AI Systems Shine at ICPC, Apple Acquires WhyLabs, and SK Telecom Teams Up with OpenAI - Daily AI Brief #288
September 20, 2025 -
Daily AI Brief
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AI Systems have excelled at the 2025 ICPC in Baku, showcasing advancements in computational problem-solving. Meanwhile, New Zealand has announced a $41 million investment in AI research, aiming to bolster its technological capabilities. In Japan, SoftBank and OpenAI have delayed their AI venture, while SK Telecom and OpenAI are collaborating on AI services in South Korea.
Apple has acquired AI startup WhyLabs, and Dyna Robotics has raised $120 million to develop robotic models. Eaton has introduced a tool for detecting AI power bursts, and Google has laid off 200 AI contractors from GlobalLogic. Additionally, Kertos has secured €14 million to enhance its AI compliance platform.
Welcome to today's AI Brief.
AI Systems have excelled at the 2025 ICPC in Baku, showcasing advancements in computational problem-solving. Meanwhile, New Zealand has announced a $41 million investment in AI research, aiming to bolster its technological capabilities. In Japan, SoftBank and OpenAI have delayed their AI venture, while SK Telecom and OpenAI are collaborating on AI services in South Korea.
Apple has acquired AI startup WhyLabs, and Dyna Robotics has raised $120 million to develop robotic models. Eaton has introduced a tool for detecting AI power bursts, and Google has laid off 200 AI contractors from GlobalLogic. Additionally, Kertos has secured €14 million to enhance its AI compliance platform.
SK Telecom and OpenAI Collaborate on AI Services in South Korea
SK Telecom has teamed up with OpenAI to enhance consumer AI services in South Korea. This partnership aims to expand access to AI technologies and strengthen SK Telecom's AI ecosystem. Read more
Apple Acquires AI Startup WhyLabs
Apple has acquired the Seattle-based AI startup WhyLabs. The acquisition includes hiring certain employees and utilizing WhyLabs' intellectual property, as disclosed by the European Commission. Read more
Dyna Robotics Raises $120 Million for Robotic Models
Dyna Robotics has secured $120 million in Series A funding to enhance their robotic foundation models. The investment will support team expansion and development of general-purpose robots using the DYNA-1 model. Read more
Eaton Introduces Tool for Detecting AI Power Surges
Power management company Eaton has launched an edge-based solution to detect sudden energy demand spikes from AI computing, known as AI power bursts. This tool is part of a firmware update to the Power Xpert quality system. Read more
Google Lays Off Over 200 AI Contractors from GlobalLogic
Google has terminated over 200 contractors from GlobalLogic involved in AI projects like Gemini and AI Overviews, amid concerns about job security and pay disputes. Read more
Kertos Secures €14M to Enhance AI Compliance Platform
Munich-based startup Kertos has successfully raised €14 million in a Series A funding round. The company plans to use the funds to automate compliance processes for European businesses with AI technology. Read more
Menlo Ventures Promotes Deedy Das to Partner
On September 15, 2025, Menlo Ventures announced the promotion of Deedy Das to Partner, highlighting his contributions to their AI investment strategy. Read more
Oxford Quantum Circuits and Digital Realty Open NYC's First Quantum-AI Data Centre
On September 16, 2025, Oxford Quantum Circuits and Digital Realty launched New York City's first Quantum-AI Data Centre, featuring the integration of OQC's GENESIS quantum computer with NVIDIA's GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips. Read more
Seapoint Launches AI Financial Platform for Startups
Seapoint, a financial platform for European startups, has secured $3 million in pre-seed funding. The platform uses AI to automate financial processes for mid-market companies. Read more
Nothing Secures $200 Million for AI Platform and Devices
British tech company Nothing has raised $200 million in a Series C funding round to develop an AI platform and new devices, including smart glasses and humanoid robots. Read more
DeepSeek's R1 Model Achieves Peer-Reviewed Status
Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek has reached a significant milestone with its R1 model, becoming the first major AI large language model to undergo formal peer review, as reported in Nature. Read more
Italy Enacts Comprehensive AI Law
Italy has become the first EU country to pass a comprehensive AI law. The legislation focuses on privacy, oversight, and requires parental consent for children under 14 to access AI technologies. Read more
ABB Robotics and LandingAI to Enhance Robotics with AI Vision Software
ABB Robotics is collaborating with LandingAI to integrate AI-driven vision software into its RobotStudio suite, aiming to improve deployment speed across industries. Read more
Gorilla and Freyr Sign $1.4B AI Data Centre Deal
Gorilla Technology Group Inc. and Freyr Technology have entered a $1.4 billion contract to develop AI data centres in Southeast Asia, beginning with a $300 million phase in Indonesia. Read more
Luma AI's Ray3 Model Now in Adobe Firefly
Luma AI has introduced its Ray3 video model in Adobe Firefly, enabling users to create high-quality videos with features such as HDR and a multimodal reasoning system. Read more
Hugging Face Launches FinePDFs Dataset
Hugging Face has introduced FinePDFs, a massive dataset derived from 475 million PDFs in 1,733 languages, totaling 3 trillion tokens. This dataset aims to improve language model training with high-quality content. Read more
AI Systems Excel at 2025 ICPC in Baku
At the 2025 International Collegiate Programming Contest in Baku, OpenAI and Google DeepMind achieved top scores, outperforming university teams in this prestigious coding competition. Read more
New Zealand Invests $41 Million in AI Research
The New Zealand government will allocate 41 million USD over seven years to boost AI research and commercialization at the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology. Read more
SoftBank and OpenAI Delay AI Services Venture in Japan
The joint venture between SoftBank and OpenAI to provide AI services in Japan is delayed, with an update expected in November. Read more
Google to Expand Internet and AI Initiatives in Africa
Google plans to establish four new subsea cable hubs to improve Internet connectivity in Africa, impacting 18 nations. Additionally, Google will invest $9 million in AI research and training for African universities. Read more
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