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Exclusive: The best AI investment might be in energy tech | TechCrunch

Exclusive: The best AI investment might be in energy tech | TechCrunch

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Venture capitalists have placed increasingly bigger bets on AI startups, investing over half a trillion dollars into the sector over the last five years.

But these days, the smartest AI investment might be in energy, according to a report by Sightline Climate. Researchers found that up to 50% of data center projects that have been announced might be delayed. One of the biggest culprits is access to power. 

Of the 190 gigawatts worth of data centers the company is tracking, only 5 gigawatts are under construction. About 6 gigawatts of data center projects in Sightline’s database came online last year. A far larger percentage — about 36% — saw their timelines slip in 2025. The delays may eventually trickle down and affect large enterprises and other companies that use AI for their businesses. 

That supply-demand squeeze is an opportunity for investors. Here’s why. 

Big tech companies like Google and Meta have devoted large parts of their balance sheets to develop solar, wind, and nuclear projects. These companies are also supporting emerging technologies like Form Energy’s 100-hour battery through direct investments and working with utilities to accelerate their adoption.

Dozens of startups are pursuing technologies that tackle the power problem. For instance, Amperesand, DG Matrix, and Heron Power are developing new power conversion technologies, while companies like Camus, GridBeyond, and Texture are building software that can manage the flow of electrons.

Power remains one of the most significant constraints for data centers, a shortfall that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. AI is expected to drive data center power consumption up 175% by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs. 

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These shortages on the grid are unprecedented in modern times, and they’ve been driving up electricity prices around the country. That has pushed many tech companies to explore alternative ways of powering their data centers. (The Trump administration, sensing a looming political crisis, is urging tech companies to build their own power source, pay higher rates, or both. Most had already made plans to do so, of course.)

Grid alternatives

Amazon, Google, Oracle, and other large tech companies have been working to minimize their dependence on the grid. Several data centers are being planned using on-site power or a hybrid approach that blends on-site power with a grid connection. 

The biggest data centers are leading the charge. Less than a quarter of projects that have identified a power source will use on-site or hybrid; together they represent 44% of total capacity.

The shift has been driven in part by shortages of power generation equipment — namely gas turbines — and an antiquated grid. That’s opened a path for alternative energy sources.

Google’s latest deal to power a new data center in Minnesota shows one approach to tackling the problem. The company will blend wind and solar with a massive 30 gigawatt-hour battery from Form Energy. Google also worked with Xcel Energy to devise a new rate structure that it says will help encourage the adoption of new technologies in the utility’s planning process.

Form Energy’s battery isn’t the only example. Grid-scale batteries are poised to take a big bite out of the power market. By the end of this year, the U.S. should have nearly 65 gigawatts of battery storage capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Like many of its peers, Form Energy is looking to capitalize on the momentum by raising a $500 million round in advance of an eventual IPO. 

Underrated tech

Energy supplies are only part of the story. Once the power hits the grid or the data center, it needs to be managed, a task that mostly falls on the humble transformer. 

Most of today’s transformers use massive blocks of iron wrapped in copper wire, a technology that is about 140 years old. It’s reliable, but it’s becoming far too bulky as data center power demands ramp up. By the time server racks hit 1 megawatt in power density, the power equipment needed to run them will occupy twice as much space as the rack itself, one expert told TechCrunch. 

It’s why investors have been flocking to back solid-state transformer startups recently, which are hoping silicon-based power electronics can supplant the ancient iron-and-copper tech. They’re more expensive than existing transformers, but they are also flexible enough to replace several pieces of equipment in a data center, which should make them cost competitive. 

Altogether, the scale of investments in battery and transformer companies has been much smaller than some of the blockbuster rounds we’ve seen in the AI industry. 

That’s not a bad thing — those rounds are more tractable for investors. Plus, as the world electrifies everything from transportation to heavy industry, the need for power is only going to grow, giving investors a hedge against an AI bust. Maybe the best AI investment isn’t in AI at all.

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The AI industry is not quite experiencing a DeepSeek 2.0 moment, but it feels very close. The leading Chinese AI labs have been on a roll lately, releasing a series of almost cutting-edge open-source models. Z.ai released GLM 5.2 in June, Moonshot AI released Kimi K3 last week, and Alibaba released Qwen 3.8 this Monday.

Silicon Valley and Washington started talking about the models immediately, especially K3, which is widely seen as the best of the bunch. David Sacks, a venture capitalist and AI adviser to President Donald Trump, called the performance of Moonshot’s model “concerning.” Earlier this week, Commerce Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the US might impose sanctions on Chinese AI companies.

On Wednesday, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, alleged that the Trump administration has “information that Moonshot AI distilled Anthropic’s Fable for the development of its K3 model,” which he said amounted to “stealing proprietary US technology and undermining American research” and was “unacceptable.” (Moonshot AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

The new Chinese models have a few things in common: Third-party benchmarks show that they perform nearly as well as the best Western models; they are optimized for agentic coding tasks (the hottest thing in AI this year); and they are or will soon be released with open weights, making them accessible and transparent.

But perhaps the biggest parallel between the current moment and January 2025—when the world was shocked by DeepSeek’s R1 model—is that it reaffirms how American and Chinese AI labs are taking diverging paths when it comes to being open or closed.

