🖥️ Tech Futures #19

Happy Monday 👋

Big Tech's AI spending is projected to exceed $240B in 2024, driven by demand for AI tools and infrastructure, with Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta leading investments. The South Korean government plans to establish a roadmap for ultra-pure domestic production essential for semiconductor manufacturing, aiming for technological independence and industry growth. YeagerAI's intelligent oracle utilizes GenLayer blockchain for real-time data access, enhancing decision-making in various applications. MatX, an AI chip startup founded by former Google employees, raised approximately $80M in Series A funding, valuing it at $300M.

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

🤖 Big Tech's AI Spending Reaches New Heights. Major technology companies are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, with their spending exceeding $240B as they expand infrastructure and utilize their core businesses to drive growth in this field.

📼 Amazon Develops Video AI Model, Hedging Its Reliance on Anthropic. Amazon developed a new generative AI model that can process images, video, and text. This model could help customers search video archives more effectively.

⌨️ Ai2 Releases New Reproducible Language Models. The nonprofit AI research organization Ai2 released a new family of models, OLMo 2, that are completely reproducible.

💡 OpenAI Unveils New AI Models Mimicking Human Problem Solving. OpenAI recently unveiled its latest artificial intelligence (AI) models, o1-preview and o1-mini (also referred to as 'Strawberry'), claiming they mimic human problem-solving.

💾 Semiconductors

🏭 South Korea to Support Domestic Ultra-Pure Production for Semiconductor Manufacturing. The South Korean government will prepare a roadmap to support ultra-pure domestic production, which is essential for semiconductor manufacturing.

💽 Polymatech advances semiconductors with automation and sustainability. Polymatech, a semiconductor company,  invested heavily in automation using robots to reduce human intervention, with the goal of achieving zero manpower in certain areas, while keeping sustainability as a core focus.

⚖️ TSMC's Neutrality in U.S.-China Tech Rivalry Faces Challenges. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) aims to remain neutral in the technological rivalry between the U.S. and China, but growing tensions between the two countries are making this difficult.

⚡ Blockchain

🔦 YeagerAI's Intelligent Oracle Sees Rapid Adoption on GenLayer Blockchain. YeagerAI's new Oracle service called Intelligent Oracle, built on the GenLayer blockchain for real-time data access, has seen rapid adoption with several partners and platforms committing to integrate it.

🔩 Aventus Unveils Blockchain Factory for Seamless Enterprise Blockchain Integration. Aventus, a technology company, introduced a Blockchain Factory to facilitate effortless enterprise blockchain adoption.

🔥 Sky Mavis, Vietnam's billion-dollar blockchain game developer, lays off 21% of the workforce. Sky Mavis, a Vietnamese blockchain game developer, announced that it will lay off 21% of its workforce as part of a strategic realignment.

🚨 Cybersecurity

📢 Demand grows for OT cybersecurity. China's industrial internet growth is driving demand for operational technology cybersecurity, with Kaspersky noting significant market potential and a rise in awareness among Chinese enterprises regarding cybersecurity threats.

🛎️ NHIs Are the Future of Cybersecurity. Non-human identities (NHIs) are becoming the primary attack vector in cybersecurity, prompting the development of Non-Human Identity Detection and Response (NHIDR) for real-time monitoring and automated threat mitigation.

💻 Quantum Computing

🔬 Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute Acquires IQM Spark Quantum Computer. The Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute acquired the IQM Spark quantum computer from IQM Quantum Computers to advance research and education in quantum technology.

🛠️ 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.

🖥️ The Skill Hire introduced an AI recruitment platform that combines AI and upskilling to address global talent shortages. Its platform matches employers with skilled candidates and helps professionals adapt to evolving job markets. With over 25,000 placements in the US, Canada, and Bangladesh, and 250 nurses deployed to Europe, it showcases the impact of tech-driven recruitment. Hasan emphasizes blending technology with human-centric solutions to simplify hiring and support mutual success for businesses and professionals.

💻 The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), driven by AI, robotics, big data, and IoT, is transforming global economies and skill demands. Zimbabwe must adapt its education system, particularly high schools, to prepare students for technology-driven careers. Teachers need training in 4IR technologies to integrate digital literacy, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and STEM skills into their teaching. Upskilling educators is essential for equipping students with the competencies required to thrive in evolving industries and a rapidly changing job market.

🧑‍💻 Canon Singapore and Temasek Polytechnic partnered to enhance the professional development of Singapore's security personnel. The MOU, signed at the Security Industry Conference 2024 and witnessed by Minister of State Sun Xueling, will establish a Security Technology Experience Centre (STEC) at Temasek Polytechnic. This collaboration aims to advance security training and innovation, strengthening the sector's capabilities through cutting-edge technology and education.

HolonIQ has also launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated for 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

💷 AI chip startup MatX raises Series A funding at $300M+ valuation. MatX, a startup founded by Google alums and designing chips that support large language models, raised a Series A funding round of approximately $80M at a valuation of over $300M.

💰 Spectro Cloud Raises $75M in Series C Funding. Spectro Cloud, a company focused on Kubernetes management,  secured $75M in Series C funding to enhance its platform for managing Kubernetes across data centers, cloud, and edge computing environments.

💴 PlayAI Raises $21M to Advance Generative AI and Human-Like Speech. PlayAI, a technology company, secured $21M in seed funding to develop and launch advanced generative AI and human-like speech voice models.

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