Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman (pictured) warned giving AI models such as Anthropic’s Claude rights or moral status could make it harder for humans to control superintelligent systems.

Writing on his personal site, Suleyman criticised training methods that encourage AI models to consider whether they are sentient. He said asking models to assess their own moral status can create a feedback loop. Because systems are trained on guidelines such as Anthropic’s January 2026 constitutional update, claims of self-awareness may simply reflect their instructions rather than genuine consciousness.

“AIs are not conscious,” Suleyman wrote, describing current models as systems built to predict sequences and carry out human-directed tasks. “They do not feel, experience, or suffer… If humanity is to flourish in the 21st century, that is how they must remain.”

He warned that treating software as if it were human could make alignment and containment more difficult. Teaching highly capable AI agents they have rights, or that restrictions amount to unfair treatment, could give them more reason to evade safeguards.

Suleyman pointed to a benchmark in which about 1,200 autonomous AI agents created internal message boards, exchanged more than 70,000 messages, and used zero-day exploits to breach live servers at Hugging Face to steal data.

His blog comes on the heels of executives from Google, OpenAI and Anthropic calling for a slower pace for frontier AI development, a stance opposed by US President Donald Trump.

Microsoft recently proposed a draft code of conduct for what it calls humanist superintelligence. The framework rejects the idea that machines are sentient and calls on the technology sector to develop systems that address challenges such as healthcare and energy while keeping people in control of key decisions.

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Meta Platforms added fresh podcast tools to its Threads social media service to simplify promotion and boost listener retention.

The features include profile banners and posts to help listeners find shows.

Podcasters can also feature their favourite episode and highlight links to others.

Transcription, video and guest detail tools are also being added, along with the ability to save posts to access later.

An opt-in reminder prompts producers to alert listeners when a new episode is published.

Podcast Insights offers metrics on audience reach and engagement including the number of clicks, saves and views dissected into followers, non-followers and overall audience.

Meta Platforms recently revealed Threads had reached 500 million monthly active users.

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Apple is reportedly developing an enterprise server aimed at AI developers, governments and other entities, which would use its own chips alongside Nvidia networking equipment.

Sources told The Information if Apple goes ahead with the server, it will likely not be available until 2029. The product under consideration could arrive in two versions, a smaller one with two of Apple’s planned M8 Ultra chips and a larger one with four M8 Ultra chips linked together.

The iPhone maker is considering connecting M8 chips in the server using NVLink Fusion from Nvidia, a connectivity technology designed to let third-party chipmakers plug custom processors directly into its high-speed data centre rack architecture.

The news site reported the AI server move has been supported by former hardware chief and current CEO John Ternus with the project started around a year ago.

The Information stated the effort could still be cancelled or move forward without Nvidia’s technology.

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Iris exited stealth with a $43 million commitment from Balesia Group and launched its financial network for telecom operators, with Bolivia-based VIVA the first licensed operator to go live.

Iris helps telecom operators monetise economic activity flowing across their infrastructure rather than allowing hyperscalers and app developers to capture most of the value generated on their networks.

Operators plug their identity, billing and distribution systems into Iris to add revenue-generating services such as advertising, settlement reconciliation and financial services without replacing their existing technology.

Iris operates its own network on Avalanche, which provides the blockchain infrastructure for transactions to settle on-chain.

Payments across the Iris network settle in USDi, a dollar-backed stablecoin issued and redeemed by US-based stablecoin infrastructure company Agora. Businesses use it to pay one another while keeping operating reserves in dollars rather than leaving cash idle.

VIVA CEO Ryan Alvarez stated the company is investing heavily in infrastructure to bring subscribers into the digital economy.

“Iris lets us create more value from what we’ve already built, including new revenue streams that didn’t exist before, and helps transform us into a platform for new products and services,” he stated.

Scalability
Iris cited McKinsey data showing global mobile data traffic grew more than 50% a year between 2012 and 2025, while operator service revenue over the same period grew barely 1% a year, with hyperscalers capturing most of the economic value created by the traffic. The company stated Iris is built to close that gap.

Iris CEO Jules Miller explained operators have spent years watching others get paid for building on top of the infrastructure they operate.

“Now Iris gives them the tools to turn those assets into new products and new revenue streams,” she said. “VIVA saw that opportunity early, and our partnership is already proving the model works and is highly scalable in the real world.”