When it first burst onto the scene, DeepSeek challenged the premise that only closed-source models built with billions of dollars of investment in compute infrastructure and training could achieve frontier performance. But since then, Western AI labs have continued developing AI the same way, and now American frontier models feel more roped-off than they were a year ago.

Anthropic said for months that its latest Mythos model was so dangerously good at hacking that only approved collaborators could use it. When it was finally released more widely, the White House responded by issuing broad export controls, which forced Anthropic to take Mythos and its less capable sister model, Fable 5, offline temporarily. OpenAI similarly delayed the release of GPT 5.6 after it received a request from the White House.

In China, meanwhile, the situation looks very different. Chinese startups and tech giants have doubled down on open source: Anyone with a good enough computer environment can now download an open-weight model, run it locally, add customizations, and overall enjoy a much greater degree of freedom than OpenAI and Anthropic would ever allow. In many ways, the open versus closed debate is more entangled with the US versus China debate than ever before.

There are a lot of reasons why Chinese labs have chosen a business strategy built atop open-source models. Being the newer, smaller fish in the AI field, making their models free and open can help Chinese firms attract more users, collaborators, and media spotlight. It also puts them in a separate lane of competition from the one that OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, SpaceX, and other deep-pocketed giants are in.

Earlier this year, rumors spread that Alibaba might be considering joining the closed-source race after it rearranged its corporate AI model development teams. But the tech giant announced on Monday that it would again release the latest version of Qwen—its line of open-source models beloved by the global tech community—with open weights, signaling to customers and the public it is not pivoting away yet.

#Chinas #Open #Models #Challenging #Silicon #Valleys #Playbookchina,open source,alibaba,generative ai,national security,artificial intelligence">China’s Open AI Models Are Challenging Silicon Valley’s PlaybookThe AI industry is not quite experiencing a DeepSeek 2.0 moment, but it feels very close. The leading Chinese AI labs have been on a roll lately, releasing a series of almost cutting-edge open-source models. Z.ai released GLM 5.2 in June, Moonshot AI released Kimi K3 last week, and Alibaba released Qwen 3.8 this Monday.Silicon Valley and Washington started talking about the models immediately, especially K3, which is widely seen as the best of the bunch. David Sacks, a venture capitalist and AI adviser to President Donald Trump, called the performance of Moonshot’s model “concerning.” Earlier this week, Commerce Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the US might impose sanctions on Chinese AI companies.On Wednesday, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, alleged that the Trump administration has “information that Moonshot AI distilled Anthropic’s Fable for the development of its K3 model,” which he said amounted to “stealing proprietary US technology and undermining American research” and was “unacceptable.” (Moonshot AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)The new Chinese models have a few things in common: Third-party benchmarks show that they perform nearly as well as the best Western models; they are optimized for agentic coding tasks (the hottest thing in AI this year); and they are or will soon be released with open weights, making them accessible and transparent.But perhaps the biggest parallel between the current moment and January 2025—when the world was shocked by DeepSeek’s R1 model—is that it reaffirms how American and Chinese AI labs are taking diverging paths when it comes to being open or closed.When it first burst onto the scene, DeepSeek challenged the premise that only closed-source models built with billions of dollars of investment in compute infrastructure and training could achieve frontier performance. But since then, Western AI labs have continued developing AI the same way, and now American frontier models feel more roped-off than they were a year ago.Anthropic said for months that its latest Mythos model was so dangerously good at hacking that only approved collaborators could use it. When it was finally released more widely, the White House responded by issuing broad export controls, which forced Anthropic to take Mythos and its less capable sister model, Fable 5, offline temporarily. OpenAI similarly delayed the release of GPT 5.6 after it received a request from the White House.In China, meanwhile, the situation looks very different. Chinese startups and tech giants have doubled down on open source: Anyone with a good enough computer environment can now download an open-weight model, run it locally, add customizations, and overall enjoy a much greater degree of freedom than OpenAI and Anthropic would ever allow. In many ways, the open versus closed debate is more entangled with the US versus China debate than ever before.There are a lot of reasons why Chinese labs have chosen a business strategy built atop open-source models. Being the newer, smaller fish in the AI field, making their models free and open can help Chinese firms attract more users, collaborators, and media spotlight. It also puts them in a separate lane of competition from the one that OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, SpaceX, and other deep-pocketed giants are in.Earlier this year, rumors spread that Alibaba might be considering joining the closed-source race after it rearranged its corporate AI model development teams. But the tech giant announced on Monday that it would again release the latest version of Qwen—its line of open-source models beloved by the global tech community—with open weights, signaling to customers and the public it is not pivoting away yet.#Chinas #Open #Models #Challenging #Silicon #Valleys #Playbookchina,open source,alibaba,generative ai,national security,artificial intelligence

DeepSeek 2.0 moment, but it feels very close. The leading Chinese AI labs have been on a roll lately, releasing a series of almost cutting-edge open-source models. Z.ai released GLM 5.2 in June, Moonshot AI released Kimi K3 last week, and Alibaba released Qwen 3.8 this Monday.

Silicon Valley and Washington started talking about the models immediately, especially K3, which is widely seen as the best of the bunch. David Sacks, a venture capitalist and AI adviser to President Donald Trump, called the performance of Moonshot’s model “concerning.” Earlier this week, Commerce Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the US might impose sanctions on Chinese AI companies.

