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Firmus Raises $327M for NVIDIA-Backed Data Centers – Ciente

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NVIDIA-Backed Firmus Raises $327 Million in Funding for Data Center Projects.
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Firmus Raises $327M for NVIDIA-Backed Data Centers – Ciente

Firmus Raises $327M for NVIDIA-Backed Data Centers – Ciente

Firmus Technologies’ data center strategy leans into clean energy hubs and campuses across Australia. A vision where renewable energy is a building block, and not an afterthought.

AI requires abundant power to mobilize the global economic model. But there’s already substantial strain put on power grids across the US, where data centers are the most prominent.

The global electricity demand to run these data centers could take a turn for the worse. Glitches, surging utilities bills, and short circuits- are only the beginning. And this growing tension will only skyrocket if there’s no antidote decided on.

AI data centers are multiplying at (not so)suprising speed. Tech companies and investors are investing billions into this infrastructure- they want numbers and power to back up AI at all costs.

How else will they keep on powering their AI models? And introduce at least one new model every other week? The power must come from somewhere else- this is the conclusion that the market has come to.

Remember, Google recently announced its moonshot project- Project Catcher? Space-based AI data centers that run on solar power-driven satellites. The Sun’s clean, limitless energy.

Firmus Technologies is taking a step in this direction: leveraging renewable energy to fuel the next phase of AI computing. In the recent funding round, it has accumulated over $327 million to back this project.

The money raised sent the NVIDIA-backed company’s market valuation to $600 million. And for the business, it’s a significant realization of their potential and faith in their vision- high-performance computing delivered through sustainable power. That this can work in the long-term, and generate the same results as the current data centers do.

This capital will be dedicated to site development, long-term energy sourcing, and infrastructure building across Tasmania, Perth, and Sydney. And the deliverables? 1.6 gigawatts worth of AI infrastructure by 2028.

It’s a win-win situation. If the project comes to fruition, and one of this scale, it would skyrocket Firmus’ reputation to being one of Australia’s leading data-center developers.

Introducing Firefox's AI Window that Prioritizes User Choice
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Introducing Firefox’s AI Window that Prioritizes User Choice

Introducing Firefox’s AI Window that Prioritizes User Choice

Mozilla Firefox introduces AI Window- intelligent AI browsing with user choice at its core.

It’s a new day. And there’s a new AI browser in the market.

The so-called independent browser has re-entered the AI battle. Mozilla, which has been pacing slowly for quite a while, has finally become yet another name in the overflowing bucket of AI models and upgrades. But that doesn’t mean it’s been entirely in the shadows.

Only recently, in September, did the company launch its “shake to summarize” feature. This allowed iPhone users to view summaries of all the web pages open on their browser. And now, it’s an “AI Window” with a conversational AI chatbot and assistant.

Well, most of the features are the same as those of its competitors. But there’s a differentiating point that Mozilla itself presses upon-

It’s not coercing AI upon its users but allowing them a choice. Even the AI Window, the company claims, is built through transparent user input. And it is an opt-in in an intelligent and user-controlled environment.

So, what it means is that Mozilla is handing users the reins to leverage the AI features merely to the extent they wish to.

According to them, other AI innovators want to keep you in a conversational loop. But Mozilla stands apart from this. They respect user privacy and free will, and AI is only a means to browse the web’s extended universe. One where artificial intelligence is a trustworthy companion that can improve your browsing experience.

While Mozilla offered very few details regarding their new feature, users will be able to choose between three different browsing experiences- classic, private, and now AI. They also said users will be able to select the AI model they want to leverage, but there’s no further comment on this specific attribute.

For Mozilla users excited to try out AI Windows, they can sign up to join their waitlist.

GPT 5.1 is Warmer, Says OpenAI. But Do We Really Need AI to be More Human?
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GPT 5.1 is Warmer, Says OpenAI. But Do We Really Need AI to be More Human?

GPT 5.1 is Warmer, Says OpenAI. But Do We Really Need AI to be More Human?

Users asked for a much warmer, conversational model, and that’s precisely what OpenAI has achieved with GPT-5.1, which entails 8 unique chat tones.

