News/Partnerships
OpenAI plans 1 gigawatt data center in India as part of $500B Stargate expansion
OpenAI is planning to construct a massive data center in India with at least 1 gigawatt of capacity, according to local press reports citing people familiar with the matter. The facility would rank among India's largest data centers and represents part of OpenAI's ambitious $500 billion Stargate infrastructure expansion, which already includes major projects in the United States, Norway, and Abu Dhabi. What you should know: OpenAI is actively seeking local partnerships to establish the gigawatt-scale facility in the world's most populous nation. The company is in discussions with potential Indian partners, though the specific location and construction timeline remain...
read Sep 2, 2025Apple loses key AI researchers as 10 team members join rivals
Apple's AI talent exodus has accelerated with four new high-profile departures to rival companies, including the loss of its Lead AI Researcher for Robotics to Meta. The brain drain threatens Apple's efforts to catch up in artificial intelligence and could force the company to rely more heavily on external partnerships rather than homegrown AI development. What you should know: Meta has successfully recruited Jian Zhang, Apple's Lead AI Researcher for Robotics, to join its Robotics Studio despite the company's broader hiring freeze. Zhang led a small team of academics focused on automation technology and AI's role in robotics products at...
read Sep 2, 2025Israeli VCs embrace AI tools while maintaining human-first investing
Israeli venture capital leaders are adapting their investment strategies to incorporate AI tools while maintaining that human judgment remains irreplaceable in venture capital decisions. A new survey from CTech, an Israeli technology publication, reveals how three prominent firms—Red Dot Capital Partners, HiCenter Ventures, and Blumberg Capital—are using AI to enhance their operations while emphasizing that successful AI investments still depend on human trust, commercial focus, and long-term defensibility. What they're saying: Industry leaders consistently emphasize that AI enhances but doesn't replace human decision-making in venture capital. "AI is already woven into our daily work … helping us process information faster,...
read Sep 1, 2025Gatineau, Canada transit deploys $1M AI system to predict bus breakdowns by 2026
The Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO), Gatineau's public transit authority, plans to deploy AI-powered sensors across its entire bus fleet by 2026 to monitor engine conditions and predict maintenance needs. The initiative, backed by a three-year, $1 million contract with Memphis-based Preteckt, aims to improve service reliability as the transit authority grapples with an aging fleet and operational challenges. What you should know: STO's predictive maintenance system will use real-time data collection and AI analysis to detect potential engine failures before they occur. Sensors will continuously monitor engine conditions and alert maintenance teams when vehicles are at risk of...
read Sep 1, 2025This small Caribbean island earned $39M from .ai domain sales in 2024 boom
Anguilla's .ai domain extension has become a financial windfall for the small Caribbean island, generating $39 million in 2024—nearly a quarter of the territory's total government revenue. The unexpected boom, driven by surging demand for AI-related websites, is helping the 16,000-person British Overseas Territory diversify its tourism-dependent economy and build resilience against hurricane damage. The big picture: What started as a routine internet address assignment in the 1980s has transformed into Anguilla's second-largest revenue source, with .ai domain registrations growing more than 10-fold in five years. The government earned 105.5 million East Caribbean dollars ($39 million) from domain sales in...
read Sep 1, 2025Meta explores Google and OpenAI partnerships while building Llama AI
Meta is reportedly exploring partnerships with competitors Google and OpenAI to integrate their AI models into its own applications and services. This strategic move represents a temporary measure to enhance Meta's AI capabilities while the company continues developing its proprietary Llama models to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. What you should know: Meta's Superintelligence Lab is actively evaluating external AI models to power key features across its platform ecosystem. Leaders have examined integrating Google Gemini into Meta AI's chatbot to improve conversational search responses for users. The company has also held discussions about incorporating OpenAI's models to...
