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Amazon starts testing ‘ultra-fast' 30-minute deliveries
TechCrunch· 2025-12-02 16:20
Core Insights - Amazon is launching a new "ultra-fast" delivery service that promises deliveries in 30 minutes or less in Seattle and Philadelphia to enhance its competitive edge against services like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart [1] Group 1: Service Details - Customers can order a variety of items including groceries, personal care products, and electronics, with Prime members paying a fee of $3.99 per order and non-Prime members paying $13.99 [2] - Orders under $15 will incur an additional small basket fee of $1.99 [2] - The service is accessible through the Amazon app and homepage, where customers can track their deliveries and tip drivers [3] Group 2: Operational Strategy - Amazon is utilizing smaller, strategically located facilities for efficient order fulfillment, which enhances employee safety and reduces delivery distances [4] - This new service follows Amazon's previous launch of a 15-minute delivery service in the UAE, where some customers received orders in as little as six minutes [4] Group 3: Market Positioning - The launch of this service is part of Amazon's broader strategy to expand its delivery options, following the discontinuation of its "Prime Now" one-hour delivery service in 2021 [7] - The company plans to invest over $4 billion to triple the size of its delivery network by 2026 [7]
Amazon releases an impressive new AI chip and teases a Nvidia-friendly roadmap
TechCrunch· 2025-12-02 16:00
Core Insights - Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched its new AI training chip, Trainium3, which offers significant performance improvements over its predecessor [1][2] - The company is also developing Trainium4, which will enhance interoperability with Nvidia's chips [7][8] Performance Enhancements - Trainium3 UltraServer, powered by a 3 nanometer chip, provides over four times the speed and memory compared to the second generation [2][3] - Each UltraServer can host 144 Trainium3 chips, allowing for configurations of up to 1 million chips linked together [3] Energy Efficiency - The new systems are reported to be 40% more energy efficient than the previous generation, aligning with industry trends towards sustainable data center operations [4] Cost Savings for Customers - AWS claims that customers using Trainium3 have significantly reduced their inference costs, benefiting from the enhanced performance and efficiency [5] Future Developments - Trainium4 is in development and is expected to support Nvidia's NVLink Fusion technology, potentially attracting more AI applications to AWS [7][8] - No specific timeline for the release of Trainium4 has been announced, but further details are anticipated at next year's conference [9]
Apple just named a new AI chief with Google and Microsoft expertise, as John Giannandrea steps down
TechCrunch· 2025-12-02 01:34
Core Insights - Apple is undergoing a leadership change in its AI division, with John Giannandrea stepping down and Amar Subramanya taking over as the new AI chief [1][10] - The transition is seen as a necessary response to the struggles faced by Apple Intelligence since its launch in October 2024, which has received negative reviews [2][3] Leadership Change - John Giannandrea, who has been with Apple since 2018, will remain as an advisor until spring [1] - Amar Subramanya, previously a Microsoft executive and leader of engineering for the Gemini Assistant at Google, is viewed as a strategic hire due to his industry experience [1][10] Performance Issues - Apple Intelligence has faced significant challenges, including false reporting incidents that led to public embarrassment [3] - The overhaul of Siri has been problematic, with a Bloomberg investigation revealing that many promised features were non-functional prior to launch, resulting in class-action lawsuits from customers [5][8] Organizational Challenges - Reports indicate a lack of communication between AI and marketing teams, budget misalignments, and a leadership crisis within the AI division, leading to a negative workplace culture [8] - There has been a notable exodus of AI researchers to competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Meta, indicating potential talent retention issues [8] Strategic Direction - Apple is reportedly considering leveraging Google's Gemini technology for the next version of Siri, marking a significant shift in strategy given the historical rivalry between the two companies [9][10] - The company has focused on on-device AI processing using its custom Apple Silicon chips, prioritizing user privacy over extensive data collection, which may limit the capabilities of its AI models compared to competitors [11]
Shopify resolves outage disrupting merchants on Cyber Monday
TechCrunch· 2025-12-01 21:31
