(Lillian Suwanrumpha/Getty Images)

Thailand taps Nvidia to build its sovereign AI

12/5/24 2:01PM

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has convinced another country to use his company’s chips to power its “sovereign AI” ambitions. Thailand’s Siam.AI Cloud, a cloud-computing company based in Bangkok, will host the cluster, which will be running the Thai language “OpenThaiGPT” large language model.

Nvidia has been marketing its AI hardware to countries around the world, touting the importance of sovereign nations owning their own domestic AI tools to lessen their dependence on allies and adversaries.

“The data of Thailand… it belongs to the Thai people. It is your natural resource,” Huang said, according to the Bangkok Post.

Siam.AI Cloud announced partnerships with local universities and startups to ensure access to the Nvidia computing cluster, which is powered by the company’s in-demand H100 GPUs.

Nvidia says in its marketing that a country owning its own AI models and computing resources can lead to economic and scientific breakthroughs, but it also allows governments to control what ground truth goes into an AI model.

Amnesty International notes that Thailand has a history of cracking down on peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and is especially sensitive to any criticism of the Thai monarchy, which can lead to stiff jail time.

$35.4B

Max Knoblauch5h

The tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have cost automakers at least $35.4 billion since the start of 2025, according to a new analysis by Automotive News.

That total will continue to climb this year, since the Supreme Court’s February tariff ruling largely leaves the 25% levy on vehicles and auto parts untouched.

Toyota has taken the biggest hit, projecting more than $9 billion in tariff costs in its fiscal year ending this month, while Detroit’s big three automakers — Ford, GM, and Stellantis — were hit with a combined $6.5 billion tariff charge in 2025.

In the fourth quarter, automakers sold about 8% fewer imported vehicles in the US compared to the same period a year ago, per the Automotive News Research & Data Center.

Tariff charges come at a rough time for legacy carmakers, which are also scaling back EV plans following the Trump administration’s elimination of tax credits and fuel standard goals. According to Automotive News, the cost of EV write-downs and restructuring is, so far, nearly $70 billion.

Universal Studios is giving theaters a longer minimum exclusive run

Universal will now guarantee a minimum of five weekends before a movie hits home screens — which might help theater companies like AMC finally get back to profitability.

Claire Yubin Oh5h

Tesla Will Open Up Its Chargers To Other Brands, In Order To Receive Federal Subsidies

After a big pullback for EVs, climbing gas prices are causing drivers to eye them again

Still, the market is much different than it was the last time oil prices were this high.

Max Knoblauch3/13/26

Hyunsoo Rim

burgernomics

3/13/26

McDonald’s plans $3 menu items as fast food loses its price edge

Americans are spending more of their dining-out dollars at full-service restaurants again.

Fast food value meals for Trending feature in Food

Rani Molla3/12/26

How Tesla quietly wound up owning a small piece of SpaceX

Tesla is converting its recent $2 billion investment in Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, into a small ownership stake in SpaceX — just months before the rocket maker’s highly anticipated IPO.

Here’s what happened: Tesla announced its xAI investment in late January, after a shareholder proposal to invest fell short last year. Several days later, xAI merged with SpaceX. All three companies are headed by Musk.

Now, regulatory filings with the Federal Trade Commission show Tesla converting that investment into a small stake in SpaceX, formalizing the financial link between the companies ahead of the rocket maker’s IPO. SpaceX is expected to go public this year at a valuation some speculate could top $1.75 trillion, potentially making it the biggest company to ever go public. (The current record holder, Saudi Aramco, went public at a more than $1.7 trillion valuation in 2020.)

While the size of Tesla’s stake wasn’t available, Bloomberg reports that the investment would equate to ownership of less than 1%.

While SpaceX and Tesla have engaged in related-party transactions over the years, Tesla had not previously disclosed an equity investment in SpaceX.

Tesla Converts xAI Investment Into SpaceX Stake Ahead of IPO