23 Feb
Latest News and Trends

AMD replicates Nvidia’s playbook to backstop US$300 million Crusoe loan

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is making a bold pivot by guaranteeing a US$300 million loan for cloud startup Crusoe, signaling a shift from pure hardware competition to financial engineering in the AI chip market. The loan, arranged by Goldman Sachs, will allow Crusoe to purchase AMD AI accelerators — including the Instinct MI450 series — for installation in a new Ohio data center being built by Canadian firm 5C, backed by Brookfield.

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23 Feb
Latest News and Trends

US deploys Tech Corps to counter China’s AI expansion in developing markets

The Trump administration plans to overhaul the 60-year-old Peace Corps to support US artificial intelligence (AI) exports and counter China’s expanding AI presence in developing markets. The initiative, branded the “Tech Corps,” would send thousands of US science and engineering graduates overseas to promote American AI hardware, models, and software in markets where Chinese systems are gaining ground, as noted by The Business Times and Bloomberg.

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23 Feb
Latest News and Trends

Meta goes after Apple with AI-first smartwatch revival

Meta is reviving its smartwatch ambitions as part of a broader push to define the next era of AI-powered consumer hardware, setting up a fresh competitive battle with rivals including Apple and Google. According to The Information, Meta plans to release its first smartwatch, code-named “Malibu 2,” in 2026. The device will feature health-tracking capabilities and a built-in Meta AI assistant. This revival comes after the company abandoned an earlier smartwatch project in 2022 amid cost-cutting at its Reality Labs hardware division.

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