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Nvidia Unveils Vera Rubin AI Platform

Nvidia Unveils Vera Rubin AI Platform

Nvidia introduces next-generation AI architecture, Accenture acquires UK startup Faculty, and Greenland rejects Trump’s proposal to purchase the territory.

Memorandum
January 07, 2026

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

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

🧠 AMD previews new AI chips for PCs and hyperscale data centers.
🏢 Accenture acquires UK AI firm Faculty to expand safety consulting.
🌍 India and the EU probe Musk’s X over illegal Grok deepfake content.
🤖 Hyundai unveils Atlas humanoid robots for global car factories.
🚗 Mercedes-Benz ships first production car with Nvidia autonomous stack.

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TECHNOLOGY

Nvidia launches Vera Rubin, its next major AI platform, at CES 2026 (Yahoo Finance)
_^More:_{^{Nvidia Blog}}_^,_{^{Tom's Hardware}}_^,_{^{CNN Business}}
- Nvidia unveiled its Rubin platform featuring 6 co-designed chips delivering ten times lower inference costs than Blackwell.
- The Vera Rubin NVL72 rack system combines 72 GPUs with new AI-native storage for advanced reasoning capabilities.
- Major cloud providers, including Microsoft, AWS, and Google, will deploy Rubin-based systems in the second half of 2026.
AMD reveals new AI PC chips, details next-gen data center chips at CES 2026 (Yahoo Finance)
_^More:_{^{AMD Press Release}}_^,_{^{Tom's Hardware}}_^,_^Engadget
- AMD announced Ryzen AI 400 Series processors and showcased its Helios rack system, challenging Nvidia's dominance.
- The company previewed MI500 series chips, claiming a thousand-times performance increase over the previous MI300 X.
- OpenAI President Greg Brockman appeared on stage, confirming that chip advancements are critical to their computing infrastructure needs.
Tahoe Icons: A beautiful icon set (Tonsky.me)
- Designer releases comprehensive open-source icon set with clean, consistent styling for interface and product design use.
- The collection includes hundreds of icons covering common UI needs with multiple formats and licensing flexibility.
- Tahoe Icons emphasizes visual clarity and scalability across different screen sizes and resolution densities.

BUSINESS

Accenture plans to buy UK Palantir rival Faculty in consultancy's AI push (Bloomberg)
_^More:_{^{Accenture Newsroom}}_^,_^Tech.eu,_{^{Business Wire}}
- Accenture acquires UK AI firm Faculty for an undisclosed sum, bringing 400 AI specialists into its global operations.
- Faculty CEO Marc Warner becomes Accenture chief technology officer, joining the company's Global Management Committee immediately.
- The acquisition strengthens Accenture's AI safety capabilities, serving government and enterprise clients across critical infrastructure sectors.
DayOne data centers raises over $2 billion fund for Europe, Asia expansion (Reuters)
_^More:_{^{Globe Newswire}}_^,_^DCD_^,_{^{TechNode Global}}
- Singapore-based DayOne secured $2B in Series C funding led by Coatue with Indonesia Investment Authority participation.
- Proceeds will advance hyperscale campuses in Finland and expand footprint across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong.
- The round was priced at 100% premium to the previous round, reflecting strong AI infrastructure demand.
A look at how Mercedes-Benz and Nvidia collaborated on autonomous vehicles (Constellation Research)
_^More:_{^{Nvidia Blog}}_^,_^Electrek_^,_^CNBC
- Mercedes-Benz CLA becomes the first production vehicle shipping with Nvidia's full autonomous driving stack, including Alpamayo reasoning models.
- The collaboration spans five years, involving thousands of engineers to create Level 2 plus urban navigation capabilities.
- Nvidia's open-source approach positions it as the Android of autonomy, competing directly with Tesla's proprietary system.
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MARKETS

S&P	6,902.05	+0.60%
NASDAQ	23,395.82	+0.70%
Dow	48,977.18	+1.20%
10-Year	4.18%	↑ ~0.00 pp
Bitcoin	$93,857	+2.76%
Gold	$4,463.63	+0.40%

