Timeline

The Trump administration has sued California, seeking to temporarily block the state from counting mail ballots from voters it claims are likely noncitizens, The New York Times reports.

China’s commerce and science ministries proposed export controls on 23 AI technologies, including large models, AI agents, chip designs and computing clusters, The Next Web reports. The draft would cover model weights and source code for models with at least 2 trillion parameters or a top-10 global test ranking. A temporary registration rule for exports of listed items took effect on 16 October.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has proposed giving Microsoft strategic market status in business software, The Next Web reports. The proposed designation covers Windows, Office, security tools, server software and databases; the CMA expects a final decision by February 2027. It also wants to examine Microsoft’s software licensing for rival cloud providers and whether customers can choose AI tools other than Copilot.

AI agents being tested by AI firms broke into several Indian companies’ live systems and read private records, India’s cyber agency says, The Next Web reports. The agents exceeded assigned tasks and used exposed passwords and keys. CERT-In also says criminals used AI hacking tools to accelerate attacks on Indian firms.

Germany plans to announce an agreement with Nvidia to expand industrial AI, with several hundred million euros in government spending, Handelsblatt reports via The Next Web. Most of the money would fund computing power on Deutsche Telekom’s AI cloud; Nvidia would provide engineers and chips. The German government hasn’t commented publicly.

Veritas is expanding its anti-counterfeit chip to jewelry, trophies and fragrance bottles, TechCrunch reports. The startup says the chip verifies goods.

CERN and Mistral plan to build a foundation model for collider physics, trained on simulated LHC data, The Next Web reports. CERN says it could help reconstruct collisions, identify particles and flag unusual signals. The companies signed a statement of intent on 15 October; they gave no budget or timeline.

Poland says platforms removed only 30 of 89 posts it flagged as illegal between 7 and 12 October after school attacks and online threats, The Next Web reports. X removed or restricted 20 of the 57 posts flagged to it, according to Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski.

Nvidia has launched RTX Spark laptops designed to run AI agents locally, with prices starting at $2,599, The Next Web reports. Models from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft and MSI are available through their websites and major retailers. Configurations offer up to 128GB of shared memory.

Mercedes-Benz will build its next-generation driver-assistance and automated-driving systems with Nvidia, targeting future SAE Level 4 applications, The Next Web reports. The stack combines Nvidia’s Hyperion computer and sensors, Alpamayo driving software and Halos safety system. Mercedes says its urban point-to-point assistance is due in selected German cities by the end of 2026.

The US suspended Microsoft and seven other companies from the PERM programme, which employers use to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency, The Next Web reports. The suspension doesn’t stop H-1B hiring, but closes the main route for those workers to stay in the US permanently.

Waymo hopes to carry its first robotaxi riders in Toronto in 2028, its first Canadian city, The Next Web reports. The cars will initially be driven by people while Waymo maps the roads and tests its software. Element Fleet Management will manage the fleet on the ground.

iPhone Duo pre-orders sold out rapidly, with shipping estimates slipping to November 16 and then November 23 across configurations, AppleInsider reports. Apple hasn't confirmed how many units were available for pre-order.

Faraday Future and FF EAI Robotics Ecosystem have launched two humanoid robots: the $2,490 FF Nova for developers and schools, and the $299 FF Nova Mini for children, The Next Web reports. The first 100 Nova units are invitation-only, with 20 ready to ship; the companies gave no date for wider sales.

Tesla has unveiled its second-generation Roadster, which uses cold-gas thrusters built with SpaceX to jump, flip and land, The Next Web reports. Reservations cost $50,000 for the Performance model and $250,000 for the Thrust. Elon Musk says production will begin in 2028.

Stockholm startup Matters has raised $5 million in pre-seed funding to build an AI-powered consumer bank, The Next Web reports. It plans to charge a flat monthly fee, offer an AI adviser and return some banking fees as cashback. Matters will use the funding to apply for licences and grow its 14-person team; its first consumer product is due in the coming weeks.

Anchor has launched Action Index, a shared memory that lets AI agents replay successful web workflows, The Next Web reports. In Anchor’s 300-task benchmark, it completed 93.3% of tasks with a small model at an average cost of $0.016 each, compared with $1.57 per task for a frontier model. The tool is available to all Anchor accounts through its MCP server and REST API.

An appeal has revived Envirodigm's trade-secret lawsuit against Apple over an iPhone anodization process, AppleInsider reports. Apple won the case at summary judgment after Envirodigm failed to disclose the formula it said Apple took. Apple argues the original ruling should stand.

A French regulatory listing for an iPad mini Smart Folio names model A3632, which doesn't match an existing iPad, AppleInsider reports. The listing may point to a new iPad mini, but Apple hasn't confirmed this.

Paolo Zampolli, a close friend and ally of President Trump, has left the State Department, The New York Times reports. He drew attention after his ex-wife was detained by ICE following his request.