OpenAI has revealed that its annualised revenue has surged to $10 billion as of June 2025, nearly doubling since December 2024, when it stood at $5.5 billion.
The rapid growth is driven by the widespread adoption of its ChatGPT AI models across consumer and business markets, putting the company on course to meet its earlier goal of $12.7 billion in revenue for the whole year.
The $10 billion figure excludes licensing income from Microsoft, a major investor, and some large one-off contracts, according to an OpenAI spokesperson. Despite recording a loss of about $5 billion last year, OpenAI’s impressive revenue scale places it well ahead of many rivals benefiting from the AI boom.
Other players in the AI space are also seeing strong growth. For instance, Anthropic recently surpassed $3 billion in annualised revenue, driven by startup demand using its code-generation models. Meanwhile, OpenAI plans to raise up to $40 billion in new funding, valuing the company at $300 billion.
Since launching ChatGPT over two years ago, OpenAI has expanded its offerings with various subscription plans and services. The company reported 500 million weekly active users as of March 2025, underscoring its dominant position in the AI market.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s leading contract chipmaker, reported a significant 39.6% year-over-year surge in May revenue, reaching NT$320.52 billion ($10.70 billion).
This robust growth is primarily attributed to sustained high demand for its AI chips. The company, a key supplier to tech giants like Apple and Nvidia, has seen its US-listed shares rise over 2% in premarket trading, extending their 5% gain so far this year.
Despite May’s revenue being down 8% from April’s figure, the chipmaker’s January-to-May revenue climbed nearly 43% compared to the same period last year, reaching NT$1.51 trillion.
This strong performance underpins TSMC’s ambitious expansion plans, including a previously announced intent to invest $100 billion in U.S.-based chip-manufacturing facilities.
TSMC CEO C.C. Wei reiterated the company’s full-year 2025 revenue projection in April, anticipating an increase of ‘close to mid-20s percent in US dollar terms.’
The continued strong demand for AI chips is expected to be a major driver in achieving these financial targets, solidifying TSMC’s critical role in the global technology landscape.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
XRobotics, a San Francisco-based startup, is gaining traction in the food tech sector with its compact pizza-making robot, the xPizza Cube. Roughly the size of a washing machine, the machine uses AI to apply sauce, cheese and toppings, producing up to 100 pizzas per hour.
At $1,300 monthly on a three-year lease, it’s designed to fit seamlessly into existing kitchens and support, not replace, staff. Unlike failed predecessors such as Zume, XRobotics has found success by offering assistive rather than disruptive technology.
Their initial, larger model proved impractical, but the current compact version, launched in 2023, now produces 25,000 pizzas each month across an undisclosed number of customer locations. Both small pizzerias and large chains use the robot to cut labour time and improve consistency.
With over 73,000 pizza outlets in the US, XRobotics plans to stay focused on pizza for now. Its founders, self-professed pizza lovers, say customer response has confirmed that a well-targeted tool can significantly impact even the most traditional kitchens.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Apple has unveiled a range of AI features at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, focusing on tighter privacy, enhanced user tools and broader integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. These updates will appear across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 and visionOS 26, set to launch in autumn.
While Apple Intelligence was first teased last year, the company now allows third-party developers to access its on-device AI models for the first time.
CEO Tim Cook and software chief Craig Federighi outlined how these features are intended to offer more personalised, efficient apps. Users of newer iPhones will benefit from tools such as live translation in Messages and FaceTime, and AI-powered image analysis via Visual Intelligence.
Apple also enables users to blend emojis creatively and use ChatGPT through its Image Playground to stylise photos. Enhancements to the Wallet app will help summarise order tracking from emails, and AI-generated voices will offer fitness updates.
Despite these innovations, Apple’s redesign of Siri remains incomplete and is not expected to launch soon.
The event failed to deliver major surprises, as many details had already been leaked. Investors responded cautiously, sending Apple shares down by 1.2%. The firm has lost 20% of its value in the year and no longer holds the top spot as the world’s most valuable company.
Nonetheless, Apple is expected to reveal more AI advancements in 2026.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Marks & Spencer has resumed online clothing orders following a 46-day pause triggered by a cyberattack. The retailer restarted standard home delivery across England, Scotland and Wales, focusing initially on best-selling and new items instead of the full range.
A spokesperson stated that additional products will be added daily, enabling customers to gradually access a wider selection. Services such as click and collect, next-day delivery, and international orders are expected to be reintroduced in the coming weeks, while deliveries to Northern Ireland will resume soon.
