News/AI Infrastructure
India and UK bolster tech partnership in AI, 6G and space
The United Kingdom and India have forged deeper technological cooperation through a series of high-level meetings and agreements in February 2025, focusing on next-generation telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and space technology. This collaboration builds upon existing partnerships while expanding into new areas of innovation, including Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) development and 6G research. Key developments: The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) and London's Sonic Labs have formalized their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding focused on Open RAN policy and technical development. The agreement encompasses 5G Open RAN advancement and AI integration in both 4G and 5G networks...
read Feb 22, 2025Why reasoning models like DeepSeek-R1 are increasing (not decreasing) demand for GPUs
The rise of advanced AI reasoning models like DeepSeek-R1 has transformed the computational landscape for AI infrastructure providers. Together AI has secured significant funding to meet growing enterprise demands for high-performance AI model deployment and reasoning capabilities. Recent funding and growth: Together AI has raised $305 million in Series B funding led by General Catalyst and Prosperity7, marking a significant expansion of its AI deployment platform. The company has experienced 6X year-over-year growth with over 450,000 registered developers Notable customers include AI startups like Krea AI, Captions, and Pika Labs The platform now supports multiple AI modalities including language, reasoning,...
read Feb 22, 2025India partners with ITU to advance AI and digital twin technologies
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have formalized a partnership to advance digital innovation and telecommunications standards globally. This Letter of Intent (LoI) marks a significant shift in telecommunications infrastructure, moving from traditional connectivity models toward intelligent, data-driven planning systems. Partnership overview: The collaboration between ITU and DoT establishes a framework for developing next-generation technologies including digital twins, artificial intelligence solutions, and IMT-2030 capabilities. The agreement prioritizes knowledge sharing and capacity building initiatives between India and ITU member states A key focus is creating sandbox environments to test and validate digital twin technologies before deployment...
read Feb 21, 2025Eaton’s AI data center stock dips on the arrival of DeepSeek
The Investing Club, led by Jim Cramer, is making strategic moves in response to market fluctuations affecting AI infrastructure stocks. Eaton Corporation, a manufacturer of electrical components and power management systems for AI data centers, has recently experienced a significant price dip following news from Chinese AI startup DeepSeek. Market context and timing: The broader market is experiencing a downturn, with momentum stocks declining and cyclical stocks responding to weakening economic indicators. The Atlanta Fed GDPNow forecast shows first-quarter economic growth dropping to 2.3% from 3.9% in early February Consumer discretionary and industrial sectors are among the worst-performing this month...
read Feb 21, 2025DataVolt to develop AI-ready data center in Riyadh’s First Technology Park
In Saudi Arabia, rapid technological growth has created an urgent need for advanced data processing facilities, particularly those optimized for artificial intelligence workloads. DataVolt, a digital infrastructure developer with extensive experience in renewable energy projects, has announced plans to construct a major AI-focused data center in Riyadh. Project Overview: DataVolt has secured a land lease agreement with MODON to develop a 55,000-square-meter AI-ready data center in Riyadh's First Technology Park. The facility will primarily serve hyperscalers, cloud providers, and enterprise customers in Saudi Arabia The project represents a portion of DataVolt's larger USD 5 billion investment in Saudi Arabian digital...
read Feb 20, 2025South Korea to build world’s largest AI data center
The South Korean technology sector is witnessing a significant expansion with the announcement of a massive AI data center project. Leading the initiative is Brian Koo, a member of the LG Electronics founding family, who has partnered with the South Korean government to construct what is being promoted as the world's largest AI data center. Project Overview: The new data center, planned for Jeollanam-do Province, will be developed by Fir Hills Inc., a subsidiary of Stock Farm Road Inc., with an expected completion date of 2028. The facility will have the capacity to scale up to 3 gigawatts, making it...
read Feb 20, 2025Global electricity demand is surging — but AI is only a small part of the story
The global electricity landscape is undergoing significant transformation, with demand rising 4.3% in 2024 and projected to maintain nearly 4% annual growth through 2027. While recent media attention has focused on data centers and AI power consumption, the actual drivers of electricity demand are more diverse and complex. Key growth drivers: Developing and emerging economies, particularly in Asia, are responsible for the majority of increased electricity consumption. China alone accounted for over half of global electricity demand growth in 2024, with its solar module, battery, and electric vehicle production consuming as much electricity as Italy uses annually India and Southeast...
read Feb 20, 2025Undersea cables channel data and power, but they face major risks
The world's digital infrastructure relies heavily on a 750,000-mile network of subsea cables that carry 95% of international data flows between continents. As artificial intelligence systems demand ever-increasing bandwidth for data transmission, these underwater cables have become critical chokepoints in the global economy. Recent threats and incidents: A series of concerning events has highlighted the vulnerability of subsea cable infrastructure in recent months. A Chinese vessel caused significant damage to Baltic cables in November 2024 A Russian tanker severed a key power cable connecting Finland and Estonia in December 2024 Multiple cables near Taiwan sustained damage in January 2025, with...
