The Information

Art by Clark Miller.

Anthropic in Talks With Samsung to Manufacture Custom AI Chip

By Qianer Liu · Jul 2, 2026 6:50am PDT · 1 comment

Anthropic has begun early-stage work on its own AI chip and held talks with Samsung Electronics as a potential manufacturing partner, following the lead of rival OpenAI in trying to get more control over the costly computing systems behind its models, according to three people with direct knowledge of the project. If the Claude maker goes ahead... Anthropic has begun early-stage work on its own AI chip and held talks with Samsung Electronics...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang via Getty

Nvidia Says It Will Take a Cut of Some Customers’ Cloud Revenues

By Phoebe Liu · Jul 1, 2026 8:31pm PDT · 3 comments

Nvidia is using its powerful balance sheet to help more companies buy its expensive AI chips, and possibly make some money back too. It’s promising to financially backstop young cloud providers that rent out its graphics processing units in exchange for a share of their revenues. The backstop would come in the form of promising to rent back... Nvidia is using its powerful balance sheet to help more companies buy its expensive AI chips, and...

Adam Selipsky. Getty Images.

New KKR Venture Hunts for Deals to Clear Data Center Logjam

By Dakin Campbell · Jun 30, 2026 6:00am PDT

Newly launched AI infrastructure firm Helix Infrastructure Partners is jumping into the AI build-out race, joining a growing group of private equity investors trying to bring new data center space to hyperscalers while demand is still red hot. Helix, backed by investing giant KKR, Nvidia and others and led by former Amazon Web Services chief... Newly launched AI infrastructure firm Helix Infrastructure Partners is jumping into the AI...

Higgsfield co-founder Alex Mashrabov attends the Higgsfield "Hell Grind" screening at Metro Private Cinema in New York City. Photo by Getty Images.

AI Video Startup in Talks to Quadruple Valuation to $5 Billion

By Valida Pau and Julia Hornstein · Jun 29, 2026 5:52pm PDT

Higgsfield co-founder Alex Mashrabov attends the Higgsfield "Hell Grind" screening at Metro Private Cinema in New York City. Photo by Getty Images.

AI Video Startup in Talks to Quadruple Valuation to $5 Billion

By Valida Pau and Julia Hornstein · Jun 29, 2026 5:52pm PDT

AI video startup Higgsfield AI is in talks with investors to raise $300 million to $500 million at a valuation of $5 billion before the investment, according to two people with knowledge of the fundraising efforts. A valuation at that level would be more than four times its valuation in a funding round in January, signaling demand for startups... AI video startup Higgsfield AI is in talks with investors to raise $300 million to $500 million...

Andrew Jassy, left, and Dario Amodei. Photos via Getty Images

Amazon Could Pay More for Anthropic Technology Under New Deal

By Catherine Perloff · Jun 29, 2026 9:00am PDT

As Anthropic grows to become a leading AI model used by enterprises, it’s been flexing its power with customers—including one of its most important early backers, Amazon. Earlier this year, Anthropic renegotiated an aspect of its partnership with Amazon, making it more expensive for the cloud and e-commerce giant to use Anthropic models in... As Anthropic grows to become a leading AI model used by enterprises, it’s been flexing its power...

Virginia Senator Mark Warner. Photo by Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Sen. Mark Warner to Unveil AI Agent Bill

By Leo Schwartz · Jun 29, 2026 6:30am PDT

Lawmakers are racing to catch up to AI, with dozens of bills floating around Congress that address issues from deepfakes to model safety. On Monday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) plans to unveil a discussion draft that focuses on another area at the frontier of AI: agents. While chat interfaces like Claude and ChatGPT may have been the gateway to AI,... Lawmakers are racing to catch up to AI, with dozens of bills floating around Congress that...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

Internal Docs Show Meta Putting Limits on Claude and Codex, Fearing Distillation

By Jyoti Mann · Jun 29, 2026 6:00am PDT

As Meta Platforms tries to wean itself off expensive AI coding applications from Anthropic and OpenAI, it is confronting a difficult challenge: keeping employees from relying too much on those outside tools to build in-house replacements. Internal guidelines reviewed by The Information show Meta is drawing strict limits on how engineers in its ... As Meta Platforms tries to wean itself off expensive AI coding applications from Anthropic and...

Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images

Baidu’s Chip Unit Asked IPO Investors to Buy Its Semiconductors

By Qianer Liu · Jun 28, 2026 11:00am PDT

Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images

Baidu’s Chip Unit Asked IPO Investors to Buy Its Semiconductors

By Qianer Liu · Jun 28, 2026 11:00am PDT

In China, chip companies may have found a new clientele for their semiconductors: IPO investors. Kunlunxin Technology, an AI chip firm majority owned by search engine company Baidu, is planning to go public in Hong Kong at a target valuation of $50 billion, according to a person who participated in a recent investor road show by the company and... In China, chip companies may have found a new clientele for their semiconductors: IPO investors....

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff via Getty Images. Art by Clark Miller

Salesforce Employees Worry Over Anthropic’s Invasion of Slack

By Laura Bratton · Jun 27, 2026 7:01am PDT · 1 comment

When Anthropic on Tuesday launched a high-profile AI product for businesses that use Slack, some employees at Salesforce, which owns Slack, were confused. In social media posts, Salesforce promoted Anthropic’s new product, Claude Tag, which works as a kind of AI teammate that lives inside group Slack chats. It sees and remembers everything that’... When Anthropic on Tuesday launched a high-profile AI product for businesses that use Slack, some...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Anthropic’s Mythos Spooked DeepSeek, Prompting Its $7.4 Billion Fundraising

By Jing Yang, Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Jun 26, 2026 6:00am PDT · 8 comments

Up until two months ago, DeepSeek, the three-year-old Chinese AI lab, was an anomaly in the increasingly costly global AI battle. It had relied entirely on CEO Liang Wenfeng’s personal wealth and never raised outside money. That changed in the middle of this month, when DeepSeek completed a $7.4 billion fundraising that valued the startup at... Up until two months ago, DeepSeek, the three-year-old Chinese AI lab, was an anomaly in the...

Sam Altman, left, CEO of OpenAI and Howard Lutnick, U.S. Commerce Secretary. Photos via Getty Images; art by Mike Sullivan

Trump Administration Asks OpenAI to Stagger Release of New Model Over Security Concerns

By Leo Schwartz, Stephanie Palazzolo and Amir Efrati · Jun 25, 2026 1:16pm PDT · 2 comments

For AI companies on the verge of releasing cutting edge new AI models, there’s a new normal in the wake of the Trump administration’s tense showdown with Anthropic in recent weeks. On Wednesday, for example, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman informed staff during a Q&A session that the company would release its latest model, GPT 5.6, in a limited... For AI companies on the verge of releasing cutting edge new AI models, there’s a new normal in...

Photo by Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images

Google Strikes Tough Negotiating Stance With Publishers on AI Licensing

By Ann Gehan · Jun 25, 2026 1:02pm PDT · 2 comments

Photo by Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images

Google Strikes Tough Negotiating Stance With Publishers on AI Licensing

By Ann Gehan · Jun 25, 2026 1:02pm PDT · 2 comments

Google is tightening the screws on news publishers. In recent months, the tech giant has been pitching publishers on a pilot program to test new AI features in Google News. The program, announced in December with initial partners such as The Washington Post and The Guardian, offers publishers promotion in “AI-powered article overviews” in Google... Google is tightening the screws on news publishers. In recent months, the tech giant has been...

Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, on stage at Google I/O. Photo by David Paul Morris / Getty Images

Google Revamps New AI Coding Strike Team Amid Struggle to Catch Up With Anthropic

By Erin Woo · Jun 25, 2026 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Google is reorganizing its recently launched strike team working on AI coding tools to try to catch up with Anthropic in the most lucrative AI applications, according to people familiar with the changes. The goal is for the months-old strike team to change the approach to training Google’s AI models to improve their abilities in both coding... Google is reorganizing its recently launched strike team working on AI coding tools to try to...

