Sustainable development

Cohere secures $500m funding to expand secure enterprise AI

Cohere has secured $500 million in new funding, lifting its valuation to $6.8 billion and reinforcing its position as a secure, enterprise-grade AI specialist.

The Toronto-based firm, which develops large language models tailored for business use, attracted backing from AMD, Nvidia, Salesforce, and other investors.

Its flagship multilingual model, Aya 23, supports 23 languages and is designed to help companies adopt AI without the risks linked to open-source tools, reflecting growing demand for privacy-conscious, compliant solutions.

The round marks renewed support from chipmakers AMD and Nvidia, who had previously invested in the company.

Salesforce Ventures’ involvement hints at potential integration with enterprise software platforms, while other backers include Radical Ventures, Inovia Capital, PSP Investments, and the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.

The company has also strengthened its leadership, appointing former Meta AI research head Joelle Pineau as Chief AI Scientist, Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger as Chief Product Officer, and ex-Uber executive Saroop Bharwani as Chief Technology Officer for Applied R&D.

Cohere intends to use the funding to advance agentic AI, systems capable of performing tasks autonomously, while focusing on security and ethical development.

With over $1.5 billion raised since its 2019 founding, the company targets adoption in regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance.

The investment comes amid a broader surge in AI spending, with industry leaders betting that secure, customisable AI will become essential for enterprise operations.

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Google backs workforce and AI education in Oklahoma with a $9 billion investment

Google has announced a $9 billion investment in Oklahoma over the next two years to expand cloud and AI infrastructure.

The funds will support a new data centre campus in Stillwater and an expansion of the existing facility in Pryor, forming part of a broader $1 billion commitment to American education and competitiveness.

The announcement was made alongside Governor Kevin Stitt, Alphabet and Google executives, and community leaders.

Alongside the infrastructure projects, Google funds education and workforce initiatives with the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University through the Google AI for Education Accelerator.

Students will gain no-cost access to Career Certificates and AI training courses, helping them acquire critical AI and job-ready skills instead of relying on standard curricula.

Additional funding will support ALLIANCE’s electrical training to expand Oklahoma’s electrical workforce by 135%, creating the talent needed to power AI-driven energy infrastructure.

Google described the investment as part of an ‘extraordinary time for American innovation’ and a step towards maintaining US leadership in AI.

The move also addresses national security concerns, ensuring the country has the infrastructure and expertise to compete with domestic rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as international competitors such as China’s DeepSeek.

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Musk faces an OpenAI harassment lawsuit after a judge rejects dismissal

A federal judge has rejected Elon Musk’s bid to dismiss claims that he engaged in a ‘years-long harassment campaign’ against OpenAI.

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that the company’s counterclaims are sufficient to proceed as part of the lawsuit Musk filed against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, last year.

Musk, who helped found OpenAI in 2015, sued the AI firm in August 2024, alleging Altman misled him about the company’s commitment to AI safety before partnering with Microsoft and pursuing for-profit goals.

OpenAI responded with counterclaims in April, accusing Musk of persistent attacks in the press and on his platform X, demands for corporate records, and a ‘sham bid’ for the company’s assets.

The filing alleged that Musk sought to undermine OpenAI instead of supporting humanity-focused AI, intending to build a rival to take the technological lead.

The feud between Musk and Altman has continued, most recently with Musk threatening to sue Apple over App Store listings for X and his AI chatbot Grok. Altman dismissed the claim, criticising Musk for allegedly manipulating X to benefit his companies and harm competitors.

Despite the ongoing legal battle, OpenAI says it will remain focused on product development instead of engaging in public disputes.

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South Korea unveils megagrowth plan with AI expressway and energy reform

President Lee Jae-myung has announced a sweeping national megagrowth plan that positions South Korea at the forefront of AI and energy transformation.

The initiative includes the creation of an ‘AI expressway’, starting with the Ulsan AI data centre, underpinned by bold tax incentives and regulatory reforms to attract private sector investment. Complementing this is a proposed investment of 100 trillion won to accelerate AI innovation, next-generation semiconductors, and the development of AI infrastructure and innovation zones.

On the energy front, the government has launched a dedicated task force to develop an AI-powered next-generation power grid. This ‘electric highway’ aims to integrate AI technology into renewable energy distribution and grid modernisation without needing vast new infrastructure.

Complementing the power grid overhaul, Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) plans to invest around 73 trillion won by 2038 to expand transmission lines and upgrade the power infrastructure serving major semiconductor complexes.

Together, these measures form a robust blueprint that aligns digital transformation with energy security, aimed at keeping South Korea globally competitive while responding to rising electricity demands from AI and other tech industries.

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China debuts quantum-embedded GNN for drug discovery

According to Science and Technology Daily, Chinese researchers have reported a breakthrough in quantum drug discovery using edge encoding. Origin Quantum, USTC, and the Hefei AI Institute built a quantum-embedded graph neural network (GNN) to predict drug-molecule properties.

In drug development, graph neural networks model molecules as atoms and bonds. Classical and some quantum approaches handle atoms well but struggle with bonds. The gap limits accuracy and screening speed.

The team from China introduced quantum edge and node embeddings to process bonds and atoms simultaneously at the quantum level. The quantum-embedded GNN unifies both signals in one pass. Results show sharper predictions for the properties of candidate drugs.

Validation on the Origin Wukong quantum computer indicates stable performance despite today’s noisy hardware. Benchmarking suggests efficiency gains for molecular screening pipelines. Researchers say the approach is production-oriented as devices scale.

