Week 52 in AI: SoftBank and ByteDance commit $45B+, Nvidia disrupts chip market with Groq deal, Security threats explode with ransomware and prompt injection, and ‘Agentic AI’ becomes the dominant theme for 2026.

📋 Quick Takeaways

• Nvidia secures strategic licensing deal with Groq and hires its CEO, cementing dominance in the AI inference hardware market.
• Microsoft’s “Agentic OS” strategy pays off as Copilot surpasses 150 million monthly active users, anchoring a record-breaking tech rally.
• Disney formally embeds generative AI into its core operating model, partnering with OpenAI for internal and consumer-facing tools.
• PayPal declares the start of the “Intelligence Era,” shifting corporate strategy from information processing to deep AI personalization.
• Zhipu AI launches GLM-Z1-Air, intensifying the global model race by undercutting DeepSeek on speed and cost.
• Rail industry pivots to AI-driven operations, with new reports citing AI as the future “operating system” for global transport networks.

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🚀 AI Hardware & Infrastructure

Nvidia Licenses Groq Technology and Hires Top Executives

Industry Consolidation: In a major strategic move revealed on December 24, Nvidia has agreed to license technology from AI hardware challenger Groq and is hiring key engineering talent, including Groq’s CEO.