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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: AI Protects Endangered Sea Turtles From Feral Pigs
Sea turtles are an endangered species, not only from mankind’s activities. Their nests on Queensland’s western Cape York are a favorite prey for feral pigs. The pigs have wiped out sea turtles from great swathes of beaches south of Aurukun, in the Far North Queensland, Australia. Scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science research agency, and rangers have tried for the past six years to protect the nests from the marauding pigs using drones and helicopters. They are now harnessing AI for the purpose.
Venture Capital: Marquee Investors Put $300M Into Adjuvant Capital For Overlooked Diseases
Adjuvant Capital, which finances cures for “high-burden and neglected diseases,” announced today its raise of an oversubscribed $300 million fund from big names in pharma and philanthropy. Diseases such as malaria, shigella, hookworm, tuberculosis, and Lassa fever affect millions of people in the poorer countries.
FinTech: Google Maps Integrates Google Pay For Parking And Transit Fares
The ubiquitous and ultra-useful Google Maps has now some new features that allow payments using the app itself. On Wednesday, Vishal Dutta Product Manager, Google Maps, and Fausto Araujo Product Manager, Google Pay, announced in a blog that consumers can now go contactless with parking meter and transit fare payments.
Alternative Investments/Digital: NYDIG Joins The Queue For Bitcoin ETF Approval
NYDIG, a subsidiary of Stone Ridge Asset Management, filed an application for a bitcoin ETF with the SEC on Tuesday. With the change in administration at the SEC, NYDIG is eyeing better chances of the regulator finally approving a bitcoin ETF. It joins VanEck and Valkyrie, previous ETF applicants at the SEC. The new ETF proposed by NYDIG is dubbed the “NYDIG Bitcoin ETF.”
Digital Assets: Blockchain.com Raises $120M From Leading Macro Investors Including Google
Blockchain.com announced today the closure of a strategic financing round that raised $120 million. Investors included Moore Strategic Ventures (Louis Bacon), Kyle Bass, Access Industries, Rovida Advisors, Lightspeed Venture Partners, GV (aka Google Ventures), Lakestar, Eldridge, and others.
FinTech: Goldman Launches The Marcus Invest Robo-Adviser For Retail Investors
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) is making a further push into digital and consumer-facing banking through its Marcus unit. On Tuesday the Wall Street giant unveiled Marcus Invest, a robo-adviser that will need a customer to deposit a minimum of $1,000 and pay an annual fee of 0.35%.
Artificial Intelligence: Monolith’s AI Found The Best Recipe For American Style Fluffy Pancakes
British engineering AI software company Monolith used artificial intelligence to create the ultimate pancake recipe. Monolith, which is an offshoot of the U.K.’s Imperial College, found a recipe that used seven ingredients and needed just one toss for a drool-worthy stack of pancakes.
Venture Capital: SpaceX Rakes In $850M New Capital At $74B Valuation
According to a CNBC exclusive, Elon Musk’s SpaceX raised $850 million last week, selling shares at $419.99 a share, and garnering a valuation of $74 billion. So eager were investors for a piece of the funding pie that offers worth $6 billion poured in over just three days. Company insiders and existing investors, therefore, sold another $750 million of shares into the demand.
Digital Assets: Bitcoin Hits +$50K; MicroStrategy Readies $600M Investment
MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), the listed business information company that has already accumulated 71,079 bitcoin since August 2020, is planning another binge buy of the leading cryptocurrency. This morning CEO Michael Saylor tweeted his intentions of buying bitcoin worth $600 million by issuing convertible notes to fund the investment.
Alternative Investments/ESG: LGIM’s Hydrogen Economy ETF Debuts In Europe
Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) has introduced a new ETF to complement its existing range of sustainable thematic ETFs, namely the L&G Clean Energy UCITS ETF and the L&G Battery Value-Chain UCITS ETF. LGIM has launched its L&G Hydrogen Economy UCITS ETF, a vehicle for investors looking to benefit from the global transition to a low-carbon, hydrogen economy.
FinTech: Mastercard And India’s Razorpay Team Up To Help Digitize MSMEs
Mastercard (NYSE: MA) and Razorpay, India’s youngest unicorn, announced a partnership aiming to help onboard the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups on the digital highway. The pandemic has unleashed a huge demand for secure, easy, and contactless payments. The two companies want to empower merchants, consumers, acquirers, and fintech companies to expand the adoption of digital payments in India.
Artificial Intelligence: AI May Provide An Objective Second Opinion On Parkinson’s
Researchers at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia built a system that used computer-based, machine-learning algorithms to analyze video recordings of people, thought to have Parkinson’s Disease (PD), performing specific movement tasks. The system could identify between healthy and suspected PD patients.
