Tech News for October 17, 2025#
Major AI & Computing Announcements#
NVIDIA and TSMC Unveil First US-Made Blackwell Chip Wafer
NVIDIA and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced a significant milestone on October 17, marking the completion of their first US-manufactured wafer for Blackwell AI chips. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang personally visited TSMC’s Phoenix, Arizona semiconductor facility to celebrate the achievement, calling it “the single most important chip” being produced in America. This development represents a crucial step in reshoring critical AI chip production to the United States and strengthening domestic supply chains for artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Google Announces $15 Billion AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, India
In one of its largest investments outside the United States, Google revealed plans to invest $15 billion over five years to establish an AI hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. CEO Sundar Pichai discussed the project with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting how the facility will accelerate AI innovation and support India’s growing digital economy. The hub will combine gigawatt-scale data center infrastructure, subsea cable connectivity, and large-scale renewable energy systems, creating over 100,000 jobs and positioning India as a global AI leader.
Oracle Stock Drops Despite Ambitious AI Targets
Oracle’s shares fell 7% on October 17 despite the company unveiling aggressive long-term growth targets at its AI World conference. The database giant projected fiscal 2030 revenue of $225 billion and announced $65 billion in new cloud infrastructure commitments, including a major partnership with Meta. However, investors expressed concerns over capital expenditure requirements and near-term earnings pressure, with analysts questioning the company’s ability to execute on such lofty projections.
Corporate Moves & Partnerships#
Walmart Teams Up with OpenAI for ChatGPT Shopping
Walmart announced a groundbreaking partnership with OpenAI on October 14, enabling customers to browse and purchase products directly through ChatGPT using the new “Instant Checkout” feature. The world’s largest retailer aims to transform the traditional search-bar shopping experience into a multi-modal, personalized AI-driven platform. This move represents Walmart’s aggressive push into AI-powered commerce to compete with Amazon’s earlier AI shopping initiatives.
EssilorLuxottica Shares Soar on Meta AI Glasses Success
Shares of Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica surged 14% to a record high on October 17 after reporting better-than-expected third-quarter results driven by strong demand for Meta AI glasses. The AI-powered smart glasses contributed over four percentage points to the company’s sales growth, prompting the eyewear giant to accelerate production capacity plans. The partnership between EssilorLuxottica and Meta has established AI glasses as a new technology category, with analysts predicting smart glasses could become as disruptive as mobile phones.
Indian IT Sector Recovery#
Infosys Q2 Results Beat Expectations
Infosys reported robust second-quarter results on October 16, with consolidated net profit rising 13.2% year-over-year to ₹7,364 crore. Revenue increased 8.55% to ₹44,490 crore, driven by strong large-deal momentum and AI-led transformation partnerships. The company raised its full-year revenue growth guidance to 2-3% from 1-3%, citing improving demand as clients increase funding for AI projects. Infosys also announced hiring 12,000 freshers in the first half of FY26.
HCLTech Rolls Out Salary Hikes and Variable Pay Changes
HCLTech announced salary increments effective October 2025, with average hikes of around 7% and top performers receiving 12-15% increases. In a significant policy shift, the company merged quarterly variable pay into fixed monthly salaries for all employees, providing greater financial predictability. The IT services firm added 3,489 employees in Q2, bringing total headcount to 226,640.
Wipro Q2 Profit Rises Marginally
Wipro reported a modest 1.2% year-over-year increase in net profit to ₹3,246 crore for Q2 FY26. Revenue rose 1.8% to ₹22,697 crore, with large deal bookings surging 90.5% year-over-year to $2.9 billion. CEO Srini Pallia emphasized the company’s strategy to remain resilient, adapt to global shifts, and lead with AI through the new “Wipro Intelligence” platform.
Manufacturing & Investment#
Foxconn’s ₹15,000 Crore Tamil Nadu Investment
Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister confirmed Foxconn’s commitment to invest ₹15,000 crore in the state, creating 14,000 high-value jobs. Despite initial confusion when Foxconn stated no “new” investments were discussed, state officials clarified this was the first official announcement of ongoing investment discussions. The project will bring advanced manufacturing, R&D integration, and AI-driven technology operations to Tamil Nadu, with the state establishing a dedicated “Foxconn Desk” for fast-track approvals.
