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Trump seals $200 billion UAE AI deal

US President Donald Trump has secured €179 billion ($200 billion) in deals with the United Arab Emirates, capping his Persian Gulf tour with plans for the world’s largest AI campus outside the US.

Located in Abu Dhabi and spanning 10 square miles, the facility will be built by UAE-based firm G42 in partnership with American companies, aimed at boosting regional computing capacity while supporting the Global South.

Instead of focusing solely on energy, Trump’s trip saw investments broaden to include AI, aviation, and industrial sectors. In total, his visit to the Gulf states yielded €1.3 trillion ($1.4 trillion) in investment pledges, including major agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Gulf leaders are using AI as a vehicle to diversify their economies, while Trump is turning foreign capital into support for US manufacturing and tech exports.

The UAE deal includes plans to import up to 500,000 Nvidia H100 AI chips annually through 2027, with 20% allocated to G42. US officials, however, continue to express concern over potential Chinese access to advanced American technology.

The US Department of Commerce insists that strict safeguards are in place to prevent any misuse or diversion of AI hardware.

Other agreements include a $14.5 billion aircraft purchase by Etihad Airways from Boeing and GE Aerospace, a $60 billion energy partnership with ADNOC, and aluminium and gallium production deals with Emirates Global Aluminum.

Trump’s push to expand American business influence in the Gulf appears to be paying off, instead of letting China or Europe dominate future AI and industrial markets.

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Meta’s Behemoth AI model faces setback

Meta Platforms has postponed the release of its flagship AI model, known as ‘Behemoth,’ due to internal concerns about its performance, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Instead of launching as planned, engineers are struggling to deliver improvements that would meaningfully advance the model beyond earlier versions.

Behemoth was originally scheduled for release in April to coincide with Meta’s first AI developer conference but was quietly delayed to June. The latest update suggests the launch has now been pushed to autumn or later, as internal doubts grow over whether it is ready for public deployment.

In April, Meta previewed Behemoth under the Llama 4 line, calling it ‘one of the smartest LLMs in the world’ and positioning it as a teaching model for future AI systems. Instead of Behemoth, Meta released Llama 4 Scout and Llama 4 Maverick as the latest iterations in its AI portfolio.

The delay comes amid intense competition in the generative AI space, where rivals like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic continue advancing their models. Meta appears to be opting for caution instead of rushing an underwhelming product to market.

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TikTok adds AI tool to animate photos with realistic effects

TikTok has launched a new feature called AI Alive, allowing users to turn still images into dynamic, short videos. Instead of needing advanced editing skills, creators can now use AI to generate movement and effects with a few taps.

By accessing the Story Camera and selecting a static photo, users can simply type how they want the image to change — such as making the subject smile, dance, or tilt forward. AI Alive then animates the photo, using creative effects to produce a more engaging story.

TikTok says its moderation systems review the original image, the AI prompt, and the final video before it’s shown to the user. A second check occurs before a post is shared publicly, and every video made with AI Alive will include an ‘AI-generated’ label and C2PA metadata to ensure transparency.

The feature stands out as one of the first built-in AI image-to-video tools on a major platform. Snapchat and Instagram already offer AI image generation from text, and Snapchat is reportedly developing a similar image-to-video feature.

Meanwhile, TikTok is also said to be working on adding support for sending photos and voice messages via direct message — something rival apps have long supported.

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Tencent sees strong Q1 growth as gaming rebounds, AI ads boost sales

Tencent Holdings, China’s largest tech company by market capitalisation, reported a 13% year-on-year revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by strong growth in gaming and AI-powered advertising.

The company posted revenue of 180 billion yuan ($24.97 billion) for the quarter ending March 31, surpassing analysts’ expectations of 174.6 billion yuan. Net profit reached 47.8 billion yuan, slightly below the forecast of 52.2 billion yuan, according to LSEG data.

Tencent’s domestic gaming revenue surged 24% to 42.9 billion yuan, while international gaming revenue rose 23% to 16.6 billion yuan. Key titles driving the growth included Dungeon & Fighter Mobile and Delta Force.

Advertising revenue climbed 22% year on year, helped by the rollout of AI-driven ad tech upgrades, delivering more targeted and efficient marketing tools across platforms.

The company’s Fintech and Business Services division, which covers cloud services, loans, and wealth management, also grew 16% to 27.6 billion yuan.

Tencent continues to invest heavily in AI. In March, the company said it would devote a low double-digit share of its 2025 revenue to AI-related capital expenditures. That follows 39 billion yuan spent on AI in Q4 2024.

Its proprietary large language model, Hunyuan, received a public release as version T1 in March. Tencent also became the first major Chinese firm to integrate technology from DeepSeek, a fast-rising AI startup.

DeepSeek’s models now power features within Tencent’s core services, including WeChat and its AI assistant, Yuanbao.

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Apple opens NFC chip, PayPal taps into it

PayPal has launched its tap-to-pay feature for iPhone users in Germany, allowing contactless payments at terminals that support Mastercard.

The rollout follows pressure from the European Union under the Digital Markets Act, which forced Apple to open up its NFC chip to third-party apps.

