
Google to Pay $2.4B for AI Coding Tool Windsurf Tech
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
Earlier on Friday, a Google spokesperson told Reuters that the company has hired Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and select members of the coding tool's research and development team to join its DeepMind division, in a move to strengthen itself in the race for AI leadership - REUTERS

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Star
29 minutes ago
- The Star
Some Walmart garment orders from Bangladesh on hold due to US tariff threat
FILE PHOTO: A Walmart store is shown in Oceanside, California, U.S., May 15, 2025. Dhaka-based garment factory owner said an importer with whom he was negotiating a spring 2026 order of trousers for Walmart asked him to wait a week before the order would be confirmed due to the tariff risk. - Reuters LONDON/NEW YORK: Suppliers to Walmart have delayed or put on hold some orders from garment manufacturers in Bangladesh, according to three factory owners and correspondence from a supplier seen by Reuters, as US President Donald Trump's threat of a 35 per cent tariff on the textile hub disrupts business. Bangladesh is the third-largest exporter of apparel to the United States, and it relies on the garment sector for 80 per cent of its export earnings and ten per cent of its GDP. The factory owners all said they expected orders to fall if the August 1 tariffs go into effect, as they are unable to absorb that 35 per cent rate. Iqbal Hossain, managing director of garment manufacturer Patriot Eco Apparel Ltd, told Reuters an order for nearly one million swim shorts for Walmart was put on hold on Thursday (July 10) due to the tariff threat. "As we discussed please hold all below Spring season orders we are discussing here due to heavy Tariff per cent imposed for USA imports," Faruk Saikat, assistant merchandising manager at Classic Fashion, wrote in an email to Hossain and others seen by Reuters. Classic Fashion is a supplier and buying agent that places orders for retailers. "As per our management instruction we are holding Bangladesh production for time being and IN case Tariff issues settled then we will continue as we planned here." The hold was not decided by Walmart, Saikat told Reuters, but by Classic Fashion itself. Walmart did not respond to a request for comment. Bangladesh is currently in talks with the United States in Washington to try to negotiate a lower tariff. Trump in recent days has revived threats of higher levies on numerous nations. "If the 35 per cent tariff remains for Bangladesh, that will be very tough to sustain, honestly speaking, and there will not be as many orders as we have now," said Mohiuddin Rubel, managing director at jeans manufacturer Denim Expert Ltd in Dhaka. Rubel, whose company produces jeans for H&M and other retailers, said he expects clients will ask him to absorb part of the tariff, but added this would not be possible financially. Manufacturers have already absorbed part of the blanket ten per cent tariff imposed by the US on April 2. "Only probably the big, big companies can a little bit sustain (tariffs) but not the small and medium companies," he said. Retailers have front-loaded orders since Trump returned to the White House, anticipating higher tariffs. Jeans maker Levi's, which imports from Bangladesh, said on Thursday it has 60 per cent of the inventory it needs for the rest of 2025. US clothing imports from Bangladesh totaled US$3.38 billion in the first five months of 2025, up 21 per cent from the year-earlier period, according to US International Trade Commission data. Another Dhaka-based garment factory owner said an importer with whom he was negotiating a spring 2026 order of trousers for Walmart asked him on Thursday to wait a week before the order would be confirmed due to the tariff risk. Hossain said he may look for more orders from European clients to make up for lost orders if the US 35 per cent tariff gets implemented, even if he has to cut prices to stimulate demand. - Reuters

The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
US senators warn Nvidia CEO about upcoming China trip
SAN FRANCISCO: A bipartisan pair of US senators sent a letter to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (pic) on Friday (July 11) about an upcoming trip to China, warning the CEO to refrain from meeting with companies that are suspected of undermining US chip export controls. The letter from Republican Senator Jim Banks and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren asked Huang to also abstain from meeting with representatives of companies that are working with the People's Republic of China's military or intelligence bodies. The senators also asked Huang to refrain from meeting with entities named on the US restricted export list. "We are worried that your trip to the PRC could legitimise companies that cooperate closely with the Chinese military or involve discussing exploitable gaps in US export controls," the senators wrote. Huang planned to visit China on Friday. An Nvidia spokesperson said, "American wins" when its technology sets "the global standard," and that China has one of the largest bodies of software developers in the world. AI software "should run best on the US technology stack, encouraging nations worldwide to choose America," the spokesperson said. In May at the Computex trade show in Taipei, Huang praised President Donald Trump's decision to scrap some artificial intelligence chip export controls and described the prior diffusion rules as a failure. US restrictions in April on AI chips Nvidia modified to comply with export controls to China would reduce Nvidia's revenue by US$15 billion, the CEO said. The hardware necessary to power advanced AI is now subject to a bipartisan consensus related to the free export of such hardware, the senators wrote. Advanced AI hardware could "accelerate the PRC's effort to modernise its military," the letter reads. US lawmakers have grown increasingly concerned about efforts to circumvent export controls to China and proposed a law that would force AI chip companies to verify the location of their products. Last month, Reuters reported that a senior US official said the AI firm DeepSeek is aiding China's military and intelligence operations, and sought to use shell companies to circumvent US AI chip export controls to China. Nvidia is planning to launch a cheaper version of its flagship Blackwell AI chips for China, Reuters reported in May. The senators said in the letter they had previously expressed concern that Nvidia's actions could support the AI and chip industries in China and cited Nvidia's new research facility in Shanghai as an example. - Reuters


The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Google to pay $2.4 billion in deal to license tech of Windsurf, WSJ reports
GOOGLE has agreed to pay about $2.4 billion in a deal to license the technology of artificial intelligence-assisted coding tool Windsurf, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. Earlier on Friday, a Google spokesperson told Reuters that the company has hired Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and select members of the coding tool's research and development team to join its DeepMind division, in a move to strengthen itself in the race for AI leadership - REUTERS