OpenAI’s Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar reported that the company’s annual revenue climbed from $2 billion in 2023 to $6 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed $20 billion in 2025. She linked this roughly 10-fold increase over two years to a 9.5-fold expansion in compute resources, with capacity rising from 0.2 gigawatts to about 1.9 gigawatts, and outlined plans for agents, commerce, and advertising features from 2026.

NASA conducted a blockchain experiment with an Alta-X drone at its Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley to protect aircraft-to-ground communications from cyberattacks. The system distributed flight data across multiple platforms so that each interaction was logged and verified, aiming to keep information tamper-resistant while the drone flew under normal conditions. Researchers believe this decentralized approach could later support safer autonomous aircraft, delivery drones, and urban air mobility operations.

Lumen Technologies' stock climbed 46.3% in 2025 versus the S&P 500's 16.4%, aided by August and October partnerships with the Pac‑12 broadcaster and Palantir ($200 million). Early 2026 shares are up about 8.8%, with earnings due February 3, 2026. Lumen targets 47 million total fiber miles by end‑2028, while analysts' median price target stands at $7.56.

On January 18, 2026, Tencent Holdings urged major tech firms to collaborate on improving chatbots and digital assistants for seniors, left-behind children, and other vulnerable users. The company's research team is developing specialized training data and reports that leading Chinese and U.S. models, including Hunyuan, underperform on sensitive topics such as sex education.

On January 18, 2026, Chinese technology shares were reported to be outpacing global benchmarks. A domestic Nasdaq‑like index gained nearly 13% for the month, while a Hong Kong gauge rose 6%, even as housing and consumption stayed weak. Jefferies said 33 Chinese AI stocks added $732 billion in market value over the past year.

On January 18, 2026, Samsung Electronics said it will distribute record performance bonuses as AI-fueled demand lifts profits. Its Device Solutions unit will pay up to 47% of base annual salary this month, while the MX division's OPI reaches 50%. SK Hynix plans to allocate 10% of operating profits to bonuses and pay 80% upfront.

On January 18, 2026, Chartbeat data covering 2,756 news sites, including 797 in the U.S., showed a sharp year-over-year drop in Google search referrals: down 33% worldwide and 38% in the United States. The analysis also flagged declines from Google Discover, Facebook, and X, while Google disputed the methodology and highlighted recent product adjustments.

OpenAI has locked in $10 billion of chip and cloud commitments, including a $10 billion agreement with Cerebras in November. In September Nvidia pledged $100 billion for 10 gigawatts of systems and Broadcom followed with another 10 gigawatts of custom XPUs, while Amazon and Google's in-house chips are not being used. Intel remains behind after unveiling Crescent Island in October with sampling slated for late 2026.