Intel
Leadership shake‑up: New CEO Lip‑Bu Tan is flattening Intel’s structure, placing major chip divisions under his direct oversight.
CTO changes: Sachin Katti promoted to CTO & AI chief; Greg Lavender retires. Intel is also recruiting a new head of government affairs to sharpen its policy engagement.
OpenAI
Flex processing: Introduced a lower‑cost API tier (“Flex”) for non‑urgent tasks on its o3 and o4‑mini models—halving prices for evaluation‑style usage, but with reduced speed and reliability. Certain features now require ID verification.
M&A activity:
- Anysphere: OpenAI held talks to acquire Anysphere (maker of Cursor) but did not reach a deal. Anysphere is now pursuing funding at a ~$10 B valuation.
- Windsurf: Following the Anysphere talks, OpenAI has targeted Windsurf (another code‑generation startup) in a potential ~$3 B acquisition.
Google
Gemini 2.5 Pro Safety Report: Google published a safety report for its Gemini 2.5 Pro model, but experts argue it lacks sufficient detail—omitting key information on its Frontier Safety Framework and the timing of evaluations.
Ad Tech Antitrust Ruling: A U.S. judge ruled that Google illegally holds monopolies in certain online ad‑tech markets, potentially forcing divestitures. Google plans to appeal while the court determines appropriate remedies; analysts view this as a major regulatory blow with long‑term implications.
Arena Intelligence Inc.
Background: Chatbot Arena, a crowdsourced AI benchmarking platform founded in 2023 by UC Berkeley‑affiliated researchers, has been used by major labs like OpenAI and Google.
New entity: The team is spinning out Arena Intelligence Inc. to secure dedicated resources and drive significant platform improvements.
Commitment: The new company pledges to maintain a neutral, unbiased environment for AI model testing, though it has not yet disclosed investors or its business model.
Safe Artificial Intelligence Fund (SAIF)
Founder: Geoff Ralston, former Y Combinator president, has launched SAIF to back startups focused squarely on AI safety and responsible deployment.
Investment terms: SAIF offers $100 K SAFE notes to ventures enhancing AI security, interpretability, and combating disinformation—explicitly excluding areas like autonomous weapons.
Value‑add: Ralston will leverage his YC network to mentor portfolio companies, differentiating SAIF through hands‑on support.
Hence AI / Hence Global
Product launch: London‑based Hence AI has unveiled “Hence Global,” an AI‑driven tool for monitoring and mitigating geopolitical and business risks.
Offering: Provides daily briefings synthesized from public sources, tailored to user needs, at a fraction of traditional consulting costs.
Founders & early users: Built by ex‑Eurasia Group and Palantir experts; early adopters include law firms and industry leaders overwhelmed by information flow.
Il Foglio
AI in publishing: Italian daily Il Foglio tested a fully AI‑written, four‑page insert, which boosted sales.
Ongoing plans: Will continue with a weekly AI‑generated section and deploy AI for specialized articles (e.g., book reviews), viewing it as a tool to elevate – not replace – journalists.
Other news
Global energy investment: Despite surging energy demand driven by AI and broader growth, 2024 saw the lowest startup funding in four years—Q1 marked a five‑quarter trough, with April showing slight recovery via rounds for Mainspring Energy and Silicon Ranch.
China’s service‑sector opening: Beijing plans to lift foreign equity limits in areas like app stores, expand pilot programs, and boost AI applications—aimed at attracting investment and countering trade‑tension headwinds.
UAE semiconductor push: The UAE, after pledging $1.4 T in U.S. investments, expects improved access to advanced U.S. chips for its AI ambitions; G42 CEO Peng Xiao cites “tangible progress” following a realignment away from Chinese suppliers.
