Technologies
Samsung to build $17 billion chip factory in Texas
The massive investment comes amid a global shortage of chips for computers and other electronics.

Samsung on Tuesday announced plans to build a $17 billion semiconductor factory in central Texas, a massive investment that comes amid a global chip shortage.
The facility, to be located in Taylor, a town of about 16,000 people located about 30 miles from Austin, where Samsung already has a production facility. The electronics giant will break ground next year, with chip production expected to begin in 2024.
Samsung sells more phones and TVs than any other company, but it also has a huge business selling memory chips to device makers around the globe. In recent months, Samsung’s chip business has gotten a boost from increased demand for equipment as people work from home during the coronavirus pandemic and data centers that store everything we’re doing online.
But that increased demand for work-from-home technology like PCs, tablets and webcams soared beyond the semiconductor manufacturing industry’s ability to supply chips. The chip shortage soon extended beyond remote work and school needs to home entertainment products like tablets, game consoles, TVs and graphics cards for gaming PCs.
The Biden administration responded to the supply chain problems by prodding companies to be more transparent about their needs and supplies and calling on Congress to create the Critical Supply Chain Resiliency Program.
«In addition to our partners in Texas, we are grateful to the Biden Administration for creating an environment that supports companies like Samsung as we work to expand leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing in the US,» Kinam Kim, CEO of Samsung Electronics Device Solutions Division, said in a statement.
The 2.5 million-square-foot facility in Taylor will be larger than the sizable presence Samsung already has in Austin. In 2012, the company announced a $4 billion investment in a Texas plant to boost chip production to meet the increasing demand for mobile devices including smartphones and tablets.
Technologies
Fit a Massive 130-Inch Screen in Your Pocket With These $299 Xreal AR Glasses
The Air 2s feature USB-C connectivity and a built-in sound system, and you can grab them at a record-low price right now.

Enjoying your favorite movies, shows and games on the go just got a whole lot easier. These Xreal Air 2 AR glasses allow you to fit a massive 130-inch display in your pocket, and right now you can snag yourself a pair at an all-time low price. Amazon now has them on sale for $299, which is a $60 discount. There’s no telling how long this deal will last, so you may want to get your order in soon if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.
These augmented reality glasses have some pretty impressive specs and features considering they weigh in at just 72 grams. They’re come with 0.55-inch micro OLED panels, which allows you to enjoy your content on a massive 130-inch spatial display. They boast 1080p HD resolution, 500 nits of brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth performance, making them a solid option for gaming. Plus, they’re easy to connect to your phone, laptop or game console with a USB-C video input. You can also connect them to devices with an HDMI port, but you’ll need a separate adapter. They’re also equipped with built-in speakers so you can be fully immersed.
Why this deal matters
VR and AR devices are getting more affordable every day, but they still aren’t exactly cheap. Deals on cutting-edge tech like these Xreal Air 2 glasses don’t come around very often, so a chance to grab yourself a pair at a record-low price is a bargain you’ll want to jump on while you can.
Technologies
Here’s an Image of the Asteroid Everyone Was Worried About
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured a glimpse of the asteroid that had a chance of impacting Earth three months ago.

It’s not every day that an asteroid causes as much buzz as 2024 YR4. At one point, the asteroid had a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth, creating plenty of headlines about its potential impact. The threat is all but gone, but now we have pictures of the once-worrisome asteroid.
The imagery was captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and posted by the European Space Agency on Wednesday. The JWST captured the asteroid with two of its cameras, including the Near-Infrared Camera and the Mid-Infrared Instrument. The former measures reflected light, while the latter shows thermal energy.
The pictures demonstrate a couple of fun facts about the asteroid. It is the smallest object ever targeted by JWST’s instruments to date, and it’s one of the smallest objects ever directly measured. Estimates initially put the asteroid at around 40 to 90 meters. The actual size turned out to be 60 meters or around 180 feet.
«These measurements indicate that this asteroid does not share properties observed in larger asteroids,» the ESA said in its blog post. «This is likely a combination of its fast spin and lack of fine-grained sand on its surface. Further research is needed, however, this is considered consistent with a surface dominated by rocks that are roughly fist-sized or larger.»
Per NASA, the asteroid will only be visible from Earth for a little longer. The asteroid’s orbit is currently taking it away from Earth, and the agency estimates that it’ll disappear from even the strongest instruments by late April or early May. It won’t be visible again until 2028 when its orbit brings it back toward Earth.
The moon, on the other hand…
The 2024 YR4 asteroid caused quite a stir when astronomers first reported it via the Minor Planet Center in December 2024. Based on the data collected on its trajectory at that point, the asteroid had a 1.3% chance of hitting Earth.
The percentage fluctuated over the next few months, reaching as high as 3.1%. After further research, the odds dropped dramatically to 0.28%. Per NASA’s Sentry tool — which monitors asteroids that may impact Earth — the threat now sits at 0.00078%.
The moon may not be so lucky. Per NASA, the odds of the asteroid impacting the moon are somewhere around 3.8%, which is even higher odds than the asteroid ever had of impacting Earth. Scientists are gathering data before the asteroid disappears, but it’s likely we won’t know more until the asteroid comes back into view in 2028.
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