Two decades ago, Google co-founder Larry Page had an idea that would forever change the way we navigate the world.
“Larry drove down some of these streets with a video camera and handed it to someone and said, ‘Hey, what can you do with this?'” said Maria Biggs, technical program manager at Google Street View, a prominent feature in Google Maps.
In a car equipped with the latest Street View camera, Biggs took CNBC on a ride near Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters. First introduced in 2022, it’s the first camera model that can be added onto any car, rather than being built into the vehicle.
“We’re going to Hawaii with these next generation camera systems because we don’t have to ship the whole car,” Biggs said. “We can just put the camera system in a box and ship it there and then rent the car when we’re there.”
Biggs said the new technology will allow Google to update data on some places for the first time in 10 years.
“We’re going to be able to easily move these cameras around and have more freshness in our maps,” she said.
With more than 2 billion monthly users, Google Maps is the world’s top navigation app. As Maps approaches its 20th anniversary in February, Google is working hard to keep that lead, with the help of the new cameras, as well as generative artificial intelligence.
The more nimble cameras are allowing Google to make updates to dozens of countries. It’s also mapping at least three new ones — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Namibia, and Liechtenstein. Street View cameras are a significant part of how Google gathers data for Maps, but it also relies on satellite and aerial images, and information from more than 1,000 third-party sources, such as local governments and users. That mass data collection system allows Google to offer maps in more than 250 countries and territories.
Street View hardware operations’ Tom Nora installs Google’s newest camera system on a car in Palo Alto, California, on November 15, 2024. First introduced in 2022, it’s the first model that can be used on any car rather than being built-in, helping Google Map new countries.
Marc Ganley
AI enhancements
In October, Google enabled Maps with Gemini, its generative AI chatbot. Gemini can help find places that meet a detailed set of specifications, like a dog-friendly sports bar with TVs and outdoor dining. It can summarize thousands of reviews, give drivers real-time reports of disruptions like unplowed roads or flooded areas, and overlay weather conditions on an immersive view along the way.
On public transit, there are now delay reports, alternate routes, and details like subway entrance locations. At the destination, Maps can make parking suggestions and then help with walking directions from there.
Gemini is also enabling voice-activated reports in Waze, which Google bought in 2013 for $1.3 billion. That data gets fed into Google Maps to help alert drivers on both apps about hazards in real time.
“We hope that our products are helping people navigate more confidently and safely,” said Chris Phillips, vice president and general manager of Google Geo, the division that runs Maps. He said Waze is also helping improve safety on roadways by “letting people know a particular street has had issues in the past, and we’ve seen a noticeable change in people’s behaviors when they’re driving down those streets.”
Waze is also known for offering alternate routes.
“We’ll give you some more provocative maneuvers along the way,” Phillips said, when it comes to “beating the traffic and getting around.”
But alternate routes have also worsened traffic in some neighborhoods, where small roads can be ill equipped to handle many cars.
Phillips said Google only uses public roads and works with the local authorities to adhere to rules for specific streets.
Google Geo VP and General Manager Chris Phillips shows CNBC’s Katie Tarasov around the Google Street View garage in Palo Alto, California, on November 15, 2024.
Marc Ganley
“The use of these navigation apps, whether embedded or on smartphone devices, is almost universal,” said James Hodgson, who covers automotive for ABI Research.
Hodgson said that one problem currently is that the technology is targeted on a user-by-user basis. To improve efficiency, he said, “we are approaching a point where there needs to be a broader, almost fleet-level view.”
A major “perception barrier” Google has faced, Hodgson said, is around data privacy.
The revenue is largely built on a model that Google knows well: advertising.
“We’re always focused on giving people the result, when they’re searching for a restaurant or a place, that most accurately fits what they’re searching for, ” Phillips said. “And merchants have the opportunity to actually pay for advertising in order for their place to show up in that list.”
Google also makes money by selling a software interface with detailed data to solar companies looking for new customers. It has highly accurate rooftop images, measurements, elevation and shading for some 480 million buildings across 40 countries.
Google sells access to its Maps Platform to companies including Wayfair and Dominos. Developers have used it to build more than 10 million sites and apps for things like food delivery, ridesharing and real estate. For example, in 2019, Uber said it paid Google $58 million for its mapping technology over the previous three years.
As robotaxis go mainstream, accurate mapping is crucial, and a big opportunity for Google.
Alphabet-owned Waymo dominated the U.S. robotaxi market in 2024, and passengers in Phoenix can hail one of the fully autonomous cars directly from the Google Maps app. Robotaxis also present the potential for a virtuous cycle.
“I think an ambition for Waymo, and something that we see from almost every other autonomous vehicle platform provider, is to try to close that loop and to use the same vehicles that benefit from the map to also contribute to the creation of that map,” Hodgson said. “That is the future of where mapping is going for autonomous driving.”
Signage at 23andMe headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is investigating 23andMe‘s decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and has expressed concern that its sensitive genetic data is “at risk of being compromised,” CNBC has learned.
Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and Rep. Gary Palmer, R.-Ala., sent a letter to 23andMe’s interim CEO Joe Selsavage on Thursday requesting answers to a series of questions about its data and privacy practices by May 1.
