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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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Digital Assets: As Bitcoin Aims For $50K, Crypto Miners Have $$$ Signs In Their Eyes
Argo Blockchain PLC (LON: ARB), a UK-based crypto miner said today it had signed an LOI to acquire 320 acres of land in West Texas, USA for a proposed 200 MW mining facility to be built in the next 12 months. Argo would have access to up to 800 MW of electrical power, of which a majority would be from renewable sources.
Venture Capital: Brand New VC Firm Panoramic Ventures To Focus On Diversity And Under-Funded Regions
Panoramic Ventures is a new Atlanta-based VC firm. It is a partnership between Paul Judge, a black serial entrepreneur and investor, and BIP Capital. The latter has more than $550 million in assets under management. While announcing its formation, Panoramic also flagged off a new $300 million fund targeted at founders from under-capitalized communities and startups located in the south-west and mid-west regions of America.
FinTech: Shopify Launches Its Shop Pay Option On Facebook And Instagram
Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) says social media platforms are now “our digital Mainstreet.” Brands, and their merchants, need to have a presence on these platforms and ensure a smooth shopping and checkout experience. Shopify merchants on Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) and Instagram can now offer the Shop Pay payment option to their customers, the company said in a blog.
Artificial Intelligence: Saudi Arabia Ties With Philips To Advance National AI Agenda In Healthcare
On Monday, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) announced a partnership with Dutch technology company Philips (NYSE: PHG) to advance the use of artificial intelligence in Saudi Arabia’s healthcare sector.
Digital Assets: Why Bitcoin Miners Love The Xinjiang Province In China
Cheap power generated using coal in the Xinjiang province is a magnet for bitcoin miners. That trend will only intensify now that bitcoin has hit an all-time high above $47,000 after Elon Musk revealed Tesla’s $1.5 billion investment in the crypto.
Alternative Investments/Digital: Bitwise Files For ‘Crypto Innovators ETF’
Bitwise Asset Management, a digital assets manager and index provider, has filed a new prospectus with the SEC to launch a Crypto Innovators’ ETF. The new ETF will track the performance of crypto innovators.
FinTech: RBC Analyst Says Apple Pay Should Offer Cryptos
RBC Capital Markets analyst Mitch Steves recommends that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) should throw its hat into the digital assets ring and build trading of cryptos into its Apple Wallet. The analyst said Apple could generate substantial revenues given the experience with cryptos at PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) and Square Inc (NYSE: SQ).
Venture Capital: Reddit Cashes In On GameStop Publicity; Raises $250M
Reddit announced in a blog on Monday that it nabbed $250 million in Series E funding from existing and new investors. The Wall Street Journal said the round, led by Vy Capital, valued Reddit at $6 billion. That’s twice the valuation of $3 billion after its previous funding round in February 2019. Andreesen Horowitz and Tencent Holdings are also investors in the platform.
Artificial Intelligence: AI In The MARLIT APP To Keep Tabs On Plastic Marine Litter
Plastic and other refuse float on the surface of many of our precious seas and oceans, endangering the conservation of marine ecosystems. Conventional anti-pollution measures rely on observations of this floating junk from boats or planes. However, due to physical constraints, these efforts are inadequate in the face of mounting marine pollution. But hope is at hand from an artificial intelligence-based algorithm developed by researchers at the University of Barcelona (UB).
FinTech: NCR Acquires Terafina For Undisclosed Amount
NCR (NYSE: NCR) is a global leader in ATM Software and the world’s #1 POS software provider for the retail and hospitality industries. It announced today the acquisition of Terafina for an undisclosed amount. The transaction is in accordance with NCR’s strategy to acquire early-stage software companies to enhance its own product capabilities.
Alternative Investments/ESG: Foster Denovo Expands Sustainable Portfolios With Passive Range
In October financial advisory firm Foster Denovo launched its new range of actively managed sustainable portfolios that addressed investors’ need for socially responsible investments that also provided a rate of return. Today, the firm announced the addition of “Passive Sustainable Dynamic Portfolios” to that suite of products.
Digital Assets: Tesla Converts $1.5B Of Surplus Cash To Bitcoin
Bitcoin reacted highly bullishly to Monday’s SEC filing by Elon Musk’s Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) which showed the EV-maker had invested $1.5 billion in the leading cryptocurrency.
Venture Capital: Chinese Driverless Company Pony.ai Raises $100M In Extended Round
Pony.AI, a Chinese head-quartered autonomous driving startup, announced on February 8 its additional raise of $100 million in Series C. In November, the company had picked up $267 million in that Series, and in the process, earned itself a valuation tag of $5.3 billion.
