It's a big day for huge EV investments in the US. The Biden admin announced it's awarding $2.8 billion to companies developing EV battery materials earlier today, and now BMW says it'll be investing another $1.7 billion towards building electric vehicles in America. $1 billion will go towards expanding its Spartanburg, South Carolina manufacturing plant to build EVs, while the remaining $700 million is earmarked to build a high-voltage battery facility in a nearby town called Woodruff.

Plant Spartanburg, as the company calls the manufacturing facility, is the home of the company's popular "X" vehicles. Now, according to BMW's US group chairman Oliver Zipse, it's going to become the home of BMW's electrification strategy. He announced the company intends to build at least six electric BMW X vehicles by 2030, which is also when the Biden administration is aiming to make EVs half of new US car sales. 

BMW also plans to build sixth-generation battery cells using technology from Envision AESC, which will build the aforementioned battery plant. The company claims the new batteries offer 20 percent more energy density than its current technology, as well as 30 percent faster charging and longer range. Additionally, they'll involve around 60 percent less CO2 emissions by using secondary minerals and renewable energy during production.

Amazon workers in Georgia are the latest to go public with complaints about the retail giant’s labor practices. Workers at an Atlanta warehouse joined with United For Respect, at a press conference near the company’s ATL6 warehouse to detail new unfair labor practices complaints against Amazon.

The workers, who have petitioned Amazon for a wage increase, say the retailer exploits its warehouse staff with unsafe working conditions and low wages. In a statement, United for Respect noted that the demonstration in Atlanta comes just days after Amazon’s Prime Day, when warehouse workers face particularly stressful conditions.

According to United for Respect, workers at ATL6 previously asked managers for a $5 wage increase in a petition. The company has since fired two workers and “tried to intimidate associates,” the group said. United for Respect is a nonprofit group associated with UFCW, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

“Livable wages, safer working conditions, dignity and respect for all workers is long overdue," Karen Tucker, who has worked at Amazon’s ATL6 warehouse for eight years, said in a statement. "We’re fighting for what we deserve. We are the backbone of this company and without us, there is no Amazon. It’s time for the public to hear and know what we endure to get customers’ packages out on time. It’s time for change. It’s time we held Amazon accountable towards a better Atlanta for all Amazon workers and all working people.”

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Department of Energy is awarding $2.8 billion in grants to 20 companies across the US that will promote the production of materials to make EV batteries domestically, the Biden administration announced today. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and it'll be part of a new "American Battery Materials Initiative," which aims to secure a supply of minerals for EVs and electric infrastructure (potentially things like home batteries). Given that the Biden administration wants to make EVs half of new US car purchases by 2030, we'll need a serious boost in battery production before then.

"The U.S. and its allies currently do not produce enough of the critical minerals and battery materials needed to power clean energy technologies," the Biden admin wrote in a briefing. "China currently controls much of the critical mineral supply chain and the lack of mining, processing, and recycling capacity in the U.S. could hinder electric vehicle development and adoption, leaving the U.S. dependent on unreliable foreign supply chains."

The new funding will support projects that aim to develop enough battery-grade lithium to build 2 million EVs annually, as well as enough graphite and nickel to produce 1.2 million and 400,000 EVs annually. It'll also enable some groundbreaking endeavors, like building the first lithium iron phosphate cathode facility, as well as the first large-scale lithium electrolyte salt production facility, in the US. 

After being matched by recipients, the Biden admin says the $2.8 million grants will lead to an investment of more than $9 billion towards building EV batteries. Car makers will also need more local supply sources if they want to build EVs that take full advantage of the Biden admin's new $7,500 tax credit, which require batteries and minerals produced in the US.

Google's Material You design language has been available since Android 12, but you wouldn't know it if you bought an entry Go Edition phone stuck with the old look. Thankfully, Google is finally bringing that aesthetic to lower-cost handset. The newly announced Android 13 Go Edition brings Material You to these basic devices for the first time, giving you color themes that reflect your wallpaper as well as an overall more stylish appearance.

It should also be easier to keep your phone up to date. Android 13 Go Edition adds Google Play System Updates that, like on the 'full' platform, ensure you get critical patches without waiting for your manufacturer to push the new code. This could help fix security flaws in a hurry, of course, but it will also keep your device current without chewing up the frequently limited storage on budget phones.

The new Go version adds Discover to help browse a curated list of news stories and other content. Some of Android 13's subtler improvements are available here, including notification permissions and per-app language preferences.

