Meta announced a multiyear partnership with NVIDIA to build large-scale AI infrastructure across on-premises and cloud systems. Plans include hyperscale data centres designed for both training and inference workloads, forming a core part of the company’s long-term AI roadmap.
Deployment will include millions of Blackwell and Rubin GPUs, plus expanded use of NVIDIA CPUs and Spectrum-X networking. According to Mark Zuckerberg, the collaboration is intended to support advanced AI systems and broaden access to high-performance computing capabilities worldwide.
Jensen Huang highlighted the scale of Meta’s AI operations and the role of deep hardware-software integration in improving performance.
Efficiency gains remain a central objective, with Meta increasing the rollout of Arm-based NVIDIA Grace CPUs to improve performance per watt in data centres. Future Vera CPU deployment is being considered to expand energy-efficient computing later in the decade.
Privacy-focused AI development forms another pillar of the partnership. NVIDIA Confidential Computing will first power secure AI features on WhatsApp, with plans to expand across more services as Meta scales AI to billions of users.
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India’s IT sector could reach $400 billion by 2030, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an interview with ANI, highlighting AI as a key growth driver. Services exports remain central to India’s economic expansion, with AI expected to reshape outsourcing and domain-specific automation.
Modi argued that AI is not replacing the IT industry but transforming it. General-purpose AI tools are becoming widespread, while enterprise-grade adoption remains concentrated in specific sectors where established IT firms continue solving complex business challenges.
Government policy is anchored in the IndiaAI Mission, which aims to expand access to computing infrastructure and strengthen domestic innovation. Modi said GPU targets have already been exceeded, with further investment planned to ensure affordable access for startups and enterprises.
Four Centres of Excellence have been established in healthcare, agriculture, education and sustainable cities, alongside five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling. Authorities aim to equip the workforce with industry-relevant AI expertise to support long-term competitiveness.
Strategic ambition extends beyond service delivery toward building AI products and platforms for domestic and global markets. Policymakers in India position AI as a catalyst for higher productivity, stronger digital infrastructure, and broader economic resilience.
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India will host the AI Impact Summit 2026 on 19–20 February at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, marking the first global AI summit to be held in the Global South. Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the event is positioned as a major international forum aimed at advancing inclusive and action-oriented AI cooperation.
Organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the summit seeks to build on previous global AI gatherings while shifting the focus from high-level political statements to measurable outcomes.
Officials say the objective is to ensure that AI supports social development, sustainable growth and broader access to technological opportunities, particularly for developing nations.
India AI Impact Summit 2026: 35,000+ Registrations so far, 100+ Countries, 500+ Startups to engage across 500 Sessions
The summit will be guided by three core principles known as the ‘Three Sutras’, namely People, Planet and Progress, and structured around seven thematic areas including human capital, inclusion, trusted AI, scientific collaboration and democratising AI resources.
These domains are intended to translate broad ambitions into concrete areas of multilateral action. A series of pre-summit initiatives, including global challenges focused on inclusive AI, women-led innovation and youth participation, will take place in the lead-up to the event.
Organisers have also issued a global call for proposals, inviting institutions to host in-person sessions aligned with the summit’s themes, reinforcing India’s effort to shape a broader international conversation on AI governance and impact.
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Artificial general intelligence remains a future ambition rather than a present reality, according to Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis. Speaking at an AI summit in New Delhi, he said current systems still fall short of matching human-level intelligence in several vital areas.
Hassabis identified three key limitations. Existing AI models lack continual learning, meaning they cannot update their knowledge dynamically once deployed. Instead, they rely on static training completed before release, preventing them from adapting to new contexts or personalising responses over time.
Long-term planning is another weakness. While advanced models can handle short-term reasoning tasks, they struggle to plan strategically over extended periods, as humans do.
Consistency also remains an issue, as systems may perform exceptionally well in complex domains but make unexpected errors in simpler tasks.
Despite these shortcomings, Hassabis has previously suggested that genuine AGI could emerge within the next five to ten years. For now, however, he maintains that present systems have not yet reached that threshold.
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Mistral AI has strengthened its position in Europe’s AI sector through the acquisition of Koyeb. The deal forms part of its strategy to build end-to-end capacity for deploying advanced AI systems across European infrastructure.
The company has been expanding beyond model development into large-scale computing. It is currently building new data centre facilities, including a primary site in France and a €1.2 billion facility in Sweden, both aimed at supporting high-performance AI workloads.
The acquisition follows a period of rapid growth for Mistral AI, which reached a valuation of €11.7 billion after investment from ASML. French public support has also played a role in accelerating its commercial and research progress.
Mistral AI now positions itself as a potential European technology champion, seeking to combine model development, compute infrastructure and deployment tools into a fully integrated AI ecosystem.
