Microsoft Corp (MSFT) News & EventsMSFTNews & EventsMicrosoft Corp

NVIDIA Reports Strong Earnings and Acquires Hugging Face

Catch up on the top artificial intelligence news and commentary by Wall Street analysts on publicly traded companies in the space with this daily recap compiled by The Fly.NVIDIA RESULTS:Nvidiais in the spotlight after reporting a strong earnings beat and an upbeat outlook. The company not only topped analyst expectations but also projected revenue growth of 70% in fiscal 2028, far above the 44% anticipated by LSEG‑surveyed analysts. Its Q2 revenue more than doubled, reinforcing the momentum behind its AI‑driven expansion.HUGGING FACE DEAL:Nvidia has agreed to acquire open-source AI platform Hugging Face for $12.9B, expanding its AI ecosystem and access to a leading repository of open-source models, The Information's Amir Efrati, Valida Pau, and Phoebe Liu, citing a person familiar with the matter.NEW SEMICONDUCTOR TARIFFS:The Trump administration is considering broad new semiconductor tariffs that could extend to chip-containing products such as laptops and data-center servers, potentially raising AI infrastructure costs while linking tariff relief to U.S. manufacturing investment, Politico's Ari Hawkins and Gabby Miller. The administration is also mulling a phase-in period for the new tariffs, people familiar with the matter say. Publicly traded companies in the space include AMD, Intel, Marvell, Microchip, Micron, Nvidia, Qualcommand Texas Instruments.ANTHROPIC'S AI:Metahas quietly become one of Anthropic's largest customers, potentially spending up to $10B annually on its AI models despite publicly criticizing the company, highlighting the increasingly intertwined and competitive nature of the AI ecosystem, The New York Times' Eli Tan and Kalley Huang.CHIP SMUGGLING:The U.S. government is probing Apex Logistics for its potential role in the smuggling of Nvidia chips to China, Kari Soo Lindberg and Mackenzie Hawkins of Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. Authorities are investigation into whether Apex transported AI systems made by Super Micro Computer, the sources added.AI REGULATOR:The Trump administration's proposed AI self-regulatory body appears to be stalling, suggesting uncertainty around the administration's approach to AI oversight, The Information's Leo Schwartz. A formal framework could still emerge, but the delay reinforces the broader regulatory vacuum as states continue pursuing their own AI rules, according to the report.AI RESPONSIBILITY:Googleis moving its team dealing with identifying risks and societal impact of AI out of Google DeepMind, the research lab developing its most advanced AI models, Erin Woo of The Wall Street Journal, citing an internal email viewed by the Journal. The change has prompted some members to raise concerns their work may be negatively affected, two DeepMind employees told the Journal. Instead, the 90-person "AI responsibility" unit will join Google's global affairs organization.CYBER DEFENSE:In antitled "A call for collective action on cyber defense" shared on X, the President and co-founder of OpenAI Greg Brockman writes that, "We have a limited window to strengthen cyber defenses. In the coming months, AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated as models around the world become increasingly capable. The companies and public services our communities depend on - from hospitals to water treatment plants to the infrastructure that powers the internet - are at risk. Today's AI advances are already giving defenders new ways to fix weaknesses that have accumulated for years. If we act decisively, we can use the defenders' window to make our digital world much more secure. We propose the following principles for a collective response: Recognize that status quo security won't be enough... Empower more defenders with cyber-capable AI... Mobilize a collective response." He further states, "We can make the digital infrastructure we all depend on more secure. We call on leaders across industry and government to bring the full weight of their technology, resources, and expertise to this effort. Put cyber-capable AI in the hands of defenders, starting with the teams protecting essential services. Fix the most dangerous weaknesses, verify the fixes, and share what works so others can build on it. Together, we can turn today's AI advances into lasting improvements in security that benefit everyone. Let's put them to work."AI BUSINESS:Microsoftstands out among other tech giants for its lack of transparency during its financial reporting, Jonathan Weil of The Wall Street Journal. In Microsoft's latest annual report, the company said "Azure and other cloud services revenue increased 41%" during the year, but gave no dollar amount for that revenue or for the year earlier figure. Instead, Azure is buried within the "intelligent Cloud" segment, which includes legacy software and hides the margins, costs, and capital intensity of its AI-build out.