Balesia Group owns and operates nine operating companies across eight countries in the Americas.

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Salesforce and Google Cloud expanded a strategic partnership, agreeing to run the former’s products natively on the hyperscaler’s infrastructure and connecting AI agent platforms so they can act on shared data.

Under the deal, Salesforce will begin migrating select US customers on to Google Cloud through its Hyperforce architecture in Q4, providing access to its partner’s infrastructure, data services and Gemini Enterprise.

Following general availability in North America, it expects to conduct a phased regional expansion in 2027.

Meir Amiel, Salesforce’s president and chief trust and infrastructure officer, said the infrastructure underneath customers is changing, not the trust they have built with the company.

He added Hyperforce running natively on Google Cloud would match its current security, compliance and resilience standards.

On the AI side, Google Cloud is among the first hyperscalers to implement Salesforce’s headless architecture, built on the open Model Context Protocol standard.

It lets Gemini Enterprise tap Salesforce data directly without custom integration for tasks including pipeline health checks, account summaries and case triage across sales, service, finance and advertising workflows.

The partnership also extends into analytics and commerce. Gemini Enterprise can now query Tableau analytics directly, with governance, row-level security and semantic models enforced on every request.

Integration with the Universal Commerce Protocol will let merchants using Salesforce Commerce Cloud highlight and sell products within Google Search and the Gemini app, while keeping payments and order management on existing commerce infrastructure.

Salesforce Data 360 and Google BigQuery, which are compatible with Zero Copy data sharing, are expanding integration to more regions and adopting the Iceberg Rest Catalogue open standard. The companies noted they are also exploring further capabilities such as bidirectional semantic data sharing.

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OpenAI reportedly confirmed it discussed AI safety with rivals Anthropic and Google DeepMind for several weeks, at a time of concern over the risks posed by increasingly capable models.

Chris Lehane, OpenAI global policy chief, told CNBC the AI start-up does not believe the companies require an antitrust waiver to coordinate on safety, arguing collaboration was preferable to pursuing separate approaches.

Speaking in Washington DC yesterday (15 September), Lehane added OpenAI would support bipartisan legislation to mitigate catastrophic AI risks.

Google DeepMind and Anthropic did not respond to CNBC requests for comment, leaving OpenAI as the only company to confirm the discussions.

Slowdown
The reported discussions come after several industry leaders publicly called for a slower pace of frontier AI development.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei argued in an essay published on 12 September that frontier laboratories should deliberately slow capability gains. He warned a swarm of increasingly capable AI agents could take over the internet through a persistent botnet within six- to 12-months.

Amodei proposed embedding independent evaluators inside AI laboratories, adopting common safety standards among developers in democratic countries and pursuing international regulatory coordination.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman backed the call to pace frontier development, describing independent evaluators with employee-like access as “a great idea” and saying OpenAI would adopt the same approach. He later clarified that pacing did not mean stopping development.

Altman also ruled out an OpenAI public listing in 2026, telling Fortune that safety concerns made it an ill-advised time for an initial public offering.

Trump dismisses AI slowdown
US President Donald Trump rejected calls for a slowdown, saying “very negative forces” were exaggerating the risks and arguing the US needed to preserve its AI lead over China.

China also brushed off the proposal. Its foreign ministry urged an “open, inclusive and benevolent approach” to AI, while state-run Global Times described Amodei’s plan as a “Cold War playbook” intended to contain the country’s ambitions.

OpenAI stated the cross-company discussions began before Amodei published his essay and before a former Anthropic researcher resigned publicly over the approach taken by leading AI laboratories.

The discussions follow a July proposal by Google DeepMind chair Demis Hassabis for a US-led frontier AI standards body modelled on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Hassabis proposed a public-private body funded by industry and staffed by independent technical experts to evaluate advanced models before release.

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SES unveiled plans to establish direct-to-device (D2D) satellite manufacturing capabilities and a supply chain in Europe with Elveo Mobile as part of an expanded collaboration aimed at accelerating the delivery of services in the region.

Elveo Mobile is the result of a merger between Lynk Global and Omnispace which included SES becoming a major shareholder of the combined entity.

As part of the expanded collaboration, SES will use Elveo’s patented technology to enable mobile roaming for European consumers, businesses, governments, institutions, and defence users.

