Peak

Peak XV Invests in C2i to Power AI Data Centers

Peak XV Partners led a $15 million Series A in C2i Semiconductors, an Indian startup building plug-and-play, system-level power solutions aimed at reducing energy losses inside AI data centers. Participants in the round include Yali Deeptech and TDK Ventures, bringing C2i’s total funding to $19 million. C2i — founded in 2024 by former Texas Instruments power executives — says its integrated "grid-to-GPU" approach can cut end-to-end power conversion losses by ~10%, improving cooling, GPU utilization and total cost of ownership. The Bengaluru firm has about 65 engineers, plans U.S. and Taiwan customer-facing operations, and expects its first two silicon designs to return from fabrication between April and June for validation with data-center operators and hyperscalers. The raise comes amid forecasts of sharply rising global data-center electricity demand.

Peak RMN? Humor Meets AdTech Insights!

AdExchanger's weekly comic strip Peak RMN? by guest artist Michela Buttignol, dated May 19, 2023, highlights the digital advertising ecosystem and links to a slate of Must Read headlines. The collection covers AI and measurement themes, including iSpot's SAGE agentic AI platform with a ChatGPT-like interface for campaign planning ideas; AppLovin's rising profits and revenue alongside a 20% drop in shares; OpenAI's ChatGPT ads with expanding tests; a EU antitrust probe into Google's ad auction tactics; and MNTN's strong first year as a public company with CEO Mark Douglas. The piece blends humor with industry news, offering a curated snapshot of ongoing debates in AI, programmatic advertising, and ad tech economics.

Bitcoin Price Crashes to Half its Peak Value; NSO Group Accused of Stonewalling Enquiries - ExchangeWire.com

This weekly briefing covers several major AdTech-related updates: Bitcoin’s price fell to around $34,000, roughly halving from its November 2021 peak amid broader crypto-market weakness; NSO Group faces accusations of stonewalling BRG inquiries into the legality and blacklist compliance of its operations. BRG has been investigating NSO’s management since August 2021, with non-compliance cited as stalling the process. A former Facebook moderator, Daniel Motaung, filed a Kenyan lawsuit against Meta and Sama alleging human trafficking and seeking mental-health support and pay equity for moderators. In the U.S., Texas HB 20, a law governing social-media moderation, was upheld by the Fifth Circuit, raising questions about content moderation and First Amendment implications. The piece also notes Gucci’s decision to begin accepting Bitcoin in some US stores, and includes commentary from platform and industry observers.