Cognichip Raises $60M to Use AI in Chip Design

Startup Cognichip has raised $60 million to pursue a platform that uses artificial intelligence to design the chips that power AI systems, TechCrunch reports. According to the company, its approach can reduce chip development costs by more than 75% and cut the development timeline by more than half. The funding signals continued investor interest in using AI to accelerate semiconductor development, a field that has historically required enormous time and capital investment.

Meta's Hyperion Data Center to Run on 10 New Natural Gas Plants

Meta's upcoming Hyperion AI data center will be supported by 10 new natural gas plants, according to TechCrunch. The report notes that the energy demand associated with the project is large enough that it could theoretically power the entire state of South Dakota. The announcement highlights the significant and growing energy infrastructure requirements associated with large-scale AI data center deployments.

Elgato Adds MCP Support to Stream Deck

Elgato has released Stream Deck software version 7.4, which introduces support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), according to The Verge. The update allows AI assistants — including Claude, ChatGPT, and Nvidia G-Assist — to discover and activate Stream Deck actions programmatically. The integration means users can delegate Stream Deck control tasks to a connected AI chatbot rather than triggering them manually. MCP, which provides a standardized way for AI models to interact with external tools and services, continues to see broader adoption across a range of hardware and software products.

These developments reflect ongoing momentum across AI-adjacent hardware, infrastructure, and tooling. Check back for further updates as these stories develop.