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SoftBank scrambles to deliver $22.5 billion to OpenAI as Masayoshi Son bets big on AI

SoftBank is racing against time to fulfill a $22.5 billion funding commitment to OpenAI by year-end, deploying aggressive cash-raising strategies including selling its entire $5.8 billion Nvidia stake and $4.8 billion in T-Mobile shares. CEO Masayoshi Son has slowed other Vision Fund deals to a crawl, requiring his approval for any investment above $50 million, as the Japanese conglomerate pursues one of its biggest AI bets yet.

3 Sources

19 Dec 2025

Data center deals hit $61 billion record as AI boom fuels infrastructure spending frenzy

Investment in data centers worldwide surged to a record $61 billion in 2025, driven by insatiable demand for computing infrastructure to support the AI boom. The spending spree involved over 100 transactions as tech giants and hyperscalers race to expand capacity. But the growth faces headwinds from environmental concerns, community opposition, and investor worries about debt-fueled expansion.

4 Sources

Bank of England governor warns artificial intelligence will displace jobs across UK economy

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey compared artificial intelligence to the Industrial Revolution, warning that while AI won't cause mass unemployment, it will displace workers from jobs. He emphasized the urgent need for training and education as UK unemployment hits 5.1%, with youth unemployment rising sharply since ChatGPT's launch in November 2022.

4 Sources

ChatGPT mobile app reaches $3 billion milestone faster than TikTok and Disney+ ever did

OpenAI's ChatGPT mobile app has achieved $3 billion in worldwide consumer spending in just 31 months, outpacing major apps like TikTok, Disney+, and HBO Max. The AI chatbot earned $2.48 billion in 2025 alone, marking a 408% year-over-year increase. This rapid growth signals strong demand for paid subscriptions and positions ChatGPT ahead of competitors in the AI app market.

3 Sources

18 Dec 2025

Trump Media announces $6 billion fusion energy merger to power AI data centers

Trump Media & Technology Group, owner of Truth Social, unveiled a $6 billion all-stock merger with TAE Technologies to build the world's first utility-scale fusion power plant. The combined company plans to select a site and begin construction next year, targeting massive electricity needs of AI data centers. Shares surged 34% despite the company's ongoing financial losses.

3 Sources

OpenAI secures early lead in higher education with 700,000 ChatGPT licenses sold to colleges

OpenAI has sold more than 700,000 ChatGPT licenses to approximately 35 US public universities, establishing a significant presence in higher education. Schools are paying just a few dollars per user monthly for bulk access, compared to the standard $20-per-month rate, as administrators shift from concerns about academic cheating to viewing AI literacy as an essential skill for the workforce.

2 Sources

Accenture beats quarterly revenue estimate as AI services drive strong first-quarter sales

Accenture exceeded Wall Street expectations for first-quarter revenue, reporting $18.74 billion against analyst estimates of $18.52 billion. The technology consulting company's performance was fueled by robust demand for artificial intelligence IT services, with advanced AI new bookings reaching $2.2 billion. Despite mixed demand from public sector clients, the company's AI strategy is gaining traction as enterprises accelerate AI adoption.

2 Sources

Nvidia plans to slash RTX 50 GPU production by up to 40% as memory shortage bites

Nvidia is reportedly preparing to cut GeForce RTX 50 series production by 30-40% in early 2026, with the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti hit hardest. The decision stems from a global memory shortage driven by AI data centers consuming high-performance chips, forcing the company to prioritize enterprise products over consumer graphics cards.

2 Sources

Micron Technology soars as AI boom drives memory chip shortage and record earnings

Micron Technology delivered blockbuster fiscal first-quarter results, crushing Wall Street expectations with $4.78 earnings per share on $13.64 billion revenue. The memory chip maker's stock surged nearly 16% as CEO Sanjay Mehrotra forecasted continued growth through 2026, driven by an acute shortage of high-bandwidth memory chips essential for AI infrastructure. Analysts raised price targets to $300-$500, citing the memory super-cycle.

9 Sources

17 Dec 2025

Amazon appoints Peter DeSantis to lead unified AI group as Rohit Prasad departs

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced a major AI reorganization, naming 27-year AWS veteran Peter DeSantis to lead a new division combining AI models, silicon development, and quantum computing. The leadership change at Amazon sees Rohit Prasad, head of Artificial General Intelligence, leaving after overseeing Nova's launch. The move signals Amazon's strategic bet on vertical integration to compete with Microsoft and Google.

14 Sources

MetaX Soars 700% in Shanghai Debut as China AI Chips Push Intensifies Challenge to Nvidia

Chinese chipmaker MetaX Integrated Circuits surged 700% in its Shanghai market debut, raising $600 million as Beijing accelerates its push for AI chip self-sufficiency. Founded by former AMD executives, MetaX follows Moore Threads' 400% surge two weeks earlier, signaling strong investor enthusiasm for domestic semiconductor companies amid ongoing U.S. export restrictions on advanced AI technology.

3 Sources

Demis Hassabis warns AI hype masks real potential as startups raise tens of billions

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis cautions that AI startups securing tens of billions in valuations before launch face unsustainable futures. Speaking on Google DeepMind: The Podcast, he distinguished between speculative early-stage AI companies and Big Tech investments backed by real business. Despite short-term AI hype, Hassabis believes the technology remains underappreciated for its long-term potential in science and world models.

3 Sources

Hut 8 Stock Soars 15% After Landing $7 Billion Google-Backed AI Data Center Deal

Bitcoin miner Hut 8 shares surged after announcing a 15-year, $7 billion lease agreement with Fluidstack to deliver 245 megawatts of AI data center capacity at its River Bend campus in Louisiana. Google is providing a financial backstop covering all lease payments, while J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs are handling deal financing. The agreement marks a strategic pivot from cryptocurrency mining to AI infrastructure.

10 Sources

OpenAI pursues $100B funding round at $830B valuation as Amazon investment talks intensify

OpenAI is negotiating to raise up to $100 billion in a funding round that could value the ChatGPT maker at $830 billion by Q1 2026. Separately, Amazon is in early discussions to invest $10 billion in OpenAI while supplying its Trainium AI chips and cloud computing services, marking another circular deal in the AI industry as compute costs continue to escalate.

26 Sources

OpenAI and Google battle for Indian users with free AI plans as training data becomes the prize

OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity are offering free premium AI subscriptions in India, turning the world's most populous nation into a battleground for AI dominance. ChatGPT's daily active users surged 607% to 73 million, while Gemini reached 17 million users. Analysts suggest the freebies strategy aims to harvest diverse multilingual training data from India's 730 million smartphone users.

2 Sources

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