In today's rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Microsoft and BlackRock have taken a significant step forward. The two giants announced the joint launch of a fund exceeding $30 billion, focusing on AI infrastructure investment, primarily covering data centers and energy projects. This major announcement was made on Tuesday and immediately generated a tremendous response in the global tech and finance circles. With the continuous advancement of AI technology, particularly the widespread application of deep learning and large-scale data processing models, the demand for computing power has shown explosive growth.

Enterprise AI leader Glean raised over $260 million in its latest Series E financing round, with the company's valuation reaching $4.6 billion, doubling from $2.2 billion six months ago. This round was co-led by Altimeter and DST Global, with participation from several investment firms including Craft Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Along with the financing, Glean launched Work AI.

Amazon's cloud computing division - Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently announced that they will invest $10 billion over the next five years to build, operate, and maintain data centers in the UK. Image source note: The image is AI generated and authorized by the provider Midjourney. This decision marks Amazon's further expansion in the UK, where the company established its first AWS region back in 2016, which includes centralized data centers. Additionally, AWS has three availability zones and two Waves in the UK.

According to the Financial Times, BlackRock, one of the world's largest asset management companies, will collaborate with tech giant Microsoft and Abu Dhabi-backed investment firm MGX to launch a large AI fund exceeding $30 billion. The fund will primarily be used to build data centers and invest in energy infrastructure to meet the growing demand for AI computing. Additionally, chip giant NVIDIA will provide technical support for the fund to address the challenges posed by AI technology.

Recently, Reuters reported that OpenAI is undergoing a new round of financing, with a valuation reaching as high as $150 billion. However, behind this remarkable valuation, OpenAI must undertake a significant corporate restructuring to lift the profit cap for investors. The latest financing will be conducted in the form of convertible notes, with specific progress depending on whether this startup can successfully alter its existing corporate structure. Looking back at OpenAI's history, since its establishment in 2015, it initially operated as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing cutting-edge technology.

On an exciting evening, Oprah Winfrey presented us with a special program on Artificial Intelligence (AI) titled "AI and Our Future." The event attracted several heavyweight guests, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, tech influencer Marques Brownlee, and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The overall tone of the program was quite cautious, as if everyone was quietly drumming. Oprah pointed out at the opening that the 'devil' of AI has already been unleashed from the bottle.

Recently, the French startup Poolside has garnered significant attention. The company focuses on developing artificial intelligence technology aimed at assisting in software development. Despite the fact that their initial product has not yet been released, they are already discussing a new round of funding, with a valuation expected to reach 3 billion USD. Image source note: image generated by AI, image authorized by service provider Midjourney. According to informed sources, Poolside plans to raise nearly 500 million USD, with existing investor Bain Capital Ventures.

Recently, reports have emerged that the UAE's sovereign investment company MGX is considering participating in a multi-billion dollar financing round for OpenAI. According to The Wall Street Journal, MGX has not yet determined the specific amount of its investment, while OpenAI is seeking to raise $6.5 billion and increase the company's valuation to $150 billion. This financing plan has the support of venture capital firm Thrive Capital, and Microsoft may also be involved, given its engagement since 2019.

Shenzhen Yuanxiang Information Technology Co., Ltd. recently announced the successful release of China’s largest Mixture of Experts (MoE) open source large model — XVERSE-MoE-A36B. The launch of this model marks a significant advancement in China’s AI field, elevating domestic open source technology to an internationally leading level.

OpenAI is in funding talks to raise $6.5 billion, aiming for a $150 billion valuation, supported by a $5 billion revolving credit facility from banks. The high valuation stems from the success of ChatGPT, solidifying OpenAI's position as a key player in AI, backed by Microsoft and led by Sam Altman.....

Glean, an AI-driven enterprise work platform, raised $260 million in Series E financing, doubling its valuation to $4.6 billion, co-led by Altimeter and DST Global. Glean's mission is to provide work AI for everyone, connecting and deeply understanding enterprise data, personnel, processes, and environments, while maintaining intuitiveness and security, becoming a reliable tool in daily work. Since its launch in 2019, Glean has evolved from an AI-powered enterprise search engine to a comprehensive enterprise AI assistant.

