OpenAI just announced a massive funding round of $110 billion, which is one of the biggest investment rounds in Silicon Valley history. The investors feature many of the usual suspects, including Amazon with $50 billion, NVIDIA with $30 billion and SoftBank with $30 billion. This investment brings OpenAI to a $730 billion valuation
"Were super excited about this deal," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told CNBC. "AI is going to happen everywhere." That last statement seems more like a threat than a boast, but I digress.
Beyond the funding round, OpenAI has announced strategic partnerships with both NVIDIA and Amazon. This will involve Amazon Web Services (AWS) running OpenAI models for enterprise customers to "build generative AI applications and agents at production scale." It also names AWS as the exclusive third-party cloud distribution provider for OpenAI Frontier, which is an agentic enterprise platform.
OpenAI has also committed to consuming 2 gigawatts of Amazon's Trainium capacity, which is the company's custom-designed AI training accelerator. In other words, Amazon is spending a lot of money on OpenAI and then OpenAI will turn around and spend a lot of money with Amazon. The AI funding ouroboros continues.
It's also worth noting that Amazon's investment in OpenAI will be staggered. The funding begins with $15 billion, but the remaining $35 billion will only be invested when certain conditions are met.
Oddly, it's been reported that one condition is that OpenAI achieves artificial general intelligence. AGI is when AI evolves to or beyond human-level abilities, at which point the entire world turns into rainbows and everyone gets a pony. This could happen later this year, according to those bullish on the technology, or never, according to many researchers. Sam Altman said it was coming in 2025 but has since grown weary of the term.
The new partnership with NVIDIA evolves the long-standing collaboration between the two companies. OpenAI has pledged to consume 2 gigawatts of training capacity on NVIDIA's Vera Rubin systems and an additional 3 gigawatts of computing resources, likely in the form of GPUs, to run specific AI inference tasks. In other words, NVIDIA is spending a lot of money on OpenAI and then OpenAI will turn around and spend a lot of money with NVIDIA. The ouroboros must feed.
As for revenue, OpenAI has forecast a massive loss of $14 billion in 2026. It lost around $5 billion in 2024 and reports estimate a loss of $8 billion in 2025. Despite this trajectory, the company claims it'll be raking in $100 billion in revenue by 2029.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-secures-another-110-billion-in-funding-from-amazon-nvidia-and-softbank-171006356.html?src=rss
NASA is making major changes to its Artemis Moon program. On Friday, Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the space agency would carry out an additional flight in 2027 to test commercial lunar landers from SpaceX and/or Blue Origin. The new mission will take the place of Artemis 3, which previously would have seen NASA attempt to land on the Moon for the first time since 1972. The flight will also see the agency test a new spacesuit made by Axiom Space. As part of the new plan, the redesigned Artemis 3 mission will give NASA the chance to test at least one lander in the relative safety of low Earth orbit. NASA will attempt to return humans to the Moon during Artemis 4 sometime in 2028, with the potential for another mission as early as later that same year. Per CBS News, the decision comes after NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Plan said the agency's existing mission plan was too risky. "NASA must standardize its approach, increase flight rate safely, and execute on the Presidents national space policy. With credible competition from our greatest geopolitical adversary increasing by the day, we need to move faster, eliminate delays, and achieve our objectives," said Isaacman. "Standardizing vehicle configuration, increasing flight rate and progressing through objectives in a logical, phased approach, is how we achieved the near-impossible in 1969 and it is how we will do it again."The change of plan also comes as Artemis 2 has faced multiple delays in recent months. The Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket has, once again, proven to be temperamental. NASA had planned to launch Artemis 2 in early February, but pushed the flight back after it caught a hydrogen leak during a fueling test. More recently, NASA delayed the mission to give its engineers time to fix a helium pressurization issue in the upper stage of the SLS. At the earliest, the mission can now get underway on April 1. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/nasa-overhauls-artemis-program-delaying-moon-landing-to-2028-164255318.html?src=rss
Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary today, and as youd expect, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are cranking up the nostalgia in every possible way. In addition to re-releasing the Game Boy Advance remakes of Pokémon Red and Blue on Nintendo Switch Online, theyre also selling us a Game Boy-shaped portable Pokémon jukebox.
Officially titled the Pokémon Game Music Collection, the little music player is palm-sized and can be loaded up with 45 different cartridges, each featuring a different melody or sound effect from the original games' soundtrack. The device was announced by longtime series composer Junichi Masuda during todays anniversary Pokémon Presents livestream, where he said that special care has gone into the audio sounding like it did on the Game Boy.
Each cartridge also features a screenshot from the games, so when you slide it into the devices display slot it looks like youre playing as well as listening. Put one of these next to last years equally charming Lego Game Boy on a shelf and youve got two entirely non-playable replicas of the iconic handheld, which is sure to confuse and disappoint your guests in equal measure.
