Pulse

OpenAI has launched DeployCo, a new venture aimed at assisting businesses in developing AI-driven solutions. Separately, Cowboy Space has secured $275 million in funding to construct data centers in orbit, addressing the growing demand for space-based computing infrastructure. AI

Samsung is in final negotiations with its labor union to prevent an 18-day strike that could disrupt global memory chip production and cost the company billions. The union, representing tens of thousands of workers, is demanding uncapped performance bonuses and higher base salaries, while management has offered concessions but refused to remove bonus caps. Previous mediation attempts have failed, and the potential strike, set to begin May 21st, follows a recent one-day walkout that significantly impacted production. AI

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son is in discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron regarding a significant investment in AI data centers within France. This initiative is part of SoftBank's broader strategy to establish global AI infrastructure, with Son considering a multi-billion dollar commitment. The announcement is anticipated in the coming weeks, signaling a major move in the AI hardware landscape. AI

Arm has secured over $2 billion in commitments for its new AGI CPU, more than double its initial expectations, with $90-100 million slated for shipment in Q4 2026. Despite this strong demand, an analyst predicts Arm's market share in the data center CPU sector will remain in the low single digits. The company projects substantial revenue growth, aiming for $15 billion in AGI CPU sales by FY 2031, which would significantly boost its total revenue. AI

SoftBank is investing in water-based battery technology to power AI data centers. This initiative aims to provide a more sustainable and secure energy source for the growing demands of artificial intelligence computation. The company's strategy focuses on leveraging clean energy to support future AI infrastructure. AI

Config, a company described as the "TSMC of robotic data," has secured significant backing from major South Korean industrial players including Samsung, Hyundai, and LG. This investment positions curated datasets as the new foundation for physical AI, particularly in robotics. The move signifies a strategic shift towards leveraging specialized data for advancements in AI and robotics. AI

AI data center developers are increasingly opting for rural, unincorporated land to circumvent urban construction bans and regulatory hurdles. By building outside city limits, these developers can avoid lengthy approval processes like rezoning votes and land-use reviews, which are often subject to public scrutiny and community opposition. While this strategy may increase infrastructure costs, the speedier approvals and reduced public backlash are seen as significant advantages, leading to projects in areas like Utah and Louisiana. AI

Intel and SK hynix experienced significant stock price increases following reports of a potential chip packaging partnership. SK Hynix is reportedly testing Intel's 2.5D EMIB technology for integrating high-bandwidth memory (HBM) with logic semiconductors. This collaboration could offer an alternative to TSMC's heavily utilized CoWoS packaging, potentially benefiting AI chip developers facing capacity constraints. AI

Fedora has approved an initiative to create AI-focused Atomic Desktop images designed for local-first development. These images will include open-source AI tools and CUDA remixes for various hardware, aiming to simplify AI development within the Fedora ecosystem. The project emphasizes local execution and user privacy, with Fedora Project Leader Jef Spaleta championing the effort despite some community pushback. AI

SoftBank is launching a battery manufacturing business in Japan to meet the escalating power demands of artificial intelligence applications. The company aims to produce battery cells and energy storage systems, targeting gigawatt-hour scale production by fiscal year 2028 and over 100 billion yen in annual revenue by 2030. This initiative involves partnering with South Korean startups to develop zinc-halogen batteries, which utilize water-based electrolytes for enhanced safety compared to traditional lithium-ion cells and to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains. AI

MiniMax's affiliated company, Shanghai Xiyu Jizhi, has significantly increased its registered capital from 1 billion to 4 billion RMB. This substantial 300% surge indicates a major scaling of AI infrastructure and operations for the company. The entity, established in November 2021, focuses on services including AI software development and computer systems. AI

SoftBank is expanding its AI data center offerings by adding hourly rental plans for NVIDIA DGX A100 GPU servers, suitable for small-scale AI development. The company is also in discussions with NVIDIA to develop domestic AI servers. These moves aim to support the growing demand for AI infrastructure and development. AI

The global economy is experiencing an unprecedented capital expenditure cycle, projected to reach nearly $5 trillion by the end of the decade. This boom is driven by a confluence of factors including energy security, rising electricity demand, and decarbonization efforts, alongside significant investments in AI infrastructure. Major tech companies like Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are investing heavily in AI, contributing to a surge in chip demand and related capital spending. AI

ByteDance is significantly increasing its AI infrastructure budget for 2026, allocating over $30 billion. This substantial investment, a 25% rise from initial plans, is fueled by the rapid user growth of its Doubao AI product and the expansion of its Volcano Engine enterprise services. A key aspect of this increased spending will be directed towards sourcing AI chips domestically within China. AI

A massive AI data center in Fayette County, Georgia, secretly consumed approximately 29 million gallons of water over a 15-month period without authorization. This occurred while residents were experiencing low water pressure and water conservation requests. Despite the unauthorized usage, county officials declined to fine the facility, citing its status as their largest customer and the need for a partnership. AI