Artificial Intelligence: USC Develops AI To Tackle New Virus Variants “In Seconds”
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed a method to accelerate vaccine development to counter potential new mutations of the coronavirus. Using AI, the researchers can vaccine analysis and identify the best medical therapy for treatment.
FinTech: Asian Development Bank To Invest $137M In India’s Fintech Hub At GIFT City
Asian Development Bank is in discussions with authorities of the GIFT City, Gujarat, to invest Rs 1,000 Crores (approximately $137 million) in a new fintech hub at the city’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). The amount, an initial investment, would equip fintech firms with skill development tools, new technology, and resource mobilization.
Venture Capital: VC Firms Top Tier And Sapphire Close On Nearly $3B Of New Funds
Palo Alto, CA-based venture firm Sapphire Ventures announced Thursday that it recently closed $1.7 billion across multiple funds, bringing its total assets under management to $5.7 billion. On the other hand, San Francisco-based VC, Top Tier Capital Partners, hauled in $1.2 billion from investors, with its total assets going up to $7.5 billion.
Alternative Investments: Nearly Half Of Wealth Advisers Plan To Boost Allocation To Alternatives In 2021 (Survey)
In a blog in January, PPB Capital Partners (PPB), a provider of alternative investment solutions, said it was “surreal” that equity markets were seeing all-time highs right in the middle of a pandemic. But the unprecedented price movements and dramatic volatility, coupled with near-zero rates had wealth advisers in a bind. As a result, advisers were reaching out to PPB in their search for the twin goals of uncorrelated return streams and income. PPB is now out with a survey that ascertained advisers’ views on alternative investing in 2021.
Digital Assets: Star-Studded Lineup Supports New $72M VC Fund Eyeing Crypto
A star-studded lineup supports a new $72M VC Fund eyeing crypto. Private equity stalwart Glenn Hutchins along with son James Hutchins and partner Travis Scher launched the new fund and attracted hedge fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones, Raj and Indra Nooyi (the latter being the former CEO of PepsiCo), and James Todd Smith, a.k.a LL Cool J as investors.
Artificial Intelligence: Open Season On SolarWinds; There Was A Second (Chinese?) Attack
It is now clear the the much-publicised, allegedly Russian hack on beleaguered US IT company SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) in December was not the only one. According to a Reuters report, suspected Chinese hackers also had a go at the company and succeeded in breaching computers at the National Finance Center and other U.S. government agencies.
Alternative Investments/Digital: Blockchain-Based Tokenization Could Revolutionize Alternatives (Report)
Alternative assets offer better options for investors these days when the traditional 60:40 portfolio looks risky and generates insufficient returns. Though suffering from comparatively poorer liquidity alternatives could provide much-needed diversification and better risk-adjusted returns for investors. However, these investments have traditionally been accessible to institutions and high net worth individuals. Tokenization may change the status quo, giving retail investors an opportunity.
Digital Assets: Analyst Projects $60K For Bitcoin In 2021
A rise in crypto adoption, institutional support, and money-printing by global central banks could propel bitcoin to a price of $ 60,000, according to Jesse Cohen, a senior financial analyst at Investing.com.
FinTech: Digital Payments Fired Up By The Pandemic Propel PayPal To Its Strongest Year Ever
PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) had a superlative fourth quarter fueled by the ongoing shift to digital payments following the pandemic. Its total payment volume (TPV), or the value of transactions made across the platform, rose to $277 billion, up 39% from $199.4 billion in the year-earlier period. PayPal beat analysts’ estimates of TPV of $268 billion. Active accounts surged to 377 million after the platform added 16 million in the fourth quarter.
Venture Capital: Online Wine Marketplace Vivino Closes $155M Series D Round
Vivino’s community of 50 million wine enthusiasts have pushed annual growth at the online wine marketplace to 100% for the last seven years. With e-commerce sales of alcohol predicted to grow to over $40 billion by 2024, the future is rosy for Vivino. Investors have therefore readily plunked $155 million into the firm’s Series D funding round.
Artificial Intelligence: Amazon Installs AI-Enabled Cameras In Delivery Vans
Ecommerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has installed cameras with AI capabilities in delivery vehicles, according to CNBC. The company is using the cameras, at some of its delivery service partners (DSPs), to improve the safety of the drivers. However, drivers have issues with privacy.