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President Donald Trump says the US government is taking a 10 percent stake in chip maker Intel. Trump shared the news during a press conference on Friday, though an official announcement is still forthcoming, Reuters reports. News of a plan to convert Intel’s previously promised CHIPS Act funding into equity in the company was first reported earlier in August.

A meeting between Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and Trump following the President’s call for Tan to resign seems to be the source of the deal. “He walked in wanting to keep his job and he ended up giving us 10 billion dollars for the United States. So we picked up 10 billion,” Trump shared during the press conference. 

Based on Intel’s current share price, a 10 percent stake would be worth around $10 billion, Reuters says. It’s important to note that the government investing in Intel is not the same thing as receiving free money, it’s the exact opposite. The government’s stake in Intel will also be non-voting, according to earlier comments from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. 

Intel was supposed to receive up to $10.86 billion in federal funding to expand its chip manufacturing business in the US as part of the CHIPS Act. By agreeing to this deal, Tan is likely trying to make sure that funding still goes through, one of several drastic moves to keep Intel afloat. Tan assumed the title of CEO following Pat Gelsinger’s sudden retirement in 2024. Since taking over, he’s already committed to cutting Intel’s workforce by 20 percent. Even with lower costs and guaranteed investment, the company’s future is still uncertain: Intel is reportedly struggling to make its next-gen Panther Lake chips at scale. 

The Trump administration says it won’t seek similar equity deals with other recipients of CHIPS Act funding. That hasn’t stopped them from making other equally unprecedented financial arrangements. NVIDIA and AMD reportedly struck a deal with the US government that gives the companies the ability to export products to China in exchange for 15 percent of their profits.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-us-government-is-taking-a-10-percent-stake-in-intel-205047622.html?src=rss 

Apple might use Gemini to power its revamped version of Siri, Bloomberg reports. The companies are in the early stages of exploring a partnership, with Google training a version of its Gemini model that can run on Apple’s servers. The iPhone maker was previously reported to be considering similar partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic.

“The company is simultaneously developing two versions of the new Siri: one dubbed Linwood that is powered by its models and another code-named Glenwood that runs on outside technology, ” Bloomberg writes. A final decision has yet to be made on what AI model Apple will ultimately use, but it’s entirely possible it sticks with its internally-developed models.

While seceding a potentially key technology to a competitor seems decidedly un-Apple, it’s a testament to how much difficulty the company has had rolling out Apple Intelligence. Apple included the majority of its new AI features in the release of iOS 18, but failed to ship an updated version of Siri that can draw on personal data to take action in apps. Apple ultimately admitted the Siri update was delayed in March, with the new launch now expected sometime in 2026.

The turmoil caused by the delay reportedly led to Apple’s various AI projects changing hands internally, and the company’s decision to consider using a third-party AI model. As of the launch of the Pixel 10, Gemini now offers a similar set of capabilities to what Apple promised with the new Siri. It could presumably do the same things on iOS with the right changes. Using a version of Gemini that runs on Apple’s hardware and servers — the company calls this Private Cloud Compute — could also add an additional layer of security.

Apple was reportedly planning to offer Gemini as an alternative to ChatGPT in Apple Intelligence, but the option has yet to ship. Having Gemini power some of its AI features would put Apple in a similar position to Samsung, who’s Galaxy AI relies on a mix of custom models and Gemini.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-is-reportedly-considering-using-gemini-to-power-the-new-siri-184528449.html?src=rss 

Google held its annual Made by Google showcase this week, during which it unveiled the latest Pixel phones and various new AI features. What it didn’t announce is a Gemini-powered smart home speaker, but it might have snuck one into the presentation as an easter egg.

As spotted by The Verge, about 15 minutes into the stream, on a table next to F1 driver Lando Norris during a Gemini demonstration, you can clearly see what looks a lot like a smart speaker. The fabric-wrapped device we see in the video is white with a light around its base, and it looks more like an upside down HomePod mini than any of Google’s other speakers. According to Android Headlines, it’s called the Google Home Speaker, and is unsurprisingly powered by Gemini.

Android Headlines claims to have seen more images of the as-yet unannounced smart speaker, which it says will also be available in red, light green and black. It adds that Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant will be a baked-in feature for voice conversations, though without a screen or camera there’s no visual element here. There could also be new natural voice options on the speaker, as well as standard features like media control and smart home automations. It can reportedly also detect unusual sounds like breaking glass or smoke alarms and can send an alert to your phone or tablet if this happens.

