<div>
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  </p>
  <ul>
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      <p>
        Google has announced the introduction of an updated version of its chatbot Bard with the integration of image-generation capabilities, supported by its Imagen 2 AI model.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        It also expanded Bard, powered by its latest model Gemini Pro, to 40+ languages, including Korean, Spanish, Tamil, Italian, and Russian, across 230+ countries and territories.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        <b>Analyst QuickTake: </b>
        These enhancements are expected to make Bard more effective and globally accessible for a wide range of uses, from major creative projects to everyday tasks. This would also allow Google to compete more effectively with OpenAI, which rolled out voice and
        <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22152">
           image capabilities
        </a>
         for ChatGPT in September last year. 
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
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<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://blog.google/products/bard/google-bard-gemini-pro-image-generation/">
      Press release
    </a>
  </p>
  <p>
    <a href="https://venturebeat.com/ai/google-bard-gets-image-generation-and-a-more-capable-gemini-pro-to-take-on-chatgpt/">
      VentureBeat
    </a>
  </p>
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Generative AI Applications

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>Google recently unveiled an upgraded version of its chatbot, Bard, enhanced with image-generation features backed by the Imagen 2 AI model. Furthermore, the tech giant has extended the reach of Bard, now driven by the advanced Gemini Pro model, to more than 40 languages such as Korean, Spanish, Tamil, Italian and Russian. This expansion covers over 230 countries and territories worldwide.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> These enhancements are expected to make Bard more effective and globally accessible for a wide range of uses, from major creative projects to everyday tasks. This would also allow Google to compete more effectively with OpenAI, which rolled out voice and <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/22152"> image capabilities </a> for ChatGPT in September last year.</p>

Google expands chatbot Bard with image-generation abilities and expands Gemini Pro capabilities to new languages

The toolkit to build machine learning applications at scale

Machine Learning Infrastructure

<div>
 <p>Kneron, an AI chip manufacturer, aims to raise USD 300 million in its latest funding round, potentially bringing its evaluation to USD 1 billion. The company has received investments from Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital China (now HongShan), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., and Horizons Ventures in the past.<p>
  
<p>With this new funding, Kneron plans to fuel product innovation and expansion plans that include establishing a regional office and an R&D lab in Saudi Arabia. The round is likely to be its last before the company's expected public listing in 2025.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> The surging demand for AI chips has helped Kneron to raise significantly more funding than its USD 49 million Series B funding raised in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/22177"> September 2023 </a> . Additionally, funding proceeds from last year helped the company launch its new KNEO 330 AI chip for on-premise AI applications in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30098"> June 2024 </a> .</p>

AI chip maker Kneron seeks USD 300 million in funding from investors

Empowering Tomorrow's Innovations with Generative AI Infrastructure

Generative AI Infrastructure

<div>
 <p>AI chip manufacturer Kneron is reportedly seeking to raise approximately USD 300 million in a new funding round. This significant investment would place the value of the Taiwanese-American company at an estimated USD 1 billion. In the previous funding rounds, Kneron received support from renowned investors such as Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital China (now known as HongShan), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., and Horizons Ventures.</p>
 <p>Kneron plans on allocating the funds towards the advancement of product innovation and company expansion. One of the company's more specific objectives include the creation of a regional office and a research &amp; development lab located in Saudi Arabia. This fundraising is projected to be the final private round for Kneron, as it plans to pursue a public listing in 2025.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> The surging demand for AI chips has helped Kneron to raise significantly more funding than its USD 49 million Series B funding raised in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/22177"> September 2023 </a> . Additionally, funding proceeds from last year helped the company launch its new KNEO 330 AI chip for on-premise AI applications in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30098"> June 2024 </a> .</p>

Reinforcing recycling, rerouting refuse, and reducing wasteflows

Waste Recovery & Management Tech

<div>

<p>Heidelberg Materials, a UK company specialising in building materials, has opened a new concrete recycling facility near Katowice, Poland. The innovative site makes use of FCB Rhodax technology from Fives to recycle concrete that has been demolished.</p>

<p>The company has stated that the facility has capability of recycling all demolition concrete into aggregates, sand and cement paste that are of a high quality. Moreover, the FCB Rhodax technology reportedly allows control of the force used on the material bed. This results in excellent concrete component separation while maintaining their quality. It also complies with the European Standards for both recycled and virgin materials.</p>

</div>

Heidelberg Materials launches concrete recycling facility in Poland

Generating, collecting, and analyzing enterprise data will never be the same.