On Wednesday, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, alleged that the Trump administration has “information that Moonshot AI distilled Anthropic’s Fable for the development of its K3 model,” which he said amounted to “stealing proprietary US technology and undermining American research” and was “unacceptable.” (Moonshot AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

The new Chinese models have a few things in common: Third-party benchmarks show that they perform nearly as well as the best Western models; they are optimized for agentic coding tasks (the hottest thing in AI this year); and they are or will soon be released with open weights, making them accessible and transparent.

But perhaps the biggest parallel between the current moment and January 2025—when the world was shocked by DeepSeek’s R1 model—is that it reaffirms how American and Chinese AI labs are taking diverging paths when it comes to being open or closed.

When it first burst onto the scene, DeepSeek challenged the premise that only closed-source models built with billions of dollars of investment in compute infrastructure and training could achieve frontier performance. But since then, Western AI labs have continued developing AI the same way, and now American frontier models feel more roped-off than they were a year ago.

Anthropic said for months that its latest Mythos model was so dangerously good at hacking that only approved collaborators could use it. When it was finally released more widely, the White House responded by issuing broad export controls, which forced Anthropic to take Mythos and its less capable sister model, Fable 5, offline temporarily. OpenAI similarly delayed the release of GPT 5.6 after it received a request from the White House.

In China, meanwhile, the situation looks very different. Chinese startups and tech giants have doubled down on open source: Anyone with a good enough computer environment can now download an open-weight model, run it locally, add customizations, and overall enjoy a much greater degree of freedom than OpenAI and Anthropic would ever allow. In many ways, the open versus closed debate is more entangled with the US versus China debate than ever before.

There are a lot of reasons why Chinese labs have chosen a business strategy built atop open-source models. Being the newer, smaller fish in the AI field, making their models free and open can help Chinese firms attract more users, collaborators, and media spotlight. It also puts them in a separate lane of competition from the one that OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, SpaceX, and other deep-pocketed giants are in.

Earlier this year, rumors spread that Alibaba might be considering joining the closed-source race after it rearranged its corporate AI model development teams. But the tech giant announced on Monday that it would again release the latest version of Qwen—its line of open-source models beloved by the global tech community—with open weights, signaling to customers and the public it is not pivoting away yet.

#Chinas #Open #Models #Challenging #Silicon #Valleys #Playbookchina,open source,alibaba,generative ai,national security,artificial intelligence">China’s Open AI Models Are Challenging Silicon Valley’s Playbook

The AI industry is not quite experiencing a DeepSeek 2.0 moment, but it feels very close. The leading Chinese AI labs have been on a roll lately, releasing a series of almost cutting-edge open-source models. Z.ai released GLM 5.2 in June, Moonshot AI released Kimi K3 last week, and Alibaba released Qwen 3.8 this Monday.

Silicon Valley and Washington started talking about the models immediately, especially K3, which is widely seen as the best of the bunch. David Sacks, a venture capitalist and AI adviser to President Donald Trump, called the performance of Moonshot’s model “concerning.” Earlier this week, Commerce Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the US might impose sanctions on Chinese AI companies.

On Wednesday, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, alleged that the Trump administration has “information that Moonshot AI distilled Anthropic’s Fable for the development of its K3 model,” which he said amounted to “stealing proprietary US technology and undermining American research” and was “unacceptable.” (Moonshot AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

The new Chinese models have a few things in common: Third-party benchmarks show that they perform nearly as well as the best Western models; they are optimized for agentic coding tasks (the hottest thing in AI this year); and they are or will soon be released with open weights, making them accessible and transparent.

But perhaps the biggest parallel between the current moment and January 2025—when the world was shocked by DeepSeek’s R1 model—is that it reaffirms how American and Chinese AI labs are taking diverging paths when it comes to being open or closed.

When it first burst onto the scene, DeepSeek challenged the premise that only closed-source models built with billions of dollars of investment in compute infrastructure and training could achieve frontier performance. But since then, Western AI labs have continued developing AI the same way, and now American frontier models feel more roped-off than they were a year ago.

Anthropic said for months that its latest Mythos model was so dangerously good at hacking that only approved collaborators could use it. When it was finally released more widely, the White House responded by issuing broad export controls, which forced Anthropic to take Mythos and its less capable sister model, Fable 5, offline temporarily. OpenAI similarly delayed the release of GPT 5.6 after it received a request from the White House.

In China, meanwhile, the situation looks very different. Chinese startups and tech giants have doubled down on open source: Anyone with a good enough computer environment can now download an open-weight model, run it locally, add customizations, and overall enjoy a much greater degree of freedom than OpenAI and Anthropic would ever allow. In many ways, the open versus closed debate is more entangled with the US versus China debate than ever before.

There are a lot of reasons why Chinese labs have chosen a business strategy built atop open-source models. Being the newer, smaller fish in the AI field, making their models free and open can help Chinese firms attract more users, collaborators, and media spotlight. It also puts them in a separate lane of competition from the one that OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, SpaceX, and other deep-pocketed giants are in.

