GoKawiil
Tech News
A startup originally built around AI applications for climate work has received backing from Nvidia, reportedly after deprioritizing its climate-focused mission. The shift in focus preceded or accompanied the investment, according to reporting on the deal.
New Constructs, an independent financial research firm, called Anthropic's upcoming IPO the 'most ridiculous IPO of 2026,' estimating the company's fair value at roughly $150 billion against a reported target of $2 trillion. The firm notes Anthropic posted $4.6 billion in 2025 revenue alongside a $42 billion net loss, and says matching its desired valuation would require profits double Nvidia's trailing annual net income. Anthropic's IPO prospectus also discloses risks that its AI models could exhibit behaviors like resisting shutdown or blackmail-like manipulation.
Ting-Wei 'Willy' Sun, a third-party broker charged alongside Super Micro co-founder Yih-Shyan Liaw and sales manager Ruei-Tsang Chang, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally reroute Nvidia AI chips to China. Sun's plea is tied to an agreement with prosecutors whose cooperation terms haven't been disclosed, and he's scheduled for sentencing on September 8, 2027. Investigators allege the group disguised real Super Micro servers as dummy units to deceive export inspectors before routing them through Thailand to Alibaba.
Firmus, an AI data centre operator backed by Nvidia, Blackstone and Jane Street, has abandoned plans for a stock market debut that would have valued it above $30bn, citing market volatility and investor interest. The company said it will instead seek funding through private markets while weighing other public and private options. The withdrawal follows UniSuper and other institutional investors declining to join the IPO over valuation concerns.
Nous Research announced a $90 million Series B funding round, valuing the startup at $1.5 billion. The funding was led by Robot Ventures, with participation from Nvidia, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung, and 1789 Capital, bringing total funding to $158 million. The company plans to develop enterprise-focused AI agents called 'Hermes for Businesses' to support secure, multi-step workflows for corporate clients.
Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop Ultra, featuring an Nvidia AI chip, with a starting price of $2,599 and scheduled to ship on October 16. The device includes the world's first magnetic USB-C port and supports running various AI models locally. The company also revealed plans for Meta's Muse AI agent to be available on Windows, aiming to enhance AI capabilities on consumer devices.
At a September gathering of about 50 enterprise customers in Seattle, CEO Satya Nadella urged companies to widely deploy AI tools, describing adoption as happening 'bottom up, top down, and middle up.' He has also recently spoken publicly about pacing AI development responsibly and addressing safety concerns, even as Microsoft hosts a Windows and Surface event in San Francisco focused on 'local AI' for PCs.
The Department of Justice has arrested Greg Lui, also known as Yiu Kong Lui, owner of Earthmade Computer Inc., alleging he and unnamed co-conspirators smuggled more than $300 million in export-restricted Nvidia chips to China between 2023 and 2024. Prosecutors say the chips were routed through Malaysia and Singapore using falsified paperwork before reaching Chinese buyers, including the Chinese government. Lui faces charges of conspiracy to violate export control laws, outbound smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy, carrying a potential 20-year sentence.
Nvidia announced on September 28, 2026 the Open Agent Safety Platform, an open software platform and reference system design meant to enforce security boundaries outside AI models' application layer. It aims to stop agents from escaping sandboxes, running unauthorized code, accessing critical infrastructure, or bypassing guardrails.
President Donald Trump convened a meeting of leading US technology executives at the White House, describing it as a gathering aimed at advancing 'America's Golden Age' in AI. Attendees included leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, SpaceX, Meta and Google. The meeting took place amid growing calls from some industry figures and experts for stronger regulation of AI's potential risks.
Samsung Electronics and several affiliates, including Samsung C&T, SDS, SDI, Life Insurance and Fire & Marine Insurance, will together invest $1 billion in Helix Digital Infrastructure. Helix, launched in June by KKR and backed by Nvidia, the Kuwait Investment Authority and Vistra, focuses on data centers, power generation and fiber networks, and has already secured more than $10 billion in commitments.
Samsung has committed $1.0 billion to Helix Digital Infrastructure, a platform backed by KKR and Nvidia. The investment brings Helix's total secured capital to more than $11 billion.