Hashtag Trending July 5 – New U.S. chip awaits government funding; Apple Watch fever detection rumor; Ford Motor recall

GlobalWafers’ new chip plant awaits government funding, Apple’s new smartwatch may be able to tell when you have a fever, and Ford Motor recalls Mach-E SUVs.

That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Tuesday, July 5, and I’m your host, Tom Li.

In an earlier episode, we talked about a new semiconductor wafer fab in Texas that will be built by Taiwan’s GlobalWafers. The plant, worth $5 billion, will provide up to 1,500 new jobs and help bolster the United State’s semiconductor production capabilities. That plan has now hit a snag as the company says it’s waiting on financial assistance from the CHIPS act, a $52 billion funding promised by the U.S. government to secure its semiconductor supply chain. The U.S. Congress had already passed the act but has yet to actually allocate any money. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says the deal may “go away” if Congress doesn’t act.

Source: Fortune

Apple’s upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 is rumoured to alert the wearer when they have a fever. Bloomberg first reported the rumour about the new smartwatch, which will reportedly be announced in standard, rugged, and budget-friendly SE versions later this year. According to Bloomberg, the new watch won’t give the wearer specific readings but will recommend them to talk to a doctor if it detects abnormal readings on its thermometer. Bloomberg also says that the new watch will have the same processing power as the Series 6, and will feature a refreshed display.

Source: Bloomberg

Ford Motor is recalling almost 49,000 Mustang Mach-E SUVs due to a safety concern. Additionally, the company will also pause its sales until it can solve the issue. In a notice sent to dealers, Ford said the problem lies in the car’s high-voltage battery main contactors, which can overheat and cause the vehicle to lose propulsion power while in motion, reported CNBC. Ford said the affected vehicles include 2021 and 2022 models built from May 2020 through May 2022 at a plant in Mexico. The carmaker expects a fix in the third quarter, and affected dealerships will be sent repair instructions and parts ordering information.

Source: CNBC

Speaking of electric cars, Teslas will be able to scan for potholes and adjust their suspension accordingly. According to Electrek, this new feature was delivered in a software update and will not only increase rider comfort but also mitigate damage. The vehicle uses pre-existing map data to learn where rough roads are and use its onboard sensors to detect hazards. If it detects a new rough patch, it can update the map data and share it with other vehicles. Not all Tesla vehicles will support this feature, however, as it requires the Active Suspension feature to be on. Active Suspension is currently available in Tesla’s Model S and Model X.

Source: PCMag

That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash briefings or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Thursday morning. If you have a suggestion or a tip, drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thank you for listening, I’m Tom Li.