Tech news digest for Friday, August 21, 2026

Walmart to Accept Apple Pay and Google Pay

Walmart will begin accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay starting on August 24, 2026, marking a significant shift after years of promoting its own payment solutions. Customers will be able to add Walmart and Sam’s Club cards to their Apple Wallet, enhancing payment convenience at checkout. This decision follows Walmart's previous attempt to compete with Apple Pay through its now-defunct CurrentC system, which was shut down in 2016.

• Apple Pay and Google Pay support will initially be available at select stores, expanding to all locations by the end of the year.
• Walmart's shift comes after years of resisting Apple Pay in favor of its own Walmart Pay system.

OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol Boosts Revenue Significantly

OpenAI has reported a 35% surge in revenue this quarter, driven by the successful launch of its GPT-5.6 Sol on July 9. The company's enterprise revenue saw an impressive growth of over 50%, showcasing strong demand for its AI services as it competes with Anthropic, which reported a quarterly revenue of $11.6 billion compared to OpenAI's $6.7 billion before the launch.

• OpenAI's revenue increased by 35% following the launch of GPT-5.6 Sol.
• Enterprise revenue for OpenAI grew by more than 50% this quarter.

The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Defense Tech, AI Tools And Infrastructure Lead The Way

This week, U.S. startup funding saw significant activity, particularly in defense and AI sectors. Castelion, a defense tech startup focused on hypersonic missiles, led the pack with $800 million in equity and $250 million in debt financing, achieving a valuation of $13 billion. Other notable rounds included $700 million for AI computing firm Etched, which is now valued at $21 billion, and $400 million for Higgsfield, an AI video creation platform valued at $5.4 billion.

US wants to force partner countries to choose between Washington and Beijing in the AI race

The US is drafting a letter to partner countries demanding they choose sides in the escalating AI competition with China. The letter, reviewed by Reuters, warns that participation in China's AI initiatives will result in exclusion from the US-led Pax Silica coalition, which aims to secure vital supply chains for AI models, semiconductors, and critical minerals. Launched last year, Pax Silica has garnered support from approximately two dozen countries and the EU, while Kazakhstan remains the only nation involved in both the US and China's frameworks. In response, China's President Xi Jinping has launched the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization to promote China's AI models as alternatives to those from US firms like OpenAI and Anthropic.

• Kazakhstan is the only country currently participating in both the US and China's AI initiatives.

Apple TV has three big new releases coming very soon

Apple TV is gearing up for a busy fall with three significant new releases. Season 2 of the acclaimed sci-fi series Dark Matter, based on Blake Crouch's novel, premieres on August 28, 2026, with new episodes released weekly until October 30. Following that, the action-buddy comedy film Mayday, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, will debut on September 4, 2026. Additionally, the espionage drama Slow Horses returns for its sixth season on September 16, 2026, also with weekly episodes through October 21.

Blue Eye Samurai’s second season will hit Netflix in January

Netflix has revealed that the second season of the animated series Blue Eye Samurai will be available for streaming in January 2027, with the exact date yet to be announced. The new teaser trailer showcases Mizu, a samurai who disguises her gender and mixed-race heritage, as she embarks on a perilous journey to London to seek revenge. Additionally, Netflix confirmed that the series will conclude with a third and final season, although details regarding its production timeline remain undisclosed.

Meta’s Big Reckoning Is Here

Meta is defending itself in a federal civil trial in California, where 29 state attorneys general allege the company violated COPPA by improperly collecting data from children under 13. This follows a previous case where Meta was ordered to pay over $940 million in New Mexico for causing psychological harm to minors. The trial focuses on Facebook and Instagram, with claims that Meta's design features deliberately engage and retain young users. Meta denies the allegations, asserting compliance with COPPA and protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

• Plaintiffs seek $200 billion in damages, potentially leading to significant platform changes.

Walmart finally supporting in-store tap to pay with Google Pay

Walmart has announced it will begin supporting in-store tap to pay with Google Pay, marking a significant shift for the retailer, which has historically resisted NFC payment methods in favor of its own QR code-based Walmart Pay. The rollout will commence on August 24, 2026, at select Walmart and Sam's Club locations, with plans to expand to all US stores and clubs by the end of 2026. Additionally, Walmart intends to enable Google Pay at its fuel stations by mid-2027, providing customers with a more convenient payment option alongside existing methods such as cash and credit cards.

Tesla recalls 3 million cars as part of China-wide push to stop hidden door handles

Tesla is recalling nearly 3 million vehicles in China to address safety concerns regarding hidden emergency door releases that could trap occupants during emergencies. This recall is part of a broader initiative involving 11 carmakers, including Xiaomi and Xpeng, who will also install warning labels and push software updates. The issue stems from the shift to electronic door latches, which can fail during collisions, leaving manual releases often hidden from view. Following a two-year review, China announced plans to ban such hidden door handles by 2027, while the U.S. has opened an investigation into Tesla's door-latching system.

• Tesla is redesigning its door handles to improve accessibility following safety reviews.

DeepSeek Unveils Test Model to Rival Anthropic’s Opus 4.8

DeepSeek has unveiled an experimental AI model that can understand visual prompts, claiming it nears the performance of Anthropic's advanced model, Opus 4.8. This new release enhances DeepSeek's flagship text-only V4 Flash model by integrating multimodal capabilities, allowing it to analyze and act on visual inputs such as images and screenshots. The Hangzhou-based company aims to strengthen its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI market, particularly against established players like Anthropic.

