Welcome back to your daily memorandum talking tech, business, AI, markets, and more. 🗞️

In today’s edition, we are tackling the following:

🔋 Nvidia sends chips to Saudi Arabia’s HumaiN for major AI expansion.
🎥 TikTok debuts AI Alive, turning images into short animated videos.
📈 Chime files confidentially for IPO, revealing a $33M NBA sponsorship.
🤖 UN nations debate global AI weapons rules as autonomous tech advances.
🦿 LimX’s humanoid robot CL-3 handles complex terrain with real-time balance control.

TECHNOLOGY

• Nvidia to send chips to Saudi Arabia’s HumaiN for AI data centers

  • Nvidia will supply HumaiN with AI chips to power new data centers across Saudi Arabia as part of a multibillion-dollar initiative.

  • The deal aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader AI ambitions under Vision 2030 to diversify from oil and become a tech hub.

  • This marks another major international partnership for Nvidia as global demand for AI infrastructure continues to grow.

• Google adds AI Mode button to homepage to showcase Gemini’s search powers

  • Google is testing a new ‘AI Mode’ button on its homepage that activates Gemini-powered search results and summaries.

  • The change aims to highlight Gemini’s capabilities while reinforcing Google’s leadership in generative AI search innovation.

  • Users can toggle between traditional and AI-driven experiences, showing Google’s hybrid approach to evolving search behavior.

• TikTok launches ‘TikTok AI Alive,’ a new image-to-video tool

  • TikTok introduced AI Alive, a tool that turns user-uploaded images into short, animated videos with voice and motion.

  • The feature supports creative storytelling and avatar-style content, expanding TikTok’s generative media capabilities.

  • AI Alive is part of TikTok’s push to keep creators engaged as competition in AI-driven content heats up.

BUSINESS

• Microsoft is cutting 3% of employees to reduce management layers

  • Microsoft plans to lay off 3% of its workforce, focusing on reducing organizational complexity and streamlining decision-making.

  • The cuts come amid broader AI-driven restructuring efforts to speed up execution across teams and divisions.

  • Affected roles span product, marketing, and operations, with some being redeployed into higher-priority AI initiatives.

• Airbnb launches new features and redesigns app to highlight local experiences

  • Airbnb’s redesigned app introduces categories for local events and food, aiming to expand beyond just lodging.

  • Features include curated guides, host-led activities, and improved map-based browsing for immersive trip planning.

  • The move positions Airbnb as a broader lifestyle and travel platform, tapping into Gen Z and millennial trends.

• $ 25 B-valued Chime files for an IPO, reveals $33M deal with Dallas Mavericks

  • Fintech firm Chime confidentially filed for IPO, aiming to go public with a $25 billion valuation.

  • The filing revealed a $33 million sponsorship deal with the Dallas Mavericks to boost national brand visibility.

  • Chime’s revenue growth and customer acquisition metrics will be key as it enters a volatile public markets landscape.

MARKETS

CONTENT

• Agentic AI Meets Cybersecurity + Solar Robots in the Desert

  • ZioSec is building adversarial simulations to test AI agent vulnerabilities before real-world cybersecurity threats emerge.

  • Terabase’s mobile robotic factories assemble solar farms on-site, revolutionizing clean energy deployment in remote locations.

  • The episode highlights startups enabling scalable AI and renewable infrastructure to power future industrial and societal growth.

• OpenAI’s Sam Altman on Building the ‘Core AI Subscription’ for Your Life

  • Altman envisions ChatGPT as a personalized AI that retains context across your life, replacing traditional apps and systems.

  • He explains how younger users already treat AI as the primary interface for tasks, memory, and productivity.

  • The future may center on a single, reasoning model that interacts across platforms without constant retraining or input reset.

• He Built a $50K/Month AI Startup BEFORE building the Product

  • Finn launched Origami, an AI research agent for sales, by manually fulfilling client needs before product development began.

  • The startup grew to $50K MRR through cold email, agency-style services, and strong personal branding on social media.

  • He shares hard truths about early team building, including hiring and firing close friends while scaling a lean business.

FUTURISM

• Nations meet at UN for ‘killer robot’ talks as regulation lags

  • Countries gathered at the UN to discuss autonomous weapons, with experts warning that regulation is falling dangerously behind.

  • Concerns include AI-driven drones and lethal robots operating without human oversight in future conflict zones.

  • Advocacy groups push for a legally binding treaty, but global consensus remains elusive amid military investment pressures.

• Robotic hand uses compliant materials to grasp like a human

  • Engineers developed a robotic hand with soft, compliant materials that better replicate human grip and motion.

  • The design allows safe and adaptive interaction with delicate objects in healthcare, logistics, and service industries.

  • Researchers say it bridges the gap between rigid industrial robots and the nuanced dexterity of human hands.

• LimX unveils a versatile humanoid robot with advanced stability

  • LimX Dynamics introduced CL-3, a bipedal robot capable of complex terrain navigation and full-body balancing.

  • The robot’s dynamic stability system allows quick recovery from falls and real-time adjustments on uneven surfaces.

  • CL-3 is built for industrial, rescue, and mobility tasks, highlighting China’s rapid advancement in humanoid robotics.

EXTRAS

• Google tests replacing ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ with AI Mode

  • Google is piloting an ‘AI Mode’ button on its homepage, replacing the iconic ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ for some users.

  • The new feature activates AI-powered responses from Gemini, highlighting generative summaries alongside search results.

  • It signals Google’s ongoing shift toward integrating AI-first experiences into its core search functionality.

• xAI’s promised safety report is still missing

  • Elon Musk’s xAI missed its own deadline to release a safety report, raising transparency concerns in the AI community.

  • The report was expected to outline safeguards around model alignment, risk mitigation, and deployment best practices.

  • Critics warn that xAI’s secrecy contrasts with OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s more transparent safety disclosures.

• Meta blames tech press in U.S. antitrust trial

  • Meta argued that negative press unfairly shaped regulators’ views during its antitrust hearing on platform competition.

  • The company defended acquisitions like Instagram and WhatsApp as pro-innovation and consumer-focused.

  • The case could redefine limits on tech consolidation and media influence in legal interpretations of monopoly power.

AND MORE

• Universe may end sooner than expected, according to new research by Dutch scientists.

• Google updates 'G' logo with gradient design, marking its first redesign since 2015.

• SoftBank reports first profit in four years, driven by gains from investment portfolios.

• Measles outbreak in Texas reaches 717 cases, prompting public health response.

• With Rosetta Stone, you can explore 25 languages on your schedule.*

• Microsoft unveils rejected Windows 11 Start menu concepts, including widget-based and full-screen layouts.

• HPE to build South Korea’s largest supercomputer for the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information.

• Your Entrepreneur DNA Test reveals your authentic strengths.*