Tech & AI News Roundup — September 23, 2026, 10:04 PM UTC

Quick links to what's actually happening in AI, tech, and IT right now — curated from real reporting, not rewritten, so you can go read the full story wherever it's genuinely worth your time.

Rare look at the remote engine rooms powering China's AI ambitions

The BBC is in Inner Mongolia where dozen of Chinese data centres are being constructed, as the country aims to lead the world in artificial intelligence. — BBC Technology

Snorkel AI triples valuation to $3.5B as demand for AI training data booms

The seven-year-old startup has raised a $350 million Series E to fuel its data-as-a-service approach. — TechCrunch

Rabbit’s new AI agent doesn’t need an R1 to run

Rabbit, the company behind the underwhelming R1 device, is rolling out a standalone AI agent that you don't need its hardware to use, as reported earlier by Wired. The startup says its new OS3 "agentic operating system" runs in the cloud but operates locally across Windows, Mac, and Linux devices. According to Rabbit, you can add up to five devices to one account, along with your preferred AI mode — The Verge

Cities across US oppose Trump FCC plan to preempt local broadband rules

Cities defend permit requirements, say ISPs aren't building networks fast enough. — Ars Technica

Saudi Arabia’s new Exobot EVs make the Cybertruck look normal

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is mostly known for its global dominance over petroleum production and oil reserves - not necessarily cars and auto manufacturing, and certainly not electric vehicle production. So it was a little surprising on Monday when a Saudi startup called Ceer unveiled a pair of hyper-angular, spaceship-like EVs, with plans to launch an additional five models by 2030. The Exobot — The Verge

Tech Life

China is competing with the United States and other nations to develop AI. — BBC Technology

Qualcomm launches two new smartphone chips with emphasis on AI

Qualcomm said that its new top chip can run 30B mixture-of-expert model locally. — TechCrunch

Microsoft disrupts AI-assisted platform that compromised 12,000 accounts

EvilTokens provided an end-to-end platform that makes mass compromises faster and easier. — Ars Technica