CNBC's MacKenzie Sigalos reports on news regarding Google.

San Francisco

Google has announced the mass availability of its most advanced in-house AI chip, Ironwood, as part of its strategy to compete with NVIDIA and close the gap with cloud rivals Amazon and Microsoft. The company has invested a decade in developing Ironwood, which is now being positioned as a cost-effective alternative to NVIDIA's GPUs and is already powering major AI models such as Gemini and Clawed.

This development comes as custom AI chips become a key factor in the competitive cloud market, with Google securing significant cloud contracts and increasing its capital expenditure on chip development. Meanwhile, NVIDIA faces regulatory and market challenges, particularly in China, where restrictions and policy reviews have impacted its market share.

Google opens access to its most powerful AI chip

Welcome back to The Exchange. Google is announcing the rollout of its latest in-house AI chip as the tech giant takes aim at NVIDIA. Mackenzie Sagalos has more on the shifting AI race in today's Tech Check. Mack. Hey, Dom. So Google is opening access to its most powerful AI chip yet, part of a much bigger play to challenge NVIDIA and close the gap with cloud rivals Amazon and Microsoft. So Alphabet, it has spent 10 years building this chip called Ironwood. It was introduced back in April, but now it is going to be available for mass sale. Now this matters because chips are becoming the deciding factor in who gains ground in the cloud wars. While most AI models still run on NVIDIA GPUs, Google's hardware undercuts them on price. Amazon and Microsoft, they do both have their own in-house AI chips. Even OpenAI is paying Broadcom $10 billion to design one of their own, but Google's TPUs are already running two of the most important models out there, its very own Gemini and Clawed, and that is helping Alphabet win major cloud contracts with names like OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic. Bernstein, Stacey Razgon, says Google is the only hyperscaler really deploying custom AI chips at massive scale, adding that rivals are still years and billions behind. CEO Sundar Pichai credits TPUs specifically for driving massive upside in its cloud business, which is why they are doubling down. Google's CapEx spend now on track to hit $93 billion this year, a lot of that on chips, with even more spending coming in 2026, Dom. All right, so speaking of NVIDIA, Mac, Jensen Huang is actually now walking back some comments he made to the Financial Times claiming that China is going to win the AI race. How exactly does that play out right now? So we saw this about face. So the company put out a statement on social media soon after that, notably softer than his claim that China was going to win the AI race. And this comes at a time that NVIDIA is really taking it from all sides. Their H20 chip, it is still stuck in approval limbo for an export license, so he's wrangling with the US government on that. And then both NVIDIA and AMD are up against tougher restrictions from Beijing. You've got Reuters reporting that China's forcing state-backed data centers to use domestic AI chips. In some cases, they're being forced to tear out foreign hardware, according to Reuters reporting. You've also got Beijing conducting a national security review of NVIDIA's chips. So at this point, Jensen Huang, their CEO, is saying that their China market share is down to zero. And then last month, there was all this hope around those bilateral talks between President Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea that maybe we'd get some progress on chip policy, and that hasn't happened. So I think that NVIDIA very much feeling like this negotiating tactic in a larger trade war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to submit proposals to potentially resume testing nuclear weapons. This comes after President Trump directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing "on an equal basis" with other countries.

Moscow

Putin orders proposals for resuming nuclear weapons testing

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday regarding President Trump's authority to impose tariffs unilaterally. CBS News' Katrina Kaufman has more.

Washington

Global Tariffs

Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of Trump's tariffs policies

The US government shutdown is now in its 36th day—a record-breaking length. While both political parties blame each other, the result is being felt by the public. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going without pay, and government programs like food benefits have been slashed.

Republicans and Democrats trade blame as shutdown drags on

At least 90 people in the central Philippines have died in floods and heavy rains caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi. 75 others are missing. Tens of thousands have been evacuated after rains flooded homes and streets, swept away vehicles and left people trapped on their roofs.

Manila

Dozens killed as Typhoon Kalmaegi hits central Philippines

President Trump hosted a breakfast for Republican senators at the White House on Wednesday morning, where he urged them to end the filibuster as the government shutdown hits a historical milestone.

Trump doubles down on Republicans as government shutdown makes history

At least nine people were killed, officials say, after a UPS cargo plane crashed near the airport in Louisville, Kentucky. Video shows the jet's left wing on fire as it tries to take off before quickly losing altitude and exploding.

