Tag: AI

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Anthropic launches Claude in Europe – its AI chatbot

AI Chatbot

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence (AI) startup backed by Amazon, reported on Monday 13th May 2024 that it’s launching its generative AI assistant Claude in Europe on Tuesday 14th May 2024.

Claude.ai will be accessible to both individuals and businesses via the web and an iPhone app. While it is already free on both platforms in the U.K., Anthropic states that this marks the product’s inaugural launch for users in the EU and non-EU nations such as, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.

Anthropic is introducing a paid subscription-based version of its Claude assistant, named Claude Pro, which will provide users with access to all its models, including the highly advanced Claude 3 Opus.

In its announcement about launching Claude in European countries, Anthropic emphasized security and privacy as central aspects.

Earlier this year, the EU enacted the first significant global regulatory framework to govern AI.

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With a 20,000% increase over the past decade – has Nvidia’s stock peaked?

NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) has experienced remarkable growth over the past decade.

Historical stock price trends

As of 10th May 2024, NVIDIA’s closing stock price stood at: $898.78

As of 10th May 2024, NVIDIA’s closing stock price stood at: $898.78

NVIDIA’s stock reached an all-time high of $950.02 on 25th March 2024. The 52-week high stands at $974.00, which is 9.7% higher than the current share price. Conversely, the 52-week low was $280.46, which is considerably below the current price.

Annual percentage changes

In 2024, the average stock price reached $763.29, marking a year-to-date rise of 79.30%.

In 2023, NVIDIA’s stock price experienced a remarkable surge of 239.02%.

Conversely, in 2022, the stock price witnessed a decline of 50.27%.

Throughout the past decade, the stock has undergone considerable volatility, exhibiting both notable gains and significant losses.

Focus

NVIDIA began as a pioneer in PC graphics and has since expanded its focus to artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Its GPUs (graphics processing units) are pivotal in AI, high-performance computing (HPC), gaming, and virtual reality (VR) platforms.

The company’s parallel processing capabilities, powered by thousands of computing cores, are vital for executing deep learning algorithms. Additionally, NVIDIA is active in emerging markets such as robotics and autonomous vehicles.

Market position

NVIDIA holds a dominant position in the Data Centre, professional visualization, and gaming markets. Its success is bolstered by strategic partnerships with leading cloud service providers and server vendors.

Financial performance

NVIDIA’s revenue and profit have seen substantial growth over time. Its emphasis on AI and new technologies suggests a strong potential for further expansion. In summary, despite NVIDIA’s stock achieving impressive gains, it is still influenced by market trends and technological changes.

Its peak status hinges on multiple elements such as industry movements, competitive landscape, and upcoming innovations. Investors are advised to meticulously assess these factors when determining the stock’s future prospects.

Considering a long-term investment yet expecting a downturn, it might be prudent to realise some profits now, given the enormous 20,000% surge in stock value.

Take some profit and buy again after a pull-back.

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Arm reportedly to launch AI chips in 2025 as Softbank plan AI data centres

AI

Arm, with a 90% holding by SoftBank, is reportedly set to establish an AI chip unit with the goal of developing a prototype by spring 2025.

This initiative is aimed at catching up with the booming AI market, currently dominated by Nvidia.

Arm, alongside competitors such as AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, is accelerating efforts to gain position in the AI sector.

SoftBank is negotiating with contract manufacturers, including Taiwan’s TSMC, to produce the AI chips. Mass production is expected to commence in autumn 2025.

Arm’s shares have surged by nearly 45% this year, bringing its market capitalization to over $113 billion.

The chip designer based in the U.K., plans to create an AI chip unit to develop a prototype by spring 2025.

Discussions are reportedly ongoing with contract manufacturers like Taiwan’s TSMC for the production of the AI chips. It was reported that production is anticipated to start in fall 2025.

Arm is responsible for designing the core architecture for these chips. The company licences its designs to companies including Qualcomm and Nvidia and earning royalty fees from each sale. The company asserts that 99% of high-end smartphones utilize Arm technology.

Ambition

Established by Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, SoftBank is heavily investing in AI. The company has new plans to allocate $960 million by the following year to enhance its generative AI computing capabilities. In June 2023, Son expressed SoftBank’s ambition to occupy a leading role in the AI revolution.

