Google is offering free repairs and (in some countries) payments to remedy Pixel 7a battery issues. 9to5Google spotted a Google support page detailing an extended repair program in 40 countries. If your Pixel 7a is visibly swelling or its battery drains faster than usual, you may get a battery replacement on the house.

The company says it's "determined that certain Pixel 7a phones may experience unexpected battery swelling." Telltale signs include the phone appearing thicker than usual, a bulging back cover, visible gaps or openings along its edges or faster-than-expected battery drain.

Google faced complaints on social media about the Pixel 7a issue before taking action. For example, in December, u/Eszence08 posted in the Pixel subreddit that, after failing to get help from Google support about the battery swelling issue, they only got a solution from the company after posting about it on Reddit. Their conclusion: "Make a post; Google is more helpful on Reddit than their chat support."

Even if your device exhibits one or more symptoms, it still needs to pass a check before moving forward. You can start by visiting Google's eligibility page, which will walk you through the steps to determine eligibility for your specific device. After that, a repairperson will inspect it before proceeding.

That last step is necessary because unrelated damages, including liquid damage, exposure to sharp objects or excessive force, will void the repair. (Most of those precautions sound like "we need to make sure you didn't pry your phone open to get a free battery.") In addition, out-of-warranty damage like display or cover glass cracks will incur a repair cost, for which Google will provide an estimate before starting.

When we get to the country-by-country breakdown, things get more complicated. You have two options in the US and India: Mail your device to Google or take it to an authorized walk-in repair center. In-person repairs are also available in Canada, the UK, Germany, Japan and Singapore. (Those countries don't offer mail-in fixes.)

The program also extends to those who bought their device in Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Switzerland and EEA countries. If your country isn't listed, you get nothing.

However, for countries without a mail-in option (all but the US and India), Google offers alternate "appeasement options," i.e., payouts or store credit. If your Pixel 7a is out of warranty, you can claim $200 converted to your local currency or $300 (also converted locally) in a Google discount code toward purchasing another Pixel phone on the Google Store. If it's still under warranty, you can get a healthier $456 payment converted to your local currency.

If you think your Pixel 7a is eligible, you can head to Google's support page to get started.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-launches-a-battery-replacement-program-for-swollen-pixel-7a-handsets-162204629.html?src=rss

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© Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Kia has teased that it will have a trio of announcements at the 2025 New York International Auto Show. The car company's presentation is scheduled for 10AM ET on April 16. That's today! This morning, in fact. The reveal was hosted live on YouTube, and it's also embedded below. If you missed it as it was happening, you can still watch the video below, just to revel in the announcement, perhaps. 

If you don't have time to watch the 21-minute-long event, check out our article on Kia's US debut of its first all-electric sedan. The presentation featured three vehicles, including two that are fully electric. Kia unveiled its EV4 hatchback sedan in February, but didn't share info about North American manufacturing at that time. 

While the stage presentation will get livestreamed, we don't yet have tech to remotely test the Kia EV9 and EV6 models that will be at the live show. Maybe one day…

Update, April 16 2025, 2:00PM ET: This story has been updated to clarify that Kia's NY Auto Show 2025 event has taken place and to share some details on what was announced.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/how-to-watch-kias-new-york-international-auto-show-presentation-on-april-16-195259387.html?src=rss

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According to an SEC filing from NVIDIA, the US government now requires companies to obtain a license to export H20 integrated circuits and any other products that achieve the same performance benchmarks. The filing states that "the license requirement addresses the risk that the covered products may be used in, or diverted to, a supercomputer in China." Mainland China is not the only place targeted by this license; NVIDIA will also require permission to sell the H20 to the territories of Hong Kong and Macau as well as to nations with the D:5 designation as US Arms Embargo Countries. 

The H20 chips are currently the most advanced chips that can be sold to select international markets under present laws and they are powerful enough to be used for artificial intelligence applications. NVIDIA has wanted the ability to retain Chinese customers for these products and last week, it seemed like the company may have gotten a reprieve on new restrictions. However, it appears that the new license requirement "will be in effect for the indefinite future."

NVIDIA said in the SEC filing that it now expects to report about $5.5 billion in charges related to "inventory, purchase commitments and related reserves" associated with the H20 circuits in the results for its current fiscal quarter.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/nvidia-says-the-us-has-put-export-restrictions-on-h20-ai-chips-224822930.html?src=rss

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A pair of studies analyzing the effects of AI on our planet have been released and the news is fairly grim. Greenpeace studied the emissions generated from the production of the semiconductors used in AI chips and found that there was a fourfold increase in 2024. This analysis was completed using publicly available data.

Greenpeace

Many of the big chipmakers like NVIDIA rely on companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and SK Hynix Inc. for the components of GPUs and memory units. Most of this manufacturing happens in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, where power grids are primarily reliant on fossil fuels. This accounts for some of the increase in global emissions. The organization also says that global electricity requirements for AI could experience a 170-fold increase by 2030. 

Greenpeace

Greenpeace’s estimates have led some to worry that the AI race could derail global decarbonization goals, according to a report by Bloomberg. The nonprofit recommends that governments in eastern Asia transition to renewable power for chip manufacturing, but the opposite seems to be happening. South Korea recently announced plans to build plants for four gigawatts of gas-fired power generation. Taiwan has used the increased power demand related to AI as an excuse to expand liquid natural gas projects and grid infrastructure.

Another study by The International Energy Agency (IEA) took a look at the US. The analysis suggested that power consumption by AI-adjacent data centers could account for half of the growth in electricity demand by 2030. As a matter of fact, the US economy could be on track to consume more electricity for processing data than for manufacturing all energy-intensive goods combined. This includes aluminum, steel, cement and chemicals.

IEA

Electricity demand from global data centers could more than double by 2030 to around 945 terawatt-hours (TWh). That’s more than the entire electricity consumption of Japan. It’s a whopping 30 times more than the electricity consumption of Ireland.

Proponents of AI say that the massive energy needs will eventually abate as the technology leads to scientific discoveries that accelerate innovation in fields like batteries and solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. However, that’s a big fat maybe.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/global-emissions-due-to-ai-related-chipmaking-grew-more-than-four-times-in-2024-160304017.html?src=rss

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© Unsplash / Taylor Vick

UK-based Jaguar Land Rover says it’s pausing shipments to the US after President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on passenger vehicles and other auto imports. The pause will be in effect this month, the Associated Press reports. While the full impact of the tariffs remains to be seen, analysts have said the move could ultimately drive up the cost of new and even used cars.

“The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands,” Jaguar Land Rover said in a statement to AP. “As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

Trump’s tariffs go well beyond the auto industry, and we’re only seeing the beginning of how the US’ trading partners will respond. The president announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on “all countries” this week, and some will face even higher “reciprocal” tariffs. Among the immediate effects, Nintendo has delayed pre-orders of the new Switch 2 in the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/jaguar-land-rover-pauses-us-shipments-while-it-figures-out-a-plan-for-trumps-tariffs-172512506.html?src=rss

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© Jaguar Land Rover