President Trump to meet with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the White House

Nvidia had loudly protested a last-minute move by the Biden administration in January to expand AI chip restrictions beyond adversaries like China to more than 100 other countries, including Singapore. But it remains to be seen if Trump will follow through with or drop those proposed rules.

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OpenAI launches o3-mini, its latest AI reasoning model

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, announced the launch on X, calling it a “smart, fast model” available on both ChatGPT and the API.

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Top startup and tech stories this week

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‘India AI mission GPU hourly pricing aggressively low’

India's AI mission GPU tender saw aggressive bidding, with average prices at Rs 115.85 per GPU hour, far below the global average of $2.5-3. Bidders like Jio, E2E, NxtGen, Locuz, and CtrlS quoted low rates, raising concerns among competitors about global clients demanding similar pricing.

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India preps low-cost AI push; PB Fintech’s financials

Happy Friday! The government formally began its push to build a foundational AI model on Thursday. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

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‘Budget champ India can pull another DeepSeek on global AI': Vishal Sikka

Vishal Sikka, former CTO of SAP and CEO of Infosys, in an exclusive interview with ET, urges India to actively participate in the AI race, not just build applications but also develop foundational and sovereign models. He emphasizes the importance of local data and languages, citing DeepSeek's cost-effective approach. Sikka highlights AI's current limitations, particularly energy inefficiency, while acknowledging India's resource-constrained innovation capabilities.

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Footwear startup CHK raises $2.5 million from Accel, Bluestone, others

DealShare cofounder Sankar Bora’s company, based in Bengaluru, will deploy the funds to boost output and bolster R&D in the run-up to its public launch in April.

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Tata Electronics goes tech talent fishing in Intel pool

Tata Electronics, on an expansion spree, is aggressively hiring senior talent, particularly from Intel. Former Intel executives like Reda Masarwa and Randhir Thakur (now Tata Electronics CEO) are leading this charge. The company aims to build a strong team for its ambitious projects, including new factories and semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

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Rural fintechs seek government fund to upgrade last-mile tech infrastructure

Fintech startups and business correspondents serving rural areas seek Rs 500 crore in equity funding from the government to upgrade technology. This fund, potentially structured like the IMEF, would support services like remittances and Jan Dhan accounts. The request comes amidst a funding winter and seeks to improve last-mile financial inclusion.

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Rupee and dollar movement to keep IT margins on edge

The rupee's recent depreciation against the US dollar has boosted Indian IT companies' profitability in Q3 2024. However, the unpredictable movement of other currencies like the euro and pound, coupled with rising operational costs and visa challenges, pose significant risks. While a weaker rupee offers short-term gains, it also complicates hedging strategies and long-term planning.

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DeepSeek says its Janus Pro AI model beats rivals in image generation

The new model is an upgrade over Janus, which was launched late last year and comes on the heels of DeepSeek launching a new assistant based on the DeepSeek-V3 model that has become the top-rated free application on Apple's App Store in the United States.

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Indian defence, space startups eye US market

The startups from the domains of space, remote sensing and other critical technology are invited to participate in the India to America (I2A) Launchpad programme to seize an opportunity to build partnerships, contracts, and funding that can shape their next few years.

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Google pushes global agenda to educate workers, lawmakers on AI

As Google races to best Big Tech rivals including Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Meta in the AI arena, it is mindful of the heavy regulatory scrutiny it faces in its existing businesses in advertising and search.

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Conflict of generations: Bridging generational gap in workforce

Tech companies are addressing the generational gap in the workforce, as offices now feature Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Companies like Infosys, Capgemini, and Mphasis are implementing strategies such as mentorship programmes and reverse mentoring to foster communication and collaboration. These efforts aim to boost innovation, employee engagement, and retention.

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Meta tests ads on Threads, its alternative to X

Facebook's parent company, Meta, is testing ads on its new social network, Threads. The ads debut amid Meta's recent content moderation changes and the end of its US fact-checking program. With TikTok's uncertain future, Meta is poised to attract brands seeking alternatives, though user reactions may be mixed.

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Top startup and tech stories this week

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Meet ‘Operator’, a web-enabled AI agent that performs tasks for You

OpenAI's Operator is an AI agent that automates web tasks like ordering food, scheduling appointments, and creating memes. It uses GPT-4o and reinforcement learning to understand and interact with websites, improving user productivity. Currently in research preview for US Pro users, Operator will expand to other user tiers and regions soon.

