Marketplace Tech

Much like graphics processing units, high bandwidth memory is essential for training and running AI. It's paired with all those NVIDIA chips that have been selling like hotcakes and only a small handful companies in the world make it. Now the surge in demand from data centers has created a global shortage for everything else — the PCs and smartphones and other consumer electronics that also use memory chips. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Tom Mainelli, vice president of device and consumer research at IDC, about how long this shortage could last.

On Jan. 7, 2025, the Eaton and Palisades Fires began, killing 31 people and destroying around 13,00 homes in the Los Angeles area. A year later, residents are looking to rebuild the lives and homes they once had. Marketplace’s David Branccacio and his wife lost their Altadena home to the Eaton fire, and have yet to break ground on a new building. But as they continue to plan for construction in the new year, they are focusing on fire-resistance for the future.Branccacio joined “Marketplace Tech” host Meghan McCarty Carino to speak about the technology and building that goes into fire-resistant homes.

X, formerly Twitter, is facing a global backlash because users are directing the platform's AI chatbot, Grok, to generate non-consensual intimate imagery. Users have been popping up in the replies of women — and sometimes minors — tagging Grok and asking it to generate images of them in bikinis or undressed.The company and its owner, Elon Musk, have both clarified illegal content will not be tolerated on the platform.Plus, President Donald Trump signed an executive order late last year aimed at blocking states from enforcing local AI regulations — something a majority have adopted in some form.And, Meta is a victim of its own success. Its new Ray-Ban smart glasses are selling too fast to keep up with demand.Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Maria Curi, tech policy reporter at Axios, to discuss all these topics on this week’s Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.

For the past couple months, YouTube technologist Benn Jordan has been investigating Flock Safety surveillance cameras. With the help of 404 Media, they found that many of these cameras were not only tracking, zooming and following every passerby, but the footage was freely accessible on the internet.Jordan joined Marketplace Tech host Meghan McCarty Carino to talk about how he found the footage and the dangers the surveillance system poses to privacy and other civil liberties. Remember, Big Brother is always watching.

Over a century ago, farmers exchanged their horses and plows for the automated tractor. Generations of farmers have come, gone and watched technology transform their industry.Automation and biotechnology have continued to propel farming forward, but with the emergency of AI technology, farmers have gained another tool up their sleeve.Andrew Nelson is a fifth-generation farmer in Farmington, Washington, and he is now using his computer science degree to help tend to his crops.