Weekly Updates 11/25
New released
1. Chinese researchers unveil LLaVA-o1
OpenAI‘s o1 model has shown that inference-time scaling—using more compute during inference—can significantly boost a language model’s reasoning abilities. LLaVA-o1, a new model developed by researchers from multiple universities in China, brings this paradigm to open-source vision language models (VLMs).
“We observe that VLMs often initiate responses without adequately organizing the problem and the available information,” the researchers write. “Moreover, they frequently deviate from a logical reasoning toward conclusions, instead of presenting a conclusion prematurely and subsequently attempting to justify it. Given that language models generate responses token-by-token, once an erroneous conclusion is introduced, the model typically continues along a flawed reasoning path.”
2. Kimi Launches Mathematical Reasoning Model k0-math
The Dark Side of the Moon Kimi Smart Assistant has announced the launch of its next-generation mathematical reasoning model, k0-math. The k0-math model has performed exceptionally well in multiple mathematical benchmark capability tests. The k0-math model employs a new approach that integrates reinforcement learning and chain-of-thought reasoning techniques. By simulating the thinking and reflection processes of the human brain, it significantly improves its capability to tackle complex mathematical problems.
3. Snowflake beats Databricks to integrating Claude 3.5 directly
Soon after announcing its earnings for the third quarter of FY25, Snowflake dropped a bombshell: It is teaming up with leading AI vendor Anthropic to further advance AI projects for its customers.
The data ecosystem giant has signed a multi-year strategic agreement, bringing Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 family of models to its core platform on AWS. The move will allow enterprises using Snowflake to leverage the cutting-edge Claude large language models (LLMs) for building advanced AI applications, including conversational agents. The engagement will also power Snowflake’s customer-facing agentic offerings as well as help the company’s employees accelerate their internal workflows.
4. aiOla unveils open source AI audio transcription model that obscures sensitive info in realtime
Businesses looking to use AI models to transcribe audio, specifically human speech, from executives, employees, and customers, may be wary of the idea of an AI program listening to and recording sensitive information.
However, the Israeli audio AI startup aiOla has a new model that addresses this very concern. Built atop OpenAI’s industry-standard open source model Whisper, the new Whisper-NER from aiOla is itself fully open source and available now on Hugging Face and Github for enterprises organizations, and individuals to take, use, adapt, modify and deploy.
5. Microsoft launches Azure AI Foundry with agent orchestration, management tools
Microsoft’s new capabilities in Azure AI aim to help developers build evaluation tools and a way to manage AI agents at scale and solve precisely those issues. The software developer kit for Azure AI Foundry offers a toolkit to customize, test, deploy and manage AI applications and agents. It lets developers bring control and customization to many AI apps brought into their tech stack.
6. Google Cloud launches AI Agent Space amid rising competition
Google Cloud is offering a new AI agent ecosystem program called AI Agent Space. This initiative empowers businesses to discover, deploy, and co-create AI agents designed to automate tasks, enhance customer experiences, and optimize operations.With a growing focus on the enterprise, Google’s announcement positions it as a major player alongside competitors like Microsoft, SAP, and Salesforce.
Market
1. Wordware raises $30 million to make AI development as easy as writing a document
A San Francisco startup wants to make artificial intelligence development as easy as writing in a word processor. Wordware announced today a $30 million seed round led by Spark Capital, marking one of Y Combinator’s largest initial investments to date.
The company has built what it calls a full-stack operating system for AI development, enabling users to create sophisticated AI agents using natural language instead of traditional programming code. With hundreds of thousands of users already on its platform, including enterprise customers like Instacart and Runway, Wordware is betting that the future of AI development belongs to domain experts rather than traditional software engineers.
2. Enveda Biosciences raises $130M to advance AI-driven drug discovery from natural compounds
Enveda Biosciences Inc., a biotechnology company that leverages artificial intelligence to develop new medicines, announced today that it has raised $130 million in new funding to deliver clinical catalysts across multiple programs with strong commercial opportunities.
Founded in 2019, Enveda is aiming to revolutionize drug discovery by tapping into the untapped potential of natural compounds. The company leverages AI and advanced analytics to decode the complex chemistry of nature — the chemical compounds found in plants, microbes and other natural resources — to develop novel therapeutics for unmet medical needs. Enveda says the approach addresses what it considers the unexplored diversity of natural substances, estimated to comprise 99.9% of all potential chemical entities.
3. Gyges Labs to redefine wearables with pre-Series A funding led by GSR Ventures
Gyges Labs has completed a pre-Series A funding round led by GSR Ventures, netting an eight-figure RMB sum, according to 36Kr. The round also included participation from Hao Chen, founder of Shokz, and NYX Ventures.
Founded in 2022, Gyges Lab is registered in Singapore and is focused on redefining wearable technology with its proprietary DigiWindow system, which miniaturizes optical modules to millimeter scales. This innovation enables smart glasses to retain the appearance of conventional eyewear while addressing common optical challenges like light leakage and distortion.