Core Insights - Shopify experienced a significant outage that disrupted operations for numerous merchants, preventing them from fulfilling transactions [1][2] - The outage occurred during Cyber Monday, a peak online shopping day, which is critical for e-commerce sales [2] - Shopify merchants account for over 10% of all e-commerce transactions in the U.S., highlighting the platform's importance in the industry [2] Incident Details - The issues began around 6:45 a.m. PT, with merchants reporting difficulties logging into their accounts and accessing point-of-sale (POS) systems [3] - Shopify identified the cause of the problem as its login authentication flow, which affected POS logins, and has since fixed the issue [4] - Recovery signs are being observed, and the company is monitoring the situation while advising merchants of longer wait times for support due to the outage [4] Impact Assessment - The exact number of affected merchants is unclear, but Downdetector reported approximately 4,000 outage incidents [5]
Nvidia announces new open AI models and tools for autonomous driving research
TechCrunch· 2025-12-01 21:00
Core Insights - Nvidia is advancing its infrastructure and AI models to support physical AI, focusing on applications like robots and autonomous vehicles that can interact with the real world [1][7]. Group 1: New AI Models - Nvidia introduced Alpamayo-R1, an open reasoning vision language model aimed at enhancing autonomous driving research, marking it as the first of its kind [2]. - The Alpamayo-R1 model integrates visual language processing, enabling vehicles to interpret both text and images, thereby improving their decision-making capabilities based on environmental perception [2][3]. - This model is built on Nvidia's Cosmos Reason model, which was initially launched in January 2025, with further models released in August [3]. Group 2: Importance of the New Model - The reasoning capabilities of the Alpamayo-R1 are essential for achieving level 4 autonomous driving, which entails full autonomy within specific areas and conditions [3]. - Nvidia aims for this model to provide autonomous vehicles with "common sense" to navigate complex driving scenarios similarly to human drivers [4]. Group 3: Developer Resources - Alongside the new model, Nvidia released the Cosmos Cookbook on GitHub, which includes guides and resources for developers to effectively utilize and train Cosmos models [5]. - The Cookbook covers various aspects such as data curation, synthetic data generation, and model evaluation, facilitating better application of the technology [5]. Group 4: Strategic Direction - Nvidia is intensifying its focus on physical AI as a new growth area for its advanced AI GPUs, with leadership emphasizing the significance of robotics in this domain [7]. - The company's co-founder and CEO has highlighted the potential of robots to play a major role in the future, indicating a commitment to developing foundational technologies for robotic intelligence [8].
Nvidia's $2B Synopsys bet tightens its grip on the chip-design stack
TechCrunch· 2025-12-01 16:32
Core Insights - Nvidia is investing $2 billion into Synopsys to enhance their partnership and integrate AI capabilities into Synopsys's software [1][2] - The investment aims to transition Synopsys's platform from CPU-based computing to GPU-based systems, improving chip-design workflows [2] - The deal positively impacted Synopsys's stock, indicating long-term growth potential despite recent weaknesses in its IP segment [3] Company Developments - Nvidia purchased Synopsys shares at $414.79 each as part of a multi-year partnership [2] - The investment strengthens Nvidia's influence over Synopsys's electronic design automation (EDA) tools amid increasing competition in chip design [3] - The deal follows significant sell-offs of Nvidia positions by major investors like SoftBank and Peter Thiel [3] Industry Context - Analysts are scrutinizing the rise of circular AI-industry deals, raising concerns about a potential bubble [1] - The investment reflects a broader trend of companies seeking to enhance their technological capabilities through strategic partnerships [1][3]
Amazon's AI chatbot Rufus drove sales on Black Friday
TechCrunch· 2025-12-01 16:25
Core Insights - Amazon's AI chatbot, Rufus, experienced significant adoption on Black Friday, with purchase sessions involving Rufus increasing by 100% compared to the previous 30 days, while sessions without Rufus only rose by 20% [1][2] - The overall website sessions for Amazon increased by 20% on Black Friday, but sessions that included Rufus saw a 35% increase, indicating a strong preference for AI-assisted shopping [2] - The rise in AI usage for holiday shopping reflects a broader trend, with 48% of surveyed consumers indicating they have used or plan to use AI for this purpose [13] Adoption and Performance Metrics - Rufus contributed to a 75% day-over-day increase in purchase sessions, compared to a 35% increase for sessions without the AI chatbot [2] - AI traffic to U.S. retail sites