The Pokémon Game Music Collection is available to buy from Pokémon Center starting today, but US pricing is yet to be confirmed.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/celebrate-pokemons-30th-anniversary-with-this-game-boy-shaped-music-player-154644225.html?src=rss
The Pokémon leakers were right: the Gen 10 games are called Pokémon Wind and Pokémon Waves. The Pokémon Company confirmed the titles during a 30th anniversary stream on Pokémon Day. The games are set to hit Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027. (A Game Freak leak last October suggested Wind and Waves would be out this year with DLC to follow in 2027.)According to the Pokémon account on X, in Wind and Waves, youll travel across beautiful windswept islands and a vast ocean with glittering waves that ebb and flow. Youll also team up with Pokémon to overcome challenges and even the forces of nature! Theyll be playable in 11 languages, including Brazilian Portuguese.Introducing the first partner Pokémon from #PokemonWindsWaves! Say hello to Browt , Pombon , and Gecqua . Who will you partner with on this adventure, Trainers? pic.twitter.com/UfKtE5lszu Pokémon (@Pokemon) February 27, 2026
A trailer for the two games revealed the three new starter Pokémon: Browt, Pombon and Gecqua. As suggested by their colors and environments theyre shown in, they are grass, fire and water types, respectively. Other Pokémon that were featured include Pikachu (sporting fetching beachwear) and Oddish. The trailer, which reveals a new region for the series, ends by taking us into the ocean to gawk at an number of water Pokémon. The Pokémon Presents stream on Friday included updates for many other games in the franchise, including the battle-focused Pokémon Champions (a modern spin on the likes of Pokémon Stadium). That will debut on Nintendo Switch in April before arriving on iOS and Android later this year. Cross-play will be available between the three platforms. It was also confirmed that Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness will hit the GameCube library on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on Switch 2 in March.Pokémon Day marks the 30th anniversary of the series debut with the 1996 release of Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green (later released as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue in the West) on Game Boy in Japan. The games were remade for GameBoy Advance in 2004 as Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version. Starting today, those are available on Switch and Switch 2 for $20 each. Meanwhile, Pokémon Pokopia, a cozy life sim spin-off, will hit Switch 2 on March 5.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-winds-and-waves-are-coming-to-switch-2-in-2027-152248895.html?src=rss
This week, we're diving into the big changes at Xbox and what it all means for Microsoft's gaming future. Phil Spencer, the longtime face of Xbox, announced he's retiring last week. He'll be replaced by Microsoft's former CoreAI CEO Asha Sharma, instead of his longtime deputy Sarah Bond, who plans to leave the company. Will this change actually help the beleaguered Xbox division, or is it another example of Microsoft shoving AI into everything? Also, Samsung held its latest Unpacked event this week to announce its new Galaxy S26 family. They look pretty much the same as last year, but the Ultra model includes a unique privacy feature that can instantly make the screen unreadable to bystanders. It's one of those features we expect to see in every phone eventually.Subscribe!iTunesSpotifyPocket CastsStitcherGoogle PodcastsTopicXbox leadership falls apart. what happens next with Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond out? 1:53Samsung Unpacked: Privacy display on the S26 Ultra looks amazing 27:27U.S. Defense leadership gives Anthropic a Friday deadline to let it use Claude as it sees fit 42:38MrBeast editor accused of insider trading on Kalshi 50:40Discord delays age verification program after user revolt 54:09Around Engadget 1:04:04Working on 1:05:16Pop culture picks 1:08:21CreditsHosts: Devindra Hardawar and Igor BonifacicProducer: Ben EllmanMusic: Dale North and Terrence OBrienThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/engadget-podcast-xboxs-leadership-shakeup-and-samsungs-galaxy-s26-150000180.html?src=rss
Samsungs Unpacked event midweek revealed three new phones and two sets of earbuds, but the real standout, as usual, is the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This year, the Ultra actually features a bit of genuine tech innovation and no, we dont mean it folds.
Lets talk about its new Privacy Display. This isn't a shimmery, holographic screen protector thats hard to read and constantly peels off at the corners; this tech is engineered directly into the S26 Ultras OLED display.
Samsung Display revealed its Flex Magic Pixel technology back in 2024. The S26 Ultras Privacy Display is built off the back of this. It controls the direction of light emitted from the AMOLED at the pixel level, integrating wide-angle and narrow-angle pixel arrays so the display can switch between a wide-angle viewing experience and more private, straight-on views.
While HPs SureView tech is similar, the amount of customization possible is incredible and we all have our phones out in public much more than our HP laptops. It could be perfect for keeping prying eyes off your banking apps, messaging apps and even dating apps.
