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The artificial intelligence buildout now rivals China's post-WTO investment boom in scale. Global AI spending will surpass $2 trillion this year.
Source: Fortune
https://fortune.com/2026/10/09/is-ai-the-new-china-shock-2/
#Startups

Broadcom has reportedly held talks to raise around $30 billion in debt to help OpenAI buy chips. Nvidia recently partnered with six finance firms to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital.
Source: Fortune
https://fortune.com/2026/10/09/ai-financing-broadcom-openai-debt/
#Startups #Broadcom #OpenAI

Asif Makhani, a Pakistani-origin tech veteran, co-founded Infino AI, which emerged from stealth with $7.5 million in seed funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners.
Source: TechJuice
https://www.techjuice.pk/infino-ai-exits-stealth-7-5m-seed-simplify-ai-agent-search/
#Startups

Xpeng plans to conduct overseas robotaxi trials next year and aims for a wider rollout within two to three years.
Source: CNA
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/xpeng-robotaxis-yoyo-humanoid-robots-iron-brian-gu-interview-6445751
#Robotics

The government will provide another 100,000 free AI subscriptions to youths next year, expanding the existing programme.
Source: Lowyat.NET
https://www.lowyat.net/2026/406893/budget-2027-free-ai-subscriptions/
#TechPolicy #ChatGPT

OpenAI stated that Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni were fired for violating clear policies on handling sensitive information after an investigation found a significant breach of trust.
Source: The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1008604/openai-defends-decision-fire-safety-researchers
#TechPolicy #OpenAI

IBM announced it has been selected for Stage C, the third phase of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) led by DARPA.
Source: Vietnam Investment Review
https://vir.com.vn/ibm-advances-to-stage-c-in-darpa-quantum-computer-program-162431.html
#Tech #IBM

Octopus Energy US plans to buy software startups that help utilities manage data center power demand, its CEO told Semafor.
Source: Semafor
https://www.semafor.com/article/10/08/2026/octopus-looks-to-buy-software-startups-to-manage-data-center-demand
#AI

Nvidia defended the Open Secure AI Alliance, stating that hundreds and hundreds of companies are currently being vetted by the Linux Foundation.
Source: Tech.eu
https://tech.eu/2026/10/09/nvidia-defends-open-secure-ai-alliance-saying-hundreds-and-hundreds-of-companies-being-vetted/
#TechPolicy #Nvidia

Power-focused engineering firms are trying to cut down waste and optimize current systems. ABB rolled out a portfolio of products aimed at addressing the needs of AI data centers. Schneider Electric acquired a US industrial software firm for $22.6 billion.
Source: Semafor
https://www.semafor.com/article/10/09/2026/power-firms-cut-waste-and-modernize-systems-to-meet-surging-demand
#AI

We are putting too much faith in AI's ability to say no. Disobedience does not come naturally to the machine. Models are trained to refuse a vast number of prompts.
Source: MIT Technology Review
https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/09/1145728/we-are-putting-too-much-faith-in-ai-to-say-no/
#TechPolicy

Google launched a workplace AI agent that can connect to enterprise systems, organise workload, access tools and return completed work to the necessary location.
Source: Silicon Republic
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/machines/google-workplace-ai-agent-rivals-innovation-development
#AIAgents #Google

NeoGrowth has raised Rs 85 crore in an investment led by FMO, with participation from LeapFrog Investments.
Source: YourStory
https://yourstory.com/2026/10/neogrowth-raises-rs-85-crore-led-by-fmo
#Startups

MSI NB Team unveiled the Prestige N16 Flip AI+, the first RTX Spark laptop in the Middle East market.
Source: Techxmedia
https://techxmedia.com/en/msi-unveils-first-rtx-spark-laptop-in-middle-east/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=msi-unveils-first-rtx-spark-laptop-in-middle-east
#AI

OpenAI researchers say they were let go for prioritising safety. The company says they were dismissed for mishandling sensitive information.
Source: BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvlydn8d3lkjo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
#TechPolicy #OpenAI

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son is looking to raise up to $100 billion from Gulf investors to finance his AI investments.
Source: The Information
https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/softbanks-son-seeks-100-billion-gulf-investors-ai-bets
#Startups

The government will develop an AI application that lets people check phone numbers, bank accounts and suspicious links before transacting, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/10/09/aplikasi-ai-bantu-rakyat-semak-nombor-telefon-akaun-bank-disyaki-scammer
#TechPolicy

The allocation for the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit, Mitra, will be increased to RM150 million in 2027, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/09/mitra-allocation-raised-to-rm150mil-in-2027
#TechPolicy

The Delhi High Court issued summons and notices in suits filed by Kangana Ranaut and Vijay Deverakonda to protect their personality rights.
Source: MediaNama
https://www.medianama.com/2026/10/223-delhi-hc-kangana-ranaut-vijay-deverakonda-personality-rights/
#TechPolicy

Aerial vision-and-language navigation agents experience success rate drops on a frozen OpenFly navigator due to the instruction gap. The Trajectory-Grounded Instruction Translator bridges this gap.
Source: arXiv
https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.10635
#MachineLearning