In Brief Meta is reducing its workforce by about 5% through performance-based terminations, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The company plans to hire new people to fill the roles, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an internal memo to staff.“I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster,” Zuckerberg said in the note. “We typically manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year, but now we’re going to do more extensive performance-based cuts d ...

Apple has joined a consortium creating next-gen technology to link together chips in AI data centers.The consortium, the Ultra Accelerator Link Consortium, is developing a standard called UALink, which connects the AI accelerator chips found within a growing number of server farms. As of Tuesday, Apple is a member of the consortium’s board, along with Alibaba and semiconductor company Synopsys. In a statement, Apple director of platform architecture Becky Loop said that UALink “shows great promise” in addr ...

In an announcement Tuesday, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud computing division, said it plans to invest $5 billion in Mexico over the next 15 years as a part of a “long-term commitment” in the region. A portion of that investment is a new server region in Mexico launching today, AWS Mexico, that will allow AWS customers to run applications and serve users from AWS data centers located in the country. AWS estimates that construction and ongoing operation of AWS Mexico will add roughly $10 billion t ...

Company Strategy and Leadership - Microsoft has established a new engineering organization named CoreAI — Platform and Tools, aimed at accelerating AI infrastructure and software development within the company [1][2] - Jay Parikh, former VP and global head of engineering at Meta, will lead the new division and report directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella [1] - The new organization combines Microsoft's existing Dev Div and AI platform teams, along with some employees from the Office of the CTO division [2] Focus and Priorities - Microsoft's focus for the coming year will be on "model-forward" applications that are expected to "reshape all application categories" [3] - The reorganization of developer teams under CoreAI ensures that AI remains a top priority for the company [2]

Funding and Tesla's Application - The Department of Transportation announced $636 million in funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with 49 applicants receiving awards [1] - Tesla's application for nearly $100 million to fund a big rig charging corridor was not approved, and its name was not among the list of recipients [1] - Tesla partnered with California's South Coast Air Quality Management District for the project, which confirmed the company had applied for this round [1] Tesla's Electric Big Rig Program - Tesla has faced challenges in getting its electric big rig program operational, with only early versions of the Tesla Semi delivered to customers like Pepsi and Frito-Lay [2] - The company is still constructing a facility in Nevada to build its electric semi truck, which was first revealed in 2017 [2] Tesla's Funding Request and Project Details - Tesla initially requested funding in 2023 from the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) program, part of a bipartisan infrastructure deal signed into law in 2021 [3] - The company planned to use $24 million of its own money along with the funding to build nine electric semi-truck charging stations from northern California to the southern border of Texas [3] - Each station was supposed to have eight 750kW chargers for the Tesla Semi and four other chargers open to other electric trucks, a requirement for federal funding [4] Project TESSERACT and Funding Rounds - The project, named "Transport Electrification Supporting Semis Operating in Arizona, California, and Texas" (TESSERACT), was passed over in early 2024 when the first round of CFI awards was announced [5] - The first round saw $623 million in funding go to 47 applicants [5] - Another $521 million was awarded to 51 applicants in August 2024, and applications for a new round of funding began in mid-2024 [6] Tesla's Continued Efforts and Workforce Changes - Tesla continued pursuing the charging corridor idea after being left out of the first round, with former policy VP Rohan Patel stating that some sites along the 1,800-mile route were viable even without funding [6] - The status of Project TESSERACT became unclear after Tesla laid off more than 10% of its workforce, including significant cuts to its charging team [7] Future Funding and Political Impact - The bipartisan infrastructure law allocated $2.5 billion for the CFI program, leaving the possibility of another round of funding [8] - The FHWA's website currently states there is no estimated date for the next funding opportunity, and the priorities of the incoming Trump administration could impact programs like this [8]

