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Welcome to this edition of Loop!

To kick off your week, I’ve rounded-up the most important technology and AI updates that you should know about.

‏‏‎ ‎ HIGHLIGHTS ‏‏‎ ‎

Let's jump in!

1. OpenAI signs a $300 billion cloud deal with Oracle

We start this week with OpenAI, which has secured one of the largest cloud computing agreements in history. The startup has committed to purchase $300 billion worth of computing power from Oracle, spanning over the course of five years.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much more about the deal and OpenAI’s plans - but it’s believed that the contract will start from 2027 onwards. They are also working on a separate $10 billion contract with Broadcom, which will allow OpenAI to develop custom AI chips and reduce its reliance on Nvidia.

For a company that’s expecting $12.7 billion in revenue this year, it's quite the bet on future growth. But the question is: where will this money come from? OpenAI can keep raising money, but at some point that will slow down as investors can’t invest hundreds of billions forever.

Regardless, Oracle has emerged as the huge winner in all this. Its CEO has confirmed that three companies have signed "four multi-billion-dollar contracts" in the first quarter alone.

These deals will add rocket fuel to Oracle’s cloud revenues, which has already surged 77% this year. The company has added an eye-watering $317 billion in future contract revenue in Q1, sending its share price skyward.

For the last decade, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have dominated the cloud computing sector - but it looks like Oracle is emerging as a formidable fourth player.

2. SpaceX spends $17 billion to challenge mobile carriers

In another huge deal, SpaceX has acquired the wireless spectrum assets from EchoStar - as it hopes to challenge the mobile phone carriers. Under the agreement, EchoStar will get $8.5 billion in cash and the rest in SpaceX stock.

Why does this matter? Well, there's only so much spectrum to go around, and the frequencies that work for both phones and satellites are especially rare. Until now, satellite companies had their own spectrum - while mobile carriers like AT&T and Verizon controlled the mobile phone bands.

But things started to change in 2024, when American regulators approved something called Supplemental Coverage from Space. This allows satellites to work with carrier networks and fill in those coverage gaps that can’t be reached by mobile towers.

Previously, SpaceX had been working with T-Mobile to offer this service. But buying EchoStar's spectrum will change the game completely, as SpaceX now has its own licences and won’t have to partner with the mobile carriers.

In the near future, Elon Musk’s company could offer its own mobile service and be competing with the established carriers - like AT&T and Verizon.

3. Amazon drivers could be wearing AR glasses next year

It’s believed that Amazon is working on augmented reality glasses, which could challenge Meta’s success in this sector.

Before the consumer version launches in late 2026 or early 2027, Amazon plans to deploy AR glasses that were developed specifically for its delivery drivers.

The delivery glasses will have a bulkier design, but they will be able to see turn-by-turn directions and delivery instructions - all within their eyeline.

The timing is particularly interesting, as Meta is preparing to unveil its "Hypernova" smart glasses. These are expected to be much more advanced than their Rayban product, as it will include a small display for mini apps and notifications.

4. Anthropic’s Claude can now create spreadsheets and presentations

Similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT agent, Claude can now generate Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and PDFs - all within the chat interface.

It’s a welcome update and will soon be available for all paid users. Rather than having to copy and paste Claude’s suggestions into another app, you can simply ask Claude to create those files for you.

In Anthropic’s example, Claude was able to analyse raw finance data and then used it to generate a Word file - which contained a detailed report on the company’s finances. After that, they asked it to convert the data into an Excel spreadsheet and create a formula that shows the impact of pricing changes.

Of course, there is the risk that the model could make a mistake and use the wrong figures - but this is an incredibly useful feature. With this update, almost anyone can analyse their data in seconds.

That won’t mean that data analysts will lose their jobs overnight, as companies could lose millions if their calculations are wrong, but it will raise the floor and allow most people to gain those skills.

Even if it’s at a basic level, that’s incredibly exciting and opens plenty of new possibilities for people - especially business owners.

5. FAA accelerates the process to test eVTOLs

The FAA’s new pilot programme will allow eVTOL companies to run real-world operations, while they continue to navigate the certification process.

Under these plans, companies will be allowed to test their technology for three years and must work with local governments. It’s a pretty clever way to safely trial these eVTOLs and ensure that authorities are prepared for when it’s ready to be rolled-out.

Officially, the programme will cover short-range air taxis, longer-range fixed wing flights, cargo hauling, and medical logistics. But it’s worth noting that electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft can also be used for military operations.

This is because the aircraft operate near-silently and have a very small heat signature. In recent months, these companies have been exploring how the technology could be used by Western forces - as it could offer them the funding they badly need.

