AI: Weekly Summary. RTZ #822

1. New Google Pixels Flex AI: Google released its tenth generation of Pixel Android 16 phones along with wearables. Weeks ahead of Apple launch of its iPhone 17 and other devices next month.The Pixels sport a new Tensor GPU chip from TSMC and other improvement As well as a new water and dust resistant Pixel 10 Pro Fold phone. But the highlight seems to be the Gemini AI software tucked away in every corner of the devices. This remains a key way for Google to differentiate its devices vs Apple. Especially under the current market perception that Apple is behind on AI. The details of this AI software are notable, showing Google’s core advantages with its Gemini AI models large and small, as well as its underlying AI chip and AI Data Center Compute Scale. Those elements represent a formidable Google advantage across all its Android phones, not just the Pixel showcase devices. More here.

   

2. Nvidia may get modded Blackwells into China: Nvidia founder/CEO Jensen Huang continues to press on getting a version of Blackwell AI GPU chips approved for China. Especially after its recent progress on H20 chips with the administration. This time the balancing act presents new challenges. With the Chinese government concerned about tracking and other ‘back doors’ in the reconfigured chips for the China market. China, as the second largest AI market globally, continues to represent a major multi-billion dollar market for Nvidia and other US Tech companies. Balancing the political and technical tugs and pulls continues to be amongst the many ‘Job # 1’ for Jensen and other CEOs. More here.

   

3. OpenAI’s Encryption focus for AI Trust & Privacy: Founder/CEO Sam Altman is discussing a heightened focus on AI Trust and Privacy issues across its products, with a focus on potentially relying on Encryption as a key tool going forward. An issue here in particular is that 700 million and growing weekly mainstream users are increasingly sharing their most private personal and work matters to ChatGPT. And OpenAI, along with peers, is beefing up the memory capabilities of its products to ‘remember’ it all for users. Not to mention serving up some versions of it to advertisers for GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) vs SEO (Search Engine Optimization) today. While also potentially using some of it for further training and inference activities across its GPT-5 and other LLM AI models and applications. Unlike traditional social media and other tech innovations before it, Generative AI presents unique challenges to truly ensure privacy via encryption. More here.

   

4. Meta’s Slows down AI Hiring for SuperIntelligence team post ReOrg: Meta seems to be hitting the brakes on its AI Talent War, while actively organizing its AI Superintelligence team into four groups. While it continues to hire from Apple and others, the pace seems to be slowing down. These moves of course have changed the tempo and rhythm of the AI moves by its peers. The four new groups are organized around two AI Labs, one AI Products/Applications focused group, and an AI Infrastructure effort. Both existing and new people are involved in the new organization. From within and outside the AI Superintelligence team. Founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg also seems to be open to moving back from the pure Open Source stance around Llama, and focused on a range of new AI software and hardware initiatives going forward. More here.

   

5. Oracle solidifies 4th Place in AI Cloud Companies: Oracle has made a remarkable transformation from a decades long leader in software databases to AI Data Center Infrastructure provider. It’s now fourth after Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud in that business, ahead of ‘Neoclouds’ like CoreWeave and others. SIgnature customers today include OpenAI, TikTok/Bytedance, Nvidia and many others. For now, Wall Street has rewarded the transformation with record high valuation at $650 billion+, with less focus on the far higher AI Capex commitments, and blended lower margins down the road. For now, Oracle stands besides the other Mag 7s all leaning into the AI Tech Wave opportunity. More here.

   

Other AI Readings for weekend:

1. Google Cloud signs $10 billion AI Data Center Deal with Meta. Follows recent Google TPU win with OpenAI.

   

2. White House steps up equity stake discussions in US Chips Act recipients. More here.

   

(Additional Note: For more weekend AI listening, have a new podcast series on AI, from a Gen Z to Boomer perspective. It’s called AI Ramblings. Now 17 weekly Episodes and counting. More with the latest AI Ramblings Episode here, on AI issues of the day. As well as our latest ‘Reads’ and ‘Obsessions’ of the Week). Co-hosted with my nephew Neal Makwana. His latest ‘The New Terms of Service’ piece here)

Up next, the Sunday ‘The Bigger Picture’ tomorrow. Stay tuned.

(NOTE: The discussions here are for information purposes only, and not meant as investment advice at any time. Thanks for joining us here)