Earlier this year, rumors spread that Alibaba might be considering joining the closed-source race after it rearranged its corporate AI model development teams. But the tech giant announced on Monday that it would again release the latest version of Qwen—its line of open-source models beloved by the global tech community—with open weights, signaling to customers and the public it is not pivoting away yet.

#Chinas #Open #Models #Challenging #Silicon #Valleys #Playbookchina,open source,alibaba,generative ai,national security,artificial intelligence

BTS member j-hope may be the face of Samsung’s newest Galaxy campaign, but fans hoping to see him at the company’s Unpacked event in London on Wednesday were left waiting.

j-hope did not appear in person during the presentation, where Samsung unveiled its latest generation of foldable devices. Instead, the rapper and dancer popped up on screen in a new advertisement introducing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, Samsung’s redesigned, wider foldable phone.

His absence from London was not entirely surprising. j-hope arrived in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday after BTS co-headlined the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show at New York-New Jersey MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The group performed their English-language hit “Dynamite” during the 11-minute production, which also featured Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, Burna Boy, and several other performers.

But j-hope may have been promoting Samsung’s new device before the company officially announced it.

Photos and videos of the BTS member arriving at Incheon International Airport circulated among fans online, with eagle-eyed ARMY members noticing the unusually wide — and lavender! — foldable phone he was holding. It was the same phone he was spotted holding last week during soundcheck footage at a BTS World Tour stop in Paris. The device appeared to be the then-unreleased Galaxy Z Fold 8, prompting speculation that j-hope had given fans an early look at Samsung’s new design and color.

Samsung confirmed the phone during its July 22 Unpacked event in London. The company introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a shorter, wider design intended to make the foldable easier to hold and use. Samsung also unveiled the more traditionally shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

Although some fans had hoped j-hope’s starring role in Samsung’s Unpacked promotional campaign meant he would attend the London launch, his involvement ultimately came through the advertisement that debuted during the event.

In hindsight, however, his airport appearance may have been the more fitting introduction. While Samsung waited until Unpacked to officially reveal the Galaxy Z Fold 8, j-hope had seemingly already unfolded it for the fans paying close attention.

#BTS #member #jhope #Samsung #Unpacked #Heres #fans #didnt">Where was BTS member j-hope at Samsung Unpacked? Here’s why fans didn’t see him. BTS member j-hope may be the face of Samsung’s newest Galaxy campaign, but fans hoping to see him at the company’s Unpacked event in London on Wednesday were left waiting.j-hope did not appear in person during the presentation, where Samsung unveiled its latest generation of foldable devices. Instead, the rapper and dancer popped up on screen in a new advertisement introducing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, Samsung’s redesigned, wider foldable phone. His absence from London was not entirely surprising. j-hope arrived in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday after BTS co-headlined the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show at New York-New Jersey MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The group performed their English-language hit “Dynamite” during the 11-minute production, which also featured Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, Burna Boy, and several other performers. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. But j-hope may have been promoting Samsung’s new device before the company officially announced it. Mashable Trend Report Photos and videos of the BTS member arriving at Incheon International Airport circulated among fans online, with eagle-eyed ARMY members noticing the unusually wide — and lavender! — foldable phone he was holding. It was the same phone he was spotted holding last week during soundcheck footage at a BTS World Tour stop in Paris. The device appeared to be the then-unreleased Galaxy Z Fold 8, prompting speculation that j-hope had given fans an early look at Samsung’s new design and color. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Samsung confirmed the phone during its July 22 Unpacked event in London. The company introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a shorter, wider design intended to make the foldable easier to hold and use. Samsung also unveiled the more traditionally shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Although some fans had hoped j-hope’s starring role in Samsung’s Unpacked promotional campaign meant he would attend the London launch, his involvement ultimately came through the advertisement that debuted during the event.In hindsight, however, his airport appearance may have been the more fitting introduction. While Samsung waited until Unpacked to officially reveal the Galaxy Z Fold 8, j-hope had seemingly already unfolded it for the fans paying close attention. #BTS #member #jhope #Samsung #Unpacked #Heres #fans #didnt

face of Samsung’s newest Galaxy campaign, but fans hoping to see him at the company’s Unpacked event in London on Wednesday were left waiting.

j-hope did not appear in person during the presentation, where Samsung unveiled its latest generation of foldable devices. Instead, the rapper and dancer popped up on screen in a new advertisement introducing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, Samsung’s redesigned, wider foldable phone.

His absence from London was not entirely surprising. j-hope arrived in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday after BTS co-headlined the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show at New York-New Jersey MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The group performed their English-language hit “Dynamite” during the 11-minute production, which also featured Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, Burna Boy, and several other performers.

But j-hope may have been promoting Samsung’s new device before the company officially announced it.

Photos and videos of the BTS member arriving at Incheon International Airport circulated among fans online, with eagle-eyed ARMY members noticing the unusually wide — and lavender! — foldable phone he was holding. It was the same phone he was spotted holding last week during soundcheck footage at a BTS World Tour stop in Paris. The device appeared to be the then-unreleased Galaxy Z Fold 8, prompting speculation that j-hope had given fans an early look at Samsung’s new design and color.

