Episode Transcript
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What if artificial intelligence could cureevery disease known to humanity?
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Welcome to The AI News Daily Brief, your go-tofor the latest AI updates.
Today is Monday, July 7, 2025.
Here’s what you need to know about DeepMind'sIsomorphic Labs and its groundbreaking
ambitions.
Let’s dive in.
DeepMind’s Isomorphic Labs is making waves withits ambitious goal to solve all diseases using
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artificial intelligence.
This company, born from DeepMind’srevolutionary AlphaFold project, is gearing up
for its first human trials of AI-designeddrugs.
Imagine a world where designing a drug is assimple as clicking a button—this is the future
Isomorphic Labs envisions.
Just this past April, Isomorphic Labs secured amassive six hundred million dollar funding
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round led by Thrive Capital.
This marks its first-ever external funding,signaling strong confidence in its mission to
transform drug discovery.
Colin Murdoch, the president of IsomorphicLabs, shared with Fortune that they’re now
closer than ever to clinical trials, withpreparations in full swing.
The company is leveraging the cutting-edge AItechnology of AlphaFold, which can predict
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protein structures with unprecedented accuracy.
This ability allows researchers to designmedicines faster, cheaper, and with a higher
chance of success.
It's not just about speeding up theprocess—it's about increasing the odds that a
drug will make it through trials and actuallyhelp people.
In collaboration with major pharmaceuticalcompanies like Novartis and Eli Lilly,
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Isomorphic Labs is working on both supportingexisting drug programs and developing its own
drug candidates.
The focus areas include oncology andimmunology, with the ultimate goal of licensing
these drugs after early-stage trials.
Murdoch envisions a future where AI tools canprovide researchers with near-certainty that
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their drugs will work in human trials.
"One day we hope to be able to say—here’s adisease, and then click a button and out pops
the design for a drug to address that disease,"he said.
This isn't just about cost savings—it's aboutfundamentally changing how we approach drug
design and disease treatment.
Brazil and China are stepping into the futureof agriculture with a groundbreaking
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collaboration.
In a recent announcement at the BRICS summit inRio de Janeiro, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio
Lula da Silva and Chinese Premier Li Qiangunveiled their joint effort to infuse
artificial intelligence into farming practicesacross both nations.
Picture this (02:46):
two of the world's largest
countries, both rich in agricultural history,
now harnessing the power of artificialintelligence to revolutionize how they grow
food.
It is not just about increasing yields; it isabout sustainability, efficiency, and enhancing
the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.
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The initiative promises to bring cutting-edgeAI technology to semi-arid regions, starting
with a focus on family farming.
This is not just a plan on paper—it's atangible project involving Brazil’s National
Semi-arid Institute and the China AgriculturalUniversity.
Together, they aim to develop an AI laboratorydedicated to supporting smaller-scale farms by
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improving environmental monitoring and soilquality.
Why does this matter?
The semi-arid Sertão region in Brazil is hometo almost 22 million people and is one of the
most biodiverse areas globally.
By improving farming practices here, thiscollaboration could set a precedent for
sustainable agriculture in similar regionsworldwide.
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José Etham Barbosa, Director of Brazil’sNational Semi-arid Institute, emphasizes that
this partnership is about more than justtechnology; it is about connecting AI
innovations to the machinery already used byfarmers.
This approach ensures that AI is accessible andbeneficial to those it aims to help the most.
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President Lula also extended an invitation toChina’s Premier Li to join an initiative
focused on saving the world’s forests,highlighting a shared commitment to
multilateralism, peace, and defending climateregimes.
This collaboration is not only a testament tothe strong bilateral relations between Brazil
and China but also a beacon of hope for globalagricultural and environmental advancements.
Imagine this (04:40):
Groq, an artificial intelligence
semiconductor startup, is taking Europe by
storm with its very first data center on thecontinent.
This move is not just a small step; it's agiant leap in Groq's international expansion
strategy.
Located in Helsinki, Finland, this data centeris a strategic collaboration with Equinix, and
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it's set to capitalize on the growing demandfor artificial intelligence services across
Europe.
Groq's leap into Europe comes at a time whenmany U.S.
companies are eyeing the region for investment,and it's easy to see why.
The Nordics, with their easy access torenewable energy and cooler climates, are
becoming a hotbed for data facilities.
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It's a trend we've seen with big players likeNvidia, whose CEO, Jensen Huang, recently inked
infrastructure deals in Europe.