The first Android 13 Go Edition phones won't be available until sometime in 2023. With that said, Google notes the release is as much a symbol of Go's expansion as it is a technical improvement. There are now more than 250 million monthly active Android Go devices. While that pales in comparison to the 3 billion total active devices reported at I/O 2022, it suggests the concept of a highly-optimized, more accessible Android OS is here to stay.

Now that speedy ports are par for the course on computers, how is Intel going to make Thunderbolt more enticing? By courting enthusiasts who demand a wall of monitors, apparently. The company has previewed a next-generation Thunderbolt standard that will offer more bandwidth for multi-monitor setups and other "visually intensive usages." While the port will normally offer 80 gigabits per second of bandwidth like the USB 4 Version 2.0 spec it's built on, it auto-switches to a special mode with 120Gbps upstream and 40Gbps downstream when your screens' resolution or refresh rate demands greater performance.

You can also expect DisplayPort 2.1 support, twice the PCI Express data (important for external GPUs) and backward compatibility with earlier formats as well as passive cables up to 3.3ft long.

That's not far off from the new USB 4 standard. As The Vergepoints out, though, Intel is betting that consistency will persuade PC makers to adopt the new technology. "Many" of USB 4's new features are optional where they're required with the new Thunderbolt, Intel's Jason Ziller says. While the USB Implementers Forum is improving labeling, you may want Thunderbolt to be sure your gaming rig or creative studio can handle all the monitors you want.

Intel plans to share the updated Thunderbolt standard's final name and capabilities sometime in 2023. This might give some users a reason to buy Intel-powered computers (or Macs, if Apple adopts the port) next year. However, it's clear the gap between Thunderbolt and USB has narrowed considerably. You might not have much reason to buy an Intel Core-based PC when a USB 4-equipped AMD system may offer nearly identical connectivity.

Microsoft wants to bring a taste of Xbox game shopping to your phone. As The Vergeexplains, a company filing with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has revealed plans to build a "next generation" Xbox store that's available on mobile devices, not just consoles and PCs. The shop would unsurprisingly lean heavily on content from the proposed Activision Blizzard merger. Call of Duty Mobile and King's more casual games (think Candy Crush) represent more than half of Activision's revenue and would help attract gamers to the new platform, Microsoft said.

The purchase would boost Microsoft's mobile gaming and ad revenue, according to the company. It would also offer "much needed expertise" in developing and marketing these titles.

The software giant is aware there will be challenges. It will require a "major shift" in consumer habits to pull them away from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, according to the filing. Microsoft says it will apply its open app store philosophy to the Xbox mobile shop, including equal treatment for third-party apps and choices for in-app payments.

It's far from certain that Microsoft will launch the Xbox mobile game store as outlined. The CMA is conducting a deep investigation of the Activision Blizzard buyout over concerns it might hurt competition, particularly in console gaming. There's also no practical way to install a dedicated Xbox game store on iPhones and iPads. While Android users can sideload third-party stores, Apple requires use of the App Store. Microsoft struggled to bring Xbox games to the App Store, and had to offer Game Pass streaming through the browser. Short of antitrust lawsuits forcing Apple to open its platform, Microsoft may have to be content with courting Android gamers.

The strategy behind the filing isn't subtle. Microsoft wants to convince UK regulators that the Activision Blizzard deal would preserve or even improve competition, and the prospect of an Xbox mobile store theoretically helps. Agencies like the CMA might not see it this way, however. Officials are still concerned that Microsoft's potential ownership of Call of Duty on console, cloud and mobile would give the company too much control over the games industry, and the developer's promises to support rival platforms might not be sufficiently reassuring.

For decades, whatever you drove off the showroom floor was what you were stuck with. But now, thanks to over-the-air updates, your car can evolve on your driveway in myriad ways. Tesla has been doing it for years, and now Lucid and other automakers are joining in.

We’ve said it before: Lucid did an exquisite job with the Air, its first ever car. But like all automakers, the company found that developing good software is tougher than it looks. While the Air's driving dynamics are top-notch and the design has been praised, there have been reports of laggy elements plaguing the infotainment system.

With Lucid UX 2.0, the automaker is hoping to squelch those issues with nearly a complete rewrite of the vehicle’s software. Lucid invited us down to its headquarters to check out the latest software update that will be deployed to all Lucid Airs over the next few weeks.

The James Webb Space Telescope's sightseeing tour just provided a fresh look at one of the most recognizable interstellar objects. Researchers have captured their most detailed image yet of the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming nursery in the Eagle Nebula roughly 6,500 light-years away. The near-infrared picture shows even more detail than Hubble's 2014 snapshot, with an abundance of stars (particularly newborns) in view — there isn't even a galaxy within sight.

