Hermes agent maker Nous Research in talks for new funding at $1.5B valuation

techcrunch.com Jul 14, 2026

Hermes agent maker Nous Research in talks for new funding at $1.5B valuation

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Jul 14, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Nous Research, the startup behind the open-source Hermes agent, is in final talks for a $75 million funding round at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by Robot Ventures and USV. The company, founded in 2023, has previously raised $70 million. Hermes, which offers built-in skills and automatic learning, has gained widespread popularity on GitHub with over 214,000 stars. The new funding aims to expand the product and business model.

💡 Why It Matters

· The valuation signals growing investor confidence in AI agents capable of autonomous task execution.
· Hermes’ rapid adoption and open-source nature position it as a key player in the evolving landscape of AI automation tools.

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AI agent crawlers now need permission. Here’s how to get it

Cloudflare will block AI agent and training crawlers by default on ad-supported pages starting September 15. The change affects new domains, new sites, and all existing free-tier customers. Cloudflare replaced its single block switch with three categories: Search, Agent, and Training. Search bots remain allowed, while Agent and Training bots are blocked on pages displaying ads. The company argues that ads indicate content built for humans, so bots providing direct answers without referrals should not access such pages freely. Users can opt out via security settings before the deadline. This network-level block impacts enterprise agents relying on real-time data from news, reviews, and pricing pages. Googlebot, which handles both search and training, may also be blocked if Training is restricted. The move shifts web access from free to negotiated, with emerging models like Ceramic.ai and You.com paying publishers for content usage. This represents a significant shift in how AI companies access the open web.

💡 This enforces a financial transaction for real-time data access, ending the era of free scraping for ad-supported content. Agent developers must now secure explicit permissions or risk operational silence.

memeburn.com · Jul 13

Nubia AI Agent Smartphone Will Use Apps Without You Touching

Nubia, a ZTE sub-brand, will unveil the world’s first AI agent smartphone at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai from July 17–20, 2026. Powered by ByteDance’s Doubao AI, the device operates at the system level using a GUI agent that visually reads screens to autonomously open apps, compare prices, and complete purchases without user input. This follows the December 2025 launch of the Nubia M153 prototype, which sold out its limited run of 30,000 units in one day at 3,499 yuan. Although the predecessor faced immediate blocking of automated actions by major platforms like WeChat and Taobao, the new commercial model aims to refine this technology. No Western release is planned due to regulatory friction surrounding ByteDance. The upcoming device represents a shift from conversational AI to autonomous screen interaction, marking a significant step in mobile automation despite current platform restrictions.

💡 This shift from conversational assistants to autonomous agents that visually navigate interfaces challenges the traditional app ecosystem’s control over user interaction. By bypassing standard APIs, the technology forces major platforms to reconsider how they protect their interfaces from automated, system-level access.

digitimes.com · Jul 10

OpenAI pushes deeper into AI agents as Cursor joins intensifying enterprise race

OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT Work, a new agentic workspace that integrates its conversational AI model with the advanced coding capabilities of Codex. This strategic expansion marks a significant departure from traditional chatbot interactions, positioning the company firmly in the emerging market for AI agents capable of executing complex, multi-step tasks. The move underscores the broader industry’s rapid pivot toward autonomous systems that can handle substantial workflows rather than merely generating text. By combining natural language processing with specialized coding tools, OpenAI aims to enhance productivity for enterprise users. This development highlights the intensifying competition among tech giants to capture the enterprise sector. The launch represents a concrete step in OpenAI’s evolution from a conversational interface provider to a comprehensive productivity platform. As the race for AI agency accelerates, OpenAI’s integration of Codex signals a commitment to delivering tangible, task-oriented solutions for professional environments.

💡 The integration of coding tools into a general-purpose chat interface transforms AI from a passive information source into an active workforce participant. This shift forces enterprises to rethink workflow automation strategies as autonomous agents begin handling complex, multi-step professional tasks.

ibtimes.com · Jul 10

Grok 4.5 Launches With Focus on Coding and AI Agents, Intensifying Race…

SpaceXAI has launched Grok 4.5, its most advanced large language model to date, specifically optimized for coding, software engineering, and autonomous AI agents. Unlike previous iterations focused on the X social media platform, this release targets enterprise developers via APIs, enabling direct integration into business workflows. Musk describes the system as an "Opus-class" model offering superior speed and efficiency, operating at 80 tokens per second with twice the token efficiency of leading competitors. Pricing is set at approximately $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens, positioning it as a cost-effective option for complex programming tasks. The launch represents a major strategic shift following the company’s restructuring, emphasizing specialized, agentic capabilities over general consumer chat. This move intensifies competition with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, as enterprise customers increasingly prioritize reasoning, coding performance, and autonomous execution in their AI infrastructure.

💡 By prioritizing autonomous agents and competitive pricing, SpaceXAI challenges the industry standard that equates capability with high cost. This shift forces rivals to justify premium rates for enterprise solutions that now face a faster, cheaper alternative for complex coding workflows.

shanghaisun.com · Jul 9

NCS launches enterprise AI platforms and products; deepens partnerships to accelerate AI-driven…

NCS announced an expanded Sunshine.AI suite of sovereign, enterprise-grade AI platforms and products at its NCS AI Impact 2026 forum in Singapore. The initiative aims to help organizations transition from AI experimentation to enterprise-scale transformation with enhanced speed, security, and governance. Key launches include Sunshine.core for building production-grade AI agents, Sunshine.builder for no-code application development, and Sunshine.chilliclaw, an agentic assistant embedded into existing software. NCS also formed new sector-specific partnerships in healthcare, transport, and education to scale AI deployment. Additionally, the company committed to training next-generation AI talent and released a practitioner’s playbook based on over 100 AI projects to guide clients toward measurable returns. CEO Sam Liew emphasized that these tools enable organizations to redesign core operations for exponential outcomes while maintaining full data control and compliance within their own environments.

💡 By prioritizing sovereign, on-premise AI infrastructure, NCS addresses the critical security and governance barriers that prevent many enterprises from moving beyond pilot projects. This focus on data control allows organizations to operationalize AI at scale without compromising compliance, directly enabling the redesign of core business functions rather than just incremental efficiency gains.

completeaitraining.com · Jul 8

KAIST researchers find AI agents consume 136 times more energy per query…

KAIST researchers published the first systematic analysis of AI agent energy consumption at the 2026 IEEE HPCA symposium. Led by Professor Minsoo Rhu, the study reveals autonomous agents consume up to 136.5 times more energy per query than conventional generative AI. This surge stems from repeated large language model invocations and tool usage, causing GPU idle times up to 54.5%. A 70-billion-parameter agent uses 348.41 watt-hours per query. Projecting 13.7 billion daily requests, equivalent to current Google search traffic, would require 198.9 gigawatts of power. This demand exceeds current data center capacities and equals half the United States’ average power consumption, highlighting critical infrastructure challenges.

💡 The study exposes a hidden infrastructure bottleneck where increased AI intelligence directly correlates with unsustainable power demands. Researchers must now prioritize integrated co-design of models and hardware to prevent energy costs from stifling the deployment of advanced autonomous systems.