Now, let's talk a bit about Groq's technology.
They're not just any semiconductor company.
Groq designs a chip called a languageprocessing unit, or LPU, which is tailored for
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inferencing rather than training.
Think of inferencing like the real-time dataprocessing you see in chatbots, where a
pre-trained artificial intelligence modelinterprets live data to generate responses.
While Nvidia might dominate the training chipmarket with its graphics processing units, Groq
is among a wave of startups eager to carve outtheir niche in the inferencing space.
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Competitors like SambaNova, Ampere, Cerebras,and Fractile are all vying for a piece of the
action.
But what sets Groq apart?
According to their CEO, Jonathan Ross, it's allabout supply chain and speed.
In an interview with CNBC, Ross highlightedthat Groq's chips avoid the use of expensive
components like high-bandwidth memory, whichhave limited suppliers.
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Instead, Groq leans on a supply chain that'spredominantly based in North America, which
helps them avoid supply constraints.
This is crucial because inferencing chipsoperate in a high-volume, low-margin
environment.
Ross also emphasized Groq's rapid deploymentcapabilities.
Just four weeks ago, the decision to build theHelsinki data center was made, and now, they're
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already unloading server racks.
By the end of this week, they expect to be upand running, serving traffic.
That's incredibly fast and positions Groq as animble player in the market.
There's also a political dimension to thisstory.
European politicians are increasinglyadvocating for "sovereign AI," meaning data
centers should be located within the region.
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This proximity not only aligns with regulatorypreferences but also enhances service speed by
keeping data closer to users.
Groq's partnership with Equinix is a smartmove.
Equinix is a global data center builder thatconnects cloud providers like Amazon Web
Services and Google Cloud, making it easier forbusinesses to work with multiple vendors.
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By installing their LPUs in Equinix's datacenter, Groq is ensuring that businesses can
seamlessly tap into their inferencecapabilities.
Imagine a world where businesses operate withthe precision and intelligence of a seasoned
expert, thanks to the power of artificialintelligence.
That's exactly what Capgemini is aiming forwith its latest acquisition of WNS.
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Welcome back to The AI News Daily Brief.
Let's dive right into this excitingdevelopment.
Capgemini, a leader in business and technologytransformation, has announced its plan to
acquire WNS, a digital-led businesstransformation services company.
The goal?
To create a global powerhouse in AgenticAI-powered Intelligent Operations.
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This acquisition will enable Capgemini to blendWNS's deep industry knowledge with its own AI
capabilities, setting the stage for a new erain business process services.
So, what exactly does this mean for theindustry?
Well, businesses are increasingly adoptingGenerative AI and Agentic AI to transform their
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operations from end to end.
This shift is creating a massive opportunityfor companies like Capgemini to step in and
lead the way.
With WNS on board, Capgemini can now offer evenmore comprehensive solutions to help
organizations achieve efficiency, agility, andsuperior business outcomes through
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hyper-automation.
The acquisition is valued at 3.3 billiondollars, with Capgemini paying 76.50 dollars
per WNS share.
This price represents a significant premiumover WNS's recent stock prices, reflecting
Capgemini's confidence in the strategic valueof this deal.
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The transaction is expected to close by the endof the year, pending regulatory approvals.
Aiman Ezzat, Capgemini's CEO, highlighted thatthis acquisition is about more than just
expansion.
It's about creating a leader in IntelligentOperations that can support organizations in
their AI-powered business processtransformation.
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In his words, "Together we will create a leaderin Intelligent Operations, uniquely positioned
to support organizations in their AI-poweredbusiness process transformation."
WNS brings a strong portfolio of digitalbusiness process services to the table, serving
a wide range of industries with its automatedplatforms.
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By integrating these capabilities withCapgemini's global reach and advanced AI tools,
the combined entity will be well-positioned tocapture the growing demand for AI-driven
business transformation.
As Keshav R.
Murugesh, CEO of WNS, puts it, this partnershipis about reimagining operating models by
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embedding AI at the core.
It's a shift from automation to autonomy,allowing businesses to unlock strategic value
and drive innovation.
This merger is not just a business transaction;it's a strategic alignment of visions for the
future of AI in business.
That’s it for today’s AI News Daily Brief.
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Capgemini's acquisition of WNS is set toredefine business process services with
AI-powered Intelligent Operations, promising anew era of efficiency and innovation.
Thanks for tuning in—subscribe to stay updated.
This is Bob, signing off.
Until next time.