News/Investing
BlackRock nears $38B AES deal to capitalize on AI power demand
BlackRock's infrastructure fund Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is nearing a $38 billion deal to acquire renewable power company AES, according to the Financial Times. The acquisition would position BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, to capitalize on surging power demand driven by AI data centers, while representing one of the largest infrastructure takeovers in history. What you should know: AES is a prominent U.S. utility that owns and operates power plants globally, providing energy solutions for major tech companies including Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta as they expand AI infrastructure.• Takeover talks are in advanced stages, though the deal could still...
read Sep 30, 2025Chip toolmakers like Teradyne and Lam Research double amid AI boom
AI-focused investors are increasingly turning to lesser-known semiconductor equipment suppliers as chip stocks soar to expensive valuations. Companies like Teradyne, Lam Research, and KLA Corp—which make the tools and machines used to manufacture semiconductors—have emerged as standout performers, with some stocks nearly doubling since spring as traders seek new ways to capitalize on the AI boom. What you should know: Semiconductor equipment makers are outperforming many traditional chip stocks as investors hunt for AI exposure beyond the most obvious plays. Teradyne Inc., which provides chip testing tools during manufacturing, has nearly doubled from its April low and gained more than...
read Sep 30, 2025Morgan Stanley slashes Adobe price target as AI competitors threaten market share
Morgan Stanley has slashed its price target for Adobe, warning that the software giant faces serious threats from AI-powered competitors like Figma and Canva that are rapidly gaining users with their "Magic" features and AI agent integrations. The investment bank's analysts expressed doubt that Adobe can meaningfully monetize its AI investments, despite the company's attempts to integrate generative AI across its product suite. What you should know: Adobe's stock has dropped over 18% year-to-date despite beating third-quarter earnings expectations, with analysts questioning whether the company's AI strategy can generate adequate returns. Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss warned there is "relative...
read Sep 30, 2025CoreWeave shares rise as company signs $14B deal with Meta for AI computing power
CoreWeave has signed a $14 billion agreement with Meta to supply computing power, marking the latest massive infrastructure deal as companies scramble to meet surging demand for AI applications. The deal sent CoreWeave shares up 10% in premarket trading and underscores the intense capital flows driving AI infrastructure expansion, though it also raises questions about potential market bubbles and circular financing patterns. What you should know: This represents one of the largest AI infrastructure deals to date, highlighting the enormous capital requirements for modern AI operations. CoreWeave will provide Meta access to Nvidia's latest GB300 systems as part of the...
read Sep 26, 2025In the money: Nvidia’s $100B OpenAI bet sparks $12B equity fund surge
U.S. equity funds attracted $12.06 billion in net inflows during the week ending September 24, reversing two consecutive weeks of outflows as investor sentiment improved following Nvidia's announcement of a potential $100 billion investment in OpenAI. The renewed appetite for equities signals growing confidence in AI-driven market opportunities, with large-cap funds leading the charge while bond funds also experienced their strongest weekly performance since February 2021. What you should know: The equity fund turnaround represents a dramatic shift from the previous week's massive $39.91 billion outflow. Large-cap equity funds dominated the inflows with $16.94 billion in net investments, marking the...
read Sep 26, 2025Former Texas governor Rick Perry’s data center startup eyes $13B IPO amid AI boom
Rick Perry's data center company Fermi America is preparing to go public at a valuation of up to $13 billion, positioning the former Texas governor and Trump energy secretary to earn hundreds of millions from his 3% stake. The company, founded just this year, plans to build the world's largest private electric grid and data center complex in Texas, named after President Trump and powered by nuclear, natural gas, wind, and solar energy. What you should know: Fermi America aims to raise up to $550 million through its IPO, with shares expected to list between $18-$22 on both Nasdaq and...
read Sep 24, 2025Alibaba boosts AI spending beyond $53B, stock surges 107%
Alibaba's Hong Kong-listed shares surged over 6% on Wednesday after CEO Eddie Wu announced plans to increase AI spending beyond the company's existing $53 billion three-year investment commitment. The rally pushed Alibaba's year-to-date gains above 107%, reaching the stock's highest level since 2021 as investors responded positively to the company's expanded artificial intelligence ambitions. What you should know: Alibaba is doubling down on AI infrastructure and development with additional investments on top of its previously announced spending plan. The company initially committed 380 billion yuan ($53 billion) over three years in February for AI infrastructure development. CEO Eddie Wu said...
read Sep 24, 2025Kodiak Robotics secures $212.5M for autonomous trucking ahead of NASDAQ debut
Ares Acquisition Corporation II saw its shares surge 6.42% in after-hours trading following news that its planned merger with autonomous vehicle company Kodiak Robotics secured over $212.5 million in institutional funding. The PIPE financing, which includes backing from George Soros' Soros Fund Management and Cathie Wood's ARK Investments, more than doubled the original $100 million target and signals strong investor confidence in the self-driving truck technology sector. What you should know: The merger funding package totals over $275 million when combined with remaining trust account funds, positioning the combined company for a robust market entry.• Institutional investors committed $212.5 million...
