Author: precious

SoftBank Group is seeking a loan of up to $40 billion to fund a new, expanded investment in OpenAI, a move that would mark the Japanese conglomerate’s largest-ever borrowing entirely in U.S. dollars. The loan, which would have a tenor of about 12 months, is being underwritten by four lenders, including JPMorgan Chase. Talks between SoftBank and the lending body are still ongoing, and final terms could change before any deal is closed. The proposed loan comes on top of more than $30 billion SoftBank has already committed to OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. By the end of December 2025,…

OpenAI has raised a landmark $110 billion in a new funding round that values the ChatGPT maker at about $840 billion in post-money and cements it as one of the most valuable private technology companies in history. The raise comes less than a year after OpenAI closed a $40 billion round that was itself a record for a private tech firm. The Funding: Who Is Investing And How Much The $110 billion round is anchored by three giants that includes Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank. Amazon is investing about $50 billion, while Nvidia and SoftBank are each committing around $30 billion,…

Nvidia is committing $4 billion to photonics manufacturers Coherent Corp. and Lumentum Holdings in a move aimed squarely at scaling the backbone of its next-generation AI data centers. Each company will receive $2 billion through a mix of direct investment, long-term purchase agreements, and guaranteed access to future production capacity for advanced optical components. The goal is for Nvidia to secure enough high-end silicon photonics and laser technology to keep Nvidia’s AI infrastructure roadmap on track as model sizes and cluster scales keep climbing. Nvidia disclosed that it plans to invest $2 billion apiece in Lumentum and Coherent, both key…

OpenAI has tightened the rules around its controversial artificial intelligence (AI) deal with the U.S. Pentagon, adding new protections meant to limit government surveillance and address an escalating backlash, even from some of its own users. The amended agreement explicitly bars the use of OpenAI’s systems for domestic mass surveillance of Americans and restricts access for U.S. intelligence agencies. What Changed in the OpenAI Pentagon Deal The original agreement, announced in late February, allowed the Pentagon to use OpenAI’s models for any lawful purpose on its classified networks. This immediately triggered concern because it included intelligence and surveillance work. OpenAI…

OpenAI and Microsoft are publicly doubling down on their alliance, even as OpenAI signs some of the largest AI deals in the industry with other tech giants. A new joint statement from both companies maintains that their core partnership, licensing terms, and Azure cloud commitments remain unchanged despite fresh multibillion‑dollar arrangements with Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank and others. OpenAI and Microsoft described their collaboration as “strong and central,” emphasizing that they continue to work closely across research, engineering and product development. Microsoft confirmed it still holds an exclusive license to OpenAI’s models and products for wide commercial use, preserving a key…

UK authorities have urged organisations to tighten their cyber defences after warning of a heightened risk from Iran-linked hackers as a result of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. In a new advisory, the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warned UK organisations that have presence in the Middle East to prepare for potential Iran-linked cyber activity connected to the fast-moving, conflicting situation in the region. While the NCSC emphasised that, for now, there is “no significant change” in the direct cyber threat from Iran to the UK, they warned that this assessment could change rapidly as the conflict evolves. Its…

Google is locking in long-term electricity deals to power a new data center in the United States, turning to utilities AES Corp and Xcel Energy to secure dedicated, large-scale supplies of clean energy. The agreements are designed to support a planned Google facility in Wilbarger County, Texas, and a new data center in Pine Island, Minnesota, while adding significant new generation capacity to the grid. New Data Center Projects and Locations AES Corp has signed a 20‑year agreement to supply power for Google’s upcoming data center in Wilbarger County, a rural area in north Texas. Under the deal, AES will…

Nvidia is heading into its next earnings report with more pressure than celebration, as investors are questioning how long its extremely rapid growth in producing artificial intelligence (AI) chips can last. Nvidia recently posted its strongest earnings in its history, and Wall Street still wasn’t satisfied. The company reported fourth-quarter revenue of $68.1 billion, up 73% from the same period a year earlier, and beat analyst expectations across every major metric. Yet within hours of the results dropping, Nvidia’s stock fell 5.5% to $184.89, erasing roughly $260 billion in market value in a single session and marking the stock’s worst…

Facebook owner Meta has locked in one of the largest AI hardware commitments in the industry, signing a multibillion‑dollar deal with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to secure next‑generation AI chips for its data centers. The multi‑year agreement will see AMD supply up to 6-gigawatts of AI GPU capacity, positioning Meta to scale its AI infrastructure well beyond its current deployments. Estimated at $60 billion, the deal covers multiple generations of AMD chips, aligns both companies’ hardware and software development roadmaps, and includes a significant equity arrangement that could give Meta a roughly 10% stake in AMD over time. What the…

Amazon has committed $12 billion to build multiple data center campuses across Caddo and Bossier Parishes in northwest Louisiana, marking the company’s first large-scale data center presence in the state. Governor Jeff Landry made the announcement, alongside Amazon’s Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer David Zapolsky. Construction is set to begin within weeks, and the project will support both cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for Amazon Web Services (AWS). Where the Campuses will be Located and Who is Building It The confirmed locations span multiple campuses across Caddo and Bossier Parishes, with each site placed miles apart and…