Top AI news of the week #19: Advsr AI Spotlight

Advsr AI Spotlight

Highlighting notable AI moves at the intersection of strategic operating companies and emerging startups. Big ideas in the works.

Strategic Deployments of AI 

• Nokia and Nscale partnered to accelerate the build-out of AI infrastructure. Nokia will be a preferred partner for advanced networking technologies for Nscale AI-ready data center deployments globally
• The NHS launched a new National Commission that’s been tasked with advising the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on how to re-write the regulatory rulebook on AI in healthcare, which will be published next year. The UK National Commission on the Regulation of AI in Healthcare will bring in experts from big tech companies – like Google and Microsoft – as well as clinicians, researchers and patient advocate
• Comcast announced it is embedding AI deeper into its broadband infrastructure with the largest deployment of AI-powered network amplifiers in the industry, which will be rolled out across all of Comcast’s markets
• Pony.ai, an autonomous driving technology company, was granted a permit by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to conduct autonomous driving trials on the emirate’s roads, following the company’s partnership with Dubai’s RTA, unveiled earlier this year
• Boeing Defense, Space & Security partnered with Palantir to accelerate AI adoption across defense and classified programs
• Alibaba partnered with Nvidia on global data center expansion plans and new artificial intelligence products, as it positions AI as a core business priority alongside its traditional e-commerce operation
• SoundHound AI, a provider of voice and conversational AI, partnered with Red Lobster to roll out an AI-powered phone ordering agent that will revolutionize takeout ordering across all Red Lobster locations
• The Magnum Ice Cream Company and NotCo AI, an AI platform for CPG innovation, partnered in which TMICC will pilot NotCo’s AI platform to develop new product formats and nutritional profiles, continuing to shape when and how ice cream is consumed
• AMD expanded its partnership with Cohere, a security-first enterprise AI company, so Cohere customers will have access to AMD Instinct GPU-powered infrastructure for Cohere’s full suite of AI offerings
• The U.S. General Services Administration partnered with Meta on a OneGov initiative supports government-wide use of Llama, its open source AI models, making them more accessible to all federal departments and agencies
• The Water Environment Federation, Amazon, The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and The Leading Utilities of the World partnered to create the Water-AI NexusTM Center of Excellence, a collaboration that will develop sustainable water practices for AI infrastructure while also using AI to solve global water challenges
• The South Korean government partnered with BlackRock to forge a partnership to build Asia’s AI hub in Korea
• PowerBank partnered with Intellistake Technologies as a closed beta partner for IntelliScope, Intellistake’s modular enterprise AI suite
• The Information and Communications Technology Council and Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute partnered to accelerate responsible AI adoption in Canada and position the country as a global leader in digital innovation, productivity, and competitiveness
• BigBear.ai, a provider of mission-ready AI for defense and national security, partnered with SMX to showcase AI-powered capabilities that can improve coordination, decision-making, and threat detection in vast maritime operation zones where counter-narcotics, human trafficking, and arms smuggling are key concerns. BigBear.ai will also deploy AI and orchestration technologies in support of the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet at UNITAS 2025
• L&T Technology Services, a provider of AI, digital & ER&D consulting services, partnered with Siemens Limited, a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure and mobility, to advance machine & line simulation and IIoT Technology
• WeLab, a fintech company offering virtual banking and consumer financing solutions, partnered with Google to advance WeLab’s goal of delivering AI-powered financial services to 500 million users by 2032

Strategic and AI Startup Collaborations

• TotalEnergies, a major integrated energy company, and Cognite, a provider of industrial AI, partnered to scale the deployment – over a period of three years – of the Cognite industrial data and AI platform, across all TotalEnergies’ operated upstream assets worldwide, covering the entire value chain from drilling to production
• Medallia, a provider of customer and employee experience, expanded its partnership with Adobe, integrating with the newly launched Adobe AI Agents to shape how businesses build, deliver, and optimize customer experiences and marketing campaigns
• The Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association partnered with Clinically AI, a provider of AI-powered clinical documentation, compliance, and governance solutions for behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disability providers
• VFS Global, a provider of visa, consular and technology services, and Together AI, a cloud platform for next-generation artificial intelligence, partnered to accelerate scalable, secure and ethical AI solutions for cross-border mobility and citizen services
• Keymakr, a provider of data annotation and dataset solutions, partnered with Segments.ai, a platform for 3D point cloud and multi-sensor labeling
• SoundPatrol, a research lab for large music models, partnered with Universal Music Group and Sony Music to protect artists from the unchecked copyright infringement activity coming from AI music generators
• Sybill, which analyzes verbal and non-verbal cues to generate meeting summaries, partnered with Enable Solutions, a Zoho CRM consulting partner, to deliver intelligent CRM automation
• Cibolo Health, a company building clinically integrated networks for rural and independent hospitals, partnered with Avo, an AI-engine used by healthcare organizations to improve care and operational outcomes,to provide member hospitals and clinics with a suite of AI solutions