Legal Action and Security Breach - Microsoft filed a complaint in December 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against a group of unnamed defendants for allegedly using stolen customer credentials and custom-designed software to breach the Azure OpenAI Service [1] - The company discovered in July 2024 that stolen API keys were used to generate content violating the service's acceptable use policy [2] - Microsoft accuses the defendants of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and a federal racketeering law by illicitly accessing and using Microsoft's software and servers to create "offensive" and "harmful and illicit content" [8] Tools and Techniques Used by Defendants - The defendants allegedly used a tool called de3u, which allowed them to generate images using DALL-E without writing their own code and bypass Microsoft's content filtering [6] - De3u also attempted to prevent the Azure OpenAI Service from revising prompts used to generate images, enabling the defendants to reverse engineer means of circumventing Microsoft's content and abuse measures [6][7] - The defendants created a client-side tool called de3u and software for processing and routing communications from de3u to Microsoft's systems as part of a "hacking-as-a-service" scheme [9] Microsoft's Response and Countermeasures - Microsoft is seeking injunctive and "other equitable" relief and damages against the defendants [5] - The court authorized Microsoft to seize a website instrumental to the defendants' operation, allowing the company to gather evidence and disrupt additional technical infrastructure [7] - Microsoft has implemented unspecified countermeasures and added additional safety mitigations to the Azure OpenAI Service targeting the observed activity [10] API Key Theft and Impact - The defendants engaged in a pattern of systematic API key theft, enabling them to steal Microsoft API keys from multiple customers [9] - Stolen Azure OpenAI Service API keys belonging to U.S.-based customers were used to create the "hacking-as-a-service" scheme [9]

Tesla has revealed a new-look Model Y meant for the Chinese and other Asian-Pacific markets, marking the first major update to the SUV since its launch in 2020. The redesign comes as Tesla finished 2024 having delivered fewer vehicles than it did in 2023. It was the first year-over-year drop since the company started selling mass market cars in 2012. The new Model Y is slated to start deliveries as early as March in China and some surrounding countries. It’s not yet clear when Tesla will bring this versio ...

Settlement Details - A Delaware judge approved a settlement requiring Tesla directors, including Chair Robyn Denholm, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Kimbal Musk, and James Murdoch, to return up to $919 million to the automaker [1] - The settlement resolves allegations that the directors overpaid themselves from 2017 to 2020 [1][2] - The directors will pay back stock and options worth up to $735 million and forgo three years of pay allegedly worth $184 million [2] Legal Fees and Case Background - Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick awarded $176 million in fees and costs to the three law firms that brought the case to court on a contingency basis [3] - Tesla has requested the judge to cap the legal fees at $64 million [3] - The case was initiated in 2020 by the Police and Fire Retirement System of the City of Detroit, challenging the excessive director compensation from 2017 to 2020 [2] Judge's History with Tesla - Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick previously ruled against Tesla CEO Elon Musk's exorbitant pay package, despite shareholders voting to "re-ratify" the deal [3]

Microsoft's AI Partnerships in India - Microsoft announced a series of AI partnerships across India's core sectors, including railways, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and education [1] - The company pledged to invest $3 billion in India over the next two years, intensifying competition with Google and Amazon [1] - Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella unveiled agreements with five major organizations in India [1] Collaboration with Indian Government and AI Training - Microsoft will contribute to the Indian Ministry of Electronics and IT's IndiaAI Mission Datasets platform by supporting data collection and synthetic generation [2] - The company plans to train 500,000 people in AI technologies by 2026 [2] - Microsoft and the Indian government will establish an AI Center of Excellence called AI Catalysts to promote rural AI innovation and set up AI labs in 20 national skill training institutes [2] Sector-Specific AI Initiatives - RailTel, a government-backed firm, partnered with Microsoft for a five-year collaboration to advance digital, cloud, and AI transformation in Indian railways [3] - Apollo Hospitals plans to develop AI "copilots" for healthcare services [3] - Bajaj Finance expects annual cost savings of $18 million by 2026 through AI implementations [3] - Edtech startup Upgrad will work with Microsoft to build AI applications for workplace use [3] Competitive Landscape in India's AI Market - Google and Amazon are expanding their AI offerings and courting Indian businesses [4] - Nvidia has partnered with Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries to build AI infrastructure and signed deals with Tata Communications and Yotta Data Services to deploy thousands of its H100 chips [4] - Google introduced new AI-powered tools for Indian merchants to enhance their digital presence [5]

In Brief The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into 2.56 million Tesla vehicles after several crashes involving the automaker’s “Actual Smart Summon” remote parking feature.Tesla released Actual Smart Summon, or ASS for short, via software update in September. It allows Tesla owners to use their app to command the vehicle drive itself to them, using only the car’s cameras. The previous version, Smart Summon, also relied on ultrasonic sensors, which are not included o ...