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Ford has partnered with Amazon to sell certified pre-owned vehicles on Amazon Autos. Customers can browse local dealer inventories, complete paperwork online, and schedule vehicle pickup through Amazon's website. This partnership allows customers to search for vehicles by model, trim, color, and features, as well as secure financing and e-sign paperwork via Amazon Autos.
Certified pre-owned vehicles sold on Amazon Autos come with a money-back guarantee, allowing customers to return the vehicle within 14 days or 1,000 miles. Initially, Ford vehicles on Amazon Autos will be offered in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas.
Swedish automaker Volvo has cancelled a five-year contract with Luminar due to Luminar's failure to meet contractual obligations. This escalation occurs as Luminar faces financial difficulties, including defaulting on loans and a potential bankruptcy. Luminar has laid off 25% of its staff and is exploring a sale of the company.
The relationship between Volvo and Luminar was previously beneficial, with Volvo investing in Luminar and integrating its technology into their vehicles. However, Volvo has decided to limit its supply chain risk exposure due to Luminar's performance. Luminar has made a claim against Volvo for significant damages and suspended further commitments of Iris sensors.
Volvo stated that its products can deliver high levels of safety with or without lidar, but the situation has affected some customer orders. Luminar has also stopped spending money on Iris sensors, leading to a breach of agreement with its supplier.
PowerLattice, a startup founded in 2023 by electrical engineers from Qualcomm, NUVIA, and Intel, has emerged from stealth with a $25 million Series A funding round. The company is developing a chiplet that reduces the power needs of computer chips by more than 50%.
The funding round was led by Playground Global and Celesta Capital, bringing the total funding to $31 million. Pat Gelsinger, former CEO of Intel and general partner at Playground Global, expressed strong support for PowerLattice's technology.
PowerLattice's first batch of chiplets is being produced by TSMC, in partnership with an unnamed manufacturer for testing. The company plans to make its product available for testing by other customers in the first half of 2026, targeting major chip manufacturers like Nvidia, Broadcom, and AMD.
PowerLattice competes with Empower Semiconductor in addressing the energy problem. However, Gelsinger believes PowerLattice's 50% energy efficiency gain is an "extraordinary" result, expecting a larger funding round to follow.
Databricks co-founder Andy Konwinski warns that the U.S. is losing its edge in AI research to China, posing a threat to democracy and U.S. AI labs. He highlights that Chinese AI innovation benefits from government support and open-source practices, fostering broader development.
Konwinski contrasts this with the U.S., where he observes a decline in open scientific exchange, with major AI labs prioritizing proprietary innovations and attracting top talent with high salaries. He advocates for open-source AI to foster innovation and ensure the U.S. remains a leader in the field, emphasizing the importance of freely exchanged ideas.