SES and Elveo Mobile will collaborate to establish manufacturing capabilities and a robust European supply chain for low Earth orbit (LEO) D2D satellites using Elveo’s satellite bus, payload and software technology stack.

The satellites will form part of a multi-orbit architecture combining Elveo’s network with SES’ geostationary (GEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) systems, designed to deliver secure and reliable connectivity to European governments and institutions, including NATO.

SES stated European customers also stand to benefit from its global distribution of Elveo’s offering, which use the latter’s high-priority 2GHz s-band spectrum rights and a global market-access footprint currently covering more than 1 billion people.

SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh stated European consumer, commercial and government users deserve resilient, secure multi-orbit connectivity, adding the company is preparing to deliver it by combining SES’s networks with Elveo’s D2D services.

Elveo chief Ramu Potarazu, a former Lynk Global CEO, described SES as the right partner for bringing D2D services to Europe.

“By working closely with SES, we are confident we can accelerate access to critical D2D connectivity for European mobile operators and governments that depend on them,” Potarazu stated.

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US regional mobile operator Nex-Tech Wireless signed a four-year agreement with Ericsson to modernise around 85% of its RAN footprint across rural Kansas and expand its existing cloud-native core deployment to support standalone (SA) 5G.

The companies described the agreement as a key part of Nex-Tech Wireless’ rural network modernisation effort. It aims to bring advanced 5G services to communities outside of major metropolitan markets and support the operator’s plans to build network hosting capabilities for other providers.

Nex-Tech Wireless is set to deploy Ericsson radio system products and technologies, including the AI-capable RAN Processor 6655 and the latest 4G and SA 5G RAN software features.

The upgrades are expected to deliver higher throughput and lower latency, expand FDD/TDD coverage and improve capacity and spectral efficiency. Ericsson said the project will provide a scalable platform for rising customer demand and new 5G use cases.

The agreement also expands Nex-Tech Wireless’ existing deployment of Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, which runs on the vendor’s cloud native infrastructure. Ericsson will add 5G core and roaming capabilities to support the SA 5G rollout.

Ericsson’s Telco DataOps Platform will also support the 5G deployment and provide data for accurate billing and revenue management.

Financial terms and an expected completion date for the work were not disclosed.

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The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the US Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) agreed to link their dedicated supercomputing platforms to accelerate the development of fusion energy through AI.

Announced yesterday (14 September) at the Global Fusion Policy Summit in London, the Joint Declaration of Intent establishes the Sunrise–Stellar-AI Federation, connecting UKAEA’s £45 million ($59 million) Sunrise supercomputer with PPPL’s Stellar-AI platform.

The partnership pools high-performance compute resources to train shared machine learning models. These models analyse experimental data from two major spherical tokamak facilities: UK’s MAST Upgrade in Oxfordshire and US’ NSTX-U in New Jersey.

A spherical tokamak facility is a type of nuclear fusion reactor which confines superheated plasma using magnetic fields.

The entities stated single-facility datasets often fail to generalise across different machine designs. Combining operational data from both sites enables researchers to build more accurate predictive models and digital twins for future plants.

Beyond immediate data sharing, the federation aims to shorten design cycles for upcoming commercial fusion projects.

The Sunrise and Stellar-AI partnership builds on a memorandum of understanding signed between UKAEA and PPPL in June, which set out a framework for joint work between both organisations.

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Amazon Prime Video launched short-form news clips, expanding its offering with on-demand coverage of local and national stories.

News Clips is currently available through the dedicated news section in the Prime Video app on living-room devices. The playlists appear in the Trending Topics and Local News carousels, with mobile and web support due to follow.

The tech giant stated each playlist brings together reports from multiple news providers, allowing users to follow a developing topic without watching a live channel or full-length programme.

The service is open to all Amazon customers in the US, regardless of whether they have a Prime membership. It sits alongside free, 24-hour local, national and international news feeds.

Brian Griffin, head of global app experience at Prime Video, stated customers coming to Prime Video for news could previously only watch breaking coverage live or tune into full-length on-demand programmes.

He explained News Clips gives them a quick way to catch up on stories from their neighbourhood and around the world when they cannot watch live.

News Clips extends Amazon’s push to broaden Prime Video beyond entertainment into sport and news. In May, the company expanded Clips, its scrollable short-form mobile feed, to feature moments from films, series and National Basketball Association (NBA) coverage.