Venture Capital: Investors, Including Big Oil, Back Eavor Technologies With $40M
Eavor Technologies leverages deep drilling expertise from the oil industry to construct a looped well that harvests geothermal energy from deep below the earth. The technology has drawn a $40 million investment, including from Big Oil companies such as the venture arms of BP (LON: BP) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX).
Digital Assets: Mike Cagney’s Figure Technologies Files For $250M SPAC
Executives of Figures Technologies, the mortgage blockchain startup launched by ex-SoFi CEO Mike Cagney, have filed for a SPAC that will raise $250 million. Figure Acquisition Corp I, as it is called, is an affiliate of Figure Technologies and has real estate specialist Elliot Management on board as an investor.
FinTech: PayPal Plans To Transform Into A Financial Super App
Paypal (NASDAQ: PYPL) will expand into new lines of business in financial services, CEO Dan Schulman said at the company’s Investor Day. The fintech giant, known the world over for its ubiquitous check out button, now has ambitions to scale up and become a financial super app. The grand plan includes offering new services such as stock trading, high-yield savings accounts, bill-payment capabilities, and check-cashing.
Alternative Investments/Digital: America’s Neighbour To The North Clears The Purpose Bitcoin ETF
The Ontario Securities Commission has cleared for launching the Purpose Bitcoin ETF. Purpose will be the first in the world to invest directly in physically settled Bitcoin. It will therefore be similar to gold or silver ETFs which are backed by precious metals. Purpose, however, will be backed by physically settled holdings in bitcoin.
Venture Capital: Joby Aviation May List Via Merger With Blank Check Company Reinvent
Reinvent Technology Partners (NYSE: RTP), the blank check company (or, SPAC) helmed by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and tech entrepreneur Mark Pincus may acquire Joby Aviation, a company developing the next-generation, electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flying air taxis.
Artificial Intelligence: Rolls Royce Germany To Use AI In Design And Testing Of Aircraft Engines
Rolls Royce Germany and Altair (NASDAQ: ALTR) announced in January a collaboration to use AI in the manufacture of aerospace engines. Rolls Royce Germany builds jet engines, components, parts and provides services to aviation customers, including Lufthansa, Airbus, Gulfstream, and Bombardier.
FinTech: Indian B2B Lender BharatPe Raises $108M At A Valuation Of $900M
Indian B2B lender and financial services company BharatPe announced today its raise of $108 million in a Series D equity round at a valuation of $900 million. The amount comprised a primary raising of $90 million and a secondary exit for certain angel investors and employees of $18 million. Existing investor Coatue Management led the round. Ribbit Capital, Insight Partners, Steadview Capital, Beenext, Amplo, and Sequoia Capital, other existing investors, also chipped in.
Digital Assets: Bitcoin Scales New High Amidst Confluence Of Positive News
Bitcoin is currently trading at $48,024.32, up over 8% but marginally off the fresh all-time high of $48, 297.35 it hit earlier today. Likely triggers were crypto-positive announcements by Mastercard (NYSE: MA) and BNY Mellon (NYSE: BK), and a hint by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce (a.k.a. “Crypto Mom”) that the U.S. capital markets are ready for a bitcoin exchange-traded product.
Alternative Investments/ESG: Colin Kaepernick Forms SPAC Eyeing $1B ESG Consumer Company
An SEC filing on Tuesday revealed that Mission Advancement Corp., an ESG-focused SPAC founded by Colin Kaepernick and Jahm Najafi, will raise $250 million via an IPO. The company will offer 25 million units at $10. Each unit will consist of one share of common stock and one-third of a warrant, exercisable at $11.50.
The SPAC, or “blank check company,” intends to acquire a so-far unidentified target, approximately sized $1 billion, and having a positive ESG impact.
Venture Capital: Thrasio Nabs Another $750M To Acquire Amazon Merchants
Thrasio, which claims to be “the fastest profitable U.S. company to ever reach a $1 billion valuation,” announced Tuesday its equity fundraise of another $750 million received almost entirely from existing investors including Oaktree and Advent. The company said the money will further boost its acquisitions of FBA (“Fulfilled By Amazon”) sellers on the Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) marketplace.
Artificial Intelligence: Mitsui OSK And Bearing Develop AI-Powered Smart Routing Of Ships To Cut Emissions
An AI-powered Smart Routing Engine predicts the most fuel-efficient route for the ship. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (TYO: 9104), one of the largest shipping companies in the world, has an operational fleet of approximately 800 ships. Since 2019, Mitsui has been collaborating with Silicon Valley-based Bearing.ai, an Artificial Intelligence technology startup, on improving shipping efficiencies….
Alternative Investments/Digital: Corporates Weigh Putting Bitcoin On Their Balance Sheets
Speculation is rife on whether other corporates would follow the trend set by companies such as Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), and Square (NYSE: SQ) that invested in bitcoin. Apart from putting $1.5 billion of bitcoin on its balance sheet, Tesla also said it would soon accept bitcoin in payment for its electric vehicles.