There's no brain fog here.When most smokers light up a joint, it's unlikely that "enhanced cognitive ability" is front-of-mind. Not shockingly, the long-held assumption frommosttends to be that weed makes you dumb, and probably fries your brain permanently.Intriguingly,that argument might be going up in smoke. A recent study by researchers in where else Amsterdam appears to be good news for all you former teenage tokers out there, finding that the age at which men start smoking has nonegativebearing on cognitive decline later in life.Adult stoners can also breathe a little easier from now on, as the research also found that those who use cannabis frequently as an adult show no greater cognitive decline in the long term than those who don't partake.The study canvassed 5,162 men born between 1949 and 1961, who were sorted into two groups based on whether theyhad a history of using marijuana. From there, the participants who smoked were sorted into age groups based on when they started sparking up.One weakness of the study is its exclusion of women, a side effect of its reliance on the Brge Prien's Prve test, a military exam given to young Danish conscripts. As part of the study, the same test was given again to the participants, whothen averaged 44 years older.Maybe most surprisingly, the research found that mental decline among those whosmoke was slightly less than in those who don't by a measure of 1.3 IQ points.The authors note that it's difficult to compare their results to other long-term studies comparing cognitive decline between smokers and nonsmokers, but that their findings do line up with other research which found no greater age-based cognitive decline associated with pot. These include an Australian study, and two American, all of which included women.While the Danish study is far from the final say on the issue, it's another piece of sound research piling up against the anti-cannabis studies of years past, many of which were funded by pharmaceutical giants and right-wing think tanks.Those studies have been used throughout the United States to justify the "War on Marijuana," which both failed to reduce pot use and allowed police to exercise astonishing racial biasBuilding on this Danish study, future research could investigate whether pot's lack of long-term cognitive effectsMore on drug research: Side Effects of Ketamine Could Explain a Lot About Elon Musk's BehaviorShare This Article

In a review as humorous as it was dystopian,The Verge's Victoria Song described what it was like to wear Bee, an inexpensive new AI wearable pin, for a month and how it sometimes spat out "fanfiction" about her life as it listened to everything she said and did.Billed as an AI "memory" device alongside an iOS app and chatbot, the Bee "Pioneer band" costs a piddling $50 and looks, as Song wrote, "like a 2015-era Fitbit." With such a low overhead, there are bound to be quirks but as the columnist suggested, those quirks seem to outweigh Bee's value proposition of remembering things its wearer forgets.Because it's AI, one of Bee's more interesting aspects is its daily fact-checking sessions. Every evening at 8 pm, the app asks users to confirm or deny various things it overheard and inferred, some of which were creepy and a lot of which were straight-up incorrect.During a bus ride Song took, for instance, the app became convinced that she had a patient in Louisiana who was going to cause harm to someone else despite the fact that she is a NYC area-based journalist, not a medical professional. Later, the app suggested the writer follow up with said patient.That debacle illustrates one of Bee's biggest failures: its inability to differentiate between speakers. Whether it's listening to the wearer, whoever they're talking to, a character on TV, or a Kendrick Lamar song, Bee seems to think that all the speech that happens around it is useful and actionable. (In an interview with The Verge, however, Bee cofounder and CEO Maria de Lourdes Zollo insisted the company is working on a "liveness detection" that will stop the pin from thinking broadcasts are real conversations).After wearing the AI pin for a few days, Song noticed something odd: she started to realize it was listening to her during extremely private moments. After committing "bathroom crimes," the writer remarked aloud: "Shit! This thing is listening to me!" Later, the Bee app suggested she re-up on Lactaid.Though she attempted to "mute" the pin around other people to protect their privacy, Song admitted that aspects of conversations that had occurred when it was supposed to be off seemed to start cropping into its daily summaries which had, by the end of week two, become an obsession for the writer.Soon after, that obsession turned into paranoia as Song began interrogating the litany of "memories" Bee spat out that didn't line up with her own.Though some of Bee's summaries were helpful, the pin's perennial recording was overall quite intrusive. The writer's spouse said they hated it, and that it was "not useful enough given how much it violates my privacy.""Having lived with Bee, Im not sold on AI doubling as your memory," Song wrote. "Sure, it was convenient to get summaries of work meetings. That felt appropriate. But its the other moments in life the sensitive and fraught ones where using Bee felt more like voyeurism."More on AI fanfiction: If You Ask AI Who You're Married To, You May Spit Out Your CoffeeShare This Article

The Best Picture Academy Award winner hits the streaming platform on March 17.