Baidu has unveiled its new AI model, Ernie 5.1, claiming it can be trained for only 6% of the cost of comparable systems. This new model is designed for fast data processing, low energy consumption, and offers multilingual support. Baidu aims for Ernie 5.1 to be a key player in the future AI ecosystem. AI

Transsion has invested in Future Smart, a company that produces AI meeting earbuds powered by iFlytek technology. This collaboration is focused on developing advanced AI Agent hardware for global markets. The partnership aims to leverage Future Smart's existing user base of 1.5 million and expand into regions like Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. AI

The Middle East was poised to become a major hub for data center development, attracting significant global investment due to cheap energy, available capital, and government support. Nations like the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia had launched national AI strategies and were seen as prime locations for building AI infrastructure. However, recent geopolitical escalations, including drone and missile attacks on data centers in the UAE and Bahrain, have introduced significant uncertainty. AI

OpenAI has significantly increased the pricing for its GPT-5.5 model, with real-world costs rising by 49% to 92% depending on input length, despite claims of shorter responses offsetting the hike. This price increase, mirroring Anthropic's earlier adjustments to Claude Opus 4.7, is attributed to both companies preparing for potential IPOs. In response, developers are exploring multi-model routing strategies to manage costs by directing simpler tasks to cheaper models like Kimi K2.6 or DeepSeek V4-Pro, while reserving premium models for complex or critical operations. AI

Anthropic is experiencing unprecedented growth, with revenue and usage increasing 80-fold in a single quarter, leading to infrastructure challenges. To meet demand, the company has secured a significant compute deal with Elon Musk's xAI, renting the entire Colossus 1 data center which provides 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs. This partnership aims to alleviate usage limits for its Claude Code and API services, despite past public criticisms from Musk towards Anthropic. AI

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is emerging as a crucial standard for connecting AI agents to external tools and data sources, aiming to simplify integration and reduce development time. Initially an internal experiment at Anthropic, MCP is designed to act as a universal adapter, akin to USB-C for AI, allowing agents to discover and execute tools without custom code for each integration. By providing a standardized way for AI to access real-world data and functionalities, MCP is projected to significantly accelerate agent development and enable more complex, reliable business applications. AI

Anthropic has secured a significant compute deal with SpaceX, taking over the entire capacity of the Colossus 1 data center, which houses over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs. This partnership immediately doubles the rate limits for paid Claude Code users and removes peak-hour restrictions, addressing user complaints about service strain. The agreement also includes Anthropic's interest in developing orbital AI compute capacity with SpaceX, signaling a strategic move to secure infrastructure amidst rapid growth and intense competition. AI

Anthropic has entered into a significant compute deal with SpaceXAI, agreeing to lease capacity from Elon Musk's Colossus 1 supercomputer in Memphis, Tennessee. This partnership aims to alleviate Anthropic's growing compute demands, which have led to usage limits for its Claude Pro and Claude Max subscribers. The agreement also marks a notable shift in Musk's public stance towards Anthropic, following previous criticisms. AI

Anthropic's Claude Code has seen significant adoption, with users implementing safety measures like permission deny rules and pre-tool use hooks to prevent accidental file deletions and data loss. Despite these advancements, the tool has been implicated in security incidents, including the theft of developer secrets via fake installers. The widespread adoption of AI coding agents like Claude Code is reportedly boosting productivity and revenue across industries, leading some to reconsider the notion of an AI bubble. AI

A massive 9-gigawatt data center project, dubbed the "Stratos Project" or "Wonder Valley," backed by Kevin O'Leary, has been approved in rural Utah despite significant local opposition and environmental concerns. Residents and environmental groups are protesting the project's enormous energy and water consumption, which could exceed the state's current electricity usage and negatively impact the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. O'Leary argues the facility is crucial for national security and the U.S. AI race against China, claiming it will create thousands of jobs and that opposition is fueled by misinformation. AI

A report highlights six critical chokepoints in the AI supply chain, emphasizing China's dominance in processing 90% of rare earth minerals. The analysis maps the entire process from mining to AI model development, underscoring geopolitical control over essential components like GPUs, HBM chips, and data center cooling systems. AI

Nvidia's reliance on Asian supply chains for components has surged to 90% of its production costs, a significant increase from 65% a year ago. This heightened exposure is driven by the growing demand for its physical AI hardware, including the Jetson Thor robotics platform and DRIVE AGX Thor automotive SoC, which compete for constrained resources like TSMC's 3nm wafer capacity and LPDDR5X memory. The company's efforts to build domestic manufacturing capacity are underway but not yet at scale, while existing Asian suppliers face memory shortages impacting older product lines. AI

Google has explained that AICore, an Android system component, can temporarily occupy several gigabytes of storage by retaining both old and new AI models during updates. This process, intended for rollback safety, lasts about three days and is a sign of increasing storage needs for on-device AI features. Separately, leaks suggest the upcoming Pixel 11 will feature a new Tensor G6 chip with a MediaTek modem and updated AI and image processing units, alongside camera upgrades and a novel 'Pixel Glow' notification light. AI