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Chipmaker AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) has unveiled a range of innovative AI solutions spanning from data centers to personal computers. The AMD Instinct MI300 Series features data center AI accelerators, while the ROCm 6 open software stack introduces new features supporting Large Language Models (LLMs). Additionally, the Ryzen 8040 Series processors come equipped with Ryzen AI capabilities.
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Artificial Intelligence: Tiny Aerial Robots From MIT That Are Collision Proof
MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng Chen has developed small drones that are powered by soft “actuators” instead of conventional motors. These actuators are capable of absorbing and recovering from collisions, high winds, and drops, much like those pesky mosquitos that keep returning after you’ve swatted them away. Because of this resilience, and their small size, these mini drones are capable of many tasks that larger drones cannot accomplish.
Digital Assets: India’s Tata Power Testing Blockchain-Based P2P Solar Energy Trading Marketplace
Tata Power DDL, a power distribution utility in Delhi, India, Australian technology company Power Ledger and the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) are collaborating on a project to enable the peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of solar energy using the blockchain.
Artificial Intelligence: Beam Provides AI-Powered Dental Insurance Cover
Beam Dental, a dental insurer, uses AI in its operations (and toothbrushes) to assess people’s dental health and issue quotes in just 30 seconds. Beam’s app-connected brushes incentivize users to brush regularly and improve dental hygiene. In turn, they qualify for rebates on their dental insurance.
Alternative Investments/Hedge Funds: Man Group Reports Alternatives Funds AUM At $77.2B
Man Group (LON: EMG), the listed London-headquartered global hedge fund group, reported a strong set of numbers for 2020. Aggregate AUM moved up sharply to a record $123.6 billion as of end-December. Despite the pandemic, Man attracted net investor inflows of $1.8 billion, which reversed 2019’s outflows of $1.3 billion.
Venture Capital: Instacart Raises $265M; “Incredible Opportunity Ahead”
Online grocery delivery platform Instacart announced on Tuesday its raise of $265 million as part of a new funding round. The company confirmed the round boosted its valuation to $39 billion. Existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, D1 Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. participated in the funding.
FinTech: Top Chinese Regulator Says Fintechs Should Meet Capital Norms In Two Years
Chinese financial technology companies (fintechs) such as micro lenders, consumer finance firms and digital banks have only two years to shore up their capital in line with regulatory requirements. Guo Shuqing, head of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), said these entities would be treated on the same footing as other financial institutions in this regard.
Digital Assets: Canadian Bitcoin Miner Bitfarms Plans Massive Capacity Expansion
Bitfarms Ltd. (TSXV: BITF), which uses hydropower to run its bitcoin mining operations in Canada, announced today a deal to purchase 48,000 new MicroBT mining machines. The equipment will boost Bitfarm’s hash rate capacity by about 5.0 EH.
Alternative Investments/Digital: CBOE Ignites Bitcoin ETF Hope; Files To List VanEck’s BTC ETF
The pressure is now building upon the SEC for approving a bitcoin ETF. Shortly after the Canadian regulators approved two bitcoin ETFs, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) has notified the US SEC of its intention to list the BTC ETF from investment management firm VanEck and its Bitcoin Trust.
FinTech: Square’s Bank Ready To Serve The Underbanked
Square Inc (NYSE: SQ) now has its own operational banking arm. Subsidiary and industrial bank Square Financial Services became operational after it completed the charter approval process with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions.
Venture Capital: Drone Maker Skydio Raises $170M; Earns Its Horn
Drone maker Skydio announced Monday its raise of $170 million in Series D funding led by Andreessen Horowitz’s Growth Fund, valuing the company at over $1 billion. Existing investors Linse Capital, Next47, and IVP, along with new investor UP. Partners also participated.
Artificial Intelligence: allora.ai, The Hotel Booking Engine That Guides Travellers To The Perfect Stay
Steve Jobs famously said that people don’t know what they want until you show it to them. Avvio’s AI-powered hotel booking engine, allora.ai, can do much the same thing after analyzing 400 million guest experiences. So much so, hotels can almost predict what the next guest is going to do with their holiday.
