NerdNews

Mark Kurtz explains how to overcome technical and financial hurdles of scaling GenAI, including optimizing LLM deployments with open-source tools like vLLM, LLM Compressor, and InstructLab to balance performance, accuracy, and cost for successful production deployment.

Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5 billion to authors whose works were pirated to train its AI models. The settlement, believed to be the largest in US copyright litigation history, will provide $3,000 per work to affected authors. The decision sets a precedent for AI companies to pay copyright owners and may have significant implications for the industry.

OpenAI is backing the expansion of the AI-generated short film Critterz into a feature-length movie, set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2026. The film, made using OpenAI's Dall.E and GPT-5 tools, will be a test for AI-driven filmmaking and its potential to reduce costs and create new revenue streams.

Databricks has confirmed a new $100B valuation after raising $1B, with plans to invest in its AI database. The company has reached $4B in annual recurring revenue, with 80% of databases created by AI agents.

SpaceX has agreed to acquire 50 MHz of wireless spectrum and mobile satellite service spectrum licenses from EchoStar for $17B, enabling the development of its 'Direct to Cell' constellation for broadband-speed internet access to mobile phones worldwide.

Google's AI Mode now supports 5 new languages, including Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese, expanding access to more users worldwide. The update follows the rollout of AI Mode to 180 new markets in English last month.

Y Combinator-backed Motion has raised $38 million to build an integrated suite of AI agents for small and medium-sized businesses. The company's AI agents can perform tasks such as scheduling, note-taking, and email replies, and integrate with hundreds of other tools like Slack and Google Apps. Motion's goal is to become the 'Microsoft Office of AI agents', providing a comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools for businesses.

Amazon Music's new AI feature, Weekly Vibe, generates personalized playlists every Monday based on users' recent listening habits, providing a fresh music experience and suggesting new similar music for discovery.

Uber and Momenta will start testing autonomous ride-sharing services in Europe in 2026, beginning in Munich, Germany. The service will utilize Momenta's self-driving technology and Uber's ride-sharing platform, with plans for future expansion across the continent. The companies aim to use Level 4 self-driving vehicles that can operate without a safety driver in preset areas, pending certification and approval from the German government.

Microsoft has temporarily paused the integration of Copilot in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 22. The company plans to shift to using GitHub Copilot, which will eventually replace the existing Copilot functionality. This change is based on user feedback and survey results, which showed that 75% of respondents wanted to leverage GitHub Copilot in SSMS. The SQL Server team believes that this change will create a more unified experience across the Microsoft ecosystem.

YouTube has announced restrictions on monetizing 'inauthentic' content, including AI-generated material. Creators must ensure creative authenticity to protect their videos from impending regulations. AI can be used as a tool to enhance video creation, but overreliance on it can result in generic content. Creators should invest time in setting up their AI workflow to maintain their unique voice and perspective.

Cognition AI, the startup behind AI coding agent Devin, has raised $400 million at a $10.2 billion valuation, marking significant growth for the company. The funding round was led by Founders Fund, with participation from existing investors. Cognition's annual recurring revenue from Devin has climbed to $73 million, and the company has acquired AI coding startup Windsurf.

SiFive has unveiled its second generation of Intelligence cores, including new designs for edge AI applications and upgraded versions of its X200 and X300 Series. The new cores are based on an eight-stage dual-issue in-order superscalar processor architecture and can be arranged in clusters of up to four cores. SiFive's Intelligence line is intended to serve as an accelerator control unit (ACU) for keeping tensor cores and matrix multiply-accumulate units (MAC) from starving for data.

d-Matrix has introduced its JetStream I/O cards, designed to enable rack-scale AI computing by minimizing performance bottlenecks. The cards support PCIe 5.0 and offer low latency, making them suitable for large-scale AI model distribution across multiple servers or racks.

Dell's quarterly results show a 69% growth in server sales driven by AI projects, but storage revenue lags behind. The company's infrastructure division revenue reached $16.8bn, with servers and networking equipment contributing $12.9bn. However, storage arrays saw revenues lower by 3% over the year. Dell's Project Lightning aims to improve storage performance for AI workloads.

SAP has patched a critical code injection vulnerability in S/4HANA, which could allow attackers to take full control of an organization's SAP system. The bug, CVE-2025-42957, has a CVSS score of 9.9 and is being exploited in the wild. Patching is essential as no workarounds are available.

Apple is expected to release its iPhone 17 lineup, including the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, with significant upgrades such as larger screens, improved cameras, and new colors. The company may also introduce the iPhone Air, its thinnest phone ever, and announce updates for the Apple Watch and AirPods.

Apple's iOS 26 update features a new design language called Liquid Glass, improved Phone and Messages apps, and other quality of life improvements. The update is expected to be released in September, with a public beta available now. Compatible iPhone models include iPhone 11 and later, with new features such as live translation, polls in group chats, and enhanced audio recording for AirPods.

Splunk and Cisco have introduced a unified platform, including the Cisco Data Fabric, which transforms machine data into AI-ready actionable intelligence. The platform aims to help customers make better decisions, reduce operational risk, and innovate around AI. The Data Fabric features include the Time Series Foundation Model and Cisco AI Canvas, which provide anomaly detection, forecasting, and root cause analysis.

The Gibraltar government is backing a plan to build a 250MW datacentre on the island, which will be powered by renewable energy sources and create up to 100 permanent jobs. The project, expected to attract £1.8bn in investment, aims to tap into the growing demand for AI technologies and position Gibraltar as a strategic hub for AI-driven innovation.