Tencent has launched its new AI model, Hunyuan Turbo S, which claims faster query responses via a “hybrid‐mamba‐transformer fusion architecture.” By doubling output speed and reducing first‐word delay, the model competes head‐to‐head with rivals such as DeepSeek‑V3, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and GPT‑4o. This launch intensifies China’s competitive AI landscape, where Alibaba’s Qwen innovations and DeepSeek’s anticipated R2 release also shape the race.Snowflake is opening a 30,000‑square‑foot Silicon Valley AI Hub in Menlo Park, California, to serve as a collaborative space for developers, startups, and business leaders. In parallel, the company announced a $200 million investment in AI startups via its Startup Accelerator along with a $20 million commitment toward AI upskilling, further bolstering its leadership in the AI cloud arena.Meta unveiled Aria Gen 2, an advanced iteration of its AR research glasses for AI, robotics, and machine perception. With enhanced sensors, on‑device AI processing, and improved usability in a 75‑gram frame offering 6‑8 hours of battery life, the glasses mark a significant upgrade. Meta is also developing a standalone app for its AI assistant to better compete with offerings like ChatGPT and Gemini.FOSS United, with support from Zerodha, awarded a ₹9,00,000 grant to Prasun Anand’s Zasper—an open‑source alternative to JupyterLab designed for massive concurrency and efficiency—to improve its user experience, platform support, and performance.Ford Business Solutions has expanded its Global Capability Center in Bengaluru, India, focusing on cybersecurity, DevOps, and AI while planning to hire an additional 2,000 employees, thereby strengthening its long‑standing digital presence.Rigetti Computing and Quanta Computer have forged a strategic partnership to advance superconducting quantum computing, with each committing to investments exceeding $100 million over the next five years.Honeywell introduced Digital Holographic Microscopy, an AI‑powered diagnostic tool that accelerates medical testing for peritoneal dialysis patients and supports environmental monitoring.Soket Labs leads Project EKA, an initiative to develop advanced foundation models tailored to India’s linguistic and socio‑economic needs, aiming to democratize AI access in education, healthcare, and national security.OpenAI has launched GPT‑4.5 (Orion), its largest language model yet, now available in research preview for ChatGPT Pro subscribers. Praised for enhanced writing, factual accuracy, and persuasive capabilities, GPT‑4.5 comes with premium token pricing and follows the release of its video generation model, Sora, now accessible in select regions.Netflix is recruiting remote Machine Learning Scientists and Engineers for its Content & Media ML Foundations team to drive innovations in content personalization and advertising.Microsoft introduced a dedicated Copilot app for macOS, offering users a standalone AI chatbot experience.Figure plans early alpha testing of its Figure 02 humanoid robot in home environments, propelled by a new generalist Vision‑Language‑Action model.TikTok is migrating from its Creator Marketplace to the TikTok One platform, which integrates AI‑powered creative tools for brands and creators.Other updates include the development of the Hi Robot system for executing complex tasks with vision‑language models, Karnataka’s Cabinet approving over ₹400 crores for tech infrastructure and startup support, and research revealing that training on insecure code can trigger toxic AI behavior.