FinTech: Indian Conglomerate Reliance Teams With Google, Facebook For National Payments Network
In a deep-pocketed bid to grab a share of India’s digital payments market, Indian behemoth Reliance (NSE: RELIANCE), fintech Infibeam Avenues (NSE: INFIBEAM), Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), and Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) have come together to form a “New Umbrella Entity” (NUE). The NUE will bid to set up a payments network to compete with the UPI payments system operated by the National Payments Council of India (NPCI).
Alternative Investments/ESG: Northern Trust Launches New ETFs In Europe
Northern Trust Asset Management’s (NASDAQ: NTRS) FlexShares Exchange Traded Funds announced today its maiden ETFs in Europe. The FlexShares Developed Markets Low Volatility Climate ESG UCITS ETF (QVFD) and the FlexShares Developed Market High Dividend Climate ESG UCITS ETF (QDFD) launched on both the London Stock Exchange and EuroNext.
Artificial Intelligence: AI Can Animate A Dead Relative’s Photo So It Will Smile At You
My Heritage, which uses at-home DNA tests and a huge historical database to construct your family tree, has launched a new feature titled Deep Nostalgia. It allows a user to animate old still photos of long-dead and loved relatives so it appears they are on a video.
Digital Assets: Bordier, A Swiss Private Bank Founded In 1844, Offers Cryptos
Venerable Swiss private banker Bordier & Cie SCmA has brought the world of cryptocurrencies within reach of its clients by establishing a tie-up with Sygnum Bank. By integrating with Sygnum’s B2B platform, clients at Bordier can transact in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Tezos. According to an announcement, Bordier completed the integration within 60 days.
Venture Capital: Crypto Exchange Kraken Could Value Over $10B In Potential Funding
Crypto exchange Kraken, which Chief Executive Officer Jesse Powell founded in 2011, is in discussions to raise new funding that could value it at over $10 billion. That’s more than double its valuation of approximately $4 billion when it last raised $13 million in 2019.
Venture Capital: Bessemer Venture Raises $3.3B For Two New Funds, Welcomes New Partners
Global early-stage venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners announced Thursday its raise of $3.3 billion across two new funds. BVP XI, which collected $2.475 billion, will focus on early-stage companies spanning enterprise, consumer, healthcare, and frontier technologies. The Century II fund ($825 million) is specifically designed for growth-stage companies that will define the next century.
Alternative Investments/Real Estate: New Active, REIT-Based ETF From SS&C ALPS
SS&C ALPS Advisors have launched an actively managed, semi-transparent ETF that focuses on the U.S. REIT securities market. The ALPS Active REIT ETF (REIT) will trade on the NASDAQ.
FinTech: U.K.-Based Atom Bank To Raise £40M To Become Profitable, Go Public
Atom Bank, which is based in Durham, U.K., plans to raise £40 million from its existing shareholders in a move to achieve profitability within a year. The digital bank also plans to make an IPO during the financial year 2022/23.
Digital Assets: Anchorage, The First Federally Chartered Digital Bank, Raises $80M
Federally chartered digital bank Anchorage announced Thursday its Series C raise of $80 million led by GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, with participation from a16z, Blockchain Capital, Lux, and Indico.
Artificial Intelligence: Self-Driving Bus Does Five Mile Route Daily In Málaga, Spain
Irizar Group, an international business group headquartered in Spain, has built a bus capable of running autonomously for Avanza, the first private operator of urban, public road transportation in Spain. The electric bus started operations in the Spanish city of Málaga from Saturday.
FinTech: Klarna Hits New Records For GMV And Net Operating Income In 2020
Klarna reported strong results for the year 2020, including record gross merchandise volume and total net operating income.
Venture Capital: Blockchain-Based Fantasy Soccer Startup Sorare Scores $50M
Sorare is a fantasy game of soccer, where players buy, sell, trade, and manage a virtual team with digital player cards. The game is based on the Ethereum blockchain technology. Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort started Sorare in 2018 and today announced their $50 million Series A raise in a Medium post.
Artificial Intelligence: GCHQ, The U.K.’s Spy Agency, To Use AI Against Threats
The GCHQ unveiled a paper on how it will use AI to help protect the U.K. GCHQ, the U.K.’s intelligence agency, published today a paper titled Ethics of AI: Pioneering a New National Security to explain how it intends to use AI responsibly to keep the country safe from various kinds of threats.