The disruption began on 25 April when M&S halted clothing and home orders after issues with contactless payments and app services during the Easter weekend. The company revealed that the breach was caused by hackers who deceived staff at a third-party contractor, bypassing security defences.
M&S had warned that the incident could reduce its 2025/26 operating profit by around £300 million, though it aims to limit losses through insurance and internal cost measures. Shares rose 3 per cent as the online service came back online.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Reddit has taken legal action against AI company Anthropic, accusing it of scraping content from the platform’s sports-focused communities.
The lawsuit claims Anthropic violated Reddit’s user agreement by collecting posts without permission, particularly from fan-driven discussions that are central to how sports content is shared online.
Reddit argues the scraping undermines its obligations to over 100 million daily users, especially around privacy and user control. According to the filing, Anthropic’s actions override assurances that users can manage or delete their content as they see fit.
The platform emphasises that users gain no benefit from technology built using their contributions.
These online sports communities are rich sources of original fan commentary and analysis. On a large scale, such content could enable AI models to imitate sports fan behaviour with impressive accuracy.
While teams or platforms might use such models to enhance engagement or communication, Reddit warns that unauthorised use brings serious ethical and legal risks.
The case could influence how AI companies handle user-generated content across the internet, not just in sports. As web scraping grows more common, the outcome of the dispute may shape future standards for AI training practices and online content rights.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
China has proposed creating a ‘green channel’ for rare earth exports to the EU, aiming to ease the impact of its recent restrictions. These materials, vital to electric vehicles and household appliances, have been under stricter export controls since April.
During recent talks, Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič warned Chinese officials that the curbs had caused major disruptions across Europe, describing the situation as alarming. While some progress in licence approvals has been noted, businesses argue it remains inadequate.
The talks come as both sides prepare for a high-stakes EU-China summit and continue negotiations over tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
Brussels has imposed duties of up to 35.3%, citing unfair subsidies, while Beijing is pushing for a deal involving minimum pricing to avoid the tariffs.
China’s commerce ministry confirmed the discussions are in their final stage but acknowledged that more work is needed to reach a resolution.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Plans for a vast AI data hub in the UAE have raised security concerns in Washington due to the country’s close ties with China.
The $100 billion Stargate UAE campus, aims to deploy advanced US chips, but US officials are scrutinising potential technology leakage risks.
Although the Trump administration supports the project, bipartisan fears remain about whether the UAE can safeguard US-developed AI and chips from foreign adversaries.
A final agreement has not been reached as both sides negotiate export conditions, with possible restrictions on Nvidia’s hardware.
The initial phase of the Stargate project will activate 200 megawatts of capacity by 2026, but the deal’s future may depend on the UAE’s willingness to accept strict US oversight.
Talks over potential amendments continue, delaying approval of what could become a $500 billion venture.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Meta Platforms is reportedly in talks to invest over $10 billion in Scale AI, a data labelling startup already backed by Nvidia, Amazon, and Meta itself.
The deal, if finalised, would mark Meta’s largest external investment in AI to date, representing a notable shift away from its prior reliance on in-house research and open-source projects.
Founded in 2016, Scale AI supports the training of AI models through high-quality labelled datasets. It also provides a platform for AI research collaboration, now with contributors in more than 9,000 locations.
The company was last valued at nearly $14 billion following a 2024 funding round involving Meta and Microsoft.
Meta’s planned investment signals an aggressive expansion of its AI ambitions. Earlier this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced up to $65 billion in AI spending for 2025. It includes Meta’s Llama chatbot, now embedded into Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, reaching one billion users monthly.
The move puts Meta in closer competition with Microsoft, which has committed over $13 billion to OpenAI, and Amazon and Alphabet, which are backing rival AI firm Anthropic. Scale AI declined to comment, while Meta has yet to respond publicly.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Financial firms across the UK will soon be able to experiment with AI in a new regulatory sandbox, launched by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in partnership with Nvidia.
Known as the Supercharged Sandbox, it offers a secure testing ground for firms wanting to explore AI tools without needing their advanced computing resources.
Set to begin in October, the initiative is open to any financial services company testing AI-driven ideas. Firms will have access to Nvidia’s accelerated computing platform and tailored AI software, helping them work with complex data, improve automation, and enhance risk management in a controlled setting.
The FCA said the sandbox is designed to support firms lacking the in-house capacity to test new technology.
It aims to provide not only computing power but also regulatory guidance and access to better datasets, creating an environment where innovation can flourish while remaining compliant with rules.
The move forms part of a wider push by the UK government to foster economic growth through innovation. Finance minister Rachel Reeves has urged regulators to clear away obstacles to growth and praised the FCA and Bank of England for acting on her call to cut red tape.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
