Turing, a developer of autonomous driving systems, has raised an additional 1.02 billion yen in funding through investments from JIC Venture Growth Investments, JR West Innovations, NCB Venture Capital, and financing from Mizuho Bank. This brings the total pre-Series A funding to 5.558 billion yen. The company is developing an end-to-end autonomous driving system that uses AI to make decisions on steering, acceleration, and braking based on camera data. Turing has pioneered several new technologies in autonomous driving, including multimodal generative AI "Heron" and the autonomous driving generative world model "Terra". The company aims to enable its vehicles to navigate complex traffic situations by leveraging generative AI that can learn from vast amounts of web-scale data and understand human-like common sense.
https://thebridge.jp/en/2024/12/turing-an-autonomous-driving-system-developer-raises-additional-1-billion-yen-from-government-funds-pre-series-a-total-funding-exceeds-5-5-billion-yenxAI, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has rapidly gained traction in the AI sector since its launch in July 2023, achieving a valuation of $50 billion and raising over $12 billion in funding. The company aims to "understand the universe" through its chatbot Grok, which features capabilities such as web search results, PDF uploads, and image understanding, trained on user data from X (formerly Twitter). xAI's founding team includes experts from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Tesla, including Igor Babuschkin, Manuel Kroiss, Yuhuai Wu, Christian Szegedy, Jimmy Ba, Toby Pohlen, Ross Nordeen, Greg Yang, Guodong Zhang, and Zihang Dai. The company plans to enhance its supercomputer Colossus to support AI models and compete with OpenAI and Google, following a recent $6 billion funding round that will accelerate the development of its technology and products.
https://www.businesstelegraph.co.uk/10-power-players-from-elon-musks-xai-who-are-giving-openai-a-run-for-its-money-with-grok-chatbot/A recent survey by Basware and Financial Times Longitude found that while 78% of organizations plan to increase their artificial intelligence (AI) investments over the next year and a half, many finance leaders are uncertain about its return on investment (ROI). This uncertainty is causing hesitation in AI adoption, with nearly one-third of CFOs admitting their organization lacks a strategic vision for AI implementation. Despite this, 41% of finance leaders have found it difficult to prioritize AI investments due to broader macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. For example, Meta has faced scrutiny over the challenges of proving ROI on its substantial AI investments. However, the report highlights areas where AI is already yielding results, such as reducing errors and saving valuable time, driving a positive return on investment for finance leaders.
https://www.techradar.com/pro/2025-could-be-the-year-of-reckoning-for-ai-as-a-global-survey-of-cfos-shows-rampant-nervousness-about-roiNVIDIA has opened its first Research and Development Center (R&DC) in Vietnam, focusing on AI software development and ecosystem engagement in collaboration with the Vietnamese government. The move is part of a larger trend of growing investments in digital infrastructure in Vietnam, which is making it an attractive location for AI investors. NVIDIA's R&DC will allow local startups to leverage GPU-intensive infrastructure, human capital, and research for AI applications, supporting the government's agenda to boost local digital platforms and sovereign AI capabilities. The center's opening also marks NVIDIA's acquisition of VinBrain, a Vingroup-owned AI medtech startup, further solidifying its presence in Vietnam.
https://www.thailand-business-news.com/asean/vietnam/181179-nvidias-expansion-in-vietnams-ai-market-indicates-strong-investor-confidence#commentsOpenAI is planning to develop advanced humanoid robots, following significant investments in various startups.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/openai-eyes-advanced-humanoid-robotsBillionaire tech mogul Elon Musk's startup xAI has raised US$6 billion from investors in its latest funding round, bringing the company's valuation to an estimated US$50 billion. The firm, which is developing the Grok chatbot, received support from investors including NVIDIA, AMD, and investment funds from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Despite concerns about AI firms burning through cash without a clear path to profitability, xAI plans to use the funding to develop new products and accelerate research into future technologies. This move comes as Musk continues to push for more investment in the sector, despite warning that AI poses a risk to human civilization.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2024/12/25/elon-musks-artificial-intelligence-startup-xai-says-raised-rm27b-more-in-latest-funding-round/161014Apple is nearing a historic $4 trillion valuation due to its progress in artificial intelligence enhancements. The company's shares have surged by 16% since early November, adding $500 billion to its market capitalization. This has propelled Apple ahead of Nvidia and Microsoft in the race to reach this milestone. Analysts believe that investor enthusiasm for AI is driving the surge, as they expect it to lead to a "supercycle" of iPhone upgrades.
https://indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/apple-approaches-historic-4-trillion-valuation-it-is-now-also-ahead-of-nvidia-and-microsoft-2654469-2024-12-24Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk's startup xAI has raised $6 billion from investors in its latest funding round, bringing the company's valuation to an estimated $50 billion. The firm, which is developing the Grok chatbot, received support from US venture capitalists, chipmakers NVIDIA and AMD, as well as investment funds from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Despite concerns about AI firms burning through cash without a clear path to profitability, xAI plans to use the funding to develop new products and accelerate research into future technologies. Musk has repeatedly warned about the risks of AI, but is pushing for more investment in the sector, including taking legal action against rival OpenAI, which he co-founded before leaving in 2018.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40339355/musks-ai-startup-raises-further-6bnNovautek, a Hong Kong-based innovation technology company specializing in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technology, has received the "Outstanding SME ESG and Business Performance Award 2024" from The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong's Start-up and SME Resource Centre. The award recognizes Novautek's outstanding performance in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and its achievements in promoting sustainable development. Mr. Wang Chunsheng, the Chief Executive Officer of Novautek, received the award on behalf of the company. Novautek is a subsidiary of Applied Development Holdings Limited and focuses on building an ecosystem across AI robotics, autonomous driving, and large AI models. The company has introduced five core applications of autonomous driving robots, including cleaning and sanitation, security patrol, transportation, delivery, and smart warehousing, which have been deployed in local housing estates to alleviate social challenges such as aging populations and labor shortages.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2024/12/23/tmt-newswire/media-outreach-newswire/novautek-honored-with-the-outstanding-sme-esg-and-business-performance-award/2026715