Brought to you by Aethir, Leading the Charge in Decentralized Cloud Infrastructure (DCI)

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of DCI Weekly! At Aethir, we are dedicated to being a nexus of information and insights in the rapidly evolving fields of decentralized cloud infrastructure (DCI), compute, Web3, gaming, and artificial intelligence (AI). Our mission is to help you navigate this brave new world, and what better way to do that than by summarizing the week’s most impactful stories? Let’s dive in!

AMD and Intel Are Building AI Capabilities to Chip at Nvidia’s Lead

Chip giants AMD and Intel are building their own AI capabilities. Apart from them, Nvidia’s current customers such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon are also building custom AI chips to stop their reliance on Nvidia. Nvidia currently has 80–95% of the market share but as these companies are ramping up their efforts, that is bound to drop. For companies like Aethir that enable decentralization of AI resources, having new companies enter this space presents a multitude of exciting opportunities.

• Google, Microsoft and Amazon form the largest percentage of Nvidia’s clients and if they create their own solutions, it may create issues for the company, but Nvidia’s software capabilities are its biggest moat that would allow it to stay ahead of its competitors.

Tencent Releases its Own ChatGPT Rival in China

Tencent, a major Chinese tech company, has introduced its own ChatGPT rival — “Hunyuan.” This is amid growing concerns about AI chip bans in China from the United States. As Hunyuan is operated by Tencent, it would automatically have a nationwide reach due to the ubiquity of WeChat and its associated apps. As a result, Hunyuan has the potential to permeate the domestic market in ways that OpenAI might not be able to imitate with ChatGPT in the West. At Aethir, we are excited about what this means for generative AI companies globally.

• Hunyuan is not the first LLM launched in the Chinese market but it is the most significant as Tencent is China’s biggest technology company.

Nvidia Partners with India’s Reliance for AI Development

Nvidia is deepening its investment in India’s AI sector by forming a partnership with the Indian Telecommunication-to-Retail giant Reliance Jio. This collaboration aims to advance AI technology and infrastructure in India. Nvidia’s focus on this emerging market highlights the company’s commitment to fostering AI development and application in the region. This strategic move is likely to have significant implications for India’s AI industry and Nvidia’s global presence. As a decentralized cloud infrastructure (DCI) focused on emerging economies, it is intriguing for us at Aethir to see big corporations also investing in these regions.

• The partnership will give Reliance access to the latest version of Nvidia’s chips that power apps like ChatGPT, and will speed up a range of India’s key AI projects, including chatbots, drug discovery, and climate research.

Grab Ventures into Web3: What’s Next?

Grab has incorporated Web3 features into its app. This move allows users to interact with decentralized applications (DApps) and blockchain-based services directly from the Grab app. This integration of Web3 features aims to enhance user engagement and offer a broader range of services, including NFTs, crypto wallets, and DeFi applications. As a Web3 company, we at Aethir are excited about this as it would lead to crypto becoming more mainstream in Southeast Asia.

• Grab’s adoption of Web3 technology underscores its commitment to staying at the forefront of digital innovation and serving the evolving needs of its user base in the rapidly expanding Web3 ecosystem.

Huge Demand for Netflix’s Cloud Gaming Services, Based on a Survey

A survey has indicated a substantial demand for Netflix’s cloud gaming services. The survey’s findings reveal a high level of interest among users for Netflix’s foray into cloud gaming, with a significant percentage of respondents expressing their eagerness to try these gaming offerings. This suggests that Netflix’s expansion into the gaming sector may be met with a positive reception from its existing user base. As a cloud gaming service provider, this survey presents a compelling argument for demand for Aethir’s product.

• The strong consumer interest and demand for Netflix’s cloud gaming services, suggests that the streaming giant may have a promising opportunity to expand its offerings into the gaming sector and diversify its revenue streams successfully.

Xbox Game Pass Confirms New Titles for Console, PC and Cloud

New titles have been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription-based gaming service available on console, PC, and cloud platforms. It discusses the addition of various games to the service, expanding the library available to subscribers. This move aims to provide gamers with a broader selection of titles and enhance the overall value of the Xbox Game Pass subscription across different gaming platforms. New games include — Gris, Starfield, Solar Ash and Lies of P. At Aethir, we are thrilled for new titles particularly those associated with cloud gaming.

• Xbox Pass will replace its long-running Xbox Live Gold subscription service with the new Xbox Game Pass Core membership tier on September 14 priced at $9.99 per month, and will offer subscribers access to Xbox multiplayer gaming, a library of over 25 games and exclusive member deals.

Starfield Crosses 6 Million Players on Day 2 of Standard Access

“Starfield,” the highly anticipated sci-fi RPG developed by Bethesda Game Studios, has amassed over 6 million players on its second day of standard access. This rapid popularity of the game emphasizes its attraction with a significant player base. This early success indicates a strong interest in “Starfield” and suggests it could become a major player in the gaming industry. As a decentralized cloud infrastructure (DCI) for gaming companies, this is exciting for Aethir as it highlights the opportunities that are present within the gaming space.

• This could be good news for Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, as Starfield may drive new subscriptions for the service.

PUBG Developers Move Into Web3

Krafton, the game development company renowned for its popular battle royale game PUBG: Battlegrounds, has announced plans to launch Settlus, a layer 1 blockchain utilizing the Cosmos SDK for payment settlements in USDC. The unique feature of Settlus is that gas fees will be payable using stablecoins, with initial payment settlements for content creators facilitated through Circle’s USDC. Initiatives like these align well with Aethir’s own ethos of decentralization within gaming.

• This creates a massive opportunity as PUBG’s enormous user base of 30 million monthly active players could potentially start using the new payment and settlement layer.

Cloud Gaming Being Embraced by Large Tech Companies Including Tencent, Microsoft and Ubisoft

Cloud gaming is a key trend emerging as the future of the gaming industry. It has the potential to disrupt the industry and create a significant impact on gaming companies. The global cloud gaming market will grow at a high compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40% over the 2020–2030 period. The market is at a very early stage, but competition is intensifying, drawing in tech giants (including Sony, Google, Tencent, Microsoft, Nvidia, Facebook, and Amazon) and telcos (like Deutsche Telekom, Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, KT, and China Mobile). As a cloud gaming provider, this creates a lot of opportunity for Aethir from a partnership and market potential perspective.

• Cloud gaming will fundamentally change the video games industry over the next ten years, just as video and audio streaming has reshaped the music, film, and TV industries.

That wraps up this week’s edition of DCI Weekly. Stay tuned for more curated content that aims to inform, educate, and inspire.

Join us again next week, and let’s keep shaping the future, one decentralized block at a time!