AGI

NVIDIA’s Spectrum-XGS Ethernet aims to link geographically dispersed AI data centers, addressing the capacity limitations of single-site facilities. This “scale-across” approach complements “scale-up” and “scale-out” strategies, using distance-adaptive algorithms and advanced congestion control to minimize latency and optimize network performance. Cloud provider CoreWeave will be an early adopter. The technology seeks to reshape AI data center planning, potentially reducing costs and improving performance by distributing workloads across multiple sites. Its success will depend on real-world effectiveness and navigating complexities beyond networking.

Google’s “Gemini for Government” agreement with the GSA offers U.S. federal agencies access to a comprehensive AI suite, including tools like NotebookLM and Veo, at a remarkably low price of $0.47 per agency through 2026. This deal, leveraging Google’s FedRamp High authorized cloud infrastructure, aims to transform government operations. While strategically positioning Google against competitors, the pricing model and potential for vendor lock-in raise concerns about long-term sustainability and market distortion. The success hinges on implementation details and safeguards.

AbbVie’s Rachel James discusses leveraging AI, specifically Large Language Models, to enhance cybersecurity by analyzing security alerts, identifying patterns, and uncovering vulnerabilities. AbbVie uses OpenCTI to transform unstructured threat data using AI. James, a contributor to ‘OWASP Top 10 for GenAI’, highlights risks like inherent unpredictability, transparency challenges, and ROI assessment. She emphasizes understanding attacker mindsets and advocates for integrating data science and AI into cybersecurity, capitalizing on intelligence data sharing. Professionals are encouraged to embrace AI.

Huawei Cloud has entered the Leaders quadrant in Gartner’s 2025 Magic Quadrant for Container Management and boasts the highest global customer recognition score. Its comprehensive container product portfolio supports diverse deployments, including edge computing. The company actively contributes to open-source projects and its CCE AI clusters power supernodes that rival Nvidia. While facing Western skepticism, Huawei Cloud gains traction globally, particularly in South America, Africa, and Asia, with key clients and deployments. Huawei’s open approach and full-stack capabilities position it as a growing force in the container and AI spaces.

Proton has upgraded its privacy-focused AI assistant, Lumo, with Lumo 1.1 offering faster, smarter responses while maintaining user confidentiality. The upgrade boasts significant improvements in reasoning, contextual understanding, and code generation. Unlike competitors, Lumo prioritizes privacy through end-to-end encryption, non-storage of conversations, and open-source mobile app code, allowing for community scrutiny. While full usage requires a Lumo Plus subscription, Proton bets on users valuing privacy enough to pay for it, challenging the conventional trade-off between AI power and data security.

Taiwan’s manufacturing sector is undergoing a significant shift, with AI server revenue now surpassing iPhone revenue for major players. This transition, occurring in just three years, sees companies like Foxconn strategically diversifying beyond consumer electronics. Taiwan dominates AI server manufacturing, accounting for over 90% of global builds. Production value surged in 2024, with companies like Wistron and Quanta experiencing substantial revenue growth. While this transformation benefits Taiwan’s tech industry, challenges remain, including potential market share erosion and the need for more distributed global operations.

AI stocks declined, triggering a tech sell-off, after a report from AI firm NANDA (MIT Media Lab) highlighted the low success rate of generative AI in commercial deployments. The report found only 5% of pilot projects deliver financial returns, citing issues with contextual awareness and learning capabilities. Successful applications are more common in back-office workflows. While individual productivity with AI is high, institutional-level benefits are lacking, raising questions about the technology’s practical effectiveness and potential hype. The report suggests strategic partnerships with AI vendors, a recommendation aligned with NANDA’s business interests.

At Security Summit 2025, Google Cloud outlined its AI-powered vision for proactive security. Key announcements include AI Protection enhancements within Security Command Center for AI agent discovery and threat protection (like prompt injection). The vision extends to an “agentic SOC” with AI agents assisting in threat management and alert investigation. Google Security Operations receives AI-driven capabilities (Gemini AI), unified dashboards, and upgrades to the Trusted Cloud, focusing on compliance, smarter access control, and expanded data/network security for AI. The goal: secure innovation through AI-embedded security.

Nvidia is reportedly developing a new AI chip, the B30A, for China, aiming to outperform its current H20 offering while complying with US export controls. Utilizing its Blackwell architecture with a single-die design, the B30A is expected to have roughly half the performance of the B300. Nvidia is also purportedly creating an RTX6000D chip for AI inference in China. These moves reflect Nvidia’s strategy to maintain a presence in the critical Chinese market amid US-China trade tensions and regulatory scrutiny. Samples of the B30A may be sent next month.

A UK government report warns of a “once-in-20-years opportunity” to build a world-class AI chip design industry. Failure to invest risks the UK becoming a consumer, not a creator, of this critical technology. The report emphasizes that focusing on design, not manufacturing, is crucial, requiring skilled designers and coordinated government action. A severe skills shortage must be addressed through education and strategic investment, particularly in areas like optoelectronics. Affordable access to design tools and collaboration between government departments are also vital.