Nvidia’s AI Financing Model Faces Scrutiny Over Control and Circularity

Nvidia has paused some revenue-sharing arrangements with artificial intelligence cloud companies, according to reports, only weeks after introducing a financing model designed to help smaller providers obtain the expensive computing equipment needed to build large artificial intelligence systems. The reported pause does not amount to an abandonment of Nvidia’s broader financing strategy, but it highlights…

Anthropic Turns to Custom Chips to Reduce AI Infrastructure Dependence

Anthropic’s reported discussions with artificial intelligence chip startup MatX highlight a strategic problem that is becoming increasingly important for leading artificial intelligence companies: access to computing power is no longer simply a purchasing issue. It is becoming a question of how much control an AI developer wants over the hardware on which its models are…

AI Upgrade Demand Revives Best Buy’s Electronics Sales

Best Buy’s decision to raise its annual sales and profit forecasts is providing an early indication that artificial intelligence is beginning to influence consumer electronics spending beyond the technology companies building AI itself. The US electronics retailer now expects annual revenue of $42.3 billion to $42.8 billion, compared with its previous range of $41.2 billion…

Coca-Cola Automates Custom Drinks to Capture the Next Beverage Boom

Coca-Cola is moving beyond the traditional soda fountain as changing consumer tastes push restaurants toward customized, visually distinctive and higher-value beverages. Inside its innovation facilities, the company is developing equipment that can automate products such as dirty sodas, refreshers and customized energy drinks, allowing restaurant workers to offer drinks that appear handcrafted without requiring the…

Iran-Oman Hormuz Talks Stall Over Control and US Conditions: Iranian Sources

Iran and Oman are still negotiating the details of a proposed arrangement for the Strait of Hormuz, exposing the gap between political declarations of progress and the practical conditions required to restore normal shipping. A senior Iranian source has said that no final agreement has been reached, despite the Revolutionary Guards previously claiming that Tehran…

India Targets Firebase as Cybercriminals Exploit Cloud Infrastructure

India’s latest action against fraudulent websites hosted on Google’s Firebase platform reflects a significant change in the country’s fight against digital financial crime. Instead of pursuing only the websites, phone numbers and bank accounts used by individual scammers, authorities are increasingly targeting the digital infrastructure that allows fraudulent operations to function. The Indian Cyber Crime…