Microsoft’s MAI-Image-2.6-Flash variant offers strong cost-performance: 2.8x faster, with 1,000 images priced under $20.

Crypto KOL Ansem stated during a discussion with Market Bubble and Banks that as AI continues to expand and intellectual labor becomes commoditized, culture, attention, and collective belief will grow more valuable. If quantum risks become a material threat to Bitcoin, Zcash (ZEC) has a path to achieve a valuation close to Bitcoin’s by leveraging its privacy features and the narrative of being a "better store of value." "I hold some ZEC spot, but I am not actively taking a long position," Ansem added. He also noted that Murad, a meme coin KOL, is correct in his broad judgment about the premium for cultural and belief-based assets, but it is "extremely, extremely unlikely" that pure meme coins will surpass Bitcoin in market capitalization. In his view, when the future brings massive numbers of AI agents and an oversupply of intellectual labor, the only assets that will truly command a premium are those tied to individuals, culture, and assets that people genuinely believe in.

PONS founder Ozzy said he bought some spot Bitcoin today, marking his first purchase of the asset since January 2023. According to HTX market data, Bitcoin is currently trading at $82,300, having pulled back roughly 6% from its recent high of $87,400.

Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released 11 regulatory rules concerning cryptocurrency ETFs, which will take effect on October 16. The first phase restricts ETF investments to Bitcoin and Ethereum, requiring a passive investment strategy. The annual average net exposure to a single crypto asset must not fall below 80% of the fund’s net assets, with assets held by regulated digital asset custodians. Additionally, the new rules permit mutual funds and private funds to invest in local Thai crypto ETFs, but bar securities firms from providing margin financing for such purchases. In the first phase, securities firms are prohibited from offering overseas crypto ETF investment services to clients other than institutional investors and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

Bernstein noted that sustained growth in artificial intelligence (AI) demand and resilient demand for high-end smartphones may continue to drive revenue growth for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM.N, TSMC). Calculated from monthly revenue figures, TSMC’s third-quarter revenue hit NT$1.49 trillion, 3% above the market consensus forecast. Bernstein projects TSMC’s U.S. dollar-denominated revenue will rise 41% this year. TSMC is poised to release its full third-quarter earnings report shortly, with investors closely monitoring its 2nm process capacity expansion, potential further expansion in the U.S., and its outlook for 2027. Bernstein’s prior forecast of 30% annual revenue growth for TSMC in 2027 and 2028 has upside potential.

Beating AI News – ByteDance has announced the official merger of its AI office tool TraeWork and programming tool TraeCode into a new product named TRAE. The two previously separate clients will be unified under a single entry, offering two modes: Agent and IDE. The Agent mode enables AI to automatically advance tasks, while the IDE mode retains full code editing and debugging capabilities. The new Agent mode supports managing multiple projects simultaneously, scheduling multiple AI agents to work in parallel, and connecting to SSH remote development environments. Users can have AI handle end-to-end workflows from requirement analysis to page design, coding, testing and delivery, and switch to the IDE mode at any time for manual code modifications. Existing features including scheduled tasks, template libraries and office capabilities are also integrated, with cross-device support for desktop, web and mobile. ByteDance stated that chat history, account information, local data, login status and business points will be automatically migrated after the upgrade. TraeWork users need to manually initiate the upgrade in the client, while TraeCode users will receive automatic updates. The official documentation clarifies that TraeWork will be discontinued on October 23, and users who fail to upgrade by then will no longer be able to access it. However, some developers have expressed dissatisfaction with the new version. Users in TRAE’s official community have reported that the software now defaults to the Agent workspace; the previously commonly used IDE mode requires manual switching, and there is currently no option to adjust the default startup mode.

News flash from Dong察 Beating AI: Doubao App has added a new "Life Payments" feature. When users type "pay electricity bill" or "pay water bill" in the chat box, Doubao will pop up a service card; clicking it leads to the page for settling water, electricity, and gas bills, eliminating the need to look for payment entry points in other apps. However, the feature is not available in all regions yet. Even if the service is accessible in their city, users still need to link their account number, confirm, and complete the payment – it does not support automatic deduction with just a single command. A source close to Doubao told The Paper that the app is gradually expanding service capabilities for daily affairs, including travel booking and life payments. Previously, Doubao had already integrated services such as flight tickets, train tickets, and ride-hailing.