The Trump administration signed a notable multibillion-dollar trade deal with Taiwan that’s designed to help the United States boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Under the deal announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce on Thursday, Taiwanese semiconductor and tech companies have agreed to make direct investments of $250 billion into the …
Read More »AI journalism startup Symbolic.ai signs deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp
Newsrooms have been experimenting with AI for several years now but, for the most part, those efforts have been just that: experiments. A relatively unknown startup, Symbolic.ai, wants to change that, and it just signed a major deal with News Corp, the media conglomerate owned by Rupert Murdoch. News Corp, …
Read More »The AI lab revolving door spins ever faster
AI labs just can’t get their employees to stay put. Yesterday’s big AI news was the abrupt and seemingly acrimonious departure of three top executives at Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines lab.
Read More »AI video startup, Higgsfield, founded by ex-Snap exec, lands $1.3B valuation
Through an extension to its previous $50 million Series A round that closed in September, AI video generation startup Higgsfield has sold another $80 million worth of stock, bringing its total Series A to $130 million. The company says it has now hit a $1.3 billion valuation. Higgsfield offers a …
Read More »The US imposes 25% tariff on Nvidia’s H200 AI chips headed to China
After months of rumors that the Trump administration was going to impose tariffs on semiconductors, a tariff has been announced for some chips. The tariff only applies to certain semiconductors, including the Nvidia H200 advanced AI chips set to ship to China. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday …
Read More »Spotify raises its subscription prices in the U.S. again
Spotify raised prices for its subscription plan in the U.S. for the third time in three years, as it hiked the monthly plan from $11.99 per month to $12.99 per month. The company sent an email to its paid users notifying them of the new price, which is applicable from …
Read More »Microsoft taps India’s Varaha for durable carbon removal offtake
Microsoft has signed a deal with Indian startup Varaha to buy more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide removal credits over the next three years, through 2029, expanding its portfolio of carbon removal projects as the tech giant scales up AI and cloud operations. The project will turn cotton crop …
Read More »India’s Emversity doubles valuation as it scales workers AI can’t replace
As AI automates parts of the workforce, Emversity, an Indian workforce-training startup, is building talent pipelines for roles it sees AI can’t replace, and has raised $30 million in a new round to expand job-ready training in the world’s most populous market. The all-equity Series A round was led by …
Read More »The FTC’s data-sharing order against GM is finally settled
The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it has finalized an order that bans General Motors and its OnStar telematics service from sharing certain consumer data with consumer reporting agencies. The finalized order, which comes a year after the agency reached a proposed settlement with GM, also requires the automaker to …
Read More »Mira Murati’s startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is losing two of its co-founders to OpenAI
Former OpenAI exec Mira Murati’s startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is saying goodbye to two of its co-founders, both of whom are headed back to OpenAI. Another former OpenAI staffer who went to work for Murati’s startup is also headed back to the company. On social media on Wednesday, Murati announced …
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