Computers

Cisco unveiled a new generation of agentic collaboration capabilities on October 7, repositioning Webex around AI agents that work alongside people instead of waiting for prompts. The centerpiece is Claude in Webex, built with Claude Managed Agents, which lets teams analyze data, generate content, and execute multi-step work using shared enterprise context without leaving the collaboration app.

Two data center developers announced on October 9 that they have secured planning approval for a massive AI-ready campus in Taylor, Texas, designed to deliver up to one gigawatt of hyperscale data center capacity. The project, called the Taylor Technology Campus, is a co-development between Big Watt Digital, an integrated power and digital infrastructure platform, and PowerHouse Data Centers, a division of American Real Estate Partners focused on next-generation hyperscale facilities.

Nvidia plans to take a stake in d-Matrix, a Santa Clara startup that designs chips for AI inference, The Information reported on October 8. The investment, whose size and valuation were not disclosed, is part of a broader Nvidia strategy to make its technology interoperable with rival silicon rather than fighting every inference workload alone.

A ransomware group calling itself Chaos announced on October 9, 2026 that it had exfiltrated 1,500 gigabytes of data from Astrana Health, Inc., a California-based physician-management company whose network supports roughly 20,000 affiliated medical providers. The group claims the theft followed Astrana's decision not to negotiate with the attackers, and says the stolen trove includes patient diagnoses and personal information.

IT administrators have four days left on a deadline that affects millions of PCs. On October 13, 2026, Windows 11 version 24H2 in Home and Pro editions reaches end of updates, alongside Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 and Office 2021. After that date, those editions stop receiving Microsoft's monthly security and non-security updates.

GlobalFoundries and TSMC are teaming up to bring a critical piece of the AI chip supply chain onto American soil. On October 8, GlobalFoundries announced a $2 billion, five-year manufacturing agreement under which it will produce silicon interposers for TSMC at its Malta, New York facility — making the site the first U.S.-based source of the components.

Microsoft wants your next AI workstation to sit on your desk, not in a data center. On October 7, at an event in San Francisco during the city's Tech Week, the company opened preorders for the Surface Laptop Ultra, a 15-inch notebook built around Nvidia's RTX Spark chip, with availability starting October 16. Pricing starts at $2,599.