read Feb 20, 2025Malaysia is betting on AI data centers to fuel growth — here’s why experts urge caution
Johor, Malaysia's southernmost state, has emerged as Southeast Asia's fastest-growing data center hub, with plans to reach 1.6 gigawatts of capacity as part of the country's broader economic transformation strategy. Malaysia's government sees data centers as a pathway to modernization and technological advancement, although this vision faces significant challenges and criticism. Investment landscape and economic strategy: Malaysia is aggressively courting data center investments through competitive land pricing, abundant power capacity, and attractive tax incentives. The country secured over $31 billion in investments during the first ten months of 2024, positioning itself as a major player in Southeast Asia's digital infrastructure...
read Feb 20, 2025AI safety improves through modular, bite-sized thinking
The early 2020s saw rapid development of increasingly powerful AI models, prompting - so to speak - renewed focus on system safety principles from other industries. Researchers are exploring how concepts from Charles Perrow's work on complex systems could help create safer AI architectures through modularity and controlled assembly. Key safety principles: Complex, tightly-coupled systems are more prone to unexpected accidents and cascading failures, making a modular approach potentially valuable for AI development. Just In Time Assembly (JITA), a manufacturing concept where components are assembled only when needed, could be adapted to construct AI capabilities selectively Frequent resetting of model...
read Feb 19, 2025How Chinese firm DeepSeek just made it even harder for US AI firms to achieve profitability
The artificial intelligence industry witnessed a significant disruption in early 2025 when Chinese startup DeepSeek released its R1 model, matching the performance of OpenAI's flagship o1 model at roughly 1/27th of the cost. This development sparked a major market reaction, with Nvidia experiencing a $600 billion market value drop and raising questions about the economics of AI development. Market impact and immediate reactions: DeepSeek's achievement triggered substantial volatility in both public and private AI company valuations, while challenging assumptions about AI development costs. Nvidia and other American AI infrastructure stocks collectively lost nearly $1 trillion in value following DeepSeek's announcement...
read Feb 18, 2025Sovereign sentience nears with Saudi Arabia’s first sovereign AI cloud platform
The rise of sovereign AI platforms has gained momentum as countries seek to maintain control over their AI infrastructure and data. Saudi Arabia's telecommunications giant stc Group is making significant moves in this direction through a strategic partnership with AI solutions provider SambaNova. The big picture: Saudi Arabia is establishing its position in the global AI landscape through the launch of a sovereign AI cloud platform featuring the world's largest open-source frontier model. The platform, launched through stc.AI, incorporates stc Enterprise GPT and boasts the fastest inference speeds for Llama 405B This initiative represents a significant step in Saudi Arabia's...
read Feb 13, 2025Cloud AI innovation expands beyond AWS, Azure and Google, to include IBM, Alibaba and others
The rise of artificial intelligence and specialized computing needs is reshaping how enterprises choose cloud providers. Athos Therapeutics' recent partnership with GPU-as-a-service provider Vultr demonstrates how organizations are looking beyond traditional cloud giants for AI infrastructure solutions. The big picture: While AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud continue to dominate the enterprise cloud market, second-tier providers are carving out valuable niches by offering specialized AI services and more cost-effective solutions. Vultr, IBM, Alibaba, Akamai, OVHcloud, Tencent, and Huawei are emerging as viable alternatives for organizations with specific AI workload requirements These providers differentiate themselves through specialized services, flexibility, and often...
read Feb 13, 2025Equinix shares slide as strong dollar challenges AI infrastructure business
The global data center provider Equinix faces currency exchange challenges as it expands its infrastructure to meet growing AI demands. The company's recent financial forecasts have disappointed investors, particularly due to the impact of a strong U.S. dollar on its international operations. Market impact and immediate reaction: The company's shares declined over 2% in after-hours trading following the announcement of lower-than-expected revenue projections. First-quarter revenue forecast ranges between $2.19 billion and $2.23 billion, falling short of analysts' $2.29 billion estimate The forecast includes $25 million in seasonal costs and a $20 million negative currency impact Fourth-quarter revenue reached $2.26 billion,...
read Feb 13, 2025Cisco boosts revenue forecast, shares surge
Cisco, a leading networking hardware manufacturer, has reported its fiscal second-quarter results for 2025, showing significant growth and exceeding market expectations. The company's performance was notably boosted by its recent acquisition of Splunk and strong demand for AI infrastructure. Key Performance Metrics: Cisco reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of 94 cents per share adjusted and revenue of $13.99 billion, surpassing analyst expectations. Revenue grew 9% year-over-year, marking a turnaround after four consecutive quarters of decline The company received orders exceeding $350 million for artificial intelligence infrastructure during the quarter Net income decreased 8% to $2.43 billion, or 61 cents per share...
read Feb 12, 2025EU unveils €200 billion AI investment plan
The European Union is taking significant steps to boost its artificial intelligence capabilities through major funding initiatives. The European Commission has announced a €200 billion investment plan for AI development, with a specific focus on establishing AI gigafactories to enhance computing power for model training. Key funding details: The European Commission's comprehensive AI investment strategy includes €20 billion specifically allocated for AI gigafactories, designed to enable collaborative development of complex AI models. The initiative follows French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement of a €109 billion AI investment plan for France European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the goal of...