read Aug 29, 2025John Deere buys GUSS for AI sprayers that cut chemicals 90%
John Deere has completed its full acquisition of GUSS, the company behind autonomous electric orchard sprayers that use AI-powered weed detection technology. The deal formalizes a joint venture partnership that has been developing for years and positions Deere to capitalize on growing demand for agricultural automation driven by labor shortages and rising operational costs. What you should know: GUSS specializes in fully autonomous electric sprayers designed specifically for orchards and vineyards, addressing critical challenges in high-value crop production. The GUSS electric sprayer operates for 10-12 continuous hours on a single overnight charge using a 63 kWh Kreisel Battery Pack. Its...
read Aug 29, 2025Southeast Asian studios create AI-powered animated anthology about tech relationship
Singapore studios HIP Studios and FizzDragon have partnered with Philippine indie publisher 8Letters to co-produce "AI: Love & Hate," a 90-minute animated anthology feature exploring humanity's relationship with artificial intelligence. The collaboration represents a first-of-its-kind partnership in Southeast Asia that combines traditional animation with generative AI technology to adapt stories from independent Asian authors, positioning the region as an emerging hub for AI-driven content creation. What you should know: The sci-fi anthology will comprise six 15-minute stories adapted from novels by independent authors, examining conflicted emotions surrounding technological advancement. The feature will be released in both English and Mandarin-language versions,...
read Aug 29, 2025Disney and Reliance’s $8.5B JioStar hits 300M subscribers with AI features
Disney CEO Bob Iger joined Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani at the company's annual general meeting in Mumbai to celebrate the rapid success of JioStar, their joint venture that has emerged as a dominant force in India's media landscape with nearly 300 million paid subscribers. The appearance comes as Ambani unveiled major AI partnerships with Google and Meta, signaling Reliance's broader ambition to democratize artificial intelligence across India's enterprise sector. The big picture: The Reliance-Disney media merger, completed last year and valued at $8.5 billion, has created an Indian entertainment powerhouse that now commands significant market share across streaming and...
read Aug 29, 2025Dr Pepper uses mixed reality, AI, and a little carbonation to transform college football marketing
Dr Pepper is expanding its college football marketing strategy with mixed reality experiences, AI-powered activations, and a commercial-free sponsorship of "The Pat McAfee Show" on ESPN. The beverage brand is deepening its ties with Disney and ESPN to reach college football fans through innovative technology and premium content partnerships. What you should know: Dr Pepper's enhanced college football playbook leverages cutting-edge technology to create immersive fan experiences during the sport's most popular season. The brand is incorporating mixed reality elements that blend physical and digital experiences, allowing fans to interact with virtual content overlaid on real-world environments. AI-powered marketing activations...
read Aug 28, 2025Frontline Education launches K-12 AI Advisory Council to guide schools
Frontline Education has launched the Dear Future campaign, which includes establishing a K-12 AI Advisory Council to help district leaders evaluate and develop AI tools for schools. This initiative comes as education leaders struggle to navigate the flood of AI products following President Trump's April executive order to integrate artificial intelligence into U.S. education. What you should know: The Dear Future campaign operates through two main components designed to involve educators in AI development. District leaders are encouraged to share ideas for how AI can improve education. Selected leaders will join an AI Advisory Council to test and provide feedback...
read Aug 28, 2025Scientists bring extinct frogs back to Southern California in big AI leap for preservation
Scientists in Southern California have successfully reintroduced native red-legged frogs to the region using artificial intelligence and cross-border collaboration with Mexico. The breakthrough came when AI analysis of pond recordings confirmed breeding calls in January, marking the first successful reproduction of the species in Southern California after nearly disappearing from 95% of their historical range. The big picture: This conservation success represents a rare example of effective wildlife restoration across international borders, combining cutting-edge AI technology with traditional field biology to bring back a species that had virtually vanished from Southern California. Key details: The red-legged frog, believed to be...
