Technology

• Apple Names New M&A Chief in Latest Shake-Up Under CEO John Ternus
  Apple Inc. is naming a new mergers and acquisitions chief, according to people familiar with the matter, marking the latest management change under new Chief Executive Officer John Ternus.
• Oracle Moves Gas by Trucks to Avoid Data Center Power Delays
  Oracle Corp. is using a novel power strategy to keep several data centers on track: trucking natural gas directly to the server farms.
• Trump to Unveil $2.4 Billion in AI Pledges to Boost Research
  President Donald Trump is set to announce $2.4 billion in commitments from Silicon Valley giants to bolster scientific research at a summit Thursday in Washington, the latest administration effort to promote and harness artificial intelligence.
• AI Model Evaluator Arena Valued at Over $3 Billion in Round
  Arena Intelligence Inc., the startup behind a popular artificial intelligence model leaderboard, has raised $200 million in funding at a $3.1 billion valuation and plans to expand into measuring AI safety, tapping into growing demand to evaluate the technology’s performance and risks.The financing, set to be announced Thursday, was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Salesforce Ventures and Dell Technologies Capital. The startup was previously valued a
• Nigeria-Founded Moove to Exit Country After Uber Pulled Out
  Moove, the Nigerian-founded mobility startup valued at $2.1 billion, plans to exit the African country after Uber Technologies Inc. closed its operations in early September.
• Former OpenAI, Cognition Staffers Want AI Agents Running Businesses
  A group of former employees from some of the fastest-growing artificial intelligence firms, including OpenAI and Cognition AI Inc., are starting a new company to create AI agents that can help run a business, joining a crowded field of services using the technology to streamline work. Hone is set to announce Thursday that it has raised a $60 million seed round to develop AI agents that essentially serve as professional staffers, fielding long-running tasks over the course of weeks or even mo
• Big Banks Seen Keeping Up Torrid Borrowing Pace to Fund AI Boom
  Wall Street’s biggest banks are set to extend a months-long borrowing binge and issue more bonds than usual in the fourth quarter, raising funds to meet the insatiable financing needs fueling the artificial intelligence boom.
• Google Launches Workplace AI Agent That Acts Like Colleague
  Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced a Gemini agent for the workplace, ramping up competition with OpenAI, Anthropic PBC and Microsoft Corp. for corporate customers.
• Apple’s New Watches Don’t Do Enough to Beat Out Oura and Whoop
• FTC Probes Block After Consumer Complaints Over Frozen Accounts
  The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Block Inc., the parent of Square and Cash App, violated US consumer protection laws by failing to provide adequate customer service to help with frozen or deactivated accounts amid significant cuts in staffing.
• Union Square Ventures Doubles Fund Size, Shrinks Team for AI Era
  New York City-based venture firm Union Square Ventures is reinventing itself to better compete in the artificial intelligence race by nearly doubling the size of its core fund and whittling down its general partnership to just four investors.
• German Startup Trains Its Robots Using Humans Filming Themselves
  Germany’s Agile Robots is training its machines by filming humans performing tasks, in a bid to compensate for a shortfall of data that is holding back industrial automation, according to its chief executive officer.
• TCS Profit Beats Estimates After IT Deal Flow Slowly Picks Up
  Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. reported quarterly profit that topped analysts’ estimates, helped by cost-cutting measures and a gradually improving contract flow that helped drive growth at Asia’s largest IT services provider.
• AI Hot Potato Is Meta’s for Now, But Chip Stocks Are the Winners
  Wall Street pros say chipmakers remain the best way for equity investors to play the race for the top artificial intelligence agent even as Meta Platforms Inc.’s Muse seems to have seized the baton.
• Does AI Need Its Own Oath to ‘Do No Harm’?
• Ex-Flipkart Execs Press Walmart to Buy Out Their Stock Options
  A group of former Flipkart executives is urging parent Walmart Inc. to buy out their stock options, seeking to cash in while the US retailer weighs options including a separate listing for the India e-commerce operator.
• Nvidia-Backed IPO’s Cratering Demand Sends Warning on AI Funding
  The sudden plunge in demand for an Nvidia-backed data center company’s initial public offering is revealing fresh cracks in the AI funding boom.
• OpenAI Recruits Second Sales Executive From Musk’s SpaceX in Last Month
  OpenAI has appointed Ismail Elmas as vice president for sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the AI developer’s second sales hire from Elon Musk’s SpaceX since September.
• Hacker Who Hit Korean Banks Likely from China, CrowdStrike Says
  The hacker suspected of infiltrating some of South Korea’s largest banks this month may have used AI tools to carry out the attacks from China, cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike says, shedding new light on an incident that’s shaken the nation’s financial sector.
• Finland’s Data Center Tally Tops €67 Billion on AI Boom
  Finland’s data center boom is gathering pace, with several new projects unveiled since after Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced its biggest-ever European investment in the country last month.
• TSMC’s Quarterly Revenue Jumps 51% After AI Demand Holds Up
  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported a 51% rise in quarterly revenue, a positive signal for investors trying to gauge the sustainability of a global AI infrastructure buildout.
• Tencent Mulls $5 Billion Bond Offering as AI Push Ramps Up
  Tencent Holdings Ltd. is considering an offshore bond sale of as much as $5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, adding to the wave of tech companies seeking debt financing as artificial intelligence needs grow.