South African consumers may soon pay more for smartphones and laptops due to a global shortage of memory chips. The high demand is largely driven by AI data centres, which require powerful microchips to operate.
Tech experts report that major AI companies are acquiring large quantities of these chips for their own data centres, limiting supply for other industries. At the same time, importing chips from regions such as China has become more difficult because of trade tensions and tariffs.
Industry leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk, have expressed concern over the impact on production and business operations. The strain is being felt across the tech sector as companies compete for the limited supply of components.
With no immediate solution, the increased costs are expected to be passed down to consumers. Analysts warn that the combination of high demand, supply constraints, and global trade issues will make technology and appliances more expensive for consumers.
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AI is becoming a preferred tool for those beginning their retirement planning. Data on searches and website traffic suggests AI is meeting early-stage needs for pension guidance.
Platforms offering general financial information, such as MoneyHelper, have seen traffic fall by 10% over the past six months. At the same time, AI-generated overviews of pension content are on the rise.
AI tools are mainly used to sense-check retirement decisions, model ‘what-if’ scenarios, simplify pension jargon, and assist with tax planning. Users view AI as a thinking partner rather than a replacement for regulated advice.
Despite the rise of AI, bespoke advisory services, such as Pension Wise, have remained relevant, providing personalised guidance that AI cannot fully replace. PensionBee highlights that AI is helpful for basic guidance, but services remain essential for more complex planning.
Experts warn that the retirement sector faces a challenge in maintaining trust and relevance as AI continues to improve. Savers increasingly rely on technology for guidance, signalling a shift in how pensions are researched and managed.
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Chinese scientists have observed and controlled a rare intermediate state in a quantum system, effectively slowing quantum chaos. Using the 78-qubit Chuang Tzu 2.0 superconducting processor, researchers demonstrated how a temporary stable phase can be extended or shortened.
The team identified a prethermalisation plateau, a brief period during which the system resists disorder before rapidly descending into full complexity. Careful adjustment of control sequences enabled scientists to tune the rate of quantum decoherence and control how information spreads.
Findings, published in Nature, offer a potential window for preserving fragile quantum information. Longer coherence times could significantly improve the reliability of quantum computing and error correction methods.
Researchers say the work also highlights the advantage of quantum processors in simulating phenomena too complex for classical supercomputers. Applications may range from drug discovery and advanced materials research to next-generation secure communications.
Continued development of larger and more powerful quantum chips is now underway. Mastering such transitional states will be crucial to unlocking the full potential of quantum technologies.
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Reddit has begun testing an AI-powered shopping search tool with a limited group of users in the US. Search queries for product ideas now generate interactive carousels featuring prices, images and direct links to retailers.
Items appearing in the results are drawn from recommendations shared in posts and comments across the platform. Listings are connected to Reddit’s advertising and shopping partners, bringing community discussions closer to online purchasing.
Expansion into AI-led commerce builds on the company’s earlier launch of Dynamic Product Ads, designed to deliver personalised suggestions. Closer integration of search and shopping signals a broader effort to strengthen digital revenue streams.
Chief executive Steve Huffman recently described AI search as a significant business opportunity beyond product development alone. Weekly search users increased from 60 million to 80 million over the past year, while engagement with the AI-powered Reddit Answers tool rose sharply throughout 2025.
Developments place Reddit alongside other technology platforms investing in AI-driven retail features. Growing user engagement suggests the company sees search as central to its future commercial strategy.
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South Africa’s fintech sector has evolved from a niche disruptor into a pillar of the digital economy, fuelled by rapid digital adoption and entrepreneurial growth. Regulators are now tasked with supporting innovation in decentralised finance and AI while safeguarding market stability and consumer protection.
Coordinated oversight has been central to that effort. The Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group, bringing together the National Treasury, the South African Reserve Bank and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, promotes a harmonised and principle-based regulatory approach.
A significant turning point came when crypto assets were classified as financial products under the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. Licensing requirements for Crypto Asset Service Providers and alignment with Financial Action Task Force standards strengthened consumer safeguards and anti-money laundering controls.
