AI infrastructure sector

CNBC's Daily Open newsletter highlights a growing split in the artificial intelligence world: some of the technology's own creators are publicly warning about AI's dangers, while companies continue investing heavily in data centres, chips and other infrastructure to expand it. The piece frames the tension between safety concerns and the commercial race as a defining issue in the sector right now.

Major technology companies are rapidly expanding the use of guarantees to back debt financing for AI datacentres and chips, issuing up to $300 billion in commitments in less than a year, according to analysis shared by economist Adam Tooze. The commitments largely stay off the companies' balance sheets, raising questions about hidden leverage in the AI buildout and how much risk the industry is actually carrying.

Inworld has acquired Ultravox, a Seattle-based voice AI startup that was previously known as Fixie. The deal brings Ultravox's voice technology team under Inworld, an AI company focused on expressive and conversational agents. The acquisition follows a broader wave of consolidation in the voice AI sector, as larger platforms move to absorb startups building real-time speech infrastructure. Terms of the deal were not disclosed in the initial report.

Concern is growing in Alberta, Canada, that the rapid build-out of energy-hungry data centres, driven largely by artificial intelligence demand, will translate into higher electricity bills for households. The issue has become a prominent public talking point in the province, touching on debates over energy policy, infrastructure capacity, the role of the oil and gas sector, and the environmental and economic costs of attracting big tech facilities.

Google has announced Project Suncatcher, an initiative aimed at eventually running AI data centers in space, using solar-powered satellites to meet the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence. The announcement is being reported widely across US public radio outlets. Details on timelines, costs and feasibility remain limited, but the project signals how major tech firms are exploring unconventional ways to power AI infrastructure as terrestrial energy needs surge.

Convenience and retail industry leaders are being urged to prepare for the growing role of artificial intelligence in store operations, customer service and supply chains. The discussion focuses on how retailers can adopt AI tools now to stay competitive, and what skills and infrastructure businesses will need as the technology reshapes the sector.

Tencent has agreed a roughly $7 billion deal with Oracle to lease 100,000 AI chips, according to the Financial Times. The arrangement would give the Chinese tech giant access to overseas computing power amid US restrictions on exporting advanced chips to China. The report has drawn attention to how Chinese firms are finding workarounds through foreign cloud providers, and to Oracle's growing role in the AI infrastructure race.

Amazon is looking to transfer about $8 billion worth of Nvidia chips to investors, according to a Financial Times report carried by Reuters. The move would offload part of the computing capacity Amazon has accumulated for its cloud and AI operations, and comes as companies reassess how much AI infrastructure they need. The report is drawing attention across the semiconductor and cloud-computing sectors.

A new list highlights three AI infrastructure stocks that retail investors are following as spending on data centers continues to climb across the tech sector. The piece reflects growing investor interest in companies that supply the hardware and facilities behind AI buildouts, rather than the AI developers themselves. Individual stock names were not specified in the coverage available.

Japanese power company JERA has announced a partnership with US technology firm Dell and RHAELM to develop AI infrastructure in Japan. The collaboration aims to build data centre and computing capacity to support growing artificial intelligence demand in the country. JERA, one of Japan's largest power generators, is moving into the AI infrastructure sector amid a nationwide push to expand computing power.

Amazon has signed a $1 billion AI chip design deal as its cloud unit, AWS, moves further into designing chips in house. The move signals Amazon's push to reduce reliance on outside chip suppliers and build custom silicon for its artificial intelligence infrastructure. The story is drawing attention across the semiconductor and cloud computing sectors.

Companies borrowing money to fund artificial intelligence projects are struggling to win over lenders in the riskier segments of the US credit market, according to a Reuters report. Investors financing data centres and AI infrastructure through high-risk debt are demanding better terms, suggesting Wall Street is becoming more cautious about the sector's profitability despite the broader AI investment boom.