Waymo builds its own chip for its robotaxis, cutting its reliance on Nvidia

Waymo has unveiled a custom chip for its self-driving taxis, significantly reducing its reliance on Nvidia and AMD. This chip, already integrated into the latest generation of Waymo's vehicles, processes over 1,000 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) and is manufactured using a 5-nanometer process by TSMC. The development is intended to lower operational costs while improving the speed at which the robotaxis can process sensor data and run AI models, enhancing their ability to navigate and respond to environments. Waymo is also partnering with Chinese manufacturer Zeekr to deploy this technology in its new robotaxi models.

• The chip aims to reduce costs associated with previous reliance on Nvidia and AMD.

Meta spends hundreds of millions on Microsoft's AI services

Meta has become one of Microsoft's largest AI customers, spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year to access AI models via Microsoft's Azure cloud service. The company processes trillions of tokens weekly on the platform, as its engineers leverage OpenAI models from Microsoft's Foundry marketplace to evaluate the performance of Meta's own AI models. Concurrently, Meta is developing its own API service that could compete with Foundry, mirroring its past transition from relying on Microsoft's Bing search engine to deploying its own technology.

• 70% of Microsoft's AI revenue is generated from OpenAI, which primarily utilizes Azure.

Waymo doubles spending on lobbying in robotaxi battle with Uber

Waymo has significantly increased its lobbying efforts, spending over $1 million between April and June 2026, more than double its expenditure from the same period last year. This surge aims to influence US regulators as Waymo competes with Uber for the future of robotaxi services. While Waymo seeks a swift transition to fully autonomous operations, Uber advocates for a gradual rollout that includes human drivers. Tensions between the two companies have escalated, particularly as Waymo explores exiting its partnership with Uber in cities like Austin and Atlanta, where both companies operate.

• Waymo's overall lobbying budget for the first half of 2026 reached slightly over $2 million, a 93% increase from the previous year.
• Uber has committed over $10 billion in the past year to regain its position in autonomous vehicles.

Tesla sunsets its Solar Roof tiles

Tesla has officially discontinued its Solar Roof tiles, as the company has determined the product is financially unviable. Reports indicate that Tesla informed its third-party installers that only conventional solar panels will be supplied moving forward. Changes on Tesla's website, including the removal of the Solar Roof option from the navigation menu and redirection of its dedicated page to solar panels, support this decision. Since its launch in 2016, the Solar Roof has only been installed in 3,000 homes, far below the company's ambitious target of 1,000 installations per week.

• The company plans to build a $10 billion factory near Houston for solar panel production.
• Elon Musk acknowledged significant mistakes in the Solar Roof project in 2021.

Anthropic changes data retention policy after enterprise pushback

Anthropic is revising its data retention policy in response to pushback from enterprise customers, allowing them to retain their data in their own cloud environments. Previously, Anthropic stored all customer data from its Mythos and Fable models for 30 days on its servers to detect cyberattacks. The company acknowledged that this approach was unpopular and posed a business risk. While the 30-day retention period remains, the data will now be stored in customers' clouds, a change developed over several months with input from more than 100 clients in regulated sectors. These updates are set to be implemented this fall.

• Rival OpenAI is exploring a different security and data control method with Databricks and Microsoft.

Samsung Plans to Return Up to $79 Billion to Shareholders

Samsung Electronics Co. is set to return up to 110 trillion won ($79 billion) to its shareholders in 2026, leveraging the financial windfall generated by the booming artificial intelligence sector. This move underscores the company's strategy to distribute a portion of its profits back to investors, marking one of the largest shareholder returns in its history. The decision highlights Samsung's robust performance amid rising demand for AI technologies, positioning it favorably in the competitive tech landscape.

• The return is attributed to a windfall from the AI market surge.

Nvidia is acquiring Poolside's "Model Factory" and 109 employees for $6 billion

Nvidia is set to acquire Poolside's 'Model Factory' and 109 employees for $6 billion, as revealed in an investor letter. The employees were instrumental in developing the Laguna model and will receive job offers from Nvidia. This acquisition involves licensing the 'Model Factory,' the technology Poolside used for AI model creation, positioning Nvidia in competition with its own customers. Additionally, Nvidia is investing $1 billion at a $12 billion pre-money valuation, while Poolside's founders will continue with the company.

• Nvidia previously engaged in similar deals with Groq and Enfabrica.

Rocket Report: SpaceX makes its mark on the Moon; ULA names new boss

SpaceX is planning to retire its Falcon 9 rocket, potentially by 2030 or 2032, which has raised concerns among commercial satellite operators. The impending retirement could limit launch opportunities after 2028, as SpaceX has indicated it will focus on its own payloads, including Starlink V3 satellites. This shift comes as the Falcon 9 has been instrumental in democratizing access to space for numerous satellite startups, making the future of commercial launches uncertain.

• Commercial satellite customers are struggling to secure launches post-2028.
• The Falcon 9 has been pivotal for satellite startups, opening new orbital avenues.

Samsung plans up to $80 billion in shareholder returns after SK Hynix buyback

Samsung Electronics has unveiled a shareholder return package that could reach up to 110 trillion won ($79.52 billion) in 2026, marking the largest such initiative by a Korean company. This announcement follows closely on the heels of SK Hynix's own 40 trillion won share buyback, highlighting a competitive week for South Korea's semiconductor sector. Samsung plans to distribute around 30 trillion won in cash dividends in the third quarter of 2026, with final details to be confirmed at a board meeting in late October. The company's stock has appreciated by approximately 135% year-to-date, driven by strong demand for AI-related memory chips.