October 19, 2025

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Microsoft Plans Intel 18A Chips, Walmart Uses OpenAI

The artificial intelligence landscape is rapidly evolving, with major tech companies forging new partnerships and developing advanced hardware. Microsoft is reportedly planning to utilize Intel Foundry's 18A manufacturing process for its next-generation Maia 2 AI accelerators, a move that could bolster Intel's foundry business. This collaboration follows Intel's previous announcement of Microsoft as a customer for its 18A process, though Microsoft's Maia AI chips have faced reported delays. Meanwhile, Walmart is integrating OpenAI's technology to create a new AI-powered shopping experience, allowing customers to 'just chat and buy' for tasks ranging from meal preparation to restocking. This 'agentic commerce' aims to simplify purchases through a multimedia, personalized AI interface. Beyond commerce and hardware, AI's impact on education and cognitive function is also under scrutiny. A study from MIT suggests that over-reliance on AI tools like ChatGPT may reduce brain activity and hinder learning, raising concerns about cognitive decline. Conversely, the Alpha School in San Francisco is leveraging AI for personalized education, tailoring learning pathways for students, though experts advise caution regarding equitable benefits. In the UK, North Lincolnshire is positioning itself as an AI growth zone, aiming to attract significant private investment and create thousands of jobs by establishing a large AI data center cluster, with a focus on water efficiency. However, the expansion of AI infrastructure across Europe, including data centers from giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, is raising alarms about water scarcity, particularly in drought-prone regions. Other developments include Freight Technologies launching an AI module for faster invoice validation in logistics and Encord releasing a large multimodal dataset to enhance AI training efficiency. In public service, San Jose is exploring AI chatbots to increase employee productivity, while community initiatives like the Flower Mound Public Library's workshop are bridging generational gaps by teaching seniors AI tools with the help of students.

Key Takeaways

  • Microsoft is reportedly planning to use Intel Foundry's 18A manufacturing process for its future Maia 2 AI accelerators.
  • Walmart is partnering with OpenAI to introduce an AI-powered shopping feature enabling customers to 'just chat and buy.'
  • A MIT study suggests that using AI tools like ChatGPT may reduce brain activity and cognitive function.
  • North Lincolnshire is aiming to become an AI growth zone, potentially attracting over £20 billion in investment and creating 15,650 jobs.
  • Europe's ambition for AI leadership is challenged by water scarcity, with data centers from Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta facing opposition in drought-prone regions.
  • Encord has released EMM-1, a multimodal dataset containing 1 billion data pairs, designed to improve AI training efficiency by 17 times.
  • Freight Technologies has launched an AI automation module, Carrier Auto Invoicing, to speed up invoice validation in the logistics industry.
  • San Jose is considering AI chatbots to boost employee productivity, with potential gains of 10-20% through task automation.
  • The Alpha School in San Francisco uses AI for personalized education, tailoring learning pathways for students.
  • The Flower Mound Public Library is hosting AI workshops connecting seniors and students, focusing on image generation and enhancement.

Microsoft to produce Maia 2 AI chips with Intel Foundry's 18A process

Microsoft is reportedly planning to use Intel Foundry's advanced 18A manufacturing process for its future Maia 2 AI accelerators. This follows the successful development of the first-generation Maia 100 chips, which used TSMC's N5 process. The Maia 2 chips are expected to offer significant improvements in performance and efficiency. This partnership highlights Intel Foundry's growing capabilities in attracting major clients for its cutting-edge chip production technology. The move could also signal a shift in Microsoft's strategy for sourcing critical AI hardware.

Intel stock rises on news of major AI client for 18A process

Intel's stock saw a slight increase following reports that its foundry business has secured a significant artificial intelligence client for its 18A/AP manufacturing process. Tech publication SemiAccurate suggests Microsoft is the client, potentially using Intel's manufacturing for its custom AI accelerator chips, like the Maia series, for Azure cloud. This news aligns with Intel's previous announcement of Microsoft as a customer for its 18A process. The win is a potential boost for Intel's foundry ambitions as it competes with TSMC. Microsoft's next-generation Maia AI chips, codenamed Braga, were previously reported to be delayed until 2026.

Is technology making us dumber? MIT study suggests AI reduces brain activity

A study from MIT suggests that relying heavily on AI tools like ChatGPT may reduce brain activity and cognitive function. Researchers observed that participants using AI to write essays showed significantly less brain activity in areas related to processing, attention, and creativity. Furthermore, those who used ChatGPT struggled to recall what they had written immediately after. This raises concerns about a potential 'golden age of stupidity' where technological convenience hinders learning and independent thinking. The study highlights the need for 'friction' or challenges for the brain to learn effectively.