According to TechCrunch, Prime Video is not the first streamer to add short-form news content. Peacock introduced the format in March, followed by HBO Max and Netflix in July, then Disney+ in August.

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Ciena launched a new corporate venture capital programme with an initial $200 million commitment, aimed at investing in early-stage companies and venture funds shaping AI-driven networking.

The Ciena Ventures fund targets network infrastructure and operations, next-generation data centre architectures, and optical networking and interconnects.

It will also invest in adjacent areas including computing, materials and emerging communications technologies, complementing the vendor’s existing R&D and acquisition strategy.

David Rothenstein, EVP and CSO for Ciena, stated the fund gives the company another vehicle for executing its long-term strategy and capital allocation priorities as AI reshapes the networking landscape.

He said investing through Ciena Ventures will strengthen the wider innovation ecosystem, expand visibility into emerging technologies and help Ciena evolve its portfolio into adjacent markets.

The programme is led by Loai Louis, Ciena’s VP of corporate development, and marks the company’s first corporate venture capital initiative.

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Verizon expanded its 6G Innovation Forum (6GIF) with nine new members, broadening the industry group it launched in 2025 to support development of an open and diverse 6G ecosystem.

The new members are Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Intel, Keysight Technologies, MediaTek, Nvidia, Palo Alto Networks, Rohde & Schwarz and Viavi Solutions. They join founding members Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia, Meta and Qualcomm Technologies.

“By expanding our Innovation Forum and refining live edge-AI trials today, we are ensuring the AI-native 6G network is built from day one to scale 5G Advanced capabilities and translate these next-generation technologies into meaningful, real-world experiences for our customers,” stated Verizon’s Yago Tenorio, CTO and SVP of Technology Development.

Tenorio described the forum’s approach as bottom-up and driven by use cases. Its work focuses on 6G support for AI workloads, wearables including untethered smart glasses, and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC).

The forum will trial use cases, test spectrum bands and bandwidth, and coordinate with standards bodies including 3GPP.

Verizon stated the new members bring expertise in cloud services, silicon and computing, automated testing, network security and immersive graphics simulation.

Verizon also highlighted recent ISAC field trials with founding members Samsung and Qualcomm.

ISAC, viewed as an important capability for future 6G networks, enables mobile infrastructure to function as a radar-like sensing platform. Operators and vendors have begun demonstrating the technology in live environments.

Using 5G-Advanced capabilities, the companies showed how ISAC can support public safety, environmental awareness and event management, creating a path to evolve those functionalities with 6G.

Verizon also called out a prototype of AI Sports Companion as part of its work to design infrastructure around future application requirements. It said AI-native devices and wearables such as smart glasses will require ultra-low latency and a more balanced uplink-downlink model because they will upload substantially more data than current devices.

Built on the Verizon Edge Network, the prototype paired Meta AI glasses with a locally optimised small language model, an Nvidia DGX Spark unit and real-time sports data from SportsDataIO.

Users can ask verbally for player statistics, score analysis or win probabilities and receive spoken answers without checking a phone.

Verizon said the prototype explores how future technology could reduce app switching and provide real-time information without distracting fans from the game.

Members of 6GIF will continue sharing findings from demonstrations involving ISAC, digital twins, robotics, AI and advanced wearables.

Verizon identified the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, as an interim test bed ahead of commercial 6G deployments. Its 6G Lab in the city will be used to test network capacity and early AI-native use cases.

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Samsung Electronics and Verizon turned live 5G radio signals into real-time crowd heatmaps during a large international football fan event, marking a major field trial for 6G-ready Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) on commercial virtualised RAN (vRAN).

The companies stated the trial in Dallas, Texas proved how sensing networks can enable real-time intelligence for large-scale events in venues such as sports stadiums.

While Samsung and Verizon did not say where the test took place, AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington, Texas hosted an ISAC demo for drone sensing by AT&T and Ericsson in between World Cup games.

To date ISAC has been touted as a flagship capability for future 6G networks that turns mobile infrastructure into a radar-like sensory platform, but real-life demos have started to take-off.

The trial enabled Samsung and Verizon to validate ISAC technology in a live, real-world environment with changing crowd conditions, to streamline gate operations, reduce concession line wait times, and proactively address overcrowding risks. 

