Big Tech poured large sums of money into AI this week, signaling a global race to secure compute power and market dominance. Meta announced a staggering $600 billion infrastructure blitz even as investors balked, Microsoft committed $25 billion across the UAE and Australia, and OpenAI inked a $38 billion cloud deal with Amazon. Meanwhile, Apple neared a $1 billion pact with Google to supercharge Siri, and SoftBank joined forces with OpenAI in Japan on a new “Crystal Intelligence” platform.
Startups also surged into the spotlight, with Beacon raising $250 million to modernize small software firms through AI, Medal spinning out General Intuition with $133.7 million to push spatial reasoning, and Bluwhale and Infravision securing fresh capital for decentralized AI and drone-based power infrastructure. On the research front, MIT unveiled advancement in robotic mapping — one more sign that AI’s frontier continues to expand.
Industry & Enterprise
Apple Nears $1B Annual Deal with Google to Integrate Gemini AI into Next-Generation Siri
Apple is nearing a $1 billion-a-year deal with Google to use a custom version of its Gemini AI model in a major Siri overhaul, signaling a rare reliance on an external partner. The move positions Apple to boost Siri’s capabilities next spring while it continues developing its own large-scale AI models. (AI Insider)
People Inc. Signs AI Licensing Deal with Microsoft to Join New Publisher Content Marketplace
People Inc., a major U.S. media publisher owned by IAC, has signed an AI licensing deal with Microsoft to join its new publisher content marketplace, which will pay media outlets for material used in AI systems like Copilot. The agreement, following a similar 2023 deal with OpenAI, underscores People Inc.’s strategy to secure compensation for AI training content and leverage restrictions on web crawlers to drive negotiations. (AI Insider)
ElevenLabs Outlines Model-plus-product Strategy as AI Audio Advances Toward Multimodal Future
ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski told TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 that core AI audio models will soon become commoditized, though building proprietary systems remains essential for quality voice interactions. He said the company will focus on integrating its audio technology with multimodal and open-source platforms, aiming for an Apple-like synergy between advanced models and applied products. (AI Insider)
OpenAI Signs $38B Cloud Agreement with Amazon to Expand Global AI Infrastructure
OpenAI has struck a $38 billion, seven-year cloud deal with Amazon, one of the largest infrastructure agreements in the AI sector. The move, following OpenAI’s restructuring to allow new partnerships, expands its multicloud strategy as part of a $1 trillion global buildout to support next-generation AI systems. (AI Insider)
India Deep Tech Alliance Announces Second Wave of Members, Additional USD$850M Capital Commitments
The India Deep Tech Alliance has added new venture members and secured ₹7,500 crore ($850 million) in additional private funding to back early-stage deep tech startups, bringing total commitments to more than $1.85 billion. Supported by NVIDIA, Qualcomm Ventures, and others, the initiative aligns private investment with India’s ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation Scheme targeting sectors like AI, semiconductors, and robotics. (AI Insider)
Meta Doubles Down on AI Infrastructure with $600B Spending Push Despite Investor Concerns
Meta plans to spend up to $600 billion over three years on AI infrastructure, marking one of the largest tech buildouts in history and sharply increasing its costs. The announcement, centered on Meta’s Superintelligence Lab and new AI products, sent shares down 12% as investors questioned when the company’s massive investment will yield clear financial returns. (AI Insider)
SoftBank and OpenAI Form 50–50 Joint Venture in Japan to Deliver Enterprise AI Solutions
SoftBank and OpenAI have formed a 50-50 joint venture in Japan, SB OAI Japan, to localize and distribute OpenAI’s enterprise technologies through a new “Crystal Intelligence” platform. SoftBank will be the first customer, testing the system across its subsidiaries as part of its broader multibillion-dollar push into AI infrastructure and enterprise adoption. (AI Insider)
Lambda Expands Strategic AI Infrastructure Partnership with Microsoft in Multibillion-Dollar Deal
Lambda has entered a multibillion-dollar partnership with Microsoft to deploy tens of thousands of Nvidia GPUs, expanding their long-standing collaboration on AI cloud infrastructure. The deal strengthens Lambda’s position as a major AI compute provider and follows Microsoft’s global push to scale high-performance cloud capacity. (AI Insider)
Research & Innovation
MIT Researchers Develop New Method Aimed at Helping Search-And-Rescue Robots Map Large Areas
MIT researchers have created an AI system that lets robots quickly build accurate 3D maps from uncalibrated cameras, overcoming key limits in real-time navigation for complex environments. Supported by U.S. and Korean research agencies, the method generates submaps that align into full reconstructions within seconds, outperforming existing SLAM models in both speed and accuracy. (AI Insider)
Upcoming Conferences & Events
2025 5th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Communication
Nov. 7 – 9, Xiamen, China, the 5th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Communication (ICAIRC 2025) will bring together researchers, engineers, and industry experts to share innovations and foster global collaboration in AI, robotics, and communication technologies. (ICAIRC)
Startups & Capital
Microsoft Expands Global AI Infrastructure with $15.2B UAE Investment and $9.7B IREN Cloud Deal
Microsoft is expanding its global AI footprint with $15.2 billion in new investments in the UAE and a $9.7 billion cloud deal with Australia’s IREN. The UAE initiative, unveiled at the Abu Dhabi Global AI Summit, includes the first U.S.-licensed Nvidia GPU shipments to the region and large-scale training and infrastructure programs, while the IREN partnership boosts Microsoft’s global compute capacity to meet rising AI demand. (AI Insider)
General Intuition Launches with $133.7M Seed Round to Build AI Agents with Spatial-temporal Reasoning
Medal has spun out General Intuition, an AI lab focused on spatial-temporal reasoning that uses billions of gaming videos to train models capable of understanding movement and interaction. Backed by $133.7 million from major investors, the startup is developing adaptive AI agents for applications from gaming to GPS-free drones, aiming to advance AGI through visual and spatial learning. (AI Insider)
Infravision Raises $91M Series B for Power Line Construction with Aerial Robotics
Infravision has secured $91 million in Series B funding led by GIC to scale its drone-based TX System for power line construction. The company plans to expand in North America as demand grows for faster, safer, and more efficient grid infrastructure solutions. (AI Insider)
ExaCare AI Raises $30M Series A to Reimagine Admissions and Launch a Powerful Suite of AI Agents for Skilled Nursing & Home Care
Mercor has raised $350 million at a $10 billion valuation to expand its expert-driven AI training marketplace, connecting foundational model developers with domain specialists. Backed by Felicis Ventures and others, the company pays over $1.5 million daily to 30,000+ experts and aims to automate matching and scale with rising enterprise AI demand. (AI Insider)
Beacon Closes $250M to Accelerate AI-Powered Software Roll-Up Strategy
Beacon has raised $250 million in Series B funding at a $1 billion valuation to expand its AI-driven acquisition of small, profitable software companies. Founded by former Instacart and Sequoia executives, the firm upgrades niche “Main Street” businesses with AI tools and focuses on long-term ownership rather than traditional private equity exits. (AI Insider)
Bluwhale Secures $10M Strategic Series A in Institutional Funding
Bluwhale has raised $10 million in Series A funding led by UOB Venture Management, with backing from major blockchains and financial institutions including Sui, Tezos, and Cardano. The company will use the funds to expand its decentralized AI network and financial services platform, which serves over 3.6 million users through an interoperable Layer 3 blockchain. (AI Insider)
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