Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani
Reliance aur Nvidia ki AI jodi
All roads for multinationals in India lead inevitably to Mukesh-bhai. Why would Nvidia be different? The hottest AI chipmaker in the world is teaming up with Reliance to “build AI infrastructure” in India. The most notable is the plan to supply state-of-the-art Blackwell chips to power Reliance’s data centres.
Point to note: Reliance is not Nvidia’s only dance partner. The company is also planning to team up with Infosys, help Tech Mahindra develop a Hindi large language model, and collab with Flipkart to develop AI customer bots. There are plans for a joint chip development project with the government of India. Other tie-ups with the Tatas etc. etc.
Quote to note: The Reliance announcement was made at a joint appearance—of Ambani and CEO Jensen Huang—at an Nvidia mega-summit in Mumbai. What caught our eye—Huang’s mastery of the language of atmanirbhar Bharat: “It makes complete sense that India should manufacture its own AI. You should not export data to import intelligence. India should not export flour to import bread.”
But, but, but: Making these grand dreams come true will be an uphill climb—especially that of manufacturing AI chips:
[India’s] chipmaking industry is still nascent, as the capital-intensive effort to set up fabs, or fabrication facilities, typically takes years, and running one requires specially trained professionals. India has yet to produce its first chip.
Interesting point to note: Meta also held an AI summit in Bangalore recently—but it didn’t attract the big names. And Zuckerberg did not come down for the show. Huang seems to have cornered the Indian market on AI for now. (Reuters)
In funnier Reliance news: A Delhi-based techie has snapped up the domain name JioHotstar—just so Reliance will have to buy it off him when the Disney-Jio merger is complete. His asking price: £93,345—so he can fund his executive MBA at Cambridge. It isn’t a big ask of the Ambanis—who sadly don't have a sense of humour. Reliance is planning to sue instead. Indian Express has more on this page-turner.
A big settlement in Dali debacle
The context: On March 26, the 985-foot-long cargo ship was on its way to Sri Lanka. Just as it was leaving the Baltimore port, it lost power and struck the Key Bridge. The bridge collapsed—killing six construction workers who were on it, at the time. The 21-member crew—all of them Indians except for a single Sri Lankan—were trapped on board the ship for nearly three months. Even now, there are 11 senior members still stuck in Baltimore—although they have been allowed offshore.
What happened now: The owner of the ship—Grace Ocean Private Ltd—and the operator—Synergy Marine Private Ltd—have agreed to pay $101.9 million in damages to the US government. Legal experts say the “lightning speed” of the settlement shows the strength of the government’s claims:
Because of poor maintenance or “jury-rigged” fixes to serious problems aboard the ship, known as the Dali, “none of the four means available to help control the Dali — her propeller, rudder, anchor, or bow thruster — worked when they were needed to avert or even mitigate this disaster,” the suit asserts.
Why this matters: The claims seem to also implicate the crew. They are the subject of an FBI criminal investigation—“looking at least in part at whether the crew left the port knowing the vessel had serious system problems.” It’s unlikely those 11 Indians will be going home anytime soon. (Washington Post, paywalled, Politico)
India’s got a new CJI
Farewell, DY Chandrachud. Hello, Sanjiv Khanna—who will become Chief Justice of India on November 11. His resume includes various stints as counsel for government departments—and as a public prosecutor. He was promoted out-of-turn to the Supreme Court by the infamous CJI Ranjan Gogoi—-even though Khanna was only ranked #33 in seniority among High Court judges.
His notable judgments include recently granting bail to ex Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. He was also a member of the Constitution Bench that upheld the revocation of Kashmir’s special status—and declared electoral bonds unconstitutional. But, but, but: Don’t get too used to CJI Khanna. He is due to retire on March 13, 2025. (Indian Express)
The horrific plan to destroy ‘obscene’ Indian art
The context: Back in April 2023, the Mumbai Customs department seized a consignment of seven artworks—including FN Souza’s ‘Lovers’ and a drawing titled ‘Nude’ by Akbar Padamsee. Both are among India’s greatest modern artists. The consignment belonged to businessman and art collector Mustafa Karachiwala, who had acquired them in London. Unfortunately, our Customs-walas didn’t know the difference between porn and artistry.
