Slashdot

News for nerds, stuff that matters

OnePlus Will Continue Software Updates After US and Europe Exit

OnePlus has confirmed that it will exit the North American and European markets, consolidating its operations under parent company Oppo. Existing customers will continue to receive "software updates, security patches, and applicable support," but OxygenOS will be replaced by Oppo's ColorOS. 9to5Google reports: As a part of its shutdown in global regions, OnePlus has confirmed that its flavor of Android, OxygenOS, is going away. Instead, all active OnePlus devices will be moving over to Oppo's ColorOS starting with their Android 17 updates. This includes in India, where OnePlus is adamant it will continue operations -- reliable reporting disagrees.

OnePlus explains: "As part of an operational adjustment to our software strategy, following the official release of ColorOS 17, users globally with existing OnePlus devices that fall within the eligible upgrade scope will have the option to voluntarily update to the latest ColorOS. This enables us to streamline software development, accelerate update delivery, improve software quality, and make better use of our shared engineering and R&D capabilities."

[...] OnePlus will continue "maintenance support" for OxygenOS versions on older models not included in the Android 17 update scope, but newer devices will likely need to make the switch to ColorOS for all forms of continued support. OnePlus does explain that rollback versions to OxygenOS will be available for those who prefer the prior experience: "OnePlus devices will be able to choose whether to update to the latest ColorOS system. Older models that are not included in the update scope will also continue to receive version maintenance support. If users update to ColorOS, they will be able to roll back to OxygenOS. The specific rollback versions available will be subject to future official announcements."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Register

Biting the hand that feeds IT — Enterprise Technology News and Analysis

TSMC's $265B US fab pledge is the outline of a concept of a plan

Talk is cheap and TSMC’s plan to bolster its US expansion by another $100 billion is just that — talk. Riding high on yet another quarter of AI-fueled sales, which topped $40 billion, Taiwanese foundry giant TSMC announced plans this week to increase its US fab footprint to 12 facilities, totaling $265 billion of investment. But making good on that promise is easier said than done, and if history tells us anything, it’s that plans change. As you may recall, Intel invested $30 billion to build a pair of new fabs in Arizona, and also planned to spend €30 billion on a megafab in Magdeburg, Germany; $25 billion on a fab in Israel; and $20 billion on a manufacturing plant in Ohio. So far, only one of the Arizona plants has materialized. The German facility has been cancelled, the Israel site delayed indefinitely, and the Ohio foundry expansion pushed until at least 2030. All of that is to say, TSMC’s leaders can make any plan they like, but it doesn’t mean the cash the will actually be invested or the facilities built. And even if TSMC does pack the Arizona desert with the dozen wafer fabs and advanced packaging facilities it’s promised, it could be decades before we see them come online. These are some of the most complex facilities in the world. The site selection, permitting, and support buildings required to supply power and water, and to condition the air for the clean rooms, takes years and billions of dollars to bring online before the first lithography machines from ASML can be deployed and tested. To put things in perspective, since announcing its first leading-edge fab in the US during Trump’s last administration, TSMC has managed to build just two fab sites and break ground on a third, all at a cost of $65 billion. The first of these came online in late 2024 with Apple and Nvidia announced as flagship customers early last year. The second fab, which is slated to produce chips based on the foundry giant’s 3 nm process tech, isn’t slated to come online until the second half of next year. Unsurprisingly, TSMC says its third Arizona fab, announced in spring 2024, won’t begin volume production until at least “the end of the decade” according to its own docs. If you're experiencing some déjà vu, that's probably because TSMC just announced its last $100 billion investment in US manufacturing in March 2025. Standing alongside President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, TSMC boss CC Wei announced called for three new fabs, two new advanced packaging facilities, and an R&D center. None of these facilities has been completed, and the timelines remain vague. TSMC only acquired the additional property, totaling 900 acres, to support this expansion earlier this year. Despite that, now TSMC says it’s going to spend $100 billion on another four fab sites. When will these facilities come online? Well, that all depends on the market situation, Wei told investors on the company’s Q2 earnings call this week, according to a transcript. “If you ask me to give you a firm schedule, no, we don't have it today, but we do have a plan.” Considering it takes four to five years to build and ramp production at a new fab site, that $200 billion in promises could take decades, assuming a global economic recession — triggered by a certain bubble bursting, perhaps — doesn’t derail those plans. To be clear, with profits topping $22 billion on revenues of more than $40.2 billion for the second quarter, TSMC could certainly afford to speed things up a bit. But it’s not just a matter of throwing money at the problem. TSMC still needs workers to run the plant, and last we checked the talent pool was looking a little shallow. Each of these facilities requires thousands of specially trained workers. By the time TSMC’s third fab is completed, an analysis by McKinsey and SEMI project predicts the shortage of skilled chip workers to reach 157,000. So, just like Intel’s grand plan to expand manufacturing across the US, Europe, and Middle East, TSMC’s latest US investment appears for the moment to be little more than an outline for a concept of a plan. ®

MetaFilter

The past 24 hours of MetaFilter

"The flyovers will continue until morale improves"

"In videos widely shared on social media, a Blue Angels fighter jet is seen flying what appears to be just feet above onlookers at Pensacola Beach." In the face of broad criticism of the incident and the announcement of an investigation, Sec. Hegseth posts his response.

The Synthesis of Selection

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

The Synthesis of Selection

Found Kodachrome Slide -- The Bill Roof Collection

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Found Kodachrome Slide -- The Bill Roof Collection

handwritten on slide, “4 Generations"

Found Kodachrome Slide

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Found Kodachrome Slide

date stamped on slide July 1978

Found Photograph

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Found Photograph

handwritten on back of photograph, "Gary Lykins, John, roomate and friend"

Pantages Theatre

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Pantages Theatre

Winter in LA

Greg Adams Photography posted a photo:

Winter in LA

a little different from PA...

Droogte des Doods in het Stamcafé

sproeien

In de rubriek 'eens kijken wat het land nu weer totaal ontregelt': de droogteramp. De watertekorten zijn feitelijk, de droogtecommissies hebben opgeschaald, water sproeien is verboden, het is chaos. Het gaat waarschijnlijk nog wel even duren, dus we moeten ons voorbereiden op het ergste. Ook uit de kraan komt straks geen water meer, dan wordt het knokken om het laatste pak Bar Le Duc, er komt een kliklijn om de illegale watervoorraad van uw buurman te verlinken, BN'ers gaan een lied zingen, velen van ons zullen het niet overleven. Om de ernst van alles vast op ons te laten inwerken, in drooggelegde Stamcafé (droge wijn mag wel natuurlijk), de fotoserie DROOGTE IN NEDERLAND. Houd u vast.

De middenberm, droog

droge middenberm

Het land, droog

droog land

De Waal, droog

droge waal

Almere, droog

woestijndroog

De Zwarte Cross, droog

droog zand

Tina Nijkamp, droog

tina nijkamp

Debby Gerritsen, behoeft geen uitleg

debby gerritsen

Het bos, droog

droog bos

HEEL HOLLAND GORT- EN GORTDROOG

gortdroog land