Currently, the feature is exclusive to iPhones and does not support Apple Watch. It mirrors earlier moves by other apps like Norway’s Vipps, which began using Apple’s newly accessible NFC hardware late last year.

Apple has also started expanding NFC access globally, enabling developers to integrate in-app payments and allowing businesses to accept contactless payments via iPhones using third-party apps like Venmo and PayPal Zettle.

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Amazon to invest in Saudi AI Zone

Amazon has announced a new partnership with Humain, an AI company launched by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to invest over $5 billion in creating an ‘AI Zone’ in the kingdom.

The project will feature Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure, including servers, networks, and training programmes, while Humain will develop AI tools using AWS and support Saudi startups with access to resources.

A move like this adds Amazon to a growing list of tech firms—such as Nvidia and AMD—that are working with Humain, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. American companies like Google and Salesforce have also recently turned to the PIF for funding and AI collaborations.

Under a new initiative supported by former US President Donald Trump, US tech firms can now pursue deals with Saudi-based partners more freely.

Instead of relying on foreign data centres, Saudi Arabia has required AI providers to store data locally, prompting companies like Google, Oracle, and now Amazon to expand operations within the region.

Amazon has already committed $5.3 billion to build an AWS region in Saudi Arabia by 2026, and says the AI Zone partnership is a separate, additional investment.

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TikTok unveils AI video feature

TikTok has launched ‘AI Alive,’ its first image-to-video feature that allows users to transform static photos into animated short videos within TikTok Stories.

Accessible only through the Story Camera, the tool applies AI-driven movement and effects—like shifting skies, drifting clouds, or expressive animations—to bring photos to life.

Unlike text-to-image tools found on Instagram and Snapchat, TikTok’s latest feature takes visual storytelling further by enabling full video generation from single images. Although Snapchat plans to introduce a similar function, TikTok has moved ahead with this innovation.

All AI Alive videos will carry an AI-generated label and include C2PA metadata to ensure transparency, even when shared beyond the platform.

TikTok emphasises safety, noting that every AI Alive video undergoes several moderation checks before it appears to creators.

Uploaded photos, prompts, and generated videos are reviewed to prevent rule-breaking content. Users can report violations, and final safety reviews are conducted before public sharing.

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Coinbase expands into Canadian stablecoin market

Coinbase has invested an undisclosed amount in Canadian stablecoin issuer Stablecorp. The move aims to strengthen the local stablecoin market and make tokenised Canadian dollars more accessible.

During the Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto, Coinbase Canada’s Chief Executive Officer, Lucas Matheson, discussed how the exchange would support Stablecorp’s fiat-collateralised stablecoin, QCAD.

Matheson highlighted the need for a Canadian stablecoin due to the country’s lack of peer-to-peer payment systems and costly wire transfers. Stablecoins, he argued, could enable 24/7, instant, and borderless payments, which are already feasible with current technology.

However, adoption faces regulatory challenges in Canada. The country has yet to define a clear framework for fiat-backed stablecoins. Coinbase has urged the government to classify these assets as payment instruments, not securities, in line with US regulations.

Coinbase’s investment comes as Canada continues to navigate its digital asset stance under Prime Minister Mark Carney, who remains critical of cryptocurrencies.

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Harvey adds Google and Anthropic AI

Harvey, the fast-growing legal AI startup backed early by the OpenAI Startup Fund, is now embracing foundation models from Google and Anthropic instead of relying solely on OpenAI’s.

In a recent blog post, the company said it would expand its AI model options after internal benchmarks showed that different tools excel at different legal tasks.

The shift marks a notable win for OpenAI’s competitors, even though Harvey insists it’s not abandoning OpenAI. Its in-house benchmark, BigLaw, revealed that several non-OpenAI models now outperform Harvey’s original system on specific legal functions.

For instance, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro performs well at legal drafting, while OpenAI’s o3 and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet are better suited for complex pre-trial work.

Instead of building its own models, Harvey now aims to fine-tune top-tier offerings from multiple vendors, including through Amazon’s cloud. The company also plans to launch a public legal benchmark leaderboard, combining expert legal reviews with technical metrics.

While OpenAI remains a close partner and investor, Harvey’s broader strategy signals growing competition in the race to serve the legal industry with AI.

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SoftBank profit jumps on AI-driven rebound

SoftBank Group reported a 124% surge in quarterly profit, driven by booming AI demand that lifted chip sales and startup valuations. Net income reached ¥517.18 billion ($3.5 billion) in the fiscal fourth quarter, with the Vision Fund swinging back to a profit of ¥26.1 billion.

The results provide momentum for SoftBank’s ambitions to invest heavily in OpenAI and US-based AI infrastructure. Plans include a $30 billion stake in OpenAI and leading a $100 billion push into data centres under the Stargate project, which could eventually grow to $500 billion.

However, investor caution amid tariffs and tech protectionism has delayed detailed financing discussions. Despite these hurdles, SoftBank’s chip unit Arm Holdings has benefited from rising global AI investments, even as near-term forecasts remain mixed.

For the full year, SoftBank earned ¥1.15 trillion, reversing a significant loss from the previous year. The company continues to navigate risks tied to the volatile tech start-up market, especially as Vision Fund portfolio firms go public in India.

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