Qualcomm is planning to raise its prices by a percentage in the double digits across its products, according to Bloomberg. The company is one of the biggest makers of smartphone processors in the world and dominates the Android landscape, with most companies using its products to power their flagship models. Among the devices that are powered by Qualcomm processors are Samsung's Galaxy series phones, including its latest foldables, the the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8 and Flip 8. Its processors also power Microsoft CoPilot PCs, as well as wearables like smart glasses in Meta's Ray-Ban collection. As you can tell, Qualcomm's price hikes could have a big impact on pricing across brands and devices in several categories. Bloomberg says Qualcomm has already sent letters to its customers informing them about the upcoming changes.

I still want Samsung's discontinued Galaxy Z TriFold I still want Samsung's discontinued Galaxy Z TriFold Hopefully the Z Fold 8's new design is a sign of things to come. Alongside two new smartwatches and all the new collaborations with AI companies, chipmakers and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), it unveiled three new foldable phones: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, a redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 8 and a more-of-the-same Galaxy Z Flip 8. The base Z Fold 8 may be the standout, with a less squarish 7.6-inch main screen that's better built for reading and web browsing. And yes, Google's been doing it for a few years . But the Samsung phone I want the most was the one I pawed at in the very first week of 2026: the Galaxy Z TriFold.

Samsung's slimmer Galaxy Z Flip 8 brings apps and AI to the cover screen Samsung's slimmer Galaxy Z Flip 8 brings apps and AI to the cover screen The design and most specs are unchanged from the previous model. As part of its Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event, Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 8, one of three new foldable phones along with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra . The new device largely retains the design of the previous model (including the cameras, unfortunately), but it's slimmer and there's now more to activity happening on the cover display. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is the smallest, and some may argue the most fun of all the Samsung foldables. It weighs just 180 grams and when folded is a very pocketable 85.7 x 75.4 x 13.1 mm (3.37 x 2.97 x 0.51 inches).

Pat Gelsinger wants to pave the way to ever more powerful artificial intelligence using tiny beams of light. After Pat Gelsinger departed Intel as CEO in late 2024, he held 100 meetings in 100 days. The idea, he told WIRED recently, was to whittle down his options until he figured out what to do next. The following March, Gelsinger announced that he had taken a position as general partner at Playground Capital, a venture capital firm specializing in deep tech, taking bets on fledgling technologies built on new science. Gelsinger took the role with the aim of helping a new generation of semiconductor startups reawaken Moore's law . Decades ago, Intel cofounder Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors on a chip would double roughly every two years, with a corresponding leap in performance.

Follow this author to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Those who are bullish about the future of artificial intelligence imagine a day soon when consumer products are finally able to match the potential capabilities of the technology. Among the companies determining that future is Qualcomm, the semiconductor leader whose chips power many of the devices in our lives--from smartphones to automobiles.

The Health Assistant chatbot is available in beta for eligible US users, Samsung says. Samsung is getting into the AI-powered personal health assistant game. Just ahead of revealing its latest batch of devices (likely including new smartwatches) at its Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, it's beginning to deploy a tool called Health Assistant. This chatbot, which is fully integrated into Samsung Health, is now available in beta for eligible US users. The aim with Health Assistant is to help folks gain a better understanding of what their health data means. It will offer guidance on lifestyle changes that may improve their overall wellbeing.

Dongkun Lee, formerly of Hyundai, will oversee its strategy. Samsung has created a new division called RX or Robotics eXperience for all of its robotics projects. Its strategy will be headed by Dongkun Lee, who joined Samsung in May as an Executive Vice President. Before he joined Samsung, Lee led Hyundai's robotics strategy, including Boston Dynamics' . Samsung CEO TM Roh himself will oversee the new division.

As artificial intelligence pushes semiconductors and data centers to new physical limits, advances in materials science are becoming essential to sustaining the pace of innovation. The conversation about AI often centers on algorithms, computing power, or huge investments in new semiconductor fabrication plants and hyperscale data centers. But beneath each of these advances is another layer of innovation that makes them possible: advanced materials. Every increase in computing performance increases the physical demands placed on the systems that make and run AI. Delivering these gains depends not only on advances in chip design and system architecture, but on advances in the materials that enable them to perform under extreme conditions. As AI continues to push the physical limits of semiconductors and data center infrastructure, advanced materials are no longer simply supporting innovation in this area; they are defining the limits of what is possible.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I'm happy to see a new NVMe SSD from Samsung, though it's not as fast as the older 990 EVO Plus. The 990 is a step up from the 990 EVO, though the write rate plummets when secondary cache runs out. But it's slower than the older 990 EVO Plus and not a bargain, even given the current NAND crunch. New NVMe SSD releases have become increasingly rare -- another casualty of the AI data center gold rush.

Image caption, Samsung is also one of the world's leading smartphone makers South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics says it expects to post a 19-fold jump in its profits, driven by global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips. The company forecast that it made 89tn won (£44bn; $58bn) between the start of April and the end of June, marking its third record quarterly operating profits in a row. Major South Korean firms like Samsung release forecasts of their earnings ahead of official detailed reports to help guide investors. Samsung's latest forecast, released on Tuesday ahead of its full results due later in July, comes as demand for semiconductors continues to outstrip supplies - which has pushed up prices . Samsung said in the preview, known as earnings guidance, that it brought in around 171tn won of sales during the quarter, more than double the amount for the same period last year.