OpenAI began searching in 2025 for alternatives to Nvidia's inference hardware after internal teams flagged speed constraints in code generation and software-to-software tasks. The company has since signed a deal with Cerebras and is evaluating AMD GPUs to potentially handle about 10% of future inference demand, while talks with Groq ended following a $20 billion Nvidia licensing agreement. A separate plan for Nvidia to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI remains unresolved, even as both firms publicly emphasize that Nvidia still powers most of OpenAI's inference fleet.

Global technology outlays are projected to reach $5.6 trillion in 2026, a 7.8% rise from $5.2 trillion in 2025, with Asia Pacific and North America leading the expansion. Investment is concentrating on AI infrastructure such as data centers and semiconductors, while hyperscalers and chipmakers are set to benefit from expected double‑digit growth in cloud services and the semiconductor industry.

On 2 February 2026, a detailed overview explained how on-us and off-us card transactions differ in structure and impact. On-us payments occur when the issuer and acquirer are the same bank and remain on internal rails, while off-us flows connect different banks via card networks such as Visa, Mastercard, or RuPay. This technical distinction influences processing time, costs, and how banks and fintechs design their payment infrastructure.

South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service is upgrading its AI-powered VISTA platform to detect unfair crypto trading, after expanding computing capacity in December. Officials plan phased enhancements through year-end funded by 170 million won, within a legal framework that enables heavy fines and, in extreme cases, life imprisonment for manipulation.

In the run-up to the 2026 Lunar New Year festivities starting on February 15, Chinese AI firms are rolling out upgraded models such as DeepSeek's V4, Zhipu AI's GLM-5 and MiniMax's M2.2, alongside large-scale user acquisition campaigns. Alibaba plans to spend 3 billion yuan on incentives for its Qwen app, while Tencent and Baidu will allocate 1 billion yuan and 500 million yuan respectively to push their AI services during the extended nine-day holiday.

Updated on February 2, 2026 at 1:28 AM UTC, Apple faces intensifying competition for chips as AI companies bid aggressively for the same components. Nvidia has surpassed Apple as TSMC’s largest client, while TechInsights projects DRAM prices could quadruple and NAND triple by year-end. Mike Howard estimates an extra $57 memory cost for an entry-level iPhone 18, impacting margins on a $799 device.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in Taipei that the company is discussing a potential investment in OpenAI that could reach up to $100 billion. The proposal mentions substantial equity and a 10‑gigawatt computing build‑out, with no binding agreement yet. OpenAI's leadership has signaled strong interest in expanding collaboration.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated in Taipei that the widely cited $100 billion figure for a potential OpenAI investment was only a maximum amount the company was invited to consider, not a firm pledge. He said Nvidia will fund OpenAI step by step and indicated any current contribution will fall well short of that level, as the firm also faces questions over similar circular financing concerns tied to its fresh $2 billion commitment to CoreWeave.