According to the Android Headlines report, the Home Speaker can pair with a Google TV Streamer and double as an additional surround sound speaker, much like the HomePod does with Apple TV. It functions as a smart hub too, with support for Matter. Google announced Gemini for Home this week, which will gradually replace Google Assistant on the company’s existing smart devices, with free and paid tiers offered to users.

What the leak doesn’t contain is a launch date for this mysterious speaker. But given that Google was seemingly happy enough to have one sitting there in its most important keynote of the year, the smart money would be on an official reveal pretty soon. Engadget reached out to Google for comment, but the company said it had nothing to share at this time.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/googles-first-gemini-smart-speaker-detailed-in-leak-164227031.html?src=rss 

Ubisoft still isn’t giving us a new Splinter Cell game, but Sam Fisher fans are at least getting an animated TV adaptation very soon. At this week’s Anime NYC convention, Netflix revealed a new teaser trailer for the upcoming Splinter Cell: Deathwatch and confirmed that the series will come to the service on October 14.

Written by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad and starring Liev Schreiber as an older — but still decidedly badass — Sam Fisher, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch was first announced back in 2020, but we hadn’t learned much more until now. In the brief trailer, we see the National Security Agency’s most reliable stealth operative doing a fair bit of his trademark sneaking around in the shadows, after returning to the field for what he calls a “personal” mission. I also quite like how liberally the iconic Splinter Cell night vision goggles sound is used in the trailer.

The voice cast also includes The Sandman’s Kirby Howell-Baptise as Zinnia McKenna, an original character, and Janet Garvey as Anna Grimsdottir, a fellow agent who provided tech support to Fisher in the Splinter Cell games. The trailer itself doesn’t give much away about the plot, but we do see the grave of Douglas Shetland, a close friend of Fisher who he was ordered to eliminate in fan favorite game entry, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

Ubisoft is doing some interesting things in the adult animation space. The completely bonkers Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix reimagined Rayman as a foul-mouthed TV host and is littered with deep cut Ubisoft references. And somewhat inevitably, an animated Assassin’s Creed show is also currently in development, though we don’t have a date for that one yet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflixs-splinter-cell-deathwatch-animated-series-arrives-on-october-14-145632934.html?src=rss 

Ooni is currently running a nice little Labor Day sale, which includes discounts on a number of pizza ovens and related products. The highlight here is likely the Volt 12 indoor pizza oven, which has been slashed by 30 percent. That brings the price down to $629.

The Volt 12 is an electric pizza oven that operates indoors, a first for the company. We praised the unit in our official review, saying that it “works just as well” as the company’s indoor models. It preheats quickly and the interior is spacious. It can hit 850 degrees, which cooks a pizza in 90 seconds.

The oven also requires little-to-no supervision during use. It’s pretty much a set it and forget it type appliance. This operates in stark contrast with the company’s outdoor models, which demands that folks pay attention to the fire during use.

The Volt 12 made our list of the best pizza ovens, and it’s absolutely the finest indoor model available right now. The only major downside is the price. It’s tough to recommend any indoor kitchen doodad at $900, but it’s easier to do so at $629.

This isn’t the only interesting item on sale right now at Ooni. The company’s selling the Koda 2 Max outdoor pizza oven for $1,039, which is a discount of $270. This extra-large gas-powered oven can handle multiple pizzas at once.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/oonis-labor-day-sale-includes-30-percent-off-the-volt-12-pizza-oven-150908932.html?src=rss 

The Trump administration is forming a “National Design Studio,” with the aim of improving government websites and the efficiency of digital services at federal agencies. Trump has already signed an executive order to create the studio. According to Reuters, the president will appoint Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia as the head of the new organization, which one of its sources described as a stripped-down version of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

DOGE, which was once led by Elon Musk, aimed to cut wasteful government spending and modernize its IT systems. It facilitated mass layoffs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers and even dismantled whole agencies. As Reuters has noted, though, its activities have greatly slowed down after Musk left the organization and his role as Trump’s advisor altogether. The White House did not respond to Reuters‘ request for comment, and it’s unclear if DOGE will continue operating once the studio has been formed.

Gebbia will be apparently be named as the studio’s the Chief Design Officer and will lead its efforts to upgrade the “usability and aesthetics” of federal digital services. The news organization says the studio will standardize design for websites meant to allow people to interact with the government and will advise agencies on how to reduce costs on duplicative designs. Based on Trump’s executive order, the studio will shut down in three years before he steps down from office. While Gebbia will be the Chief Design Officer, an administrator will run the studio and will be in charge of reporting to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trump-is-forming-a-national-design-studio-to-spruce-up-government-websites-140053273.html?src=rss