Fintech also plays a growing role in financial inclusion, particularly through mobile money, digital lending and digital payments. Wider access to affordable financial tools supports inclusive economic growth across underserved communities.
AI presents fresh regulatory questions around bias, transparency and operational resilience. Ensuring compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act while encouraging responsible experimentation remains central to South Africa’s evolving fintech strategy.
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The UN Secretary General has warned that AI must augment human potential rather than replace it, speaking at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Addressing leaders at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, he urged investment in workers so that technology strengthens, rather than displaces, human capacity.
In New Delhi, he cautioned that AI could deepen inequality, amplify bias and fuel harm if left unchecked. He called for stronger safeguards to protect people from exploitation and insisted that no child should be exposed to unregulated AI systems.
Environmental concerns also featured prominently in New Delhi, with Guterres highlighting rising energy and water demands from data centres. He urged a shift to clean power and warned against transferring environmental costs to vulnerable communities.
The UN chief proposed a $3 billion Global Fund on AI to build skills, data access and affordable computing worldwide. In New Delhi, he argued that broader access is essential to prevent countries from being excluded from the AI age and to ensure AI supports sustainable development goals.
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YouTube is testing its conversational AI feature on smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices. The tool, previously available on mobile and desktop, appears as an Ask button marked with a Gemini sparkle icon.
The feature allows viewers to ask questions about videos, request summaries, receive related content suggestions, and select from prompts displayed on screen. Users can press the microphone button on their remote to interact with the AI while watching.
Currently, the tool is available to a limited group of users, on select videos, and supports English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean. YouTube has not revealed when it will expand access to more users or regions.
By bringing conversational AI to TVs, YouTube aims to make viewing more interactive. Fans can now get answers or clarifications directly on the big screen without needing a phone or computer.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, showcasing the nation’s progress in AI. The address emphasised technological innovation and the role of AI in driving national development.
The address was dubbed live in 11 languages, including Assamese, Bangla, English, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. Audiences across India could follow the speech without language barriers.
An AI-enabled sign language interpreter appeared on a large screen behind the prime minister in the auditorium at Bharat Mandapam. The live interpretation made the event fully accessible to attendees with hearing impairments.
Videos of the multilingual and sign-language versions were widely shared on the prime minister’s social media accounts. The initiative highlighted India’s growing use of AI tools to promote inclusivity and communication innovation.
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Google CEO Sundar Pichai said at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi that he never imagined Visakhapatnam would become a global AI hub. Speaking in New Delhi, he recalled passing through the coastal city as a student and described its transformation as remarkable.
In New Delhi, Pichai announced that Google will establish a full-stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam as part of a $15 billion investment in India. The facility is expected to include gigawatt-scale compute capacity and a new international subsea cable gateway.
The project in Visakhapatnam is set to generate jobs and deliver advanced AI services to businesses and communities across India. Authorities in Andhra Pradesh have allotted more than 600 acres of land near the port city for the proposed hyperscale AI data centre.
Reacting in New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh welcomed the announcement and thanked Pichai for expressing confidence in Visakhapatnam. The development positions Visakhapatnam as a major AI infrastructure hub within India’s expanding technology sector.
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Microsoft has announced it is on pace to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to expand AI access across the Global South, speaking at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The company said AI usage in the Global North is roughly double that of the Global South, with the gap widening.
In India and other regions of the Global South, Microsoft is increasing investment in data centre infrastructure, connectivity and electricity to support AI deployment. The company reported more than $8 billion invested in infrastructure serving the Global South in its last fiscal year.
Microsoft is also expanding skills and education programmes in India, including a pledge to help 20 million people gain AI credentials by 2028 and a target to equip 20 million people in India with AI skills by 2030.
Additional initiatives focus on multilingual AI development, food security projects in Kenya and across Sub-Saharan Africa, and new data tools to measure AI diffusion. Microsoft said coordinated global partnerships are essential to ensure AI benefits reach countries in the Global South.
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