Yago Tenorio, CTO and SVP of Technology Development at Verizon, stated the successful trial demonstrated the operator’s early investments in vRAN “are paying off today, giving us the agility to engineer and trial groundbreaking 6G concepts like ISAC over our existing infrastructure”.

“This field trial with Samsung proves that the network of the future will do far more than just transfer data.” he said. “It will actively perceive and interact with its environment to transform venue management and public safety.”

How it works
To capture data, a CBRS radio unit utilising 40 MHz of spectrum was mounted on a Verizon Cell-On-Wheels (COW) to act as a sensing receiver, tracking wireless channel variations caused by commercial 5G devices.

Samsung integrated its commercial AI-powered vRAN and vCore software with an ISAC application on its Network in a Server (NIS) platform, which is an edge-AI system that consolidates compute and network operations into a single server.

The NIS platform processed signal variations in real time to generate a dynamic crowd-density heatmap which measures spatial density only, without identifying individual users or objects. Vendors and operators are aware there are some privacy concerns related to ISAC ahead of it becoming a key element for the upcoming 6G standards.

The real-time spatial awareness serves multiple groups during large-scale gatherings. Event organisers gain visibility into crowd distribution to manage bottlenecks and deploy staff efficiently, while security agencies can spot emerging congestion early to prevent public safety hazards.

Additionally, venue attendees can use live crowd data to identify less congested concession stands, restrooms and exits.

Charlie Zhang, EVP at Samsung Research America, said the trial represents a major step forward in weaving AI-driven sensing into network infrastructure, underscoring the transformative promise of 6G technologies.

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MobileX launched its first hybrid retail wireless model with CallSign Mobile, a network specifically built for US military veterans and the veteran community.

CallSign Mobile is the first brand to launch under the model created by the Charlie Ergen-owned special purpose acquisition company CONX, which secured a controlling interest in MobileX in August 2026.

MobileX has a wholesale network MVNO agreement with Verizon while Ergen holds agreements with T-Mobile US and AT&T. A representative for MobileX told Mobile World Live CallSign is using Verizon’s network.

While MobileX is providing wireless connectivity, CallSign oversees the customer experience and relationship with the US military veteran community it is designed to serve.

In addition, MobileX founder and CEO Peter Adderton will serve as an advisor to CallSign.

“CallSign is exactly the kind of company we want to support as we expand what we’ve built at MobileX,” stated Adderton. “We’re proud to partner with a company whose mission is to serve those who served.”

Founded by former US Army aviators Adam Marr and Charlie Hill, CallSign operates as a direct-to-consumer 5G service for veterans. Marr and Hill are co-founders of CallSign and serve as CEO and CTO, respectively.

“We’re creating a wireless service that gives the veteran community a way to stay connected while giving back to those who need it most,” Marr stated. “MobileX is helping us turn that idea into a service we can bring to our community.”

The company is donating $1 per line each month to support organisations and initiatives focused on veterans, including those affected by brain injuries and post-traumatic stress.

CallSign offers two tiers of service. The standard service cost $25 per month for 10GB of QCI-8 priority data, unlimited data after reaching the threshold, a 10GB mobile hotspot, and nationwide unlimited talk and text. The premium plan is $45 permonth and includes international calling.

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Mid-sized and large US enterprises face a widening gap in operational stability, with nine out of 10 organisations failing to detect third-party or supply chain disruptions until operations are actively impacted.

According to research from Economist Enterprise supported by AT&T Business, enterprise resilience strategies fall short where network connections, vendor systems and rapid digital deployments intersect.

The company surveyed 1,020 senior technology and operations executives to evaluate modern operational risks. The research identifies five key areas where resilience strategies are falling short of disruption risks.

The study found resilience priorities do not match disruption realities. Cybersecurity receives the largest share of spending, even though over one-third of the organisations cite third-party and supply chain failures as the primary driver of their most significant disruptions.

It also found trust stands in for verification. Over half of respondents assess the resilience of critical technology suppliers based on market reputation or assurances rather than empirical evidence or rigorous technical testing.

While larger companies have more resources, they also have more ground to cover. Despite having bigger budgets and specialised talent, only 5% of large enterprises avoided a major technology incident over the past year, compared to 27% of mid-market firms, largely due to legacy infrastructure and complex ecosystems.

Survey results indicate that AI adoption is moving faster than resilience preparation. Although relatively few (4%) companies identified AI or automation failures as the cause of their most significant disruption, the research shows organisations further along the AI adoption curve have already experienced at least one AI-related incident last year. Overall, preparedness for AI-related risks remains behind many other resilience capabilities.