The new stars are the bright red points of light in the scene and are estimated to be 'just' a few hundred thousand years old. The red glow of the pillars, not to mention the wavy lines at some edges, are the result of jets and bow shocks that energize hydrogen and push it outward. You don't see galaxies as the gas and dust of the Milky Way's interstellar medium blocks more distant objects in such a dense area.

Hubble first imaged the Pillars of Creation in 1995 (see below), but the technology at the time revealed only a fraction of the stars in the region. The 2014 re-do provided considerably more detail, but the visible light snapshot still left the pillars relatively opaque and hid some of the forming stars. The James Webb observation is, in essence, a more complete representation of the nursery's activity.

This enhanced capture isn't just meant for show. Scientists hope to revise their star formation models thanks to Webb's more accurate data for stars, gas and dust. That could improve humanity's understanding of early star life and, in turn, the universe at large.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Apple isn't just facing unionization efforts among its retail workers. The New York Timesreports about 150 store staff went on strike for an hour Tuesday after negotiations for better pay and working conditions hit an impasse. On Wednesday, they refused to provide a mix of services that included repairing AirPods and managing deliveries. 

The striking employees showed support for unions and called for a range of improvements, including the higher income and schedules with two consecutive days off. Apple had offered staff a higher minimum wage of $27.64 AUD (about $17.35 US) in talks with unions, but the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association union called that a "real wage cut" that didn't account for inflation. That group wants a $31 AUD ($19.53 US) wage roughly equivalent to what American workers get. It's also difficult to have weekends with the current scheduling, the workers said.

As in the US, there are allegations Apple is using anti-union tactics. The Association claims Apple interfered with labor organizers trying to survey employees ahead of negotiations. Apple has supposedly tried to rush a vote on the deal.

Apple has denied rushing the vote, and said part-time workers could specify four or more days of availability. They also get schedules two weeks in advance. In a statement to The Times, the iPhone maker maintains that it's "among the highest-paying" companies in Australia and has made "many" improvements to its benefits.

The strike and task refusals were spurred in part by labor action in the US. There, workers at an increasing number of Apple stores have tried to join unions with varying success. Team members at a Towson, Maryland store managed to unionize, but reports surfaced that Apple was supposedly withholding benefits while negotiations with the union took place. At many stores, the company has apparently pushed anti-union talking points that suggested formal representation could make things worse. There's no certainty American employees will strike like their Australian counterparts, but it's evident that the outcry is getting louder.

Nearly half of the world’s roughly 7,000 known languages four in ten of them exist without an accompanying written component. These unwritten languages pose a unique problem for modern machine learning translation systems, as they typically need to convert verbal speech to written words before translating to the new language and reverting the text back to speech, but one that Meta has reportedly addressed with its latest open-source language AI advancement.

As part of Meta’s Universal Speech Translator (UST) program which is working to develop real-time speech-to-speech translation so that Metaverse denizens can more easily interact (read: sexually harass one another). As part of this project, Meta researchers looked at Hokkien, an unwritten language spoken throughout Asia’s diaspora and one of Taiwan’s official languages.

Machine learning translation systems typically require extensive labelable examples of the language, both written and spoken, to train on — precisely what unwritten languages like Hokkien don’t have. To get around that, “we used speech-to-unit translation (S2UT) to convert input speech to a sequence of acoustic units directly in the path previously pioneered by Meta,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained in a Wednesday blog post. “Then, we generated waveforms from the units. In addition, UnitY was adopted for a two-pass decoding mechanism where the first-pass decoder generates text in a related language (Mandarin), and the second-pass decoder creates units.”

“We leveraged Mandarin as an intermediate language to build pseudo-labels, where we first translated English (or Hokkien) speech to Mandarin text, and we then translated to Hokkien (or English) and added it to training data,” he continued. Currently, the system allows for someone who speaks Hokkien to converse with someone who speaks English, albeit stiltedly. The model can only translate one full sentence at a time but Zuckerberg is confident that the technique can eventually be applied to more languages and will improve to the point of offering real-time translation.

In addition to the models and training data that Meta is already open-sourcing from this project, the company is also releasing a first-of-its-kind speech-to-speech translation benchmarking system based on a Hokkien speech corpus called Taiwanese Across Taiwan, as well as “the speech matrix, a large corpus of speech-to-speech translations mined with Meta’s innovative data mining technique called LASER,” Zuckerberg announced. This system will empower researchers to create speech-to-speech translation (S2ST) systems of their own.