surged by 805% year-over-year on Black Friday, highlighting the growing reliance on generative AI chatbots for deal-finding and product research [5] - U.S. shoppers arriving at retail sites via AI services were 38% more likely to make a purchase compared to those coming from non-AI sources [9] Economic Context - Black Friday spending reached a record $11.8 billion, although this may be attributed to higher prices (up 7% on average) rather than an increase in online shopping volume, which saw a 1% decline [10] - Despite increased app and website adoption on Black Friday, total visits and downloads showed a deceleration compared to 2024, indicating a more conservative consumer spending behavior [11] - Amazon and Walmart's mobile app downloads grew by 24% and 20% respectively on Black Friday, but these figures were significantly lower than the growth rates seen in 2024 [12]
Airbus orders software fix to thousands of planes due to solar radiation risk
TechCrunch· 2025-11-29 22:03
Core Points - Airbus has ordered fixes to 6,000 of its A320 series planes due to concerns over data corruption from intense solar radiation affecting flight controls [1] - An incident involving a JetBlue flight on October 30, which lost altitude and made an emergency landing, prompted this action [1] - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring affected planes to revert to earlier software versions before they can resume flying [2] - Some planes will also require hardware changes as part of the corrective measures [2]
Black Friday sets online spending record of $11.8B, Adobe says
TechCrunch· 2025-11-29 21:39
Core Insights - American consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, an increase from $10.8 billion the previous year, indicating a significant growth in e-commerce during this shopping event [1][2] - Adobe projects that Cyber Monday will surpass Black Friday with an expected $14.2 billion in online spending [2] - Salesforce reported $79 billion in global spending on Black Friday, with $18 billion attributed to the U.S., reflecting year-over-year increases of 6% and 3% respectively [4] E-commerce Trends - The data from Adobe and Salesforce serves as an early indicator of broader holiday shopping trends, with Adobe forecasting total holiday spending of $253.4 billion this year, up from $241.1 billion in 2024 [3] - The influence of AI on holiday shopping is growing, with Salesforce noting that AI and AI agents influenced $22 billion in global sales between Thanksgiving and Black Friday [5] In-store vs Online Shopping - There is mixed data regarding online trends compared to in-person shopping, with RetailNext reporting a 3.4% decrease in nationwide in-store traffic, while Pass_by indicated an overall increase of 1.17% in foot traffic, and a notable 7.9% increase in department stores [6]
SoftBank stays in as Meesho $606M IPO becomes India's first major e-commerce listing
TechCrunch· 2025-11-28 16:09
Core Insights - Meesho, an Indian e-commerce platform, is launching a $606 million IPO, reflecting investor confidence in India's online retail market despite global tech shareholder sell-offs [1] - The company aims to raise ₹42.50 billion (approximately $475 million) through the IPO, with a post-issue valuation of around ₹501 billion (about $5.60 billion) [2][4] - Meesho is the first major horizontal e-commerce platform in India to go public, with competitors like Flipkart and Amazon also considering IPOs [3] Company Overview - Founded in 2015, Meesho started as a social commerce platform and has evolved into a full-fledged marketplace, targeting price-sensitive consumers and small merchants [6] - The company operates on a commission-light model, primarily earning from logistics fees, advertising, and services, while charging commissions on products sold through its Meesho Mall channel [6] Financial Performance - For the six months ending September 30, Meesho reported revenue from operations of ₹55.78 billion (approximately $624 million), up from ₹43.11 billion (around $482 million) the previous year [7] - The net merchandise value increased by 44% year-over-year to ₹191.94 billion (roughly $2.15 billion), but the company also reported a widened loss before tax of ₹4.33 billion (around $48.4 million) [7] User and Seller Metrics - In the last 12 months, Meesho recorded 234.20 million transacting users and had 706,471 annual transacting sellers [8] - The platform utilizes a network of over 50,000 active content creators for product discovery [8] Market Positioning - Meesho positions itself as a value-focused platform, contrasting with convenience-led competitors like Amazon and Flipkart [10] - The company aims to appeal to mass market consumers by offering a wide selection of affordable products [11] IPO Details - The IPO will open for public subscription on December 3, with 75% of the offer reserved for qualified institutional buyers, 10% for retail investors, and 15% for non-institutional investors [12]