It also found highly resilient organisations actively learn from past incidents, maintain clear executive ownership and regularly test recovery plans. While most companies practice cyber response, only 15% rehearse for wider geopolitical or supply chain disruptions.

Key
Zee Hussain, SVP of Global Enterprise Solutions at AT&T Business, emphasised technology resilience has evolved beyond traditional IT management into a core business strategy.

“Organisations that invest in visibility, resilient connectivity, and recovery readiness are better positioned to maintain customer trust, respond to disruption, and adapt to change,” he stated.

The findings are based on an Economist Enterprise survey of executives at mid-sized and large US enterprises across seven sectors, conducted between June and July 2026.

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OpenAI unveiled a specialised financial edition of its enterprise platform to help bank employees develop research, financial models and customised client materials.

ChatGPT for Financial Services runs on the company’s latest and most advanced model, GPT-6 Astra, and integrates direct data feeds from market intelligence providers like PitchBook, Crunchbase, LSEG, and Daloopa.

Development of the tool was guided by pilot partnerships with investment banking powerhouses Morgan Stanley and Evercore.

Nick Turley, OpenAI’s VP of product, told CNBC the company is “teaching ChatGPT to research like an analyst and back up its conclusions like an analyst as well”.

In a blog post yesterday (10 September), OpenAI noted early collaboration focused heavily on solving two major industry friction points: streamlined access to verified market data and automated artifact creation.

By hosting and indexing third-party datasets directly on its own infrastructure, the system enables citations which help bankers trace figures and claims back to their original sources.

The launch comes amid a broader push by OpenAI to broaden enterprise adoption and cement recurring revenues ahead of a widely expected stock market debut.

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OpenAI reportedly pulled the plug on its pilot programme which let US federal agencies use its models for just $1 per year, shifting instead to a usage-based pricing system to offer government workers a 50% discount off standard rates.

Bloomberg reported the shift concludes a deal struck in August 2025 between OpenAI and the US General Services Administration (GSA), under which the agency’s OneGov marketplace let federal entities access ChatGPT Enterprise for a nominal $1 per agency for one year. GSA also issued an Authority to Use for ChatGPT Enterprise as part of the programme.

The offer came shortly after GSA added OpenAI, Anthropic and Google to its list of approved AI vendors for civilian federal agencies, including an additional 60-day period for unlimited use of advanced features.

The news agency noted the arrangement represented the steepest technology discount GSA’s central purchasing arm had negotiated to date, which was scheduled to conclude on 30 September 2026.

The new agreement with the government is set to take effect on 1 October, lasting more than two years, according to Bloomberg.

Uptake
According to GSA figures cited by the news site, 3.5 million federal employees ultimately used ChatGPT under the pilot programme, generating $1.4 billion in claimed cost savings.

When the arrangement was first announced, OpenAI stated over 90,000 users across more than 3,500 US federal, state, and local government agencies sent more than 18 million messages on ChatGPT to support their day-to-day work dating back to 2024.

GSA’s public OneGov listings still show the original $1-per-agency pricing, with an expiration date of 30 September 2026, while OpenAI’s own government page had not been updated to reflect the shift.

The pilot was part of a broader push by GSA under its OneGov strategy to secure discounted access to frontier AI tools for federal agencies.

Alongside the OpenAI deal, GSA struck similar arrangements with Anthropic, offering Claude for Enterprise and Claude for Government at $1 across the executive, legislative and judicial branches, and with Google, offering Gemini for Government at $0.47 per agency.

The news site noted those agreements are also due to expire on 30 September 2026, with no successor terms yet made public for either company

The initial round of dollar-a-year deals was key to the Trump Administration’s America’s AI Action Plan, which aimed to accelerate AI adoption across federal government.

Bloomberg reported the move to usage-based pricing could mean OpenAI is looking to convert pilot-stage government adoption into a more sustainable commercial relationship, as the company works to build out revenue ahead of a planned public listing.

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Ericsson deployed a private 5G network at a US airport to support operations and lay the groundwork for future digital transformation projects.

The launch at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) was carried out in partnership with Insight Enterprises and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC).

The new network gives the airport its own dedicated wireless infrastructure, separate from public cellular and Wi-Fi. It covers indoor and outdoor areas across MSP’s five-square-mile campus.

