DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Best Buy cuts full-year sales forecast due to softer demand for consumer electronics
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-26 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

People walk into a Best Buy store in a Brooklyn mall on August 29, 2023 in New York City. Best Buy on Tuesday cut its full-year sales forecast as it missed Wall Street's quarterly revenue expectations and a fresh batch of iPhones and AI-enabled laptops weren't enough to drive higher sales. It expects full-year comparable sales to decline by between 2.5% and 3.5%, compared to its prior expectations of a 1.5% to 3% drop. Comparable sales includes sales online and at stores open for at least 14 months. Shares of Best Buy were down about 3% in premarket trading Tuesday.

Persons: Corie Barry, Barry, Matt Bilunas Organizations: LSEG, Microsoft Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, U.S

☆ Amazon tries again, with another $4 billion, to get Anthropic to use its AI chips rather than Nvidia GPUs
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The deal includes an agreement for Anthropic to use Amazon's AI chips more. The goal of all this money is mainly to get Amazon's AI chips to be used more often to train and run large language models. It's also going to help Amazon design future Trainium chips and contribute to building out an Amazon AI model development platform called AWS Neuron. The Information reported recently that Anthropic prefers to use Nvidia GPUs, rather than Amazon AI chips. In May, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon told Business Insider he wasn't aware of any companies using Amazon chips at scale.

Persons: Anthropic, It's, Dario Amodei, we've, Andy Jassy, Bernstein, Stacy Rasgon, Jassy, Amodei Organizations: Amazon, Nvidia, Business, Google, — Locations: Anthropic, San Francisco

☆ Demand for Nvidia products isn't letting up, Jim Cramer says
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-21 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday reiterated his longstanding belief in Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang, saying that despite the concerns of some on Wall Street, demand for the artificial intelligence behemoth's products isn't slowing down. Nvidia posted earnings Wednesday that comfortably topped estimates. Nvidia has had a meteoric rise, with shares currently up more than 196% year-to-date, and the company has posted large earnings beats quarter after quarter. According to Cramer, supply isn't set to outpace demand. Some of Nvidia's biggest customers, like Microsoft , Meta , Amazon and Tesla will have to keep buying the products, he said.

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Jensen Huang, Jensen, Cramer Organizations: Nvidia, Nvidia's, Microsoft, Meta

☆ Those bold AGI predictions are suddenly looking stretched
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The generative AI boom has inspired bold AGI predictions ranging from this happening in 2025, 2026, or maybe 2027. AdvertisementThat's the main reason for huge gains in recent years in the performance of AI models. AdvertisementHorowitz noted several factors that are holding back AI model improvements, including a lack of new high-quality human data and problems sourcing the extra energy needed to power AI data centers. AGI questionsIf the main tried-and-true method for improving AI models is no longer working, we are unlikely to get AGI anytime soon. Altman's bold AGI predictions may also be an effective rallying cry for hard-working OpenAI employees.

Persons: Sam Altman, there's, that's, Oren Etzioni, Etzioni, Ilya Sutskever, Noam Brown, Google hasn't, Marc, Ben, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen, Horowitz, we're, OpenAI, Altman, we've, AGI, Elon Musk, It's Organizations: YouTube, Allen Institute, Tech, Reuters, Orion, Bloomberg, Google, AGI, Microsoft, Intel, Computer, Artificial Intelligence Locations: Seattle

☆ Tech giants are investing in 'sovereign AI' to help Europe cut its dependence on the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sovereign AI is "more driven by the industry naming it that, than it is from the policymakers' side," Gow said. On Wednesday, Denmark laid out a landmark white paper outlining how companies can use AI in compliance with the incoming EU AI Act — the world's first major AI law. How regulation fueled a mindset shiftThat's not to say regulations haven't proven an important factor in getting tech giants to think more about building localized AI infrastructure within Europe. The concept of AI sovereignty is also getting buy-in from local European tech firms. Orange hasn't yet selected a partner for these sovereign AI model ambitions.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Chris Gow, Anthropic's Claude, Filippo Sanesi, Sanesi, hasn't, —, Cisco's Gow, Rather, " Gow, Gow, It's, David Hogan, Hogan, OVHCloud's Sanesi, Qwant, Bruno Zerbib, Zerbib Organizations: Reuters, Portugal — Tech, CNBC, Data, of Justice, EU, General Data Protection, U.S, Sovereign, Nvidia, Orange Locations: Reuters LISBON, Portugal, Brussels, U.S, Europe, OVHCloud, Italy, Italia, Denmark, Berlin, Paris, French

