London-based startup Tem secured $75 million in a Series B funding round to revolutionize electricity markets using artificial intelligence, while Waymo is expanding its robotaxi service and OpenAI is introducing ads to its ChatGPT platform. These developments, along with other tech news, were announced this week.
Tem, which has developed an energy transaction engine powered by AI, aims to cut electricity prices for its customers. The company has already signed up over 2,600 business customers in the U.K., promising savings of up to 30% on their energy bills. The Series B round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from several other investors, valuing Tem at over $300 million, according to a source familiar with the deal. The startup plans to use the funds to further develop its AI-driven energy solutions.
In the autonomous vehicle sector, Waymo is progressing with its robotaxi plans. The company has removed human safety drivers from its test vehicles in Nashville, signaling a move toward launching a robotaxi service in the city this year in partnership with Lyft. Riders will initially hail rides through the Waymo app, with the service eventually expanding to the Lyft app. Lyft will handle fleet services, including vehicle maintenance and charging infrastructure. Waymo is also operating commercial services in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, and Miami.
Meanwhile, social network Bluesky is rolling out drafts, a feature long requested by its users. The new feature allows users to save posts before publishing them, similar to competitors X and Threads. Bluesky also plans to improve its algorithmic Discover feed and offer better recommendations, according to its roadmap.
Databricks, a data and AI company, announced it reached a $5.4 billion revenue run rate, growing 65% year-over-year, with over $1.4 billion coming from its AI products. Databricks co-founder and CEO Ali Ghodsi wanted to share these growth numbers because "theres so much talk about how AI is going to kill the SaaS business," he told TechCrunch. Databricks also closed its previously announced $5 billion raise at a $134 billion valuation and secured a $2 billion loan facility.
Finally, OpenAI is introducing ads to its ChatGPT platform. Users will soon see sponsored links unless they pay at least $20 per month for a Plus subscription. The ads will appear as labeled sponsored links at the bottom of ChatGPT answers.
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