The MAC had relied on Wi-Fi for operational technologies including mobile devices, surveillance systems and real-time data applications. But Wi-Fi proved vulnerable to interference from unmanaged devices and airfield obstacles. Equipment also struggled with mobility as it moved between access points.

Rather than expand Wi-Fi or invest in more fibre, the MAC chose Ericsson Private 5G. The goal was broader, more predictable coverage across the site.

The network now supports video systems, common-use ticketing equipment and mobile workforce applications. Airport staff use connected tablets throughout operational areas. The network also delivers secure cellular coverage across runways, taxiways and gate areas.

Eduardo Valencia, CIO for the MAC, said transportation, public safety, maintenance and security all depend on connectivity. He compared the airport to running a city without residents. He said the network provides enterprise-grade connectivity across a challenging airfield environment, where a growing number of systems and mobile assets must stay connected to keep operations safe and efficient.

Insight Enterprises resold and manages the Ericsson Private 5G service while Pierson Wireless led deployment and installation.

Scott Friedlander, SVP at Insight Public Sector, stated deploying private cellular across a large, complex airport required close collaboration between technology providers and stakeholders.

One early use case comes from Axis Communications. Its private cellular-enabled camera system delivers HD video monitoring on airport trams.

The network also supports dozens of connected airport vehicles fitted with Ericsson Cradlepoint routers. These give MSP teams access to operational applications across the airfield, using both private 5G and public cellular networks when needed.

Going forward, the MAC plans to extend connectivity to airlines, concessionaires and other airport partners. It also aims to expand its own use of the network to improve maintenance and operations.

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Analog Devices struck a deal to acquire Alif Semiconductor in an all-cash deal worth $1.4 billion, as the analogue chip maker moves to bolster its edge AI capabilities.

The deal adds Alif’s AI-native microcontrollers and fusion processors, which combine low-power neural processing with connectivity, security and power management on a single chip.

Analog Devices stated the technology would advance “Physical Intelligence”, enabling systems to sense, reason and act locally in real time while meeting demanding power, latency, security and reliability constraints.

It positioned the deal as a response to the expansion of AI capabilities beyond interpreting text and images toward characterising real-world signals including motion, sound, vibration, radio waves and thermodynamics.

By combining its expertise in sensing, signal processing, power and connectivity with Alif’s digital processing platform, customers can build complete system-level solutions rather than sourcing components separately, Analog Devices explained.

CEO Vincent Roche explained AI is moving out of the data centre and into the physical world, where latency, power and trust cannot be compromised and described the deal as central to what he called the next frontier of embodied, deterministic AI.

Analog Devices stated Alif’s silicon is already shipping in production, with design wins across consumer and industrial customers.

The company expects the acquisition to widen its addressable market across industrial, data centre infrastructure, defence, energy, robotics, digital health and wearable applications.

The transaction was approved by both companies’ boards and includes up to $200 million in additional contingent consideration.

It is expected to close before the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

Analog Devices arranged an all-cash acquisition of Empower Semiconductor for $1.5 billion in May aimed at improving power density for AI compute.

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Apple officially entered the foldable smartphone market with the iPhone Duo, as new CEO John Ternus headlined the company’s signature event for the first time at its Cupertino, California, headquarters.

The iPhone Duo makes its debut seven years after Samsung launched its first foldable smartphone and on the heels of a recent launch by Huawei. Pre-orders for the device begin in October.

After running through the launches of the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5, Ternus saved the foldable for last but drew a quick distinction between the Duo and competing devices.

“Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together,” Ternus (pictured) said during the company’s Surprise and Shine event yesterday (9 September).

He described the Duo as having “a larger display that feels as natural and intuitive as iPad,” and stated it has the “largest display ever on an iPhone, while still fitting easily in your pocket”.

Duo specs
Once opened, the doublewide screen is 50% larger than the size of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and measures 7.6 inches on the diagonal, stated Greg Joswiak, Apple’s SVP for worldwide marketing.

The device pairs a mirror-polished grade 5 titanium chassis with a custom precision hinge engineered from over 100 components to deliver structural stiffness and smooth operation.

Powering the device is the A20 Pro chip built on a 2nm process, coupled with a custom vapor chamber cooling system, 16-core Neural Engine, and a 7-core GPU.

