ByteDance will spend $12B on AI Chips, Meta invested in Databricks & Musk vs Altman on Stargate - Daily AI Brief #88

Hi there,

In today's news, ByteDance is set to invest $12 billion in AI chips by 2025, Meta Platforms is making moves by investing in Databricks, and DigitalOcean has unveiled a new GenAI platform for developers. And as you might have expected, Musk and Altman are fighting again over the Stargate Project.

Top stories

Musk and Altman Dispute Over Stargate Project

Elon Musk and Sam Altman publicly disagreed on X about the $500 billion Stargate infrastructure project for building data centers for OpenAI in the U.S. Musk raised concerns about funding, while Altman highlighted its national benefits. Read more

ByteDance to Invest $12 Billion in AI Chips by 2025

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, plans to invest over $12 billion in AI infrastructure by 2025, focusing on AI chips in China and overseas investments to boost model training capabilities. Read more

Meta Platforms Invests in Databricks

Meta Platforms has participated in a $10 billion funding round for AI startup Databricks, valuing the company at $62 billion. The investment will support AI technology development and international expansion. Read more

DigitalOcean Unveils GenAI Platform for Developers

DigitalOcean has launched its new GenAI Platform at the Deploy 25 conference in Austin, Texas, aimed at helping developers integrate AI into applications using third-party models. Read more

Pat Gelsinger Invests in AI Startup Fractile

Pat Gelsinger, former CEO of Intel, has invested in the British AI hardware startup Fractile, founded by Walter Goodwin. The company focuses on integrating compute and memory into a single component to tackle AI model inference challenges. Read more

Retro Biosciences Seeks $1 Billion for Lifespan Extension

San Francisco-based Retro Biosciences, supported by Sam Altman, plans to raise $1 billion to fund its AI-driven project aimed at extending human lifespan by a decade. The company intends to start clinical trials for its first drug this year. Read more

LinkedIn Appoints Deepak Agarwal as Chief AI Officer

LinkedIn has appointed Deepak Agarwal as its Chief AI Officer, highlighting its focus on advancing AI-driven innovation. Agarwal returns to the role with a commitment to developing ethical and inclusive AI solutions. Read more

AI Apps Generate $1 Billion in 2024

Consumer spending on AI apps reached $1.1 billion in 2024, driven by the demand for generative AI applications like ChatGPT and Gemini, according to a report from Sensor Tower. Read more

Samsung Unveils Galaxy S25 Series with Google Gemini Enhancements

At the Samsung Unpacked event, Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 series, featuring enhanced integration with Google's AI assistant, Gemini. Preorders begin January 22, with shipping on February 7. Read more

Postman Introduces AI Agent Builder

Postman, an India-based API platform, has launched an AI agent builder that integrates large language models with its API services, aiming to assist users in creating and testing AI agents. Read more

Samsung Unveils AI Features for SmartThings

Samsung announced new AI features for its SmartThings platform at the Unpacked 2025 event, aiming to enhance daily routines through ambient sensing and generative AI. The rollout will occur in 2025 and 2026. Read more

ByteDance Introduces AI Code Editor 'Trae'

ByteDance has launched 'Trae', an AI-powered code editor based on Microsoft's Visual Studio Code, targeting overseas markets. The tool supports English and Chinese and is currently available for free. Read more

Other Stories

• Innovaccer Acquires Humbi AI

• ADNOC and AIQ Trial ENERGYai AI Solution

• Doti AI Secures $7M for AI Search Platform

• Lisa Costa Joins Seekr Advisory Board

• Parsons Enhances AI for US Army Project

• Telangana and CtrlS Partner for AI Datacenter

• IFS Achieves Record Financial Results for 2024

• Teal Secures $7.5M for AI Career Platform

• Neko Health Raises $260M in Series B Funding

• Koch Disruptive Technologies Leads $50 Million Funding for Rhino.ai

• Examin Secures EUR 200,000 for AI Video Analytics

• Chapter Secures €3 Million for AI in Energy

• Arzeda Secures DARPA Funding for AI Protein Design

• IIFL Fintech Fund Raises INR 200 Crore for Indian Fintech Startups

• Bertelsmann Partners with OpenAI for Media Innovation

• Samsung Galaxy S25 to Feature AI Content Credentials

• Appdome Introduces AI-Native Threat Management

• Workera Gains Investment from Accenture

• SandboxAQ and Aramco Partner on AI for Oil Processing

• OpenAI and SoftBank Invest in Stargate AI Data Center

• Inceptio Plans US IPO to Raise $100-$200 Million

• FriendliAI and Hugging Face Partner for AI Deployment

• Visa's Rapid GenAI Integration in Payments

• C3 AI and McKinsey Partner for AI Transformations

• Microsoft's $500 Billion Stargate AI Project with OpenAI

• Music AI Raises $40M for Ethical Audio Tech

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