Wednesday’s Top Tech News: Chips born in the USA

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TSMC prepares to manufacture processors in its new Arizona facility, and Call of Duty returns to Nintendo consoles.

By Verge Staff

12 updates since Dec 7, 2022, 1:46 AM UTC

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President Joe Biden at TSMC’s Arizona facility.

President Joe Biden at TSMC’s Arizona facility.
Photo: Andy Blye

The worst of the global chip shortage may now (thankfully) be behind us, but the desire to get more processors manufactured in the US hasn’t gone away. So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that both Apple CEO Tim Cook and POTUS himself Joe Biden saw fit to attend the launch of chip-maker TSMC’s upcoming Arizona facility. Cook confirmed that Apple plans to use chips made at the facility in iPhones and Macs. “These chips can be proudly stamped ‘Made in America,’” he said.

Speaking of tech companies playing politics, Microsoft is still trying to get its Activision Blizzard deal over the line. Its latest move is the announcement of a 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to the Japanese company’s consoles, putting pressure on Sony (which is opposing the acquisition) to accept a similar deal.

Finally, if you haven’t checked out the comic we published yesterday, then I highly recommend it. It’s called “How to Replace the Sky” and it’s about… well… I’ll let you discover it for yourself.

Anyway, here’s a silly tweet:

Stay tuned, as we continue to update this list with the most important news of today: Friday, December 7th, 2022.
  • Now Amazon’s Echo Show 15 has a Fire TV inside.

    A few months ago, Amazon announced its wall-mountable Echo Show 15 would get a software update to add Fire TV streaming capabilities with YouTube TV, Disney Plus, Prime Video, Netflix, and more, and now it’s here.

    That upgrade alone won’t address all the issues Jennifer Pattison Tuohy noted in her review, but she’s giving it another try with the Fire TV remote to see how things have evolved.

    Echo Show 15 smart display shown mounted on the wall with a Fire TV remote sitting in front of it, the screen displays icons for video apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video.

    Echo Show 15 smart display shown mounted on the wall with a Fire TV remote sitting in front of it, the screen displays icons for video apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video.
    Amazon Echo Show 15 running fire TV software
    Image: Amazon

  • Dec 7, 2022, 2:00 PM UTCDavid Pierce

    Some creators will be able to make money off in-app lenses. It’s the start of a business Snap hopes will make its platform the center of an AR universe.

  • Dec 7, 2022, 1:00 PM UTCPatrick George

    The German automaker filed a patent for a new type of suspension that allows a car to gather electricity generated from bumps in the road.

  • Dec 7, 2022, 11:00 AM UTCAndrew J. Hawkins

    For the first time, the Uber app can be used to hail an autonomous vehicle. The ridehail company has a 10-year deal with Motional, which is a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv.

  • Dec 7, 2022, 8:44 AM UTCTom Warren

    Microsoft is also committing to keep Call of Duty on Steam as it puts the pressure on Sony to accept a similar 10-year deal. The concession could help ease concerns from regulators over Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquistion.

  • Dec 7, 2022, 1:46 AM UTCAndy Blye

    AMD and Nvidia will also be customers at TSMC’s Phoenix fab, which will start producing chips in 2024 and add a new site in 2026.

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