read Aug 28, 2025New “R-Zero” framework lets AI models improve by teaching each other
Tencent AI Lab and Washington University researchers have developed R-Zero, a training framework that enables large language models to improve themselves without any human-labeled data. The breakthrough technique uses two AI models that challenge and teach each other through reinforcement learning, potentially eliminating one of the most expensive bottlenecks in AI development while allowing models to surpass human-defined limitations. How it works: R-Zero splits a base model into two independent roles that co-evolve through continuous interaction cycles. The "Challenger" creates new tasks at the threshold of the "Solver's" current abilities—neither too easy nor impossible to complete. The Solver is rewarded...
read Aug 28, 2025Fermi America partners with South Korea’s Doosan for 11GW nuclear AI campus
Fermi America has signed a strategic partnership with South Korea's Doosan Enerbility to advance nuclear power development at its massive 11-gigawatt HyperGrid AI campus in Amarillo, Texas. The memorandum of understanding covers both traditional large-scale nuclear plants and cutting-edge small modular reactor technologies for what promises to be one of the world's largest AI infrastructure projects. The HyperGrid campus represents a new scale of AI infrastructure, featuring 18 million square feet of data centers—roughly equivalent to 315 football fields of computing space. This facility will require up to 11 gigawatts of continuous power, enough electricity to power approximately 8 million...
read Aug 28, 2025John Deere backs first robotics testing farm for agtech startups in Salinas, California
The Reservoir broke ground Wednesday as the first on-farm robotics hub dedicated to specialty crops in Salinas, California, providing agtech startups with a dedicated testing space for automation tools. The innovation farm aims to support California's agricultural sector by giving emerging technology companies a place to develop and refine solutions without disrupting working farms, with industry giant John Deere serving as a key partner. What you should know: The Reservoir will grow celery, lettuce, and strawberries while serving as a testing ground for agricultural technology startups. Danny Bernstein, CEO of The Reservoir, said their goal is to "support the startups,...
read Aug 28, 2025Volkswagen’s 5-year AWS deal targets tens of millions in AI factory savings
Volkswagen has extended its cloud partnership with Amazon Web Services for another five years, deepening its commitment to using AI for production optimization across its global manufacturing network. The German automaker estimates the AI-driven systems will generate tens of millions of euros in cost savings over the medium term, supporting its broader cost-cutting overhaul. What you should know: Volkswagen's digital production platform is already operational across 43 manufacturing locations in Europe, North America, and South America. The cloud-based system connects factories to optimize complex vehicle assembly processes and improve operational efficiency. Volkswagen operates over 114 production sites globally, suggesting significant...
read Aug 27, 2025Richtech Robotics stock rises 4.9% on Starbucks and Domino’s partnerships
Richtech Robotics Inc. stock surged 4.89% on August 27, 2025, following strategic partnerships with major brands including Starbucks, Domino's, and Airbnb for AI-driven automation solutions. The uptick reflects growing investor confidence in the company's ability to integrate cutting-edge robotics technology into mainstream business operations, despite underlying financial challenges that continue to pressure profitability metrics. Key financial metrics: Richtech Robotics, a publicly traded automation technology company, reported revenues of $4.24 million but continues to face profitability challenges with negative EBIT and net income measures. The company maintains strong liquidity with a current ratio of 120.2, indicating solid coverage of short-term financial...
read Aug 27, 2025IBM and AMD team up to build quantum-centric supercomputers
IBM and AMD have announced a collaboration to develop "quantum-centric supercomputing" architectures that integrate quantum systems with high-performance computing and AI accelerators. The partnership aims to create hybrid computing models that could tackle scientific and industrial problems at unprecedented speeds and scales, with quantum hardware simulating atoms and molecules while traditional supercomputers analyze large-scale data. What you should know: The collaboration focuses on blending IBM's quantum expertise with AMD's high-performance computing and AI technologies to push beyond traditional computing limitations. The companies plan to integrate AMD's CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs (specialized processing chips) with IBM quantum computers to explore new...
