Amazon's Texas data center could be U.S. largest climate polluter

Stanford researchers led by James Zou have built a virtual biotech system running 37,000 AI agents organized into corporate divisions that mirrors a real pharmaceutical company structure. One of the system's drug designs was independently confirmed by Merck. The research demonstrates that orchestrating thousands of specialized agents produces more robust scientific reasoning than single large models, though data integration and legacy system compatibility remain significant technical challenges.

Microsoft generated $19.6 billion in free cash flow in its June quarter and forecast continued positive cash generation, outperforming Amazon and Alphabet, which burned cash on heavy AI infrastructure investments. The company achieved this partly by leasing data center capacity from external providers like CoreWeave rather than building its own infrastructure at scale. While this approach boosted investor sentiment and lifted the stock 29%, it may limit Microsoft's cost control and operational flexibility as AI demands grow.

OpenAI has acquired NextSlide, a presentation startup, with the company's team now working on ChatGPT. The acquisition represents OpenAI's continued strategy of bringing in specialized teams to enhance its flagship product. No financial terms were disclosed.

Legal AI startup Harvey is raising at least $500 million at a $15.5 billion valuation, a 40% premium to its valuation five months prior. The four-year-old company is generating more than $350 million in annualized revenue, up over 80% from $190 million in January. Lightspeed Venture Partners is interested in leading the round.