read Feb 12, 2025Google I/O 2025 dates confirmed: Here’s what to expect
The Google I/O developers conference, a pivotal annual event for the tech giant's product announcements, has been scheduled for May 20-21, 2025, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. This two-day conference traditionally serves as Google's platform for unveiling new software developments and future-focused technologies. Event overview: Google has structured the conference with keynotes and main sessions on day one, followed by breakout sessions, workshops, demos, and networking opportunities on day two. The event will be accessible both in-person and via live stream on Google's YouTube channel Registration for the conference is now open to the public The venue...
read Feb 12, 2025Huawei Cloud to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s AI goals with massive new investment
The rapid development of cloud computing infrastructure in Saudi Arabia has accelerated since Huawei Cloud launched its Riyadh Region in September 2023. The establishment of this regional hub marks a significant milestone in Saudi Arabia's digital transformation journey under Vision 2030. Current status and reach: Huawei Cloud's Riyadh Region has established itself as a major AI hub serving the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa, delivering advanced cloud services to over 1,000 customers and 300 partners. The region's 3AZ architecture provides impressive latency rates of 25ms within Saudi Arabia and 100ms across the broader region Huawei Cloud has secured a...
read Feb 12, 2025AWS and stc Group partner to accelerate AI adoption in Saudi Kingdom
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rapidly developing its digital infrastructure through strategic tech partnerships as part of its Vision 2030 economic transformation plan. Saudi telecommunications giant stc Group and Amazon Web Services have formed a partnership aimed at accelerating cloud adoption and AI implementation across the Middle East. Partnership Overview: stc Group has achieved AWS System Integrator Premier Partner status, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration between the two technology leaders. The partnership combines AWS's cloud infrastructure and generative AI services with stc Group's regional expertise Key focus areas include local content development, sustainability initiatives, and knowledge sharing...
read Feb 12, 2025SoftBank reports loss after AI investment announcement with Trump
Falling star...gate? The Japanese technology investment giant SoftBank Group Corp. has faced significant financial fluctuations in recent months, posting both notable gains and losses across its diverse portfolio. The company's strategic focus on artificial intelligence investments, including a major recent partnership with U.S. tech leaders, comes amid these varying financial results. Latest financial results: SoftBank Group reported a 369.2 billion yen ($2.4 billion) loss for the fiscal third quarter, contrasting sharply with its 950 billion yen profit in the same period last year. Quarterly sales showed a modest 3% increase to 1.83 trillion yen ($11.9 billion) The company's nine-month performance...
read Feb 12, 2025Buzz term alert: DeAI, or Decentralized AI, challenges Big Tech and ChatGPT dominance
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has been marked by massive investments from major tech companies, with giants like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft planning to invest $320 billion in AI innovations this year. However, a new paradigm called Decentralized AI (DeAI) is emerging as a potential alternative to the centralized control of artificial intelligence systems. The fundamentals of DeAI: Decentralized AI operates on principles similar to Bitcoin's blockchain technology, utilizing a network of independent nodes rather than centralized corporate control. The system employs thousands of independent computer servers that work together to make AI decisions, similar to how Bitcoin's...
read Feb 11, 2025The myth of the AI energy crisis
The increasing development of artificial intelligence has sparked debate about its energy requirements, with some leaders claiming massive increases in power consumption are needed. Former President Donald Trump has linked AI advancement to expanded fossil fuel usage, while tech executives have focused more on renewable and nuclear solutions. Key claims and counter-arguments: Trump and tech industry leaders have warned of an impending energy crisis to support AI development, with predictions of requiring double current energy production levels. Trump has advocated for increased coal, oil, and gas production to meet projected AI energy demands Tech executives like Sam Altman and Satya...
read Feb 11, 2025EU to invest €50B to establish region as global AI leader
The European Union is significantly expanding its investment in artificial intelligence development, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announcing a major new funding initiative. This investment comes as Europe seeks to establish itself as a global leader in AI technology and innovation, competing with other major tech hubs worldwide. Key investment details: The European Commission will contribute an additional 50 billion euros ($51.6 billion) to support AI development across the European Union. The new funding will complement the existing European AI Champions Initiative, which has already secured 150 billion euros in commitments from private sector partners The combined...
read Feb 11, 2025EU chief outlines AI strategy at Paris tech summit
The European Union is positioning itself as a major player in artificial intelligence development, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlining ambitious plans at the Paris AI Summit. The EU aims to mobilize €200 billion in AI investments while developing a distinctly European approach to artificial intelligence that emphasizes collaboration, accessibility, and safety. Strategic vision and investment: The European Commission is crafting a comprehensive plan to establish Europe as a leading AI continent, backed by substantial financial commitment. Von der Leyen announced plans to mobilize €200 billion (approximately $206.38 billion) for AI investment across Europe The EU is making...
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