Edge Computing

<div>
 
 <p>Nokia and Lenovo have established a strategic alliance to create data center solutions specifically tailored for AI and ML workloads. This collaboration will combine Lenovo's ThinkSystem AI-ready servers and storage with Nokia's data center networking facilities. It encompasses data center fabric, IP routing, Event-Driven Automation platform, and DDoS security portfolios as part of their integrated approach.&nbsp;</p>

</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> The combined solution aims to provide high-speed interconnectivity for AI clusters within and between data centers, improving data center capabilities by addressing the demanding compute, storage, and transit needs of AI and ML applications.</p>

Nokia partners with Lenovo to develop edge-ready AI data centers

<div>
 
 <p>ZEDEDA, a firm specializing in edge management and orchestration, has teamed up with OnLogic, an industrial computer production company. The collaboration resulted in the creation of OnLogic Powered by ZEDEDA, a blend of robust hardware and cloud-native edge orchestration software.</p>
 <p>The goal of this partnership is to decrease the deployment time and maintenance expenses connected with distributed edge infrastructure. Notably, the partnership highlights features such as application-agnostic design and extended solution lifecycles.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> ZEDEDA and OnLogic’s partnership reflects a broader trend toward integrating hardware and software to address the growing complexity of industrial edge computing. This partnership also follows ZEDEDA’s <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/33945"> partnership with Edge Impulse </a> , initiated in September 2024, to accelerate AI deployment at the edge.</p>

ZEDEDA and OnLogic partner to launch integrated edge computing solution for industrial environments

Autonomous and connected technologies shaping the future of the auto industry

Auto Tech

<div>
 <p>WeRide, a Chinese tech company specializing in self-driving technology, has applied for an initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq. They aim to raise upwards of USD 119.4 million through the sale of 6.5 million American depositary shares, each priced between USD 15.5 and USD 18.5.</p>
 <p>In addition, there are plans from the company for a concurrent private placement, with the goal of raising a further USD 320.5 million.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> WeRide first announced filing for a US IPO in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/32038"> July 2024 </a> but was <a href="https:<br>
//asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Chinese-self-driving-startup-WeRide-delays-U.S.-IPO"> postponed, </a> citing the need for time to complete the documentation processes. Today, we increasingly notice strategic moves by Chinese firms amid geopolitical tensions. Chinese regulators also allowed autonomous vehicle tech firms like <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/28771"> Pony.ai </a> and <a href="https:<br>
//www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/china-approves-autonomous-driving-startup-momentas-us-ipo"> Momenta </a> to list in the US market, and <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30478"> Tesla got approval </a> to test its ADAS "Full Self-Driving (FSD)" software in Shanghai's Nanhui New City District, despite US-China tensions.</p>

WeRide files for US IPO

Novel therapies to reboot cells and organs

Cell & Gene Therapy

<div>
 <p>March Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has garnered USD 28.4 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by Mission BioCapital and 4BIO Capital, and saw participation from KdT Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments, and other existing investors. To date, the company's total funds raised amount to over USD 51 million.</p>
 <p>These newfound funds are set to further the Phase II clinical development of MB-105, the company's leading asset. This asset is geared towards the treatment of T-cell lymphoma, with trials projected to launch at the beginning of 2025. In addition, the funds will also aid the continuous advancement of undisclosed products within the company's pipeline.</p>
 <p>The company specializes in the development of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies, aimed at tackling challenging cancer types. March Biosciences was initially launched as a spinout, stemming from collaborations between the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Texas Children's Hospital.</p>
</div>

March Biosciences raises USD 28.4 million in Series A funding to advance clinical trials

The tools that power remote work are define the next generation of enterprise software.

