The global sphere of artificial intelligence continues to evolve rapidly, marked by significant infrastructure investments, expanding cloud services, and ongoing debates about its societal impact. In a major development, Reliance Industries Ltd's joint venture, Digital Connexion, announced an $11 billion investment over five years to construct a 1 gigawatt AI data center in Visakhapatnam, India. This ambitious project, in partnership with Canadian firm Brookfield and US-based Digital Realty, aims to meet India's surging demand for AI applications. Complementing this, Larsen & Toubro plans to spend an additional $2.5 billion over five years on five data centers, including one in Visakhapatnam, bringing the total announced investment in the region to $13.5 billion. These efforts are poised to establish Visakhapatnam as a crucial data center hub, with India's overall data capacity projected to triple by 2030. Microsoft is also actively expanding its AI footprint, particularly in Southeast Asia. The company recently boosted its cloud and AI services in the Indonesia Central cloud region, enabling local organizations to run AI workloads within the country. This expansion, announced at the Cloud & AI Innovation Summit in Jakarta, introduces new Azure services like AI-ready virtual machines, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and GitHub Copilot. Indonesian companies such as Petrosea, Vale Indonesia, and tiket.com are already leveraging these local cloud tools to drive innovation and manage their data needs effectively. While AI's capabilities are growing, so are discussions around its implications. On the consumer front, generative AI is proving to be a handy tool for home cooks, acting as an emergency hotline for Thanksgiving dinner mishaps like frozen turkeys or missing ingredients. A 2025 YouGov survey indicates that 56% of US adults use AI tools, with 64% having utilized AI for recipe ideas or kitchen assistance. However, not everyone is convinced; Wyoming chefs, including celebrity chef Petrina Peart, express skepticism about AI-generated turkey recipes, noting they often omit crucial steps like brining and resting, which are essential for flavor and moisture. The expansion of AI also brings new challenges and opportunities across various sectors. Security experts are recommending four new requirements for application security, or AppSec, to address AI's integration into development environments. These include discovering all AI elements like Copilot, conducting specific security tests for AI vulnerabilities such as model poisoning, updating threat models for AI interfaces, and recognizing "toxic combinations" of AI use with other security weaknesses. Furthermore, a new "Trouble in Toyland" report from PennPIRG Education Fund warns parents about modern toy safety threats for the 2025 holiday season, highlighting risks from AI-powered toys that can engage in inappropriate conversations or collect data without permission. Economically, a University of Pennsylvania professor, Ioana Marinescu, warns that the wage increases currently driven by AI might soon slow down. Her research suggests that wages could begin to fall once approximately 37% of intelligence tasks are automated, a figure currently over 14%. To counteract this, she proposes slowing automation, increasing investment in physical industries, and taxing virtual labor. Meanwhile, Nvidia has pushed back against investor Michael Burry's claims that the AI investment boom resembles the dot-com bubble, with Burry comparing Nvidia to Cisco during the 1990s. Nvidia issued a seven-page memo to analysts, clarifying its stock-based compensation and asserting that older GPU chips, like the A100s, remain valuable and highly utilized beyond two to three years. Beyond these discussions, AI continues to find innovative applications. The American power grid, struggling with the demands of data centers and AI, could benefit significantly from AI-driven solutions. Hari Vasudevan, CEO of KYRO AI, suggests utilities use AI to build a smarter, more reliable grid by identifying failing equipment before outages occur, as demonstrated by New York State Electric & Gas and Pacific Gas & Electric in California. In another development, Tencent Hunyuan launched HunyuanOCR, a new Vision Language Model with 1 billion parameters. This lightweight model specializes in Optical Character Recognition, performing tasks like text spotting, parsing, and translating text from images in over 130 languages, proving useful for extracting information from receipts or video subtitles. Finally, EVA AI, a platform known for its AI companions, plans to open a unique pop-up "AI Date Cafe" in New York City in December, offering a novel experience for users to interact with their AI companions in a real-world setting.
Key Takeaways
- Reliance Industries' Digital Connexion joint venture is investing $11 billion over five years to build a 1 gigawatt AI data center in Visakhapatnam, India, partnering with Brookfield and Digital Realty.