“Cheaper,” “smarter,” and “faster” are the three labels tech companies glue onto their latest AI models. That’s what gets the attention of both users and the market, plagued by concerns.

The development costs, reasoning capabilities, efficiency, and performance speed. These facets were always under the spotlight.

OpenAI’s GPT-5 is warmer. And not just that. It comes with multiple personality options, such as nerdy, quirky, candid, and friendly.

But there was another inherent dilemma that was overshadowed- the AI model’s response and communication skills. Hallucinations aside, users observed that each AI chatbot (ironically) sounded just like a machine: detached, cold, and logically on point.

However, somewhere we’ve attached the chatbots a persona. The demand for AI to present more like a collaborative partnership and less like an assistant has transformed expectations.

It needs to have a more human touch. Or it needs to be more human? One might say it’s the same. But basically, it’s not. The actual question here is: why do we need AI to be more human?

Could it be for catering to different industries? Extend ChatGPT’s market penetration?

This rationale stems from the AI chatbot’s function as a therapist (or something equivalent). These models have been under a negative spotlight, with many hailing them as their go-to cost-efficient therapist to tackle mental health problems.

But hopefully, OpenAI isn’t directing the new GPT-5.1 towards this direction. And a more positive one- for research and knowledge expansion. After all this, the upgraded model is more intelligent and way better at following instructions.

And ChatGPT is “more enjoyable to talk to” with two new variants: GPT-5.1 Instant and GPT-5.1 Thinking. And in the future, the AI giant also plans to expand its personality presets.

“With more than 800 million people using ChatGPT, we’re well past the point of one-size-fits-all,” writes OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, in a Substack post.

Is SoftBank Doubling Down on OpenAI? Sells $5.8bn NVIDIA Stakes
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Is SoftBank Doubling Down on OpenAI? Sells $5.8bn NVIDIA Stakes

Is SoftBank Doubling Down on OpenAI? Sells $5.8bn NVIDIA Stakes

Softbank’s sudden exit from NVIDIA isn’t the financial giant cleaning its hands of AI. It’s merely revamping its investment strategies.

There has been rampant speculation (and sure-shot statements) about the AI bubble. But only a few in the market have really gauged if AI is truly creating a bubble, or it’s merely a precaution, a way of being cautious after the dot-com bubble.

Each different quarter this year has flagged down a warning that this potential bubble could burst. And send all of us toppling- the G7 have no long-term, sustainable AI model in sight. But they continue to invest billions of dollars into artificial intelligence.

Hearing of Softbank selling its stakes in NVIDIA for $5.8bn sent shivers down the market.

But it isn’t giving up on AI just yet. The financial institution is merely doubling down on OpenAI, which it believes holds more promise. Especially after it reported $15.99 billion in valuation gains driven by its OpenAI holdings.

Why?

For Softbank, its investment in OpenAI is more substantial. It’s also freeing up more assets to further invest in new avenues. And diversify its portfolio after they made a $30bn investment in OpenAI.

According to a few market analysts, it’s not as if Softbank is abandoning the AI route. It is still the shiny, glossy plaything. Only that the finance giant could have found newer toys, which it believes hold more potential than NVIDIA.

“Investors typically sell out of positions when they believe the valuation is too rich, the growth prospects for the company are less attractive than before, or they’ve found something better to back and need cash to make that investment,” chimed in AJ Bell’s investment director.

And further on, attempted to justify this sudden shift–

“Nvidia’s role in an AI world is already well known, yet OpenAI’s position is still evolving, so it might simply be that SoftBank sees the latter as a better way of profiting from the tech explosion going forward, rather than sticking with yesterday’s trailblazer.”

Honestly, there’s no stopping these institutions. So much so that the US’s economic model is now basically these seven giants sending a trillion dollars back and forth to each other.

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Wired announcing that AI is the Bubble to Burst Them All, to Fortune declaring that “a collapse is definitely a possibility.” There are plenty of best-case scenarios that the tech leaders and investors are drumming up for you. And some are rosier than others.

But there’s no doubt when we say that all of these companies are tied together in financial deals that are ticking time bombs. Even the Big Short- Michael Burry, who rightly predicted the housing bubble of 2008, placed $1.1bn bets against NVIDIA and Palantir.

