April #TechBytes - 1st part
Here is a roundup of some of the tech news you may have missed recently selected by us at Etiqa!
Ours is a journey inside the latest advanced technologies, news about the most exciting startups and scale ups from around the world, and updates on specialized, high-risk industries.
Google Cloud Next ‘24: the latest innovations in Artificial Intelligence
谷歌 recently unveiled a range of groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) at the Google Cloud Next event in Las Vegas. One notable introduction is Google Vids, an AI-powered video creation tool set to revolutionize video production workflows. Integrated into Workspace, Google Vids leverages AI to generate storyboards, edit scenes, add voiceovers, and more, simplifying the video creation process for professionals.
Moreover, Google showcased various AI-driven tools aimed at enhancing productivity and efficiency across industries. These include advanced image editing capabilities, text-to-image generation technology, and collaborative content creation tools. By harnessing the power of AI, businesses can streamline workflows and unlock new possibilities in content creation.
In addition to software innovations, Google announced hardware advancements with the launch of TPU v5p and Axion CPU. TPU v5p, a next-generation Tensor Processing Unit, offers increased power and scalability for training AI models, while Axion, the first CPU optimized for data centers, promises improved performance and energy efficiency.
Furthermore, Google introduced updates to its AI models and tools, including Gemini 1.5 Pro on Vertex AI. This powerful AI model enables processing of large datasets, facilitating advanced natural language processing and content generation tasks. Additionally, Imagen 2, an update to Google's text-to-image technology, enhances image editing capabilities and introduces watermarking features.
These innovations signify Google's commitment to advancing AI technology and empowering businesses with cutting-edge tools.
Amazon invests $2.6 billion in Anthropic
亚马逊 has made a significant move by investing nearly $2.6 billion in Anthropic , the AI startup founded by Italo-American siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei. This investment brings Amazon's total investment in Anthropic to $4 billion, making it one of the largest backers of the San Francisco-based company.
Anthropic's AI system, Claude, is gaining recognition as a formidable competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT. Renowned for its power and energy efficiency, Claude has attracted high-profile investors, including Google, Abu Dhabi's Mubadala sovereign wealth fund, and now Amazon. Anthropic is currently valued at over $18 billion, positioning itself as a leading player in the AI industry.
Despite Amazon's substantial investment, Anthropic remains committed to maintaining relationships with other clients, including Google, which has also provided significant funding. Anthropic plans to leverage both Amazon's and Google's cloud services to train and deploy its AI models. Additionally, Anthropic is collaborating closely with Amazon on the development of new AI chips to rival those of Nvidia, a key player in the semiconductor industry.
The success of Anthropic is largely attributed to the Amodei siblings, Dario and Daniela. With backgrounds in leading tech companies like Baidu, Google, and OpenAI, the Amodei siblings bring extensive expertise to their roles as CEO and president of Anthropic, respectively. Their decision to depart from OpenAI in 2021 to establish Anthropic reflects their vision for advancing AI technology and addressing critical issues in AI safety and innovation.
Cohere introduces Command R+: advanced enterprise Language Model
Cohere has launched Command R+, its latest innovation in LLMs tailored specifically for business applications. Building upon the strengths of its predecessor, Command R, the new model offers superior performance, multilingual support, and advanced Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) capabilities.
Command R+ stands out for its enhanced performance and advantageous implementation costs, whether managed in the cloud or on-premises. Martin Kon, President and COO of Cohere, emphasized the affordability of implementation, enabling businesses to deploy it at scale. Users have noted Command R+'s superiority over competitors like OpenAI 's GPT-4 Turbo, as well as the new Claude 3 from Anthropic and Mistral Large, in major performance benchmarks.
In addition to its technological prowess, Cohere maintains a strong focus on data privacy and security. The company's AI models, including Command R+, are available on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, ensuring robust data protection measures are in place.
Cohere's success in deploying its technology in production environments is evident through partnerships with industry giants like Oracle. Over 200 AI-driven features supported by Cohere's LLMs are now in production on Oracle's NetSuite and Fusion applications. Kon proudly stated that Cohere's functionalities are integrated into tens of thousands of businesses worldwide.
With a 60% revenue growth recorded in the first 10 weeks of 2024, much of which is attributed to anticipation for the Command R and R+ releases, Cohere is poised for further expansion. Projections suggest that Cohere's revenue could reach hundreds of millions in 2024.?
Yahoo acquires Artifact: integrating AI-powered news technology
雅虎 has announced its acquisition of Artifact , the AI-powered news app developed by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. While the financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, Artifact will no longer exist as a standalone app. Instead, its AI-driven personalization technology will be integrated across Yahoo's platforms, including the Yahoo News app, in the coming months. Both Systrom and Krieger will provide advisory support during the transition phase.
The decision to acquire Artifact comes after the startup announced plans to wind down its operations due to limited market opportunities. Initially conceived as a news app, Artifact evolved into a platform resembling a Twitter alternative. However, facing stiff competition in this space, including Meta's Threads, Artifact opted to explore acquisition opportunities.
Artifact's AI technology is designed to curate personalized news feeds for users based on their interests and preferences. This includes features such as news summarization, headline rewriting, and content curation. Yahoo views this acquisition as an opportunity to enhance its content offerings and provide users with more tailored experiences.
Kat Downs Mulder, SVP and general manager of Yahoo News, expressed excitement about integrating Artifact's technology into Yahoo's ecosystem, emphasizing the goal of becoming a trusted source of digital information. Systrom highlighted Yahoo's scale as a key factor in realizing Artifact's vision of connecting users with reliable news and information sources.