SambaNova CEO Rodrigo Liang via Getty

Intel-Backed AI Chip Firm SambaNova to Quintuple Valuation to $10 Billion

By Phoebe Liu and Valida Pau · Jun 24, 2026 12:44pm PDT

AI server chips that effectively compete with Nvidia’s have never been more in-demand as AI developers and cloud providers seek lower-cost alternatives to the market leader. In the latest example, nine-year-old chip startup SambaNova is set to raise between $800 million and $1 billion, its executive chairman, Lip-Bu Tan, said at an event on... AI server chips that effectively compete with Nvidia’s have never been more in-demand as AI...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

The 300-Plus Bans and Moratoriums Threatening the U.S. Data Center Boom

By Shane Burke · Jun 24, 2026 9:59am PDT · 4 comments

Since the start of the year, cities, towns, counties and states across America have slammed the brakes on allowing new data centers in their backyards. By exhaustively combing through a combination of legal documents and local news reports, The Information has identified more than 300 temporary and permanent bans on data center development that... Since the start of the year, cities, towns, counties and states across America have slammed the...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

XAI Bets on Grok’s Racy Side

By Grace Kay and Theo Wayt · Jun 24, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Art by Mike Sullivan.

XAI Bets on Grok’s Racy Side

By Grace Kay and Theo Wayt · Jun 24, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

SpaceX’s xAI is doubling down on video- and image-generating tools, people familiar with the project said. That’s seizing on an opening left by OpenAI and Anthropic, which offer fewer visual capabilities. XAI launched an upgraded video model last week, highlighting how it’s pushing ahead with its own visual efforts even as it brings in outside... SpaceX’s xAI is doubling down on video- and image-generating tools, people familiar with the...

Pat Gelsinger, General Partner at Playground Global. Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

U.S.-Backed Chipmaking Startup Chaired by Former Intel CEO Is Raising $350 Million

By Phoebe Liu and Jemima McEvoy · Jun 23, 2026 4:32pm PDT · 1 comment

XLight, a startup developing advanced lasers for semiconductor manufacturing, is in talks to raise $350 million in funding from a pair of investment firms just weeks after receiving substantial investment from the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to the company’s verbal and written pitch to prospective investors. The company wants to... XLight, a startup developing advanced lasers for semiconductor manufacturing, is in talks to...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Ex-DOGE Employees Raise $225 million for Venture Fund Banner VC

By Leo Schwartz · Jun 22, 2026 10:50am PDT

Two former members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have raised $225 million for their debut venture fund, Banner VC, according to a person close to the fund and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Banner separately raised nearly $75 million to co-lead a recent round in the orbital infrastructure startup... Two former members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have raised $225 million...

Chis Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Lime Plans to Name Uber as an Anchor Investor in IPO

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 21, 2026 4:44pm PDT · 6 comments

The initial public offering for Lime, an electric scooter and bike rental company that was once a stalwart of the late 2010s startup scene, is getting financial support from an old friend: Uber. The ride-hailing giant is expected to invest a “meaningful” amount in the deal and be named as an anchor investor on the cover of an updated IPO... The initial public offering for Lime, an electric scooter and bike rental company that was once a...

Tarek Mansour, co-founder of Kalshi. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/ Getty Images

Kalshi Passes $2 Billion in Annualized Revenue, Holds Informal IPO Talks

By Yueqi Yang · Jun 18, 2026 2:30pm PDT

Tarek Mansour, co-founder of Kalshi. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/ Getty Images

Kalshi Passes $2 Billion in Annualized Revenue, Holds Informal IPO Talks

By Yueqi Yang · Jun 18, 2026 2:30pm PDT

Prediction market Kalshi is generating more than $2 billion in annualized revenue, up about three times from November, as traders betting on NBA and World Cup games drove a surge in trading volume, according to people familiar with the company’s financials. Kalshi’s fast growth has led its top executives to hold informal conversations with... Prediction market Kalshi is generating more than $2 billion in annualized revenue, up about three...