Capacity development

Intel to design custom CPUs as part of NVIDIA AI partnership

The two US tech firms, NVIDIA and Intel, have announced a major partnership to develop multiple generations of AI infrastructure and personal computing products.

They say that the collaboration will merge NVIDIA’s leadership in accelerated computing with Intel’s expertise in CPUs and advanced manufacturing.

For data centres, Intel will design custom x86 CPUs for NVIDIA, which will be integrated into the company’s AI platforms to power hyperscale and enterprise workloads.

In personal computing, Intel will create x86 system-on-chips that incorporate NVIDIA RTX GPU chiplets, aimed at delivering high-performance PCs for a wide range of consumers.

As part of the deal, NVIDIA will invest $5 billion in Intel common stock at $23.28 per share, pending regulatory approvals.

NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang described the collaboration as a ‘fusion of two world-class platforms’ that will accelerate computing innovation, while Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan said the partnership builds on decades of x86 innovation and will unlock breakthroughs across industries.

The move underscores how AI is reshaping both infrastructure and personal computing. By combining architectures and ecosystems instead of pursuing separate paths, Intel and NVIDIA are positioning themselves to shape the next era of computing at a global scale.

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Russia pays first salary in digital rubles

Russia has made its first salary payment in digital rubles, marking a milestone in the country’s adoption of its central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Ministry of Finance confirmed the payment with the Central Bank of Russia will be available to government employees on request.

The first payment went to Anatoly Aksakov, State Duma finance committee chair and key figure in digital currency legislation. Aksakov spent the digital rubles on charity and daily purchases, including a restaurant, testing its practical use.

The digital ruble is scheduled for a phased public launch on 1 September 2026. Trials have already included government transfers, commercial transactions, and payments in transport and real estate, signalling a gradual integration into the wider economy.

Officials plan to allow transactions between digital ruble accounts starting 1 January 2026, while payments will remain optional for recipients.

Russia’s CBDC development began in 2021, with legislation adopted in 2023. The initiative aims to modernise financial operations, increase efficiency in federal payments, and provide an alternative to traditional cash.

The rollout is being monitored closely as a test case for wider adoption of state-backed digital currencies.

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Microsoft builds the world’s most powerful AI data centre in Wisconsin

US tech giant, Microsoft, is completing the construction of Fairwater in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, which it says will be the world’s most powerful AI data centre. The facility is expected to be operational in early 2026 after a $3.3 billion investment, with an additional $4 billion now committed for a second site.

The company says the project will help shape the next generation of AI by training frontier models with hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs, offering ten times the performance of today’s fastest supercomputers.

Beyond technology, Microsoft is highlighting the impact on local jobs and skills. Thousands of construction workers have been employed during the build, while the site is expected to support around 500 full-time roles when the first phase opens, rising to 800 once the second is complete.

The US giant has also launched Wisconsin’s first Datacentre Academy with Gateway Technical College to prepare students for careers in the digital economy.

Microsoft is also stressing its sustainability measures. The data centre will rely on a closed-loop liquid cooling system and outside air to minimise water use, while all fossil-fuel power consumed will be matched with carbon-free energy.

A new 250 MW solar farm is under construction in Portage County to support the commitment. The company has partnered with local organisations to restore prairie and wetland habitats, further embedding the project into the surrounding community.

Executives say the development represents more than just an investment in AI. It signals a long-term commitment to Wisconsin’s economy, education, and environment.

From broadband expansion to innovation labs, the company aims to ensure the benefits of AI extend to local businesses, students, and residents instead of remaining concentrated in global hubs.

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AI tool combines breast cancer and heart disease screening

Scientists from Australian universities and The George Institute for Global Health have developed an AI tool that analyses mammograms and a woman’s age to predict her risk of heart-related hospitalisation or death within 10 years.

Published in Heart on 17 September, the study highlights the lack of routine heart disease screening for women, despite cardiovascular conditions causing 35% of female deaths. The tool delivers a two-in-one health check by integrating heart risk prediction into breast cancer screening.

The model was trained on data from over 49,000 women and performs as accurately as traditional models that require blood pressure and cholesterol data. Researchers emphasise its low-resource nature, making it viable for broad deployment in rural or underserved areas.

Study co-author Dr Jennifer Barraclough said mobile mammography services could adopt the tool to deliver breast cancer and heart health screenings in one visit. Such integration could help overcome healthcare access barriers in remote regions.

Next, before a broader rollout, the researchers plan to validate the tool in more diverse populations and study practical challenges, such as technical requirements and regulatory approvals.

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New Amazon AI transforms seller experience

Amazon has unveiled a significant upgrade to its Seller Assistant, evolving the tool into an agentic AI-powered partner that can actively help sellers manage and grow their businesses.

Powered by Amazon Bedrock and using advanced models from Amazon Nova and Anthropic Claude, the AI can respond to queries and plan, reason, and act with a seller’s permission. Independent sellers now have an assistant operating around the clock while controlling them.

The upgraded AI can optimise inventory, monitor account health, and provide strategic guidance on product listings and compliance requirements.

Analysing historical trends alongside current data can suggest new product categories, forecast demand, and propose advertising strategies to improve performance. Sellers can receive actionable recommendations instead of manually reviewing reports, saving time and effort.

Creative Studio also benefits from agentic AI capabilities, enabling sellers to generate professional-quality advertising content in hours instead of weeks.

The AI evaluates products alongside Amazon’s shopping signals and produces tailored ad concepts with clear reasoning, helping sellers refine campaigns and boost engagement. Early users report faster decisions, better inventory management, and more efficient marketing.

Amazon plans to extend Seller Assistant to other countries in the coming months at no extra cost.

