Modal Labs, an AI inference infrastructure startup, is in early talks to raise a $2.5B funding round, more than doubling its previous $1.1B valuation, with General Catalyst potentially leading the round. The company’s annualized revenue is around $50M, though discussions remain preliminary.

The Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge provides funding competitions and grants for PhD students, with eligibility criteria and application processes detailed on the university’s funding portal. Applicants are advised to check college-specific grants and ensure sufficient funding for tuition and living expenses.

Glean is positioning itself as an AI work assistant that integrates into enterprise systems, competing with tech giants by offering governance and permission management for AI tools. The article highlights the growing competition in enterprise AI and the challenges of implementing effective AI governance.

The article discusses the evolving role of AI in enterprises, highlighting Glean’s shift from an enterprise search tool to an AI work assistant that integrates with internal systems. It emphasizes the growing competition in the AI space and the importance of owning the AI layer that powers organizational workflows.

SpaceX and other companies are pursuing orbital AI infrastructure, aiming to deploy massive satellite constellations and lunar-based systems to leverage space’s potential cost advantages for AI compute. Competitors like Google and startups are also investing in similar projects, with ambitious timelines for deployment.

Microsoft’s Amanda Silver highlights how AI is transforming startups similarly to the public cloud, reducing infrastructure costs and enabling new opportunities. She emphasizes the importance of tools like Azure’s Foundry system in helping enterprises deploy AI effectively.

xAI published a public all-hands meeting video outlining its interplanetary ambitions, product roadmap, and organizational restructuring, including layoffs and the formation of four specialized teams. The video highlights the company’s rapid progress and evolving focus on AI-driven projects like Grok, Imagine, and Macrohard.

OpenAI has disbanded its mission alignment team, which aimed to communicate the company’s mission to ensure AGI benefits humanity. The team’s members have been reassigned, with former head Josh Achiam now serving as chief futurist. OpenAI stated the mission alignment work continues across the organization.

Apple has delayed its AI-powered Siri revamp again, with features now expected to roll out gradually over multiple iOS updates, potentially until iOS 27 in September. The new Siri will leverage Google Gemini, aiming to make it more like LLM chatbots without requiring third-party apps.

Uber Eats introduced an AI-powered ‘Cart Assistant’ that helps users quickly create grocery carts by analyzing lists, images, or recipes, while personalizing selections based on past orders. The feature aims to streamline shopping and compete with AI-integrated rivals in the food delivery and grocery space.

Threads introduces an AI feature called ‘Dear Algo’ that lets users temporarily personalize their feed by submitting public requests, which others can view and adopt. The feature aims to enhance community-driven content discovery but raises privacy concerns due to public visibility. It differentiates Threads from competitors by offering dynamic, user-initiated feed adjustments.

Half of xAI’s founding team has left the company, with co-founders Yuhuai Wu and Jimmy Ba departing recently, joining a trend of departures that include moves to other firms and health-related exits. The exodus raises questions about the lab’s stability and future direction.