AI News

Follow the latest AI and automation news

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

BT collaborates with Nscale on developing UK sovereign AI

BT Group has partnered with AI start-up Nscale to establish up to 14 megawatts of sovereign AI data center capacity in the UK, utilizing Nvidia's infrastructure. Nscale will develop AI capabilities across three existing BT sites, ensuring secure, UK-controlled services. This initiative addresses data residency, security, and compliance needs, allowing organizations to run AI workloads locally. BT links this effort to its launch of the UK's first full sovereign services portfolio, which includes connectivity, voice, cloud, and AI.

Business

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Egypt's Sinai.ai raises $1.45 million pre-seed to build interactive AI-native books

Sinai.ai, an Egypt-based startup, has secured $1.45 million in a pre-seed funding round led by KAUST Innovation Ventures and DisrupTech Ventures. The round also saw participation from Maza Ventures, YOUXEL Ventures, and angel investors, highlighting strong market interest in educational technology. Founded in 2024 by Ahmed Kamel and his team, Sinai.ai aims to transform traditional books into interactive experiences through its patented aiBook™ format. This format allows for personalized learning and real-time interaction, setting it apart from generic AI tools.

Business

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

VAST Data closes Series F round at $30B valuation

VAST Data, a US-based AI infrastructure company, has raised around $1 billion in a Series F funding round, achieving a valuation of $30 billion. The round was led by Drive Capital, with Access Industries co-leading, alongside investors like NVIDIA, Fidelity, and NEA. Founded in 2016 by Renen Hallak, VAST Data is developing an AI Operating System that integrates data, compute, and real-time processing. The new funding will accelerate its global expansion and strategic acquisitions, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

💡

iSchool moves beyond edtech with Rubikal acquisition

What implications does this acquisition have for the future of education technology?

Business

Signit raises $15 million Series A led by Raed Ventures

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Business

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Signit raises $15 million Series A led by Raed Ventures

Signit, a Saudi startup, has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round to expand its AI-powered contract management platform. The round was led by Raed Ventures, with participation from STV, Seedra Ventures, Takamol Ventures, and Suhail Ventures. Founded in 2021 by Mohamed El Abbouri, Signit offers digital signatures and contract lifecycle management solutions for government and enterprise clients. The funding will enhance AI capabilities, contract automation, and secure digital trust infrastructure.

Business

Sufra AI secures $100K from Snoonu as Startup Factory launches

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Business

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Sufra AI secures $100K from Snoonu as Startup Factory launches

Sufra AI, a Qatar-based F&B tech startup, has secured a $100,000 pre-seed investment from Snoonu, marking the first deal under its Startup Factory initiative. Founded in 2025 by Ekaterina Demenkova and Jemal Velihanova, Sufra AI develops AI-powered smart menu systems for restaurants. The investment is part of Snoonu's new venture-building program, which aims to support early-stage founders with capital, mentorship, and operational support. This initiative aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030 and positions Snoonu as an active venture builder in the region.

Arab AI Scene

Arabic.AI partners with HeyBreez to scale Arabic voice AI for enterprises

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Arab AI Scene

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Arabic.AI partners with HeyBreez to scale Arabic voice AI for enterprises

Arabic.AI, based in the UAE, has announced a strategic partnership with HeyBreez to deliver production-grade Arabic voice AI solutions for enterprises and governments. This collaboration combines Arabic language intelligence with real-time infrastructure for scalable voice AI deployment. Arabic.AI provides advanced NLP models covering Modern Standard Arabic and regional dialects, while HeyBreez contributes low-latency infrastructure supporting streaming and multi-agent orchestration. This partnership aims to address the needs of over 400 million Arabic speakers.

Business

INVIA raises $1.2 million to build AI-powered financial OS for SMEs in Egypt

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Business

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

INVIA raises $1.2 million to build AI-powered financial OS for SMEs in Egypt

INVIA, a fintech startup in Egypt, has raised $1.2 million from angel investors and strategic backers. Founded in 2023 by Yahya Ashour, Ahmed Zeinhom, and Omar Abou El Magd, the company is developing an AI-powered financial operating system for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). INVIA aims to streamline financial management for SMEs through a unified platform that replaces disparate tools, automating accounting, cash flow tracking, and inventory management. The platform is designed for ease of use, enabling business owners to interact through simple inputs like text or voice notes.

Models

DeepSeek Launches V4 API with 1 Million Token Context

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Models

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

DeepSeek Launches V4 API with 1 Million Token Context

On April 23, DeepSeek launched its new V4 API model lineup, featuring DeepSeek V4-Pro and DeepSeek V4-Flash. Both versions support a native context window of up to 1 million tokens, with V4-Flash optimized for low latency and cost efficiency in real-time applications. V4-Pro utilizes a mixture-of-experts (MoE) architecture for tasks like coding, mathematics, and complex reasoning. The API facilitates long-document processing, tool integration, and multi-step workflows, ensuring compatibility with major development frameworks. Legacy APIs will be discontinued on July 24, 2026.

Agents

XYZ Embodied AI Launches BotPack B Series Edge Computing Backpack

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

Agents

24 Apr 20267 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah 1447 AH

XYZ Embodied AI Launches BotPack B Series Edge Computing Backpack

On April 23, XYZ Embodied AI unveiled the BotPack B Series backpack at the Hannover Messe in Germany. The backpack is designed to provide edge computing capabilities for robots, including quadrupeds and humanoids. The series features two models, B5 and B4, both powered by an NVIDIA chip. These systems enable robots to run AI models locally, reducing reliance on cloud computing and minimizing response times. The devices support high-speed data transfer via 10G Ethernet, 5G, and Wi-Fi 7, and include GPS modules for navigation. The backpack weighs under 2.5 kg and is compatible with platforms like Unitree Robotics' Unitree G1.