Samsung confirmed the phone during its July 22 Unpacked event in London. The company introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a shorter, wider design intended to make the foldable easier to hold and use. Samsung also unveiled the more traditionally shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

Although some fans had hoped j-hope’s starring role in Samsung’s Unpacked promotional campaign meant he would attend the London launch, his involvement ultimately came through the advertisement that debuted during the event.

In hindsight, however, his airport appearance may have been the more fitting introduction. While Samsung waited until Unpacked to officially reveal the Galaxy Z Fold 8, j-hope had seemingly already unfolded it for the fans paying close attention.

#BTS #member #jhope #Samsung #Unpacked #Heres #fans #didnt">Where was BTS member j-hope at Samsung Unpacked? Here’s why fans didn’t see him.

BTS member j-hope may be the face of Samsung’s newest Galaxy campaign, but fans hoping to see him at the company’s Unpacked event in London on Wednesday were left waiting.

j-hope did not appear in person during the presentation, where Samsung unveiled its latest generation of foldable devices. Instead, the rapper and dancer popped up on screen in a new advertisement introducing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, Samsung’s redesigned, wider foldable phone.

His absence from London was not entirely surprising. j-hope arrived in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday after BTS co-headlined the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show at New York-New Jersey MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The group performed their English-language hit “Dynamite” during the 11-minute production, which also featured Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, Burna Boy, and several other performers.

But j-hope may have been promoting Samsung’s new device before the company officially announced it.

Photos and videos of the BTS member arriving at Incheon International Airport circulated among fans online, with eagle-eyed ARMY members noticing the unusually wide — and lavender! — foldable phone he was holding. It was the same phone he was spotted holding last week during soundcheck footage at a BTS World Tour stop in Paris. The device appeared to be the then-unreleased Galaxy Z Fold 8, prompting speculation that j-hope had given fans an early look at Samsung’s new design and color.

Samsung confirmed the phone during its July 22 Unpacked event in London. The company introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a shorter, wider design intended to make the foldable easier to hold and use. Samsung also unveiled the more traditionally shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

Although some fans had hoped j-hope’s starring role in Samsung’s Unpacked promotional campaign meant he would attend the London launch, his involvement ultimately came through the advertisement that debuted during the event.

In hindsight, however, his airport appearance may have been the more fitting introduction. While Samsung waited until Unpacked to officially reveal the Galaxy Z Fold 8, j-hope had seemingly already unfolded it for the fans paying close attention.

#BTS #member #jhope #Samsung #Unpacked #Heres #fans #didnt

Samsung’s annual summer event kicked off on Wednesday morning with the company unveiling a new lineup of watches and foldables. Following weeks of rumors and leaks, Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a completely new design that’s shorter and wider than last year’s Fold, a new “Ultra” Fold, an updated Flip model, and refreshed versions of the Galaxy smartwatches.

If you weren’t able to watch the event yourself, you can catch up with all of this year’s biggest Galaxy Unpacked announcements below.

Photo: David Imel / The Verge

The highlight of Galaxy Unpacked was the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which got a major redesign from last year’s Z Fold 7. The new design is shorter and wider, with a 7.6-inch inside display and a 5.5-inch outside display. It’s a tad thicker at 4.5mm unfolded and 9.7mm folded, compared to 4.2mm and 8.9mm, respectively, for the Z Fold 7.

The new Fold also features an updated hinge design with Samsung’s new Flex Titanium display tech. It doesn’t completely eliminate the crease on the inside display, but it does make it significantly less noticeable than the crease on Samsung’s previous foldables. The new Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 also got the Flex Titanium display upgrade.

The Z Fold 8 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The camera setup is a step down from the Z Fold 7 — the Z Fold 8 has two main cameras instead of three, a 50MP wide and a 50MP ultra wide. The cover screen camera and inside camera are both 10MP like the Z Fold 7, though.

The Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899 and comes in four colors: lavender, graphite, cream, and pistachio (for online orders only).

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

While the standard Z Fold 8 got a revamped design, the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra inherited the design from last year’s Z Fold 7. Samsung’s new top-tier foldable is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Ultra features a larger 5,000mAh battery, compared to the 4,400mAh battery in the Z Fold 7. The phone also supports 45W wired charging and 20W wireless charging, an improvement over the Z Fold 7’s 25W wired / 15W wireless charging. The camera setup is similar to the Z Fold 7 with a 200MP wide / 50MP ultra wide / 10MP telephoto main camera and 10MP selfie cameras on the inside and cover displays.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,099 and comes in four colors: graphite, cream, violet shadow, and green shadow (for online orders only).

A hand holding a closed Samsung Galaxy Flip 8, with the front screen on

Photo: David Imel / The Verge

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8 with some spec bumps, but no major design changes. It now runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, an upgrade from the Exynos 2500 chip that powered the previous Z Flip 7. It also includes 12GB of RAM with options for 256GB or 512GB of storage (but still no 1TB option).

Like last year’s model, it has a 6.9-inch inside display and a 4.1-inch cover display, with a 4,300mAh battery. While it looks the same overall, the cover display is a bit more versatile now thanks to a few new gestures and access to an app drawer. It’s also slightly thinner at 13.1mm folded and 6.1mm unfolded. Unfortunately, it’s also $100 more expensive than the Flip 7, starting at $1,199. The phone comes in four colors: pink, graphite, cream, and mint (for online orders only).