The congressmen are the latest government officials to raise concerns about 23andMe’s commitment to data security, as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Federal Trade Commission have sent the company similar letters in recent weeks.
23andMe exploded into the mainstream with its at-home DNA testing kits that gave customers insight into their family histories and genetic profiles. The company was once valued at a peak of $6 billion, but has since struggled to generate recurring revenue and establish a lucrative research and therapeutics businesses.
After filing for bankruptcy in in Missouri federal court in March, 23andMe’s assets, including its vast genetic database, are up for sale.
“With the lack of a federal comprehensive data privacy and security law, we write to express our great concern about the safety of Americans’ most sensitive personal information,” Guthrie, Bilirakis and Palmer wrote in the letter.
23andMe did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
More CNBC health coverage
23andMe has been inundated with privacy concerns in recent years after hackers accessed the information of nearly 7 million customers in 2023.
DNA data is particularly sensitive because each person’s sequence is unique, meaning it can never be fully anonymized, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute. If genetic data falls into the hands of bad actors, it could be used to facilitate identity theft, insurance fraud and other crimes.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has jurisdiction over issues involving data privacy. Guthrie serves as the chairman of the committee, Palmer serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and Bilirakis serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.
The congressmen said that while Americans’ health information is protected under legislation like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, direct-to-consumer companies like 23andMe are typically not covered under that law. They said they feel “great concern” about the safety of the company’s customer data, especially given the uncertainty around the sale process.
23andMe has repeatedly said it will not change how it manages or protects consumer data throughout the transaction. Similarly, in a March release, the company said all potential buyers must agree to comply with its privacy policy and applicable law.
“To constitute a qualified bid, potential buyers must, among other requirements, agree to comply with 23andMe’s consumer privacy policy and all applicable laws with respect to the treatment of customer data,” 23andMe said in the release.
23andMe customers can still delete their account and accompanying data through the company’s website. But Guthrie, Bilirakis and Palmer said there are reports that some users have had trouble doing so.
“Regardless of whether the company changes ownership, we want to ensure that customer access and deletion requests are being honored by 23andMe,” the congressmen wrote.
A motorcycle is seen near a building of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company, in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on April 16, 2025.
“TSMC is not engaged in any discussion with other companies regarding any joint venture, technology licensing or technology,” CEO C.C. Wei said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, dispelling rumors about a collaboration with Intel.
Intel and TSMC were said to have been looking to form a JV as recently as this month. On April 3, The Information reported that the two firms discussed a preliminary agreement to form a tie-up to operate Intel’s chip factories with TSMC owning a 21% stake.
Intel was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC on Wei’s comments on Thursday. The company previously said it doesn’t comment on rumors, when asked by CNBC about the reported discussions.
TSMC’s denial of tie-up talks with Intel comes as President Donald Trump is pushing to address global trade imbalances and reshore manufacturing in the U.S. through tariffs. The Department of Commerce recently kicked off an investigation into semiconductor imports — a move that could result in new tariffs for the chip industry.
TSMC reported a profit beatfor the first quarter thanks to a continued surge in demand for AI chips. However, the company contends with potential headwinds from Trump’s tariffs — which target Taiwan — and stricter export controls on TSMC clients Nvidia and AMD.
A motorcycle is seen near a building of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company, in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on April 16, 2025.
Here are TSMC’s first-quarter results versus LSEG consensus estimates:
Revenue: $839.25 billion New Taiwan dollars, vs. NT$835.13 billion expected
Net income: NT$361.56 billion, vs. NT$354.14 billion
TSMC’s reported net income increased 60.3% from a year ago to NT$361.56 billion, while net revenue in the March quarter rose 41.6% from a year earlier to NT$839.25 billion.
The world’s largest contract chip manufacturer has benefited from the AI boom as it produces advanced processors for clients such American chip designer Nvidia.
However, the company faces headwinds from the trade policy of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has placed broad trade tariffs on Taiwan and stricter export controls on TSMC clients Nvidia and AMD.
Semiconductor export controls could also be expanded next month under the “AI diffusion rules” first proposed by the Biden administration, further restricting the sales of chipmakers that use TSMC foundries.
Taiwan currently faces a blanket 10% tariff from the Trump administration and that could rise to 32% after the President’s 90-day pause of his “reciprocal tariffs” ends unless it reaches a deal with the U.S.
As part of efforts to diversify its supply chains, TSMC has been investing billions in overseas facilities, though the lion’s share of its manufacturing remains in Taiwan.
In an apparent response to Trump’s trade policy, TSMC last month announced plans to invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S. on top of the $65 billion it has committed to three plants in the U.S.
On Monday, AMD said it would soon manufacture processor chips at one of the new Arizona-based TSMC facilities, marking the first time that its chips will be manufactured in the U.S.
The same day, Nvidia announced that it has already started production of its Blackwell chips at TSMC’s Arizona plants. It plans to produce up to half a trillion dollars of AI infrastructure in the U.S. over the next four years through partners, including TSMC.
Taiwan-listed shares of TSMC were down about 0.4%. Shares have lost about 20% so far this year.