Google forges ahead with its next generation of AI technology while fending off a breakup threat

Stock market today: Wall Street edges back from its records as bitcoin briefly pops above $100,000Last year, it seemed like all anyone could talk about was how big tech was going to change the world with artificial intelligence (AI). Among the "Magnificent Seven" stocks -- Nvidia , Microsoft , Apple , Alphabet , Meta Platforms , Amazon , and Tesla -- it quickly became clear that AI would be the next megatrend, and these companies have been among its biggest influences. However, smaller players have emerged and given big tech a run for its money. Data-analytics specialist Palantir Technologies ( PLTR 3.92% ) might just be the newcomer that will actually hold its own over the long run as it competes with larger companies. As of this writing, Palantir is the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 for 2024. Much of these gains stem from investor enthusiasm around Palantir's newest software suite -- the Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP). However, despite AIP's rapid adoption over the last year, many investors focus on its use cases in the private sector. But below, I'll explore a lesser-known opportunity that Palantir is quietly dominating, one that will likely be the company's biggest catalyst in 2025. Military AI is an enormous opportunity For the last two years, investors have been told ad nauseum how AI will lead to higher productivity levels in the workplace and be the impetus for game-changing technologies, such as humanoid robotics or self-driving cars. But one area that consistently gets overlooked is how AI is playing a role in the defense sector -- specifically, in military operations. Analysis from Mordor Intelligence suggests AI applications in the military include data analytics and robotics automation, which combine for a total addressable market size of over $60 billion. Below, I'll detail some of Palantir's major wins so far in this space. Palantir is dominating this niche What I find encouraging about Palantir's public sector operation is that the company works with both government agencies and partners with other technology companies looking to get involved with defense operations. Earlier this year, Palantir and Microsoft joined forces for a campaign that integrates AIP into Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure, specifically in secured environments across the Department of Defense (DOD). More recently, Palantir forged another alliance with a major cloud provider, Amazon Web Services (AWS). The partnership represents another use case for Amazon's large language model (LLM) Claude and how it can now integrate with AIP across defense agencies . Lastly, Palantir recently partnered with Meta . Similar to the deals with Microsoft and Amazon, Meta will be leveraging Palantir's capabilities across its LLM (called Llama) as the company looks to make a splash across the public sector in its own right. A bevy of new opportunities Outside of partnering with big tech, Palantir has also secured a number of lucrative federal contracts over the last few months. Some notable examples include a multiyear deal worth up to $100 million as part of Palantir's Maven contract , as well as a deal worth nearly $1 billion with the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC). On top of the deals won directly from the government, Palantir has also struck partnerships with interesting players outside of big tech. For example, the company just announced an alliance with Anduril -- a start-up that develops autonomous systems, such as underwater drones. In addition, the company also partnered with government consulting leader Booz Allen Hamilton . The bottom line While Palantir has long enjoyed a foothold in the public sector (and specifically with U.S. government agencies), the many deals and partnerships it has signed recently highlight the company's continued momentum. They also signal that the government is increasing its investment in AI with Palantir being a consistent beneficiary of such work. The company's U.S. government business could show significant acceleration trends next year as its various partnerships and contracts bear fruit.

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Cincinnati (4-8) at Dallas (5-7) Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN BetMGM NFL Odds: Bengals by 5 1/2. Against the spread: Bengals 6-6; Cowboys 4-8. Series record: Cowboys lead 10-4. Last meeting: Cowboys beat Bengals 20-17 on Sept. 18, 2022, in Arlington, Texas. Last week: Bengals lost to Steelers 44-38; Cowboys beat Giants 27-20. Bengals offense: overall (9), rush (27), pass (1), scoring (T5). Bengals defense: overall (27), rush (22), pass (27), scoring (31). Cowboys offense: overall (20), rush (31), pass (7), scoring (21). Cowboys defense: overall (26), rush (31), pass (13), scoring (T29). Turnover differential: Bengals minus-1; Cowboys minus-7. Joe Burrow is one of five QBs in NFL history with at least 30 touchdown passes and no more than five interceptions through 12 games. Aaron Rodgers has done it three times, with one each for Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. The worst record among the six previous instances was 9-3, while Burrow sits at a hard-to-imagine 4-8. Two of those teams started 12-0: Green Bay with Rodgers in 2011 and Tom Brady with New England in 2007. Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards (3,337), completions (302) and touchdowns (30) entering Week 14. LB DeMarvion Overshown had a coming-out moment with his spectacular 23-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Giants. The second-year player, who missed his rookie season with a knee injury, tipped a pass from Drew Lock, ran down the deflection and scored untouched to put Dallas ahead for good. There's talk of him forming quite a tandem with two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons. It's a little early for that, but the “Monday Night Football” audience will be looking for an encore. WR Ja'Marr Chase vs. the Dallas secondary. The question is whether 2021 All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs will be among the defenders battling his former Southeastern Conference rival (Chase played for LSU; Diggs for Alabama). Diggs has missed two games with groin and knee issues. There was some trash talk involved in Dallas' 20-17 win two years ago when the Bengals were defending AFC champs. Chase finished with 54 yards as Cincinnati was held to 254 yards and one touchdown. If Diggs can't go, 2023 All-Pro DaRon Bland figures to see plenty of Chase. Bland is set for his third game after missing the first 10 following surgery for a stress fracture in his foot. Chase leads the league in receiving yards (1,142) and touchdowns (13) entering Week 14. Bengals K Evan McPherson (groin) and LB Logan Wilson (knee) were placed on injured reserve this week. Cade York, the LSU kicker when Burrow and Chase led the Tigers to the 2019 national championship, was signed to replace McPherson. ... Cowboys RG Zack Martin has opted for ankle surgery that will end an injury-filled season for the seven-time All-Pro. Martin missed the past two games. ... It appears Dallas will have to wait at least one more week before DE DeMarcus Lawrence returns from a foot injury. His practice window hasn't opened, and he stayed in the rehab group to start the week. Lawrence hasn't played since Week 4. ... Rookie LT Tyler Guyton has been battling a shoulder injury and added an ankle sprain last week. He's likely to sit this week in favor of veteran Chuma Edoga, who made his season debut against the Giants after injuring a toe in training camp. The Cowboys have beaten the Bengals five times in a row and are 7-1 at home against them. The loss was at old Texas Stadium in 1988. The most recent victory for Cincinnati was 26-3 in 2004. The Bengals are on their second three-game losing streak of the season and still looking for their first victory over a team with a winning record. The Cowboys have won two in a row coming off a five-game losing streak and just ended a six-game skid at home. ... Seven of Cincinnati's losses have been one-score games, including the past three. ... The Bengals have the second-best touchdown rate inside the 20-yard line at 71.1%. The Cowboys have the second worst at 43.8%. ... It's the second Monday night game of the season for both teams. Cincinnati lost to Washington in Week 3. Dallas lost to Houston in Week 11. ... Burrow is one of six QBs with at least three consecutive games of 300-plus yards passing and at least three TDs. Steve Young set the record with five for San Francisco in 1998. Burrow has lost all three games on his streak, while the other five QBs were a combined 15-6 during their streaks. ... WR Tee Higgins is one of three NFL receivers with at least five touchdowns in each of the past five seasons. Mike Evans and Justin Jefferson are the others. ... LT Orlando Brown Jr. returned against Pittsburgh following the first stint of his seven-year career on the inactive list with a leg injury sustained Oct. 27. ... The Bengals benched starting LG Cordell Volson against the Steelers in favor of Cody Ford. Coach Zac Taylor said Ford played well enough to keep the starting job. ... Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson entered the week still leading the NFL with 11 1/2 sacks but has just half a sack during the current three-game losing streak that followed his career-high four sacks against Las Vegas. But Hendrickson does have 4 1/2 sacks in his past four road games and 9 1/2 in eight Monday night games. ... Cowboys QB Cooper Rush's second career start, and first as a five-game fill-in for the injured Dak Prescott in 2022, was a Dallas victory over the Bengals. Rush passed for 235 yards and a touchdown in the first of four consecutive games without an interception, all victories. Rush is 2-2 this season as the replacement for Prescott, who is out for the season following surgery on a torn hamstring. ... RB Rico Dowdle is coming off his first career 100-yard game, with 112 yards rushing and a touchdown against the Giants. ... CeeDee Lamb needs 120 yards receiving to become the first Dallas wideout to reach 1,000 yards in four of his first five seasons. ... Dallas has 16 sacks in the four games since two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons returned from a high ankle sprain. The Cowboys are tied with Denver for the most sacks in that span. Parsons has 5 1/2 of them. Bengals RB Chase Brown has at least 90 scrimmage yards in the past four games, including a team-best 100 last week against the Steelers. Dallas has the second-worst run defense in the NFL. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflRevealed: The Bold Move ELES Semiconductor Is Making in the Market

China isn’t short of options when it comes to critical minerals that could be used as counters in a trade war with the US. Beijing’s ban on Tuesday covering sales to the US of gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials, and tighter controls on graphite, are likely an opening salvo in export controls that could be extended to dozens of niche materials if trade frictions with Washington escalate. “This may only be the start of the country ensuring national security and its strategic role in mineral resources,” Citic Securities said in a note. The state-backed brokerage listed 10 commodities, including the 17 elements grouped as rare earths, in which China holds an outsized role as producer or processor. The minerals are typically crucial to high-tech manufacturing, including so-called dual uses in military applications. Beijing’s latest restrictions were imposed after the White House on Monday slapped fresh curbs on the sale to China of high-end memory chips made by US and foreign companies. The Biden administration is using targeted measures to slow the country’s development of advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence systems that may help its military. President-elect Donald Trump, however, has threatened import tariffs as high as 60 percent on all Chinese goods, a measure that would invite a heavy response from Beijing. Beijing is