Security & Regulatory Actions#
US Moves to Block Hong Kong Telecom HKT
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiated proceedings on October 15 to revoke HKT’s authorization to operate in US networks, citing national security concerns. The FCC highlighted HKT’s affiliation with China Unicom, which lost US network access in 2022, as China Unicom owns an 18.4% stake in PCCW, HKT’s parent company. This action follows a broader pattern of FCC moves against Chinese-linked telecommunications companies.
DJI Appeals Pentagon Blacklist Designation
Chinese drone manufacturer DJI filed an appeal on October 14 challenging a US federal court ruling that upheld its inclusion on the Pentagon’s list of alleged “Chinese military companies”. The world’s largest commercial drone maker has been fighting the designation since 2022, arguing it is neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military. While a September court ruling found most Pentagon accusations lacked sufficient evidence, DJI remains on the blacklist.
OpenAI Halts MLK Deepfakes After Estate Complaint
OpenAI paused the generation of videos featuring Martin Luther King Jr. on its Sora platform on October 17 after users created “disrespectful” deepfakes of the civil rights icon. The decision came following direct intervention from the King estate, with Bernice King publicly asking people to stop sending AI-generated videos of her father. OpenAI announced it will strengthen guardrails for historical figures and allow estates to opt out of having their likenesses used on Sora.
Controversial Proposals#
Kremlin Pitches “Putin-Trump Tunnel” to Elon Musk
A Russian investment envoy proposed on October 16 that Elon Musk’s The Boring Company build a 70-mile undersea tunnel connecting Alaska and Russia through the Bering Strait, dubbing it the “Putin-Trump Tunnel”. Kirill Dmitriev claimed the project, traditionally estimated at $65 billion, could be completed for $8 billion using innovative tunneling technology. President Trump called the idea “interesting” and said he would “think about it,” while Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed his disapproval.
Defense & Technology#
South Korea Showcases AI-Enhanced Weapons at ADEX 2025
South Korea kicked off its largest-ever arms fair on October 17, with 600 companies from 35 countries participating in the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX). The exhibition featured cutting-edge unmanned and AI-enhanced weapons, including Hanwha Aerospace’s next-generation K9 self-propelled howitzer with automation and AI capabilities, and suicide drones that use AI to identify and destroy targets. President Lee Jae-myung announced an 8.2% increase in the defense budget to 66.3 trillion won ($47.1 billion) amid regional tensions.
Technology Developments#
Micron Exits China Server Chip Business
Micron Technology announced plans to cease supplying server chips to Chinese data centers after failing to recover from a 2023 government ban on its products in critical Chinese infrastructure. The US chipmaker will continue selling to Chinese customers with data centers outside China, including Lenovo, and maintain operations in automotive and mobile sectors. China accounted for 12% ($3.4 billion) of Micron’s total revenue last year, and the exit creates opportunities for competitors Samsung, SK Hynix, and Chinese firms.
Apple Plans Touchscreen MacBook Pro for 2026-2027
Reports emerged on October 16 that Apple is developing its first touchscreen MacBook Pro with OLED display, expected to launch between late 2026 and early 2027. The redesigned models will feature a hole-punch camera replacing the notch, thinner and lighter frames, and reinforced hinges to prevent display wobble when touched. Powered by Apple’s next-generation M6 chips, these models will mark the biggest MacBook Pro redesign since 2021.
Panasonic Develops AI Image Generation Technology “Reflect-DiT”
Panasonic Holdings announced on October 17 the development of “Reflect-DiT,” an innovative AI image generation technology that automatically improves images during inference by reflecting on its own output. The technology, developed in collaboration with UCLA researchers, was accepted for presentation at the prestigious ICCV 2025 conference. Potential applications include creating and editing catalogs for housing layouts and lighting designs, promising improved operational efficiency.
The tech industry on October 17, 2025, saw significant developments across AI infrastructure, corporate partnerships, IT sector recovery in India, and ongoing US-China technology tensions, highlighting the rapid transformation of the global technology landscape.