RAIDD Recap - Week 31
AI stocks surge on Meta/Microsoft earnings; infrastructure rivals Skild AI and fal hit unicorn status; China builds alliances to bypass U.S. export curbs; UNESCO-style guidance delays in the EU.
RECAP
📈 Meta & Microsoft lift markets on AI earnings
Wall Street futures surged to record highs after Meta forecasted strong Q3 ad revenue fuelled by AI, while Microsoft reported robust Azure growth and announced a $30 billion capex plan. S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow E-minis all climbed amid renewed investor confidence in AI’s economic payoff.
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🤖 Amazon-backed Skild AI unveils 'Skild Brain' model
Skild AI, backed by Amazon and SoftBank, released a new general-purpose AI model called Skild Brain—designed for robots in diverse environments. The model enables navigation, object recognition, and situational awareness across robotics platforms, boosting humanoid and industrial robot versatility.
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💰 Infrastructure provider fal reaches $1.5 B valuation
AI infrastructure startup fal raised $125 million in a Series C round led by Meritech and including Google AI Futures and Salesforce Ventures. The round values the company at $1.5 billion—highlighting the growing importance of AI tooling and backend platforms.
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🏗️ Chinese AI firms form alliances amid export restrictions
Major Chinese players like Alibaba, Baidu, and Huawei have formed industry alliances to build a domestic AI ecosystem in response to U.S. export curbs. The effort aims to reduce reliance on foreign hardware and accelerate local innovation pipelines.
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⚖️ EU delays AI Code of Practice rollout until end‑2025
The European Commission has pushed the voluntary Code of Practice for general-purpose AI into late 2025—more than six months behind schedule. Companies including Google and Meta had lobbied for the delay, while the Commission reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the full AI Act on time.
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