Bill Amid

• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) announced plans to raise a record $20 billion for its largest-ever AI-focused megafund, surpassing previous funds by 25%. • The fundraising comes amid accelerating global AI industry growth, with a16z targeting investments in AI infrastructure, models, and applications. • This megafund underscores VC confidence in AI's transformative potential, potentially fueling startups in compute, data, and enterprise software amid competition from rivals like Sequoia and SoftBank.

• China is aggressively scaling its AI-driven cyber defense market as US developers Anthropic and OpenAI unveil new models with enhanced cybersecurity capabilities, intensifying competition in AI security innovation. • IDC projects China's AI cybersecurity industry will reach 59.35 billion yuan ($8.7 billion) by 2030, representing a more than 37-fold increase from 1.58 billion yuan ($230 million) in 2025. • Anthropic's Mythos model, launched in April, sparked rapid global response due to its unprecedented speed and efficiency in discovering and exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, prompting competitive responses from Chinese developers.

Move comes as airline industry reacts to uncertainty over Iran war and increase in price of Brent crudeBusiness live – latest updatesAir France-KLM has cut its capacity growth forecasts for this year as the Iran war drives up its fuel costs by billions of dollars.The French-Dutch airline expects its fuel bill to increase by $2.4bn (£1.8bn) this year as a result of the surge in costs since the Middle East conflict began. In response, it has trimmed its expectations for capacity growth to between 2% and 4% this year, down from 3% to 5% previously. Continue reading...

Congressman says keeping gas supplies at home could lower costs for Americans amid price hikes sparked by warAmid historic jumps in gas prices triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran, California congressman Ro Khanna is to introduce legislation on Tuesday that would ban the export of gasoline during price spikes.“The country is crying out for a new energy policy,” said Khanna in an interview with the Guardian, “that doesn’t have us subject to the whims of the profits of big oil companies.” Continue reading...

Legislative change backed by libertarian president makes it easier to extract metals in frozen parts of the AndesArgentina’s congress has approved a bill promoted by the libertarian president, Javier Milei, that authorises mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists.The amendment to the so-called glacier law, which was already approved by the senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains. Continue reading...

• Blackstone closed a $10 billion opportunistic private credit fund on April 8, 2026, reaching its hard cap target despite ongoing capital outflows in the sector. • The fund's successful close highlights Blackstone's strength in private credit as investors remain cautious due to market volatility and higher interest rates. • This deal underscores the resilience of top alternative asset managers in attracting institutional capital amid broader private credit struggles.

• OpenAI secured $122 billion in funding, achieving an $852 billion valuation while advancing toward an AI superapp. • The massive round fuels rapid growth and preparations for a potential IPO in the US market. • This positions OpenAI as a dominant force in AI innovation, attracting top talent and resources.