Otherwise, the rest of the S26 series offers incremental updates with better cameras and newer processors. This makes the base S26 and S26+ a harder sell unless your current Galaxy phone is several years old. Also, following the 2026 trend, they are all pricier this year.
Make sure you check out our early impressions (S26 Ultra, S26, Galaxy Buds 4); reviews are coming soon.
Mat Smith
The other big stories (and deals) this morning
Apple and Netflix are teaming up to share Formula 1 programming
Burger King will use AI to monitor employee friendliness
Canadian government demands safety changes from OpenAI
Amazon introduces three personality styles for Alexa+
Ambient Dreamie bedside companion review
How much for a good nights sleep? $250?
Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget
Ambients dedicated alarm clock offers many of the conveniences of your smartphone alarms highly customizable alarm schedules, a library of soundscapes and noise masks and even Bluetooth so you can connect earbuds. Theres no subscription, it sounds great and sleep insights are supposedly incoming. However, $250 is a lot. Check out our full review.
Continue reading.
An AI-generated Resident Evil Requiem review briefly made it on Metacritic
By a video game news site owned by ClickOut Media.
Review aggregator Metacritic has removed a review of Resident Evil Requiem because it was AI generated. Kotaku explained the review was published by UK gaming site VideoGamer, but appears to be written by a fake AI journalist rather than a real person. Brian Merrygold doesnt seem to exist.
The authors profile on VideoGamer is just as awkwardly written as the review, and the profile picture of the account also appears to be AI-generated. Literally, the file name includes ChatGPT-Image.
ClickOut Media, the company that owns VideoGamer and a collection of other publications, reportedly laid off the staff of its gaming sites earlier this month to pivot to AI-generated content. Here it is.
Continue reading.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-144951777.html?src=rss
The MacBook is coming back or at least, that's what the rumors claim. Next week, Apple is expected to announce a colorful, low-cost, non-Air, non-Pro MacBook powered by one of its mobile processors. By avoiding its pricier M-series chips, Apple may reportedly be able to reach a low $699 or $799 price for the MacBook. The $999 MacBook Air is the cheapest laptop on the company's website right now, but Apple also sold the older M1 MacBook Air at Walmart for $700 in 2024, which later went down to $650 last year.That Walmart deal was a smart way for Apple to test out the viability of cheaper MacBooks without building an entirely new product. But now the M1 Airs design looks seriously dated, and the company also needs to move beyond the six-year-old M1 chip. It's time to get serious about delivering a true low-cost Apple laptop.There's another compelling reason to bring back a cheaper MacBook: It's the perfect way to court disgruntled Windows users, something Apple hasn't really done since its "Get A Mac" ads from the mid-2000s. I figure the unbridled success of the iPhone and iPad made Apple focus less on directly competing with Windows. The sleek designs of the 2011-2015 era MacBook Air and Pros were their main selling points, but Apple's push towards USB-C-only machines and unreliable butterfly keyboards later made it clear it wasn't totally focused on Macs.But now Microsoft is distracted by AI it's been pushing Copilot and AI features for years, instead of improving the Windows experience with more useful upgrades. Recent talk of agentic AI capabilities, which would let Copilot handle tasks for you automatically, also sparked plenty of criticism from Windows users. And with all of the focus on AI, Microsoft has also released some disastrous Windows updates over the last year, which have bricked OS installations. So, Apple, why not make a direct play for Windows users? Last year, I covered why it's a great time to jump ship from Windows to Mac, and I haven't been able to let go of that idea since. Apple's M-series chips are shockingly fast and efficient, and its hardware tends to be more durable than typical PC fare. Rumors point to Apple developing a new aluminum case for the low-cost MacBook, so it will likely feel more polished than a typical sub-$1,000 Windows laptop. macOS has also avoided the bloat that's plagued Windows for years you can turn off Apple Intelligence with two clicks if you want to, and there aren't any annoying ads to deal with. A MacBook Air M5 on a table.Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetAnd while it used to be a pain to transition from Windows to Mac, its far easier these days, especially if you mainly rely on web apps. It also wouldn't be tough for Apple to make short tutorials to help Windows users get their bearings with the macOS basics, like installing apps and juggling app windows. Apple could also make a play for iPhone owners using Windows, who may not be aware of the many ways iOS and macOS are integrated. iPhone mirroring may be a huge draw on its own.Rumors also suggest the upcoming MacBook might use the A18 Pro from the iPhone 16 Pro, a chip that benchmarks faster than the M1. Even if it only has six cores, making it slower for heavy workloads than the M2, an A18 Pro-powered MacBook would still be more than enough power for basic productivity work. Not everyone needs the surprising amount of GPU power in the MacBook Air especially if downgrading means they can save $200 to $300.I'm not saying any of this through any sort of Apple-loving bias. I typically use a MacBook Pro for work, but I'm a Windows user at heart. Windows was my gateway to computing in the '90s, back when Macs were far more expensive than PCs. These days, I spend more time on my Windows desktop making podcasts, playing PC games and bumming around the internet than I do working on Macs. And yet, its hard to deny everything Apple is doing right today the only thing its missing is an inexpensive laptop entry. A $699 or $799 MacBook simply makes sense. And for many Windows users, itll be just the escape from Microsoft they need.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/a-cheap-macbook-is-the-perfect-way-for-apple-to-win-over-windows-users-130000045.html?src=rss
If theres one thing that stops people using their smart rings over the long term, its the battery life. After all, theyre so unobtrusive, its easy to forget to drop it on the charging plate every few days. It doesnt take long for your pricey gadget to become little more than a very expensive piece of jewelry. Its one of many maladies Ultrahuman is looking to address with the advent of its new Pro, a smart ring boasting up to 15 days of battery life. It even ships with a fancy battery case, which itself includes enough power to last it 45 days, making it easier to keep re-charged on the go.
