Anthropic has struck a multibillion-dollar deal with Google to expand its use of cloud computing and specialised AI chips. The agreement includes the purchase of up to one million Tensor Processing Units, Google’s custom hardware built to train and run large AI models.
The partnership will provide Anthropic with more than a gigawatt of additional computing power by late 2026. Executives said the move will support soaring demand for its Claude model family, which already serves over 300,000 business clients.
Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI employees, has quickly become a major player in generative AI. Backed by Amazon and valued at $183 billion, the company recently launched Claude Sonnet 4.5, praised for its coding and reasoning abilities.
Google continues to invest heavily in AI hardware to compete with Nvidia’s GPUs and rival US tech giants. Analysts said Anthropic’s expansion signals intensifying demand for computing power as companies race to lead the global AI revolution.
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Tech companies are intensifying competition to reshape how people search online through AI-powered browsers. OpenAI’s new Atlas browser, built around ChatGPT, can generate answers and complete web-based tasks such as making shopping lists or reservations.
Atlas joins rivals like Microsoft’s Copilot-enabled Edge, Perplexity’s Comet, and newer platforms Dia and Neon. Developers are moving beyond traditional assistants, creating ‘agentic’ AI capable of acting autonomously while keeping user experience familiar.
Google remains dominant, with Chrome holding over 70 percent of the browser market and integrating limited AI features. Analysts say OpenAI could challenge that control by combining ChatGPT insights with browser behaviour to personalise search and advertising.
Experts note the battle extends beyond browsers as wearables and voice interfaces evolve. Controlling how users interact with AI today, they argue, could determine which company shapes digital habits in the coming decade.
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Meta Platforms confirmed today it will cut approximately 600 jobs from its AI division, affecting teams including the Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) unit and product and infrastructure units. The move comes even as the company continues hiring for its elite superintelligence unit, the TBD Lab, which remains unaffected by the cuts.
According to an internal memo from Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, the layoff aim is to make remaining teams more load-bearing and impactful. ‘By reducing the size of our team, fewer conversations will be required to make a decision, and each person will be more load-bearing and have more scope and impact,’ Wang wrote.
Meta says employees affected will be encouraged to apply for other roles within the company; many are expected to be reassigned. The company’s earlier hiring spree in AI included poaching top talent from competitors and investing heavily in infrastructure. Analysts say the current cuts reflect a strategic pivot rather than a retreat, from broad AI research to more focused, high-impact model development.
This shift comes as Meta competes with organisations like OpenAI and Google in the race to build advanced large-language models and scaled AI systems. By trimming staff in legacy research and infrastructure units while bolstering resources for its superintelligence arm, Meta appears to be doubling-down on frontier AI even as it seeks to streamline operations.
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Albania’s AI minister Diella will ‘give birth’ to 83 virtual assistants for ruling-party MPs, Prime Minister Edi Rama said, framing a quirky rollout of parliamentary copilots that record debates and propose responses.
Diella began in January as a public-service chatbot on e-Albania, then ‘Diella 2.0’ added voice and an avatar in traditional dress. Built with Microsoft by the National Agency for Information Society, it now oversees specific state tech contracts.
The legality is murky: the constitution of Albania requires ministers to be natural persons. A presidential decree left Rama’s responsibility to establish the role and set up likely court tests from opposition lawmakers.
Rama says the ‘children’ will brief MPs, summarise absences, and suggest counterarguments through 2026, experimenting with automating the day-to-day legislative grind without replacing elected officials.
Reactions range from table-thumping scepticism to cautious curiosity, as other governments debate AI personhood and limits; Diella could become a template, or a cautionary tale for ‘ministerial’ bots.
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The European Commission has accused Meta and TikTok of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA), highlighting failures in handling illegal content and providing researchers access to public data.
Meta’s Facebook and Instagram were found to make it too difficult for users to report illegal content or receive responses to complaints, the Commission said in its preliminary findings.
Investigations began after complaints to Ireland’s content regulator, where Meta’s EU base is located. The Commission’s inquiry, which has been ongoing since last year, aims to ensure that large platforms protect users and meet EU safety obligations.
Meta and TikTok can submit counterarguments before penalties of up to six percent of global annual turnover are imposed.
Both companies face separate concerns about denying researchers adequate access to platform data and preventing oversight of systemic online risks. TikTok is under further examination for minor protection and advertising transparency issues.
The Commission has launched 14 such DSA-related proceedings, none concluded.
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Google has unveiled a redesigned AI-powered vibe coding experience in AI Studio, aimed at helping users turn ideas into working AI apps within minutes. The update eliminates managing API keys and connecting models, making app creation quicker and easier.
With the new workflow, users can describe the app they want, and AI Studio, powered by Google’s Gemini models, automatically links the right APIs and tools. Developers and non-coders can quickly build videos and images or write AI apps.
