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 Google announced a major AI-driven update for Google Maps on March 12, 2026. This is the most significant update in over a decade. The update incorporates Gemini AI to transform the app into a conversational travel assistant and upgrade driving visuals. 

 Key Feature: "Ask Maps" 

Ask Maps is a Gemini-powered conversational interface rolling out today on mobile.  

• Conversational Search: Users can ask complex, natural-language questions like "find a public tennis court with lights for night play" or "find a hair salon good for curly hair".
• Customized Results: The feature pulls data from over 300 million places and contributor reviews to provide tailored recommendations based on past activity and preferences.
• Trip Planning: Full AI-generated trip itineraries can be requested directly within the app.

 Navigation & Driving Upgrades

Google also introduced Immersive Navigation, which is designed to make driving more intuitive through 3D modeling and AI. 

 Uber Elite is a new, invite-only luxury chauffeur service launched in March 2026, designed to surpass Uber Black as the platform's most premium ride option. It targets corporate executives and high-end travelers with a highly curated, professional experience. 

 Service Availability & Booking

• Current Cities: Initially available in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with a rollout to New York City expected next.
• Access: Currently invite-only, primarily extended to frequent Uber Black and Uber for Business users.

 Vehicle & Chauffeur Standards

• Luxury Fleet: Vehicles are high-end models less than three years old, including the Cadillac Escalade, Lucid Air, and Lincoln Navigator.
• Professional Chauffeurs: All rides are operated by commercially licensed, highly trained professional chauffeurs.
• Capacity: Sedans seat up to 3 passengers, while SUVs accommodate up to 5.

Also announced today:

Uber, Nissan and Wayve will collaborate to develop robotaxis with a pilot program using Nissan Leaf Evs planned for Tokyo later this year.

Uber and Zoox are partnering and currently testing the Las Vegas market.

previously announced:

Uber acquires  SpotHero

Uber acquires SpotHero which operates digital parking connecting drivers to 13,000 garages, lots and valets across 400 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

earlier news:

Uber + Baidu

 Uber is expanding its European operations by partnering with Baidu to introduce robotaxis in the United Kingdom, with trials set to begin in London in the first half of 2026.  

Uber + Nvidia

Uber plans to launch 100,000 Nvidia based robotaxis by 2027

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other Nvidia news:

Nvidia partnered with Eli Lilly to build "the most powerful ai supercomputer" to accelerate drug discovery and development.

Nvidia invest $1 billion in Nokia

Applied Materials ($AMAT) and Micron Technology ($MU) announced a major partnership to accelerate the development of next-generation memory solutions specifically for ai systems. The collaboration focuses on advancing DRAM, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), and NAND storage. 

• Health100 Subsidiary: CVS is launching a new health technology unit called Health100 to house this integrated platform.
• Agentic AI Platform: The platform uses "agentic AI" (AI requiring minimal human intervention) to act as an "always-on" personal healthcare partner.
• Universal Integration: It is designed to work for consumers regardless of their specific pharmacy, care provider, or insurance company.
• Omnichannel Experience: Users interact with the platform through a mobile app using voice, visual, and text-based interactions

 Technological Foundation

The platform is built on Google’s advanced technology stack:

• Gemini Models: These models power the multimodal AI capabilities for complex medical interactions.
• BigQuery & Cloud Healthcare API: These are used for real-time data processing and interoperability.
• Data Protection: Patient data is secured via Google Cloud's HIPAA-compliant infrastructure, integrated with CVS's existing security protocols.

META and AMD announce a multiyear strategic agreement worth up to $100 billion.  Meta will purchase enough processors to drive roughly 6 gigawatts of data center power demand.  AMD issued Meta a performance-based warrant for up to 160 million shares of AMD common stock—approximately 10% of the company—at just $0.01 per share .

This deal is identical to the OpenAi deal announced back in October 2025, where OpenAi also can obtain 10% of AMD.

Databricks announced the acquisition of Quotient ai, an innovator in evaluation and reinforcement learning for AI agents. 

 Databricks purchased this startup to embed continuous evaluation directly into its AI tools. Quotient AI specializes in automated testing and human-in-the-loop feedback, which helps ensure AI agents are reliable and accurate before being deployed into production. 

  Alongside the acquisition, Databricks launched Genie Code, an autonomous AI agent designed for agentic data work. Unlike standard AI assistants that just suggest code, Genie Code can independently build data pipelines, debug failures, and maintain production systems. 

 , AMD and Nutanix have announced a major multi-year strategic partnership centered on developing an open AI infrastructure platform for enterprise applications. 

