News

• Despite Tesla trademark application, the Megapod concept already exists
• Megapod's trademark is owned by someone else
• Nvidia and others already dominate this market

Tesla has filed a trademark application for ‘Megapod’ as the company begins to expand beyond electric cars, batteries and solar energy. Already with fingers in the autonomous transportation and humanoid robotics pies with Robotaxi and Optimus, the company is now looking to build modular AI data center infrastructure.

Though the filing is based on an intent-to-use application, meaning that no commercial product is available yet, it describes a self-contained AI computing platform that includes servers, AI hardware, networking equipment, power distribution units, cooling and software.

However, the project and associated trademark application has already hit three big walls – the concept already exists, the ‘Megapod’ trademark is already owned by somebody else, and the market itself is highly crowded with Nvidia, Huawei and others already more established.

Tesla already uses the ‘Mega’ naming strategy, as evidenced by its Megapack. A battery system that offers a similar commercial proposition to the proposed Megapod, consisting of factory-built complete modules that can be deployed quickly with minimal on-site assembly or construction.

Rather than customers assembling servers, networking, cooling and other infrastructure themselves on-premises, Megapod could arrive as a plug-and-play AI data center, expandable by its modular design.

The news comes around a year after Musk’s company reportedly wound down its Dojo AI training computer project, indicating that it’s no longer gunning for the AI chip market. It now looks like Tesla could be going after more complete physical infrastructure using existing chips, instead.

Mitsubishi already has its own MegaPod, and it possesses a trademark already. And it’s not the first time Musk has faced complications over trademarks, failing to acquire a Robotaxi trademark over it being too generic and facing Cybercab trademark delays after another applicant got in first.

Submer even sells its own MegaPod, described as a data center in a box, adding to the naming complications.

Trademarks aside, if Tesla were to launch a Megapod-type product, it would face stiff competition from established rivals. Nvidia’s DGX and HGX platforms are already commonplace in enterprise deployments, and Huawei has also developed its own solutions based around its Ascend accelerators. Server manufacturers like Dell and HPE also have their own hardware.

However, Tesla could bring its broader experience to the market to entice some customers into its ecosystem. Integration with its Megapack could, for example, give it uninterrupted power supply – xAI has already purchased $1 billion worth of Megapacks. Purchasing power and other internal efficiencies could also keep costs low.

While the company doesn’t really have an existing enterprise customer base, AI startups could be sold on its tech.

Integrated cooling could also be a major selling point, with thermal efficiency now nearly as important as chip performance itself. Nvidia, for example, has already introduced next-generation liquid cooling specifically for its Rubin systems.

As for what’s next, given Musk’s track record and those of his companies, we’re probably more likely to learn about any potential Megapod developments via X posts or surprise launches, rather than blog posts and official announcements.

Generative AI is capable of some astonishing feats, with image and video generators, in particular, capable of creating stunning visual scenes based on text-based instructions. Plenty of the images you can generate, however, steal the distinctive styles of iconic artists – and many of these artists aren't best pleased.

Filmmaker Tim Burton, who created heavily stylistic films like Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas, was among several artists whose iconic styles were showcased in AI-generated images.

This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.

BuzzFeed used AI to show us what iconic Disney movies would look like if they were directed by various filmmakers, with a series of garish and creepy results.

Burton, responding to the feature, told the Independent that seeing his own artistry imitated was akin to some cultures believing that capturing your image with a camera takes something away from your soul.

These comments also tap into the debate as to whether media generated by AI can ever be considered 'original' or 'creative' – or if they're simply crude averages.

Burton's viewpoint mimics the thoughts of the iconic Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, the mind behind Studio Ghibli hits such as My Neighbour Totoro.

"You can make horrible things if you want but I want nothing to do with it. It's an awful insult to life," Miyazaki said in response to learning an illustrator was using AI to aid with his work on Boro the Caterpillar.

But AI has increasingly infiltrated the creative industries, with several major studios finding ways to use AI in the production process, but also on-screen elements, such as in the case of Lionsgate's partnership with Runway AI.

Despite the warning from filmmakers, the trend continues, with the likes of studio A24 also partnering with Google to build AI-powered filmmaking tools.

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, June 28 (game #1616).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

• S

• C

• C

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1617, are…

• SLURP
• CRACK
• CRANK
• PHONY

After a spell of very difficult games it feels as if we are being given an easy ride.

This is the first time in ages I can remember two words as similar as CRACK and CRANK.

After my bad run I am not complaining.

