Yazılar

Nvidia-Backed Cloud Firm CoreWeave to Acquire AI Platform Weights & Biases

/in /tarafından

CoreWeave, a cloud infrastructure provider backed by Nvidia, announced on Tuesday its acquisition of the AI developer platform Weights & Biases. The move is part of CoreWeave’s strategy to expand its cloud offerings ahead of its upcoming IPO.

The acquisition will integrate CoreWeave’s infrastructure and managed cloud services with Weights & Biases’ AI platform, which is widely used for training, evaluating, and monitoring AI models. Prominent technology companies such as OpenAI and Meta utilize Weights & Biases’ platform to build and deploy AI applications.

While the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, sources familiar with the transaction told The Information that the acquisition could be valued at approximately $1.7 billion.

CoreWeave, based in Roseland, New Jersey, has seen significant growth, reporting an eight-fold increase in revenue for 2024. The company is also advancing with its plans to list publicly later this year, with expectations to achieve a valuation exceeding $35 billion in its New York flotation.

CoreWeave’s customer base includes major players like hedge fund Jane Street, as well as tech giants Meta, IBM, and Microsoft.

Amazon Removes Diversity References from Annual Report

/in /tarafından

Amazon has removed references to “inclusion and diversity” from its 2024 annual report, signaling a shift in its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. This change follows a December memo from Amazon executive Candi Castleberry, in which she stated that the company would wind down outdated DEI initiatives by the end of 2024. The memo emphasized integrating DEI practices into existing processes rather than running separate, individual programs.

For the past two years, Amazon’s annual report had included a statement in its “human capital” section, highlighting the company’s focus on inclusion and diversity as part of its commitment to being the “Earth’s best employer.” The 2024 version of the report omits this mention entirely and also removes a reference to a goal of “promoting equity” in employee hiring and development efforts.

The removal of DEI references comes as many large corporations, including other tech giants like Meta and Alphabet, scale back similar initiatives following political pressures and challenges from conservative groups. These groups have targeted corporate diversity programs, and legal threats have emerged, urging companies to reconsider their DEI policies.

While Amazon’s website still states its commitment to diversity and inclusion, the company’s move to reduce its focus on these programs reflects broader shifts in corporate America, with some companies, such as Disney, also scaling back or adjusting their diversity-related efforts. Despite the changes, Amazon did not provide further details about potential alterations to DEI-related employee positions.

EU Tech Companies Agree to Stronger Measures Against Online Hate Speech

/in /tarafından

Meta’s Facebook, Elon Musk’s X, Google’s YouTube, and other tech giants have agreed to enhance their efforts to combat online hate speech under a revised code of conduct, which will now be incorporated into the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The update aims to make these platforms more accountable in tackling harmful content.

Key Points:

  • Revised Code of Conduct: Facebook, X, YouTube, and others have committed to improving their approach to addressing illegal hate speech on their platforms, under the updated voluntary code of conduct, initially launched in May 2016. This code will now align with the requirements of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates tech companies to take stronger action against harmful and illegal online content.
  • Tech Companies’ Pledge: In addition to enhancing detection mechanisms, companies like Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Twitch, alongside the bigger players, have agreed to measures such as using automatic detection tools for hate speech and ensuring that at least two-thirds of hate speech notices are reviewed within 24 hours. They will also provide data on how their recommendation systems contribute to the spread of harmful content.
  • Transparency and Oversight: The updated code will also allow public and non-profit entities with expertise in hate speech to monitor how platforms handle hate speech notices. This will increase the transparency and accountability of tech companies, with a focus on issues like race, ethnicity, religion, and gender identity.
  • EU’s Position on Hate Speech: EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen emphasized that the European Union has no tolerance for illegal hate speech, whether online or offline. The strengthened code aligns with the DSA, which is pushing for stricter regulations on tech companies to address online harms and ensure that harmful content is swiftly removed.