Google has announced plans to open a new AI-focused data centre in Saudi Arabia, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to expand research in Arabic language AI models and ‘Saudi-specific AI applications.’ The project arrives as Google continues to face scrutiny over meeting its own climate goals, including its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 2030.
The tech giant’s choice of location, a region highly dependent on fossil fuels, has raised eyebrows, given Google’s 2020 pledge to avoid developing AI algorithms for oil and gas. Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned petroleum company, currently uses AI to enhance production, with one oil field reportedly seeing a 15% boost through AI integration. While Google has stated the partnership ‘comports’ with its climate pledges, the data centre may contribute to advancing AI within the oil and gas sector.
The exact nature of ‘Saudi-specific AI applications’ remains unclear, though the centre could have implications for energy production as AI’s role in Saudi industry expands.
NTT DATA and Google Cloud have partnered to accelerate the adoption of cloud-based data analytics and generative AI solutions across the Asia Pacific region. By combining NTT DATA’s industry expertise and client base with Google Cloud’s cutting-edge technologies, the partnership aims to drive innovation, improve operational efficiency, and enhance agility for enterprises.
Specifically, the collaboration focuses on co-developing industry-specific solutions for sectors such as healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, retail, and the public sector. A new NTT DATA Google Cloud Business Unit will also be created to focus on joint solutions in data analytics, GenAI, applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and SAP on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
The expansion also involves enhancing internal expertise, as NTT DATA plans to certify at least 1,000 more engineers in the APAC region and provide advanced training to its teams to ensure successful solution delivery. With global public cloud spending projected to grow significantly, the partnership aims to capture the increasing demand for cloud services and AI-driven solutions.
The goal is to grow NTT DATA’s cloud business in APAC by more than 10 times over the next three years. By combining NTT DATA’s digital transformation portfolio with Google Cloud’s advanced technologies, the collaboration is set to drive modernisation in AI, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity, offering businesses secure and efficient solutions to accelerate their digital transformation.
The French Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) and WSC Sports have partnered to revolutionise the league’s digital content strategy through AI-powered automation. WSC Sports’ platform will enable LFP to rapidly create and distribute tailored, data-driven content across various formats and platforms, including websites, apps, social media, and global broadcasts.
That will enhance fan engagement by delivering personalised content while maximising LFP’s digital assets, improving international visibility, and opening new revenue streams. The partnership also involves digitising 20 years of archived footage from Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, transforming historic moments into formats suited for modern platforms like vertical video, which will engage younger fans.
By automating content creation and distribution, LFP can scale its production efforts, expand its fanbase, and unlock new monetisation opportunities, driving financial growth. The collaboration is a significant step in LFP’s broader strategic transformation, focusing on providing a more dynamic and engaging experience for its fans.
By embracing AI and automation, LFP aims to meet the increasing demand for digital content and stay culturally relevant in a rapidly evolving media landscape. The partnership aims to strengthen fan loyalty, deliver content that exceeds expectations, and ensure that LFP’s competitions remain prominent in the global sports ecosystem.
Anthropic has unveiled Claude 3.5 Haiku, its latest AI model, which claims to outperform its previous flagship model, Claude 3 Opus. Designed for tasks such as coding support, data extraction, and content moderation, Claude 3.5 Haiku is now available on Anthropic’s API and several third-party platforms, including AWS Bedrock. Despite improvements, the new model lacks image analysis features, which its predecessor Claude 3 Haiku offers.
A price hike for Claude 3.5 Haiku has surprised many, as Anthropic previously suggested pricing would remain consistent with its older model. However, after outperforming Claude 3 Opus in final tests, Anthropic increased the model’s price to match its enhanced performance. The revised cost is now $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens — a fourfold increase from Claude 3 Haiku’s pricing.
Claude 3.5 Haiku provides advantages in text output length and an updated knowledge cutoff, enabling it to handle more recent information than Claude 3 Haiku. Despite this, the absence of image analysis functionality may lead some users to stick with the earlier, more affordable Claude 3 Haiku.
The unexpected price increase raises questions about Anthropic’s pricing approach as competition intensifies in the AI industry. As new models are developed, balancing enhanced features with accessibility is expected to remain a challenge for AI companies.
Physical Intelligence, a robot AI startup, has raised $400 million in early funding, attracting high-profile investors like Jeff Bezos, OpenAI, Thrive Capital, and Lux Capital. This latest investment values the startup at $2 billion, underscoring strong interest in AI-driven robotics solutions. Physical Intelligence aims to develop foundational software adaptable across different types of robots, eliminating the need for custom software per specific robotic task.
Global technology giants like Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon, and Nvidia are already funnelling billions into AI. Industry estimates from venture capital firm Accel project that AI and cloud tech funding across the US, Europe, and Israel will hit $79.2 billion by the end of 2024. With several startups joining the robotic AI sector, including Vicarious, Universal Robots, and Covariant, competition in this space is intensifying.
Elon Musk recently predicted that at least 10 billion humanoid robots will be available by 2040, with prices ranging from $20,000 to $25,000. His Tesla company showcased the latest Optimus humanoid robot, adding to the anticipation around robotics advancements and automation technologies. Musk’s vision is part of the broader trend pushing the potential for AI-powered robots in everyday life.
Physical Intelligence recently demonstrated its innovative software, named π0, or pi-zero, showing its flexibility by enabling robots to carry out complex household tasks like folding laundry, bagging groceries, and retrieving toast from a toaster. This achievement highlights the startup’s strides toward building a universal robot software platform, with potential impacts on industries from home automation to logistics.
