Google pulls Pixel out of China

Google pulls Pixel out of China

Alphabet’s [GOOGL] Google plans to move production of all Pixel smartphones, smartwatches and wireless earbuds outside China by 2027. This will make it the second major smartphone maker, after Samsung [SSNLF], to slash its production there. The shift reflects efforts to reduce exposure to geopolitical and trade risks linked to China, while successful high-end Pixel production in Vietnam has given Google confidence in the relocation, Seeking Alpha detailed.

Another circular data centre deal

Nvidia [NVDA] has agreed to provide more than $100bn in credit support for an OpenAI data centre campus in Ohio, while also investing $1.5bn directly in developer SB Energy, a SoftBank [SFTBY] subsidiary. Nvidia will be the site’s exclusive AI computing supplier, potentially generating $150bn-200bn in hardware revenue as the facility expands to house more than 1m Nvidia chips. OpenAI has signed a 20-year lease for the site, with the first 800MW expected to come online in 2028. 

China tech giant climbs on AI agent release

Alibaba [BABA] shares rose as much as 5% after Alipay launched a new all-in-one platform designed to help businesses use artificial intelligence (AI) agents to automate tasks, boosting optimism ahead of the company’s upcoming earnings. Alibaba shares have rallied more than 40% from their June low, according to Bloomberg; analysts expect revenue to rise 8.4% for the quarter, with free cash flow remaining negative amid continued AI investment.

How Robinhood Chain is leveraging the tokenisation revolution 

As mainstream finance rushes to integrate tokenisation, Robinhood [HOOD] has launched its own blockchain, Robinhood Chain, with total value locked surging to $540m since its July debut. Aureon breaks down how tokenisation works, then digs into whether Robinhood Chain’s early traction reflects genuine demand for tokenised real-world assets.

Anthropic bests OpenAI on revenue

In Q2, the AI start-up logged a 14x year-on-year rise in revenue to $11.5bn, compared to $787m a year ago and $4.73bn in Q1, Bloomberg reported. It has also achieved profitability on an adjusted operating income basis prior to its IPO, which could occur as early as September. By some estimates it has surpassed OpenAI in terms of annualised revenue, with $70bn versus the ChatGPT maker’s $40bn. 

Stripe to buy OpenRouter for $7bn

On Monday, the payments processing firm finalised an agreement to buy OpenRouter, just months after the latter reported a $1.3bn valuation. OpenRouter provides clients with access to 400-plus AI models, aiming to match developers with the right AI tools; it has raised more than $150m to date with backing from Alphabet’s CapitalG, among others. The move illustrates the demand from businesses to find the most cost-friendly AI solutions as ballooning costs increase interest in open-weight models.

Will Oracle partnership help Quantinuum turn hype into growth?

Quantinuum [QNT] jumped 279% y/y in Q2 revenue and unveiled a multi-year partnership bringing its Helios quantum computer to Oracle Cloud [ORCL] – but a $597m GAAP loss and a post-IPO valuation above $15bn mean the investment case still hinges on quantum computing reaching commercial scale years down the line. Aureon weighs the promise against the risk.