Anthropic has officially canceled its planned $6 billion acquisition of Israeli AI startup Decart following a completed review. While the deal, which valued Decart higher than its recent $4 billion funding round, is off the table, reports suggest the two companies may still explore future collaborations. This decision occurs as US officials maintain close scrutiny on international AI operations.
In education news, 2U is expanding its partnership with Google Cloud by adding 12 new courses to the edX platform. These classes, part of the Gemini Enterprise Agent Ready program, cover topics like Google Cloud Digital Leader and Generative AI. The platform now hosts over 100 courses for its 100 million learners, with companies able to access them via the edX Enterprise Catalog.
Looking at global infrastructure, Australia is projected to receive $703 billion in cumulative AI investment by 2050. Annual data center spending is expected to jump from $16.5 billion in 2026 to $41.6 billion by 2050. PwC notes that power availability and community consent are key factors driving these investments, with ICT equipment spending reaching $38.2 billion annually.
On the corporate earnings front, Palantir continues to outperform, beating expectations for nine consecutive quarters with 92.83% revenue growth and a 31.59% operating margin. Despite a high 247x price-to-earnings ratio, the company remains profitable while competitors like Snowflake and C3.ai report losses. CEO Alex Karp aims to sustain growth rates matching its US commercial performance.
Meanwhile, SpaceX spent approximately $15.8 billion on AI compute infrastructure in the second quarter of 2026, significantly less than OpenAI's planned $750 billion through 2030. SpaceX funded these efforts through its IPO and debt sales, viewing AI as essential to its space exploration goals. ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott also emphasized at a Goldman Sachs event that AI is a mindset while security is a process, highlighting the company's focus on threat detection.
Finally, researchers developed a new framework called Aplaud to make large language models more efficient for personalized tasks. This method separates shared knowledge from unique user corrections, reducing storage costs and improving speed. Additionally, AI tools are enabling single founders to build startups faster and cheaper by simulating market needs and generating product ideas independently.
Key Takeaways
- Anthropic canceled its $6 billion deal to acquire Israeli AI startup Decart after due diligence.
- Decart, founded by brothers Dean Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev, raised $450 million before the acquisition fell through.
- 2U added 12 new Google Cloud AI courses to edX, bringing total offerings to over 100.
- Australia is expected to attract $703 billion in AI infrastructure investment by 2050.
- Data center spending in Australia will rise from $16.5 billion in 2026 to $41.6 billion by 2050.
- Palantir beat earnings expectations for nine consecutive quarters with 92.83% revenue growth.
- Palantir trades at a 247x price-to-earnings ratio while remaining profitable unlike Snowflake and C3.ai.
- SpaceX spent $15.8 billion on AI compute in Q2 2026, far less than OpenAI's planned $750 billion through 2030.
- ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott linked AI as a thinking style and security as a process at Goldman Sachs.
- New Aplaud framework improves large language model efficiency by separating shared knowledge from user corrections.
Anthropic cancels $6 billion deal with Israeli AI startup Decart
Anthropic has decided not to buy the Israeli AI startup Decart after finishing its review of the company. Reports say the deal was worth about $6 billion, which is higher than Decart's recent $4 billion valuation. Decart creates software that helps AI run faster on different computer chips and was founded by brothers Dean Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev. Even though the sale is off, the two companies might still work together on other projects. This news comes as US officials continue to watch closely how AI companies from other countries operate.
Anthropic stops plans to acquire Israeli AI startup Decart
Anthropic abandoned its plan to acquire Decart after conducting due diligence on the company. The potential deal could have valued the startup at around $6 billion, but Anthropic chose not to move forward with the purchase. Decart, founded in 2023, employs about 100 people and has raised $450 million in funding so far. Bloomberg reported that while the acquisition is cancelled, both companies may still find ways to collaborate in the future. No official statement has been released by either Anthropic or Decart regarding this decision.
2U adds new Google Cloud AI courses to edX platform
2U is partnering with Google Cloud to launch 12 new courses on the edX learning platform. These classes are part of the GEAR program and cover topics like Google Cloud Digital Leader and Generative AI. The programs are designed for both technical and non-technical students who want to learn practical cloud and AI skills. In the last month alone, more than 30 Google courses were added to edX, bringing the total partnership offerings to over 100. Learners can access these courses individually or through their company via the edX Enterprise Catalog.