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Procedural Crystal Generator By tnsor on March 16, 2025 Tutorials Crystals are tedious to create by hand, especially if you want to create lots of them. In this tutorial Manuel looks into how to create a procedural crystal generator from start to finish using Blender 4.3 Geometry Nodes. Well create detailed geometry with internal crystal structures and then use a dispersion shader in Cycles.Links

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Image: Nintendo LifeOh, hello there! You must be here for our monthly rummage through the Nintendo Life Mailbox. Pull up a chair!Got something you want to get off your chest? We're ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings. Each month well highlight a Star Letter, the writer of which will receive a months subscription to our ad-free Supporter scheme. Check out the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.Grab a cuppa and come with us now on a journey through time, space, and spam...Nintendo Life Mailbox - March 2025"indulge in said bells" (***STAR LETTER***)As a lifelong early adopter of new consoles, Ive often gawked at mid-gen refreshes such as Switch OLED or PS5 Pro, but have never felt a strong enough urge to pony up the cash for a seemingly trivial handful of upgrades. With Switch 2 on the horizon, and the mid-gen releases becoming increasingly more commonplace, Ive been left wondering if I should hold out a few years for the inevitable Switch 2 OLED, or what have you. (Switch 2 Pro? New Nintendo Switch 2 XL?)I think Im having a mid-gen crisis. I have a long enough backlog on my original Switch to last me a good few years (Im looking at you, Ace Attorney collections), but there does exist the looming FOMO by not being able to nab that sweet physical copy of Mario Kart 9 on launch day. I have just sincerely never wanted to spend several hundred dollars more for a console I already own with a few added bells and whistles, so maybe its high time I wait it out and allow myself to indulge in said bells and said whistles. Is this a shared experience? Has anyone else been questioning their loyalty to early adoption?LimitedPowerI joke about my triple-figure backlog, but if I played everything I own to completion and if my OLED Model didn't die I genuinely believe my current Switch library could keep me going for decades, not to mention older games for older systems. Enough amazing video games exist already to see me out quite happily.But I'm excited for the future! I absolutely get the desire to hang back and play what you've got rather than barrel on to the next thing like a good consumer, but I want to see where the medium is going and ride that wave. Budget is an understandable limiting factor for many (I've got good ol' professional obligation as an excuse), but personally there isn't a Nintendo system I regret adopting early, even when the inevitable upgrades came. - Ed.My first DS was a Lite, though Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life"just normal"Game completion - is it really worth it?I've been playing games for the past 20+ years, but never have really felt the need to get to 100%.Like most games, I enjoy the tale of learning how to play, get the moveset and skills up, but when I get to about 70/80%, feel as if I've completed enough of it to warrant the spend of the game, and then I'm happy to move onto the next one. Granted I play the 'easier' games, Mario/Crash/Spyro, so I get great enjoyment from the games, but if I then get stuck too much, I'm more than happy to give up, think I gave it my best shot, and just move on. I won't go back to those games either, think I've tried hard enough, and that's me done.Is anyone else like that?I've 100% some games, but also never done it just by myself. Always followed some sort of walk-through to get me there...that's just normal isn't it?Kevin BryantThat sounds normal and healthy, Kevin! Personally, I struggle with a brain that guilt-trips me unless I extract maximum value from anything I've bought, past the point of enjoyment. I've gotten better at ignoring it and walking away, but I still like finishing things.Everyone has their take, but you can't do leisure 'wrong' and video games aren't a test of moral fibre. There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving up and moving on from, oh let's say, Kirby and the Forgotten Land if, for instance, you made it most of the way through but got a bit bored.Speaking of moving on, let's. - Ed."if you'll humor me"Hey Nintendo Life staff!I have a suggestion for the Supporter benefits, if you'll humor me. I'd love to see a monthly/bimonthly Supporters Review Poll that would allow supporters to vote on a review they would like to see. The poll could