Major AI Moves: Meta's $2B Acquisition, Nvidia's $5B Investment & Gemini's Global Update | December 30, 2025

Daily AI Blog

📋 Quick Takeaways

  • Meta acquires AI agent startup Manus for over $2 billion to boost advanced AI capabilities.
  • Nvidia finalizes $5 billion investment in Intel shares, stabilizing the US chip ecosystem.
  • SoftBank agrees to buy DigitalBridge for $4 billion, aggressively expanding AI data center holdings.
  • Octopus Energy spins off Kraken, its AI energy platform, at an $8.65 billion valuation.
  • MIT & Recursion release Boltz-2, an AI model predicting protein structures in seconds.
  • Google rolls out Gemini 3 Flash globally, integrating native audio and complex workflow handling.

💰 Major Acquisitions & Corporate Moves

Meta Acquires AI Agent Startup Manus for $2 Billion+

Strategic Expansion: On December 30, Meta agreed to acquire the AI agent startup Manus for a reported $2 billion+. This acquisition targets the enhancement of Meta’s advanced AI agent capabilities and “reasoning” features within its ecosystem.

Significance:

  • Cross-Border Deal: Manus is a startup with Chinese roots, making this a rare high-profile acquisition by a US tech giant amidst current geopolitical tensions.
  • AI Agents: Signals Meta’s shift from pure LLMs to autonomous agents that can perform actions.
  • Valuation: The high price tag reflects the premium on advanced “agentic” AI technologies.

Source: Reuters | Dow Jones

Nvidia Closes $5 Billion Intel Share Purchase

Industry Stabilization: Nvidia has finalized a massive $5 billion purchase of Intel shares as of December 30. This strategic capital injection is designed to aid the struggling US chipmaker’s recovery efforts.

Market Impact:

  • Ecosystem Support: Cements Nvidia’s dominance while preventing the collapse of a key competitor/partner in the US semiconductor supply chain.
  • Stock Reaction: Analysts view this as a stabilizing force for the broader semiconductor market heading into 2026.

Source: Dow Jones

SoftBank Buys DigitalBridge for $4 Billion

Infrastructure Push: Continuing its aggressive “AI ecosystem” buildout, SoftBank has agreed to acquire data center investment firm DigitalBridge for $4 billion.

Strategic Context:

  • Data Center Boom: Directly addresses the critical shortage of AI-ready data centers.
  • Portfolio Synergy: Complements SoftBank’s investments in Arm and other AI hardware entities by securing physical infrastructure.

Source: Dow Jones

Octopus Energy Spins Off Kraken at $8.65B Valuation

Energy AI Unicorn: British renewable energy giant Octopus Energy has spun off its AI technology platform, Kraken, raising $1 billion in its first independent funding round.

Key Metrics:

  • Valuation: The platform is now valued at $8.65 billion.
  • Function: Uses AI to optimize energy grids and manage renewable energy distribution.
  • Market: Validates the immense value of AI applications in the “Green Tech” and utility sectors.

Source: Dow Jones

🔬 AI Models & Research Breakthroughs

MIT & Recursion Release Boltz-2 for Protein Design

Scientific Milestone: Researchers from MIT and Recursion have released Boltz-2, an open-weights AI model capable of predicting complex protein structures and drug binding affinities.

Performance:

  • Speed: Can process predictions in just 20 seconds on a single GPU.
  • Accuracy: Rivals proprietary industry standards, democratizing access to high-end drug discovery tools.
  • Availability: Released for both commercial and non-commercial use, accelerating open science.

Source: Bio-IT World

Google Gemini Updates: Flash 3 & Native Audio Go Global

Product Rollout: Google highlighted its end-of-year updates on December 29, confirming the global rollout of Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 2.5 Flash Native Audio.

Features:

  • Native Audio: Enhanced real-time voice interaction capabilities integrated directly into Google Search.
  • Complex Workflows: Optimized for handling multi-step reasoning tasks with lower latency.
  • Accessibility: Now available to users worldwide, intensifying the consumer AI interface war.

Source: Google Blog

📊 Market Impact Analysis

The final days of 2025 have solidified the transition from AI hype to AI infrastructure and application:

Consolidation of Power: Nvidia’s investment in Intel and Meta’s acquisition of Manus highlight how cash-rich incumbents are using their balance sheets to secure technology and stabilize the market.

Infrastructure is King: SoftBank’s $4B purchase of DigitalBridge underscores that physical space and power for AI compute remain the industry’s most critical bottlenecks.

Vertical AI Value: The massive $8.65B valuation for Kraken proves that vertical-specific AI (in this case, energy) can rival generalist foundation model companies in value creation.

Stay Updated: Follow us for daily analysis of the AI landscape as we head into 2026.

Last Updated: December 30, 2025, 7:28 PM CST