Thursday, April 23
Daily News Stuff 23 April 2026
Double Stacker Edition
Double Stacker Edition
Top Story
- TSMC has shown off its roadmap through 2029 - heading towards 1.2nm chips. (Tom's Hardware)
That used to be not a lot. In fact, it probably wouldn't be possible if the numbers were still real, but they haven't been real for twenty years.
- Meanwhile TeraFab, the SpaceX / Tesla joint venture in chipmaking, will be using Intel's 14A - 1.4nm - process. (Tom's Hardware)
They'll be running their own fabs; they'll just be licensing Intel's technology rather than starting from scratch (which would take years).
Tech News
- The Pentagon wants $54 billion for drones. (Ars Technica)
Shockingly, even Ars Technica doesn't claim this is an outrageous idea, merely an expensive one. I can't speak for the commenters. I haven't read the comments, and won't.
- A developer using Google Cloud woke up to an $18,000 bill. (Tom's Hardware)
Despite his budget alert being set to $7 per month and the hard limit on his account level being $1400. Google helpfully upgraded his limit and kept right on charging his credit card.Cybersecurity firm Truffle Security Co. has already highlighted the risks associated with Google Cloud using a single API key format. These API keys were previously used as project identifiers, but when the Gemini API is activated on any Google Cloud project, these existing API keys become Gemini credentials - allowing anyone who can copy them to rack up AI bills. So... it's likely we'll see more horror stories of shocking API bills if Google doesn't update its Gemini policies.
We already have, of course. The article lists several.
- Rest assured, Anthropic users subscribed to the company's "Pro" plan. You're not losing access to Claude Code. Yet. Probably. (The Register)
An Anthropic representative took to Twitter to explain that the company wouldn't sabotage its entire userbase without warning.
It's being done selectively.
- Cursor was working on raising a $2 billion founding round before SpaceX pre-empted that with an offer of somewhere between $10 billion and just buying the entire company. (Tech Crunch)
The $10 billion is locked in; the purchase if it happens will come after the SpaceX IPO which is expected to see the company valued at $1.75 billion trillion - 35 times as much as Cursor.
Cursor does not have 10,000 orbital death rays, though.
Musical Interlude
Disclaimer: Double bubble, boil that rubble...
Posted by: Pixy Misa at
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1
Pixy, I just have to say again, your commentary and wit brighten my day. Thank you.
Posted by: furtball321 at Thursday, April 23 2026 09:44 PM (As8gg)
2
People probably did not notice but drones/unmanned vehicles have been on the priorities list for the current DoD/DoW since SECDEF Hegseth took office. That is despite institutional and organizational bungling that has been endemic in the current US military, which is why we really need to fire more flag officers faster (Preferably all of them at least for the Navy, preferably now.).
Mind you, that still pales beside what Taiwan is aiming to field, assuming the communists that infest the KMT and People's Party eventually get turfed out again. The current ROC plan is to eventually field 50,000 drones/unmanned vehicles, with upwards of 4 million being mooted as an ultimate objective. Just the infrastructure needed for the datalinks to control 50K drones is staggering to contemplate.
Mind you, that still pales beside what Taiwan is aiming to field, assuming the communists that infest the KMT and People's Party eventually get turfed out again. The current ROC plan is to eventually field 50,000 drones/unmanned vehicles, with upwards of 4 million being mooted as an ultimate objective. Just the infrastructure needed for the datalinks to control 50K drones is staggering to contemplate.
Posted by: cxt217 at Friday, April 24 2026 12:36 PM (ZLF73)
3
Drones are actually supposed to be the wave of the future for the military, and proven on the battlefield now. Maybe so, but I definitely do not have the know how to verify that for myself. Yet. I think it is true, but I routinely get suckered into buying into military hardware hype.
Posted by: PatBuckman at Friday, April 24 2026 10:32 PM (s6adZ)
4
The Google Cloud bill story reminds me of a similar story from years ago. One of the major credit card companies had been running a series of ads that touted how safe your account was by showcasing dramatized calls to card owners being asked, "We noticed unusual activity on your account. Did you authorize this charge?"
Someone who had an account with that company received a massive fraudulent bill and complained, asking if they'd noticed that the charge didn't follow his usual spending pattern, and was told, "Oh, yes, so we increased your credit limit to handle it."
Someone who had an account with that company received a massive fraudulent bill and complained, asking if they'd noticed that the charge didn't follow his usual spending pattern, and was told, "Oh, yes, so we increased your credit limit to handle it."
Posted by: wheels at Saturday, April 25 2026 04:31 AM (6xX0b)
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