Remote Work Tools

<div>
 <p>Zoom has introduced AI Companion 2.0, an AI assistant integrated into Zoom Workplace, available as part of paid Zoom services. It can be utilized through a side panel in the Zoom Workplace interface.</p>
 <p>The new AI tool boasts enhanced context understanding, ability to synthesize information across Zoom Workplace applications (Meetings, Team Chat, Docs, Mail), and seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, and Gmail. It assists in answering meeting-related inquiry, summarizing discussions, generating content, and providing document summaries.</p>
 <p>According to Zoom, AI Companion 2.0 aids users in saving time by highlighting critical information, prioritizing tasks, and transforming interactions into actions. Aligning with Zoom's federated approach, the tool ensures security and privacy by not employing customer content to train its AI models.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake</b> :<br>
 This development aligns with Zoom’s strategy to expand beyond video conferencing and position itself as a comprehensive virtual workplace provider. To support this transition, Zoom has introduced recent updates, including the launch of GenAI "Docs" for workplace collaboration in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/32392"> August 2024 </a> , followed by additional AI-driven innovations added to its platform in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/34709"> October 2024 </a> .</p>

Zoom launches AI Companion 2.0 to enhance workplace productivity

Using AI to automate, enhance and optimize marketing activities

Marketing Automation

<div>
 <p>The non-profit IAB Tech Lab, which creates standards for digital advertising, has launched a new initiative called "Ad Format Idol." This program aims to standardize emerging Connected TV (CTV) ad formats to enable efficient programmatic transactions and promote more widespread industry adoption.</p>
 <p>They invite sellers to submit their successful CTV ad formats for the program. The submission period is open until 22 January 2025. All submissions will be evaluated by a task force from the Tech Lab's Advanced TV Commit Group.</p>
 <p>The "Ad Format Idol" initiative is designed to address a current challenge in the industry. At present, similar ad formats, including pause ads, scrollable carousel ads, and binge ads, lack a uniform standard across different streaming services. This lack of standardization presents a problem when launching scaled campaigns.</p>
 
</div>

IAB Tech Lab launches CTV ad format standardization program

Giving creators the power of content monetization and audience engagement.

Creator Economy

<div>
 <p>Lightricks, a prominent software developer known for its image and video editing apps, has announced the launch of SafeCollab, a new tool designed to aid brands in the evaluation of content creators. The tool will be made accessible to all users from November 10, 2024.</p>
 <p>SafeCollab utilizes LLMs for the analysis of creator content across a myriad of formats such as video, image, audio, and text. The tool offers services like real-time monitoring of posts, comprehensive analysis of historical data, and immediate alerts for any problematic content. It will soon introduce customizable brand risk assessments, enabling brands to set specific content parameters.</p>
</div>

All Updates

Google expands chatbot Bard with image-generation abilities and expands Gemini Pro capabilities to new languages

AI chip maker Kneron seeks USD 300 million in funding from investors

AI chip maker Kneron seeks USD 300 million in funding from investors

Heidelberg Materials launches concrete recycling facility in Poland

Nokia partners with Lenovo to develop edge-ready AI data centers

ZEDEDA and OnLogic partner to launch integrated edge computing solution for industrial environments

WeRide files for US IPO

March Biosciences raises USD 28.4 million in Series A funding to advance clinical trials

Zoom launches AI Companion 2.0 to enhance workplace productivity

IAB Tech Lab launches CTV ad format standardization program

Lightricks launches SafeCollab for AI-powered creator vetting

Generative AI Applications

Google expands chatbot Bard with image-generation abilities and expands Gemini Pro capabilities to new languages

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