Isn’t this a strategic move, or is it all left to fate’s hands?

AI can be persuasive. But it’s all a gigantic mess, not merely a bubble.

Onto-Project-Suncatcher-Could-Space-Be-The-Answer-to-AIs-Latent-Potential
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Project Suncatcher Explores Space for AI Potential – Ciente

Project Suncatcher Explores Space for AI Potential – Ciente

Google, in alliance with the company Planet, hopes to launch its first couple of solar-powered satellite prototypes for Project Suncatcher by 2027.

The market is being driven distraught- is the AI bubble finally going to burst? And amidst this frenzy, maybe, just maybe, there’s an answer to all the speculations regarding AI’s true potential.

Since its escalating adoption, the world assumed that we might never decode the modern tech’s maximum potential in our lifetime. Well, we were wrong to presume that.

As the AI race unfolds right in front of us, we are left dumbstruck by Google’s moonshot plan. And while it sounds like the normal next step, it truly is a fascinating step towards opening new avenues for AI-led innovation. And gauge- is sky truly the limit for artificial intelligence?

Google’s Project Suncatcher is understood to be a moonshot research project. The crux? It’s taking AI to space. And honestly, the whole antic sounds exciting on the surface.

The success of this project could push companies to scale ML in space. And this would be powered by the most substantial energy source, our Sun. So, basically, the research project plans to assess whether a constellation of solar power-backed satellites, equipped with Google’s TPUs, can be connected by free-space optical links.

Google calls it the “future space-based, highly scalable future AI infrastructure design.”

And it’s already taking baby steps toward transforming this project into a reality. The first is creating modular designs for the small, interconnected satellites.

If the tech powerhouse figures this out, there’s a bright road ahead. A future where AI relies less on terrestrial resources. And more on the never-ending energy backup- solar power. These models would continuously churn out electricity. And facilitate eight times the productivity of current data centers.

However, there’s more to the story.

The resource-hungry data centers built on space? Could this be what the world needs right now?

Yes. If this is the missing puzzle piece to binding AI and sustainability.

These space-based AI data centers could harness the Sun’s clean energy around the clock. It could dispel the havoc created by the earth-bound data centers.

They’re thirsty for freshwater (but not for salt water, because wouldn’t that make things easier?). They’re driving up the utility bills. And a magnanimous demand for electricity in the surrounding areas.

On Earth, AI and sustainability can’t work in tandem. At least, not yet.

In response, Google’s Senior Director for Paradigms of Intelligence asserts, “In the future, space may be the best place to scale AI compute.”

But for now, Project Suncatcher remains an ambitious research project.

Meta Plans to invest $600bn in the US in Capex
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Meta Plans to invest $600bn in the US in Capex

Meta Plans to invest $600bn in the US in Capex

Meta has recently announced that they would be investing $600bn in AI data centers by 2028. This is a bit misleading for many reasons.

Reuters recently covered that Meta will be investing around $600bn in the US via AI infrastructure in the next three years. This includes jobs and data centers, as well as other auxiliary infrastructure needed to grow their division.

This has been misconstrued by a lot of media giants. Some think that Meta is raising or investing $600bn in direct cash. No, this is capex.

Meta does not have $600bn. What they are instead promising is, through their initiatives, to create a system that injects that value of that amount into the US economy.

The key here is that through relatively small investments into its own AI projects, Meta will create economic incentives worth $600bn. But the question is: can they make do on their promise?

The AI bubble.

Yes, let’s talk about the AI bubble. The circular economy has been haunting the world for quite some time. The top AI companies have been under fire for allegedly moving money within their own ranks.

And the fear of the AI bubble rises among investors and stakeholders- including employees. Then there’s the doomsayers, scientists among them, warning of the emergence of superintelligence.

They make it sound like science fiction, but a growing school of thought believes not. This change in technology doesn’t just herald a change in our economic systems but also the way of life of many communities.

It is a disruption on a scale not known to our economies.

Based on these fears, apprehensions, and misinformation, do organizations know what they are doing with this tech?

Let’s hope that they do because the alternative is a scary one.