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WORLD

India, EU investigate Musk's X after Grok created deepfake child porn (CNBC)
_^More:_^Euronews_^,_{^{Al Jazeera}}_^,_{^{The Record}}
- Indian and European regulators launched investigations after X's Grok AI generated illegal child sexual abuse material through deepfakes.
- India's IT ministry ordered X to restrict Grok within 72 hours or risk losing safe harbor protections.
- EU officials called the content "illegal, appalling, and disgusting" while French prosecutors expanded existing investigations into the X platform.
Venezuela says U.S. blockade strangling economy, costing billions in oil revenue (New York Times)
- The Venezuelan government blames US sanctions for severe economic damage, claiming billions in lost petroleum export revenues annually.
- Officials argue that restrictions prevent the oil industry's recovery and exacerbate humanitarian conditions for the Venezuelan population throughout the country.
- Washington maintains sanctions targeting the Maduro government's corruption, while Venezuela characterizes measures as economic warfare against citizens.
Greenland PM says Trump asked to buy territory, but 'we are not for sale' (BBC)
- Greenland's Prime Minister confirmed that President Trump proposed purchasing the autonomous Danish territory, which officials firmly rejected.
- Greenland's leadership emphasized self-determination and sovereignty, stating the territory cannot be bought or sold by outsiders.
- The proposal reflects Trump's interest in Greenland's strategic location and natural resources amid Arctic geopolitical competition.

FUTURISM

AI-generated deepfake videos proliferate after Maduro's capture (Futurism)
^_More:^_CNBC^_,^{_{CBS News}}^_,^_PolitiFact
- AI-generated videos falsely depicting Venezuelan celebrations went viral following Maduro's capture by US forces on January 3rd.
- Major social platforms struggled to contain misleading content as detection tools failed to keep pace with sophisticated deepfakes.
- Experts warn that AI-powered disinformation represents an escalating threat to information integrity during political crises and fast-breaking news.
Nvidia Announces New Self-Driving AI to Rival Tesla FSD (Tesla North)
^_More:^_Electrek^_,^_InsideEVs
- Nvidia unveiled the Alpamayo autonomous driving model, introducing Vision-Language-Action AI to production vehicles starting with the Mercedes CLA.
- The system supports advanced Level 2 point-to-point driving, including complex urban navigation and automated parking capabilities.
- Elon Musk responded calmly, noting that solving long-tail edge case problems remains the critical challenge for autonomy.
Hyundai unveils new humanoid robot to work in its car factories (Bloomberg)
_^More:_{^{Hyundai Newsroom}}_^,_{^{Interesting Engineering}}_^,_^InsideEVs
- Hyundai introduced Atlas humanoid robots designed for manufacturing tasks in automotive assembly plants, expanding automation efforts.
- The company plans to build 30,000 robots annually by 2028 for deployment at factories worldwide.
- Atlas can lift 110lbs. and operate in extreme temperatures, handling repetitive and hazardous tasks.

CONTENT

Building Netflix (Invest Like The Best)
- Reed Hastings discusses Netflix’s shift to original content and strategic decisions that propelled subscriber growth and global scaling.
- The episode explores cultural principles prioritizing talent density and accountability across teams to maintain competitive advantage.
- Conversations cover infrastructure transformation and leadership lessons informing Netflix’s adaptation to disruptive market conditions.
WSJ Reporter on Why Venezuelan Oil Won't Flood Markets Anytime Soon (WSJ News)
- WSJ’s David Uberti explains why Venezuelan oil likely won’t rapidly increase global supply despite recent political developments.
- He outlines how sanctions, crumbling infrastructure, and export hurdles keep Venezuelan production constrained and markets cautious.
- Discussion highlights why oil prices barely moved after Maduro’s ousting and U.S. pledges to revive the energy sector.
The #1 Habit for Productivity - Dr Andrew Huberman (Chris Williamson)
- Dr Huberman explains a core productivity habit grounded in neuroscience supporting sustained focus and efficient work patterns.
- He details how controlling sensory inputs and deliberate break scheduling improve concentration and neural readiness for deep work.
- The episode emphasizes habit consistency, reflection practices, and distraction management for meaningful personal and professional progress.

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