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FMCG’s ecommerce push; Govt targets financial fraud

Happy Friday! Consumer firms are betting big on their own ecommerce platforms. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

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FinMin wants banks to complete I4C integration by January to check frauds

The finance ministry wants government-owned banks, including the State Bank of India, to integrate directly with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to control the growing problem of financial fraud.

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Meta backs data analytics firm Databricks as AI boom attracts investors

Companies, including Meta, have been investing heavily to build and train large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, which are advanced AI systems designed to understand and generate human-like text.

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Birthright citizenship ban may drive global talent away: Can America afford the gamble that Trump played?

The U.S. faces a talent crisis, exacerbated by Trump's birthright citizenship ban targeting immigrant families. Immigrants, vital to STEM, healthcare, and manufacturing, drive innovation and economic growth. With tech, engineering, and manufacturing shortages looming, the ban risks alienating global talent, undermining America’s competitiveness. Revoking this policy is crucial to sustaining the workforce fueling the nation’s success.

from Latest Education news - Board Exam Results, Admit Cards, Exam Paper Analysis and Question Papers | Times of India
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DeHaat acquires farm advisory platform AgriCentral

AgriCentral, serving over 10 million smallholder farmers, will help DeHaat enhance its digital services and broaden its reach. This acquisition brings DeHaat’s total to seven businesses, including Vezamart, Farmguide, Helicrofter, YCook, FieldFresh Foods, and Freshtrop Fruits. DeHaat offers farmers direct market access, quality inputs, expert agricultural advisory along with exports.

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Aakash’s backers slam AoA tweak plan at NCLT

Senior advocate Darius Khambata, representing the minority shareholders, said that these articles are legally binding and would take precedence over any agreement between the shareholders.

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GCCs may align pay almost at par with IT companies to optimise costs

Sluggish hiring activity in the IT services sector has seen a cooling down in the talent competition over the past six quarters, causing a 30-40% moderation of the premium value paid by GCCs, said Kedar Pathak, GCC specialist, Xpheno. Certain mid-senior level tech roles, where 16-20% premium pay were in play, have moderated to 10-12% premiums, he said.

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Trump education overhaul could slash $55M in funding, hitting Lancaster County schools hard: What it means for teachers and students

President-elect Donald Trump's plan to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education could lead to a $55 million loss in federal funding for Lancaster County schools. This would significantly affect resources for low-income and special needs students. As funding for essential programs like Title I is cut, schools are left to face the challenge of maintaining services with reduced budgets. Local educators and advocates are concerned about the immediate and long-term impact on education.

from Latest Education news - Board Exam Results, Admit Cards, Exam Paper Analysis and Question Papers | Times of India
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Edtech firm Brightchamps buys K12 marketplace Edjust

With this buyout, GSV Ventures-backed Brightchamps has acquired four companies, including Education10x, a financial literacy education platform for children, in 2021; Schola, a live learning platform for kids, in 2022; and Metamorphosis Edu, which trains students in skills linked to entrepreneurship, in 2023.

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Perplexity AI bids to merge with TikTok US: Reports

The new structure proposed by Perplexity would allow for most of ByteDance's existing investors to retain their equity stakes and would bring more video to Perplexity, the report said, citing an unnamed source familiar with the situation.

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Sun, moon and the starts: India's space startups ready for 2025

Sky is the limit for Indian space startups in 2025, as they focus on attracting more funding, tap global markets and drive more real-time applications. Indian space startups are optimistic about the revised foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, which aims to unlock more capital for growth. Yashas Karanam, cofounder of Bellatrix Aerospace, said the revised FDI norms clarify exit strategies, allowing investors to freely sell shares and thus attract international funding.

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Fintechs shun quick credit as RBI cracks down on unsecured loans

The advance salary product was designed for working professionals to take an instant personal loan for about a month, similar to a salary advance. It allowed employees to receive an amount equivalent to half their salary mid-month, and to repay it once the salary is credited.

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Battery makers are charging up; Amazon to acquire Axio

Two major battery manufacturers have plans to set up plants in India. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

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LGES, Panasonic Energy rev up India battery plant plans

LG Energy Solution (LGES) and Panasonic Energy, two of the largest battery manufacturers globally, are accelerating their plans to set up production facilities in India. LGES supplies EV batteries to Tesla, General Motors, Hyundai, and Indian e-scooter makers like Ola Electric and TVS Motor, while Panasonic Energy is among Tesla’s largest suppliers of batteries.

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Oracle’s four India partners may fail to make AI mission cut

This may hinder the American cloud company's ability to empanel with the much-coveted Mission to offer AI compute capacity in India through public-private partnership and bid for future projects.