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Ireland is set to play a central role in a new European initiative to accelerate the development and manufacturing of quantum computing chips. The Photonics for Quantum (P4Q) project will begin in 2026 and involve partners from 12 countries working to strengthen Europe’s position in quantum technologies.
The programme, coordinated by the University of Twente in the Netherlands, brings together research institutes, semiconductor manufacturers and deep tech firms. Its goal is to establish a manufacturing ecosystem capable of producing high-quality quantum photonic chips at scale. Such chips are considered essential for advances in quantum computing, sensing and secure communication.
In Ireland, the project will be hosted by the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork and supported by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Skills. Tyndall will focus on advanced packaging techniques for photonic chips, particularly those operating at cryogenic temperatures, a key hurdle in building scalable quantum systems.
Officials say the initiative aligns with Ireland’s broader semiconductor strategy and Europe’s ambition to build sovereign capability in advanced technologies. By contributing expertise in packaging and precision manufacturing, Ireland aims to help create a resilient supply chain for next-generation quantum devices.
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The EU Digital Identity Wallet is widely seen as a transformative step for cross-border digital services in Europe, yet experts warn that its success is far from guaranteed. While the initiative promises stronger privacy, improved security, and greater user control over personal data, adoption and governance challenges could undermine its potential.
Industry observers caution that large-scale digital identity projects rarely fail because of technical shortcomings. Instead, weak ecosystem buy-in, unclear commercial incentives and fragmented national implementation often derail progress.
If some member states deliver robust solutions while others lag, cross-border usability could suffer, weakening the wallet’s core objective of seamless European digital identity.
Concerns also extend to economic sustainability. Without clear business models for private-sector participants, innovation and long-term investment may slow. A wallet that exists only to meet regulatory requirements, rather than offering clear advantages over existing identity methods, risks low citizen adoption and limited integration by service providers.
Privacy design presents another complex trade-off. The wallet’s principle of unlinkability strengthens user protection, but it may complicate fraud detection and behavioural monitoring. Experts argue that trust in the system will depend on balancing privacy with practical security measures.
Ultimately, the EU Digital Identity Wallet’s future will hinge on coordinated governance, strong incentives and sustained commitment across the entire ecosystem.
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Ethiopia has launched a new Artificial Intelligence University Innovation Pod in Addis Ababa, marking a significant step in its ambition to become Africa’s leading AI hub.
The Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute leads the initiative in partnership with Addis Ababa University and the UN Development Programme, under the latter’s Timbuktoo Initiative.
Officials say the centre is designed to strengthen national AI capacity, promote homegrown technological solutions and build a sustainable innovation ecosystem. The AI UniPod will support university students, researchers and start-ups working on advanced digital technologies, with a focus on transforming young people from job seekers into technology creators.
The Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute highlighted recent achievements, including patented tools for breast cancer diagnosis and coffee seed identification, as evidence of the country’s growing technological capability. Leaders described the new facility as a shift from ambition to practical implementation of AI.
Data sovereignty was emphasised as a central pillar of the strategy. Authorities argued that control over digital infrastructure and data resources is essential for national sovereignty, particularly as AI becomes embedded in economic and public systems.
The government views the AI UniPod as a long-term platform for innovation, aimed not only at Ethiopia but also at the wider African continent.
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As Chinese skater Sun Long stood on the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics podium, the vivid red of his uniform reflected more than national pride. It also highlighted AI’s expanding role in China’s textile manufacturing.
In Shaoxing, AI-powered image systems calibrate fabric colours in real time. Factory managers say digital printing has lifted pass rates from about 50% to above 90%, easing longstanding production bottlenecks.
Tyre manufacturing firm Zhongce Rubber Group uses AI to generate multiple 3D designs in minutes. Engineers report shorter development cycles and reduced manual input across research and testing.
Electric vehicle maker Zeekr uses AI visual inspection in its 5G-enabled factory. Officials say tyre verification now takes seconds, helping eliminate assembly errors.
Provincial authorities in China report that large industrial firms are fully digitalized. Zhejiang plans to further integrate AI by 2027, expanding smart factories and industrial intelligence.
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A Pakistani American surgeon has launched what is described as the UAE’s first AI clinical intelligence platform across the country’s public healthcare system. The rollout was announced in Dubai in partnership with Emirates Health Services.
Boston Health AI, founded by Dr Adil Haider, introduced the platform known as Amal at a major health expo in Dubai. The system conducts structured medical interviews in Arabic, English and Urdu before consultations, generating summaries for physicians.
The company said the technology aims to reduce documentation burdens and cognitive load on clinicians in the UAE. By organising patient histories and symptoms in advance, Amal is designed to support clinical decision making and improve workflow efficiency in Dubai and other emirates.
Before entering the UAE market, Boston Health AI deployed its platform in Pakistan across more than 50 healthcare facilities. The firm states that over 30,000 patient interactions were recorded in Pakistan, where a local team continues to develop and refine the AI system.
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