AI Studio also introduces a revamped App Gallery and Brainstorming Loading Screen to spark inspiration during app development. Users can explore project ideas, preview starter code, and remix apps, while real-time suggestions appear as their app builds.
Annotation Mode allows intuitive visual editing, letting users highlight elements and instruct Gemini to modify them.
Additional updates ensure uninterrupted development by allowing users to add API keys once free quotas are exhausted. These improvements empower creators and lower barriers, making turning AI-driven ideas into functional applications easier than ever.
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At the ROSCon conference in Singapore, NVIDIA unveiled significant open-source contributions to accelerate the future of robotics.
The company announced updates to the ROS 2 framework, new partnerships within the Open Source Robotics Alliance, and the latest release of NVIDIA Isaac ROS 4.0 (all designed to strengthen collaboration in robotics development).
NVIDIA’s involvement in the new Physical AI Special Interest Group aims to enhance real-time robot control and AI processing efficiency.
Its integration of GPU-aware abstractions into ROS 2 allows the framework to handle both CPUs and GPUs seamlessly, ensuring faster and more consistent performance for robotic systems.
Additionally, the company open-sourced Greenwave Monitor, which helps developers quickly identify and fix performance bottlenecks. NVIDIA Isaac ROS 4.0, now available on the Jetson Thor platform, provides GPU-accelerated AI models and libraries to power robot mobility and manipulation.
Global robotics leaders, including AgileX, Canonical, Intrinsic, and Robotec.ai, are already deploying NVIDIA’s open-source tools to enhance simulation, digital twins, and real-world testing.
NVIDIA’s initiatives reinforce its role as a core contributor to the open-source robotics ecosystem and the development of physical AI.
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Instagram is rolling out generative AI editing for Stories, expanding June’s tools with smarter prompts and broader effects. Type what you want removed or changed, and Meta AI does it. Think conversational edits, similar to Google Photos.
New controls include an Add Yours sticker for sharing your custom look with friends. A Presets browser shows available styles at a glance. Seasonal effects launch for Halloween, Diwali, and more.
Restyle Video brings preset effects to short clips, with options to add flair or remove objects. Edits aim to be fast, fun, and reversible. Creativity first, heavy lifting handled by AI.
Text gets a glow-up: Instagram is testing AI restyle for captions. Pick built-ins like ‘chrome’ or ‘balloon,’ or prompt Meta AI for custom styles.
Meta AI hasn’t wowed Instagram users, but this could change sentiment. The pitch: fewer taps, better results, and shareable looks. If it sticks, creating Stories becomes meaningfully easier.
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OpenAI acquired Software Applications Incorporated, the maker of Sky, to accelerate the development of interfaces that understand context, adapt to intent, and act across apps. Sky’s macOS layer sees what’s on screen and executes tasks. Its team joins OpenAI to bake these capabilities into ChatGPT.
Sky turns the Mac into a cooperative workspace for writing, planning, coding, and daily tasks. It can control native apps, invoke workflows, and ground actions in on-screen context. That tight integration now becomes a core pillar of ChatGPT’s product roadmap.
OpenAI says the goal is capability plus usability: not just answers, but actions completed in your tools. VP Nick Turley framed it as moving from prompts to productivity. Expect ChatGPT features that feel ambient, proactive, and native on desktop.
Sky’s founders say large language models finally enable intuitive, customizable computing. CEO Ari Weinstein described Sky as a layer that ‘floats’ over your desktop, helping you think and create. OpenAI plans to bring that experience to hundreds of millions of users.
A disclosure notes that a fund associated with Sam Altman held a passive stake in Software Applications Incorporated. Nick Turley and Fidji Simo led the deal. OpenAI’s independent Transaction and Audit Committees reviewed and approved the acquisition.
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Edge says the browser should work with you, not just wait for clicks. Copilot Mode adds chat-first tabs, multi-tab reasoning, and a dynamic pane for in-context help. Plan trips, compare options, and generate schedules without tab chaos.
Microsoft Copilot now resumes past sessions, so projects pick up exactly where you stopped. It can execute multi-step actions, like building walking tours, end-to-end. Optional history signals improve suggestions and speed up research-heavy tasks.
Voice controls handle quick actions and deeper chores with conversational prompts. Ask Copilot to open pages, summarise threads, or unsubscribe you from promo emails. Reservations and other multi-step chores are rolling out next.
Journeys groups past browsing into topic timelines for fast re-entry, with explicit opt-in. Privacy controls are prominent: clear cues when Copilot listens, acts, or views. You can toggle Copilot Mode off anytime.
Security features round things out: local AI blocks scareware overlays by default. Built-in password tools continuously create, store, and monitor credentials. Copilot Mode is in all Copilot markets on Edge desktop and mobile and is coming soon.
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