Reportedly, SoftBank aims to establish AI data centres equipped with proprietary chips throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East by 2026.

For the fiscal year concluding in March 2024, SoftBank recorded a 7.24 billion Japanese Yen ($4.6 billion) profit in its Vision Fund.

This was the first profitable year for the principal tech investment division since 2021.

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Scientists create ‘world’s purest silicon’ – it has the power to change the world

Purest silcon created

Scientists have recently achieved a remarkable breakthrough by creating pure silicon, which could pave the way for quantum computing

The world’s purest silicon

Researchers have developed an ultra-pure form of silicon, known as silicon-28 (Si-28), which is fundamental for ‘silicon-spin qubits’ in quantum computers. This advancement addresses a major challenge in quantum computing: the ‘fragile quantum coherence.’

Quantum computers tend to accumulate errors quickly due to slight environmental changes, affecting their dependability.

Quantum bits, or qubits, are analogous to classical computer bits but are extremely sensitive to environmental interference.

Technical

Current quantum computers, even when cooled to near absolute zero, can only maintain error-free operation for a very short time.

This new technique generates qubits by embedding phosphorus atoms into crystals of pure, stable silicon. A concentrated silicon beam then directs onto a silicon chip, replacing impurities with pure silicon.

As a result, the impurity levels in silicon have been significantly reduced, from 4.5% to a mere 0.0002%.

David Jamieson, a project co-supervisor from the University of Melbourne, mentioned that the team achieved this level of purity using a standard piece of equipment – an ion implanter – that’s typically found in semiconductor fabrication laboratories.

Richard Curry, a professor at The University of Manchester where extensive research took place, believes that this advancement could accelerate the development of operational quantum computers. Processes that might have taken a decade to complete could now be accomplished in potentially half that time or less.

Potential impact

Practical quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize numerous fields

  • Energy Optimization: They can solve intricate problems related to energy.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Quantum computers may significantly boost AI capabilities.
  • Drug Discovery: They could expedite drug development and molecular simulations.
  • Communication: They can enhance encryption and communication protocols.

The creation of the world’s purest silicon represents a significant step forward in the development of large-scale quantum computers.

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Arm Holdings share price drops

AI

UK chip designer Arm’s shares fell on Thursday 9th May 2024, subdued by revenue forecasts despite a strong sales quarter fueled by demand for AI applications.

Arm announced a 47% increase in fiscal Q4 revenue to $928 million on Wednesday.

This surge was propelled by its licensing business, which saw a 60% increase to $414 million for the quarter, attributed to several high-value licencing deals for AI chips.

Additionally, Arm’s royalty revenues rose 37% to $514 million year-over-year, thanks to the growing adoption of its new Armv9-based chips, which offer higher margins.

However, Arm’s revenue projection for 2025, estimated between $3.8 billion and $4.1 billion, did not meet investor expectations, with analysts anticipating $3.99 billion for the year.

What is Arm?

Contrary to chipmakers like Nvidia, which manufacture and market their own products, Arm creates the ‘architectures’ that form the foundation of chips.

These designs are then licenced to various chip manufacturers, including Qualcomm and Nvidia, with Arm earning royalties on each unit sold.

Originally founded in Cambridge, England, in 1990, Arm was an independent company listed in London until 2016, when it was acquired by Japanese tech investor SoftBank for $32 billion.

In September 2023, SoftBank listed Arm on the Nasdaq. Since its initial public offering, Arm’s share value has more than doubled, driven by the explosive demand for chips that power advanced generative AI applications, such as ChatGPT.

But this recent revenue forecast had a negative effect on its share price

Arm Holdings one year chart to 9th May 2024

The recent revenue forecast had a negative effect on its share price
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Intel shares fall after company provides weak forecast

Microchip stock chart

Intel shares fall after company provides weak forecast for earnings, but disappoints with sales.

The stock fell 8% in extended trading.

Monthly stock price chart for Intel Corp. March to April 2024

Monthly stock price chart for Intel Corp. March to April 2024

Intel actual versus consensus expectations for the quarter ended in March 2024:

Earnings per share: 18 cents vs. 14 cents expected

Revenue: $12.72 billion vs. $12.78 billion expected

For the second quarter, Intel anticipates earnings of 10 cents per share with a projected revenue of $13 billion. This projection is in contrast to analysts’ expectations, which predict earnings of 25 cents per share on sales amounting to $13.57 billion.