San Francisco's Alpha School uses AI for personalized education

The Alpha School in San Francisco is an AI-powered private school aiming to enhance student learning through technology. While AI is central to its philosophy, experts caution that not all students may benefit equally from this approach. The school uses AI to tailor learning pathways, adjust pacing, and identify learning gaps, with AI primarily assisting educators rather than directly interacting with students. Although Alpha claims its model can improve academic achievement for all, researchers emphasize the need for careful evaluation and acknowledge that AI-driven education may not suit every child. The school's high tuition and focus on AI have drawn attention and some skepticism.

Flower Mound library hosts AI workshop connecting seniors and students

The Flower Mound Public Library is hosting an AI workshop organized by The AI Equity Project to help older adults learn AI tools with guidance from local high school students. The workshop focuses on image generation and enhancement, allowing participants to create art and improve old photos. This initiative aims to bridge the generational gap by having digital native students teach seniors about AI. It also helps students develop communication skills and fosters community bonding. The AI Equity Project plans to expand these workshops to other communities, promoting responsible AI use.

Walmart partners with OpenAI for new AI shopping experience

Walmart is introducing a new AI-powered shopping feature, in partnership with OpenAI, allowing customers to 'just chat and buy.' This 'agentic commerce' aims to simplify shopping by helping customers find items, prepare meals, and restock household goods. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon highlighted the shift from traditional search bars to a multimedia, personalized AI experience. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed excitement about making everyday purchases simpler through this collaboration. While a specific launch date hasn't been announced, the feature is expected to be available soon, enhancing the shopping experience at Walmart and Sam's Club.

North Lincolnshire pushes to become AI growth zone with major investment

Members of Parliament are advocating for North Lincolnshire to become an Artificial Intelligence (AI) growth zone, which could attract over £20 billion in private investment and create 15,650 jobs by 2029. This initiative aims to establish one of Europe's largest AI data center clusters. The project, led by North Lincolnshire Council and developer Greystoke, would provide significant compute capacity and create thousands of construction and operational roles. The plan emphasizes water-efficient designs and aims to integrate with existing offshore wind and carbon capture industries. The UK government is considering numerous expressions of interest for AI Growth Zones nationwide.

Freight Technologies launches AI for faster invoice validation

Freight Technologies has introduced an AI-powered automation module called Carrier Auto Invoicing for its Fr8app and Fleet Rocket platforms. This new feature uses large language models to extract and standardize data from XML and PDF invoices, speeding up verification and ensuring compliance, especially with Mexico's Comp requirements. The system aims to increase speed and accuracy, enhance compliance, reduce operational costs, and improve data standardization. This innovation is a significant step in digitalizing freight management, offering a more efficient solution for invoice processing in the logistics industry.

AI data centers face water scarcity issues in Europe

Europe's ambition to become a leader in artificial intelligence is being challenged by water scarcity, as data centers require vast amounts of water for cooling. The European Commission plans to triple data center capacity, raising concerns about exacerbating water stress, particularly in southern Europe. Tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta face opposition in drought-prone regions like Spain and the UK. While initiatives like the EuroHPC prioritize energy efficiency, experts note that water usage extends beyond cooling to energy production and manufacturing. Some companies are exploring water-free data centers and recycled water, but the growing demand for AI infrastructure poses a significant threat to water resources.

New multimodal dataset boosts AI training efficiency

Encord has released EMM-1, the world's largest open-source multimodal dataset, designed to significantly improve AI training efficiency. This dataset contains 1 billion data pairs across text, image, video, audio, and 3D point clouds, enabling AI to understand relationships between different data types. EMM-1 achieves 17 times greater training efficiency compared to models trained on less organized data. The dataset's quality and Encord's EBind architecture, which extends CLIP to multiple modalities, are key to its performance. This innovation allows enterprises to build AI models that can process diverse data types simultaneously, unlocking new use cases in various industries.

San Jose explores AI chatbots to boost city employee productivity

The city of San Jose is considering expanding the use of AI to provide chatbot assistants for its 7,000 employees, aiming to boost productivity. This initiative builds on successful AI pilot programs, with a generative AI platform proposed to help employees with tasks like report writing and data analysis. Mayor Matt Mahan believes generative AI can increase employee productivity by 10-20% by automating routine tasks. While the city has seen success in areas like pothole detection and road safety, concerns remain about AI 'hallucinations' and the impact on city workers. Union representatives are seeking 'strong guardrails' to ensure AI supports, rather than replaces, human judgment and experience.

Sources

AI chips Intel Foundry Microsoft Maia 2 AI accelerators 18A process Intel stock AI client AI manufacturing Azure cloud Braga AI chips AI tools ChatGPT cognitive function brain activity personalized education AI-powered school Alpha School AI Equity Project AI workshop seniors and students image generation OpenAI Walmart agentic commerce AI shopping experience AI growth zone North Lincolnshire AI data centers private investment freight management invoice validation Freight Technologies Carrier Auto Invoicing Fr8app Fleet Rocket large language models logistics industry water scarcity data center cooling European Commission AI infrastructure multimodal dataset AI training efficiency Encord EMM-1 dataset AI chatbots city employee productivity San Jose