HCLTech vs Vercel

HCLTech Newsroom: HCLSoftware to Acquire Robotiq.ai, HCLTech launches AI-powered wealth study, M Group selects HCLTech for AI-led IT transformation, and more

HCLTech's newsroom features multiple press releases: HCLSoftware to acquire Robotiq.ai to enhance HCL UnO Agentic; HCLTech launches first-of-its-kind AI-powered study for wealth management; M Group selects HCLTech for AI-led IT transformation across 200+ locations; HCLTech named Leader in Everest Group's PLM Services PEAK Matrix; HCLTech launches The Silicon Shift report; HCLTech launches HCLTech Pulse; HCLTech named Leader in ISG Procurement Services; HCLTech and CrowdStrike expand partnership; HCLFoundation and UP government extend partnership.

HCLTech launches Advanced Semiconductor Lab with Rs. 185 crore investment

The Bengaluru facility strengthens India’s position in the global chip ecosystem and is set to drive semiconductor innovation. Also, HCLTech and Transport for NSW to explore AI-powered traffic insights for India.

The Customer Trust Framework Brands Will Need to Make AI Pay Off

This article from CMSWire discusses why only 18% of brands see revenue impact from AI adoption, attributing the gap to customer trust rather than technology. It introduces the 'Triangle of Trust' framework—authenticity, logic, and empathy—coined by Harvard Business School professors Frances Frei and Anne Morris as a method to build trust in AI-driven customer experiences. The author advises brands to beta test AI tools with a smaller customer group before scaling and to incorporate human-like, empathetic interactions to accelerate trust. The piece cites an HCLTech report and offers practical steps for brands to close the AI revenue gap.

• Only 18% of brands report seeing revenue impact from AI investments, according to an HCLTech report.
• The Triangle of Trust framework consists of authenticity, logic, and empathy.
• The framework was coined by Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei and Anne Morris.

Vercel AI Gateway Shows Jev Fastest Adopted Model

According to data published by Vercel, its AI gateway shows that Jev, a decision model from TypeSafe AI, reached 35% usage among paid teams within two weeks of launch, making it the fastest-adopted model in Vercel's history. Jev is designed for efficient classification by choosing from limited outputs. The data also indicates that open-source models now account for over 70% of tokens processed and nearly 25% of spend through the gateway, while spending on frontier labs has grown tenfold, suggesting complementary growth. Vercel itself adopted Jev to replace GPT-6 Luna for classifying harmful commands. The report provides first concrete usage data amid buzz around decision models, with OpenAI and Amazon releasing competing models.

• Jev reached 35% usage among paid teams within two weeks of launch.
• Jev is nearly double the reach of the second most popular model, Sonnet 5.5.
• Jev was launched in limited release on September 15 by TypeSafe AI.

Firebase Global Outage, OpenAI Platform Shift

This issue of The Pulse covers the global outage of Firebase's iOS SDK, which crashed apps using Firebase Analytics for 2-6 hours. Google failed to update its status page or provide a postmortem, criticized given its reputation for incident management. Also, OpenAI is evolving into a platform where users can allocate ChatGPT spend across open models and AI offerings from 16 partners, not just OpenAI's own models. Data from Vercel's AI gateway shows 60% of model spend goes to open-weight models, with OpenRouter confirming a shift towards open models. Additionally, a new take suggests CTOs and VPEs are leaving due to AI tools enabling solo or small-team development, rather than 'founder mode'.

• Firebase iOS SDK crashed, affecting apps for 2-6 hours.
• Google did not update status page or publish a postmortem.
• OpenAI now allows ChatGPT spend on open models from 16 partners.

Photon raises $4.5M for messaging-based AI agents

Photon, an AI startup building infrastructure for developers to create agents over messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, has closed a $4.5 million seed round. The round was co-led by Gradient and A*, with participation from Vercel, HongShan, Z Fellows, Llama Ventures, Karman, and angel investors. The company reports over 40,000 developer sign-ups, 10x revenue growth in four months, and a 3% churn. Photon offers a unified API, channel framework, CLI, and observability suite, enabling agents to operate across messaging channels. It counts Corgi Insurance, Boardy, Ditto, Rho, Fliptexts, and Slashy as customers, and integrates with Vercel, Nous Research, Tencent, and other ecosystems. Co-founders Daniel Tian and Ryan Zhu founded Photon after observing difficulties in user adoption of standalone apps, betting on agents as replacement.

• Photon raised $4.5 million in seed funding.
• The round was co-led by Gradient and A*, with participation from Vercel, HongShan, and others.
• Photon has over 40,000 developer sign-ups and 10x revenue growth in four months.