Tech industry faces funding booms and cost pressures: AI startups raise record valuations while hardware makers hike prices amid chip shortages and supply constraints.

Anduril, a defense AI company, is in talks to raise funding at a $100 billion valuation—more than 3x its valuation from last year—signaling explosive growth in AI-focused defense tech.

Prentis, an AI lab co-founded by LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman and FarmVille creator Marc Pincus, is in talks to raise $100 million as AI startup funding continues to accelerate across the industry.

Anthropic launched Claude Opus 5, which delivers near-flagship performance at half the cost, focusing on token efficiency rather than raw capability improvements for broader accessibility.

Hardware prices are surging across the board: Roku raised streaming device prices by up to 60 percent, Google Pixel 11 confirmed price increases, and Qualcomm hiked Snapdragon chip prices by double digits, driven by memory chip shortages.

Vietnam joins a growing list of countries restricting social media access for minors, reflecting global regulatory pressure on tech platforms over youth safety concerns.

Waymo and Uber are reportedly considering a breakup in their autonomous vehicle partnership, potentially reshaping the ride-hailing and self-driving market landscape.

Chinese AI companies like Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 continue challenging US dominance, though studies show Chinese models still lag in hacking capabilities compared to American counterparts like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Chinese GPU maker MetaX confidentially filed for a Hong Kong IPO, while Zhipu's shares surged 37% after completing a giant data center powered entirely by Chinese chips, signaling progress in domestic semiconductor independence.

Meta launched Facebook Verified, a free badge using selfie-based verification to help users distinguish real profiles from AI-generated fakes amid growing deepfake and misinformation concerns.

Volkswagen engineers were charged with insider trading related to a Rivian joint venture, highlighting legal and ethical complexities as automakers navigate EV partnerships and stock impacts.