Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank is looking to develop a “world-class” Japanese-language-specific generative artificial intelligence model, and plans to invest $960 million in the next two years to bolster its computing facilities, according to a Nikkei report.  Training of large language models (LLM), such as OpenAI’s Chat GPT, requires advanced graphics processing units, which SoftBank plans to purchase from U.S. chip giant Nvidia, the Nikkei […]

A top Amazon executive told CNBC Thursday that it’s a “myth” that robots and other technologies take jobs away from people. Stefano La Rovere, director of global robotics, mechatronics, and sustainable packaging at Amazon, said that, rather than replacing jobs, advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and other technologies are enhancing people’s roles. He added that new technology is […]

The Securities and Exchange Commission scored a major win in its lawsuit against Coinbase on Wednesday, as a judge ruled that its claim that the cryptocurrency exchange engaged in unregistered sales of securities could be heard by a jury at trial. Coinbase’s shares fell around 2.5% on news of the ruling in Manhattan federal court rejecting its bid to dismiss the […]

On home turf, Apple has enjoyed many years of relatively light regulatory scrutiny compared to Big Tech peers. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a monopoly case against Google back in October 2020, for instance. It followed with a second antitrust case at the start of last year, targeting Google’s adtech. While the FTC has been […]

Reddit, the social media company known for hosting web forums on topics from the mainstream to the extremely obscure, is targeting a valuation of close to $6.5 billion in its upcoming IPO. The company and existing shareholders plan to sell about 22 million shares at a range of $31 to $34 per share, according to […]

Bitcoin jumped to start the week, edging even closer to its all-time high after the rally took a breather over the weekend. The flagship cryptocurrency was last higher by 9% at $68,635.20, according to Coin Metrics. At one point, it rose to as much as $68,848.62, its highest level since November 2021 — the last time […]

The tech sector is having a big 2024. Nvidia just crushed earnings expectations. The artificial intelligence boom remains in full swing. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index is up more than 8 percent year to date. The U.S. economy is also doing surprisingly well, adding 353,000 jobs in January, well ahead of economists’ forecasts. Hotter-than-expected inflation data may also keep the Fed from cutting rates as […]

Neo4j Inc., the maker of a graph database and data science tools, is looking to go public on Nasdaq Inc.’s stock exchange in New York as soon as the window for initial public offerings opens up again, according to the company’s biggest owner. Neo4j, which counts more than 75% of Fortune 100 companies as its […]

The stampede of new Silicon Valley unicorns emerging into the world has thinned into a straggling herd. Venture capital firm Cowboy Ventures recently reported that of 532 US start-ups with billion-dollar-plus valuations in 2023, 60 per cent were what it dubbed “Zirpicorns” — companies last priced between January 2020 and March 2022 when zero-interest rate […]

Many AI companies struggle with customers understanding how the product won’t take away their ability to think for themselves. A few took the opportunity of the Super Bowl to change the narrative. There’s no greater opportunity to reach 123 million live viewers at once and get massive press buzz, even if it cost $7 million for a […]