2U Inc expands Google Cloud training on edX with new programs
2U Inc announced it is adding 12 new cloud and AI courses to its edX platform in partnership with Google Cloud. These courses belong to the Gemini Enterprise Agent Ready program and teach skills in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The platform now offers more than 100 courses and certificates to its global community of over 100 million learners. Recent additions include tracks for Google Cloud Digital Leader and Associate Cloud Engineer. Companies can also use the edX Enterprise Catalog to provide this training to their employees.
New method Aplaud makes large language models more efficient
Researchers have created a new framework called Aplaud to make large language models more efficient for personalized tasks. This method helps predict survey responses by using less data and storage space for each individual user. Aplaud improves on existing techniques by separating shared knowledge from unique user corrections to reduce costs. Tests show that this approach works better than current methods while keeping the system fast and scalable. The technology addresses challenges like limited training data and the high cost of storing many different model versions.
Australia to receive 703 billion dollars in AI investment by 2050
Australia is expected to attract 703 billion US dollars in cumulative AI infrastructure investment by 2050. Annual spending on data centers will rise from 16.5 billion dollars in 2026 to 41.6 billion dollars by 2050. PwC reports that power availability, connectivity, security, and community consent are the main factors influencing where this money goes. The country ranks as the 17th largest market globally and the fourth most investment-intensive in Asia Pacific relative to its GDP. Investment in ICT equipment is projected to reach 38.2 billion dollars annually by 2050, far exceeding construction costs.
AI tools let single founders build startups faster and cheaper
Artificial intelligence is changing how people start businesses by allowing one person to do many tasks quickly. A single founder can now generate product ideas and simulate market needs at a very low cost. This technology enables individuals to establish a startup in parallel with other activities that usually require a large team. The shift lowers the barrier to entry for entrepreneurship and changes the traditional rules of starting a company.
SpaceX invests heavily in AI compute despite smaller spending than rivals
SpaceX is investing billions of dollars in artificial intelligence capabilities through its subsidiary xAI and the Grok model. The company spent about 15.8 billion dollars on AI compute infrastructure during the second quarter of 2026. This spending is significantly lower than competitors like OpenAI, which plans to spend 750 billion dollars on AI infrastructure through 2030. SpaceX raised approximately 100 billion dollars in cash through its IPO and debt sales to fund these projects. While xAI may not match the spending of major hyperscalers, the company views AI as a way to support its broader space exploration goals.
ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott links AI and security at Goldman Sachs
ServiceNow held a conference at Goldman Sachs to highlight its deepening focus on artificial intelligence and security. CEO Bill McDermott stated that AI is a way of thinking and security is a process rather than just a product. The company is using AI to improve threat detection and incident response for its customers. ServiceNow is also investing in research and development to make its security solutions more effective. The event included a panel discussion with industry experts about the future challenges and opportunities in AI and security.
Palantir beats earnings expectations while trading at high valuation
Palantir continues to surprise Wall Street by beating earnings expectations for nine consecutive quarters. The stock currently trades at 172.24 dollars per share with a price target of 184.84 dollars from analysts. CEO Alex Karp aims to grow the business at a rate equal to or higher than its US commercial performance for the next 18 months. The company reported 92.83 percent revenue growth year over year and an operating margin of 31.59 percent. Despite a high price-to-earnings ratio of 247 times, Palantir remains profitable while competitors like Snowflake and C3.ai face losses.
Sources
- Anthropic walks away from $6 billion deal with Israeli AI startup Decart: What happened?
- Anthropic drops plans to acquire Israeli AI startup Decart
- 2U Expands Google Cloud Learning Portfolio on edX with New AI and Cloud Programs
- 2U Inc. Expands Google Cloud Learning Portfolio on Edx with New AI and Cloud Programs
- Aplaud: Adaptive Personalized Low-Rank Decomposition for User-Specific LLM
- Australia's AI infrastructure investment forecast to reach US$703 billion by 2050
- AI Is Changing the Rules of Entrepreneurship
- Is SpaceX a Top Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Pick in September?
- ServiceNow at Goldman Sachs conference: AI and security push deepens
- This Could Be the AI Stock That Keeps Surprising Wall Street
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