AMD has hired former AWS infrastructure leader Arvind Balakumar to spearhead engineering for its Helios AI server platform. This is a key move in its long-shot bid to compete with Nvidia’s AI infrastructure dominance. The Helios rack-scale system is slated for a 2026 debut.
Microsoft has launched Agent Mode for Excel on the web, a major upgrade to Copilot that can execute complex, multi-step tasks. It’s available now for commercial and premium subscribers, with a wider rollout coming in January.
OpenAI’s COO Brad Lightcap says an internal “code red” declared by CEO Sam Altman will force the AI giant to sharpen its focus. The move comes as competition from Google’s Gemini and Anthropic heats up, especially for business customers.
In a major move to shape the future of AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Block are teaming up to create the Agentic AI Foundation. They’re donating key technologies to establish open standards, hoping to ensure different AI agents can work together seamlessly. The effort is backed by other giants like Goog
Anthropic is locking down the enterprise AI space with a new multi-year partnership with consulting giant Accenture. The deal includes formal training for 30,000 Accenture employees and comes as a new report shows Anthropic now holds 40% of the enterprise market share.
In a major fintech partnership, Fifth Third Bank is handing its commercial card program to Brex. The deal aims to use Brex’s AI-driven platform to simplify expense management and tap into a multi-billion dollar market. It’s a clear sign that even large banks are choosing to partner rather than build
Veteran tech operators from Seattle’s ecosystem are launching VQ Capital, a new investment firm targeting AI and cyber intelligence. The firm, co-founded by former Amazon and Medio leader Brian Lent, will focus on two main themes and operates on a unique, deal-by-deal basis with family offices.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is reportedly planning to allow Nvidia to ship its H200 AI chips to China. This move, which would involve chips roughly 18 months old, directly conflicts with a bipartisan Senate bill introduced on December 4th to block advanced AI chip exports for 30 months.
Microsoft is pushing ahead with its plan to turn Windows into an “agentic” AI operating system. The latest Insider builds now include a public preview of native support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the standard that lets AI agents interact with apps and tools.
IBM is making a massive $11 billion move to acquire Confluent, a leader in real-time data streaming. The deal sent Confluent’s stock soaring and highlights the critical infrastructure needed for enterprise AI. It’s a clear signal that the battle for AI dominance is heating up.