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

The Galaxy Watch got a refresh at Galaxy Unpacked with a new processor, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite. It once again comes in two sizes, 44mm and 40mm. The larger 44mm model has a 1.47-inch display and a 445mAh battery, while the 40mm version includes a slightly smaller 1.34-inch display and a 390mAh battery. Samsung says both sizes can last up to 30 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. Both also include 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

In addition to spec improvements, the highlight of this year’s Galaxy Watch refresh are four new preventative health metrics: Vitals, Heart Health Score, Daily Cardio Load, and Fitness Index. All four will also be available on the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and may help Samsung’s smartwatches compete with Apple’s wearables.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Watch 9 got a $30 price bump from last year, so it now starts at $379. The 44mm version comes in graphite and silver while the 40mm one is available in graphite and cream.

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 packs an impressive battery

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, not to be confused with the second-generation version of the original Galaxy Watch Ultra from last year. The new Ultra includes a significantly larger battery at a whopping 800mAh, up from 590mAh in last year’s Ultra, which somehow fits into a case that’s 12 percent thinner than the previous model. Samsung says it can last up to 60 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. The updated Ultra is also getting the same new preventative health metrics as the base Galaxy Watch.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Like the previous version, it’s available in just one size, 47mm, with a 1.52-inch display. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 also got a $50 price hike, bringing it up to $699, with two color options, titanium silver and titanium gray.

Google also made an appearance at this year’s Galaxy Unpacked with a couple of new frames for the upcoming smartglasses it’s making in collaboration with Samsung. It unveiled new designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, following two earlier designs from both brands announced in May at Google I/O. The first pairs of Google’s smartglasses are expected to launch later this year.

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#Samsung #Galaxy #Unpacked #biggest #announcementsFoldable Phones,Mobile,News,Samsung,Tech">Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: The 6 biggest announcementsSamsung’s annual summer event kicked off on Wednesday morning with the company unveiling a new lineup of watches and foldables. Following weeks of rumors and leaks, Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a completely new design that’s shorter and wider than last year’s Fold, a new “Ultra” Fold, an updated Flip model, and refreshed versions of the Galaxy smartwatches.If you weren’t able to watch the event yourself, you can catch up with all of this year’s biggest Galaxy Unpacked announcements below.Photo: David Imel / The VergeThe highlight of Galaxy Unpacked was the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which got a major redesign from last year’s Z Fold 7. The new design is shorter and wider, with a 7.6-inch inside display and a 5.5-inch outside display. It’s a tad thicker at 4.5mm unfolded and 9.7mm folded, compared to 4.2mm and 8.9mm, respectively, for the Z Fold 7.The new Fold also features an updated hinge design with Samsung’s new Flex Titanium display tech. It doesn’t completely eliminate the crease on the inside display, but it does make it significantly less noticeable than the crease on Samsung’s previous foldables. The new Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 also got the Flex Titanium display upgrade.The Z Fold 8 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The camera setup is a step down from the Z Fold 7 — the Z Fold 8 has two main cameras instead of three, a 50MP wide and a 50MP ultra wide. The cover screen camera and inside camera are both 10MP like the Z Fold 7, though.The Z Fold 8 starts at ,899 and comes in four colors: lavender, graphite, cream, and pistachio (for online orders only).Photo: Dominic Preston / The VergeWhile the standard Z Fold 8 got a revamped design, the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra inherited the design from last year’s Z Fold 7. Samsung’s new top-tier foldable is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.The Ultra features a larger 5,000mAh battery, compared to the 4,400mAh battery in the Z Fold 7. The phone also supports 45W wired charging and 20W wireless charging, an improvement over the Z Fold 7’s 25W wired / 15W wireless charging. The camera setup is similar to the Z Fold 7 with a 200MP wide / 50MP ultra wide / 10MP telephoto main camera and 10MP selfie cameras on the inside and cover displays.The Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at ,099 and comes in four colors: graphite, cream, violet shadow, and green shadow (for online orders only).Photo: David Imel / The VergeSamsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8 with some spec bumps, but no major design changes. It now runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, an upgrade from the Exynos 2500 chip that powered the previous Z Flip 7. It also includes 12GB of RAM with options for 256GB or 512GB of storage (but still no 1TB option).Like last year’s model, it has a 6.9-inch inside display and a 4.1-inch cover display, with a 4,300mAh battery. While it looks the same overall, the cover display is a bit more versatile now thanks to a few new gestures and access to an app drawer. It’s also slightly thinner at 13.1mm folded and 6.1mm unfolded. Unfortunately, it’s also 0 more expensive than the Flip 7, starting at ,199. The phone comes in four colors: pink, graphite, cream, and mint (for online orders only).Photo: Dominic Preston / The VergeThe Galaxy Watch got a refresh at Galaxy Unpacked with a new processor, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite. It once again comes in two sizes, 44mm and 40mm. The larger 44mm model has a 1.47-inch display and a 445mAh battery, while the 40mm version includes a slightly smaller 1.34-inch display and a 390mAh battery. Samsung says both sizes can last up to 30 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. Both also include 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.In addition to spec improvements, the highlight of this year’s Galaxy Watch refresh are four new preventative health metrics: Vitals, Heart Health Score, Daily Cardio Load, and Fitness Index. All four will also be available on the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and may help Samsung’s smartwatches compete with Apple’s wearables.Unfortunately, the Galaxy Watch 9 got a price bump from last year, so it now starts at 9. The 44mm version comes in graphite and silver while the 40mm one is available in graphite and cream.The new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 packs an impressive batteryPhoto: Dominic Preston / The VergeSamsung announced the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, not to be confused with the second-generation version of the original Galaxy Watch Ultra from last year. The new Ultra includes a significantly larger battery at a whopping 800mAh, up from 590mAh in last year’s Ultra, which somehow fits into a case that’s 12 percent thinner than the previous model. Samsung says it can last up to 60 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. The updated Ultra is also getting the same new preventative health metrics as the base Galaxy Watch.The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Like the previous version, it’s available in just one size, 47mm, with a 1.52-inch display. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 also got a price hike, bringing it up to 9, with two color options, titanium silver and titanium gray.Google also made an appearance at this year’s Galaxy Unpacked with a couple of new frames for the upcoming smartglasses it’s making in collaboration with Samsung. It unveiled new designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, following two earlier designs from both brands announced in May at Google I/O. The first pairs of Google’s smartglasses are expected to launch later this year.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Stevie BonifieldCloseStevie BonifieldPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Stevie BonifieldFoldable PhonesCloseFoldable PhonesPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Foldable PhonesMobileCloseMobilePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All MobileNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsSamsungCloseSamsungPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All SamsungTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Tech#Samsung #Galaxy #Unpacked #biggest #announcementsFoldable Phones,Mobile,News,Samsung,Tech

