During its Google Cloud Next 25 event Wednesday, the search giant unveiled the latest version of its Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), the custom chip built to run artificial intelligence--with a twist. For the first time, Google is positioning the chip for inference, the making of predictions for live requests to millions or even billions of users, as opposed to training, the development of neural networks carried out by teams of AI specialists and data scientists. The Ironwood TPU, as the new chip is called, arrives at an economic inflection point in AI. The industry clearly expects AI moving forward to be less about science projects and more about the actual use of AI models by companies. And the rise of DeepSeek AI has focused Wall Street more than ever on the enormous cost of building AI for Google and its competitors.

This year is not like last year. Anyone who follows the news or buys eggs knows that this year is different. Last year, I discussed Google Next 2024 announcement of its Google Code Assist AI programming helper. It offered a lot of interesting integration and productivity possibilities for programmers. But it was dogged by one irredeemable limitation: the Gemini implementation couldn't code its way out of a paper bag at the time.

Google Workspace, a cornerstone of many professionals' everyday workflows, has been at the forefront of Google's AI push. The company made the best of its AI offerings available across all Google Workspace commercial plans earlier this year. This release was well received, with Gemini providing business users with more than two billion AI assists every month, according to Google. At Google Cloud Next, the tech giant's annual conference on technology for business applications, Workspace received a slew of AI updates across its most popular apps, including Google Docs, Sheets, Meet, and Chat, to enhance how people do everyday work. The updates even include agentic AI capabilities.

Everyone and their dog is investing in AI, but Google has more reason than most to put serious effort into its offerings. As Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an internal meeting before last year's holidays: "In 2025, we need to be relentlessly focused on unlocking the benefits of [AI] technology and solve real user problems." To help realize that vision, at the Google Cloud Next 2025 event in Las Vegas, Google announced substantial advancements in its Kubernetes and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) offerings. These advances aim to empower platform teams and developers to succeed with AI while leveraging their existing Kubernetes skills. Indeed, Gabe Monroy, Google's VP of Cloud Runtimes, said: "Your Kubernetes skills and investments aren't just relevant; they're your AI superpower."

Samsung's Ballie might soon be the smartest thing rolling around your living room. The tech giant announced today that it's partnering with Google to bring Google Cloud's generative AI technology to its Ballie AI companion home robot. If you're not familiar, Ballie first rolled out at CES 2020. As it moves, Ballie can manage lights and temperature, interact with smart appliances, send video updates of pets or loved ones, project videos or websites on the wall, play music, answer phone calls, and more. ZDNET's Senior Editor Sabrina Ortiz got an up-close look at Ballie last year, calling it "a serious attempt at making a robot assistant without being overly ambitious."

Drones have become an important tool in a creator's bag of tricks, allowing them to capture aerial footage that elevates their videos. And nowadays, they've become more accessible as video quality and features have dramatically improved while prices have dropped. Recent budget-friendly models include DJI's Neo and Flip drones, along with the HoverAir X1 Pro lineup, all under 500. If you've got more to spend, the options are similarly plentiful with drones like the DJI Mini 4 Pro and HoverAir X1 Pro Max. And for the price of a good mirrorless camera, you can get DJI's Mavic 3 Pro that offers awesome image quality, range and other features.

Amazon, Microsoft and Google are operating datacentres that use vast amounts of water in some of the world's driest areas and are building many more, an investigation by SourceMaterial and the Guardian has found. With Donald Trump pledging to support them, the three technology giants are planning hundreds of datacentres in the US and across the globe, with a potentially huge impact on populations already living with water scarcity. "The question of water is going to become crucial," said Lorena Jaume-Palasí, founder of the Ethical Tech Society. "Resilience from a resource perspective is going to be very difficult for those communities." Efforts by Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, to mitigate its water use have sparked opposition from inside the company, SourceMaterial's investigation found, with one of its own sustainability experts warning that its plans are "not ethical".

It has been 113 years since the Titanic sank beneath the waves, claiming the lives of more than 1,500 passengers and crew. But new evidence has finally cleared the tragedy's Scottish scapegoat: First Officer William Murdoch. For years, Officer Murdoch has been accused of taking bribes, abandoning his post, and was even depicted shooting a passenger in the James Cameron movie. Now, more than a century later, 3D scans show that Officer Murdoch did not flee his position, but died while helping passengers escape until the very end. Deep sea scanning company Magellan has snapped 715,000 photos of the Titanic wreck 12,500 feet beneath the Atlantic.

Apple's new iPad Air is here, but you wouldn't know it just by looking at it. For this version, Apple decided to leave the tablet unchanged on the outside, save for the new (optional) Magic Keyboard. Inside, however, the Air has Apple's M3 chip, which means it supports Apple Intelligence, the company's AI assistant. Once again, the iPad Air comes in two sizes, one with an 11-inch display, and the other with a 13-inch display. For my Apple iPad Air (M3) review, I tested the 13-inch version.

Boston Dynamics is at it again, wowing us with some seriously cool robotic moves. Their latest video of Atlas, their bipedal robot, has blown up online with its mind-blowing human-like movements, including breakdancing. These impressive moves are the result of a collaboration between Boston Dynamics and the Robotics and AI Institute. Get security alerts & expert tech tips – sign up for Kurt's'The CyberGuy Report' now. Breakdancing, including the famous "coffee grinder" move, is just one of the many impressive feats Atlas can perform.