be made up of games you all have wanted to review or smaller games that you could review more quickly (even community suggestions, if you're feeling adventurous). Whichever game receives the most supporter votes would be added to the review docket for the next month. I think this exclusive poll wouldn't go against your desire to avoid locking content behind a paywall, but maybe it would be a small way to show how supporters can influence the content they support.I know reviews are time-consuming, yet they are by far my favorite type of article on Nintendo Life. I love how many games you cover each year, so I absolutely would love to see more!Best,SolomonI like this idea, although we wouldn't want to stop non-supporters from getting involved. We'd also end up reviewing significantly more entries in the Hentai Waifu series if we didn't curate the shortlist.I'll take your suggestion under advisement, Solomon. Consider yourself humoured. - Ed.Image: Gemma Smith / Nintendo Life"the Birt"Hi, Nintendo lifeI have a question: what was your spark-game (similar to spark-bird which is the Birt that gets people into birding). Mine would be first Splatoon on Wiiu and second Wind Waker HD also on Wiiu. I have played video games since I got a Wii in about 2008 but didn't really get into gaming until Splatoon.OswaldTheLuckyGamerSpace Invaders on the 2600 was my first, I think (improbably, I have home video footage of me playing it in the '80s), but Castle of Illusion on the Mega Drive was The One. Helluva game. Team?"A boring answer, but its Ocarina of Time for me!" - Jim"I pretty much fell in love with the first game I ever played, Sonic 3." - AlanaAlso, Oswald, apologies. I was going to edit the typo, but it's Friday evening and it's tickled me. So I'm leaning into it. - Birt."photographs of game... things"How do you take all of those beautiful photographs of game... things... for your articles? Sometimes I'll read a random article like "Top 10 SNES games that were accidentally ported to the Sega Pico" (side note: that's not a real article, but it SHOULD be), and sure enough, you'll have a super-classy photo of the boxes of those 10 games. Occasionally the photo will credit Nintendo or whatever, but usually it's one of you lovely people. So do you have a vault of games, consoles, and accessories next to the professional photo studio that I also assume you have? Does the person writing the article send out an internal communication saying something like "I need a picture of 50 Wii games that start with the letter 'P'" and whoever is able to takes the photo? Or is it something more mundane, like the person writing the article is writing it because they actually own the games in question? At any rate, I've read SO many articles about things I'm not all that interested in just because I know it's going to be fun to read and look pretty, so please keep doing that.Kurt Asbestos*Notes down 'Top 10 SNES games that were accidentally ported to the Sega Pico' in the drafts listThank you, Kurt! Over the years, we've built up a library of photos, largely thanks to Hookshot's editorial overlord Damien McFerran and the vast collection of consoles and classic games he curates in NL Towers, plus his general Austin Powers-style prowess with the lens.In recent years, video producer Zion and community manager Gemma have added hundreds of images to the library, too, with some of us trying our hand when time and talent permit (it's all about the lighting, innit). These days, if we're missing something and can't do it ourselves, we put the call out on Slack and boom.I'll pepper some of our lesser-used shots throughout the page. Enjoy! - BirtImage: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life"having mouse"Do you think with the Switch 2 having mouse compatibility we might see a new renaissance for RTS games to be ported to it. I would personally love to play the old Command and Conquer games, Empire Earth, and even Starcraft playable on a portable system using mouse controls on screen or touchscreen in handheld.Kazman2007I'd love to see those old games find a new console audience, mainly so I can fill in gaps in my own gaming history. How strange to think it's Nintendo, of all platform holders, to inadvertently open that door - that is assuming 'Mouse Mode' is as straightforward as we're all imagining.I don't see there being a sudden explosion in the genre, as ultimately the audience for those old-school RTS games will always be on PC, and I'd argue that mouse input isn't the only hurdle preventing ports there (you've still got all the UI and scaling issues that come from playing on a TV rather than a monitor). But a few choice ports? Sign me up. - Birt"sugar coating it"Hey NL team!Whats your opinion on the current state