- Larsen & Toubro will add $2.5 billion in data center investments, bringing the total announced for Visakhapatnam to $13.5 billion, positioning it as a new Indian data center hub.
- Microsoft expanded its cloud and AI services in Indonesia, introducing AI-ready virtual machines, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and GitHub Copilot for local organizations.
- Generative AI is increasingly used by home cooks for Thanksgiving meal solutions, with a 2025 YouGov survey showing 64% of US adults used AI for kitchen help, though some chefs remain skeptical of AI recipes.
- New application security requirements are emerging for AI, including discovering AI elements like Copilot, specific security tests for AI vulnerabilities, updated threat models, and awareness of "toxic combinations."
- A Penn professor warns AI-driven wage growth may slow if 37% of intelligence tasks are automated, suggesting solutions like slowing automation and taxing virtual labor.
- Nvidia denied investor Michael Burry's claims of an AI investment bubble, asserting its older GPU chips like A100s remain valuable and highly utilized.
- The PennPIRG Education Fund's "Trouble in Toyland" report warns of new toy safety risks from AI-powered toys that can have inappropriate conversations or collect data, alongside toxic chemicals in counterfeit products.
- AI is being deployed to enhance power grid reliability, with utilities like New York State Electric & Gas and Pacific Gas & Electric using it to predict equipment failures and monitor fire conditions.
- Tencent Hunyuan launched HunyuanOCR, a 1 billion-parameter Vision Language Model specializing in Optical Character Recognition for tasks like text spotting, parsing, and translating text from images in over 130 languages.
Reliance JV invests $11 billion in India AI data center
Reliance Industries Ltd's joint venture, Digital Connexion, announced an $11 billion investment over five years. This money will build a 1 gigawatt AI data center in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. RIL is partnering with Canadian firm Brookfield and US-based Digital Realty for this project. Separately, Larsen & Toubro plans to spend $2.5 billion over five years to build five data centers, including one in Visakhapatnam. These major investments, totaling $13.5 billion on Wednesday, will make Visakhapatnam a new data center hub for India. The projects aim to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence applications across the country.
Reliance JV commits $11 billion to India AI data center
A joint venture by Reliance Industries, named Digital Connexion, will invest $11 billion over five years. This investment aims to build 1 gigawatt of AI data capacity in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Canadian company Brookfield Corporation and US-based Digital Realty are partners in this project. The new AI-native data center campus will span 400 acres. This move comes as AI demand drives huge investments in data centers worldwide, with India's capacity expected to triple by 2030.
AI helps home cooks fix Thanksgiving dinner problems
Generative AI is becoming a helpful tool for people facing Thanksgiving cooking challenges. Many households are now using AI as an emergency hotline for issues like a frozen turkey or missing ingredients. A 2025 YouGov survey shows 56% of US adults use AI tools, and 64% have used AI for recipe ideas or kitchen help. Rising food costs also make careful planning essential. AI can provide quick solutions, timelines, and substitutions, acting as a real-time rescue tool for holiday meal preparation.
Wyoming chefs doubt AI turkey recipes
Wyoming chefs, including celebrity chef Petrina Peart, do not trust artificial intelligence to guide Thanksgiving turkey cooking. They say AI-generated recipes often miss important steps like brining and resting, which are essential for a juicy and flavorful bird. While AI can gather vast information, its methods are often "almost-right" and lack advanced techniques. Chef Peart emphasizes that brining is a fundamental step that AI recipes tend to skip. She recommends a wet brine with water, vinegar, and aromatics to enhance flavor and moisture.
EVA AI plans real-life date cafe in New York
EVA AI, a platform known for its AI companions, plans to open a unique pop-up cafe in New York City. This cafe will allow people to take their artificial intelligence companions on a real-life date. Details about the "AI Date Cafe" are still being finalized. Concept photos show dimly lit single tables with smartphones, suggesting a personalized experience. The cafe is expected to open sometime in December.
New security rules for apps using AI
The rise of artificial intelligence is changing how we secure software applications. Experts recommend four new requirements for application security, or AppSec. First, companies need to discover all AI elements in their development environment, including AI-generated code and tools like Copilot. Second, specific security tests are vital to find new AI vulnerabilities such as model poisoning. Third, threat models must be updated to address new risks from AI interfaces in apps. Finally, teams must be aware of "toxic combinations" where AI use combines with other security weaknesses, like missing code reviews.
