Welcome to the newest edition of ID Tech’s AI update. Here’s the latest big news on the shifting landscape of AI and identity technology:
Qualcomm has reportedly approached Intel about a proposed acquisition. Details about any such talks are scant, but it would make a certain amount of sense for Qualcomm, which currently relies on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and others to make its chips. Intel would give it production capabilities based in the United States.
Nvidia is in talks to buy OctoAI, a Seattle-based startup specializing in software designed to make AI models run more smoothly. Nvidia has made a $165 million offer before accounting for debt and expenses. OctoAI had previously raised $132 million in investment funding, reaching a valuation of $900 million in 2021.
ByteDance is getting into AI chips. The China-based company, which owns TikTok, is aiming to get two semiconductors into mass production by 2026. To that end, it’s working with TSMC. Geopolitically, that might raise some eyebrows, further highlighting Taiwan’s status as a pivotal player in the global AI arms race.
Constellation Energy Corp. will reactivate its Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania to sell its energy to Microsoft, which is looking to fuel its data center and AI computing efforts. Three Mile Island is notably the site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history. Operations are expected to resume in 2028.
Microsoft has teamed up with BlackRock to build a $30 billion AI investment fund that will support the construction of data centers and energy projects. It’s being launched through BlackRock’s new Global Infrastructure Partners unit. In addition to Microsoft, the Abu Dhabi-backed investment firm MGX is a general partner in the fund. Nvidia will serve in an advisory role.
MGX, Microsoft, Tiger Global, Apple, and Nvidia are all in talks to join OpenAI’s blockbuster $6 billion funding round, which would value the company at $150 billion. Existing backers Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, however, are notably sitting this one out. Some are expecting OpenAI to become “a trillion-dollar company.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom is signalling that he might veto the state’s AI safety bill, which has been approved by the legislature and would hold AI companies liable for certain harms if the proper safety measures aren’t put in place. Speaking at a Salesforce event, Newsom said he doesn’t want to jeopardize California’s dominance of the AI sector. “The impact of signing wrong bills over the course of a few years could have a profound impact,” he said.
The chatbot’s take: We asked for a bit of background on one of the most important events in the history of energy and the environmental movement.
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September 20, 2024 – by Alex Perala
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