☆ Why all eyes are on America's fallen tech giant Intel, which is losing its spot in the Dow Jones Industrial Average
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-02 | by ( Helen Li | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Nvidia will be replacing Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In the past several years, it has fallen from grace, failing to jump on the AI train in time. The S&P Dow Jones Indices said Friday that Nvidia will replace Intel on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a blue-chip index intended to project the most relevant picture of the US economy. Habana helped launch Intel's next-generation Gaudi AI chip for businesses this year. AdvertisementEven if Qualcomm acquired Intel, it's unclear what it would do with Intel's manufacturing operations.

Persons: —, Dow, Pat Gelsinger, Stacy Rasgon, Paul Otellini, Otellini, OpenAI, Habana, Intel's, Gaudi, Rasgon, Bryan Catanzaro, Logan Purk, Edward Jones, nipping, Purk, TSMC, Dan Morgan, Morgan Organizations: Intel, Nvidia, Dow Jones, Qualcomm, Service, VMware, Bernstein Research, Apple, Reuters, Microsoft, Systems, Habana Labs, Companies, AMD, Samsung, Wall Street, Apollo Global Management, Bloomberg, Broadcom, Biden Locations: Arizona, Ohio, Nervana, Synovus

☆ Why Nvidia replacing Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average matters
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-02 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nvidia stock will replace Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P Dow Jones Indices said Friday. AdvertisementNvidia will replace Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P Dow Jones Indices said in a statement on Friday, in a move that underscores the growing lead the chipmaker has over other tech titans in the AI race. Nvidia is up nearly 3% in after-hours trading, while Intel is down nearly 2%Representatives for Intel and Nvidia declined to comment when reached by Business Insider. The analysis is in the statement from the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The question for Intel right now is, can they regain relevance?

Persons: Dow, Emma Cosgrove, — Organizations: Intel, Dow Jones, titans, Business, Service, Nvidia, Dow Jones Indices, Big Tech, Facebook, Apple

☆ Mark Zuckerberg flexes that Meta's cluster of Nvidia H100 chips is bigger than the competition
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta's Llama 4 AI models are training on the biggest GPU cluster in the industry. During Meta's earnings call, he said the cluster is "bigger than 100,000 H100s." A lot of computing power is going into training Meta's forthcoming Llama 4 AI models — more than anything currently offered by the competition, according to Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg added in the earnings call Wednesday that Meta's Llama 4 models will have "new modalities, capabilities, stronger reasoning" and be "much faster." Meanwhile, Musk tweeted earlier this week that xAI will soon double its cluster size in the coming months to 200,000 H100 and H200 chips.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, —, Mark Zuckerberg's, Zuckerberg, I've, Hopper, Aravind Srinivas, Srinivas, didn't, Musk, xAI Organizations: Service, Nvidia, Meta Locations: Meta

☆ AMD CEO Lisa Su says GPU and CPU sales are nearly equal. Wall Street thinks that's not enough.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AMD's GPU sales are nearing CPU sales, driven by AI data center demand. AMD raised its 2024 GPU sales forecast to over $5 billion, up from $4.5 billion. AdvertisementWhat could also keep this dynamic from becoming permanent is the immaturity of the ecosystem around AMD GPUs. UBS analysts warned that 2025 may be yet another transition year in which AI data centers and GPU sales don't reach maturity — predicting higher GPU sales in 2026 than in 2025. The analysts expect $5 billion in GPU sales this year to reach around $8 billion next year.

Persons: —, Lisa Su, Su, Morgan Stanley Organizations: AMD, Service, Bank of America, Nvidia, UBS

☆ AMD CEO Lisa Su: AI is going to be in every aspect of computing
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAMD CEO Lisa Su: AI is going to be in every aspect of computingAMD CEO Lisa Su joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the company's quarterly earnings results, the role AI will play in the company's growth, and more.