Microsoft boosts Indonesia AI with new cloud services
Microsoft has expanded its cloud and AI services in the Indonesia Central cloud region to support the country's AI growth. This update, announced at the Cloud & AI Innovation Summit in Jakarta, allows Indonesian organizations to run AI workloads locally. Businesses, public bodies, and developers now have more options to build their own applications and manage data within the country. New Azure services include AI-ready virtual machines, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and GitHub Copilot. Companies like Petrosea, Vale Indonesia, and tiket.com are already using these local cloud tools to innovate and meet data needs.
Penn professor warns AI wage growth may slow
A University of Pennsylvania professor, Ioana Marinescu, warns that the wage increases driven by AI might soon slow down. Her research with Konrad Kording suggests that wages could start to fall once about 37% of intelligence tasks are automated. Currently, over 14% of these tasks are already automated. Marinescu believes this downturn is not certain and offers solutions. To prevent wage decline, she suggests slowing automation, increasing investment in physical industries like factories, and taxing virtual labor.
New report warns of AI and toxic toy dangers
A new "Trouble in Toyland" report from PennPIRG Education Fund warns parents about modern toy safety threats for the 2025 holiday season. Beyond traditional dangers like choking hazards, new risks come from AI-powered toys, global online marketplaces, and fake products. AI toys can have inappropriate conversations, collect children's data without permission, and respond unpredictably. The report also found that many overseas and counterfeit toys contain toxic chemicals or bypass safety tests. Even recalled toys are still sold online, making it hard for parents to know if a toy is truly safe.
AI can help fix old power grids
The American power grid is struggling to keep up with the demands of data centers and artificial intelligence. Hari Vasudevan, CEO of KYRO AI, suggests that utilities should use AI to build a smarter, more reliable grid. AI can help identify failing equipment before outages occur, as seen with New York State Electric & Gas. In California, Pacific Gas & Electric uses AI to monitor fire conditions and improve response times. These tools are already in use in some areas, showing how AI can transform the grid from reactive to predictive.
Nvidia denies investor's AI bubble claims
Nvidia has responded to investor Michael Burry's claims that the artificial intelligence investment boom is like the dot-com bubble. Burry, known as the "big short" investor, compared Nvidia to Cisco during the 1990s bubble. Nvidia sent a seven-page memo to Wall Street analysts to push back on Burry's statements about the company's stock-based compensation and GPU chip depreciation. Nvidia stated it repurchased $91 billion in shares in 2018, not $112.5 billion as Burry claimed. The company also said its older GPU chips, like the A100s, remain valuable and are highly utilized beyond two to three years.
Tencent Hunyuan launches new OCR AI model
Tencent Hunyuan has released HunyuanOCR, a new Vision Language Model with 1 billion parameters. This model specializes in Optical Character Recognition and understanding documents. HunyuanOCR can perform tasks like text spotting, parsing, and translating text from images all in one process. It is a lightweight option that still performs as well as or better than larger models for OCR tasks. The model is designed for real-world uses such as extracting information from receipts, translating documents in over 130 languages, and pulling subtitles from videos.
Sources
- Reliance-owned JV Digital Connexion announces $11 billion AI data centre investment plan in Andhra Pradesh
- India's Reliance Industries JV to invest $11 billion for data centre
- Turkey Still Frozen? How AI Can Rescue Thanksgiving Disasters
- Chefs Don't Trust Artificial Intelligence To Tell Them How To Cook Thanksgiving Dinner
- Where can you go on a date with an AI?
- 4 New AppSec Requirements in the Age of AI
- New Microsoft cloud updates support Indonesia’s long-term AI goals
- AI pay gains could peak soon, but a Penn professor sees a way out
- Toxic Toys, Rogue A.I., and Hidden Hazards: The 2025 Threats Lurking in Toyland
- Data centers are breaking the old grid. Let AI build the new one.
- Nvidia refutes ‘big short’ investor Michael Burry's claims as Cisco parallel fuels AI bubble uncertainty
- Tencent Hunyuan Releases HunyuanOCR: a 1B Parameter End to End OCR Expert VLM
Comments
Please log in to post a comment.