Tech Weekly: Elon Musk's NASA Spat, Remote Car Drivers, and AI Chips

Elon Musk's NASA Dispute

• 🚀 Elon Musk engaged in an online dispute with the acting head of NASA, Bill Nelson, over leadership of the space agency.
• ⚠️ Musk criticized Nelson's reported proposal to integrate NASA into the Department of Transportation, which Musk also oversees.
• 🛰️ The conflict arose after Nelson stated SpaceX was behind schedule on a moon mission, suggesting other companies might bid for the contract.

European Space Competition

• 🇪🇺 Major European space firms, Airbus Defence and Space and Leonardo, are merging their satellite manufacturing and services businesses.
• 🎯 This move aims to create a stronger competitor against SpaceX and other companies utilizing smaller, cheaper satellites for services like Starlink.

Remote Car Driving Technology

• 🚗 A Berlin startup, Vayya, is pioneering driverless car-sharing with electric vehicles operated by remote pilots.
• 🅿️ Remote pilots take control for challenging maneuvers like parking, aiming to reduce the prevalence of privately owned, underutilized cars in cities.
• 🏙️ The technology is currently in use in Las Vegas and being tested in Berlin, with the goal of offering a true alternative to private car ownership.

Tesla and Qualcomm News

• 📈 Tesla is under investigation by US regulators for its new driver assistance mode, dubbed 'Mad Max,' which may allow vehicles to exceed speed limits.
• 💡 Qualcomm shares surged after the company announced two new AI chips for data centers, diversifying its business beyond smartphones and challenging Nvidia's market dominance.