In the first quarter, Intel disclosed a net loss of $400 million, equivalent to 9 cents per share, as opposed to the previous year’s net loss of $2.8 billion, 66 cents per share.

Revenue was $12.7 billion versus $11.7 billion a year ago, a 9% year-over-year increase.

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Microsoft cloud growth accelerates thanks to AI

Microsoft AI

Microsoft’s Q3 results surpassed estimates for both revenue and earnings.

But the revenue forecast for Q4 was less than anticipated, with the company reportedly projecting $64 billion, which is below the consensus of $64.5 billion – (only just).

Revenue: $61.86 vs. $60.80 billion expected

Earnings per share: $2.94 vs. $2.82 expected

Additionally, Microsoft is reportedly boosting its capital expenditures to acquire Nvidia graphics processing units, which are essential for training and operating artificial intelligence (AI) models.

Microsoft one month share price chart 2024

Microsoft one month share price chart 2024
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Synthesia creates AI avatars that can convey human emotions

Avatar

AI startup Synthesia on Thursday 25th April 2024 announced its ‘Expressive Avatars’. These are AI-generated digital avatars that can express human emotions including happiness, sadness, and frustration.

Synthesia, supported by the tech giant Nvidia, reportedly secured an investment of $90 million in 2023, reaching a valuation close to $1 billion.

This video was created using the Synthesia platform, it took just two minutes to create.

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Meta loses $200 billion in value despite good profits shown in latest figures

Stock down

Meta Platforms Inc. suffered a serious loss, witnessing its market value plummet by $200 billion.

The decline happened following the company’s first-quarter earnings call, during which CEO Mark Zuckerberg highlighted the company’s substantial investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and the Metaverse, instead of concentrating on immediate revenue streams.

Despite a 27% increase in revenue to $36.46 billion and a net income that more than doubled to a $12.37 billion (rounded), investors were unsettled by the company’s projections for future expenses.

Shares dropped by 15.5% as Zuckerberg outlined expensive future projects, including the expansion of business messaging and the integration of ads into AI interactions.

Meta’s stock took a 15% hit in extended trading, bringing its market capitalization down to around $1.2 trillion, still a high valuation. This highlights the unpredictable nature of tech stocks, especially during significant, unmonetized product development stages.

Meta 1 day chart 24th April 2024

Meta 1 day chart 24th April 2024

Zuckerberg’s prioritization of long-term growth over immediate profits is a gamble, placing a bet on AI and the Metaverse to transform digital interactions.

This strategy carries considerable financial risks, as the recent market reaction has shown. Meta’s future now depends on the successful deployment and monetization of these cutting-edge technologies.

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AI energy consumption is shocking!

AI Energy Consumption

Powering artificial intelligence (AI) models takes a substantial toll on our planet’s energy resources.

Delving deeper into AI, it becomes crucial to comprehend the environmental impact of this technological revolution.

Current trends

A new peer-reviewed study featured in ‘Joule‘ highlights the significant energy requirements of AI. The research, carried out by Alex de Vries, a data scientist at the Dutch central bank, provides a quantification of the energy usage linked to the trends in AI capacity and adoption.

The energy appetite of AI

The AI industry is experiencing rapid growth as major technology companies incorporate AI-driven services into their platforms. These applications require significantly more power than traditional ones, resulting in online interactions that are more energy-intensive.

Projected impact

Continuing on the present course, NVIDIA could be dispatching 1.5 million AI server units each year by 2027. If these servers were to run at maximum capacity, they would consume a minimum of 85.4 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. For comparison, this amount of energy surpasses the yearly consumption of numerous small nations.

Comparisons

By 2027, it is projected that global AI-related electricity consumption may rise by 85 to 134 terawatt-hours (TWh) annually. This estimate is on par with the yearly electricity requirements of nations such as the Netherlands, Argentina, and Sweden.

