February #TechBytes - 2nd 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.

Microsoft expands AI dominance with Mistral AI partnership

微软 , the world's most capitalized company, has recently solidified a multi-year partnership with Mistral AI , a French scale-up valued at 2 billion euros.

Positioned as a European contender in the AI landscape, Mistral AI aims to challenge American counterparts.

As part of the collaboration, Mistral AI will leverage Microsoft's Azure infrastructure to train its large language models. Microsoft's strategic investment in Mistral AI, though undisclosed in terms of figures, further reinforces its influence in the AI sector.

Just a few weeks ago, Microsoft claimed the title of the world's most capitalized company, surpassing Apple. Since 2022, it has been actively involved in the AI field, investing over $10 billion in OpenAI , the company behind ChatGPT, which is currently valued at nearly $100 billion.

Despite this partnership, Mistral AI and OpenAI remain competitors in the AI market. In fact, Mistral AI recently unveiled "Mistral Large", a software designed to rival ChatGPT.

Founded in May 2023 by former DeepMind and Meta employees, Mistral AI has swiftly garnered attention, securing a seed round of 105 million euros and an additional 385 million last December. Notably, it operates in the open-source domain, distinguishing itself from OpenAI.

Adobe's AI Assistant revolutionizes document navigation in Acrobat

Adobe has introduced a groundbreaking AI tool, a virtual assistant for seamless document navigation within its Acrobat software, particularly in PDFs. This move is in line with the industry trend of integrating AI to enhance efficiency and address evolving customer needs.

The goal is to elevate the user experience in Acrobat, simplifying actions within the document and expediting the identification of crucial information. This AI assistant can summarize files, respond to user queries, and offer recommendations on document-related actions.

The standout feature is the time-saving potential, especially with large and complex files. Users can quickly obtain summaries and pinpoint key content without reading every line. The AI assistant generates citations, creates clickable links, and reformats content for report creation and presentations.

Compatible with PDFs, Word, and PowerPoint, the assistant prioritizes security. Data in documents won't be used to train the AI, addressing privacy concerns. In the testing phase, it's available to select Standard or Pro subscribers at no extra cost during the beta. Adobe may introduce a new subscription plan in the future, incorporating the AI assistant and other features.

Microsoft's strategic shift: choosing Intel over Nvidia for AI chips

Microsoft recently made a strategic decision to leverage Intel's technology in developing an in-house microchip, signaling a shift away from its reliance on 英伟达 . While the specific application of this chip remains undisclosed, it is likely to power the company's artificial intelligence models, a focus area for Microsoft and the broader U.S. tech industry.

The significance of this news lies in Microsoft's preference for collaboration with Intel over Nvidia, the world's largest semiconductor company by market value. Intel, renowned for its chip design expertise, aims to expand its business by becoming a third-party chip manufacturer, akin to Taiwan's TSMC.

The intensifying competition in artificial intelligence among tech giants, including Microsoft and Alphabet, has driven demand for advanced, high-performance microchips. Nvidia's offerings, while experiencing tremendous growth, sometimes fall short of meeting the surging demand.

Microsoft's decision to distance itself from Nvidia stems from the desire to secure a more reliable supply chain for advanced semiconductors. CEO Satya Nadella emphasized the need for a dependable supply of high-performance semiconductors, expressing enthusiasm about collaborating with Intel.

In November of the previous year, Microsoft announced its plans to introduce two new microchips for its data centers: the Azure Maia Accelerator, designed specifically for AI systems, and the Azure Cobalt CPU for general applications. Microsoft had been testing these chips in AI-enabled services such as Bing and Office. The partnership with Intel is expected to expedite the integration of these chips into Microsoft's ecosystem.

Scott Guthrie, Vice President of Cloud and AI divisions at Microsoft, explained in a statement, "At the scale we operate, it's important for us to optimize and integrate every layer of the infrastructure stack to maximize performance, diversify our supply chain, and provide customers with infrastructure choices".

Alibaba's Moonshot AI bet: a Billion-Dollar move in the AI landscape

阿里巴巴集团 is making a bold play in the realm of generative artificial intelligence, spearheading a $1 billion funding round for the Chinese startup Moonshot AI. Joining forces with Tencent Holdings, Microsoft, and Monolith Management, along with previous backers Meituan and Hongshan, Alibaba's investment propels Moonshot AI's valuation to an impressive $2.5 billion.

Founded in March 2023, Moonshot AI has quickly become a significant player in artificial intelligence, positioning itself as a formidable rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT. In November 2023, Moonshot AI introduced Kimi, a chatbot outperforming its counterparts by processing 200,000 Chinese characters in a single conversation—eight times the capability of OpenAI's GPT-4-32K. The startup also provides a platform for developers to build generative AI applications on its model.

Before this funding round, Moonshot had secured $200 million from HongShan and Zhen Fund, valuing the startup at $300 million.

Alibaba's engagement with Moonshot AI reflects its commitment to overcoming recent challenges. Led by Joseph Tsai and Eddie Wu, Alibaba aims to capitalize on the potential of artificial intelligence. Alibaba's cloud unit claims to host 50% of Chinese generative AI companies, serving around 80% of the country's tech enterprises.

While Alibaba invests in Moonshot AI, it also backs Baichuan, founded by search engine pioneer Xiaochuan Wang, and other startups like Zhipu AI and 01.AI utilizing language models.

These investments come with risks. The competitive AI landscape, coupled with US restrictions on high-end AI chips to Chinese firms, presents challenges. Navigating the in-home market, less technologically advanced than its American counterpart, introduces uncertainties. The risk is falling behind in a rapidly evolving field.