SunBrief#31: Trump Blocks EDA Sales to China

Tesla launching first driverless taxi fleet while Musk used Trump ties to undercut Altman’s AI deal: WSJ

June 01, 2025

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Today in SunBrief 🌞

  • The Best New App for Newsletter Reading

  • Trump Blocks EDA Sales to China

  • Stock Updates

  • The Smartest AI Library on the Internet

  • Musk Used Trump Ties to Undercut Altman’s AI Deal: WSJ

  • AI Highlights of the Week

  • Tesla’s First Driverless Taxi Fleet in Austin

  • Too Important to Miss

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Trump Blocks EDA Sales to China

The Article: Trump Bans Sales of Chip Design Software to China

The Trump administration has prohibited U.S. companies from selling semiconductor design software to Chinese firms, targeting EDA companies like Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens EDA to limit China's technological advancements.

Key Points:

  • Export Restrictions: U.S. EDA companies must halt sales to Chinese entities, following orders from the Commerce Department.

  • Financial Impact: Synopsys and Cadence face potential revenue loss, with shares dropping after the announcement.

  • China's Response: Chinese EDA companies like Empyrean Technology are gaining market share as a result of the restrictions.

Why It Matters:

The move escalates U.S.-China tech tensions and could hinder China's tech growth while impacting U.S. companies' access to the Chinese market.

Do you think Chinese companies will be able to develop competitive alternatives to U.S. EDA software?

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Stock Updates

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Musk Used Trump Ties to Undercut Altman’s AI Deal: WSJ

The Article: Musk Attempted to Block Sam Altman’s AI Data Center Deal

Elon Musk tried to stop Sam Altman’s $500 billion AI project in Abu Dhabi, insisting that his AI startup, xAI, be included in the deal. Despite his efforts, the Trump administration approved the project.

Key Points:

  • Musk’s Intervention: Musk pressured G42 to include xAI in the deal, using his connection with Trump.

  • Project Details: Stargate UAE involves OpenAI, G42, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank, focusing on building a major AI data center.

  • Trump’s Support: The deal was approved despite Musk’s objections, with U.S. officials emphasizing its importance for AI infrastructure.

Why It Matters:

Musk’s attempt to block the project highlights the intense competition in the AI sector, with the approval reflecting the U.S. government’s strategic interest in AI leadership.

How do you feel about Musk’s influence in AI industry decisions?

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AI Highlights of the Week

Apple will rename its major OS updates using year-based version numbers, starting with iOS 26 instead of iOS 19, per Bloomberg. Updates like iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS will follow the same pattern.

The change, to be announced at WWDC on June 9, aims to simplify Apple’s fragmented versioning system. During the keynote, Apple is also expected to reveal a Vision Pro–inspired design overhaul.

Estonia, the top Pisa performer in Europe, is embracing AI and smartphones in schools, contrasting with England’s phone bans.

This fall, it launches AI Leap, giving AI accounts to students and teachers, aiming to reach 58,000 students by 2027 with support from OpenAI.

The goal: boost AI literacy and digital skills as Estonia shifts from rote learning to higher-level thinking, seeing tech as essential, not a threat.

Opera has launched Opera Neon, its first fully agentic AI browser, following the debut of its Browser Operator in March. Unlike traditional AI-integrated browsers, Neon can act on your intent, browsing with or for you, automating tasks, and even building and hosting web apps or reports.

Positioned as a premium subscription product, Opera Neon’s waitlist is now open for early adopters.

Anduril and Meta are partnering to build military XR devices under the U.S. Army’s SBMC program, reuniting Palmer Luckey with Meta after his 2017 exit.

The EagleEye project combines Meta’s Reality Labs tech and Llama AI with Anduril’s Lattice software to deliver real-time battlefield AR. After replacing Microsoft, Anduril now leads the $22B effort.

Telegram has partnered with Elon Musk’s xAI to distribute the Grok chatbot across its platform for one year. In return, xAI will pay $300M in cash and equity.

Telegram will also receive 50% of subscription revenue from Grok purchased through the app. Grok may soon be available to all users, offering features like chat summaries, writing help, and moderation tools.

Tesla’s First Driverless Taxi Fleet in Austin

The Article: Tesla Targets June 12 Launch of Robotaxi Service in Austin

Tesla plans to launch its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on June 12, 2025, with a fleet of 10 to 20 Model Y vehicles. The service will begin with autonomous cars under human supervision.

Key Points:

  • Testing Success: Tesla has been testing driverless Model Ys on public streets in Austin with no incidents.

  • Launch Details: The service will start with an invite-only fleet, expanding to 1,000 units.

  • Regulatory Concerns: Tesla must address weather-related safety concerns by June 19.

Why It Matters:

The launch marks a key step for Tesla's autonomous vehicle ambitions, potentially impacting future regulatory and consumer adoption of robotaxi services.

Too Important to Miss

Last Week’s Poll Result

  • Trump threatens a 25% tariff on iPhones made outside the U.S. — what’s your take?

    Terrible Idea, 47.06%; Long overdue move, 29.41%; Political bluff, 23.52%;

  • Do you think the UAE will become a global leader in AI infrastructure after this deal?

    No, it will remain behind U.S. and China 55.56%; Yes, it is a game changer for the region 27.78%; Maybe, if the project succeeds 16.67%;

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