read Sep 22, 2025Serve Robotics acquires teleoperation tech for $5.75M to scale delivery robots
Serve Robotics has acquired key assets from Phantom Auto and its subsidiary Voysys AB for $5.75 million in cash, integrating ultra-low latency video streaming and teleoperation capabilities into its autonomous delivery robot fleet. The acquisition strengthens Serve's ability to scale its Level 4 autonomy platform in urban environments, where human operators can remotely intervene when robots encounter unexpected obstacles like pedestrians or construction zones. What you should know: The deal brings critical remote operation technology that allows human oversight of autonomous delivery robots with minimal delay. Voysys contributes proprietary bandwidth regulation and video compression achieving glass-to-glass latency as low as...
read Sep 22, 2025Ex-Stripe executives raise $19.2M for AI agent payment protocol ATXP
Two former Stripe executives have raised $19.2 million to develop ATXP, a protocol designed to enable AI agents to make autonomous payments across the internet. Louis Amira, Stripe's former head of crypto & AI partnerships, and David Noël-Romas, the company's former head of crypto engineering, launched Circuit & Chisel to address what they see as a critical infrastructure gap preventing widespread AI agent adoption. The big picture: ATXP aims to become the foundational protocol for agentic payments, similar to how HTTP enabled modern web browsing, potentially unlocking a new era of microtransactions powered by AI agents. Why this matters: The...
read Sep 19, 2025Oracle stock surges on reports of $20B AI deal with Meta
Oracle shares surged on reports that the company is in discussions with Meta about a potential $20 billion AI computing deal. The reported partnership would represent one of the largest enterprise AI infrastructure agreements to date, positioning Oracle as a major player in the rapidly expanding AI cloud services market. What you should know: The market responded enthusiastically to news of the potential mega-deal between Oracle and Meta.• Oracle's stock price spiked following reports of the $20 billion AI computing partnership discussions with Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram.• The deal would involve Oracle providing AI computing infrastructure and...
read Sep 19, 2025“I made this in like two days, in my underwear”: AI studios slash advertising production costs
AI-powered creative studios are emerging as a significant force in advertising, with companies like The Dor Brothers charging €200,000 for major campaigns while dramatically reducing production costs and timelines. This shift represents a fundamental change in how brands create content, as 76% of global ad agencies plan to increase AI spending this year, driven by the technology's ability to compress six- and seven-figure budgets into five-figure productions. What you should know: AI studios are attracting both corporate clients and investor interest by offering production-grade campaigns at a fraction of traditional costs. The Dor Brothers, a German AI studio, charges roughly...
read Sep 19, 2025Nvidia evaluates $500M investment in UK self-driving AI startup Wayve (not Waymo)
Nvidia is evaluating a $500 million investment in Wayve, a UK-based developer of embodied artificial intelligence for autonomous vehicles. The potential investment underscores growing confidence in Wayve's AV2.0 approach to self-driving technology, which learns to drive through experience rather than explicit programming, and could accelerate the development of production-ready autonomous driving solutions for automakers. What you should know: Wayve has signed a letter of intent with Nvidia to evaluate the investment ahead of its next funding round, building on a collaboration that began in 2018. Nvidia previously participated in Wayve's $1.05 billion Series C funding round in May 2024, which...
read Sep 18, 2025NVIDIA buys $5B Intel stake to forge chip manufacturing partnership
NVIDIA has agreed to purchase $5 billion worth of Intel stock at $23.28 per share, making it a major shareholder in the struggling chipmaker just weeks after the U.S. government acquired a 10% stake. The strategic investment will create a new partnership where Intel manufactures NVIDIA chips while incorporating NVIDIA's RTX GPU chiplets into its own PC processors, potentially reshaping the competitive dynamics in both AI infrastructure and consumer computing markets. What you should know: The deal creates a mutually beneficial manufacturing and technology partnership between the two chip giants. Intel will build NVIDIA-custom x86 CPUs that NVIDIA will integrate...
read Sep 17, 2025Nvidia CEO invests £500M in UK cloud firm, calls Britain future AI superpower
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced a £500 million investment in British cloud computing firm NScale, declaring that "the UK is going to be an AI superpower." The investment comes as part of an £11 billion computing infrastructure push that Huang says will deliver 100 times the performance of Britain's fastest current supercomputer, positioning the UK as a major player in the global AI race. What you should know: Huang's investment represents a significant vote of confidence in Britain's AI capabilities at a time of intensifying geopolitical competition in artificial intelligence.• Nvidia is taking an equity stake in NScale and predicts...
read Sep 17, 2025Israeli VC firm Glilot raises $500M for AI-cybersecurity startups
Glilot Capital, one of Israel's largest venture capital funds, has raised $500 million for two new early-stage funds targeting AI and cybersecurity startups. The successful fundraising from international investors, including U.S. and European pension funds, suggests minimal impact from geopolitical tensions surrounding Israel's actions in Gaza on its tech investment appeal. What you should know: The $500 million will be split between Glilot's fifth seed fund and a new early-stage investment vehicle called Glilot Plus. Each fund aims to invest in 12 AI and cybersecurity startups over the coming years, with half the funding going to new investments and half...
