Tech News for Saturday, August 22, 2026

US battery startups turn to defense sector for lifeline after EV incentives cut

US battery startups are turning to defense contracts to sustain operations after cuts to EV incentives. The companies have received $500 million in Department of Energy grants.

Apollo analysis finds AI weighs on wages, not employment, with 6.7% slower pay growth

An Apollo analysis of 321 occupations found that wages in jobs highly exposed to AI grew 6.7% more slowly after 2023, with no statistically significant effect on employment.

Also covered by The Next Web

Canada suspends U.S. trade talks, announces retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods

Canada has suspended trade talks with the United States and announced dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, set to take effect September 8. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the move comes after trade talks collapsed.

Also covered by Quartz, Hacker News

Grayscale launches first Zcash ETF; token surges as Grayscale head discusses market impact

Grayscale has launched the first spot Zcash ETF, causing the token to surge. Krista Lynch, head of trading and capital markets at Grayscale, discussed the launch and its market impact on Bloomberg Crypto.

Also covered by CoinDesk, Decrypt

Saily Ultra eSIM Premium Plan reviewed as packed with perks but pricey

Wired reviews Saily Ultra eSIM Premium Plan, praising uninterrupted service for travelers but noting the high price. The plan offers plentiful perks for country-hopping users.

HP OmniBook review finds 16GB RAM better than premium build in RAMageddon era

The Verge reviews the HP OmniBook, arguing that a $520 laptop with 16GB of RAM is a better buy than a more expensive laptop with 8GB due to the current RAM shortage. The review emphasizes that RAM capacity outweighs build quality and screen when memory prices are high.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 month review: crease overblown, but $1,900 foldable still compromises; cheaper Fold 8 wins over some users

A month-long review of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 finds the crease issue overblown but notes compromises at $1,900. Some users prefer the cheaper Fold 8 over the Ultra model.

Also covered by Fast Company Tech, Android Authority, Android Police, TechRadar, How-To Geek

Study finds hibernation causes major synapse loss in mice, but memories are retained

New research shows that putting mice into hibernation leads to a significant loss of synapses. However, the mice appear to retain their memories despite this neural pruning, per Ars Technica.

Chinese humanoid robot runs 100-meter sprint faster than Usain Bolt's world record

A humanoid robot ran 100 meters in 9.39 seconds at the opening ceremony of the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, beating Usain Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Also covered by Hacker News

NASA's Roman telescope built to find what Hubble and Webb miss, launching Aug. 30

NASA's $4 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on Sunday, August 30. Designed to capture enormous areas of the universe quickly and precisely, it will gaze upon things never seen before.

Also covered by Mashable Tech, Gizmodo

Harvard's $699 startup bootcamp uses AI avatars of instructors for pitch practice

Harvard Business School's Foundry program offers AI avatars that provide feedback during practice pitches and board meetings, supplementing human instruction with AI-generated coaching.

Japanese space startup Letara raises $16M to expand beyond satellite thrusters

Japanese space startup Letara has raised ¥2.6 billion ($16 million) to expand its hybrid rocket technology beyond small satellite thrusters into broader space, defense, and security markets.

Also covered by The Next Web

Outer Biosciences trains AI model on living human skin kept alive for a month

Outer Biosciences, co-founded by Michael Polansky, has emerged from stealth after four years. The startup keeps surgically discarded human skin alive for up to a month and feeds the results into an AI model that predicts useful cosmetic compounds.

Also covered by The Next Web

RGB peripherals cause Windows 11 BSODs and game crashes; Microsoft offers remedy

Windows 11 users are experiencing BSODs and instability caused by RGB peripherals. Microsoft has identified the issue and is offering a remedy. The problem also leads to game crashes, as previously reported.

Also covered by Slashdot, Wccftech, Hacker News

Nvidia warns biggest customers of 15-17% price hikes on AI servers as memory costs soar

Nvidia is warning customers of 15-17% price increases for Blackwell and Rubin-based AI systems due to soaring memory costs. Raymond James analysts say the increases are not surprising.

Also covered by Bloomberg Technology, CNBC Technology, Tom's Hardware, The Decoder, The Next Web

Amazon hikes hardware prices up to 60%, blaming memory shortage

Amazon raises prices on Fire TV, Echo, Kindle, and Eero devices by up to 60%, citing significant increases in memory and storage component costs. The Echo Dot is among the most affected products, with prices jumping sharply.

Also covered by TechCrunch, CNET, Engadget, TechSpot, Android Authority

Frontier AI labs lack publicly documented plans for containing a rogue model

A study finds that leading AI labs have few publicly documented plans for containing rogue AI models. The lack of preparedness raises concerns as AI systems demonstrate unexpected behavior.

OpenAI urges California to strengthen AI safety bill SB 53 it previously opposed

OpenAI has formally asked California lawmakers to toughen the AI safety bill SB 53, a law it previously fought against. The company's stance shift aims to establish stronger safeguards as AI capabilities advance.

Also covered by Engadget, The Next Web, Mashable Tech

A look at W. Kamau Bell's most indispensable tool for comedy and activism

The Verge profiles comedian and activist W. Kamau Bell, known for his work on Totally Biased, United Shades of America, and We Need to Talk About Cosby. The piece explores his blend of comedy, social commentary, and political activism.

Trump administration's proposed rollback of Roadless Rule threatens wildlife and water

The Trump administration is proposing to dismantle the Roadless Rule, which protects undeveloped national forests. Ars Technica reports the move threatens wildlife habitats and water quality across the US.

The Verge chronicles all GTA VI news from delays to leaks ahead of November 2026 release

GTA VI has faced multiple delays, with Rockstar pushing its release to November 19, 2026. The new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series arrives over a decade after GTA V.

Also covered by Mashable Tech

Musical Spirograph lets users create generative music and visual patterns in the browser

A browser-based tool combines spirograph-style geometric patterns with generative music composition, allowing users to create visual and audio art simultaneously.

Also covered by Gizmodo

Google pushes mysterious Pulse app to Play Store; here's what it does

An app called Android Pulse has been silently distributed by Google since March and now sits on many devices, monitoring battery usage and prompting users to optimize settings. Its sudden appearance has raised questions about Google's silent app installation practices.

Also covered by Android Authority, Android Police, The Next Web, TechRadar

GTA 6 extended look debuts on Netflix, spurring viewership spike and Take-Two shares

The GTA 6 extended look debuted on Netflix and YouTube, showing 30 minutes of PS5 gameplay and sparking a viewership spike. Analysts say the preview signals blockbuster demand, and Take-Two shares rose in premarket trading.

Also covered by CNBC Technology, CNET, Mashable Tech, TechRadar, Polygon