What happened now: The Customs officials’ plan to destroy the artwork was blocked by Karachiwala—who challenged the seizure in the Bombay High Court—as arbitrary and unconstitutional. The Court has mercifully passed a restraining order preventing catastrophe.
Historical point to note: This isn’t the first time Souza’s art has been deemed obscene:
[I]n 1949, he exhibited at the Art Society of India at the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Hall in Bombay. Two out of the four works he submitted were inspired by the ancient classical sculpture. Though initially approved for exhibition, these works were taken down four days later on the grounds of censorship. Souza's studio was then raided and he was charged with obscenity.
The more things change, the more our puritanism remains the same. We recommend checking out this Advisory essay profiling the Progressive Artists Group—which counted both Souza and Padamsee as its members. Below is the offending Souza painting—‘The Lovers’—which sold for a record $4.8 million. (The Hindu)
Wordle’s gotta a new rival: Tumblewords
Netflix is leaping onto the word games bandwagon with a new puzzle called TED Tumblewords. Made in a collab with TED Talks, it sounds vaguely like a version of Scrabble. Here’s how it works:
You get three unique puzzles a day, play against your friends—similar to the NYT games. The nerdy TED bit:
Collectible Knowledge Cards: As they progress, players will be able to collect fascinating facts that enrich understanding of various TED Topics, including Design, Psychology, and Science.
The game launches on November 19 and comes free with a Netflix subscription. (Variety)
what caught our eye
business & tech
- Apple and Goldman Sachs have been fined $89 million for misleading Apple Card users and illegally mishandling transaction disputes.
- Sensex and Nifty recorded their worst month since the Covid-19 crash four and a half years ago. For more context, check out our Big Story on the great foreign investor exodus.
- Former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji says the company knowingly violated copyright law to train its AI models, including the flagship ChatGPT.
- You can now look for a ‘Swiggy Seal’ for restaurants—that certifies their hygiene standards.
- Big embarrassment for private equity and venture capital pros—60 out of 100 executives have flunked an exam mandated by SEBI.
sports & entertainment
- Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on sex crimes charges has been delayed to 2025—his lawyers plan to hire a private investigator to probe a new allegation against him.
- International hockey’s long-awaited return to the iconic Major Dhyan Chand stadium has resulted in agonising defeat for India. The hosts bounced back to tie the bilateral series. But, but, but: Germany won the penalty shootout decider.
as for the rest
- Emmanuel Macron announced that France will back the expansion of Lebanese troops—weird—and offer $100 million in aid.
- Tents, bright lights and booze on the beach—Karnataka is planning to go the Goa route to attract tourists.
- A recent study has found that binge drinking can lead to arrhythmia—or an irregular heartbeat pattern.
- Sex determines the kind of breakfast that is best for weight loss. Men fare better on high carb meals—while women should go for high fat options like omelettes or avocado.
- Barron’s has an illuminating data-heavy interactive read on how millennials—often dubbed ‘the unluckiest generation’—are doing better on average than baby boomers were at a similar age. But, but, but: the wealth gap between millennials is significantly larger.
- The News Minute reports on how Bangalore officials are harassing interfaith couples who want to get married–using BJP-passed conversion laws.
- Scientists have developed a form of electro-agriculture that allows plants to grow without natural sunlight—and therefore buildings rather than fields.
- The key to ageing well is… being able to stand like a flamingo. If you can stand on one leg, you’re doing all right.
Two things to see
One: First came the floods. Now, the insane traffic jams. This was the haalat of the sodden Bangalore roads—where vehicles were stuck for three hours, forcing people to walk home. (Times of India)
Two: Finally! The excellent Apple TV+ show ‘Severance’ is returning with a second season. But there isn’t much more to this teaser. The season drops on January 17, 2025. (Hollywood Reporter)
feel good place
One: TM Krishna’s jugalbandi… with a weaving loom. The best!
Two: Why cats don’t like babies. Cheater!
Three: Sugar gliders give the best kinda love.
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