  AMD is investing $150 million in Nutanix common stock at a price of $36.26 per share. AMD will provide up to an additional $100 million to fund joint engineering and marketing initiatives. 

 This agreement deepens a relationship that began in 2018. Prior to this investment, the companies worked together to optimize Nutanix's Acropolis OS and AHV hypervisor for AMD EPYC processors, primarily focusing on power efficiency and high-performance virtualization. 

 Quantum computing leader IonQ announced an agreement to acquire SkyWater Technology in a deal valued at approximately $1.8 billion. This move creates a vertically integrated quantum platform by combining IonQ’s computing expertise with SkyWater's U.S.-based semiconductor foundry capabilities. 

Softbank will buy DigitalBridge for $3 billion in cash ($4 billion including debt)  DigitalBridge Group, Inc., a Florida-based alternative asset manager specializing in digital infrastructure. 

 DigitalBridge manages roughly $108 billion in assets, including data centers, cell towers, fiber networks, and edge infrastructure. 

 SoftBank gains exposure to DigitalBridge's diverse holdings, which include major players like Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. 

previously announced:

Softbank buys ABB robotics unit

Softbank agreed to buy the robotics unit of Swiss engineering firm ABB for $5.4 billion according to Bloomberg reporting. 

Nvidia is investing $2 billion in Synopsys the chip design software company as part of an expanded multi-year strategic partnership. 

previously:

 Nvidia invest $2B in Xai 

 As part of a larger $20 billion package Nvidia will invest $2 billion using a special purpose vehicle (SPV) that will in turn lease Nvidia hardware. Apollo Global is also part of the overall deal.  

  Amazon is investing up to $50 billion to expand its AI and supercomputing infrastructure specifically for U.S. government agencies. 

 Anthropic's latest and most intelligent foundation model, Claude Opus 4.5, is now available in Amazon Bedrock, a fully managed service for AI models. 

 Amazon Leo, the company's low Earth orbit satellite constellation, has debuted its most advanced antenna yet, "Leo Ultra," designed to deliver gigabit-speed internet virtually anywhere on Earth with optional direct AWS cloud connection. 

 Apple iPhone 17e: Replaces the previous 16e model with the A19 chip and double the starting storage at 256GB for $599. It features a 6.1-inch display with Ceramic Shield 2, a 48MP Fusion camera, and officially adds MagSafe support to the "e" line.

Apple iPad Air (M4): Now powered by the M4 chip, this tablet is available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. It includes 12GB of RAM and is the first iPad Air to support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

 Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch: Features the brand-new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips built with "Fusion Architecture". These laptops offer up to 24 hours of battery life, up to 2x faster SSD speeds, and integrated Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Nvidia re-entering the consumer PC market with ai-focused laptop chips partnering with Dell and Lenovo

previously announced:

DGX Spark, Nvidia's new supercomputer hits the market today at $3,999. A compact, personal supercomputer that puts enterprise-level ai development capabilities right on your desk.

Walmart and Google announced a new partnership that allows shoppers to use Gemini ai to discover and buy products from Walmart as well as Sam's club.  

Google's parent company Alphabet is also expanding its partnership with Walmart in the drone delivery business through its Wing subsidiary. 

 Building on existing operations in Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta, the service is expanding into major metropolitan hubs including: 

• Los Angeles, California
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Miami, Florida
• Houston, Texas (launching January 15, 2026)

Google previously announced:

Google Home app with Gemini ai integration 

Nest indoor/outdoor 2k cameras with new ai features

Nest doorbell

Google Home speaker

new Google Earth professional plans

Sony through its joint venture, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) announced at CES 2026:

• AFEELA 1 Launch Details: The first production model, the AFEELA 1 sedan, is officially scheduled to begin customer deliveries in the U.S. in late 2026, starting in California followed by an expansion to Arizona in 2027.
• New AFEELA Prototype 2026: Sony world-premiered a new prototype (often described as an SUV or roomier crossover) that builds on the AFEELA 1's core technology. A production model based on this prototype is targeted for a 2028 U.S. launch.
• PlayStation Integration: The AFEELA will be the first vehicle to offer PlayStation Remote Play, allowing passengers to stream PS4 or PS5 games while in the car. The car will also feature digital themes and e-motor sounds inspired by Sony franchises like Gran Turismo and Astro Bot.
• Creator Ecosystem: Sony announced the AFEELA Co-Creation Program, which gives third-party developers access to documentation to create custom in-vehicle entertainment and content. 

previously announced:

Pulse Elevate wireless speakers

DualSense wireless controller (V3)

Limited-edition DualSense controller

WH-1000XM6 wireless noise-canceling headphones

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