OpenAI Seeks $1.2 Trillion Valuation in New Funding Round
OpenAI, the AI partner of Microsoft, is reportedly seeking a valuation above US$1.2 trillion in a new funding round. The AI group is forecast to burn roughly US$278 billion in cash as it scales infrastructure and product development with Microsoft support. The prospective deal would reinforce OpenAI's role inside Microsoft's broader AI ecosystem, spanning Azure infrastructure and Copilot branded services. The funding push backs the view that rich AI workloads can keep Azure traffic and Copilot adoption growing, while also sharpening questions about capital intensity and dependency on a few large AI partners.
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China Opens Probe Into DeepSeek and Moonshot AI Over Suspected Leak of Classified Data
China's Cyberspace Administration has launched an investigation into Chinese startups DeepSeek and Moonshot AI over suspicions that state secrets were leaked to U.S. AI companies. The U.S. tech outlet The Information reported on the 22nd that Chinese authorities began the probe amid concerns over "distillation," in which the outputs of high-performance American AI models are used to train Chinese AI systems. According to a report published by U.S. AI startup Anthropic, DeepSeek and Moonshot sent users' questions to Anthropic's cutting-edge Claude model without authorization and used its answers to train their own models. The data involved also included internal information from the Chinese People's Liberation Army, public security authorities, and state-owned enterprises. The Trump administration and U.S. national security and investigative authorities have sharply condemned distillation. Ahead of the U.S.-China summit on the 24th, the issue of data security has come into sharp relief.
Anthropic Unveils Claude Opus 5.5 as OpenAI Releases Terra and Luna Models
Anthropic unveiled its new Claude Opus 5.5 on Tuesday, a model the developer says offers performance approaching its frontier Fable 5.1 at a lower cost for enterprise customers. OpenAI also just released its new GPT-6 Sol and Luna models, which are its lower-end models outside of Solar and Astra that it previously had. The twin launches underscore a shift across the AI industry toward cheaper offerings as companies rein in spending on tokens and shop around for models that fit their needs and budgets. Anthropic included notes on security in its release announcement, while OpenAI has said it is working with third-party external partners to audit its AI models. The push comes amid debate over AI safety and a lawsuit alleging a group of large companies colluded to slow AI development and degrade performance for paying consumers.
