Micron Gets Investment From White House, China Launches Antitrust Investigation On Nvidia, Apple Faces $1.2 Billion Lawsuit In California & More: Consumer Tech News (December 9-13)

China launched an antitrust investigation into Nvidia Corporation NVDA regarding its acquisition of Israeli networking company Mellanox Technologies, approved in 2020, and its potential violations of China’s anti-monopoly laws.

European regulators have launched an investigation into a clandestine advertising arrangement between Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG Google and Meta Platforms Inc. META that reportedly circumvented Google's own advertising policies for minors.

The White House announced that Micron Technology Inc. MU has received a substantial investment of over $6.1 billion. The investment will support the construction of advanced memory chip facilities in Clay, New York, and Boise, Idaho. 

Gaming, Technology & Semiconductors

CD Projekt ADR has confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 will receive a significant new update on Dec. 10, 2024, coinciding with the game’s four-year anniversary.

Read: Still No GTA 6 News? Fans Take Matters Into Their Own Hands

TikTok-parent ByteDance has reportedly become the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Asia, outpacing rivals like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. BABA and Baidu Inc. BIDU.

Tesla Inc. TSLA has officially rolled out Apple Inc. AAPL Watch app, allowing users to transform their watch into a digital key for their vehicle.

Google has reportedly requested the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to dismantle Microsoft Corporation's MSFT exclusive agreement to host OpenAI's technology on its cloud servers.

Read: Trump Announces Plans To Have Dinner With Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos As Billionaire Rivals Turn Unexpected Allies After Years Of Clashes

As the race to introduce artificial intelligence features rages on, Alphabet unveiled a new prototype on Wednesday that could reshape the AI marketplace.

Smartphones

Apple is facing a $1.2 billion lawsuit filed on Saturday in U.S. District Court in Northern California for discontinuing its child sexual abuse material detection feature.

Apple announced expansion plans in Saudi Arabia, marking a significant step in its Middle East growth strategy. The tech giant will launch its first Arabic-language online store in the summer of 2025, followed by multiple flagship retail locations starting in 2026.

Read: Not All iPhone Charging Cables Are Safe: Here’s How Hackers Turned Them Into Tools Of Espionage

Apple is reportedly set to introduce satellite texting and a non-invasive blood pressure tool in its upcoming Watch Ultra.

Apple announced the release of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 on Wednesday morning, continuing its slow rollout of its AI-powered Apple Intelligence to devices.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Elon Musk has raised concerns about OpenAI's potential decision to remove a clause that limits Microsoft Corporation from accessing its most advanced AI models upon achieving artificial general intelligence.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled what he calls an "early" but transformative step in AI video technology. The new tool, likened to "GPT-1 for video," promises an accessible co-creation experience and is already sparking excitement among early adopters.

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar has characterized President-elect Donald Trump as the "president of this AI generation," while downplaying public threats from Elon Musk.