OpenAI Secures $122 Billion Funding Round at $852 Billion Valuation

OpenAI has closed a massive $122 billion funding round, valuing the company at $852 billion as it prepares for a potential IPO. Co-led by SoftBank, the round included significant participation from Amazon, Nvidia, and Microsoft, along with a $3 billion tranche from individual investors.

Attacks on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Home Lead to Arrests

Two suspects were arrested in connection with attacks on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's San Francisco home, which included an alleged Molotov cocktail incident and a separate shooting. Following the events, Altman published a blog post calling for a de-escalation of rhetoric in the AI field.

Intel to Partner with Elon Musk on 'Terafab' AI Chip Factory

Intel has announced it will participate in Elon Musk's 'Terafab' project to build a new semiconductor factory in Texas. The partnership will leverage Intel's expertise in chip design and fabrication to accelerate the production of compute power for Musk's AI and robotics ventures.

Anthropic Withholds Powerful 'Mythos' Hacking AI, Launches 'Project Glasswing'

Anthropic revealed its new AI model, 'Mythos', possesses powerful cybersecurity capabilities, including autonomously finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities. Citing safety concerns, the company will not release the model publicly but will provide controlled access to security partners through a new initiative called Project Glasswing.

Meta Expands AI Cloud Infrastructure Deal with CoreWeave to $35 Billion

Meta has increased its commitment with AI cloud provider CoreWeave by $21 billion, bringing the total value of their infrastructure deal to $35 billion through 2032. The expanded contract focuses on AI inference workloads and will include early deployments of Nvidia's Vera Rubin platform.

Iran Threatens OpenAI's 'Stargate' Data Center in UAE

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a video threatening to destroy OpenAI's $30 billion 'Stargate' AI data center being built in Abu Dhabi. The threat was issued as a potential retaliation for any U.S. attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure.

Anthropic Loses Appeal in Pentagon 'Supply Chain Risk' Case

A federal appeals court denied Anthropic's emergency request to halt the Pentagon's designation of the company as a "supply chain risk." This ruling keeps the ban in place, preventing the company from securing new contracts with the Defense Department while the legal challenge proceeds.

Florida Attorney General Investigates OpenAI

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched an investigation into OpenAI, citing concerns about public safety and national security. The probe is reportedly linked to allegations that ChatGPT was used in planning a deadly mass shooting at Florida State University.

Microsoft Launches New In-House 'MAI' Foundational AI Models

Microsoft has released three new in-house foundational AI models: MAI-Transcribe-1, MAI-Voice-1, and MAI-Image-2. The models, which handle speech-to-text, audio generation, and text-to-image/video respectively, are positioned as more cost-effective alternatives to competitors and mark a strategic push for independent AI development.

Anthropic's 'Claude Code' Source Code Accidentally Leaked Online

The source code for Anthropic's AI coding tool, Claude Code, was accidentally exposed online after a debugging file was included in a public update. The leak revealed the tool's architecture and unreleased features. Anthropic later issued a broad DMCA takedown request on GitHub that it said unintentionally affected thousands of legitimate repositories before being corrected.

Meta Raises Prices for Quest VR Headsets

Meta is increasing the prices of its Quest 3 and Quest 3S virtual reality headsets, citing a global shortage and rising costs for critical components like RAM chips. The price for the headsets will increase by between $50 and $100.

TechCrunch Discusses 'Tokenmaxxing,' AI Spending, and Industry Anxiety

A TechCrunch Equity podcast and video segment explored the widening gap between AI insiders and the public, driven by increased spending, new terminology like 'tokenmaxxing,' and major investments by companies like OpenAI.