Persons: Lisa Su

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhy Meta and Snap think AR glasses will be the future of computingIn September, Meta and Snap both unveiled augmented reality smart glasses. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said AR glasses could be the next generation of computing. The tech giants are the first major players to showcase prototypes following years of R&D and significant investments. CNBC's Julia Boorstin got to try Snap's Spectacles and Meta's Orion AR glasses, coming away impressed. But the technology has major hurdles before it can go mainstream.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Julia Boorstin

Both companies see massive potential for the technology, with a grand vision for AR glasses to usurp smartphones as the next generation of computing. Microsoft has also invested in AR technology for well over a decade, launching its HoloLens headset for enterprise in 2016. While Snap and Meta have debuted AR prototypes, they're still years away from selling those devices to consumers. Snap similarly plans to invest in building out its ecosystem, renting its AR glasses to developers who commit to paying $99 a month for a year for the Spectacles. Watch the video as CNBC's Julia Boorstin tries Meta and Snap's augmented reality glasses and explores the future of this cutting-edge tech.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Chris Cox, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Apple, Tuong Nguyen, Gartner, they're, Zuckerberg, We're, We've, Spiegel, Boorstin, Julia Boorstin Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Meta

☆ These tech investors are trawling UC Berkeley to fund the next Perplexity or Databricks
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The University of California, Berkeley, is the top producer of alumni starting tech companies. Founded by Jeremy Fiance, The House Fund targets Berkeley-affiliated startups like Databricks. Related stories"I was learning more and more about what The House Fund is from the outside in," Hargreaves said. His move from Founders Fund to The House Fund hasn't been previously reported. The House Fund said it can write checks up to $10 million.

Persons: Jeremy Fiance, Zachary Hargreaves, —, Jeremy, Aravind Srinivas, Hargreaves, it's, Fund hasn't Organizations: University of California, Fund, Berkeley, House Fund, Service, College of Computing, Data Science, Society, The, SpaceX, Founders Fund, Investors, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Berkeley Endowment Management Company, UC Investments, Ahoy Locations: Berkeley

☆ Don't 'demean' Tesla's bots, even if they were piloted by humans, Nvidia robotics boss says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tesla's Optimus robots faced skepticism for being remotely controlled by humans at a recent event. AdvertisementTesla's Optimus robots received more skepticism last week when multiple reports confirmed that the humanoid robots working the company's "We Robot" event were remotely controlled by engineers. Optimus robots reportedly danced, poured drinks, and interacted with attendees. Both Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, are focused on humanoid robots as increasingly advanced machine learning offers an unlocking technology for robotics. Musk has claimed that two Optimus robots are performing tasks autonomously on Tesla's factory floor.

Persons: Lebaredian, —, Optimus, Jensen Huang, Musk, Huang, Tesla, xAI's Organizations: Optimus, Service, Nvidia, Oracle

☆ 'Let chaos reign': AI inference costs are about to plummet
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

All kinds of startups are rushing into the AI inference market. AdvertisementJared Quincy Davis and his AI computing startup Foundry sell inference. And cost in inference computing is even more important than in training, Groq cofounder Jonathan Ross recently told BI. In other words, "it turns out, when you make inference cheaper, people decide to do a lot more inference," Davis said. He agrees the next few years will be wildly competitive for inference providers, but he believes the winners will be decided on merit.

Persons: —, Jared Quincy Davis, Davis, Jonathan Ross, Mitesh Agrawal, Agrawal, it's, Jensen Huang, Davis isn't, Intel Andy Grove, Sriram Viswanathan, Viswanathan, Hugh Langley Organizations: Service, Foundry, SambaNova Systems, Lambda, Nvidia, Microsoft, Business, o1, Intel, Celesta Capital

Last year, Son — who says he uses ChatGPT every day — is said to have met with Sam Altman, the A.I. That included talks for Son to provide up to $1 billion in funding to Altman and Jony Ive, the designer behind the iPhone, to create an A.I.-powered replacement for the smartphone. Bloomberg reported that SoftBank had hoped to be part of OpenAI’s last fund-raising round, but was instead wait-listed. Son is also trying to organize the auto industry around the use of A.I. The strike poses a significant threat to the U.S. economy, with analysts estimating it could cost up to $7.5 billion a week.

