With $720M round, Britain’s Fractile gets a leg up in the race for AI chips

techcrunch.com Nov 12, 2026

With $720M round, Britain’s Fractile gets a leg up in the race for AI chips

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Nov 12, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Fractile, a UK AI‑chip startup, secured a $720 million Series C led by Thrive Capital, Founders Fund, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Redpoint, with backing from Britain’s Sovereign AI Fund. The investment values the company at over £5 billion ($7 billion). Fractile differentiates itself with a full‑stack approach that combines purpose‑built chips featuring stacked DRAM and a machine‑learning compiler to accelerate large‑language‑model inference. The funding will support the launch of its first chips and systems next year, positioning Fractile among the top‑funded players in the AI‑hardware race.

💡 Why It Matters

· The deal signals the UK’s commitment to securing a domestic supply chain for AI infrastructure, potentially reducing reliance on overseas chipmakers.
· It also underscores the growing importance of specialized hardware in enabling faster, cost‑effective deployment of increasingly demanding AI models.

AI Capsules Funding Startups

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Google rolling out Gemini app for CarPlay

Google has launched the Gemini app on CarPlay, enabling iOS drivers to interact with Gemini Live while on the road. The interface features a waveform indicator that shows listening, thinking, and responding states, with “End” and “Mute” controls. Users can interrupt responses, pause, or add details, and conversations sync with the iPhone Gemini app, allowing continuity across devices. The rollout is global, supporting all Gemini Live languages, and requires the latest Gemini app update. The feature aims to serve as a conversational driving companion that reduces distraction.

💡 By extending Gemini to CarPlay, Google expands its AI ecosystem into a high‑stakes, safety‑critical environment, offering a unified conversational experience across Android and iOS platforms.

9to5mac.com · Nov 12

iCloud+ has new perk in iOS 27 if you pay for more…

Apple has added a new AI feature to its iCloud+ service in iOS 27, targeting users on the higher‑tier storage plans. The feature, called Apple Intelligence, automatically generates video descriptions for HomeKit Secure Video recordings, enabling natural‑language searches within the Home app. It is available only on the $9.99, $29.99, and $59.99 monthly plans and requires a compatible HomeKit camera, a home hub such as HomePod or Apple TV 4K, and an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence. The update expands iCloud+ beyond storage, offering added value for users who already need large cloud capacity.

💡 By bundling AI‑driven video search with premium storage, Apple incentivizes higher‑tier subscriptions and strengthens its ecosystem lock‑in. The feature demonstrates Apple’s push to integrate machine learning into everyday home security workflows.

9to5mac.com · Nov 12

OpenAI’s personal finance features for ChatGPT expands to Mac app

OpenAI has extended its ChatGPT Finances feature to the Mac desktop app, completing its rollout across mobile, web, and desktop platforms. Initially released in beta for paid users, the feature moved from a $100/month plan to a $20/month tier and, since October, is available to all users, including free accounts, though only for U.S. residents. Finances lets users securely link bank accounts to analyze spending, track investments, receive weekly reports, monitor stocks, and build custom tools. The update requires a desktop app refresh to access the sidebar integration.

💡 By adding desktop support, OpenAI removes a key barrier for users who prefer Mac environments, potentially increasing adoption among professionals who rely on comprehensive financial insights within a single AI interface.

ign.com · Nov 12

CD Projekt Red Used AI to Alter Geralt’s Voice Due to Polish…

CD Projekt Red is employing the AI voice‑modulation tool Respeecher to restore Polish voice actor Jacek Rozenek’s Geralt lines for the upcoming Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past. Rozenek suffered a stroke in 2019 that altered his voice, making new recordings incompatible with the original 2014 material. The studio trained Respeecher on Rozenek’s earlier lines, spending dozens of hours refining the model to match his former timbre. Rozenek approved the use, and the company emphasized that AI will only be used with actor consent.

💡 The move shows how AI can bridge gaps left by health‑related changes in performers, preserving narrative continuity in long‑running franchises. It also highlights the growing debate over AI’s role in creative media and the need for clear ethical guidelines.

androidcentral.com · Nov 12

Galaxy AI may cost you in the future, but not even Samsung…

Samsung is reportedly testing a subscription model for its upcoming Galaxy AI suite, which would place features such as Bixby Action, Daily Briefing and Gen Video behind a paywall. The leak emerged early this week and sparked debate among Galaxy owners, many of whom argue that AI tools should be included with the device purchase. While Samsung says core utilities like Now Brief, Browsing Assist and Keyboard enhancements will stay free, users on Reddit expressed confusion about the existence of the AI functions and skepticism about their performance compared with Google’s Gemini or OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Critics note that external AI services already deliver superior results, making Samsung’s paid offering appear redundant and of limited value for existing customers today now.

💡 Samsung’s subscription test probes whether consumers will fund integrated AI, a shift that could redefine smartphone revenue models.

appleinsider.com · Nov 12

You can now talk to Gemini right from Apple CarPlay

Google rolled out Gemini Live to Apple CarPlay worldwide, letting drivers start or resume AI‑driven conversations directly from the CarPlay interface. By tapping a new Gemini icon on the display or side rail, users can ask the model to summarize unread Gmail messages, check upcoming Google Calendar events, suggest restaurants, or explain local landmarks. The system syncs chats with the Gemini iPhone app, so conversations can be revisited after parking. Gemini Live supports every language the service offers and requires the latest Gemini app, microphone permission and at least one prior Gemini Live session on the phone. This follows Google’s October launch of Gemini for Google Maps on CarPlay, expanding the AI assistant’s in‑car capabilities.

💡 It turns the car into a hands‑free productivity hub, merging personal email and calendar management with navigation‑centric AI, and pushes Google’s conversational AI deeper into everyday mobile ecosystems.