Digital cooperation

OpenAI turns to Google Cloud in shift from solo AI race

OpenAI has entered into an unexpected partnership with Google, using Google Cloud to support its growing AI infrastructure needs.

Despite being fierce competitors in AI, the two tech giants recognise that long-term success may require collaboration instead of isolation.

As the demand for high-performance hardware soars, traditional rivals join forces to keep pace. OpenAI, previously backed heavily by Microsoft, now draws from Google’s vast cloud resources, hinting at a changing attitude in the AI race.

Rather than going it alone, firms may benefit more by leveraging each other’s strengths to accelerate development.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, speaking on a podcast, suggested there is room for multiple winners in the AI sector. He even noted that a major competitor had ‘invited me to a dance’, underscoring a new phase of pragmatic cooperation.

While Google still faces threats to its search dominance from tools like ChatGPT, business incentives may override rivalry.

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Santa Clara offers AI training with Silicon Valley focus

Santa Clara University has launched a new master’s programme in AI designed to equip students with technical expertise and ethical insight.

The interdisciplinary degree, offered through the School of Engineering, blends software and hardware tracks to address the growing need for professionals who can manage AI systems responsibly.

The course offers two concentrations: one focusing on algorithms and computation for computer science students and another tailored to engineering students interested in robotics, devices, and AI chip design. Students will also engage in real-world practicums with Silicon Valley companies.

Faculty say the programme integrates ethical training into its core, aiming to produce graduates who can develop intelligent technologies with social awareness. As AI tools increasingly shape society and education, the university hopes to prepare students for both innovation and accountability.

Professor Yi Fang, director of the Responsible AI initiative, said students will leave with a deeper understanding of AI’s societal impact. The initiative reflects a broader trend in higher education, where demand for AI-related skills continues to rise.

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Meta’s V-JEPA 2 teaches AI to think, plan, and act in 3D space

Meta has released V-JEPA 2, an open-source AI model designed to understand and predict real-world environments in 3D. Described as a ‘world model’, it enables machines to simulate physical spaces—offering a breakthrough for robotics, self-driving cars, and intelligent assistants.

Unlike traditional AI that relies on labelled data, V-JEPA 2 learns from unlabelled video clips, building an internal simulation of how the world works. However, now, AI can reason, plan, and act more like humans.

Based on Meta’s JEPA architecture and containing 1.2 billion parameters, the model improves significantly on action prediction and environmental modelling compared to its predecessor.

Meta says this approach mirrors how humans intuitively understand cause and effect—like predicting a ball’s motion or avoiding people in a crowd. V-JEPA 2 helps AI agents develop this same intuition, making them more adaptive in dynamic, unfamiliar situations.

Meta’s Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun describes world models as ‘abstract digital twins of reality’—vital for machines to understand and predict what comes next. This effort aligns with Meta’s broader push into AI, including a planned $14 billion investment in Scale AI for data labelling.

V-JEPA 2 joins a growing wave of interest in world models. Google DeepMind is building its own called Genie, while AI researcher Fei-Fei Li recently raised $230 million for her startup World Labs, focused on similar goals.

Meta believes V-JEPA 2 brings us closer to machines that can learn, adapt, and operate in the physical world with far greater autonomy and intelligence.

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Coreweave expands AI infrastructure with Google tie‑up

CoreWeave has secured a pivotal role in Google Cloud’s new infrastructure partnership with OpenAI. The specialist GPU cloud provider will supply Nvidia‑based compute resources to Google, which will allocate them to OpenAI to support the rising demand for services like ChatGPT.

Already under a $11.9 billion, five‑year contract with OpenAI and backed by a $350 million equity investment, CoreWeave recently expanded the deal by another. 

Adding Google Cloud as a customer helps the company diversify beyond Microsoft, its top client in 2024.

The arrangement positions Google as a neutral provider of AI computing power amid fierce competition with Amazon and Microsoft.

CoreWeave’s stock has surged over 270 percent since its March IPO, illustrating investor confidence in its expanding role in the AI infrastructure boom.

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New ion trap chip paves way for scalable quantum systems

Researchers at the Quantum Systems Accelerator have announced significant progress in building scalable, stable quantum computers focusing on trapped-ion technology.

Their work marks a series of engineering milestones pushing quantum computing toward practical use.

A new ion trap chip can store up to 200 ions and significantly reduces power loss by redesigning its internal layout.

Developed and tested with collaborators at Duke and Cornell in the US, this design allows for the future creation of far larger qubit systems without overheating or energy waste.

At the University of Maryland, a team achieved parallel quantum gate operations using different spatial directions, overcoming prior interference issues.

However, this innovation boosts processing speed and accuracy, offering more efficient handling of time-sensitive quantum tasks.