Ultrahuman Ring Pro hasnt just got a far bigger battery, its been re-engineered from the ground up. The companys Bhuvan Srinivasan explained the older hardware had been pushed to its limit, especially in terms of the data it could process. Consequently, the Pro is equipped with a dual core processor with on-device machine learning to better crunch the numbers your body is throwing out. Its memory has also been increased, holding up to 250 days of data before it needs to sync with your smartphone. As well as improvements to durability, the new ring is also easier to cut apart in the hopefully rare event your finger, or its battery, begins to swell.
Ultrahuman
Ill admit, having seen a prototype Pro Charger in person back in January, that its the prettiest way to re-juice a smart ring Ive ever seen. Whereas Samsung and Oura have both opted for discreet, ring box-style hardware, Ultrahuman made something designed to sit on your nightstand. Its not taking up space just for show, either, since it includes the aforementioned battery, LED charge indicator, speaker and haptics. Its also got the ability to diagnose and address firmware issues to eliminate worries around firmware issues bricking devices.
Ultrahuman
At the same time, Ultrahuman is pulling the covers off Jade, its new real time biointelligence AI. The company promises Jade will be able to pull real-time actionable insights, and even start breathwork or trigger Afib detection. Jade is expected to get new features over time, with some examples being ordering good, changing your room temperature or flagging potential health issues. The idea is that Jade will keep a constant eye on your health, pulling in data from the ring, M1 continuous glucose monitor and environmental stats from your Ultrahuman Home.
Naturally, well be getting in the Pro to test and will give our opinions on how effective all of this is when weve spent a month or two actually using it. But if youd rather not wait and youre based outside the US, you can pre-order the Ultrahuman Ring Pro right now, for $479, with shipments beginning in March. If you already have an Ultrahuman Ring, you can also get a trade-in deal to help cut the cost of the new model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ultrahumans-new-pro-ring-comes-with-15-days-battery-life-120038820.html?src=rss
OpenAI has vowed to strengthen its safety protocols and to notify law enforcement of credible threats sooner in a letter addressed to Canadian authorities, according to Politico and The Washington Post. If youll recall, Canadian politicians summoned the companys leaders after reports came out that it didnt notify authorities when it banned the account owned by the Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia mass shooting suspect back in 2025. Some of OpenAIs leaders have already met with Candian officials, and British Columbia Premier David Eby said Sam Altman had also agreed to meet with him. While OpenAI has yet to announce changes to its rules, Ann OLeary, its vice president of global policy, reportedly wrote in the letter that the company will tweak its detection systems so that they can better prevent banned users from coming back to the platform. Apparently, after OpenAI banned the shooters original account due to potential warnings of committing real-world violence, the perpetrator was able to create another account. The company only discovered the second account after the shooters name was released, and it has since notified authorities. Further, OpenAI will now notify authorities if it detects imminent and credible threats in ChatGPT conversations, even if the user doesnt reveal a target, means, and timing of planned violence. OLeary explained that if the new rules had been in effect when the shooters account was banned in 2025, the company would have notified the police. OpenAI will also establish a point of contact for Canadian law enforcement so it can quickly share information with authorities when needed. The Canadian government sees OpenAIs decision not to report the shooters original account as a failure. It threatened to regulate AI chatbots in the country if their creators cannot show that they have proper safeguards to protect its users. Its unclear at the moment if OpenAI also plans to roll out the same changes in the US and elsewhere in the world.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-will-notify-authorities-of-credible-threats-after-canada-mass-shooters-second-account-was-discovered-112706548.html?src=rss