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1617, are…

• DANCE
• SPELT
• SPEAR
• GREET

• Quordle #1616, Sunday, 28 June: RUPEE, TOPAZ, FULLY, BEING
• Quordle #1615, Saturday, 27 June: PRINT, MARRY, SADLY, BICEP
• Quordle #1614, Friday, 26 June: JUICE, ARRAY, BONEY, SKIFF
• Quordle #1613, Thursday, 25 June: SHELF, TAWNY, HYPER, SOLVE
• Quordle #1612, Wednesday, 24 June: SOBER, ECLAT, GOOSE, NINNY
• Quordle #1611, Tuesday, 23 June: ARDOR, DADDY, SERVE, SHEAR
• Quordle #1610, Monday, 22 June: WAXEN, APNEA, CHIME, WAVER
• Quordle #1609, Sunday, 21 June: ABBOT, NOTCH, DREAD, LURID
• Quordle #1608, Saturday, 20 June: SLAIN, TAMER, VIPER, FALSE
• Quordle #1607, Friday, 19 June: ALOUD, POINT, GLOBE, GROIN
• Quordle #1606, Thursday, 18 June: LATCH, BRAWL, STEEL, CRUSH
• Quordle #1605, Wednesday, 17 June: HOIST, PLUSH, GROUP, LEMUR
• Quordle #1604, Tuesday, 16 June: SLAIN, PLUCK, PINTO, SLICE
• Quordle #1603, Monday, 15 June: GAUNT, SNEAK, ROUTE, POKER
• Quordle #1602, Sunday, 14 June: WIMPY, WISPY, VIRAL, NYLON
• Quordle #1601, Saturday, 13 June: DEALT, STEED, BELIE, GULLY
• Quordle #1600, Friday, 12 June: TENTH, SHOAL, JELLY, UNIFY
• Quordle #1599, Thursday, 11 June: GAMMA, SPILL, SALVE, RURAL
• Quordle #1598, Wednesday, 10 June: BELIE, TEACH, GUEST, NOOSE

With just days to go before Prime Day 2026 kicks off in Australia, it's no surprise that early deals have already started, with Amazon's own subscription services being the stars of the opening act.

You can now get three months of free Kindle Unlimited and Audible if you're a new or returning customer to either or both of the services, which is fantastic news for avid readers.

That's the best early Prime Day deal in my books (pardon the pun) because, as a voracious reader who has set herself a challenge to read upwards of 60 books in the calendar year (I usually average about 30), three months free of Kindle Unlimited is sure to help. Yes, I did sign up for Kindle Unlimited myself as a returning customer, hoping to discover some unknown gems in my preferred genres of history, fantasy and mythology.

So, instead of the usual 30-day free trial, you get an extended three months free trial, but keep in mind that this will not include an additional 30 days — the original trial period becomes null and void in these circumstances.

That's still a good deal, because you save two months of subscription cost at the very least, which is AU$27.98 (or AU$13.99p/m) for Kindle Unlimited and AU$17.98 (or AU$8.99p/m) for Audible.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited: three months free, then AU$13.99p/m
Kindle Unlimited is a great service if you read a lot of books or can't settle on just one genre. It provides access to a near never-ending supply of fiction and non-fiction, including biographies, self-help books, and foreign language novels. There are even audiobooks — though they're not as high quality as Audible. View Deal

Audible: three months free, then AU$8.99p/m
Prefer to listen to stories rather than read? Then you’ll prefer this deal over the Kindle Unlimited deal above. Audible gives you the chance to listen to thousands of Originals as well as plenty of other hot titles. You also get to keep any purchase you make if you decide to cancel your subscription.View Deal

Note that these early Prime Day deals — like all other Prime deals — require a Prime membership to be eligible. In fact, you won't even see those offers on Amazon if you aren't signed in with a Prime account. If you have a standard Amazon account, you will find Kindle Unlimited for half price (AU$6.99p/m) for three months instead.

Again, it looks like opting for this half-price deal voids the standard 30-day free trial as that's presented as a separate sign-up option for non-Prime members. So definitely take advantage of this excellent deal as a Prime subscriber.

The best early deal I can see for non-Prime members is four months free of Music Unlimited, and that's even better value, especially if you listen more than read. Not only does a Music Unlimited subscription get you ad-free HD streaming access to millions of songs, there are hundreds of thousands of podcasts and audiobooks too.

Music Unlimited: four months free, then AU$13.99p/m
No ad breaks, just music, podcasts and audiobooks. You can stream in high resolution and experience spatial audio for a full four months, and you can cancel any time if you don't want to pay the ongoing monthly subscription. You will need to be a new Music Unlimited subscriber, however, to take advantage of this offer.View Deal

If you've never had a Prime membership before, you can get a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime to get access to this year's Prime Day deals. You get the same benefits as paid members, including free delivery in thousands of eligible products, and access to other services such as Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Gaming and more. You can cancel at any time during the trial to avoid paying the regular fee of AU$9.99 per month. Just click on any of the buttons below to sign up now.