The evolution highlights the growing role of AI in everyday business operations. It reflects Amazon’s commitment to integrating advanced technologies into the seller experience instead of relying solely on human intervention.

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Huawei unveils roadmap for next-generation AI super pods

Huawei chairman Xu outlined the company’s roadmap for AI computing platforms, revealing plans to launch the Atlas 950 SuperPoD in Q4 2026. The system will use over 8,000 Ascend GPUs across 128 racks, covering 1,000 sq metres, and offer 6.7 times more computing power and 15 times more memory.

A year later, the Atlas 960 SuperPod will debut with up to 15,488 Ascend 960 chips, achieving 30 exaflops of computing power and 4,460TB of memory. Xu said the two systems will stay the world’s most potent super nodes, with uses beyond AI in general-purpose computing in China.

Huawei faces Western sanctions limiting access to advanced semiconductor nodes. Xu said assembling less advanced chips into super pods lets Huawei compete with rivals like Nvidia at a system level despite lower individual chip performance.

Over the next three years, Huawei will launch three new Ascend chip series: the 950 line, 950PR and 950DT, the 960, and the 970. The 950PR, optimised for early-stage inference and recommendations, will ship in Q1 2026, while the 950DT with 2Tb/s bandwidth will launch in Q4 2026.

The 960 will double its predecessor’s computing power and memory capacity and arrive in Q4 2027.

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AI tool predicts risk of over 1,000 diseases years ahead

Scientists have unveiled an AI tool capable of predicting the risk of developing over 1,000 medical conditions. Published in Nature, the model can forecast certain cancers, heart attacks, and other diseases more than a decade in advance.

Developed by the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and the University of Copenhagen, the model utilises anonymised health data from the UK and Denmark. It tracks the order and timing of medical events to spot patterns that lead to serious illness.

Researchers said the tool is exceptionally accurate for diseases with consistent progression, including some cancers, diabetes, heart attacks, and septicaemia. Its predictions work like a weather forecast, indicating higher risk rather than certainty.

The model is less reliable for unpredictable conditions such as mental health disorders, infectious diseases, or pregnancy complications. It is more accurate for near-term forecasts than for those decades ahead.

Though not yet ready for clinical use, the system could help doctors identify high-risk patients earlier and enable more personalised, preventive healthcare strategies. Researchers say more work is needed to ensure the tool works for diverse populations.

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UK partners with NVIDIA to drive AI growth and new jobs

NVIDIA and the UK are accelerating plans to build the nation’s AI infrastructure, positioning the country as a hub for AI innovation, jobs and research.

The partnership, announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang earlier in the year, has already resulted in commitments worth up to £11 billion.

A rollout that includes AI factories equipped with 120,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs across UK data centres, supporting projects such as OpenAI’s Stargate UK.

NVIDIA partner Nscale will host 60,000 of these GPUs domestically while expanding its global capacity to 300,000. Microsoft, CoreWeave and other partners are also investing in advanced supercomputing facilities, with new projects announced in England and Scotland.

NVIDIA is working with Oxford Quantum Circuits and other research institutions to integrate AI and quantum technologies in a collaboration that extends to quantum computing.

Universities in Edinburgh and Oxford are advancing GPU-driven quantum error correction and AI-controlled quantum hardware, highlighting the UK’s growing role in cutting-edge science.

To prepare the workforce, NVIDIA has joined forces with techUK and QA to provide training programmes and AI skills development.

The government has framed the initiative as a foundation for economic resilience, job creation and sovereign AI capability, aiming to place Britain at the forefront of the AI industrial revolution.

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SEC approves new standards for digital asset trading

The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved new generic listing standards for exchange-traded products that hold spot commodities, including digital assets. Exchanges can now list and trade Commodity-Based Trust Shares without submitting a separate SEC rule change.

SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins said the move aims to maintain America’s capital markets as a leading hub for digital asset innovation. The decision is expected to increase investor choice and streamline access to digital asset products.

Jamie Selway, Director of the Division of Trading and Markets, highlighted that the approval offers clear regulatory guidance and ensures investor protections while making it easier for products to reach the market.

Alongside the generic standards, the SEC approved the Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund listing, which tracks the CoinDesk 5 Index of spot digital assets.

The regulator also authorised p.m.-settled options on the Cboe Bitcoin US ETF Index and the Mini-Cboe Bitcoin US ETF Index with multiple expiration formats.

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Meta launches AI smart glasses with Ray-Ban and Oakley

Zuckerberg’s Meta has unveiled a new generation of smart glasses powered by AI at its annual Meta Connect conference in California. Working with Ray-Ban and Oakley, the company introduced devices including the Meta Ray-Ban Display and the Oakley Meta Vanguard.

These glasses are designed to bring the Meta AI assistant into daily use instead of being confined to phones or computers.

The Ray-Ban Display comes with a colour lens screen for video calls and messaging and a 12-megapixel camera, and will sell for $799. It can be paired with a neural wristband that enables tasks through hand gestures.

Meta also presented $499 Oakley Vanguard glasses aimed at sports fans and launched a second generation of its Ray-Ban Meta glasses at $379. Around two million smart glasses have been sold since Meta entered the market in 2023.

Analysts see the glasses as a more practical way of introducing AI to everyday life than the firm’s costly Metaverse project. Yet many caution that Meta must prove the benefits outweigh the price.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg described the technology as a scientific breakthrough. He said it forms part of Meta’s vast AI investment programme, which includes massive data centres and research into artificial superintelligence.

The launch came as activists protested outside Meta’s New York headquarters, accusing the company of neglecting children’s safety. Former safety researchers also told the US Senate that Meta ignored evidence of harm caused by its VR products, claims the company has strongly denied.

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