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Zepto's annualised gross order value touches $3 billion, up three times in 8 months

GOV is the total value of orders received over a certain period of time, including the total amount of sales, before any discounts, returns, or cancellations.​​

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Consumer brands’ funding ride keeps deal street busy

Venture funds are sitting on ample dry powder and will accelerate deal-making in early-stage startups. Funds like Accel, 3One4 Capital, Peak XV Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners and others are on the hunt for new deals across sectors and themes.

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Google-backed Pixxel launches Fireflies, India’s first private satellite constellation

The startup intends to deploy 18 satellites in its constellation to deliver essential climate and Earth insights to industries worldwide. These indigenously developed satellites were integrated through SpaceX’s Exolaunch and launched aboard the Transporter-12 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. They will orbit at approximately 550 km in a sun-synchronous orbit.

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Aditya Birla-backed Digantara takes flight onboard SpaceX’s rocket, system to monitor and detect objects

Digantara launched its SCOT satellite aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission to enhance space safety and track Resident Space Objects (RSOs). The world’s first commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellite, will monitor Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with improved efficiency. Backed by Aditya Birla Ventures and SIDBI, it aims to support national security and space operations.

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Electric two-wheeler startup BGauss raises Rs 161 crore from Bharat Value Fund

The funds will be used to expand the Pune-based company’s presence in India and overseas, meet capital expenditure requirements, marketing, and enhance in-house R&D for upcoming product launches. BGauss, which has raised Rs 161 crore from Bharat Value Fund, aims to scale its dealership network and manufacturing capacity as demand increases.

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UGC NET December 2024 admit card for all exams released at ugcnet.nta.ac.in: Check direct link here

NTA has issued admit cards for the UGC NET December 2024 session on its official website, ugcnet.nta.ac.in. The exams will be held online from January 3 to 16, 2025. Candidates must check their admit cards for discrepancies and contact NTA officials immediately for corrections, if required. Candidates can check the direct link here.

from Latest Education news - Board Exam Results, Admit Cards, Exam Paper Analysis and Question Papers | Times of India
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Ather IPO valuation bump; TCS CEO on Q3 numbers

Ather Energy is aiming at $2.4 billion for its upcoming IPO. Details on this and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

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Flipkart may lead $35-40 million round in its Super.money

Super.money, started by Flipkart senior executive Prakash Sikaria, is among the big focus areas at Flipkart for its financial services and lending business and has emerged as one of the fastest growing Unified Payments Interface (UPI) apps.

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SpaDeX: ISRO brings satellites within three metres in trial attempt

ISRO successfully performed a trial attempt of moving two small satellites within three meters for future in-space docking experiments. Further analysis will be conducted before the docking process. This SpaDeX project aims to position India among leading nations in mastering in-space docking technologies, essential for ambitious space goals.

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Tech sector's energy transition draws attention at Vegas show

Data centers accounted for 4.4% of US electricity needs in 2023, which is likely to rise to 12 percent by 2028, according to the US Department of Energy. Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association, which organises CES, said energy transition was intended to be "a big focus" of this year's show.

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Hyperscale data centres promise to transform computing in the age of AI

Traditional data centres function like shared office spaces, providing limited resources to multiple businesses. In contrast, hyperscale data centres are large-scale facilities built to support the immense computing needs of tech enterprises. Hyperscale data centres are built for rapid scalability, allowing them to swiftly add or remove servers and storage to accommodate fluctuating demands without disrupting services.

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President Biden blasts 'shameful' Meta decision to scrap US fact-checking

US President Joe Biden criticised Meta for ending fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in the US. He called it shameful. Meta's decision aims to turn fact-checking over to users with Community Notes. The International Fact-Checking Network warned of global harm if Meta expands this policy. Meta's decision comes as President-elect Trump prepares to take office.

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IGNOU December 2024 term-end exam results declared: Check direct link here

IGNOU has announced the December 2024 Term-End Examination (TEE) results. Students of UG, PG, diploma, and certificate courses can check results on ignou.ac.in by logging in with their enrollment number. As per the information, the exams were held from December 2, 2024, to January 9, 2025, in both online and Open and Distance Learning (ODL) modes. Candidates can check the direct link here.

from Latest Education news - Board Exam Results, Admit Cards, Exam Paper Analysis and Question Papers | Times of India
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Top startup and tech stories this week

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Supreme Court skeptical toward TikTok arguments against looming US ban

Supreme Court justices expressed scepticism towards TikTok and ByteDance's challenge to a law mandating the app's sale or ban by January 19 in the US, citing national security concerns. The case examines free speech rights and potential Chinese government exploitation of TikTok for espionage. TikTok argues the law targets speech, while the government emphasizes data protection and security.