of Nintendos NSO emulators?As someone whos spent a fair amount of time actually working with the real hardware they emulate, I personally believe that theyre some of the worse commercially available emulators known to man (and thats sugar coating it).Theres really no excuse for Nintendo to screw up simple emulators and have basically no backlog of games. It should be SO easy for them to make a high quality emulator with their repository of already great ones from years past.How the switch emulators run worse than the Wii ones is beyond me.What on Gods green earth could possibly be preventing them from putting Smash 64, the Pokemon Games, or games from well known partners on their NSO apps?If they continue this for the switch two, Ill pocket my money and buy a flashcart for my Super Famicom and Megadrive MetaCrystalFor anyone who once played them on original hardware, yes, it's massively disappointing to see games launch on NSO that aren't running or displaying as they should. When you're paying for the service and they're selling fairly expensive official pads to use with it, we're right to expect the best levels of accuracy from the company that made those machines. And a few more display options wouldn't go amiss.Recently, I attributed my failure to nail a landing with a tap of 'Z' in 1080 to not having played the game in years. It wasn't until later that I realised lag might be throwing me off. Yep, definitely the lag.Irritatingly, though, they've got things to the point that it's 'good enough' for the majority of NSO users. I wouldn't be surprised if the actual player numbers are far smaller than we might assume, and the incentive to make the best possible emulator just isn't there at a business level.And for Smash and Pokmon, there could be all sorts of reasons. Maybe they're holding back some very, very easy announcements for a quiet summer. - BirtImage: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life"pancakes and BotW"You may have already done this, but how about best memories of single-player games shared with someone?For instance, my cousin and I had a special summer of speculating how to solve the puzzles of Links Awakening, finally beating it, and then counting down the days for Oracle of Seasons to come out and do it all over again. Or for almost a full year in 2018-19 I would take my switch over to my brother& his wifes house every Saturday morning so we could have pancakes and BotW.Dark_IsatariThat sounds lovely and I'm genuinely jealous. People often talk about sitting down with their partners and sharing a Zelda or something, but I've never really had that. Tense Overcooked sessions? Sure, but never some serene, shared single-player experience with delicious sweetmeats.Fortunately, my kids have an enthusiasm for games acquired through sheer proximity to all the crap games in my house, so I'm hoping to enjoy many a shared adventure in the coming years. Team? - Birt"Ive never lived with anyone else who plays games, though I hit my peak Pokmon interest right around the launch of Black and White, and I will never forget going into school to compare notes with my friends about which mon we caught the evening before." - Jim"Playing 1000xRESIST with my partner. For some reason, it made the narrative that much more impactful, and it allowed both of us to discuss the plot, themes, and ideas as we played. Its a fantastic way to go through that game, so youre not bursting at the seams to spoil things online or scrambling to find someone else to celebrate that game with." - Alana"that woman's dog"I have a week before starting a new job and decided to replay my 3DS Ocarina of Time. I've replayed OoT at least 10 times and while I've done the Master Quests, the 3-heart challenges, and looked for sequence breaks this time I'm trying to play the game as if it's my first time. Talk to every NPC as if they may say something critical, check out secrets even though I already know what's there, etc. I've even gone into the back alley of Hyrule, an area I usually skip entirely (because, I am now remembering, I have no idea how to find that woman's dog).I'm wondering how you all approach replaying games. Do you try to recapture that first-time feeling (sort of like re-reading a book), or are you more likely to use your knowledge to find novel experiences?Thanks!Alex MaslowCongratulations on the new job! Beyond childhood favourites, I generally don't replay many games. A blast through Streets of Rage 2 or Banjo can do wonders for the soul, but there's just so much great new stuff out there. When I do go back to a Zelda or something, the geography will come back immediately but I've generally forgotten the details, so there's a fun blend of fresh and