How Will **$135 Billion** In New AI Spend Reshape Power? 💸🤖🌍

TL;DR

• Google backs Anthropic with up to $40B commitment
• Microsoft commits $18B to Australian AI infrastructure buildout
• Verda raises $117M to expand independent AI cloud
• Meta hikes AI budget to as much as $135B

HEADLINES

Google to invest up to $40B in Anthropic 🤖🔗

Microsoft commits $18B to Australian AI infrastructure ☁️🔗

DeepSeek unveils Huawei-optimized V4 foundation model 🧠🔗

Verda raises $117M for global AI cloud push 💾🔗

FROM THE BIG PLAYERS

Alphabet / Google investing up to $40B in Anthropic 🏦🔗

Microsoft pledges $18B for Australian AI data centers 🛰️🔗

Meta plans $115–135B AI spend alongside layoffs 📉🔗

SpaceX channels Starlink cash into AI mega-buildout 🚀🔗

RAISES

Verda raised $117M in new round led by Lifeline Ventures 🌐🔗

Cohere secured $600M commitment from Schwarz Group for next round 🤝🔗

Anthropic adds fresh Google capital at $380B valuation 📊🔗

NEW LAUNCHES

PitchMark launched Ideas.Exchange IP licensing marketplace 📝🔗

DeepSeek previewed V4 model tuned for Huawei chips ⚙️🔗

Chainalysis announced AI agents for blockchain forensics platform 🕵️🔗

Anthropic detailed Claude Mythos Preview security analysis tool 🛡️🔗

TRY THESE TOOLS

Ideas.Exchange registers, licenses ideas in AI-heavy markets 💡🔗

CoCounsel Legal provides AI research inside Westlaw contracts ⚖️🔗

Claude Mythos Preview probes zero-day vulnerabilities for red-teaming 🧪🔗

CoLab AI accelerates engineering design reviews for manufacturers ✈️🔗

METRICS

Anthropic reports 83% first-try success on zero-days 📈🔗

Meta projects $115–135B AI spend for 2026 💰🔗

Verda hits $60M+ annualized revenue pre-growth round 📊🔗

Hudson County approves $35K AI legal research contract 🏛️🔗

Pakistan EO-3 adds onboard AI processing to satellite payload 🛰️🔗

BENCHMARKS

DeepSeek V4 outperforms open-source models, trails Gemini Pro 📘🔗

Claude Mythos sets bar for automated exploit discovery 🧷🔗

OpenAI timeline shows GPT-5.x pushing System 2 reasoning 🧮🔗

Google I/O 2026 tees up agentic coding as startup default 📐🔗

INFRA & COSTS

Anthropic secures 5 GW compute via Google, Broadcom ⚡🔗

Microsoft building Australian hyperscale regions for AI workloads 🏗️🔗

Verda expands renewable-cooled GPU data centers to US, Asia 🌬️🔗

SpaceX funnels Starlink profits into orbital AI data centers 🛰️🔗

Pakistan EO-3 uses onboard AI to cut ground-processing load 🧩🔗

VALUATIONS

Anthropic priced at $380B in Google deal 🏷️🔗

SpaceX targets $1.75T valuation in AI-fueled IPO 📈🔗

Cohere positions for next round after Aleph Alpha acquisition 💼🔗

Meta trades margin for scale with AI capex surge 🧮🔗

POLICY

China NDRC now vets US investment into domestic AI firms 🛂🔗

South Africa drafts expansive AI policy emphasizing SME security 📜🔗

Hudson County weighs privacy in public-sector AI legal tools 🏛️🔗

US investment curbs tighten around Chinese AI, semiconductors, quantum tech ⚖️🔗

SOVEREIGN

Australia partners with Microsoft on A$25B digital, AI build 🇦🇺🔗

Pakistan launches EO-3 satellite with onboard AI analytics 🇵🇰🔗

India touts “double AI” economic strategy narrative 🇮🇳🔗

China centralizes control over inbound AI venture capital 🏯🔗

SECTORS

Aerospace deployed CoLab AI to optimize jet design ✈️🔗

Legal adopted CoCounsel for research, drafting workflows 📚🔗

Cybersecurity tested Claude Mythos for exploit discovery at scale 🧨🔗

Satellite Imaging embedded AI for real-time earth observation analysis 🌍🔗

Enterprise 3D / Defense used Nextech3D.ai for US Army, Fidelity 🪖🔗

COMMUNITY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Janet Harrison dissected Anthropic’s margins amid AI price war 📰🔗