reminding Washington —including the incoming Trump administration — that it has a new arrow in its quiver, said Bloomberg Economics. We expect a second US-China trade war in Donald Trump’s second term. One key difference could be that Beijing escalates by using export controls in response to US tariffs. As well as rare earths, Citic’s list includes tungsten, molybdenum, titanium, tin, indium, chromium, tantalum, niobium and cesium as candidates for export curbs. China also enjoys dominance in other commodities such as arsenic, which has a wide range of applications from herbicides to telecommunications. In recent years, the US has relied on China for 60 percent of its supply of the metal, according to the US Geological Survey. Rare earths, meanwhile, have been a feature of China’s previous trade disputes, and last year the government halted the export of a range of technologies associated with processing the elements, making it harder for the US and its allies to bolster supplies of the strategic raw materials. In the wake of Beijing’s ban, investors rushed into companies that mine and refine critical minerals. In China, Yunnan Lincang Xinyuan Germanium Industrial Co. surged by 10 percent, the daily limit, while Yunnan Chihong Zinc & Germanium Co. rose as much as 7,8 percent. In Sydney, Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. advanced as much as 5.6 percent. The company last month opened the largest processing facility for the elements outside China. The problem for Beijing is that further curbs on strategic minerals will only hasten efforts by the US and its allies to counter its dominance, which will dilute their impact. For example, when China first tightened export controls on germanium and gallium in 2023, it would have signaled to buyers they needed to diversify supply. As a result, Chinese customs data showed zero exports of the two minerals to the US this year, which suggests that firms were instead tapping inventories or procuring the metal from other sources.Alberta minister wants to see $100B in data centre infrastructure in next five yearsThe search and rescue organization for Metro Vancouver’s North Shore mountains is warning people to do their research after two international visitors became stranded while relying on hiking apps to plan their routes. Allan McMordie with North Shore Rescue managed the Sunday night rescue of a man from Goat Ridge, a backcountry area behind Grouse Mountain. He said the man told rescuers he had not been expecting snow, despite two of the local ski hills opening with fresh powder last month. “All you had to do was look at the top of the mountains from Vancouver and know there’s snow up there,” he said in an interview. “To be in running shoes and not even expecting any snow was pretty naive.” The man from France had set out on a marked route, then decided to make his way through very rough, steep terrain to a separate trail at significantly higher elevation. “This is rugged backcountry,” McMordie said. “It’s almost impassable.” McMordie could not confirm which apps the hikers in both recent rescues were using, but said a lack of any marked route or trail reports is a good indication not to use the application. In any case, he said trip planning should involve multiple sources for information. If the man from France had done any research, McMordie said he would have discovered the backcountry area where he was rescued is closed for the winter. In both recent cases, he said there are signs at each trailhead with maps showing trails and topography, along with reminders about key steps in trip planning, he said. Both men were lucky to have been able to make 911 calls, McMordie added, as service is patchy in the area and their phone batteries had nearly run out. Above all, he said hikers should tell someone else where they’re going and when they expect to return, so that person can alert local authorities if necessary. “Absolutely nobody knew where this person was and what he was doing that day,” McMordie said of the man from France. “If he had not been able to get that (911) call out, he would still be there.” Sunday’s rescue on Goat Ridge came three days after a similar call, when another man”seriously underestimated the difficulty” of a route marked in an online hiking app, North Shore Rescue said in a statement posted to social media. The group said there is “barely a trail” in the summer and “nothing whatsoever” in the winter, making for “full mountaineering conditions” at this time of year. The man called for help after hiking for eight hours that left him “tired, soaked (and) hypothermic” as the sun was setting,” it said. It’s doubtful the man would have survived the night in the Mount Seymour backcountry if he hadn’t been able to make the call, the rescue group added. The man had been staying in a short-term accommodation and had taken an Uber to the trailhead. Only his girlfriend in Norway knew where he was, and he was not wearing or carrying adequate gear for the conditions, McMordie said. Vancouver-based Stephen Hui, the author of several B.C. hiking guidebooks, said the rough, mountainous terrain steps away from urban Metro Vancouver and the extent of the snowpack in winter is a surprise for many visiting hikers. Hui said online apps can be helpful and often provide commentary about trail conditions from other hikers, but it’s crucial to look at additional sources of information, including complete maps and provincial and national park websites. He said local authorities and outdoor groups have some responsibility for people heading into the backcountry, and there is room for more signage and education. Ultimately, though, he said people must be responsible for themselves. “We can’t handhold everybody,” he said. “There’s always going to be dangers in hiking.”

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The world stands at the dawn of a “third nuclear age” in which Britain is threatened by multiple dilemmas, the head of the armed forces has warned. But alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”Exxon Mobil unveils plans for energy giant's future