Fintech
1. Tim Draper Leads $2.5M Round for Bitcoin Startup Ark Labs
Tim Draper leads a $2.5 million funding round for Ark Labs, a startup aiming to speed up Bitcoin transactions and reduce costs. (BiTBO)
IT infrastructure
2. Semiconductor veteran Lip-Bu Tan exits Intel’s board
Intel’s director Lip-Bu Tan, a semiconductor industry veteran brought in two years ago to help with the chipmaker’s comeback effort, has stepped down from its board, the chipmaker disclosed in a filing on Thursday. (Yahoo Finance)
3. GM’s Cruise to offer robotaxis on Uber’s platform from next year
General Motors’ self-driving car subsidiary Cruise is partnering with ride-share company Uber Technologies Inc. in a multiyear deal, the companies announced Thursday. (MARKETPLACE)
Tech trends
4. Infineon agrees to pay $837 mln to settle Qimonda dispute
German chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG said on Thursday it has reached a settlement with Qimonda AG’s insolvency administrator by agreeing to pay 753.5 million euros ($837.21 million), ending the long-pending legal dispute. (Market Screener)
5. GM’s Cruise recalls nearly 1,200 robotaxis to close US probe
General Motors’ Cruise unit has agreed to recall nearly 1,200 robotaxis over hard braking issues, the U.S. auto safety regulator said on Thursday, following a probe into the safety of their autonomous driving systems. (Today Westlaw)
6. Apple to update browser options in EU, make applications more deletable
In an update later this year, Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options. (Business Standard)
7. Italian minister gives Stellantis ultimatum over EU funds for planned gigafactory
Italy’s industry minister said on Thursday he expected “within hours” a firm commitment by Stellantis over its plan to build a battery-making plant in the country, otherwise the government would move public funds for the project elsewhere. (US news)
8. Verizon offers free Netflix subscription with NFL+ bundle
Verizon (VZ) said on Thursday it will offer 12 months of Netflix Premium plan for free to customers who purchase one year of the National Football League’s exclusive premium streaming service. (Yahoo Finance)
9. Nepal lifts TikTok ban after app addresses cyber crime concerns
Nepal has lifted a nine-month ban on TikTok after the company agreed to assist law enforcement with crime-related and inappropriate content issues. (Economic Times)
10. BMW overtakes Tesla in European EV sales for first time, report says
BMW led the European battery electric vehicle (BEV) market for the first time, beating U.S. automaker Tesla, according to market research firm JATO Dynamics. (US news)
AI
11. Perplexity AI to launch ads on search platform by fourth quarter
Nvidia and Jeff Bezos-backed Perplexity AI said on Thursday that it plans to introduce advertising on its artificial intelligence-powered search platform by the fourth quarter. (WIN98.5)
12. Baidu touts AI edge as ad revenue stalls
Baidu said its leading position in AI in China means it is well positioned to navigate an increasingly competitive market despite reporting a decline in quarterly revenue. (Microsoft Start)
13. Huawei expands AI cloud services in Asia-Pacific despite US sanctions
Huawei has targeted the Asia-Pacific region to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) cloud services. (Capacity.)
14. Opkey, an AI-based ERP testing platform, raises $47M
Companies are experimenting with services like ChatGPT to help workers write memos, answer questions, and much more. (TechCrunch)
