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OpenAI is reportedly nearing the finalization of an expansive funding round projected to exceed $100 billion, potentially catapulting the company's valuation beyond $850 billion, signaling aggressive investment in the burgeoning AI sector. Concurrently, Meta Platforms is gearing up to launch its "Malibu 2" smartwatch later this year, intensifying competition in the wearables market, while Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo faces a significant setback with New York's withdrawal of a crucial robo-taxi expansion proposal. These developments, reported on Thursday, February 19th, 2026, highlight pivotal shifts across artificial intelligence, consumer hardware, and autonomous vehicle industries.
Key Points
- OpenAI is set to secure over $100 billion in a new funding round, with a potential valuation exceeding $850 billion, driven by strategic investments from Amazon, Southbate Group, and Nvidia.
- Meta Platforms is reportedly launching its "Malibu 2" smartwatch and an updated version of its Ray-B band smart glasses this year, featuring advanced health tracking and AI capabilities.
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul has withdrawn a proposal to permit commercial robo-taxi services outside New York City, delivering a blow to Waymo's expansion plans in the region.
- The escalating power demands of AI data centers are prompting hyperscalers like Google to significantly increase investments in geothermal energy, including a 150-megawatt supply agreement with Ormat Technologies.
- A critical vulnerability on the Ravena Hub student admissions website exposed the personally identifiable information (PII) of over 1 million students, raising serious data security concerns.
AI Investment Surges Amidst Power Demands
The artificial intelligence landscape continues its rapid expansion, underscored by OpenAI's impending funding triumph. The company is in the final stages of closing the initial phase of a funding round that analysts project will amass over $100 billion, potentially valuing the AI pioneer at more than $850 billion. This staggering sum is largely committed by strategic investors, with Amazon.com contributing an estimated $50 billion, Southbate Group Corp pledging $30 billion, and Nvidia Corp adding $20 billion. Microsoft, a long-standing partner, is also a significant participant, committing nearly all of the initial capital expected to be finalized this month. A subsequent phase involving financial investors is anticipated to further increase the total amount raised, with corporate investments distributed in tranches over the current year. As part of this monumental deal, OpenAI is expected to enhance its reliance on Amazon's chip and cloud services, tightening the strategic ties between the two tech giants.
The explosive growth of AI is paralleled by an unprecedented demand for computational power, driving companies to seek sustainable energy solutions for their colossal data centers. Hyperscalers such as Google and Meta are at the forefront of this shift, with geothermal power emerging as a key focus. Google, an early proponent of geothermal energy, is dramatically escalating its commitment, evidenced by a new 150-megawatt supply agreement with Ormat Technologies in Nevada. This follows earlier trials with Ferval Energy and signals a significant push for enhanced geothermal technology, which utilizes deep drilling and rock fracturing to generate steam. This method is now scaling up, showing considerable promise for meeting a substantial portion of future data center power demands.
Meta's Wearables Push and Hardware Roadmap Adjustments
Meta Platforms is reportedly poised to strengthen its position in the competitive wearables market with the planned launch of its "Malibu 2" smartwatch later this year. The device is expected to feature advanced health tracking capabilities and integrated AI. Alongside the smartwatch, an updated version of its Ray-B band smart glasses is also anticipated. This strategic move is designed to intensify competition with established rivals like Apple, Google, and Samsung, who already command significant market share in the smart device sector. Notably, the new smartwatch may introduce a neural wristband functionality, potentially replacing the gesture controls currently employed by Meta's smart glasses, hinting at a more intuitive user interface.
This renewed push into consumer hardware comes as Meta has made adjustments to its broader product roadmap. The company has reportedly delayed its much-anticipated mixed reality glasses, codenamed Phoenix, until 2027. This delay aims to streamline Meta's hardware development and focus resources on key immediate launches, signaling a strategic prioritization within its extensive hardware portfolio.
Autonomous Vehicle Expansion Hits New York Roadblock
In a significant setback for the autonomous vehicle industry, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has withdrawn a proposal that would have permitted commercial robo-taxi services to operate outside of New York City. The decision, confirmed by the governor's office, was attributed to a "lack of support from stakeholders," including the state legislature. This move delivers a considerable blow to Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo, which has been aggressively expanding its driverless fleet across the United States.
Waymo expressed its disappointment, stating its "commitment to bringing its service to New York."
The withdrawal directly hinders Waymo's ambitious plans for 2026, which include expansion into 20 cities and achieving over 1 million paid weekly robo-taxi rides by the end of the year. Approval for operations outside of NYC would have represented a critical step toward entering one of the world's largest ride-hailing markets, making the governor's decision a substantial impediment to the company's regional and national growth strategy.
Broader Tech Landscape Shifts and Innovations
Beyond the major headlines, other significant developments are shaping the technology sector. In the entertainment industry, SeatGeek has forged a new partnership with Spotify, enabling music fans to purchase concert tickets directly through the Spotify app. Initially launching for 15 major U.S. venues where SeatGeek is the primary seller, this strategic collaboration aims to convert Spotify's vast listener base into ticket buyers. The streaming service's growing role in live event discovery has already generated over $1 billion in ticket sales for its partners. Despite this innovation, SeatGeek continues to face robust competition from market leaders Ticketmaster and AXS, who maintain a much larger share of the ticketing market.
In data security, the Ravena Hub student admissions website suffered a significant breach, exposing the personally identifiable information (PII) of over 1 million students. This included names, birth dates, addresses, and pictures, all due to an insecure direct object reference (IDOR) vulnerability. Developer Venture Ed Solutions fixed the flaw after notification, which allowed any logged-in user to access other student application files by altering a student profile number in the web address. However, CEO Nick Leard reportedly refused to commit to notifying affected users, disclosing if data access could be audited, or confirming if third-party security checks were performed, raising questions about data transparency and accountability.
Meanwhile, Rivian is set to release an Apple Watch companion app next week, enhancing convenience for its vehicle owners. The app will allow users to control functions such as locking doors, venting windows, and adjusting charge and temperature settings via the digital crown. This is part of a larger software update that also introduces performance and accessibility features, including a new "nil mode," drive mode changes without disabling driver assistance, and a cold weather battery indicator. Rivian notes that locking/unlocking functionality for first-generation R1T and R1S models will be more limited. The update underscores Rivian's strong focus on software innovation and its strategic partnership with Volkswagen.
Looking to the future of data preservation, Microsoft's Project Silica has unveiled a groundbreaking optical storage system. This technology uses femtosecond lasers to encode terabytes of data within small squares of durable borosilicate glass. By creating phase voxels, or 4D pixels, this system can store sensitive information for up to 10,000 years. Project Silica offers a high-value, unchangeable solution for long-term data archival and preservation, effectively addressing the impending problem of the "digital dark age" and ensuring critical information endures for millennia.
As these dynamic shifts unfold, the coming months will reveal the full impact of these strategic investments, product launches, and regulatory decisions on the future trajectories of AI, consumer technology, and autonomous mobility. Industry observers will closely monitor how these developments reshape market competition and influence technological adoption across various sectors.
