
Musk's xAI in talks with Saudi firm Humain on data center deal
The company is in early talks with two potential partners: Humain, a Saudi-backed artificial intelligence firm offering xAI several gigawatts of capacity, and another company building a smaller but more immediately available 200-megawatt facility.
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Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Uber and Lucid team up to launch Robotaxis — 20,000 driverless cars to hit US, set to take on Tesla and Waymo in 2025
Uber is going all-in on the future of autonomous vehicles as it revealed a new robotaxi initiative with EV manufacturer Lucid and autonomous software company Nuro, as per a report. Following the announcement, Lucid Group Inc's stock rose more than 29%, according to a CNBC report. Uber Unveils Major Robotaxi Partnership with Lucid and Nuro Under the 'next-generation premium global robotaxi program', the companies aim to introduce more than 20,000 robotaxis in the next six years, all exclusively on Uber's platform, as reported by Yahoo Finance. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category healthcare Design Thinking Operations Management Data Science Data Science Data Analytics Others Finance CXO Product Management MCA Healthcare others Leadership Cybersecurity Public Policy Digital Marketing Project Management PGDM Artificial Intelligence Technology Degree Management MBA Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details This comes after Lucid, the California-based company, posted a strong second quarter of deliveries, with the new Lucid Gravity SUV arriving in showrooms, and its goal to deliver 20,000 Air sedans and Gravity SUVs in 2025, reported Yahoo Finance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Navsari: 1 Trick to Reduce Belly Fat? Home Fitness Hack Shop Now Undo ALSO READ: Dream Job? Elon Musk's xAI offers up to $440,000 for engineers who can make anime girl avatars Robotaxi Launch Set for a Major US City Soon This is a major deal for Uber, which retreated from robotaxi initiatives after a fatal crash in 2018, according to the report. With Lucid's Gravity SUV and Nuro, which is backed by Google and the SoftBank Vision Fund, providing its Driver Level 4 autonomous software on Uber's platform and fleet management systems, the robotaxis could be in a major US city as early as next year, according to the Yahoo Finance report. Live Events Uber to Invest Hundreds of Millions in Lucid and Nuro For the new robotaxi program, the ride-hailing company revealed that it will invest $300 million in Lucid and a similar 'multi-hundred-million dollar" investment in Nuro, according to the report. ALSO READ: $14 billion Meta deal, then massive layoffs? Scale AI cuts 200 roles, 14% of its workforce in stunning move Lucid Robotaxi Prototype Undergoing Testing in Las Vegas A Lucid robotaxi prototype using Nuro software is currently being tested at Nuro's Las Vegas proving grounds, as reported by Yahoo Finance. The startup raised $106 million in a funding round from T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Tiger Global and Greylock, in April, as reported by CNBC. Global Vision for Autonomous Ride-Hailing Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said, 'We're thrilled to partner with Nuro and Lucid on this new robotaxi program, purpose-built just for the Uber platform, to safely bring the magic of autonomous driving to more people across the world,' as quoted by Yahoo Finance. While Lucid interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said that, 'This investment from Uber further validates Lucid's fully redundant zonal architecture and highly capable platform as ideal for autonomous vehicles,' and added that, 'This is the start of our path to extend our innovation and technology leadership into this multi-trillion-dollar market,' as quoted in the report. Uber's Broader Strategy: Compete With Waymo and Tesla The latest Uber-Lucid-Nuro robotaxi program is the newest bet on robotaxi services in the United States, and comes after Waymo's leadership in the space as the only true operator, as per Yahoo Finance. While Uber has also partnered with Alphabet's Waymo in deployments in Austin and Atlanta, Yahoo Finance reported. Meanwhile, even Tesla expanded its robotaxi testing in Austin, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk saying that the EV giant would expand testing to the San Francisco Bay Area, but reportedly the applications for those state permits have not been submitted, according to the report. FAQs How much is Uber investing? Uber is investing $300 million in Lucid, and another multi-hundred million in Nuro. How does this compare to Waymo and Tesla? Waymo is already operating robotaxis in some cities. Tesla is testing its own version but hasn't gotten full permits yet.


Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
XAI in talks to lease data center capacity in Saudi Arabia: Report
Elon Musk's xAI is in discussions to lease data center capacity in Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The startup is in discussion with two potential partners: Humain, a Saudi-backed AI company offering xAI several gigawatts of capacity, and another company building a smaller but more immediately available 200-megawatt facility, according to the report. The Humain proposal remains distant, Bloomberg reported, as the startup launched by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is yet to break ground on much of the infrastructure it has pledged to build. The other company, which Bloomberg did not name, is already working on the 200-megawatt facility, making it a more realistic short-term option for xAI, the report said. XAI and Humain did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The AI startup has been ramping up its data center capacity to train more advanced models, as it looks to compete more effectively with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude. Its supercomputer cluster in Memphis, Tennessee, called Colossus, is touted as the largest in the world. Big tech companies are expected to spend $320 billion on AI this year, with Meta and CoreWeave announcing billions in spending on AI data centers this week. Saudi Arabia's PIF sovereign wealth fund is expected to play a large role as xAI looks to raise more money from investors in a deal that could value it between $170 billion and $200 billion, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Musk said that the AI startup is not seeking funding right now.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bharti Airtel partners Perplexity AI to offer Pro subscription for free to 360 mn customers
NEW DELHI: India's Bharti Airtel has partnered with US-based Perplexity AI to offer the latter's Perplexity Pro subscription, worth ₹17,000, for free to Airtel's 360 million customers, as telecom carriers partner with artificial intelligence (AI) firms to gain an edge over competitors and arrest subscriber churn. 'This Pro subscription, worth ₹17,000, is now available for free, for all Airtel customers (Mobile, Wi- Fi and DTH) for one year,' Airtel said in a regulatory filing on Thursday. This marks the Nvidia-backed startup's first partnership with an Indian telecom company. Perplexity is an AI-powered search and answer engine that offers real-time, accurate and deeply researched responses to users in a conversational language, presented in easy to read answers which can be iterated with the self-learning AI-tool for the precise outcome the user needs. Perplexity has a free offering, which offers powerful search functions, while the Pro version provides enhanced capabilities for professionals users. Perplexity Pro includes more daily Pro searches per user, access to advanced AI models, such as GPT 4.1 and Claude, and the ability to select specific models, deep research, image generation, file uploads and analysis, as well as Perplexity Labs, a tool that brings ideas to life. 'This collaboration will bring the powerful and real-time knowledge tool for millions of users at their fingertips, at no extra cost. This first of its kind Gen-AI partnership in India is focused on helping our customers navigate the emerging trends in the digital world with confidence and ease,' said Gopal Vittal , vice chairman & managing director, Bharti Airtel. 'This partnership is an exciting way to make accurate, trustworthy, and professional-grade AI accessible to more people in India—whether a student, working professional, or managing a household. With Perplexity Pro, users get a smarter, easier way to find information, learn, and get more done,' said Aravind Srinivas, cofounder & CEO, Perplexity. As per media reports in May, Perplexity was seeking to raise $500 million in a funding round that would give the San Francisco-headquartered startup a valuation of $14 billion. Perplexity counts Databricks, HP, Amplitude, Zoom, and Snowflake, among others, as customers, as per its website. Last year, it had also partnered with SK Telecom in South Korea, as well as with SoftBank and T-Mobile.