Persons: SoftBank, Son —, Sam Altman, Altman, Jony, Son, Cerebras Organizations: Bloomberg, Nvidia, Gulf Coasts, International Longshoremen’s Association Locations: OpenAI’s, ramping, A.I, British, Wayve, Gulf, U.S

☆ Silicon Valley has a plan to save humanity: Just flip on the nuclear reactors
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

No, the tech that’s going to save humanity will be powered by the tech that very nearly destroyed it. The tech industry’s solution, for now, is nuclear energy, which is more stable than wind or solar and is virtually carbon-emission-free. Amazon is working on putting a data center campus right on the site of a Talen Energy nuclear power plant in Northeast Pennsylvania. And while AI doomer predictions often get brushed off as alarmist forecasts, you can’t as readily dismiss the folks who are concerned about nuclear energy. Bottom line: There’s no AI future without a serious uptick in our power supply, which makes the expansion of nuclear power practically unavoidable.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Anna Erickson, ” Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Nvidia, International Energy Agency, JPMorgan, Microsoft, Energy, Financial Times, Founders Fund, Georgia Tech, Big Locations: New York, Harrisburg , Pennsylvania, Northeast Pennsylvania, Idaho, Big Tech

The most sweeping effort yet to regulate artificial intelligence, a California bill that could have informed laws around the world, is going back to the drawing board. 1047 provided necessary guardrails, and they urged California policymakers to reject intense pressure from software giants against the bill. Smaller tech companies also pushed back, worried that A.I. While governments around the world (and A.I. Act, which focuses on the riskiest use of the technology but also includes transparency requirements for the largest models.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, ” Newsom, Geoffrey Hinton, Elon Musk, Nancy Pelosi, Newsom’s, Sam Altman, OpenAI Organizations: Gov, Hollywood, Street, Google Locations: California, Silicon, S.B

☆ California governor vetoes contentious AI safety bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters —California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday vetoed a hotly contested artificial intelligence safety bill, after the tech industry raised objections, saying it could drive AI companies from the state and hinder innovation. The AI industry is growing fast in California and some leaders questioned the future of these companies in the state if the bill became law. Developers of AI software operating in the state would have also needed to outline methods for turning off the AI models, effectively a kill switch. Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Meta Platforms, all of which are developing generative AI models, had expressed their concerns about the proposal. Newsom separately signed legislation requiring the state to assess potential threats posed by Generative AI to California’s critical infrastructure.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Newsom, Scott Wiener, Wiener, ”, ” Newsom, Biden, “, Nancy Pelosi, Elon Musk, Anthropic Organizations: Reuters, Democratic, Congress, Google, Microsoft, U.S, Tesla Locations: California, U.S, ”

☆ Hands-on with Meta's Orion AR glasses prototype and the possible future of computing
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-27 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg presents Orion AR Glasses, as he makes a keynote speech during the Meta Connect annual event, at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S. September 25, 2024. The most impressive aspect of Meta's Orion augmented-reality glasses has more to do with size and comfort than flashy computer graphics. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the Orion glasses on Wednesday and pitched them as "a glimpse of a future that I think is going to be pretty exciting." While Orion is not capable of putting users in fully virtual worlds, the glasses can overlay digital graphics onto the real world. And unlike VR headsets that can be cumbersome to wear for extended periods, Boorstin said she found the Orion glasses to be a good fit.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Orion, Julia Boorstin, Boorstin, they're Organizations: Meta, CNBC, Orion, Connect, Apple Vision Locations: Menlo Park , California, U.S

☆ How we're thinking about 7 portfolio stocks with ties to OpenAI after its latest shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