SoftBank Plans Up to $20B Bond Offering for Refinancing

Funding momentum in AI infrastructure and next‑generation interfaces continues, with Groq and Wispr AI both securing major rounds that push their valuations deeper into unicorn territory.This week's private company news:SoftBankis talking with investment banks about a potential $10B-$20B bond offering to help refinance a loan for itsinvestment in OpenAI, Bloomberg's Laura Benitez and Janice Huang. Proceeds from the sale would partly be used to repay a $40B bridge loan secured earlier this year for its OpenAI investment, and also for other AI investments, according to people familiar with the matter. The offering could be denominated in dollars and euros and could come as early as September, the people add.Anthropicis preparing to pitch amore than $30T total addressable marketin its IPO, surpassing SpaceX's $28.5T estimate and underscoring the exceptionally ambitious growth expectations embedded in AI valuations, The Wall Street Journal's Corrie Driebusch. Anthropic could aim to raise as much as $100B in its offering and is aiming for a valuation of about $2%, the report says.Smart ring makerOurawants up to$3B in its IPOand is targeting avaluation of over $16Bfrom the public listing, Bloomberg's Bailey Lipschultz and Mark Gurman report, citing people familiar with the matter. The IPO could happen as soon as September, the authors note.Some of the biggest capital raises by private companies this week include:Groq– The company announced a $350M Series A fundraise, with the round led by Disruptive, with planned participation from Nvidia. The funding round values the company at $3.5B. This latest round, together with $650M raised in June 2026, brings recent funding in the company to $1B. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom.Wispr AI– The company has raised $280M in Series B funding at a $2B valuation, led by long-time investor and partner Menlo Ventures. They are joined by existing investors Notable Capital, NEA, Neo Ventures, 8VC, and MVP Ventures. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Meta Platforms, Alphabet, and Microsoft.Muon Space– The Mission Foundry for high-performance satellite constellations announced a $250M Series C led by Eclipse Capital, with participation from Galvanize, Google, Salesforce Ventures, Wellington Management, I Squared Capital, Woven Capital, Radical Ventures, Congruent Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, Activate Capital, ACME Capital, ArcTern Ventures, and Overlap Holdings. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Iridium, Spire Global, and Trimble.Starcloud– The company pioneering data centers in space has announced a $250M Series A extension funding round at a $2.3B post-money valuation. The round was led by Manhattan West. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Viasataand AST SpaceMobile.Emerald AI– The company announced it has raised $150M in an oversubscribed Series A financing at a valuation of $1.05B. Energize Capital and DCVC co-led the round. The round was led by Manhattan West. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Palantirand Amazon.Unicorns to watch this week:Halter– The cattle tech/AgTech company has significantly expanded its scale in 2026, raising $220M in a Series E at a $2B valuation, more than doubling its prior valuation. The company now has one million smart collars sold and is operating across three continents, with U.S. ranchers building 60,000 miles of virtual fencing using its system. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Zoetis.Decagon– The AI customer support agent company valuation has tripled to $4.5B following a $250M Series D led by Coatue and Index Ventures. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Salesforce, Freshworks, and HubSpot.Zama– The cryptography/blockchain infrastructure remains the first unicorn in the FHE space, with its Series B round establishing a valuation around $1B. The company continues to push encrypted computation and confidential smart‑contract infrastructure, making it one of the most closely watched cryptography startups in 2026. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Inteland AMD.Colossal Biosciences– The biotech "de-extinction" continues to attract major investor attention as it advances its synthetic biology platform and de extinction programs. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Ginkgo Bioworksand Twist Bioscience.Breeze Aviation Group– The company remains a private standout in U.S. aviation, expanding its fleet and underserved route strategy. Breeze continues to benefit from strong seasonal demand and its growing Airbus A220 footprint, keeping it in focus as a next generation low cost carrier. Publicly-traded companies operating in the same space include Southwest Airlinesand JetBlue Airways.IPOs to watch:OPENAI– The company's CFO Sara Friar told employees that the AI lab "will be a public company in 2027," CNBC's Ashley Capoot and Kate Rooney report. In an all hands meeting, Friar told employees not to worry about rival Anthropic's IPO timeline. OpenAI confidentially filed its IPO prospectus with regulators in June, but it has not publicly disclosed its plans. "The IPO is not a finish line, it is a milestone, another fundraise," Friar told employees, according to two sources familiar with her comments. "We raised $122B in March, and that gives us flexibility."EvoAir Holdings– The company has filed for a firm commitment initial public offering of shares of common stock and anticipates that the initial public offering price of shares will be between $4.00 and $5.00 per share.Inspire Brands– The company announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock. Inspire Brands expects to use the net proceeds of the proposed offering to repay outstanding indebtedness under its existing term loan facility and pay offering fees and expenses."Private Markets" is The Fly's recurring series of stories on the latest moves in the private sector, largest unicorn companies and initial public offerings to watch. Fly subscribers, add $PRIVATE to your portfolio for alerts on breaking news in the startup and venture capital space.