AI Startup Acquisitions

• The Hitachi Group acquired synvert, a consulting firm in the data and AI space
• Employee Navigator, a benefits and HR software company, acquired Velocity Benefits’ AI-powered plan building software
• Netigate, an experience management SaaS solution for feedback collection, analytics, and dashboards powered by AI, acquired Mopinion, a provider of digital customer feedback software
• Thoma Bravo, a software investment firm, acquired PROS Holdings, a provider of AI-powered SaaS pricing and selling solutions
• Datavant, a data collaboration platform trusted for healthcare, acquired DigitalOwl, a provider of AI-driven medical data analysis
• Axon, a public safety technology provider, acquired Prepared, an AI-powered emergency communications platform that turns 911 calls into actionable intelligence and enables faster response
• Defense startup Kela acquired Pelanor, an AI-based platform to help organizations analyze cloud spending in real time and reduce costs through recommendations and automation
• Harness, an AI DevOps Platform company, acquired Qwiet AI, a provider of agentic AI-powered vulnerability detection and reachability analysis
• McGowan, an insurance conglomerate, acquired Limit, an AI-enabled, digital, wholesale insurance brokerage
• Rose Rocket, an AI-native transportation management platform, acquired Centro, a company whose core IP transforms unstructured email into structured data that feeds directly into supply chain software systems
• Cyberbit, a provider of hyper-realistic attack simulation cyber ranges and Security Operations Center readiness, acquired RangeForce, a provider of cloud-based cyber ranges and scalable solo and team exercising, to forge AI-powered operational cyber readiness for businesses and governments
• MineHub, a provider of digital supply chain solutions for the commodity markets, acquired Jules AI, a provider of digital transformation of commodity supply chains, focusing in recycling and scrap markets
• Onsemi, a provider of intelligent power and image sensing technologies, acquired rights to Vcore power technologies, including associated intellectual property licenses, from  Aura Semiconductor
• Ignite Reading, a Science of Reading-based virtual tutoring program, acquired Esteam, a provider of AI and automatic speech recognition
• Ciena, a provider of high-speed connectivity, acquired Nubis Communications, which specializes in high-performance, ultra-compact, low-power optical and electrical interconnects tailored to support AI workloads
• Veylan, an AI-native operating system for modern advertising, acquired Advisr, a sales platform trusted by media organizations
• CareCloud, a provider of AI-driven healthcare technology solutions for hospitals, integrated health systems, and medical practice, acquired MAP App, a hospital benchmarking tool
• Minute Media, a technology and sports content company, acquired VideoVerse, the company behind Magnifi, an AI-driven SaaS technology platform

AI Outtakes

• An imagined town in Peru, an Eiffel tower in Beijing: travelers are increasingly using tools like ChatGPT for itinerary ideas – and being sent to destinations that don’t exist. Miguel Angel Gongora Meza, founder and director of Evolution Treks Peru, was in a rural Peruvian town preparing for a trek through the Andes when he overheard a curious conversation: two tourists were chatting about their plans to hike alone in the mountains to the “Sacred Canyon of Humantay.” “They [showed] me the screenshot, confidently written and full of vivid adjectives, [but] it was not true. There is no Sacred Canyon of Humantay!” said Meza. “The name is a combination of two places that have no relation to the description. The tourist paid nearly $160 (£118) in order to get to a rural road in the environs of Mollepata without a guide or [a destination].”

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute any form of endorsement, recommendation, or advice. Links to third party websites are provided for reference and convenience purposes. This information has not been independently verified.