Table of Contents:
AI | Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI Launches Strategic Futures Team to Study AI’s Impact on Society
UK Backs Emerging AI Chip Startups With £1.1B Support Package
VC | Startup & Funding
Meta Launches AI Academy in Nigeria With $10K in Startup Funding
Danish AI Infrastructure Startup Velatir Raises €5M
HI | Hardware & Infrastructure
Nvidia Commits Up to $105B to Support OpenAI’s Ohio Data Center
Samsung Invests $170M in AI Data Center Cooling Facility in South Korea
OpenAI Launches Strategic Futures Team to Study AI’s Impact on Society
OpenAI has launched AI Futures, a blog from its new Strategic Futures team focused on how society and institutions should adapt to increasingly transformative AI.
The team identifies concentration of power as a central long-term risk, arguing that autonomous systems and machine intelligence could allow governments or other actors to exercise power with less dependence on human cooperation.
It advocates preserving individual autonomy while preventing excessive concentration of control over AI, combining legal, economic, technological and institutional approaches.
The team plans to publish research, papers, videos and podcasts examining how AI could reshape firms, governments and broader society.
Source: OpenAI
UK Backs Emerging AI Chip Startups With £1.1B Support Package
The United Kingdom is seeking to strengthen its position in AI hardware as a growing group of startups develops specialized chips and systems designed to compete with Nvidia’s dominant GPU architecture.
Companies including OLIX, Fractile, Lumai, Oriole Networks and Salience Labs are pursuing alternatives focused on areas such as inference, photonics and networking, attracting significant private investment alongside government support.
The UK’s AI hardware strategy includes more than £1.1 billion in targeted public and private support, including programs intended to stimulate chip procurement and provide domestic companies with access to compute and testing infrastructure.
The push reflects Britain’s broader effort to build domestic AI capabilities while remaining connected to international semiconductor supply chains.
Source: Bloomberg
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Meta Launches AI Academy in Nigeria With $10K in Startup Funding
Meta has launched the Meta AI Academy Nigeria to support Nigerian startups developing AI-powered solutions, in collaboration with the country’s 3 Million Technical Talent programme, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria.
Applicants will submit their solutions for consideration, with the top 10 selected to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on September 3.
Two winning startups will each receive $5,000 in cash, Meta advertising credits and an opportunity to compete against startups from Africa, the Middle East and Türkiye at Meta’s AI Summit in Istanbul in November.
The initiative is intended to provide Nigerian AI startups with funding, visibility and access to a broader regional and international innovation ecosystem.
Source: Tech Africa News
Danish AI Infrastructure Startup Velatir Raises €5M
Danish AI infrastructure startup Velatir has raised €5 million in new funding to accelerate its European expansion and hiring, six months after its pre-seed round and commercial launch.
The round was co-led by Spintop Ventures and existing investor Ugly Duckling Ventures, with participation from Norrsken Evolve, angel investors Jan Oberhauser and Thomas Visti, while Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund provided a matching loan.
Velatir is developing an infrastructure layer that gives companies visibility and control over AI tools, employees, agents, vendors, devices and data flows, with a focus on security and regulatory compliance.
The company says its platform is built entirely on European-owned and hosted infrastructure rather than US hyperscalers.
Source: EU-Startups
Nvidia Commits Up to $105B to Support OpenAI’s Ohio Data Center
Nvidia will provide up to $105 billion in financing support for a new OpenAI data center in Ohio, according to a securities filing.
The project, developed and managed by SoftBank-backed SB Energy, will provide OpenAI with an initial 4.25 gigawatts of computing capacity and an option for another 3.75 gigawatts, with capacity expected to come online in phases beginning in 2028.
OpenAI will lease the facility for 20 years, while Nvidia will supply the computing infrastructure and invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy.
The agreement is part of Nvidia’s broader strategy to secure long-term demand and infrastructure for its AI chips as data-center capacity becomes increasingly important to the industry.
Source: CNBC
Samsung Invests $170M in AI Data Center Cooling Facility in South Korea
Samsung Electronics will invest KRW 240 billion ($170 million) to build a new HVAC production facility at its Gwangju complex, with operations scheduled to begin in early 2028.
The 21,800-square-meter facility will primarily manufacture coolant distribution units for AI data centers, along with fan wall units and computer room air handling equipment.
The investment expands Samsung’s HVAC business beyond residential air conditioning and follows its acquisition of German specialist FläktGroup, whose technology will be incorporated into the Korean production site.
Samsung plans to offer both liquid and air-cooling systems for AI data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities in Korea and overseas.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
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