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16 Jan 2026

Taiwan and U.S. strike $500 billion trade deal to build strategic AI partnership and chip dominance

Taiwan and the United States have finalized a trade agreement that slashes tariffs from 20% to 15% in exchange for $250 billion in Taiwanese investment in semiconductors, energy, and AI operations. The deal includes another $250 billion in credit guarantees and offers zero tariffs within manufacturing quotas, aiming to reshape America's semiconductor sector while preserving Taiwan's vital chip industry.

4 Sources

ICE AI tool hiring malfunction sent recruits into field without proper training

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deployed an unknown number of undertrained law enforcement officers into the field after an AI tool misidentified applicants with no prior experience. The system flagged anyone with the word "officer" in their resume—including compliance officers—for a fast-tracked four-week online program instead of the standard eight-week in-person academy. The error was discovered in mid-fall 2024 amid a hiring surge to add 10,000 new ICE recruits.

2 Sources

Sam Altman's Merge Labs raises $252 million to develop non-invasive brain-computer interfaces

Sam Altman's brain-tech startup Merge Labs emerged from stealth with $252 million in seed funding at an $850 million valuation, with OpenAI writing the largest check. The company aims to connect human brains to computers using ultrasound and molecules instead of invasive electrodes, intensifying competition with Elon Musk's Neuralink in the race to enhance human capabilities through AI-powered neural interfaces.

11 Sources

Galaxy Digital doubles Helios data center capacity to 1.6GW after Texas approval, shares surge 12%

Galaxy Digital secured approval from Texas grid operator ERCOT to add 830 megawatts of computing capacity at its Helios data center campus, effectively doubling total approved power to over 1.6 gigawatts. The company also closed its first tokenized collateralized loan obligation worth up to $200 million, sending shares up 12% midday Thursday.

2 Sources

Microsoft Copilot vulnerability allowed single-click data theft through URL manipulation

Cybersecurity researchers at Varonis Threat Labs uncovered a Reprompt attack that exploited Microsoft Copilot through specially crafted URLs, enabling theft of sensitive user data with just one click. The prompt injection attack bypassed security guardrails by abusing the 'q' URL parameter, allowing malicious actors to exfiltrate personal information even after the chat window closed. Microsoft has patched the flaw affecting Copilot Personal, though enterprise users of Microsoft 365 Copilot were not impacted.

4 Sources

SiFive becomes first RISC-V designer to integrate Nvidia NVLink for AI data centers

SiFive has become the first maker of RISC-V chip designs to integrate Nvidia NVLink Fusion interconnect technology. The partnership enables RISC-V CPU cores to connect with Nvidia's AI chips at speeds matching Intel and Arm implementations. Products featuring this integration won't reach the market until 2027 or later, but the move signals a multi-generational commitment between both companies.

2 Sources

Nozomi Networks unveils Vantage IQ, a private AI assistant for OT and IoT security teams

Nozomi Networks has launched Vantage IQ, the world's first private, company-trained AI assistant designed for operational technology and internet of things security teams. The tool addresses the growing crisis of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure while tackling the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals by delivering context-aware, actionable intelligence tailored to each organization's unique environment.

2 Sources

Aeva unveils high-power optical amplifier to tackle AI data center power and thermal challenges

Mountain View-based Aeva announced a new semiconductor optical amplifier delivering over 28 dBm optical output power with greater than 20% wall-plug efficiencies at temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius. The technology addresses mounting power efficiency and thermal management challenges as AI workloads scale rapidly in data centers. Aeva stock surged 8% following the announcement, as the company expands beyond its LiDAR sensing roots into the AI infrastructure market.

2 Sources

OpenAI taps Samsung Exynos for Sweetpea earbuds as it builds AI hardware ecosystem

OpenAI is developing AI-powered earbuds codenamed Sweetpea that will feature Samsung's 2nm Exynos application processor for on-device processing. The partnership marks OpenAI's push into consumer hardware, with projected first-year shipments of 40-50 million units. Meanwhile, OpenAI continues work on its Titan AI ASIC with Broadcom to reduce dependence on NVIDIA GPUs.

2 Sources

BlackRock Microsoft Partnership Raises $12.5 Billion to Fund Data Centers for AI Boom

BlackRock and Microsoft have raised $12.5 billion toward their $30 billion goal to bankroll data centers and energy infrastructure for the growing artificial intelligence sector. The Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership includes Nvidia, xAI, and UAE's MGX, with plans to mobilize up to $100 billion in total investment potential through debt financing.

2 Sources

Dell Technologies wins Barclays upgrade as AI server orders surge and enterprise markets recover

Dell Technologies secured a Barclays upgrade to Overweight from Equal Weight, driven by surging AI server demand and improving enterprise prospects. The company plans to ship $9.4 billion of AI servers in Q4, pushing full-year AI server shipments to approximately $25 billion. Barclays maintained its $148 price target while citing Dell's resilient operating margin profile and expanding market opportunities.

2 Sources

Mytra raises $120 million Series C to scale supply chain robotics amid labor shortage crisis

Warehouse automation startup Mytra has closed a $120 million Series C funding round led by Avenir Growth to expand its AI-powered robotics system. Founded by ex-Tesla engineer Chris Walti, the company addresses acute industrial pain points with automated storage solutions that maximize warehouse efficiency while tackling the U.S.'s 400,000 unfilled industrial jobs.

2 Sources

MongoDB launches Voyage 4 embedding models to fix enterprise AI retrieval problems at scale

MongoDB introduced four new Voyage 4 embedding models designed to address retrieval quality failures in production AI systems. The company argues that better data retrieval, not larger models, is critical for trustworthy enterprise AI. The launch integrates database and embedding technologies to eliminate fragmented AI stacks that undermine accuracy and cost efficiency.

3 Sources

Nvidia backs Harmonic's $120M Series C as AI math startup reaches $1.45 billion valuation

Nvidia's venture arm has invested in Harmonic, an AI math startup developing Aristotle, a mathematical reasoning engine that formally verifies accuracy. The $120 million Series C round valued Harmonic at $1.45 billion. The company is expanding beyond mathematics into coding and chip design, achieving 96.8% on verifiable code generation benchmarks.

2 Sources

Memory suppliers caught between AI boom and consumer DRAM shortages as market dynamics shift

Micron defends its exit from the Crucial brand while SK hynix commits to consumer business amid intensifying memory shortages. Enterprise requirements now consume 50-60% of overall memory supply, forcing manufacturers to balance AI infrastructure demands against consumer needs. Production increases won't materialize until 2028, signaling prolonged supply constraints.

2 Sources

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