🖥️ Tech Futures #18

Happy Monday 👋

Moreau partners with Tenstorrent to challenge Nvidia's AI dominance, aiming to commercialize integrated AI data center solutions by mid-2025. The US CHIPS Act proposes a $285 million grant for SMART USA to enhance semiconductor design using digital twin technology. Playnance launched PlayBlock, a Layer-3 blockchain offering zero-gas transactions, enhancing trading, gaming, and Web3 adoption with high-speed capabilities. Rubrik and Red Hat have partnered to enhance cyber resilience, integrating data security solutions to protect against evolving cyber threats. Salesforce completed its $1.9B acquisition of Own, enhancing data security solutions for Salesforce applications amid a challenging market environment.

What's new?

HolonIQ’s new Green Skills Map and Workforce section reveals industry-wide sustainability skills and jobs, as well as workforce development initiatives, supporting upskilling for a sustainable economy.

HolonIQ's new skills newsletter is here! Get updates on emerging skills, workforce shifts, and industry insights across impact sectors. Subscribe now to stay ahead.

⚙️ Artificial Intelligence

🤝 MOREH Partners with Tenstorrent for AI Infrastructure. The collaboration aims to integrate Moreau's software with Tenstorrent's AI semiconductors, targeting the rapidly expanding AI data center sector driven by large-scale language models (LLMs).

🤖 Salesforce Launches AI-Powered Task Automation Platform. Salesforce launched Agentforce, an AI platform that automates tasks and streamlines workflows using advanced AI models, both in-house and third-party.

🏙️ Gebeya Partners with Microsoft to Boost AI and SaaS Growth in Africa. Gebeya, an African tech company,  joined Microsoft's ISV Success and Azure programs to gain resources for enhancing AI-driven solutions, empowering African tech talent, and driving innovation in Africa's gig economy.

💾 Semiconductors

📼 US CHIPS Act Funds Digital Twin Technology for Semiconductor Design. The US CHIPS Act proposed a $285 million grant to Semiconductor Research Corp., a consortium, to establish SMART USA, which will focus on developing digital twin technology for semiconductor chip designs.

🔌 Microsoft to Launch New Custom Chips for Data Processing, Security. Microsoft is announcing new custom chips to power workloads on its Azure cloud platform, including a hardware accelerator for offloading and managing data processing tasks.

⚡ Blockchain

🎮 Playnance Unveils PlayBlock: A Zero-Gas Blockchain for Trading, Gaming, and Web3. Playnance, an organization based in Ramat Gan, Israel, has launched PlayBlock, a zero-gas blockchain designed for trading, gaming, and Web3 adoption.

🚨 Cybersecurity

🧮 Rubrik and Red Hat Strengthen Cyber Resilience. This collaboration aims to provide organizations with improved protection against cyber threats, ensuring data integrity and availability. The integration will enable customers to leverage advanced backup and recovery capabilities.

🔐 Apple warns of zero-day cyberattacks targeting Mac users. Apple announced that Mac users have been targeted in zero-day cyberattacks and has released a security update for Macs, iPhones, and iPads to address the issue. 

💻 Quantum Computing

🔬 Microsoft and Atom Computing to Launch Commercial Quantum Computer in 2025. Microsoft and Atom Computing announced plans to launch a commercial quantum computer in 2025, marking a significant milestone in the development of quantum computing technology.

🧩 Nvidia accelerates Google quantum AI design with quantum physics simulation. Nvidia is working with Google Quantum AI to accelerate the design of Google's next-generation quantum computing devices using simulations powered by Nvidia.

🛠️ Skills and Workforce

With reskilling and upskilling playing a key role in closing workforce gaps, HolonIQ is now tracking these impactful initiatives shaping the tech industry. Read on for this week’s insights, and discover more in HolonIQ's latest Skills newsletter.

🖥️ Samsung R&D Institute India–Bangalore launched its Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) at RNS Institute of Technology, Bengaluru. This will train 100+ students in AI and programming. This initiative combines theoretical learning and real-world projects, enhancing employability and innovation. SIC has trained 500+ students across six institutes over three years.

🧠 Technology Ireland Digital Skillnet, Microsoft, and the Analytics Institute launched Data Smart, a 12-week program designed to upskill non-IT workers in digital literacy. The initiative, combining online tutorials and interactive workshops, aims to train 10,000 people over three years. Participants develop skills in data collection, cleaning, transformation, visualization, storytelling, ethics, and governance. Graduates receive a Data Smart Foundation certificate from Microsoft and the Analytics Institute. Open to Republic of Ireland employees, the program prepares professionals for a digitally transformed workforce.

💡 Vodacom Group, in partnership with AWS, Microsoft, and Skillsoft, launched the Digital Skills Hub to upskill 1M young Africans by 2027. Targeting 18- to 35-year-olds across eight countries, the initiative offers self-paced training in digital skills, including cloud computing, AI, and STEM careers. It aims to bridge Africa's digital skills gap, addressing challenges like unemployment and inequality. Leveraging platforms like Talimy, e-Fahamu, and AWS Educate, Vodacom empowers youth for a more inclusive digital future.

HolonIQ has also launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated for the purpose of cataloging, evaluating, and contextualizing the different components of the rapidly expanding field of green jobs. This comprehensive taxonomy will serve as a resource for understanding the full spectrum and complexity of green skills required across various sectors, thereby enabling a cohesive approach toward achieving net zero and decarbonizing the global economy. Green Skills Map spans 11 areas, 54 sub-areas, and 243 green skills clusters. A snippet of the map covering four areas has been included above. Explore the full map on greenskills.org.

💰 Tech Deals

🪙 Salesforce acquired Own, an Israeli cloud backup company for $1.9B, enhancing its data security capabilities. Own specializes in backup solutions for Salesforce applications and was previously valued at $3.3 billion. Despite challenges, the deal benefits major investors like Vertex and Insight Partners.

💵 Apax Partners, a global private equity firm, acquired ThoughtWorks, a prominent tech consultancy, for $1.75B. This acquisition aims to enhance Apax's portfolio by integrating ThoughtWorks' expertise in digital transformation services.

💶 CoreWeave, a cloud platform provider based in Roseland, NJ, secured a $650M secondary minority investment led by firms including Jane Street and Magnetar. The funds will support the company's expansion and development efforts. 

💷 TECfusions secured over $300M  in a loan agreement to accelerate the development of its data center in Clarksville, Virginia. This funding will support the construction and expansion of the facility, designed to meet the growing demands of AI workloads with high-density computing power and one of the largest GPU deployments globally. 

Like getting this newsletter? For unlimited access to over one million charts, request a demo.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
Have some feedback or suggestions? Let us know at hello@holoniq.com