Perplexity in talks with phone makers to pre-install Comet AI mobile browser on devices
The move could significantly boost Perplexity's reach by capitalizing on browser "stickiness", where users tend to stick with browser apps that are pre-installed or set as default on their devices, potentially driving habitual use of the company's AI tools.
"It's not easy to convince mobile OEMs to change the default browser to Comet from Chrome," Srinivas said, referring to original equipment manufacturers and highlighting the challenge of user inertia on mobile platforms.
Comet, currently in beta and available only on desktops, integrates Perplexity's AI directly into web browsing, allowing users to ask questions about personal data like emails, calendars, or browsing history, and even perform tasks such as scheduling meetings or summarizing webpages.
Perplexity aims to target "tens to hundreds of millions" of users next year after stabilizing the desktop version for a few hundred thousand initial testers, Srinivas said.
Its efforts reflect a broader industry shift toward browsers with agentic AI capabilities, ones that need minimal human intervention to make decisions and achieve specific tasks.
Reuters reported earlier this month that OpenAI is developing its own agentic AI browser, which could automate complex tasks such as booking travel or managing finances.
As of last month, Google's Chrome had a market share of about 70 per cent in mobile devices, while Apple's Safari and Samsung's browsers together commanding another 24 per cent, according to Statcounter data.
Bloomberg News reported in June that Perplexity was in talks with Samsung Electronics and Apple to integrate its AI search capabilities into their devices, potentially enhancing assistants like Bixby or Siri.
Perplexity has completed a $500 million investment round, which valued it at $14 billion earlier this year. Its investors include Accel, Nvidia, Jeff Bezos and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
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' Google signed a US$20 billion deal in December with Intersect Power, a developer, to build a data centre and solar farm with battery storage. Some of the power for Meta's Prometheus will come from natural gas extracted at the location. The hyperscalers' desperation is helping cultivate novel sources of generation. Google has an agreement with Kairos Power, a startup developing small-modular reactors (SMRs), to provide nuclear power from 2030. Amazon has invested in X-energy, another SMR startup. Google and Meta have signed deals for geothermal energy, tapping the heat from the earth's crust. Microsoft is dabbling in hydrogen fuel cells as backup power for data centres. Extremes in demand Making the grid more flexible is another way to ensure reliable supplies of energy. Tyler Norris, a fellow at Duke University, says electricity systems are designed for extremes in demand. A hot and sunny morning in Texas, say, will send people rushing to switch on air-conditioning units. If data centres agree not to use grid power at peak times by tapping batteries or using onsite generators, that can allow more to be added to the grid without overburdening it. Data-centre operators that do this could get priority in the queue for power from the grid. XAI, owned by Elon Musk, participated in a flexibility programme for its data centre in Memphis. SemiAnalysis, a research outfit, argues that this helped it get faster access to electricity. The tech giants are providing support in other ways, too. Google has teamed up with CTC Global, a cable-maker, to help utilities and states upgrade transmission lines. ' Malaysia had been Asia's data-centre hot spot, thanks in part to cheap energy, though a surcharge for data centres which came into force on Jul 1 may put off the hyperscalers. ' A final strategy is to go abroad . Data centre capacity is set to soar in the Gulf countries, where big sovereign-wealth funds are bankrolling developments. Spain, with its abundant solar power, is another popular destination. Malaysia had been Asia's data-centre hot spot , thanks in part to cheap energy, though a surcharge for data centres which came into force on Jul 1 may put off the hyperscalers. Making the right choice is crucial. Building huge data centres can run into trouble. Project Stargate, led by OpenAI, an AI startup, and SoftBank, a giant Japanese tech investor, has reportedly hit setbacks after disagreements about power providers and site selection. Peter Freed, an executive formerly at Meta and now a consultant, notes that building highly customised data centres for training models in the middle of nowhere may prove a bad idea. 'I worry about stranded-asset risk,' he says. And as no one knows what the demand for AI will be over the next two years, even the most advanced AI model might struggle to give definitive advice. ©2025 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved
