Amazon’s investment plan for India; A new initiative to keep Kedarnath clean

Hello,

Tech companies are racing to meet the surging demand for AI computing. 

American semiconductor company Qualcomm wants to be more than a supplier of smartphone chips. In its pursuit to become an AI infrastructure company, it has unveiled a slew of initiatives: a new data centre product family, a multi-generation deal with Meta, and the acquisition of AI software company Modular. 

Meanwhile, in its AI computing push, IBM has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s first technology that can produce chips smaller than ​one nanometer. 

“With our new nanostack architecture, we’re not just making ​smaller transistors, we’re reinventing how chips are built to ​deliver dramatically ⁠more power and energy efficiency,” said Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research.  

In other news, India’s goal to modernise logistics through drones is gathering momentum. 

Aerospace startup Airbound has signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh Drone Corporation to build a large-scale drone delivery network across the Amaravati Capital Region. If the project reaches its target of enabling 10,000 drone flights a day over the coming year, it could become one of the world’s largest commercial drone delivery networks. 

Lastly, if you are an Apple fan, brace yourself for price hikes. 

Apple has raised the prices of iPads and MacBooks, and the company  puts it on the rising costs of memory and storage chips driven by the AI boom. 

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Amazon’s investment plan for India 
• A new initiative to keep Kedarnath clean

Here’s your trivia for today: Which luxury fashion house funded the restoration of Rome's Trevi Fountain?

Corporate

Amazon’s investment plan for India 

Amazon has announced an additional investment of $13 billion in India from 2026 to 2030, taking its cumulative commitment in the country to $48 billion. The company had previously pledged $35 billion in investments as of December 2025.

This announcement was made following a meeting between Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.

Key takeaways: 

• In a blog post, Amazon said the $13 billion will be invested to expand the AI and cloud infrastructure in the country by 2030. The latest commitment brings the company's total investment in this segment to more than $21 billion.
• The investment will go into expanding AWS data centre capacity in Mumbai and Hyderabad, giving startups, enterprises, and government organisations access to custom AI chips, managed AI services, secure and reliable cloud technologies and developer tools. 
• Amazon has pledged to support 3.8 million jobs and $80 billion in cumulative exports, and enable AI benefits for 15 million small businesses and AI education for 4 million government school students.

Social impact

A new initiative to keep Kedarnath clean

Anandana - The Coca-Cola Foundation, in partnership with Healing Himalayas Foundation and government agencies, has established a waste recovery facility in Kedarnath. Its #CarryMeBack campaign encourages pilgrims to carry back waste down the route.

Managing waste: 

• The Himalayan Harmony Project has established a material recovery facility near the Kedarnath Temple at an altitude of 11,755 ft, making it one of India's highest waste management facilities.
• The material recovery facility, spanning approximately 3,000 square feet, is equipped with a baling machine that compresses collected waste to reduce volume for transport, and a tractor for waste collection and haulage within the Kedarnath Panchayat area. 
• Managing waste at high altitude is not just an ecological challenge but also carries financial implications. The most critical part of the initiative is creating a financially sustainable reverse supply chain—from collection at the top, to the material recovery facility, and then to a recycler.

News & updates

• Fundraise: SuperLiving, a wellness & preventive health platform focused on India’s Tier II cities and beyond, has raised $7 million in a Series A round of funding led by Lightspeed, with participation from existing investors, Kae Capital and All-in Capital.
• Luxury market: The ​global personal luxury goods market is showing signs of recovery in the ‌second quarter, despite the war in West Asia, said consultancy Bain & Company. Demand in the US was stronger than expected, it added. 
• Oil price: The price of oil has fallen to pre-Iran war levels as traffic through the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route gradually resumes. 

Which luxury fashion house funded the restoration of Rome's Trevi Fountain?

Answer: Fendi

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