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Meta’s fact-checking decision sets off alarm bells in India

The decision will hurt social media users looking for accurate, reliable information to make decisions about their everyday lives and interactions with friends and family, Angie Drobnic Holan, the director of International Fact-Checking Network said in a post on LinkedIn.

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What is Community Notes and how does it differ from content moderation?

Community Notes was launched in 2021 as Birdwatch. It allows users to add context to posts that may be misleading, lack important details, or need more explanation. Content moderation, though designed with good intentions, has become increasingly complex, often resulting in mistakes that stifle free expression.

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Swiggy’s standalone app Snacc: Here’s all you need to know about it

Swiggy introduced a new app called Snacc for delivering food in 10 minutes. It competes with delivery services from Zomato, Blinkit, and Zepto. Different companies use various models for quick food delivery, including dark stores and restaurant deliveries. The overall market for rapid food delivery is expanding with multiple players entering the space.

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Fintech startup AtoB to open Bengaluru R&D centre, expand global footprint

Founded in 2019, AtoB sees major opportunity in modernising payments for the $1 trillion commercial fuel and transportation industry, particularly trucking. It partners not only truckers and small businesses but major banks as well as oil and gas companies, building a digital infrastructure to bring them together, cofounder and CEO Vignan Velivela said.

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D2C beauty company Wow seeks strategic buyer at a lower $250 million valuation

Wow Skin Science, valued at around $400 million, is seeking a strategic buyer at a reduced valuation of $250 million as investors look to exit. The brand faces slowing growth amid tough competition in India's D2C beauty market, sparking industry consolidation with other brands exploring similar options.

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Entrepreneurial dreams powered by AI

Scores of Indian startups are building AI-driven tools and solutions to solve real-life problems. ET delves deep into these ventures figuring out the excitement as well as the challenges.

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Experts wary of data panel curveball on Big Tech, social firms

Legal experts are worried about proposed rules that could restrict sending personal data abroad. The Indian government assures the new data rules do not require data localisation. However, compliance costs and potential trade barriers are concerns. Age-gating using school databases is commended but poses challenges. Parental consent requirements for children under 18 could affect social media and gaming companies.

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Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin poised for first orbital launch next week

The NG-1 mission will carry a prototype of Blue Ring, a Defense Department-funded spacecraft envisioned as a versatile satellite deployment platform, which will remain on board the rocket's second stage for the six-hour test flight. It will mark Blue Origin's long-awaited entry into the lucrative orbital launch market after years of suborbital flights with its smaller New Shepard rocket, which carries passengers and payloads on brief trips to the edge of space.

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Special agents: The future of AI and automation

Tech giants are moving fast to develop and deploy AI agents, which are pegged to be the “next big thing” in 2025. They gobeyond the limited capabilities of LLMs and offer more end-to-end, action-based solutions. Agent frameworks can reason, plan, and execute, driving the convergence of automation and GenAI to create autonomous systems for complex business tasks.

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Zepto plans IPO filing by March-April; Singapore nod in for moving domicile

Zepto is preparing to file for an IPO by March-April 2025 and has received approval to move its holding entity from Singapore to India. The company is also finalising independent directors and deliberating on IPO size and bankers. It aims to become the first independent quick commerce firm to go public amid scrutiny over local FDI compliance.

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Planning to study in the US? 5 challenges Indian aspirants need to worry about

Indian students seeking education in the U.S. face significant hurdles beyond academic challenges. From securing student visas amid stricter regulations to grappling with high tuition costs and uncertain work opportunities under changing H-1B and OPT policies, the journey is tough. Furthermore, cultural tensions and rising backlash against Indian Americans add complexities to their pursuit of the American Dream.

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IndiaAI mission to offer GPU resources to second EoI participants: COO Kavita Bhatia

AI Research Analytics and Knowledge Dissemination Platform, is India's largest and fastest AI supercomputer. “We’re also in the process of bringing more than 10,000 GPUs as and when it comes up. Even that can be made available based on the eligibility criteria and certain other conditions that need to be fulfilled so that you can get access to the compute,” Kavita Bhatia, COO of IndiaAI mission under the ministry of electronics and IT (Meity), told potential participants on Thursday.

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AP government eyes top talent for investment promotion body

N Chandrababu Naidu's return as Andhra Pradesh's CM has sparked renewed competition among southern states to attract investment. The state is reviving its Economic Development Board, actively hiring professionals for various roles to enhance investment promotion. This move aims to re-establish Andhra Pradesh as a key destination for large-scale investments despite its current challenges.

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