Louisville

Video shows moment UPS plane crashes in Kentucky, killing nine

People around the world are reacting to Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City mayoral race against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio spoke to Mamdani's mentor in his native Uganda about the election results.

New York

World reacts to Zohran Mamdani's win in NYC mayoral race

Typhoon Kalmaegi left a trail of destruction in the central Philippines, as the powerful storm unleashed heavy rains and floods across Visayas islands region. It's now headed towards the South China Sea and Vietnam where preparations are underway ahead of its expected landfall.

Visayas

Deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi lashes Philippines, heads towards Vietnam

A centuries-old legislative practice in the U.S Senate is being blamed as the latest roadblock in resolving the federal government shutdown. That shutdown is now in its 35th day—equaling the longest in the country's history.

Filibuster blamed for deepening U.S government shutdown

Injuries have been reported after a UPS plane crashed near the Louisville International Airport on Tuesday, officials said.

UPS plane crashes near airport in Kentucky, officials say

The U.S. Senate's 14th vote on a House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government has failed, setting up the shutdown to become the longest ever in American history.

Senate vote fails again to reopen government

A new UN report reviews the gap between countries’ climate commitments and global emissions targets.

UN report reveals climate pledges 'barely moving the needle'

Peru has severed diplomatic relations with Mexico after learning that former prime minister Betssy Chávez, accused of helping ex-president Pedro Castillo attempt a coup in 2022, has taken refuge in the Mexican embassy in Lima.

Lima

Peru cuts ties with Mexico over asylum for ex-prime minister

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84. He was a major force in the Republican party for more than 30 years and served as vice president under former President George W. Bush.

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney dies at 84

There has been a sharp escalation in bloodshed in the conflict since Rapid Support Forces fighters captured the city of al-Fashir.

Al Fashir

United States working to secure a humanitarian truce in Sudan

The Trump administration says it will restart the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but will only pay half the amount people usually get. The move comes after two federal judges ruled that freezing payments for the U.S.'s biggest anti-hunger program is unlawful.

Trump administration will partially restore food benefit funding

Manufacturing giant Kimberly-Clark is set to acquire Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, for $48.7 billion. CBS News MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O'Grady has more details.

Kimberly-Clark to buy Tylenol maker Kenvue for nearly $50 billion

Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year, but Ukraine said its forces were holding on.

Pokrovsk

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine sends special forces to Pokrovsk

Israeli police have arrested a former military prosecutor after she leaked a video appearing to show soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee. Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was detained overnight on Monday following a scandal that erupted after she leaked a video, resigned and then disappeared.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Israel arrests ex-army lawyer over leaked video showing abuse

U.S. President Donald Trump told 60 Minutes he thinks Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's days are numbered amid the U.S. striking another boat in the Caribbean allegedly transporting drugs.

Trump sounds off on Venezuela's Maduro as deadly boat strikes continue

A mayor in Mexico's western state of Michoacan was shot dead in a plaza in front of dozens of people who had gathered for Day of the Dead festivities, authorities said. Local politicians in Mexico are frequently victims of political and organized crime violence.

Michoacán

Mexican mayor killed during Day of the Dead celebrations

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 20 people, injuring hundreds and damaging the city's historic Blue Mosque, authorities said, with the death toll likely to rise.

Mazar-i-Sharif

Deadly earthquake rocks northern Afghanistan

More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the Los Angeles Dodgers' victory parade on Monday after they won the World Series over the weekend. The Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings in Game 7 to become the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back World Series.

Los Angeles

Dodgers to hold championship parade after World Series victory

A 32-year-old man suspected of carrying out a bloody stabbing on a United Kingdom train is facing at least 10 criminal charges. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio has the latest.

London

UK train stabbing spree suspect faces attempted murder charges

Hamas handed over bodies of three hostages on Sunday (November 2), even as the Palestinian militant group traded blame with Israel for violations of the tenuous truce that has mostly halted two years of war.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Hamas hands over three more hostage bodies amid fragile ceasefire

Israel has threatened to increase attacks on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon if the Lebanese government doesn't disarm the militant group, despite a ceasefire.

Israel warns of intensified strikes on Hezbollah if disarmament fails

U.S President Donald Trump has long promised to build a ballroom on the White House campus.
He originally said it wouldn’t touch the existing structure. But after just four days, the East Wing is gone. Torn down to make way for a much bigger ballroom than originally planned.

Breakdown