read Aug 27, 2025Microsoft Copilot AI comes to Samsung’s 2025 smart TVs
Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant is now available on Samsung's 2025 lineup of TVs and smart monitors, featuring an animated interface that can provide movie recommendations and spoiler-free episode summaries. The integration marks Microsoft's expansion of Copilot beyond computers and mobile devices into the living room entertainment space, with plans to extend to LG TVs as well. What you should know: Copilot appears as a friendly, animated presence that resembles Microsoft's opalescent Copilot design, though rendered in a beige color that the company describes as looking like a "personified chickpea."• The AI assistant floats and bounces around the screen with a...
read Aug 27, 2025Adobe integrates Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash into Firefly and Express
Adobe has integrated Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Image model into its Firefly and Express platforms, expanding its roster of AI partners beyond its own in-house models. The addition gives users access to enhanced text-to-image generation capabilities with improved context understanding, consistency, and performance compared to Adobe's existing Firefly models. What you should know: Adobe is positioning itself as a multi-model AI platform rather than restricting users to proprietary technology alone. Gemini 2.5 Flash Image joins models from OpenAI, Black Forest Labs, Runway, Pika, Ideogram, Lume AI, and Moonvalley in Adobe's ecosystem. The integration allows users to generate stylized graphics in...
read Aug 27, 2025Just Deserts: Micropolis Robotics expands to North Africa with exclusive UAE partnership
Micropolis Robotics, a developer of unmanned ground vehicles and AI-driven security solutions, has secured an exclusive distribution agreement with UAE-based Aerxio to expand across Egypt and North Africa. The partnership represents a significant milestone in Micropolis's international expansion strategy, targeting high-growth regional markets where autonomous security solutions can address critical infrastructure challenges including border protection. What you should know: The agreement grants Aerxio exclusive rights to distribute Micropolis's advanced robotics technologies throughout Egypt and the broader North African region. Aerxio brings established strategic relationships with companies across the target markets, providing local expertise for Micropolis's expansion. The partnership focuses on...
read Aug 27, 2025Sleeping with one AI open: Sleep.ai raises $5.5M to scale intelligence platform
Sleep.ai has raised $5.5 million in venture funding to scale its AI-powered sleep intelligence platform, marking a strategic shift from research to commercialization under a unified brand. The funding positions the company to capitalize on growing consumer demand for sleep health solutions, leveraging what it claims is the industry's largest dataset of over 800 million hours of proprietary sleep data. What you should know: The round was led by Treasure Coast Ventures, a venture capital firm, with participation from Nurture Ventures, Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York, Supermoon Capital, and other investors. Sleep.ai, formerly SleepScore Labs, will...
read Aug 27, 2025Coast Guard launches $10K AI internship program for STEM students
The U.S. Coast Guard has partnered with NobleReach, a STEM education organization, to launch a 14-week AI and robotics internship program in Washington D.C., supporting the newly established Robotics and Autonomous Systems Program Executive Office. The fall 2025 program represents a strategic effort to integrate emerging technologies into national security operations while developing the next generation of defense-focused STEM talent. What you should know: Five undergraduate and graduate students from AI, engineering, and science programs will work full-time on-site from September through December 2025. Students receive a $10,000 stipend and are eligible for university credit, subject to individual institution approval....
read Aug 25, 2025ARX Robotics launches Combat Gereon, first AI combat drone for Ukraine
European defense company ARX Robotics has introduced the Combat Gereon, its first AI-powered combat unmanned ground vehicle developed in partnership with Ukrainian companies. The system represents a significant step toward "first unmanned contact" warfare, designed to perform high-risk missions and reduce soldier casualties on active battlefields. What you should know: The Combat Gereon combines proven robotics with AI-enabled autonomous functions specifically adapted for real combat conditions based on Ukrainian military feedback. The vehicle can carry payloads up to 500 kilograms and operate over distances of 40 kilometers. It performs reconnaissance, route clearance, and forward observation missions in high-risk areas. The...
read