CNA938 Rewind - Mind Your Money - (Mis)using AI in the classroom?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Scale AI competitor Micro1 raising funds at $500 million valuation, sources say
SAN FRANCISCO :Scale AI competitor Micro1 is finalizing a Series A round valuing the startup at $500 million, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Micro1 provides data labeling services to artificial intelligence labs, a sector that has grown tremendously in recent years as high-quality, human-generated datasets have become more important in training advanced AI systems. Micro1 has capitalized on this trend by building an AI-powered recruitment engine enabling AI labs to target specialized experts instead of large pools of low-wage labor. The company has told investors it has crossed $50 million in annualized revenue, up from $10 million earlier this year, and is projecting it will cross $100 million in annualized revenue by the end of September, the sources said. Former Twitter COO Adam Bain joined its board recently, and venture capital firms 01A and LG Technology Ventures will invest in the round, the sources said. Micro1 has benefited from recent changes at San Francisco-based Scale AI, a data labeling company that provides infrastructure and services to help organizations accelerate the development of AI models. Scale AI recently lost customers after Meta Platforms poached its CEO, Alexandr Wang, to become Meta's chief AI officer, leading Meta's new Superintelligence Labs. Among the customers that have left or are planning to leave Scale AI are Alphabet's Google and OpenAI, which are planning to move away over concerns that doing business with Scale could expose their research priorities to Meta.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Microsoft launches AI-based Copilot Mode in Edge browser
Microsoft on Monday launched a new "Copilot Mode" on its Edge browser that uses artificial intelligence to improve the browsing experience, as the tech giant rushes to compete with rivals launching AI-based browsers and web search features. Copilot Mode can help carry out tasks, organize browsing into topic-based queries and compare results across all open tabs without requiring users to switch between them, Microsoft said. The update comes at a time when tech companies have rolled out several AI-powered online search tools. Nvidia-backed startup Perplexity AI launched its Comet browser earlier this month, while Reuters reported on OpenAI's upcoming AI browser. Rival Alphabet earlier this year launched "AI Mode", an AI-only search feature on Google, and last week reported improvements in user engagement on such features. Microsoft said, under the new feature, users will see a page with a single input box combining chat, search and web navigation features. Copilot will also support voice navigation for browsing in Edge, the company added. The users will also soon be able to give Copilot permission to access additional browser context, such as user history and credentials, to take more concrete actions like making bookings or managing errands. Copilot will only be able to access browsing content when users enable it, and will provide visual cues to let users know when it is active in the background, Microsoft said. The feature will be available for free across Copilot markets in Windows and Mac PCs for a limited time and users can choose to opt out of it through Edge settings.
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Tesla-Samsung $16.5 billion supply deal may spur chipmaker's US contract business
Tesla has signed a $16.5 billion deal to source chips from Samsung Electronics, a move that could bolster the South Korean tech giant's unprofitable contract business but is unlikely to help Tesla sell more EVs or roll out robotaxis more quickly. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said late on Sunday that Samsung's new chip factory in Taylor, Texas would make Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip. This could re-energize Samsung's project, which has faced long delays because the company had trouble retaining and attracting major clients. Samsung shares on Monday closed up 6.8 per cent on hopes that this deal would help the world's top memory chip maker in the race to produce artificial intelligence chips, where it trails rivals such as TSMC. With production still years away, the deal is unlikely to help Tesla address immediate challenges, including ongoing declines in its EV sales and efforts to scale its emerging robotaxi service. Tesla shares still rose 4.2 per cent on Monday. Musk has said that future AI inference chips, including AI6, would be deployed in self-driving vehicles and its Optimus humanoid robots, though he has noted the substantial computing power could enable broader AI applications. Inference chips are used to run AI models and make real-time decisions. "Samsung agreed to allow Tesla to assist in maximizing manufacturing efficiency. This is a critical point, as I will walk the line personally to accelerate the pace of progress. And the fab is conveniently located not far from my house," Musk said in a post on X on Monday. "The $16.5B number is just the bare minimum. Actual output is likely to be several times higher," Musk said in another post. It was unclear whether the deal is related to ongoing trade talks between South Korea and the U.S. Seoul is seeking U.S. partnerships in chips and shipbuilding amid last-ditch efforts to reach a trade deal to eliminate or reduce potential 25 per cent U.S. tariffs. A South Korean trade ministry official told Reuters he had not heard that the specific deal was part of the trade negotiations. According to a senior analyst at NH Investment & Securities, Ryu Young-ho, Samsung's Taylor factory "so far had virtually no customers, so this order is quite meaningful," although the deal may represent a small portion of its logic chip revenue annually. In October, Reuters reported that Samsung had postponed taking deliveries of ASML chipmaking equipment for its Texas factory as it had not yet won any major customers for the project. It has already delayed the plant's operational start to 2026. PRODUCTION TIMELINE While no timeline was provided for AI6 chip production, Musk has previously said that next-generation AI5 chips will be produced at the end of 2026, suggesting AI6 would follow. Musk confirmed during Tesla's earnings call last week that AI5 chips would enter "buying production" by the end of next year. Lee Dong-ju, an analyst at SK Securities, expects production in 2027 or 2028, but Tesla has a history of missing its targets. Samsung currently makes Tesla's AI4 chips, which power its Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistant system, while TSMC is slated to make the AI5, initially in Taiwan and then Arizona, Musk has said. Samsung, the world's top memory chip maker, also produces logic chips designed by customers through its foundry business. The Texas project is central to Samsung Chairman Jay Y. Lee's strategy to expand beyond its bread-and-butter memory chips into contract chip manufacturing. It holds just 8 per cent of the global foundry market, far behind TSMC, which has a 67 per cent share, data from market researcher Trendforce show. Pak Yuak, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, said the deal would help reduce losses at Samsung's foundry business, which he estimates exceeded 5 trillion won ($3.6 billion) in the first half of the year.
