NYT: OpenAI disproves a decades-old idea that some problems can't be solved fast

The New York Times reports that OpenAI has disproved the Exponential Time Hypothesis. This long-standing idea held that some problems would always be hard for computers to solve quickly. Russell Impagliazzo, who co-proposed the hypothesis, called the disproof "shocking news". The Times says the result could one day speed up chip design and break encryption.

Safety group METR says Anthropic's AI is now improving about twice as fast as a year ago

The AI safety research organisation METR published a report on Thursday after an 11-week investigation into how Anthropic uses AI to build more powerful AI. According to The Verge's account of the report, Anthropic's models are improving roughly twice as quickly as a year ago, with little sign of slowing down. The Verge says the findings are alarming some researchers.

Meta gives all Muse and Meta AI users new models trained by its top model

The New Stack reports that starting Friday, everyone using Meta's Muse agent and Meta AI gets new, specialised versions of Meta's existing models. Meta trained them using Muse Wonder, its frontier model. The update also brings features called Active Memory and Active Focus to all Muse and Meta AI users.

Data centre builder Crusoe sells its troubled Wyoming project to Google

Crusoe, a Denver-based data centre developer recently valued at $30.9 billion, confirmed it has sold an unfinished data centre project in southeastern Wyoming to Google. Google did not say what it paid, but it announced plans to invest $17 billion to develop the campus. Crusoe had tried and failed to sign Google as a customer for the site, and Google reportedly raised concerns about its cost and construction timeline. Crusoe is still building another data centre for Google near Amarillo, Texas.

Crypto exchange Binance's finance chief leaves days after its $6.3 billion hack

Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, says its chief financial officer Kaiser Ng is leaving to "pursue a new venture". It cited a six-month transition plan and named Justin Yek as the new CFO. The announcement comes barely more than a week after hackers stole $6.3 billion worth of cryptocurrency from Binance users.

Chipmaker TSMC denies it is exploring stacked 3D memory chips for Nvidia

Tom's Hardware reports that TSMC has denied exploring '3D DRAM' at Nvidia's request. Earlier reports said Nvidia had asked TSMC to make this kind of memory to ease memory shortages. Tom's Hardware says the technology is still years from being ready for the market.

Huawei launches its first desktop PCs running its own HarmonyOS system

The South China Morning Post reports that Huawei has launched the Qinyun HM650 series, its first desktop computers running its own operating system, HarmonyOS. They are aimed at business and government users. Huawei says they use "100% domestically made" components.

Nvidia's CEO is called to Congress over a reported Chinese spy plot

The Financial Times, citing sources, reports that US officials believe Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had a romantic relationship with Alice Huang, who they allege was recruited by China's top spy agency, the MSS, to gather information on a US company. Tom's Hardware says she is an executive at Megaspeed and that Huang has now been officially called to Congress, with officials citing national security concerns. TechCrunch reports that a US intelligence memo circulated earlier this year claimed China's Ministry of State Security recruited the executive to spy on Nvidia's CEO.

US approved Chinese firms with empty offices to handle Nvidia's H200 AI chips, NYT finds

A New York Times investigation found that some of the dozens of Chinese companies the US Commerce Department approved to handle Nvidia's H200 chips have empty offices and ties to firms under sanctions over national security. The Verge says one approved firm, New Matrix, has offices the Times describes as a hollow shell. Concerns are being raised about whether the department and Nvidia are vetting these firms properly.

US Treasury moves to cut crypto exchange MEXC off from the US financial system

CoinDesk reports that the US Treasury is moving to cut off the crypto exchange MEXC from the US financial system. The Treasury alleges the exchange handled more than $16 billion in illicit flows, including sanctions evasion by Russia and Iran.

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