read Sep 16, 2025Menlo Ventures promotes Deedy Das to partner after just 1 year
Menlo Ventures has promoted Deedy Das to Partner, recognizing his rapid impact on the firm's AI investment strategy since joining in 2024. The elevation reflects Menlo's aggressive push into AI investing, where Das has co-launched a $100M fund with Anthropic and backed 35 startups while helping establish the firm as a leading early-stage AI investor. What you should know: Das made an unusually fast ascent to partner level, achieving the promotion in just over a year at the firm. He co-launched the $100M Anthology Fund with Anthropic, the AI safety company behind the Claude chatbot, and has already backed 35...
read Sep 16, 2025Conceivable raises $50M to automate IVF with AI-powered robots
Conceivable Life Sciences has secured $50 million in Series A funding to bring AI-driven automation and robotic precision to in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. The funding, led by ARTIS Ventures, Stride, and ACME Ventures, will help commercialize the company's Aura platform, which aims to reduce the manual inconsistencies and high failure rates that plague current IVF workflows. Why this matters: IVF cycles cost between $12,000 to $25,000 in the United States, with many families requiring multiple attempts for success, making process improvements potentially life-changing for thousands of prospective parents. How the technology works: Conceivable's Aura platform uses AI algorithms integrated...
read Sep 15, 2025Oracle stock soars 40% after $300B OpenAI cloud deal
OpenAI has signed a $300 billion contract with Oracle to purchase computing power over the next five years, marking one of the largest cloud deals in history. The agreement, which begins in 2027, represents a massive bet on AI's continued growth while highlighting the extraordinary financial risks both companies are taking in the artificial intelligence race. What you should know: The deal requires unprecedented power and financial commitments that could reshape both companies' futures. The contract will consume 4.5 gigawatts of power capacity—enough electricity to supply about four million homes. OpenAI will owe Oracle an average of $60 billion annually...
read Sep 15, 2025DOF Robotics raises $40M in IPO for immersive attraction expansion
DOF Robotics, an award-winning producer of immersive simulation attractions and robotic systems, has completed its Initial Public Offering on Borsa Istanbul, raising over $40 million and representing 29% of the company's current value. The IPO enables significant investment in R&D projects, production capacity expansion, and entry into new markets as the 19-year-old company continues its global growth trajectory across 60 countries. What you should know: DOF Robotics has established itself as a major player in the immersive entertainment industry through strategic partnerships and consistent growth. The company exports to over 60 countries across six continents, providing simulators and immersive experiences...
read Sep 12, 2025Tesla bets on humanoid robots for 80% of its $25T future as EV sales drop 13%
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced a dramatic strategic shift, projecting that 80% of the company's value will come from its Optimus humanoid robots rather than electric vehicles, positioning Tesla as a potential $25 trillion company by 2050. This pivot comes as Tesla's core EV business faces mounting challenges, with global sales dropping 13% in the first half of 2025 and the company's U.S. market share falling to levels not seen since 2017. What you should know: Tesla plans aggressive production scaling for its Optimus robots, targeting 5,000 units this year and up to 1 million annually by decade's end....
read Sep 12, 2025Vanguard model predicts AI has 45% chance to transform economy with vastly different stock returns
Vanguard's global chief economist Joseph H. Davis has released new research suggesting that if artificial intelligence truly revolutionizes productivity, its benefits will extend beyond tech giants to traditional value stocks across all sectors. His proprietary model assigns a 45-50% probability to an "AI transforms" scenario where technological breakthroughs drive faster economic growth, compared to a 35-45% chance of disappointing AI adoption leading to economic stagnation. What you should know: Vanguard's economic model projects two drastically different investment landscapes over the next decade, with dramatically different asset class performance depending on AI's actual impact. In the optimistic "AI transforms" scenario, the...
read Sep 12, 2025Bank of New York Mellon invests $10M in Carnegie Mellon AI research lab
Bank of New York Mellon is investing $10 million over five years to establish an AI research lab at Carnegie Mellon University, with the physical BNY AI Lab set to open this academic year. The partnership positions both organizations at the forefront of AI research in financial services while strengthening Pittsburgh's growing reputation as an artificial intelligence hub. What you should know: The collaboration extends far beyond basic research funding, creating comprehensive opportunities for students and faculty alike. The BNY AI Lab will support faculty-led research and multi-disciplinary projects focused on AI governance, trust, and accountability frameworks for financial services....
read Sep 12, 2025U.S. data center spending hits record $40B as AI drives 30% growth
U.S. data center spending reached a record $40 billion in June, marking a 30% year-over-year increase driven primarily by artificial intelligence and machine learning infrastructure demands. This unprecedented investment surge reflects how AI expansion is reshaping digital infrastructure, with tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet leading massive facility buildouts while raising critical questions about electricity grid capacity and sustainability. What you should know: The data center construction boom represents the largest infrastructure investment wave in the sector's history, with AI serving as the primary catalyst. Spending jumped from a 50% increase in 2024 to 30% growth in 2025, according...
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