📋 Quick Takeaways

• China approves Nvidia H200 chip sales to ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent for 400,000+ units, marking major shift in US-China tech relations
• SoftBank in talks to invest $30 billion more in OpenAI, potentially pushing valuation to $830 billion
• ASML reports record Q4 orders of $15.8 billion, more than doubling analyst expectations amid AI chip demand surge
• Amazon announces 16,000 layoffs, the largest workforce reduction in company history combined with October cuts
• Waabi raises $1 billion and partners with Uber to deploy 25,000 robotaxis
• $700M+ in major AI startup funding across autonomous vehicles, enterprise AI, and cloud infrastructure

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🌏 Geopolitics & Semiconductor Trade

China Approves Nvidia H200 Chip Sales to ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent

Major Breakthrough: China granted approval for its three largest tech companies to purchase more than 400,000 Nvidia H200 AI chips, marking a significant shift in Beijing’s approach to balancing AI advancement against domestic chip industry development.

📋 Weekly Summary

The transition into 2026 has been marked by seismic shifts in capital and competition. SoftBank redefined the landscape with a massive $40 billion investment in OpenAI, while Google surged past its rival in user metrics, prompting a “code red” at OpenAI. The industry is bracing for a historic year of IPOs with combined valuations potentially exceeding $1.5 trillion. Meanwhile, CES 2026 signaled the arrival of physical AI, with Boston Dynamics and LG debuting next-gen robotics. DeepSeek continued to challenge Western dominance with efficient architecture, and Agentic AI became the new standard for interoperability.

📋 Quick Takeaways

• SoftBank completes historic $40 billion investment in OpenAI, securing approximately 11% stake in one of the largest private funding rounds ever
• SoftBank acquires DigitalBridge for $4 billion to build next-generation AI data center infrastructure
• OpenAI hiring “Head of Preparedness” at $555,000 salary as AI safety concerns intensify following mental health lawsuits
• Apple confirms AI-powered Siri delayed to 2026, putting pressure on its 50th anniversary year
• Northern Virginia “Data Center Alley” sparks national policy debates over AI infrastructure expansion and energy costs
• Research reveals ChatGPT experiences “anxiety” from violent inputs, with mindfulness techniques showing promise
• Federal AI healthcare legislation debate highlights concerns about AI prescribing medications without human oversight

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💰 Major AI Investment & Funding

SoftBank Completes Historic $40 Billion Investment in OpenAI

Landmark Deal: SoftBank has completed its $40 billion investment commitment to OpenAI, marking one of the largest private funding rounds in history.

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

• SoftBank reportedly finalizing $22.5 billion investment in OpenAI, cementing the lab’s financial dominance
• ByteDance commits $23 billion to AI infrastructure despite export controls, challenging US supremacy
• Class action lawsuit filed against Google, OpenAI, and Meta by investigative journalists alleging massive IP theft
• Microsoft and OpenAI restructure $14 billion partnership, clarifying profit-sharing and governance
• Apple forced to open iOS ecosystem in Brazil, allowing third-party app stores in a global precedent
• GPT-5.2-Codex released, optimized for advanced autonomous software development
• Anthropic releases “Skills” as open standard, promoting agent interoperability

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💰 Mega-Cap AI Investments

SoftBank Nears $22.5 Billion Funding Deal with OpenAI

Historic Capital Injection: SoftBank is racing to finalize a massive $22.5 billion investment in OpenAI before the year ends. This potential deal would represent one of the largest single private capital injections in tech history.

Week 43 in AI: OpenAI launches Atlas browser challenging Chrome, Anthropic secures $50B Google TPU deal, SoftBank invests $22.5B in OpenAI, 850+ leaders demand superintelligence ban, AI infrastructure spending accelerates with $100B+ in mega deals.