Why sustainability matters

While AI heralds significant breakthroughs, its sustainability is a crucial risk factor to consider. Picture Google’s search engine evolving into a ChatGPT-style chatbot, managing nine billion interactions daily. This would cause energy demands to soar, matching the consumption of a nation like Ireland. Although this scenario isn’t immediately likely due to logistical limitations, it highlights the resource-intensive nature of generative AI applications.

As we explore the AI domain, sustainability should not be neglected. Discussing AI’s risks, such as errors and biases, should also include its environmental impact. Innovation must be balanced with responsible energy use for a sustainable future.

Conclusion

In essence, AI’s demand for power is substantial, and the challenge is to leverage its capabilities while reducing its environmental impact. We must proceed with caution to ensure our technological advances do not compromise the health of our planet.

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Meta’s new AI Chatbot has arrived

Meta announces new Chatbot assistant

Meta’s complimentary artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, known as Meta AI, is being introduced across its social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.

The assistant is reportedly designed to respond to queries, craft animations, and produce ‘high-quality’ images, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a recent video posting.

Zuckerberg also noted that the company has integrated ‘real-time knowledge’ from Google and Microsoft’s Bing to enhance the assistant’s responses.

The development of Meta AI is based on the company’s most advanced large language model, Meta Llama 3, which was unveiled on the same day – Thursday 18th April 2024.

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Nvidia enters correction territory as stock falls from all-time high

AI

Nvidia, manufacturer of one of the most advanced graphics processing units (GPUs), has significantly benefited from the artificial intelligence (AI) surge due to the high demand for its microchips.

The company’s shares have fallen 10% from their recent all-time high, which was over $950. On Tuesday, 9th April 2024, the stock closed at $853.54, but it saw a slight recovery on Wednesday 10th April 2024, to $870.39.

Nvidia Corporation share price off recent all time high

Nvidia Corporation share price off recent all time high

On Tuesday, 9th April 2024, Intel, a competitor in the chipmaking industry, introduced a new AI chip named Gaudi 3. This chip is designed to drive large language models and stands as a contender against Nvidia’s most sophisticated chips.

U.S. inflation data coming in higher than expected along with a climb in treasuries has led to doubts of a Fed rate cut anytime soon.

These concerns combined together, pushed Nvidia and some other tech stocks lower.

The Nasdaq Composite drifted lower on the day

The Nasdaq Composite drifted lower
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GEN AI – The AI ‘generation’

AI Generation

The Generation AI: How the next wave of young innovators will shape the future

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only a technology that is transforming the world, but also a culture that is inspiring the next generation of young innovators.

The Generation AI is a term that refers to the children and teenagers who are growing up with AI as a natural part of their lives, and who are using it to express their creativity, solve problems, and pursue their passions. 

Generation AI is different from the previous generations in many ways. They are more diverse, more connected, more curious, and more entrepreneurial. GEN AI are also more aware of the social and ethical implications of AI, and more eager to use it for good. They are not just passive consumers of AI, but active creators and collaborators. 

The Generation AI is already making an impact in a variety of domains and industries.

Education

Generation AI is learning with and from AI, using it to enhance their learning experiences, personalise their curricula, and access global resources. They are also teaching AI, using it to share their knowledge, mentor their peers, and build their portfolios. For example, CodeGPT is a platform that allows students to learn coding with AI, and to create their own AI projects. 

Healthcare

The Generation AI is improving their health and well-being with AI, using it to monitor their fitness, nutrition, and mental health, and to access reliable and personalized health information and services. They are also contributing to the health of others, using AI to support health research, diagnosis, and treatment. For example, Cureskin is an app that uses AI to detect and treat skin conditions. 

Entertainment

The Generation AI is enjoying and creating entertainment with AI, using it to discover and consume content that suits their tastes, preferences, and moods, and to generate their own content, such as music, art, games, and stories. They are also engaging and interacting with AI, using it to play, chat, and socialise with others.

For example, OpenART, Microsoft Copilot, Stable Diffusion or PopAI and OpenAI’s ChatGPT are just a small selection of generative AI systems that can create realistic and diverse images from text descriptions.  The Generation AI is not only the future of AI, but also the future of humanity.

They are the ones who will shape the direction and impact of AI, and who will benefit from its opportunities and challenges. They are the ones who will unleash the full potential of AI, and who will make the world a better place a discerned use of AI.

