Daily Tech & GNSS News Digest - January 13, 2026

Big Tech is recalibrating its hardware strategies as AI reshapes priorities. Meta is abandoning the metaverse for smart glasses, while Microsoft moves to address community concerns about data center power consumption. In the positioning world, LEO satellites are proving their worth as GPS alternatives in challenging environments.

Tech News

Meta Pivots from Metaverse to AI Glasses, Plans to Double Output

Meta Platforms is dramatically shifting its hardware strategy, planning to double production of Ray-Ban AI glasses while laying off 1,500 workers from its Reality Labs division. The pivot marks a decisive move away from the metaverse after $70 billion in cumulative losses.

Meta and EssilorLuxottica are discussing increasing annual capacity to 20 million units by the end of 2026, up from the current target of 10 million. The partners have even discussed establishing capability for 30 million units should demand justify it. Since launching in late 2023, the companies have delivered approximately 2 million Ray-Ban Meta frames.

The strategic shift underscores Meta’s desire to extend its AI strategy into hardware it can control end-to-end, reducing reliance on smartphones from competitors. Competition is heating up—Google partnered with Kering (Gucci’s parent) on smart glasses last May, while Apple has reallocated resources toward AI glasses after scaling back Vision Pro development.

Microsoft Pledges to Pay Full Utility Costs for Data Centers

Microsoft announced a commitment to pay electricity rates high enough to cover its data center infrastructure costs, addressing growing community concerns about AI’s power appetite. The pledge came just hours after President Trump urged tech companies not to raise costs for everyday Americans.

“We will pay utility rates that are high enough to cover our electricity costs,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president. Areas near data centers have seen electricity cost increases of up to 267% compared to five years ago, according to Bloomberg analysis.

Microsoft’s five-point plan includes: paying fair electricity rates, minimizing and replenishing water use, creating local jobs, contributing to property tax bases without seeking reductions, and investing in community AI training programs. Wedbush analysts expect other tech giants to adopt similar measures, though higher operating costs could slow data center buildout pace.

Apple-Google AI Partnership Takes Shape

Following yesterday’s confirmation, more details emerged about Google’s multiyear deal to power Apple’s AI technology. The next generation of Apple Foundation models will be based on Google’s Gemini architecture, with Apple paying approximately $1 billion annually for access.

The partnership signals a new era of Big Tech cooperation, as companies prioritize AI capability over competitive isolation. Apple’s existing OpenAI partnership for ChatGPT integration will reportedly continue alongside the Google deal.

Additional Headlines

Elon Musk at SpaceX: Speaking at the Starbase launch site in Texas, Musk declared “We want to make Star Trek real,” outlining ambitious plans for space exploration.
Meta Reality Labs layoffs: The 1,500 job cuts represent Meta’s largest reduction in its hardware division as the company refocuses on AI wearables.
Klarna on credit cards: CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski weighed in on President Trump’s call for a one-year 10% interest rate cap on credit cards.

GNSS News

Researchers have demonstrated that signals from Starlink and OneWeb constellations can dramatically improve navigation accuracy in GPS-weak zones. In tests conducted off Greenland’s west coast, exploiting LEO satellite signals reduced ship navigation errors from over 1 kilometer (without GPS) to just 27 meters.

The breakthrough comes as GNSS spoofing and jamming reach unprecedented levels. In 2025, nearly 123,000 commercial flights in Europe were disrupted by GNSS interference between January and April alone. LEO positioning offers a fundamentally different signal source that cannot be jammed in the same ways as traditional GNSS.

Companies like Xona are pushing LEO PNT further, incorporating not just data authentication but range authentication, enabling users to verify their position. As location-dependent devices multiply faster than ever, LEO infrastructure is emerging as a critical complement to legacy GPS systems.

US National Spatial Reference System Overhaul Arrives in 2026

The National Geodetic Survey is rolling out a major modernization of America’s positioning infrastructure this year. The update will replace NAD 83 (2011) with NATRF2022 for latitude and longitude positioning, and NAVD 88 with NAPGD2022 for elevation.

The datum shift will affect GPS-based precision agriculture, surveying, construction, and any application requiring centimeter-level accuracy. Users should prepare for coordinate differences that could impact existing workflows and data archives.

Key Takeaways

AI wearables trump VR: Meta’s $70B metaverse losses are driving a strategic pivot to AI glasses, with production capacity potentially tripling by year-end.
Data center accountability rises: Microsoft’s pledge to absorb power costs signals growing pressure on tech giants to address AI infrastructure’s community impact.
LEO positioning matures: With 27-meter accuracy from Starlink/OneWeb signals, LEO satellites are becoming a practical GPS backup in contested environments.