AI Funding Surges, RAM Costs Double
Summary
The massive capital fueling AI development is creating severe supply chain distortions, directly impacting consumer hardware costs and next-generation device deployment.
- Infrastructure Scale-Up AWS commits $50B for US government AI HPC infrastructure, signaling major state-level investment 5.
- Hardware Inflation Crisis DDR5 64GB RAM kits jumped to $600 due to AI demand, costing more than a new PS5 console 10.
- AI Hardware Emergence OpenAI discusses its forthcoming calm AI device, contrasting with existing smartphones, while Stickerbox launches a $99.99 AI toy [9, 6].
- Regulatory Headwinds Tesla’s FSD software approval faces setbacks as the Dutch regulator RDW decision is questioned 7.
- Software Unification Google pilots ‘Aluminium OS’ to merge Android and ChromeOS, while Pebble Watch software goes 100% open source [11, 13].
- $50 Billion - AWS investment dedicated to building US government AI computing infrastructure 5.
- $600 - The current price for a 64GB DDR5 RAM kit, driven up by AI demand 10.
- $75 Billion - Valuation achieved by neobank Revolut following its latest capital raise 3.
- $700 Million - Series D funding secured by nuclear energy startup X-energy 4.
- 100% - The new open-source status achieved by the legacy Pebble Watch software 13.
Key Moments
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AWS is spending $50B to build AI infrastructure for the US government.
— Article [5] -
64GB of DDR5 memory jumps to $600 due to DRAM shortage.
— Article [10] -
Revolut hits $75B valuation in new capital raise.
— Article [3] -
X-energy secured $700 million in a Series D funding round.
— Article [4] -
The AI-powered toy Stickerbox retails for $99.99.
— Article [6] -
Pebble watch software is now 100% open source.
— Article [13] -
Momentic raises $15M to automate software testing.
— Article [1] -
Google is developing a new Android-based operating system for PCs, codenamed ‘Aluminium OS.’
— Article [11] -
Maritime Fusion aims to build a fusion reactor on a boat using tokamak design.
— Article [2] -
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussed the company’s forthcoming AI hardware device.
— Article [9] -
Tesla announced the Dutch regulator RDW was set to approve its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in February 2026.
— Article [7] -
Google has partnered with Accel for a first-of-its-kind collaboration under the Google AI Futures Fund.
— Article [8] -
Solid State Drives (SSDs) slowly lose data when unpowered.
— Article [12]
Different Perspectives
Opposing View
The fusion startup Maritime Fusion is actively pursuing high-risk, high-reward energy solutions targeting maritime applications.
Sources:
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