Note: apps mentioned in this article are not recommendations. They are just for reference only.

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Generative AI: A New Frontier of Creativity and Innovation

AI generated art

Generative Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only a powerful tool for solving problems but is also a source of creativity and innovation.

Generative AI is a type of AI that can create new and realistic content, such as images, text, music, software, and product designs, by learning from existing data and generating novel outputs that reflect the characteristics of the training data but do not repeat it. 

Gen AI uses various techniques, such as deep neural networks, transformers, and generative adversarial networks, to model the complex patterns and structure of the input data and produce diverse and high-quality outputs.  Generative AI can also respond to natural language prompts, allowing users to interact with the system and specify their desired outcomes. 

Generative AI has many potential applications across different domains and industries.

Software development

GAI (Generative AI) can help developers write code faster and easier by generating suggestions, corrections, or completions based on the context and the user’s intent. For example, Copilot is a generative AI system that can assist developers with coding tasks by learning from billions of lines of code. 

Healthcare

Generative AI can help researchers discover new drugs, treatments, or vaccines by generating novel molecules, proteins, or antibodies that have the desired properties and functions. For example, Insilico Medicine is a company that uses generative AI to design new drugs for aging and age-related diseases.

Entertainment

Generative AI can help artists, musicians, writers, or filmmakers create original and engaging content by generating images, sounds, text, or video that match their style and preferences. For example, Stable Diffusion is a generative AI system that can create realistic and diverse images from text descriptions.

Customer service

Generative AI can help businesses provide better and more personalised service to their customers by generating natural and human-like responses, recommendations, or solutions based on the customer’s needs and preferences. For example, ChatGPT is a generative AI chatbot that can have very human-seeming interactions with users.

Unlocking potential or unleashing the ‘genie’?

Generative AI is a new frontier of creativity and innovation that can unlock new possibilities and opportunities for humans and machines.

Unlocking potential or unleashing the ‘genie’?

However, generative AI also poses some challenges and risks, such as ethical, legal, social, and security issues, that need to be addressed and regulated. Therefore, it is important to develop and use generative AI responsibly and ethically, with respect for human values and dignity. 

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Tesla’s robot-taxi is coming!

Robot Taxi

The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk recently made an announcement regarding the company’s robotaxi.

According to his social media post on X, Tesla will unveil its robotaxi product on 8th August 2024. This project has been a topic of discussion for several years and could potentially represent a significant new business venture for Tesla. 

The robotaxi initiative aims to allow Tesla vehicles to use self-driving technology for autonomous ride-hailing services, picking up passengers without human intervention.

Previous predictions

Elon Musk has made bold predictions regarding the timeline for robotaxis. In 2019, he anticipated having over a million robotaxis in operation by 2020. Currently, Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance systems, such as Autopilot and the premium Full Self-Driving option, still necessitate human oversight.

Nonetheless, amidst the competitive landscape of autonomous vehicles, Tesla remains steadfast in its pursuit of a fully autonomous future.

Tesla One year Chart

Tesla one year chart

Mass production?

Musk stated that a robotaxi model lacking a steering wheel or pedals is expected to enter mass production by 2024. The aim is to make the cost of a journey in the Tesla robotaxi lower than that of a public bus or underground train ticket.

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Tech giant Samsung expects profits to jump by more than 900%

Semiconductor

Samsung Electronics anticipates its profits for the first quarter of 2024 to surge more than tenfold compared to the previous year.

This projection is due to the recovery in chip prices following a post-pandemic decline and a surge in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) related products.

As the world’s leading manufacturer of memory microchips, smartphones, and televisions, the South Korea-based Samsung reportedly plans to publish a comprehensive financial report on 30th April 2024.

Projected profit

The tech giant has projected that its operating profit for the January-March 2024 quarter soared to 6.6 trillion won ($4.9bn; £3.9bn), marking a 931% increase from the same period in 2023, surpassing analysts’ forecasts of approximately 5.7 trillion won.

Rebound in microchip prices

A rebound in global semiconductor prices, following a significant downturn the previous year, is expected to bolster its earnings. Over the past year, global memory microchip prices have reportedly increased by about 20%. The semiconductor division of Samsung typically generates the most revenue for the company.

