Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

The semiconductor industry’s rollercoaster year continues with another major development. President Donald Trump said on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday that his administration is planning to announce tariffs on semiconductors and chips as soon as next week. However, the specifics of these tariffs remain unclear. Such tariffs could cause quite a disruption for U.S. hardware and AI companies. When the U.S. CHIPs and Science Act was signed in 2022 — providing $52 billion in subsidies to boost domestic chip manufacturing — the U.S. produced only about 10% of global chips. Despite this small manufacturing footprint, more than half of global…

Finding product-market fit isn’t a milestone — it’s a messy, make-or-break journey. And at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, a founder who’s been through the fire and two investors who’ve helped startups hit escape velocity will break down how to do it right. On the Builders Stage, Rajat Bhageria (Founder & CEO, Chef Robotics), Ann Bordetsky (Partner, NEA), and Murali Joshi (Partner, ICONIQ) join forces to unpack the most critical — and elusive — phase in a startup’s life cycle. They’ll dive into smart testing strategies, real-time iteration, and how to listen to your users without getting lost in the noise. Don’t…

You’d think venture capitalists and startups would support an antitrust crackdown on Big Tech. These behemoths regularly squash promising young startups, using their unrivaled power over users, data, and various digital markets.But when antitrust regulators gave enforcing regulation a real shot in recent years, the VC industry’s howls of displeasure became very loud.The apotheosis of this arrived last week, after Figma IPO-ed and its stock surged 250%. Former FTC Chair Lina Khan took a victory lap, saying regulators’ efforts to block an earlier Adobe acquisition resulted in a far better outcome.”A great reminder that letting startups grow into independently successful…

Google DeepMind has revealed Genie 3, its latest foundation world model that can be used to train general-purpose AI agents, a capability that the AI lab says makes for a crucial stepping stone on the path to “artificial general intelligence,” or human-like intelligence.  “Genie 3 is the first real-time interactive general-purpose world model,” Shlomi Fruchter, a research director at DeepMind, said during a press briefing. “It goes beyond narrow world models that existed before. It’s not specific to any particular environment. It can generate both photo-realistic and imaginary worlds, and everything in between.” Still in research preview and not publicly…

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 marks 20 years of driving the startup world forward — and you’ve got just two days left to join the movement and save up to $675 on your ticket. From October 27–29, Moscone West becomes the home base for over 10,000 movers and makers in the tech world. Join us in San Francisco as we celebrate two decades of startup breakthroughs, VC connections, and industry-shifting ideas. The deadline to lock in savings is August 6 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Don’t wait — register now to save big. Why go to Disrupt 2025? Disrupt is more than a…

The U.S. government has added Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic to a list of approved vendors that can offer artificial intelligence services to civilian federal agencies, Bloomberg reports. The companies will see their AI tools offered via a new federal contracting platform, the Multiple Awards Schedule (MAS), which would let government agencies access AI tool vendors with pre-negotiated contracts, rather than negotiating with vendors individually.  Bloomberg reports that the General Services Administration (GSA), which is in charge of the MAS, said the tech companies were assessed on the grounds of security and performance.  The news comes in the wake of executive…

Hours after savoring that perfectly grilled steak on a beautiful summer evening, your body turns traitor, declaring war on the very meal you just enjoyed. You begin to feel excruciating itchiness, pain or even swelling that can escalate to the point of requiring emergency care.The culprit isn’t food poisoning – it’s the fallout from a tick bite you may have gotten months earlier and didn’t even notice.This delayed allergic reaction is called alpha-gal syndrome. While it’s commonly called the “red meat allergy,” that nickname is misleading, because alpha-gal syndrome can cause strong reactions to many products, beyond just red meat.The…

As temperatures continue to swelter and people flock to the Gulf Coast to enjoy its warm, salty waters, health officials are warning swimmers about a “flesh-eating” bacteria that has killed at least eight people this summer.The bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus, is commonly associated with the “flesh-eating” moniker thanks to its ability to cause infections that damage or “eat away” at skin and tissue. This year, Louisiana is reporting an abnormally high rate of infection.”Amid increasing water temperatures and extreme weather events (e.g., heat waves, flooding, and severe storms), people who are at increased risk for V. vulnificus infection (those with weakened…

CHICAGO (AP) — At age 34, Matthew Boyd is going back to what was once familiar territory for the left-hander. He has logged 130 2/3 innings so far in his first season with the Chicago Cubs, more than he totaled in the previous two years combined.It’s a workload jump that goes against what had become conventional wisdom in the majors, where teams have frequently capped pitchers’ innings in hopes of keeping them healthy.“Things have been going great,” Boyd said. “And I think it’s like none of us know what’s ahead. And that goes for everybody.”Boyd’s workload is worth watching as…

A Legionnaires’ disease cluster in New York City has grown, with two deaths and more than 50 others sickened so far, officials said.The New York City Department of Health said in an update Aug. 4 that 58 people in Central Harlem have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease since July 25. Two people have died so far, NYC Health said.The agency previously announced on July 30 that 22 illnesses and one death had been reported at the time, and the source was believed to be a cooling tower in the area.Legionnaires’ disease is a severe pneumonia caused by a type of bacteria called Legionella,…