Voice of AI: The new power distribution of intelligence
- Ralph Schwehr
- Oct 28
- 5 min read
Ralph Schwehr
Something has shifted.
Not quiet, not slow, but tectonic. While public discourse is still debating chatbots, regulation, and liability, a new order is emerging in the background: an economy of intelligence. One in which computing power, data flows, and trust are the new axes of power, and in which the decision is currently being made as to who will lead the next industrial revolution.
2025 is the year AI comes of age. The experimental phase is over. Now it's all about control over infrastructure, energy, chip design, data spaces, and acceptance. In short: sovereignty through scaling.
OpenAI is building hardware, Qualcomm is aiming to take on Nvidia, and Anthropic is renting space in Google's TPU factories. Foxconn is investing billions in AI clusters, while CoreWeave and Veeam are expanding their platform breadth through acquisitions. On the application side, YouTube is setting new standards for trust with its anti-deepfake features, and Samsung is setting new standards for productivity in the space with its Galaxy XR... and what about Europe? With its "Apply AI" strategy and its own AI Act service desk, it's making it clear: regulation is not an end in itself, but the foundation of sovereign adoption.
This week marks a turning point: Compute meets politics, trust meets market and AI meets reality.
🔹 OpenAI: From the chat window to the operational level
With the acquisition of Software Applications Inc. , the developer of the popular macOS interface Sky , OpenAI is repositioning itself: no longer just as a model provider, but as an operating system for knowledge work. "Sky" brings ChatGPT directly to the desktop with file access, system integration, and a productive interface. The strategic idea: AI should no longer be "addressed," but used – context-sensitive, persistent, and seamless.
At the same time, OpenAI announced a massive 10-gigawatt hardware partnership with Broadcom . The goal: customized AI accelerators that enable proprietary architecture, proprietary supply chains, and optimized efficiency. This is more than technology policy; it's digital independence in its purest form.
🔹 Anthropic: Compute on demand
Hardly any move demonstrates the global competition for computing power as clearly as the recent deal between Anthropic and Google Cloud. The Claude developers have secured up to one million TPUs, a volume in the tens of billions. This makes compute a differentiating factor: Those who can purchase performance in a predictable, green, and affordable way have an advantage in training cycles and cost structure.
AI scales not by data, but by energy per second.
🔹 Qualcomm: Attack on GPU dominance
With the new AI200 and AI250 chips, Qualcomm aims to break Nvidia's dominance in the data center. The strategy: high inference performance with low power consumption and integration into proprietary racks, which could make cloud providers more independent. This transforms Qualcomm from a smartphone supplier into a serious data center player, setting a new standard in the diversification of the compute market.
🔹 Foxconn: Manufacturing meets computing power
Foxconn , the world's largest electronics manufacturer, is investing up to $1.37 billion in an AI compute center in Taiwan. The message: Compute is the new manufacturing good. Where chips were once produced, clusters—in other words, supercomputers—are now emerging as new industrial goods. Foxconn is thinking in terms of regions, not customers: the goal is a decentralized, Asian AI infrastructure , independent of Western cloud providers.
🔹 CoreWeave: From data center to industry platform
CoreWeave acquires Monolith AI , a British industrial AI company focused on automotive and aerospace. This merges compute with domain knowledge. The result: AI services that are not generic but industry-specific, from digital twins to predictive quality. CoreWeave is thus evolving from a pure compute provider to a vertically integrated innovation platform.
🔹 Veeam: Security as an adoption accelerator
With the acquisition of Securiti AI for $1.725 billion, Veeam is expanding its data protection platform to include privacy, governance, and compliance. The goal is to help companies securely deploy AI, including automated classification, policy management, and the AI Trust Fabric.
M&A as a security strategy. Trust becomes the new ROI.
🔹 YouTube: Authenticity as a competitive advantage
YouTube is rolling out a new "likeness detection" feature worldwide. A system that detects deepfakes, notifies affected creators, and facilitates removal. In the age of synthetic content, "authenticity" becomes an asset. This feature demonstrates that platforms must not only host content, but also protect identity.
🔹 Samsung: Mixed Reality becomes working reality
With the Galaxy XR headset ($1,799), Samsung is entering the mixed reality space, powered by Gemini (Google) and Android XR. The device positions itself as a work and creative interface, not a gaming gadget. 3D collaboration, AI-assisted design, and remote training—XR becomes a tool for productive reality . With this, Samsung is competing against Meta and Apple, positioning Android as an open XR ecosystem.
🔹 Europe: From regulation to implementation
With the "Apply AI" strategy and the AI Act Service Desk, the EU is launching a new phase of its AI policy. Instead of further standards, the focus is now on adoption : Companies will receive tools, contacts, and guidance for implementing the AI Act, especially in key sectors such as energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Brussels is thus demonstrating that sovereignty is not a brake, but an accelerator – if it is properly orchestrated.
💡 Key messages in brief
Compute is the new capital. Energy, chips, and clusters determine the speed of innovation.
OpenAI + Broadcom: Hardware becomes a strategic lever for independence.
Anthropic + Google: Compute-as-a-Service reaches industrial level.
Qualcomm: New competition stimulates the data center market.
Foxconn: AI infrastructure is becoming a geopolitical industry.
CoreWeave + Monolith: Vertical platform strategies shape the next wave.
Veeam + Securiti AI: Data resilience and governance become business enablers.
YouTube: Trust becomes a product feature.
Samsung Galaxy XR: XR + AI = new creative economy.
EU "Apply AI": Regulation meets implementation. Europe's path to structured adoption.
🔍 Source overview
Organization / Source | Theme | URL |
OpenAI | Acquisition of Software Applications Inc. (macOS “Sky”) | |
OpenAI × Broadcom | Strategic 10 GW hardware partnership | |
Reuters / Anthropic | Use of up to 1 million Google TPUs | |
Reuters / Qualcomm | New AI chips AI200 / AI250 for data centers | |
Reuters / Foxconn | $1.37 billion investment in AI compute clusters | |
CoreWeave | Acquisition of Monolith AI | |
Veeam | Acquisition of Securiti AI ($1.725 billion) | |
The Verge / YouTube | Introduction of “likeness detection” against deepfakes | |
WIRED / Samsung | Launch of the Galaxy XR headset (Gemini / Android XR) | |
EU Commission (DG CONNECT) | Launch of the “Apply AI” strategy & AI Act service desk |
🎯 Conclusion
The new distribution of power in intelligence isn't being decided in the prompt window, but in data centers, M&A offices, and legislative texts. Whoever controls the fundamentals like compute, data, and trust controls the future.
👉 What role should your company play in this new AI world? Write to us at info@oakai.de
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