With the rapid development of the global artificial intelligence market, Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are essential as a core driving force for applications driven by large language models. In the coming years, GPU price volatility is expected to increase significantly, affecting companies' cost management. Traditionally, energy-intensive industries such as mining and logistics have been accustomed to cost fluctuations, while sectors like finance and pharmaceuticals need to adapt quickly. Nvidia, as a key supplier, has seen a surge in GPU demand and soaring valuations. The popularity of GPUs stems from their ability to handle vast amounts of computations in parallel, making them suitable for training and deploying large.

In discussions about AI's electricity consumption, Bill Gates presented a different viewpoint, emphasizing that concerns about AI's power demands are exaggerated, and that AI's contributions to scientific discovery and production processes far exceed its energy consumption. He cited examples of AI's role in improving steel production, optimizing meat processing, and weather forecasting. Gates also pointed out the potential of nuclear energy in addressing the climate crisis, noting that while current nuclear energy costs are high, advancements in technology, such as TerraPower's work on developing safer, more economical nuclear fission technology, hold promise for the future of affordable nuclear energy.

The company SSI, founded by Ilya Sutskever, has completed $1 billion in funding within three months of its establishment, achieving a valuation of $5 billion. The SSI team consists of only 10 people, with the goal of achieving safe superintelligence. The initial funding round attracted well-known investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, and SV Angel. SSI focuses on research and development, planning to meet the demand for computing power through partnerships with cloud service providers and chip manufacturers. The company adopts a traditional profit model.

In an interview with The Verge, Bill Gates expressed an optimistic attitude towards artificial intelligence (AI), believing that AI applications in health and education will have positive implications in the short term, particularly providing personalized tutoring to enhance student motivation. He emphasized that AI technology is beneficial to society as a whole, but also warned of potential misuse risks and called for proper guidance. Regarding climate change, Gates supports nuclear energy as a solution, highlighting the importance of finding clean energy. On the potential threats of AI, he pointed out that some criminals might misuse it.

Zhipu AI, a unicorn in the large model field, announces the completion of financing worth several billion yuan to support technological innovation and ecosystem development. After this round of financing, Zhipu's valuation reaches 20 billion yuan, with Zhongguancun Science City Company as the lead investor, marking its third financing round in 2024. Zhipu's shareholder lineup includes well-known investment institutions such as Zhongguancun Science City, Hillhouse Capital, Qiming Venture Partners, and Junlian Capital, as well as internet giants Meituan, Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi.

Safe Superintelligence (SSI) was founded by former OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, aiming to develop safe AI systems that surpass human capabilities. The company has raised $1 billion and is valued at $5 billion, focusing on the research and development of AI safety and superintelligent technologies rather than rushing to market. SSI values integrity and potential in its hiring principles, aiming to ensure that AI technology serves humanity and reduces risks through innovative thinking.

Wuwen Chip Quasar, an AI startup established just over a year ago, recently secured nearly 500 million in Series A financing, bringing its total financing to over 1 billion, making it the king of financing in the AI infrastructure sector. Its shareholders include state-owned assets, local funds, and notable venture capital institutions such as Shunwei Capital and Dacheng Financial Intelligence. One of the founders, Wang Yu, is the head of the Department of Electronics at Tsinghua University, and many team members have Tsinghua backgrounds with rich research experience. In 2016, DeepInsight Technology, incubated by Tsinghua NICS-EFC Laboratory, was acquired by Xilinx for 300 million.

Nvidia is facing an antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, focusing on its dominant market position in the artificial intelligence sector and whether it has taken measures to stifle competition, including penalizing suppliers that do not use its AI chips. This news has led to a significant drop in Nvidia's stock price, resulting in a market value loss of $279 billion. Although the overall trend of stock prices remains an upward trajectory, the AI boom has driven high sales of its expensive chips. Nvidia's recently launched Blackwell series AI chips are facing delayed market release due to design flaws, intensifying competition with rivals.

SparkLabs, a well-known venture capital firm, has announced the closure of its $500 million AIM AI Fund, aimed at supporting global AI startups. This fund will be used for its own AIM-X accelerator project in Saudi Arabia as well as other AI projects worldwide. This initiative reflects the significant trend in the AI sector, particularly the rise of generative AI, which has attracted numerous startups and investors. SparkLabs' accelerator program aims to drive the development of AI technology in Saudi Arabia over the next five years while also reflecting the number of global AI startups.