Larry Dignan

Microsoft launched three Intel-based business laptops:

• A $1,950 (starting price) Surface Pro in 13".
• A $1,950 (starting price) Surface Laptop in 13.8" and 15".
• A 1,300 (starting price) Surface Laptop in 13".

Blackstone launched a joint venture with Google to offer TPUs as a service. The venture is focused on building TPU-optimized AI data centers and giving customers another option to access. The joint venture starts with a $5 billion investment to bring 500MW of capacity online in 2027.

From a statement:

"The company expects to bring the first 500 MW of capacity online in 2027, with plans to scale significantly over time. Google will supply hardware, including TPUs, as well as software and services to the new company so it can rapidly accelerate to meet the growing demand for accelerated computing, leveraging the benefit of Google’s technical and domain expertise."

• Google Cloud presses full-stack AI edge with new TPUs, Agentic Data Cloud, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform
• Google Cloud Next 2026: A Look at the Big Themes
• Google Cloud, AWS, Microsoft Azure: The AI vertical integration race

Elon Musk has lost his Sam Altman and OpenAI lawsuit. It was a fun read, but largely a sideshow. Here's the play-by-play on the verdict, which will be appealed in a few seconds.

Here's an interesting read from Salesforce Ben on how the Salesforce ecosystem is struggling with frequent shifts:

"For a long time, the platform was relatively easy to understand at a high level. Sales Cloud was for sales teams, Service Cloud was for support, and so on. Even as the ecosystem expanded, the messaging was largely tied to business functions and real-world outcomes. Today, it doesn’t feel that straightforward.

Instead of clearly defined clouds or use cases, the conversation has moved heavily toward Agentforce, AI, AI infrastructure, and now, the “headless” experience. Also, these products are being positioned less as standalone solutions and more as part of a broader AI ecosystem. This isn’t necessarily the wrong shift to make, but it is a very different way of communicating value in Salesforce."

I doubt that this is a Salesforce-specific issue. All of SaaS is struggling to keep up.

Matt Wood is returning to AWS as Chief AI & Technology Officer. In a LinkedIn post, Wood said it was his first day back after a stint at PwC. Wood had been at AWS for 15 years before departing in October 2024.

NextEra Energy will acquire Dominion Energy in an all stock deal valued at nearly $67 billion. The combined company will be the largest utility with a footprint in Florida, the Carolinas and Virginia. This deal is mostly about AI data centers, which Dominion largely powers.

The funny part about this deal is I expected the deck to heavily note the AI data center opportunity. Instead, the companies danced around it.

Take this slide. Power consumption is surging. No mention of AI.

Or this one. Surely, the combined company will just be full of love.

At least in this slide, the companies at least mentioned data centers.

But you get the gist. Here's a combination of two energy companies that are clearly merging due to what's needed for AI data centers but doesn't want you to know that fact. This whole merger announcement highlights how the tide has turned and NIMBY is going to be a big challenge for building AI data centers.

Applied Materials reported strong fiscal second quarter results and it's not surprising given the company makes chip manufacturing equipment. Applied Materials benefits from the CPU, GPU and memory boom.

But it's worth noting comments by Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson on internal AI usage. He said:

"Over the past several months, global AI adoption has continued to accelerate as improvements in the performance and cost of AI computing are translating into real-world applications that deliver compelling returns for users. If I look at our own company as an example, today, we have more than 35,000 AI users across our global workforce. We are deploying AI to drive new scientific breakthroughs, accelerate research and development programs, optimize factory and supply chain operations, increase innovation and productivity and services and automate workflows across our corporate functions. This enables us to redirect resources towards higher value work and grow the business significantly faster than our headcount. Similar dynamics are playing out across a broad range of industries and organizations."

Akamai said it will acquire LayerX for $205 million in a move to add browser-based AI usage control to its platform.

A few life lessons from Venus Williams, who spoke at Boomi World 2026.

• "Nothing for me has ever made me really look at myself, except for failure--that loss or that failure where you have to sit down and say,' Hey, am I being honest? Am I doing things the right way?'"
• "A lot of times you take the safe route, or you try a little less so that you can stay in your comfort zone. But you never reach that apex, because you haven't taken the risks. Winning at a big level just takes risk. You gotta go for it. You gotta leave it all out there, because no one's giving it to you.”
• "If you're losing your will, it's either time for a change or time for new motivation."
• "I would always say, what decision would you make if you felt confident? What would you do? What would you start? Would you stay in that job? Would you dump that person?"

Cerebras Systems IPO highlights how Wall Street still loves AI chip plays. The company opened at $350, peaked at $385 and was priced at $185.

Here's the SEC filing.

The AI Security Institute published a blog on Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview and GPT 5-5 and noted that the models are potent in vulnerability discovery, but the jury is out on other areas. Mythos is the first AI model to complete both of AI Security Institute's cyber ranges.

Anthropic launched Claude for Small Business and it's basically a wrapper for all the tools used by small businesses. The company said:

"Claude for Small Business is a toggle install that puts Claude to work inside the tools small business owners already use: Intuit Quickbooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Canva, Docusign, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365. From these tools, it can plan payroll, close the month, run a sales campaign, chase invoices, and more."