Arrakis, a startup based in London and Paris, has come out of stealth mode with $38 million in funding. The company is developing an AI operating system specifically designed for industrial sectors, focusing on factories and supply chains rather than traditional office software. With a $30 million Series A raise, Arrakis aims to unlock significant value by applying artificial intelligence to optimize industrial operations.
Monday.com will reduce its global workforce by approximately 20 percent, eliminating about 620 positions. This move is part of a strategic restructuring aimed at developing and enhancing its AI Work Platform. The company, an Israeli leader in project management software, announced the plan in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, emphasizing the shift toward a more streamlined operational model.
Meta has announced the appointment of Assaf Keren as its new chief information security officer, following the departure of Guy Rosen in June after 13 years with the company. Keren brings extensive experience from his recent role as chief security officer at Qualtrics, where he worked for two years, as well as his prior position in the same role at PayPal.
While Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle report substantial AI-related debts that appear manageable, a deeper look reveals a much larger hidden liability. According to a Nikkei investigation, this undisclosed AI debt has surged nearly eightfold over four years, reaching an estimated $1.65 trillion—exceeding their official $1.35 trillion AI obligations.
Humanoid, a London-based robotics startup, has successfully raised $152 million in a Series A funding round, driven by Prime Movers Lab, known for backing tech firms like Figure AI. This investment elevates Humanoid's valuation above the $1 billion mark, with notable participation from Bosch, Schaeffler, Aglaé Ventures, and Taiwan’s Fubon Financial. Bosch is set to handle large-scale manufacturing of Humanoid's wheeled robots, marking a critical step towards mass production and market expansion.
On Tuesday, top global investors completed the acquisition of Aligned Data Centers, a company largely unknown to the public. The deal, led by the AI Infrastructure Partnership, MGX, and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, now stands as the largest data-center purchase in history, growing by an additional $5 billion. This transaction highlights the increasing importance and value of data center infrastructure in today's tech-driven world.
Intel revealed on Tuesday that it will reduce its workforce in the data center division, which focuses on Xeon server chips and AI hardware, as part of a larger restructuring effort led by CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Despite the layoffs, Intel's shares climbed up to 8 percent in early trading, continuing a rally fueled by optimism about the company's strategic turnaround.
Most AI chips today are designed to be general-purpose, allowing users to load and run different models on them. However, Google is reportedly taking a novel approach by designing a chip that integrates the AI model directly into the silicon, based on Gemini’s architecture. This innovative project, known internally as “Frozen v2,” was first reported by The Information and has since been covered by Reuters and Bloomberg Law. Alphabet is exploring this advanced hardware design to potentially improve AI performance by embedding the model blueprint right into the chip itself.
For the past year, many have wondered about the infrastructure behind China’s rapidly advancing AI technologies. Now, Z.AI, formerly known as Zhipu, has revealed part of the mystery by opening a large-scale data center that operates exclusively with Chinese-made chips. Bloomberg reported that this new facility has begun partial operations, signaling a significant step in China’s move toward self-reliance in AI hardware.
Neo announced its emergence from stealth mode with a $100 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer Venture Partners, alongside contributions from Craft Ventures and Merlin Ventures. Founded by industry veterans from SentinelOne, Wiz, and Palo Alto Networks, Neo is developing a real-time control layer designed specifically for agentic AI software in enterprise environments.
