Before diving into today’s email, I filmed a quick video last week breaking down Notebook LM. They’re a killer new platform built off of Google’s Gemini product. Feel free to check it out below:

Click here to check it out now.

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Today’s Menu

• SoftBank & OpenAI Launch $3B AI Venture for Japan

• Bitcoin Dips Below $100K Amid Trade War Tensions

Markets

TODAY IN AI

OSoftBank & OpenAI Launch $3B AI Venture for Japan

SoftBank just announced Cristal Intelligence, a joint venture with OpenAI that will bring customized AI tools exclusively to Japanese businesses, backed by a $3 billion annual investment in OpenAI technology.

SoftBank will deploy OpenAI’s tech across its subsidiaries, including Arm and PayPay, while Cristal Intelligence will provide a specialized business version of ChatGPT and OpenAI’s API, tailored for Japan. The initiative focuses on secure enterprise integrations, potentially competing with traditional consulting firms.

This follows SoftBank’s involvement in Stargate, a $500 billion data center initiative with OpenAI and Oracle, underscoring its aggressive AI expansion.

With Japan making a serious push into AI, SoftBank’s deep partnership with OpenAI could position it as the dominant force in AI deployment across Asia.

^{Today In Crypto}

Bitcoin Dips Below $100K Amid Trade War Tensions

Bitcoin dropped below $100,000, facing renewed selling pressure after China imposed retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. Beijing’s move—hitting U.S. coal, LNG, crude oil, and automobiles—came in response to President Trump’s 10% tariffs on Chinese goods. BTC briefly plunged to $93K on Monday before rebounding to $102K, now hovering around $99K, up 4% in 24 hours. Other crypto majors like XRP, DOGE, and SOL surged as much as 20% before pulling back but still posting 6%-10% gains.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s hashrate hit an all-time high of 833 EH/s, reflecting a 9% increase in recent days. Institutional investment in mining infrastructure continues to push hashrate growth, though analysts expect a slowdown as mining firms begin to scale back hardware purchases after the April 2024 halving.

Ethereum saw a significant upgrade as validators approved an increase in the gas limit, reaching nearly 32 million units—its first expansion since 2021. This move boosts network capacity, allowing more transactions per block and supporting more complex DeFi applications without requiring a hard fork.

With global trade tensions escalating, Bitcoin volatility rising, and Ethereum improving its scalability, the crypto market is entering another critical phase.

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Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Damon James