The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

On June 19, New York-based startup General Intuition is in talks to raise roughly $3 billion, as the company develops a foundational model designed to train AI agents to move and act within spatial and temporal contexts. This fundraising round arrives just eight months after General Intuition spun out from Medal, a gaming video-sharing platform. At the time of that spinout, the startup completed a $134 million seed round. If this latest round is successful, General Intuition’s valuation will rise to over $20 billion. Sources with direct knowledge of the matter say the company has attracted support from investors including Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt, along with existing backers Khosla Ventures and General Catalyst. General Intuition was founded and is led by Pim de Witte, a Medal co-founder. It operates alongside co-founders Eloi Alonso, Adam Jelley, and Vincent Micheli—all researchers focused on world modeling and simulation technology. To access the original article and join Bloc

June 19: Traders report that this week, amid positive global market sentiment post the Iran deal, Turkey’s central bank purchased $10 billion in foreign exchange reserves. (FXStreet)

June 19, 2024 — The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a unanimous order Thursday mandating that the nation’s six major grid operators speed up interconnection requests from data centers and other large electricity users. Per the rule, grid operators must demonstrate that data centers can connect to the transmission system in a timely, orderly fashion, with data centers responsible for covering all associated interconnection costs. The full unanimous approval from FERC commissioners signals a clear push to reduce bottlenecks for high-power-demand facilities. FERC also moved to support grid technology startups by directing operators to evaluate “alternative transmission technologies.” Though not explicitly named in the order, this category could cover innovations like solid-state transformers or superconductive transmission lines. Operators face tight compliance deadlines: they must submit a report within 30 days outlining any available generation redundanc

June 19th — According to Bloomberg, Meta Platforms Inc. has struck a new agreement with data center developer Crusoe to acquire artificial intelligence (AI) computing power, reinforcing the infrastructure needed to support the company’s ambitious AI expansion efforts. Sources with direct knowledge of the deal (who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations) revealed Meta has signed a contract to purchase computing capacity from two of Crusoe’s data centers, located in Childress, Texas, and Warrenton, Missouri, respectively. Combined, these two facilities will provide Meta with roughly 1.6 gigawatts of computing power. For perspective, one gigawatt of electricity is equivalent to powering approximately 750,000 U.S. households. Want to stay updated on global AI hot topics around the clock? Click the original article link below to join BlockBeats’ Feishu AI News Channel.

June 19 — According to Bloomberg, Standard Nuclear Inc., a nuclear reactor fuel manufacturer based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) as surging power demand fueled by the artificial intelligence boom drives its move to go public. In documents submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company reported a net loss of $7.71 million and revenue of $593,800 for the three months ended March 31. This compares to a net loss of $8.29 million and revenue of $377,900 in the same period last year. Click the link below to view the original article and join BlockBeats’ Feishu AI News Channel, which tracks global AI trends and news around the clock.

June 19 (CCTV International News) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement on Tuesday (June 19) confirming that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s stance on the Iran-U.S. forgiveness memorandum has further cemented the Iranian people’s united front, reinforced the nation’s armed forces’ resolve to safeguard the fruits of victory, and provided a valuable asset for Iranian policymakers advancing the country’s national interests. The statement noted that the "aggressor" referenced (widely understood in regional and international contexts to mean the United States) has suffered battlefield defeats after once threatening to "wipe Iran off the map" and "return Iran to the Stone Age." Now, the guard said, the foe has "desperately retreated to beg for reconciliation and negotiation," bowing to the will of the Iranian people. In a final warning, the Revolutionary Guards stated that if the enemy repeats past behavior by making unreasonable demands that violate Iran’s sovereig