U.S. CPI: +2.9% YEAR-OVER-YEAR (EST. +2.9%); U.S. CORE CPI: +3.2% YEAR-OVER-YEAR (EST. +3.3%)

May 3rd — Sequoia Financial Group announced the completion of a strategic investment in WooshPay, a global financial infrastructure and payment platform, per official sources. This move integrates WooshPay’s leading global payment and settlement capabilities with Sequoia’s existing digital asset infrastructure, AlphaToken, to strengthen the group’s financial ecosystem. With this investment, Sequoia aims to strategically position itself amid Hong Kong’s and the global digital finance boom, building a Sequoia digital finance ecosystem centered on “AI + Web3.”

Cerebras Systems is seeking to raise up to $4 billion in its initial public offering (IPO) as market demand for the AI chipmaker and data center operator’s stock heats up, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The California-based company is targeting a valuation of around $40 billion, the sources said, adding they requested anonymity because the details are not yet public. Cerebras is also rumored to kick off its IPO roadshow as early as Monday, per the report. Underwriters have received indications of interest totaling over $10 billion, the sources noted—this comes amid a sharp rally in semiconductor stocks. IPO details, including the offering size, valuation and timing, remain subject to change, the sources added. Cerebras declined to comment on the matter.

According to monitoring from Pulse Beating (as reported by TechCrunch), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)—the organization behind the Oscars—rolled out new award eligibility rules on Friday, with several provisions specifically addressing generative artificial intelligence (AI) use. AMPAS stated only performances exclusively created by human performers and listed in a film’s official credits are Oscar-eligible, requiring they be “achieved through human effort and skill.” Similarly, scripts must be “created by a human” to qualify. The academy also noted it reserves the right to request additional information from filmmakers about AI usage and the “degree of human involvement” in the creative process. These changes come amid a wave of AI-related industry developments: an independent film in production using an AI-generated likeness of Val Kilmer; AI “actor” Tilly Norwood making regular headlines; and concerns from some filmmakers over new video generation mode

NVIDIA’s corporate venture arm NVentures has made its first foray into legal AI by investing in Swedish legal tech startup Legora, according to TechCrunch reports cited by TechWatch Beating monitoring. Legora— which uses AI to help lawyers boost efficiency and compete with U.S.-based rival Harvey— has closed a $50 million Series D extension round. The new funding comes just one month after the company wrapped up a $550 million Series D round. The Y Combinator alum has also surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) — a milestone that lifted its post-money valuation to $5.6 billion. That figure narrows the gap with Harvey, which hit an $11 billion valuation last month. Additional investors in the round include Atlassian, Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue Management, Conviction Partners, Evantic (led by Matt Miller), and Kleiner Perkins.

On May 3, LAB experienced a flash crash this morning after hitting $4.1, dropping as low as $0.6708—plunging over 80% in 6 hours—before rebounding to $1.19, per HTX data. LAB contract trading liquidations totaled $39.39 million in the past 24 hours, leading all assets. Long position liquidations amounted to $15.42 million, while short position liquidations hit $23.97 million.