While the FAA is clearly trying to gain useful insights into the sector and prepare local governments for its deployment, the US is also keen to accelerate the military’s testing of eVTOLs.

At Workday Rising this week?

I’ll be at the conference representing Kainos, as we reveal our first AI agents for Workday. My team has been working on these agents for several months, alongside other early-access partners.

We will be revealing three new AI agents in San Francisco. These agents will help you to organise travel bookings in minutes, instantly resolve help desk queries, and identify the AI features that will benefit your business.

You can visit our stand to experience hands-on demos, speak with our experts about your specific challenges, and learn how you can deploy AI agents - freeing your teams to focus on what matters most.

Or you can book a 30 min session with me, using the link below. Simply select “Workday Marketplace Apps” and fill in your details.

Defence tech companies focus on autonomous robots

Defence tech companies are shifting up a gear, as they start to invest much more in autonomous robots and drones - including undersea surveillance.

In the last week alone, Europe’s Helsing has made several announcements and strategic partnerships. Their autonomous underwater surveillance drone has completed sea trials in just three months - which is considerably faster than planned.

The 2-metre drone can be launched from the shore, or by a ship, and is equipped with Helsing’s AI acoustic software to detect enemy submarines. The ultimate goal here is to have swarms of AI-enabled underwater drones, which will search for submarines and monitor undersea cables.

The startup has also partnered with ARX Robotics, as it hopes to create robots that can extract soldiers from the frontline and attack targets. This is a growing area of focus for Western nations, as they are already being tested in Ukraine and will likely be the next big advancement.

And finally, Helsing has also partnered with Systematic. Reading between the lines, it’s likely that the two companies will work on a new software platform - allowing NATO to manage its troops on the battlefield.

Andruil has also made big moves in the last few days. The company will deploy huge underwater drones in Australian waters and help their forces monitor threats. These drones will be deployed next year, as part of a $1.1 billion (USD) deal.

They’ve also signed deals with Maxar, which is a huge satellite intelligence company in the US. It’s believed that is part of their work on a Mixed Reality headset for the US military - with Maxar’s satellite imagery used to offer battlefield intelligence to their troops.

While those were a lot of announcements, I think it’s important that we recognise the sheer pace of change in the defence tech sector. Now that NATO countries are planning to spend tens of billions more on defence, disruptors like Helsing and Anduril are really starting to accelerate their work.

🚗 Zoox robotaxis have been deployed in Las Vegas. Lyft's robotaxis are now active in Atlanta

🎬 Google's Veo 3 can now generate vertical AI videos

🏠 Zillow launches an AI virtual staging tool

🧽 Wow, Apple's polishing cloth is compatible with the new iPhones

🎭 OpenAI is releasing an animated film that was created with AI

📺 Vodafone creates ads that feature AI influencers

🔋 Volkswagen reveals a new lineup of affordable EVs, but GM slows EV production as tax credit are close to expiring

🚁 Uber will add Blade's helicopters to its platform in 2026

🤖 Microsoft will use AI models from Anthropic, bypassing OpenAI

📱 Apple released its new iPhone 17, iPhone Air, AirPods Pro 3, and Apple Watch

💻 Nvidia reveals a new GPU designed for long-context inference

🚙 Uber and Momenta will test autonomous vehicles in Germany next year

It’s easy to focus on the endless-cycle of AI companies, but there are plenty of advances being made in space too.

This startup helps satellite companies to monitor conditions in space and warns about potential threats - which can range from radiation surges to incoming debris.

Their SKY-I platform can collect data in real-time from the startup’s sensors and then combines it with other sources to detect those threats.

The company was founded in 2022 by Bianca Cefalo, who previously worked with NASA and was involved in the mission to study below Mars’ surface.

During her time working with the agency, she saw that nearly 15% of spacecraft suffered anomalies or failures - as the manufacturers couldn’t predict the actual orbital conditions.

What sets the company apart from its competitors is that it operates both the hardware and software - with sensors used to collect data in orbit and their platform is used to analyse it.

Space DOTS has just closed $1.5 million in seed funding, which should give it a bit more runway to expand the team further. If you want to learn more about the company, I included a link below.

This Week’s Art

We’ve covered quite a bit this week, including:

If you found something interesting in this week’s edition, please feel free to share this newsletter with your colleagues.

Or if you’re interested in chatting with me about the above, simply reply to this email and I’ll get back to you.

Have a good week!

Liam

Share with Others

If you found something interesting in this week’s edition, feel free to share this newsletter with your colleagues.

Liam McCormick is a Senior AI Engineer and works within Kainos' Innovation team. He identifies business value in emerging technologies, implements them, and then shares these insights with others.