We're taking a keen interest because several stocks in the Club portfolio have ties to the startup behind ChatGPT. Co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who had been chief scientist, also left earlier this year and launched a new AI startup. Microsoft Microsoft got the first-mover advantage among big tech firms because of its early investment in OpenAI. As of now, we still haven't heard much about Lilly's exact plan to utilize OpenAI's technology. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the Microsoft Build conference at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on May 21, 2024.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman's, There's, Mira Murati, she's, Bob McGrew, Barret Zoph, Altman, Ilya Sutskever, it's, here's, ChatGPT, Jim Cramer, Jim, That's, —, OpenAI's, Jensen Huang, Nikesh Arora, Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley, Morgan, Eli Lilly Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly's, Einstein, Marc Benioff, Jim Cramer's, Sam Altman, Jason Redmond Organizations: Club, Microsoft, Nvidia, Reuters, CNBC, Apple Intelligence, Apple, Bloomberg News, Street, Microsoft Microsoft, Blackwell, Palo, Palo Alto Networks, Employees, OpenAI, Barclays, Jim Cramer's Charitable, AFP, Getty Locations: OpenAI, Redmond, Washington, Palo Alto, Redmond , Washington

☆ Meta CTO explains why it was important for Mark Zuckerberg to show off $10,000 smart glasses you can't buy
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Jaures Yip | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Meta unveiled its Orion AR glasses at the Meta Connect 2024 developer conference. Meta's CTO explained why it was important to show what the investment led to — even if you can't buy the glasses yet. But on Wednesday's Meta Connect 2024 developer conference, the CEO was finally able to unveil what many of those billions had been spent developing: the Orion AR glasses. AdvertisementMeta's Orion AR glasses, which feature displays built into the lenses and an array of sensors. AdvertisementMark Zuckerberg shows off the Orion AR glasses prototype at Meta Connect 2024.

Persons: Meta, —, Mark Zuckerberg's, He's, Zuckerberg, Andrew Bosworth, Stratechery's Ben Thompson, Bosworth, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, it's, Thompson Organizations: Orion, Meta, Service, Reality Labs, Facebook, Apple, Google, Apple Vision Pro, Meta's

☆ Meta's new Ray-Ban glasses are pulling a bait and switch
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Amanda Hoover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Now, despite a rocky start three years ago, Meta's smart glasses are doing better than expected. Meta's Ray-Bans have a camera and speaker and are packed with AI. Meta's loftier goal, the Orion glasses , aren't quite there. Yet getting people into the Orion glasses may depend on getting people comfortable with smart glasses generally, and that's where the Ray-Bans could come in. And the Meta Ray-Bans make it even easier to use AI as you move through the world — no hands (and awkward air-pinching ) required.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Ray, Zuckerberg, Meta's Ray, Meta's, They're, they're, George Jijiashvili, Peter Kafka, it's, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Amanda Hoover Organizations: Orion, International Data Corporation, Apple, Microsoft, Google, IDC, Research, VR, Business

☆ I tried out Meta's Orion computer glasses. I'd buy them in a heartbeat — if they were actually for sale.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. More important: Unlike other face-computing tech I've tried over the years — Google's Glass, Apple's Vision Pro, Meta's own line of Quest goggles — this is one I can actually imagine buying, and using, in real life. Meta's Orion glasses can serve many of the same purposes as a smartphone. Meta's Orion glasses are connected to a wristband that reads muscle movements. If Orion, or any other device Meta makes, becomes the future of computing, then Zuckerberg can operate his business on his devices.

Persons: —, Mark Zuckerberg, Alex Heath, I've, Orion, who's, Meta Orion, It's, Zuckerberg, Meta, he's Organizations: Service, Orion, Business, Meta, Apple, Google

☆ Meta is making its popular Ray-Ban smart glasses even more useful with a slew of new features
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta's smart glasses are getting an upgrade. "People love their Ray-Ban Meta glasses so much so that for a little while, we were struggling to keep up with the demand." The Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer with polarized lenses costs $329, while the Transitions options are $379, according to Meta's website. The existing models of Ray-Ban Meta glasses let customers capture photos and videos, live stream on Instagram, and accept video calls. Last September, the tech giant announced it was adding Meta AI to its smart glasses for US-based customers, letting them use the virtual assistant AI with the command, "Hey Meta."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Ray, Zuckerberg, There's, They're, that's, Meta, Insider's Jordan Hart Organizations: Service, Meta

Search resuls for: "of Computing"

25 mentions found