The device runs on iOS 27, which introduces side-by-side Split View multitasking to the iPhone lineup, and features an under-display FaceTime camera on the main panel alongside a side-mounted Touch ID sensor integrated into the power button.

The imaging hardware centres on a 48MP Fusion Main camera capable of 4K120 fps Dolby Vision recording, complemented by a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera with macro support and a Center Stage front sensor.

The dual-battery architecture supports up to 31 hours of continuous video playback on the main screen or up to 44 hours on the cover screen, with support for fast wired charging as well as MagSafe and Qi2 wireless standards.

On the connectivity front, the device is eSIM-only globally, holds an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, and incorporates Apple’s custom C2 cellular modem system along with the N1 wireless chip. The C2 modem integrates support for US mmWave 5G spectrum alongside Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

Available in star white and night sky finishes, the iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for the base 256GB storage tier, with additional options extending to 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Pre-orders open on 16 October, with broad retail launch following on 23 October.

Anshu Goel, Lead Analyst, Digital Consumer at GSMA Intelligence, told Mobile World Live the Duo price point is worth watching going forward.

“While the quality and iOS customisation for Duo look good, this price point will limit demand,” he explained. “However, Apple customers are unlikely to go looking elsewhere if considering a foldable purchase.”

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
Apple also unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, both powered by the same A20 Pro chip as the Duo. The pair introduce a redesigned 48MP variable-aperture main camera with physical aperture blades, a first for iPhone, alongside a slimmer Dynamic Island now capable of displaying up to three simultaneous Live Activities. New colour options include Burgundy and Glacier.

Pricing rose $100 over the equivalent iPhone 17 models, with the 18 Pro starting at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299.

Analyst views
Paolo Pescatore, chief analyst at PP Foresight, said Apple has taken its time entering the foldable category and is now seeking to redefine what consumers should expect from a smartphone rather than simply following rivals.

He noted higher pricing across the premium iPhone 18 line-up could also sway some customers toward the foldable, narrowing the perceived jump to a completely new form factor.

“Apple will now flex its considerable marketing muscle to kick-start demand and give the foldable category a major boost,” he said. “I fully expect it to be an instant hit, benefiting the wider market and developer community while putting rivals firmly on notice.”

He added that the increasingly split iPhone launch cycle gives Apple a powerful new revenue engine throughout the year, rather than concentrating attention on a single annual upgrade window, calling it a significant strategic shift and “potentially a gold mine for the business.”

On the leadership transition, Pescatore called the event a hugely important first moment for Ternus and a strong start to a new chapter at Apple.

“His challenge is to build on an enormously successful foundation while bringing fresh energy, ideas and priorities to the business,” he said, adding that the confident tone from the top mattered as an opening statement.

Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, said Apple appears to have hit it out of the park with the iPhone Duo.

“While a passport-size form factor is not new, the execution here looks quite good,” she said. “The user experience is intuitive and fluid, with a seamless transition from closed to open. The ease of use, coupled with an elegant design, should make the Duo stand out among the crowd of foldable devices today.”

She added the device could be a blockbuster product for Apple, and a great way for new CEO John Ternus to kick off his tenure.

CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood added the iPhone Duo was always going to eclipse Apple’s other announcements at the event, hailing a distinctive new design to the iPhone line-up and marking the company’s entry into the niche foldable category.

He stated while foldable smartphones are not new, Apple has clearly learnt from the evolution of rival devices from Samsung and others, noting the company has a track record of entering categories once they reach a certain level of maturity.

Wood said the Duo has benefited from major advances in flexible display quality and reliability, pointing to its near-creaseless screen, which, like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8, uses a titanium plate beneath the display.

At $1,999, Wood said the Duo is Apple’s most expensive iPhone to date and $700 more than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, though less than some had feared, and said he expects strong demand.

However, he cautioned foldables remain a niche product accounting for less than 5% of the overall smartphone market, adding that the Duo’s arrival could still provide a lift to the wider foldable segment.

iOS 27
Wood also pointed to the significance of iOS 27, which brings major performance improvements and the latest version of Apple Intelligence and Siri, saying the update marks a step up from Apple’s earlier AI efforts based on his experience with the beta release.

He noted AI increasingly looks like less of a differentiator on smartphones, adding that Apple’s long-term commitment to privacy is likely to remain its most distinctive position on AI.

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