Photo: David Imel / The Verge

The highlight of Galaxy Unpacked was the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which got a major redesign from last year’s Z Fold 7. The new design is shorter and wider, with a 7.6-inch inside display and a 5.5-inch outside display. It’s a tad thicker at 4.5mm unfolded and 9.7mm folded, compared to 4.2mm and 8.9mm, respectively, for the Z Fold 7.

The new Fold also features an updated hinge design with Samsung’s new Flex Titanium display tech. It doesn’t completely eliminate the crease on the inside display, but it does make it significantly less noticeable than the crease on Samsung’s previous foldables. The new Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 also got the Flex Titanium display upgrade.

The Z Fold 8 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The camera setup is a step down from the Z Fold 7 — the Z Fold 8 has two main cameras instead of three, a 50MP wide and a 50MP ultra wide. The cover screen camera and inside camera are both 10MP like the Z Fold 7, though.

The Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899 and comes in four colors: lavender, graphite, cream, and pistachio (for online orders only).

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

While the standard Z Fold 8 got a revamped design, the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra inherited the design from last year’s Z Fold 7. Samsung’s new top-tier foldable is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Ultra features a larger 5,000mAh battery, compared to the 4,400mAh battery in the Z Fold 7. The phone also supports 45W wired charging and 20W wireless charging, an improvement over the Z Fold 7’s 25W wired / 15W wireless charging. The camera setup is similar to the Z Fold 7 with a 200MP wide / 50MP ultra wide / 10MP telephoto main camera and 10MP selfie cameras on the inside and cover displays.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,099 and comes in four colors: graphite, cream, violet shadow, and green shadow (for online orders only).

A hand holding a closed Samsung Galaxy Flip 8, with the front screen on

Photo: David Imel / The Verge

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8 with some spec bumps, but no major design changes. It now runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, an upgrade from the Exynos 2500 chip that powered the previous Z Flip 7. It also includes 12GB of RAM with options for 256GB or 512GB of storage (but still no 1TB option).

Like last year’s model, it has a 6.9-inch inside display and a 4.1-inch cover display, with a 4,300mAh battery. While it looks the same overall, the cover display is a bit more versatile now thanks to a few new gestures and access to an app drawer. It’s also slightly thinner at 13.1mm folded and 6.1mm unfolded. Unfortunately, it’s also $100 more expensive than the Flip 7, starting at $1,199. The phone comes in four colors: pink, graphite, cream, and mint (for online orders only).

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

The Galaxy Watch got a refresh at Galaxy Unpacked with a new processor, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite. It once again comes in two sizes, 44mm and 40mm. The larger 44mm model has a 1.47-inch display and a 445mAh battery, while the 40mm version includes a slightly smaller 1.34-inch display and a 390mAh battery. Samsung says both sizes can last up to 30 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. Both also include 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

In addition to spec improvements, the highlight of this year’s Galaxy Watch refresh are four new preventative health metrics: Vitals, Heart Health Score, Daily Cardio Load, and Fitness Index. All four will also be available on the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and may help Samsung’s smartwatches compete with Apple’s wearables.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Watch 9 got a $30 price bump from last year, so it now starts at $379. The 44mm version comes in graphite and silver while the 40mm one is available in graphite and cream.

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 packs an impressive battery

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, not to be confused with the second-generation version of the original Galaxy Watch Ultra from last year. The new Ultra includes a significantly larger battery at a whopping 800mAh, up from 590mAh in last year’s Ultra, which somehow fits into a case that’s 12 percent thinner than the previous model. Samsung says it can last up to 60 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. The updated Ultra is also getting the same new preventative health metrics as the base Galaxy Watch.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Like the previous version, it’s available in just one size, 47mm, with a 1.52-inch display. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 also got a $50 price hike, bringing it up to $699, with two color options, titanium silver and titanium gray.