The demand for semiconductors is projected to stay robust throughout the year, fueled by the expansion in AI technologies. Furthermore, the earthquake that struck Taiwan on 3rd April 2024 could potentially constrict the worldwide chip supply, possibly enabling Samsung to further elevate its prices.

Taiwan a key player

Taiwan houses several key chipmakers, including TSMC, which supplies Apple and Nvidia. Despite TSMC reporting minimal impact on its production from the earthquake, it did experience some operational disruptions.

Additionally, Samsung is poised to benefit from the sales of its newly launched flagship Galaxy S24 smartphones, introduced in January.

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Is Apple planning to build an AI robot?

Robotics

Reports indicate that Apple is delving into AI-powered robotics, aiming to innovate within the home robotics sector. A Bloomberg article reveals that the tech titan is exploring two fascinating initiatives.

Mobile Robot

Apple is reportedly exploring the development of a robot that can accompany its owner. Envision a congenial AI companion that travels with you.

Robotic Display

The project aims to develop a robotic mechanism capable of moving displays. Despite being periodically removed and reinstated on Apple’s roadmap; it is still in the preliminary research stage.

The projects are spearheaded by Matt Costello, Apple’s VP of Hardware Engineering, and Brian Lynch, the Senior Director of Home Hardware Engineering. Moreover, Apple’s AI team is developing algorithms to enable robots to navigate homes, potentially linking to the mobile robot initiative.

Apple’s foray into AI-driven home robots comes after shelving its electric vehicle project, marking an intriguing development. The company is exploring the integration of AI into AirPods and the possibility of creating smart glasses. Despite not launching generative AI tools as swiftly as some rivals, Apple is set to introduce some later this year.

In the realm of robotics, Apple enters a field with established entities like Amazon, Roomba, and Unitree, which have already introduced home robotics products.

Therefore, it’s worth watching for upcoming Apple AI products in the future!

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Nvidia has big AI ambitions in medicine and healthcare 

AI in healthcare

NVIDIA reportedly introduced about twenty or so new AI-driven tools tailored for healthcare at its 2024 GTC AI conference, securing partnerships with Johnson & Johnson and GE Healthcare for surgical and medical imaging applications.

For the AI chip pioneer, venturing into healthcare represents a decade-long development effort with substantial revenue possibilities.

The adoption of AI in drug discovery and research, a process that traditionally takes up to 12 years and costs billions, is accelerating rapidly.

The opportunities will be far reaching.

Nvidia one year chart

Dramatic price movement for Nvidia over a one-year period
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Apple reportedly being accused of monopolising smartphone market

U.S. vs Apple Lawsuit

The U.S. has reportedly initiated a significant lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the technology giant has monopolised the smartphone market and stifled competition.

The Justice Department claims that Apple has misused its dominance over the iPhone App Store to ‘lock in’ customers and developers. The company is also accused of taking unlawful measures to obstruct applications perceived as competitive threats and to degrade the appeal of competing products.

Apple has pledged to ‘vigorously’ contest the lawsuit and refutes the allegations.

A slowdown in iPhone sales in China, the reported dumping of an EV project, no iPhone AI interface to speak of and now a U.S. lawsuit to defend. Is Apple’s ‘crown of dominance‘ slipping ever-so-slightly?

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Nvidia plan to enhance AI induced success

AI GPU

Nvidia have announced a new generation of artificial intelligence chips and software for running AI models. It’s called: The Blackwell B200 GPU

Blackwell B200 GPU

The Blackwell B200 is the successor to Nvidia’s Hopper H100 and H200 GPUs.

It represents a massive generational leap in computational power.

AI Performance: The B200 GPU delivers 4 times the AI training performance and 30 times the inference performance compared to its predecessor.

Transistor Count: It packs an impressive 208 billion transistors, more than doubling the transistor count of the existing H100.

Memory: The B200 features 192GB of HBM3e memory with an impressive bandwidth of 8 TB/s.

Architecture: The Blackwell architecture takes over from H100/H200.

*Dual-Die Configuration: The B200 is not a single GPU in the traditional sense. Instead, it consists of two tightly coupled die, functioning as one unified CUDA GPU. These chips are linked via a 10 TB/s NV-HBI connection to ensure coherent operation.

