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Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT Go Expands Reach: Affordable AI Access Now in 16 Asian Nations

OpenAI is expanding its affordable ChatGPT Go plan to 16 new countries in Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand. The plan offers higher daily limits for messages and image generation, along with increased memory for personalized responses. This expansion follows successful launches in India and Indonesia, with OpenAI reporting doubled paid subscribers in India. OpenAI competes with Google in making AI chatbot subscription plans accessible, with Google launching its AI Plus plan in Indonesia and over 40 other countries. ChatGPT has reached 800 million weekly active users and is evolving into an operating system with apps for various tasks.

Sustainability

Novoloop Scales Up Upcycled Plastic Production with Huide Partnership

Novoloop has partnered with Huide Science and Technology to commercially produce its upcycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Novoloop will supply Huide with a chemical building block (polyol) made from post-consumer polyethylene waste. This deal helps Novoloop overcome the challenges of scaling up hardware-dependent climate tech startups. Novoloop's demonstration plant in India can produce tens of tons of polyol per year, sufficient for major pilot projects, including a footwear project. The company anticipates having a commercial plant operational by early 2028, capable of producing 16,000 tons of TPU annually, aiming for price parity with virgin TPUs.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Infrastructure Race: OpenAI's Strategic Partnerships with AMD, Nvidia, and Future Expansion

OpenAI is aggressively expanding its AI infrastructure through strategic partnerships. CEO Sam Altman hinted at more deals following the Nvidia and AMD agreements. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang expressed surprise at OpenAI's deal with AMD, where OpenAI receives AMD stock in exchange for using and developing its AI GPUs.

OpenAI's partnerships include a $500 billion Stargate deal with Oracle and SoftBank for U.S. facilities and a $300 billion cloud deal with Oracle. The company's total deals this year are estimated at $1 trillion. Nvidia's investment in OpenAI makes it a shareholder, while OpenAI becomes a shareholder in AMD through their agreement. These direct sales from Nvidia are intended to prepare OpenAI to be its own self-hosted hyperscaler.

Sam Altman emphasized the need for industry support to scale OpenAI's infrastructure, citing the potential economic value of future models. While OpenAI's revenue is growing rapidly, reaching $4.5 billion in the first half of 2025, Altman believes that future investments will pay off, driving further partnerships.

Business and Entrepreneurship

Behind the Scenes of 'Meet the Drapers': A Glimpse into Entrepreneurial TV

'Meet the Drapers' offers a behind-the-scenes look at venture capital investments through a 'Shark Tank'-style competition. The show, hosted by Tim Draper, features entrepreneurs pitching their businesses to a panel of judges. Startups like Cheeky Cocktails and KivviMed have gained exposure through the show, praising its ability to connect founders with a broad audience. The show is part of Draper's broader media empire, DraperTV, which aims to showcase the future of technology and entrepreneurship.

Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT as the Next-Gen OS: OpenAI's Vision

Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT at OpenAI, envisions transforming ChatGPT into an operating system with third-party apps, drawing inspiration from web browsers. This evolution aims to make ChatGPT a central platform for various applications, similar to how browsers have become essential for online activities.

OpenAI is working with Jony Ive on hardware devices and exploring e-commerce integration within ChatGPT, allowing transactions through apps from companies like Expedia, DoorDash, and Uber. This approach provides developers access to ChatGPT’s 800 million users and the ability to build interactive experiences.

Turley emphasizes that ChatGPT will be the delivery vehicle for OpenAI’s mission to distribute AGI, benefiting humanity. The company is also focusing on user privacy by requesting developers to disclose data usage and planning to implement fine-grained data access controls.

OpenAI aims to balance app prioritization and user experience, considering various distribution mechanisms, including potential paid placement. Turley also highlighted that the evolution of the platform will enable diverse applications, enhancing its utility and accessibility for a wide range of users, including educational and assistive tools.

Business & Finance

Musk Settles $128M Lawsuit with Ex-Twitter Executives

Elon Musk has agreed to settle a $128 million lawsuit with four former Twitter executives he fired after acquiring the company in 2022. The executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal, claimed they were denied severance payments for holding Musk to his original $44 billion acquisition commitment. The terms of the settlement are currently undisclosed. This follows a previous settlement with 6,000 laid-off Twitter employees over unpaid severance.

Telecommunications

Verizon and AST SpaceMobile Partner to Expand Cellular Broadband Across the US

AST SpaceMobile and Verizon have entered into a partnership to deliver space-based cellular broadband across the United States. Verizon will integrate AST's satellite network with its terrestrial infrastructure, utilizing Verizon's 850 MHz spectrum to extend coverage in remote areas.

This agreement builds upon a previous commitment of $100 million from Verizon to support AST's service rollout. AST has already launched its first five BlueBird satellites into low Earth orbit and is developing the next generation of satellites with plans to deploy 45-60 satellites by 2026.

The satellite-to-cell market is rapidly evolving, with competitors like SpaceX's Starlink also rolling out direct-to-cell services. AST has demonstrated 4G and 5G connections between its satellites and smartphones.

Artificial Intelligence & Shopping

Google's AI-Powered Virtual Try-On Expands to Shoes and New Regions

Google is expanding its AI virtual try-on feature to Australia, Canada, and Japan, now including shoes.

Users can upload a photo to see how clothes and shoes look on them virtually.

The feature is accessible via the "Try It On" button on Google product listings.

Google also launched Doppl, an experimental app for deeper virtual try-on experiences.

Amazon and Walmart have also introduced similar virtual try-on technologies.

Artificial Intelligence

Google's Gemini CLI Opens to Third-Party Extensions, Empowering Developers

Google has introduced Gemini CLI Extensions, enabling third-party integrations with its command-line AI system. This launch, featuring extensions from companies like Figma and Stripe, follows OpenAI's integration of apps in ChatGPT. Unlike the curated access in ChatGPT, Gemini CLI extensions are openly available on GitHub, fostering an open ecosystem.

The first extension is Google's Nanobanana image generator, allowing users to generate images directly from the Gemini CLI terminal. With over one million users, Gemini CLI is heavily utilized by software developers, including Google's own codebase development.

Google aims to transform Gemini CLI into an extensible platform, connecting it to various tools within a developer's toolchain, according to Ryan J. Salva, Google's senior director of product management for developer tools.

Finance & Venture Capital

Qapita Secures Funding, Partners with Charles Schwab to Expand Equity Management Services

Qapita, a Singapore-based equity management platform, has raised $26.5 million in a Series B round led by Charles Schwab. This partnership introduces Schwab Private Issuer Equity Services, powered by Qapita, aimed at U.S. startups for managing cap tables and stock plans. Founded in 2019, Qapita helps private companies track ownership and manage employee equity across Southeast Asia and the U.S. With 2,700 companies using its platform, Qapita is expanding its presence in the U.S. through this collaboration. The funding will also support the launch of a fund admin product across multiple markets.