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI search company Perplexity, offered to step in and support New York Times operations amid a looming strike by the newspaper’s tech workers. The NYT Tech Guild announced the planned strike for November 4 after months of seeking better pay and working conditions. Representing workers involved in software support and data analysis on the business side, the guild has requested a 2.5% annual wage increase and to secure a two-day in-office work policy.
As tensions escalated, New York Times publisher AG Sulzberger called the timing of the strike ‘troubling’, noting that the paper’s election coverage is a public service at a crucial time. Responding publicly, Srinivas offered to help ensure uninterrupted access to the Times’s election news, sparking controversy as critics accused him of ‘scabbing’, a term for working in place of striking employees.
Srinivas clarified that his intent was to provide infrastructure support, not replace journalists, as his company has recently launched its own election information platform. However, the New York Times and Perplexity have been at odds recently, with the Times issuing a cease-and-desist letter last month over Perplexity’s alleged scraping of its content for AI use.
OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, is exploring a move to transition from a non-profit to a for-profit company, according to Bloomberg News. Early discussions with the California attorney general’s office aim to alter OpenAI’s corporate structure, signalling a significant shift in the governance of the AI research pioneer. Originally founded in 2015 as a non-profit, OpenAI’s new direction could open the door to increased investment opportunities.
The potential change in status would mark a strategic shift for the company, which developed the popular AI tool ChatGPT. OpenAI’s connection with Microsoft, which invested heavily in the company, has been a key factor in its growth. In September, reports emerged that OpenAI was already contemplating restructuring as a for-profit benefit corporation, with a new structure aimed at enhancing business opportunities while keeping its non-profit arm involved.
The non-profit branch of OpenAI would continue to exist and hold a minority stake, allowing the organisation to maintain some of its founding mission. This balance could appeal to investors while retaining a foothold in its original purpose of ethical AI development. OpenAI’s funding has also surged recently, including a $6.6 billion funding round, potentially valuing the firm at $157 billion.
With substantial backing and increased investor interest, OpenAI’s shift could cement its position as one of the world’s most valuable private companies. The move reflects broader trends in AI, where companies are aligning profit goals with technological innovation to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market.
Kioxia, backed by Bain Capital, announced on Tuesday that it anticipates a 2.7-fold increase in demand for flash memory over the next five years, fueled by the surge in AI. After facing significant challenges in the memory chip market, the company is preparing to expand production capacity at its new facility in Kitakami, located in Iwate prefecture, north of Tokyo. Although production at this facility was initially scheduled to start last year, it has been postponed until autumn 2025.
The chipmaker, formerly known as Toshiba Memory, has experienced significant changes, including its separation from the troubled Toshiba Corporation under Bain’s leadership. Kioxia continues to manufacture chips in Yokkaichi, Mie prefecture and recently commenced sample shipments of its latest NAND flash memory. The growing demand for AI is driving investments in server technology and is expected to rejuvenate interest in smartphones and PCs.
Executive Vice President Tomoharu Watanabe stated that the new Kitakami factory, set to come online next autumn, will provide the necessary capacity to meet increasing demand. In February, the Japanese government pledged up to $1.64 billion in subsidies to Kioxia and partner Western Digital to support capacity expansion at both the Yokkaichi and Kitakami facilities. Meanwhile, Bain Capital has cancelled plans for an initial public offering for Kioxia after investors expressed concerns about its valuation. Kioxia’s evolution is being closely watched as Japan aims to revitalise its once-dominant semiconductor industry.
Meta is expanding the reach of its AI models, making its Llama AI series available to US government agencies and private sector partners involved in national security projects. Partnering with firms like Lockheed Martin, Oracle, and Scale AI, Meta aims to assist government teams and contractors with applications such as intelligence gathering and computer code generation for defence needs.
Although Meta’s policies generally restrict using Llama for military purposes, the company is making an exception for these government partners. This decision follows concerns over foreign misuse of the technology, particularly after reports revealed that researchers affiliated with China’s military had used an earlier Llama model without authorisation for intelligence-related applications.
The choice to integrate open AI like Llama into defence remains controversial. Critics argue that AI’s data security risks and its tendency to generate incorrect outputs make it unreliable in military contexts. Recent findings from the AI Now Institute caution that AI tools could be misused by adversaries due to data vulnerabilities, potentially putting sensitive information at risk.
Meta maintains that open AI can accelerate research and enhance security, though US military adoption remains limited. While some big tech employees oppose military-linked projects, Meta emphasises its commitment to strengthening national security while safeguarding its technology from unauthorised foreign use.
Meta has announced an extended ban on new political ads following the United States election, aiming to counter misinformation in the tense post-election period. In a blog post on Monday, the Facebook parent company explained that the suspension will remain in place until later in the week, preventing any new political ads from being introduced immediately after the election. Ads that were served at least once before the restriction will still be displayed, but editing options will be limited.
Meta‘s decision to extend its ad restriction is part of its ongoing policy to help prevent last-minute claims that could be difficult to verify. The social media giant implemented a similar measure in the last election cycle, underscoring the need for extra caution as elections unfold.
Last year, Meta also barred political advertisers and regulated industries from using its generative AI-based ad products, reflecting a continued focus on reducing potential misinformation through stricter ad controls and ad content regulations.