*Dual-die packaging technology is used to pack two integrated circuit chips in one single package module. It doubles functionality levels.

Process Node: The B200 utilizes TSMC’s 4NP process node, a refined version of the 4N process used by Hopper H100 and Ada Lovelace architecture GPUs.

The Blackwell B200 is designed for data centres and AI workloads but will likely be available to expect consumer in the future, although these may differ significantly from the data centre model.

Grace Blackwell GB200 Superchip:

Nvidia’s GB200 Grace Blackwell Superchip, with two B200 graphics processors and one Arm-based central processor

This superchip pairs the Grace CPU architecture with the updated Blackwell GPU.

It’s another addition to Nvidia’s lineup, combining CPU and GPU power for advanced computing tasks.

Nvidia continues to push the boundaries of accelerated computing, and these new GPUs promise remarkable performance improvements for AI and other workloads.

Onwards and upwards for Nvidia and the advancement of AI.

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Apple and Alphabet reportedly in Gemini AI talks

AI mobile phone

Apple playing AI catchup

Apple is reportedly engaged in negotiations to acquire a licence for Google’s Gemini, a generative AI platform, with the intention of integrating it into iPhones. These ongoing discussions may result in Gemini enhancing iPhone software with new features later this year.

The terms, branding, and implementation details have not been finalised. This potential partnership could significantly impact the AI capabilities of future iPhones.

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EU passes world’s first major ‘act’ to regulate AI

The European Union (EU) has made history by approving the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for artificial intelligence (AI).

Artificial Intelligence Act

Known as the Artificial Intelligence Act, this groundbreaking legislation is expected to serve as a global signpost for other governments grappling with how to regulate this fast-developing technology.

The AI Act takes a risk-based approach, categorizing AI applications based on their risk levels. It prohibits certain high-risk uses, emphasizes transparency, and aims to keep AI development human centric. This landmark regulation should help set a precedent for responsible AI deployment worldwide.

The regulation is expected to become enforceable in May 2024, after passing final checks and receiving endorsement from the European Council.

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Is AI driving a market bubble or is there so much more yet to come?

Tech bubble

As tech giant Nvidia soars on hype around artificial intelligence (AI), and as global stock indexes claim record highs, debate has grown about whether the stock market has entered a ‘bubble.’

An AI bubble of boom

We are reminded of the dotcom bubble where investment was rife in anything tech – so, are we now potentially facing a new tech bubble – an AI bubble of boom?

That’s generally seen as a period in which asset prices inflate rapidly, potentially beyond their core value; and risk crashing just as fast.

Other AI stocks are chasing the dream too adding to the hype. However, some are in the slow lane playing catch-up and this may suggest there is much, much more to come.

The likes of AMD, Intel, Amazon, OpenAI, Arm and a myriad of other tech companies big and small have much more AI to bring to the tech table.

Let’s use Nvidia as an example of a potential stock bubble

If we look at the valuation of Nvidia, justifiably it is actually very high, too high even – that’s the first sign of a potential problem, valuation. The second issue is investor positioning – whenever you have a market bubble, investors are very clustered or very concentrated, either in one market or in one sector as a whole.

Nvidia one year chart as of 29th February 2024. Price 791

Nvidia one year chart as of 29th February 2024. Price 791

Sectors

It doesn’t matter which markets you look at – the U.S., Europe or Asia markets – the problem is the same. We now have an historic valuation between the tech sector, the AI sub-sector of the tech sector, and the rest of the market.

Investors are very clustered in this tech sector. However, some leading commentators say of tech that this is not hype – this is real. It most probably is, for now, and with much more to come from the smaller tech and AI companies that have yet to show their true AI value. But all bubbles burst in the end.

Pop!

There is certainly plenty of room for AI to grow – it’s in its infancy – but the question is: ‘how and when will the bubble burst? Because, in my humble opinion, it most certainly will.

We may not see a dramatic market crash like 1999-2000 or 2007/2008, but an investor rotation out of areas of concentration into the broader market will likely happen.

If you look at the bubbles of 1999-2000, and then in 2007/2008, one key characteristic was investor leverage. And we had, whether it was retail investors or institutional investors, a very high level of leverage, and that was either through borrowings or it was through derivatives.