Google also made an appearance at this year’s Galaxy Unpacked with a couple of new frames for the upcoming smartglasses it’s making in collaboration with Samsung. It unveiled new designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, following two earlier designs from both brands announced in May at Google I/O. The first pairs of Google’s smartglasses are expected to launch later this year.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

#Samsung #Galaxy #Unpacked #biggest #announcementsFoldable Phones,Mobile,News,Samsung,Tech">Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: The 6 biggest announcements

Samsung’s annual summer event kicked off on Wednesday morning with the company unveiling a new lineup of watches and foldables. Following weeks of rumors and leaks, Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a completely new design that’s shorter and wider than last year’s Fold, a new “Ultra” Fold, an updated Flip model, and refreshed versions of the Galaxy smartwatches.

If you weren’t able to watch the event yourself, you can catch up with all of this year’s biggest Galaxy Unpacked announcements below.

Photo: David Imel / The Verge

The highlight of Galaxy Unpacked was the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which got a major redesign from last year’s Z Fold 7. The new design is shorter and wider, with a 7.6-inch inside display and a 5.5-inch outside display. It’s a tad thicker at 4.5mm unfolded and 9.7mm folded, compared to 4.2mm and 8.9mm, respectively, for the Z Fold 7.

The new Fold also features an updated hinge design with Samsung’s new Flex Titanium display tech. It doesn’t completely eliminate the crease on the inside display, but it does make it significantly less noticeable than the crease on Samsung’s previous foldables. The new Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 also got the Flex Titanium display upgrade.

The Z Fold 8 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The camera setup is a step down from the Z Fold 7 — the Z Fold 8 has two main cameras instead of three, a 50MP wide and a 50MP ultra wide. The cover screen camera and inside camera are both 10MP like the Z Fold 7, though.

The Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899 and comes in four colors: lavender, graphite, cream, and pistachio (for online orders only).

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

While the standard Z Fold 8 got a revamped design, the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra inherited the design from last year’s Z Fold 7. Samsung’s new top-tier foldable is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Ultra features a larger 5,000mAh battery, compared to the 4,400mAh battery in the Z Fold 7. The phone also supports 45W wired charging and 20W wireless charging, an improvement over the Z Fold 7’s 25W wired / 15W wireless charging. The camera setup is similar to the Z Fold 7 with a 200MP wide / 50MP ultra wide / 10MP telephoto main camera and 10MP selfie cameras on the inside and cover displays.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,099 and comes in four colors: graphite, cream, violet shadow, and green shadow (for online orders only).

A hand holding a closed Samsung Galaxy Flip 8, with the front screen on

Photo: David Imel / The Verge

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8 with some spec bumps, but no major design changes. It now runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, an upgrade from the Exynos 2500 chip that powered the previous Z Flip 7. It also includes 12GB of RAM with options for 256GB or 512GB of storage (but still no 1TB option).

Like last year’s model, it has a 6.9-inch inside display and a 4.1-inch cover display, with a 4,300mAh battery. While it looks the same overall, the cover display is a bit more versatile now thanks to a few new gestures and access to an app drawer. It’s also slightly thinner at 13.1mm folded and 6.1mm unfolded. Unfortunately, it’s also $100 more expensive than the Flip 7, starting at $1,199. The phone comes in four colors: pink, graphite, cream, and mint (for online orders only).

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

The Galaxy Watch got a refresh at Galaxy Unpacked with a new processor, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite. It once again comes in two sizes, 44mm and 40mm. The larger 44mm model has a 1.47-inch display and a 445mAh battery, while the 40mm version includes a slightly smaller 1.34-inch display and a 390mAh battery. Samsung says both sizes can last up to 30 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. Both also include 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

In addition to spec improvements, the highlight of this year’s Galaxy Watch refresh are four new preventative health metrics: Vitals, Heart Health Score, Daily Cardio Load, and Fitness Index. All four will also be available on the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and may help Samsung’s smartwatches compete with Apple’s wearables.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Watch 9 got a $30 price bump from last year, so it now starts at $379. The 44mm version comes in graphite and silver while the 40mm one is available in graphite and cream.

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 packs an impressive battery

Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, not to be confused with the second-generation version of the original Galaxy Watch Ultra from last year. The new Ultra includes a significantly larger battery at a whopping 800mAh, up from 590mAh in last year’s Ultra, which somehow fits into a case that’s 12 percent thinner than the previous model. Samsung says it can last up to 60 hours per charge with the always-on display turned on. The updated Ultra is also getting the same new preventative health metrics as the base Galaxy Watch.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Like the previous version, it’s available in just one size, 47mm, with a 1.52-inch display. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 also got a $50 price hike, bringing it up to $699, with two color options, titanium silver and titanium gray.

Google also made an appearance at this year’s Galaxy Unpacked with a couple of new frames for the upcoming smartglasses it’s making in collaboration with Samsung. It unveiled new designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, following two earlier designs from both brands announced in May at Google I/O. The first pairs of Google’s smartglasses are expected to launch later this year.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
#Samsung #Galaxy #Unpacked #biggest #announcementsFoldable Phones,Mobile,News,Samsung,Tech

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