🖥️ Tech Futures #24

Happy Monday 👋

Microsoft plans to invest $80 billion in AI-enabled data centers for fiscal 2025 to enhance AI capabilities and secure U.S. technological leadership through extensive infrastructure and talent development. Rapidus plans to supply 2-nanometer chip samples to Broadcom by June 2025, aiming to enhance semiconductor technology through collaboration with IBM. Krown Technologies publicly endorsed Quantum eMotion's technology, strengthening its cooperation after removing a defamatory post, which highlights confidence in QeM's quantum security solutions. Researchers demonstrated quantum teleportation over busy internet cables, enabling quantum communication to coexist with classical signals, potentially enhancing future quantum applications without the need for new infrastructure. SK Hynix raised approximately $1.5 billion through a 7-year exchange bond in April 2023, aiding its recovery amid the semiconductor recession.

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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.

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⚙️ Artificial Intelligence

💻 Microsoft Announces Massive $80 Billion Investment in AI. Microsoft announced a massive $80 billion investment in artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the technology landscape.

🤖 OpenAI Shifts Focus to Superintelligence. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that the company knows how to build artificial general intelligence (AGI) and is now turning its attention to developing superintelligence.

📌 Samsung SDS Unveils Multilingual AI Assistant at CES 2025. At the CES 2025 tech exhibition, Samsung SDS introduced its new corporate AI service called 'British Copilot' which can understand and communicate in multiple languages simultaneously.

🎥 Adobe unveils an AI system for visual effects. Adobe and researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have unveiled TransPixar, an AI system that can create transparent visual effects from text prompts. This breakthrough could transform how VFX is produced for films, games, and digital media.

💾 Semiconductors

🔌 Rapidus to Supply 2-nm Chips to Broadcom. Japanese chipmaker Rapidus plans to supply cutting-edge 2-nanometer chip samples to U.S. semiconductor company Broadcom as early as June.

💽 China launches massive semiconductor investment fund. China launched its third and largest semiconductor investment fund, Big Fund III, with a registered capital of 344 billion yuan ($47.5 billion) to boost the country's chip industry.

🚀 Nvidia's AI Chips Outpacing Moore's Law. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claims that the performance of Nvidia's AI chips is improving at a rate faster than Moore's Law, the principle that guided semiconductor development for decades.

🚨 Cybersecurity

🤝 Krown Technologies Strengthens Partnership with Quantum eMotion. Krown Technologies publicly supports Quantum eMotion's technology after a defamatory post was removed. This collaboration aims to enhance QeM's quantum security solutions, addressing cybersecurity threats effectively.

📞 Communication and Networking

🔭 Northwestern University Achieves Quantum Teleportation Breakthrough. Northwestern University engineers successfully demonstrated quantum teleportation over fiber optic cables carrying internet traffic, a major technological breakthrough.

📡 Kenya to Drastically Increase Satellite Internet Licensing Fees. Kenya's telecommunications regulator plans to increase licensing fees for satellite internet service providers by over 800%, which could negatively impact connectivity in underserved areas and smaller ISPs.

🚀 Nokia and STC Group Achieve 1Tbps Data Transmission Milestone. Nokia and STC Group successfully conducted a field trial achieving a record-breaking 1Tbps data transmission rate over 850km in Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the ability to deliver ultra-high bandwidth for future 5G and cloud services.

💻 Quantum Computing

🖨️IBM will release the largest-ever quantum computer in 2025. IBM plans to release the largest quantum computer in 2025, featuring 1,121 qubits. This advancement aims to revolutionize industries such as healthcare, finance, and logistics through enhanced computational capabilities.

🛠️ 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.

💻 Reboot01 partnered with Tamkeen and the Bahrain Economic Developments Board to drive Bahrain’s digital transformation. They plan to equip developers with expertise in AI, cyber security, and FinTech using the global 01Edu platform to align training with industry needs. The two-year program prepares mid-to-senior fill stack developers, with 400 students enrolled, 34% of whom are women.

💾 IIT Delhi launched three-industry-focused certificate programs to address the growing need for specialized finance, supply chain, and semiconductor technology skills. The Chief Financial Officer Programme, Executive Management Programme in Supply Chain and Operations Analytics, and Executive Programme in Semiconductor Manufacturing and Technology aim to bridge critical skill gaps. These initiatives empower professionals to excel in their careers while supporting India’s aspirations for global leadership in high-demand sectors.

👩‍💻 Microsoft offers the TechHer program and free introductory courses for women in both the public and private sectors, covering AI, Azure, Power Platform, and Security. This is to bridge the gap of women who make up 49% of the UK workforce but only 29% hold technology roles. In 2024, nearly 4,000 women in UK government departments completed the five-week "Fundamentals" course. Due to high demand, founder Jane Pitt plans tailored modules for health and social care, government, and retail sectors.

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

💴 SK Hynix raises $1.3B through exchange bonds. Due to the economic downturn and sluggish market conditions, SK Hynix, a semiconductor company, raised $1.3B in operating funds through a 7-year exchange bond at a 1% interest rate, using its treasury stock as collateral.

💶 NXP Semiconductors Acquires TTTech Auto for $625M. NXP Semiconductors acquired TTTech Auto for $625M to bolster its CoreRide platform and strengthen its position in the rapidly growing software-defined vehicle market.

💷 Antropic's valuation soars to $60B after the funding round. Anthropic, a developer of the AI service Claude and a rival to OpenAI, saw its corporate value soar to $60 billion after raising $360M in a new funding round led by Google, which now owns about 10% of the company.

💸 Quantum Computing Inc. raises $100 million in private funding. The technology company announced a private placement of common stock that raised $100M in proceeds.

💳 Zension Technologies Raises $30M Series A Funding. Zension Technologies, a circular economy startup, has raised a $30M Series A funding round led by Wa'ed Ventures, the VC arm of Saudi Aramco, with participation from Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation.

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