The AI tech boom has legs but there will almost inevitably be a rotation from AI to other sectors – that will then adjust the overvalued AI sector. And it could pullback quite hard.

Be ready!

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Google’s woke AI needs fixing!

Chatbot learning

Google’s ‘Woke’ AI Problem needs attention

In recent days, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool, Gemini, has faced intense criticism online. As the tech giant’s answer to the OpenAI/Microsoft chatbot ChatGPT, Gemini can respond to text queries and even generate images based on prompts. However, its journey has been far from smooth.

The AI answer is wrong

The issues began when Gemini’s image generator inaccurately portrayed historical figures. For instance, it depicted the U.S. Founding Fathers with a black man, and German World War II soldiers included both a black man and an Asian woman.

AI answer from Google’s Gemini Chatbot

Google swiftly apologized and paused the tool, acknowledging that it had “missed the mark.”

It gets worse

But the controversy didn’t end there. Gemini’s text responses veered into over-political correctness. When asked whether Elon Musk posting memes was worse than Hitler’s atrocities, it replied that there was “no right or wrong answer.” In another instance, it refused to misgender high-profile trans woman Caitlin Jenner, even if it meant preventing nuclear apocalypse. Elon Musk himself found these responses “extremely alarming.”

Nuance

The root cause lies in the vast amounts of data AI tools are trained on. Publicly available internet data contains biases, leading to embarrassing mistakes. Google attempted to counter this by instructing Gemini not to make assumptions, but it backfired. Human history and culture are nuanced, and machines struggle to grasp these complexities.

Political bias

Google now faces the challenge of striking a balance: addressing bias without becoming absurdly politically correct. As Gemini evolves, finding this equilibrium will be crucial for its survival.

After all, it’s not just about AI, is it? It’s about navigating the delicate intersection of technology, culture, and ethics.

Definition of nuance – I asked ChatGPT for its definition…

Nuance refers to the subtle, intricate, or delicate aspects of something. It encompasses the fine distinctions, shades of meaning, and context-specific interpretations that add depth and complexity to a situation, conversation, or piece of art. In essence, nuance recognizes that not everything can be neatly categorized or expressed in black-and-white terms; rather, it acknowledges the richness and variability of human experiences and ideas. Whether in literature, politics, or everyday interactions, appreciating nuance allows us to navigate the complexities of life with greater understanding and empathy.

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Google halts Gemini AI image generator after it created inaccurate historical content

Gemini chatbot illustration

Google on Thursday 22nd February 2024 said it is pausing its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) image generation feature after saying it offers ‘inaccuracies’ in historical pictures

Users had been reporting that the AI tool generated images of historical figures, like the U.S. Founding Fathers as people of colour, calling this inaccurate.

Google posted a statement on Thursday 22nd February 2024, saying that it will pause Gemini’s feature to generate images of people and will re-release an ‘improved’ version soon.

Is Google struggling to keep up with the AI race?

The image generator tool was launched at the start of February 2024 through Gemini, which was orignally called Bard.

It is facing challenges at a time when Google is trying to catch up with Microsoft-backed OpenAI project, Copilot.

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S&P 500 hit new all-time high and Nasdaq closing in on record

S&P 500 new high

The S&P 500 surged to a new all-time high on Thursday 22nd February 2024

Microchip maker Nvidia reported much stronger-than-expected quarterly results, lifting tech sector and markets higher.

S&P 500

The S&P 500 gained just over 2% to close at 5087, notching its best day since January 2023. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 2.96% for its best day since February 2023, closing at 16041 and ever closer to its all-time high.

Nasdaq

The tech-heavy index is very close now to its all-time closing high of 16,057.44.

Dow

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 456 points to surpass 39000 for the first time ever and close at a new high of 39069.

Other tech names were also higher. Meta and Amazon gained about 3.9% and 3.5%. Microsoft and Netflix each advanced more than 2%.

Nvidia driving tech gains

Shares of Nvidia climbed around 16% to an all-time high after the company said total revenue rose a massive 265% from a year ago.

Nvidia, which has become one of the largest U.S. companies by market capitalization, also forecast another stellar revenue gain for the current quarter.