Google Maps Gets Generative AI Boost

Google is developing a custom server chip called 'Frozen v2' that would embed its Gemini AI model architecture directly into hardware to improve inference efficiency. The chip is projected to be 6 to 10 times more efficient than Google's current homegrown AI chips when measured by tokens served per unit of power. The project addresses a critical compute capacity shortage that has strained Google Cloud's ability to serve external customers.

Google has added personalized AI avatars to its Vids product, enabling users to create videos featuring digital versions of themselves. The feature integrates with Gemini Omni-powered tools that generate and edit videos from text prompts and reference images. This expands Google's video creation capabilities beyond text-to-video generation to include avatar-based personalization.

Andrew Dai, a former DeepMind researcher who contributed to foundational AI research that influenced ChatGPT's development, has raised funding at a $300 million pre-seed valuation before launching a product. Dai is positioning visual AI as a major frontier in artificial intelligence development. The funding round reflects investor confidence in his track record and vision, though the company remains pre-launch.

Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs announced a joint approach to bioresilience and AI models. The announcement indicates collaboration between the two organizations on applying AI to biological resilience challenges.