Findings appear in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modelling. Collaboration highlights China’s push to integrate quantum computing with biopharmaceutical research and development. More exhaustive testing on larger qubit counts is anticipated.

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Google rolls out Preferred Sources for tailored search results

Google has introduced a new ‘Preferred Sources’ feature that allows users to curate their search results by selecting favourite websites. Once added, stories from these sites will appear more prominently in the ‘Top Stories’ section and a dedicated ‘From your sources’ section on the search results page.

Now rolling out in India and the US, the feature aims to improve search quality by helping users avoid low-value content. There is no limit to the number of sources that can be chosen, and early testers typically added more than four.

While preferred outlets will appear more often, search results will still include content from other websites.

To set preferred sources, users can click the icon next to the ‘Top Stories’ section when searching for a trending topic, find the outlet they want, and reload results.

Google says the change may also benefit publishers, offering them more visibility when AI-driven search engines sharply reduce traffic to news websites.

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Perplexity AI offers US$34.5b for Google Chrome

Perplexity AI has made a surprise US$34.5 billion offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, which could align with antitrust measures under consideration in the US.

The San Francisco-based startup submitted the proposal in a letter of intent, claiming it would keep Chrome independent while prioritising openness and consumer protection.

The bid arrives as Google awaits a court ruling on potential remedies after being found to have maintained an illegal monopoly in online search.

US government lawyers have suggested Chrome’s divestment instead of allowing Google to strengthen its dominance through AI. Google has urged the court to reject such a move, warning that a sale could harm innovation and reduce quality.

Analysts at Baird Equity Research said Perplexity’s offer undervalues Chrome and may be intended to prompt rival bids or influence the judge’s decision. They added that Perplexity, which already operates its browser, could gain an advantage if Chrome became independent.

Google argues that most Chrome users are outside the US, meaning a forced sale would have global implications. The ruling is expected by the end of August, with the outcome likely to reshape the competitive landscape for browsers as AI increasingly shapes how users access the internet.

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AI browsers accused of harvesting sensitive data, according to new study

A new study from researchers in the UK and Italy found that popular AI-powered browsers collect and share sensitive personal data, often in ways that may breach privacy laws.

The team tested ten well-known AI assistants, including ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, Merlin AI, Sider, and TinaMind, using public websites and private portals like health and banking services.

All but Perplexity AI showed evidence of gathering private details, from medical records to social security numbers, and transmitting them to external servers.

The investigation revealed that some tools continued tracking user activity even during private browsing, sending full web page content, including confidential information, to their systems.

Sometimes, prompts and identifying details, like IP addresses, were shared with analytics platforms, enabling potential cross-site tracking and targeted advertising.

Researchers also found that some assistants profiled users by age, gender, income, and interests, tailoring their responses across multiple sessions.

According to the report, such practices likely violate American health privacy laws and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Privacy policies for some AI browsers admit to collecting names, contact information, payment data, and more, and sometimes storing information outside the EU.

The study warns that users cannot be sure how their browsing data is handled once gathered, raising concerns about transparency and accountability in AI-enhanced browsing.

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Ukraine pioneers Starlink satellite-to-phone network

Ukraine has completed its first successful field test of Starlink’s direct-to-cell satellite technology, marking a breakthrough for mobile connectivity in Eastern Europe.

The trial, carried out by the country’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar in the Zhytomyr region, saw CEO Oleksandr Komarov and Ukraine’s digital transformation minister Mykhailo Fedorov exchange messages using standard smartphones.

The system connects directly to phones via satellites equipped with advanced cellular modems, functioning like cell towers in space.

The technology is designed to keep communications running when terrestrial networks are damaged or inaccessible.

Telecom companies worldwide are exploring satellite-based solutions to remove coverage gaps instead of relying solely on costly or impractical land-based networks.

Starlink, owned by SpaceX, has already signed direct-to-cell service deals in 10 countries, with Kyivstar set to be the first European operator to adopt it.

A commercial rollout in Ukraine is planned for late 2025, starting with messaging. Broader mobile satellite broadband access is expected in early 2026.

Kyivstar’s parent company, VEON, is also discussing with other providers, such as Amazon’s Project Kuiper, the extension of similar services beyond Ukraine.

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Musk’s xAI makes Grok 4 free worldwide for a limited time

Elon Musk’s company xAI has made its latest AI model, Grok 4, available to all users worldwide at no cost for a limited period. The model, launched just a month ago, was initially exclusive to paying subscribers of SuperGrok and X Premium.

Although Grok 4 is now open to everyone, its most potent version, Grok 4 Heavy, remains restricted to SuperGrok Heavy members. The announcement comes days after OpenAI unveiled GPT-5, which is also freely accessible.

Grok 4 features two operating modes. Auto mode decides automatically whether a query requires more detailed reasoning, aiming to deliver faster responses and use fewer resources. Expert mode allows users to manually switch the AI into reasoning mode if they want a more thorough reply.

Alongside the release, xAI has introduced Grok Imagine, a free AI video generation tool for users in the US, with enhanced usage limits for paid members in other regions. The tool has already sparked controversy after reports emerged of its use to create explicit videos of celebrities.

Musk has also revealed plans to integrate advertising into the Grok chatbot interface as an additional revenue source to help offset the high costs of running the AI on powerful GPUs.

The ads will be placed between responses and suggestions on both the web platform and the mobile application, marking another step in xAI’s bid to expand its user base while sustaining the service financially.

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