin Wolf, a veteran export control lawyer at Akin Gump. The bureau said three Huawei Ascend chips—the 910B, 910C, and 910D—were subject to the regulations, noting that such chips are likely to have been “designed with certain US software or technology or produced with semiconductor manufacturing equipment that is the direct produce of certain US-origin software or technology, or both.” The guidance comes as the US has become increasingly concerned at the speed at which Huawei has developed advanced chips and other AI hardware. Huawei has begun delivering AI chip “clusters” to clients in China that it claims outperform leading US AI chipmaker Nvidia’s comparable product on key metrics such as total compute and memory. The system relies on a large number of 910C chips, which individually fall short of Nvidia’s most advanced offering but collectively deliver superior performance to a rival Nvidia cluster product. The Shenzhen-based conglomerate currently offers its Ascend series processors, mainly the 910B and 910C, to Chinese companies. Huawei is boosting production capacity by building its own advanced semiconductor production lines, as Chinese companies cut off from Nvidia’s products are increasing orders. There is growing US concern that China’s national champion will soon be selling AI processors in both China and foreign markets that can compete with Nvidia and other US companies’ products. Nvidia chief Jensen Huang said last month Huawei was “one of the most formidable technology companies in the world,” and US policies should help his company compete on the global stage. Nvidia declined to comment on the bureau’s new rules. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The commerce department also rescinded the AI Diffusion Rule on Tuesday, a measure the previous Biden administration had planned would take effect on May 15. It was designed to limit exports of AI chips to other countries and make it harder for China to circumvent existing US export controls. But the department said the rule was too bureaucratic—a view former Biden officials reject—and it would issue a replacement in the future. The announcement came on the day Trump visited Saudi Arabia, where he unveiled a raft of deals, including a commitment by the kingdom’s new state-owned AI company, Humain, to build AI infrastructure using hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips. A source familiar with the situation said the scale of the proposed Gulf deals shocked many senior Trump administration officials. They were concerned about offshoring large-scale AI infrastructure, and also turning a blind eye toward Saudi and the United Arab Emirates’ collaborations with Beijing. Additional reporting by Michael Acton in San Francisco. © 2025 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be redistributed, copied, or modified in any way. Demetri Sevastopulo, Zijing Wu, and Ryan McMorrow Demetri Sevastopulo, Zijing Wu, and Ryan McMorrow 10 Comments