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Nvidia and Samsung invest in Skild AI, boosting robotics innovation

Nvidia and Samsung are joining a major Series B funding round for Skild AI, a robotics software start-up, with investments of $25 million and $10 million, respectively.

According to Bloomberg, the round, led by SoftBank with a $100 million commitment, is expected to value the company at approximately $4.5 billion.

Skild AI develops foundation models and software designed for various robotic systems, from consumer devices to industrial machines. The company previously raised $300 million in Series A funding in 2023, when it was valued at $1.5 billion.

Samsung’s latest investment reinforces its growing focus on robotics. Earlier this year, it became the largest shareholder in South Korea-based Rainbow Robotics, which is known for its collaborative robots. The company also operates a Future Robotics Office to steer strategic innovation.

For Nvidia, the investment aligns with broader efforts in AI and automation. In March, the chipmaker partnered with General Motors to co-develop AI systems that train next-generation manufacturing models for use in vehicles, factories, and robotics.

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Meta hires top AI talent from Google and Sesame

Meta is assembling a new elite AI research team aimed at developing artificial general intelligence (AGI), luring top talent from rivals including Google and AI voice startup Sesame.

Among the high-profile recruits is Jack Rae, a principal researcher from Google DeepMind, and Johan Schalkwyk, a machine learning lead from Sesame.

Meta is also close to finalising a multibillion-dollar investment in Scale AI, a data-labelling startup led by CEO Alexandr Wang, who is also expected to join the new initiative.

The new group, referred to internally as the ‘superintelligence’ team, is central to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to close the gap with competitors like Google and OpenAI.

Following disappointment over Meta’s recent AI model, Llama 4, Zuckerberg hopes the newly acquired expertise will help improve future models and expand AI capabilities in areas like voice and personalisation.

Zuckerberg has taken a hands-on approach, personally recruiting engineers and researchers, sometimes meeting with them at his homes in California. Meta is reportedly offering compensation packages worth tens of millions of dollars, including equity, to attract leading AI talent.

The company aims to hire around 50 people for the team and is also seeking a chief scientist to help lead the effort.

The broader strategy involves investing heavily in data, chips, and human expertise — three pillars of advanced AI development. By partnering with Scale AI and recruiting high-profile researchers, Meta is trying to strengthen its position in the AI race.

Meanwhile, rivals like Google are reinforcing their defences, with Koray Kavukcuoglu named as chief AI architect in a new senior leadership role to ensure DeepMind’s technologies are more tightly integrated into Google’s products.

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Quantum cybersecurity goes live in Paris

Orange Business and Toshiba Europe have launched France’s first commercial quantum-safe network service in Paris.

The Orange Quantum Defender, now living in the greater Paris region, aims to shield organisations from cyber threats posed by future quantum computing capabilities.

The service combines Toshiba’s Quantum Key Distribution and Post-Quantum Cryptography technologies to protect sensitive data with a multi-layered approach. A major French financial institution already uses the network to safeguard its critical infrastructure.

After years of testing, the partners confirmed the system works over existing fibre networks, cutting costs and easing enterprise adoption.

Leaders at both companies say the launch marks a turning point in cybersecurity preparedness for the quantum age.

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AI must protect dignity, say US bishops

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged Congress to centre AI policy on human dignity and the common good.

Their message outlines moral principles rather than technical guidance, warning against misuse of technology that may erode truth, justice, or the protection of the vulnerable.

The bishops caution against letting AI replace human moral judgement, especially in sensitive areas like family life, work, and warfare. They express concern about AI deepening inequality and harming those already marginalised without strict oversight.

Their call includes demands for greater transparency, regulation of autonomous weapons, and stronger protections for children and workers in the US.

Rooted in Catholic social teaching, the letter frames AI not as a neutral innovation but as a force that must serve people, not displace them.

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TechNext launches forecasting system to guide R&D strategy

Global R&D spending now exceeds $2 trillion a year, yet many companies still rely on intuition rather than evidence to shape innovation strategies—often at great cost.

TechNext, co-founded by Anuraag Singh and MIT’s Prof. Christopher L. Magee, aims to change that with a newly patented system that delivers data-driven forecasts for technology performance.

Built on large-scale empirical datasets and proprietary algorithms, the system enables organisations to anticipate which technologies are likely to improve most rapidly.

‘R&D has become one of the fastest-growing expenses for companies, yet most decisions still rely on intuition rather than data,’ said Singh. ‘We have been flying blind’

The tool has already drawn attention from major stakeholders, including the United States Air Force, multinational firms, VCs, and think tanks.

By quantifying the future of technologies—from autonomous vehicle perception systems to clean energy infrastructure—TechNext promises to help decision-makers avoid expensive dead ends and focus on long-term winners.

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