familiar. - BirtImage: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life"isn't really a problem"Can I have conflicting feelings over something that isn't really a problem to me? Because I'm feeling that over how it seems every game is made with Unreal Engine nowadays. Part of me wishes everyone would make their own engine or use something else nowadays. But on the other hand, I'm aware so many game built with the engine wouldn't have been made otherwise. Where do you, or anyone else on the Nintendo Life team stand on this issue? Are we suffering from Unreal Engine overload or is it all OK? (For the record, I am aware that games are also made with Unity and the like. I'm asking if we should be OK with so many games using seemingly the same two engines all the time.)WillaxAt least you have to check the credits to know they're Unreal games these days. 20 years ago you could spot UE a mile off from its slimy visual sheen over the brown and grey palette of the day.To your question, no. Making games is hard enough already, and any tool that helps artists realise their vision short of generating something from a prompt is a positive. More tools to compete with Epic would be nice, as Unity seems to be circling the plughole, but if everyone had to make their own engine, we'd miss out on an incalculable number of brilliant games. - BirtBonus Letters"I am an actor & voice artist who has provided voices for games that have appeared on Nintendo platforms AND I have a niece. Yet, I have no inside scoops for you. No, I don't understand it either. I am so sorry. I feel like I am letting everyone down." - Mana_Knight'Uncle who has provided voices for games that have appeared on Nintendo platforms' doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? - Birt"Hi NINTENDO COMPANY, first, I Wana thank you for all the games that you created over a decade." - AlvinNo need to thank us, Alvin! No, really. - BirtImage: Zion Grassl / Nintendo LifeThat's all for this month! Thanks to everyone who wrote in, whether you were featured above or not.Got something you'd like to get off your chest? A burning question you need answered? A correction you can't contain? Follow the instructions below, then, and we look forward to rifling through your missives.Nintendo Life Mailbox submission advice and guidelinesLetters, not essays, please - Bear in mind that your letter may appear on the site, and 1000 words ruminating on the Legend of Heroes series and asking Alana for her personal ranking isn't likely to make the cut. Short and sweet is the order of the day. (If you're after a general guide, 100-200 words would be ample for most topics.)Don't go crazy with multiple correspondences - Ideally, just the one letter a month, please!Don't be disheartened if your letter doesn't appear in the monthly article - We anticipate a substantial inbox, and we'll only be able to highlight a handful every month. So if your particular letter isn't chosen for the article, please don't get disheartened!How to send a Letter to the Nintendo Life MailboxHead to Nintendo Life's Contact page and select the subject "Reader Letters" from the drop-down menu (it's already done for you in the link above). Type your name, email, and beautifully crafted letter into the appropriate box, hit send, and boom you're done! Advert FreeShare:00 Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...

In BriefPosted:9:05 AM PDT March 16, 2025Image Credits:Photo Illustration by Chesnot/Getty ImagesBaidu launches two new versions of its AI model ErnieChinese search engine Baidu has launched two new AI models Ernie 4.5, the latest version of the companys foundational model first released two years ago, as well as a new reasoning model, Ernie X1.According to Reuters, Baidu claims that Ernie X1s performance is on par with DeepSeek R1 at only half the price,, and it touts Ernie 4.5s high EQ, allowing the model to understand memes and satire. Both models have multimodal capabilities, allowing them to process video, images, and audio, as well as text.While Baidu was one of the first Chinese companies to launch a competitor to OpenAIs ChatGPT, it has reportedly struggled to find widespread adoption. Meanwhile, the aforementioned DeepSeek recently unsettled American AI companies and investors by releasing models that were seemingly just as powerful at a much lower cost.CNBC previously reported that Baidu plans to release its next generation model, Ernie 5, later this year, with further multimodal improvements.Topics

No company has capitalized on the AI revolution more dramatically than Nvidia. Its revenue, profitability, and cash reserves have skyrocketed since the introduction of ChatGPT over two years ago and the many competitive generative AI services that have launched since. And its stock price soared.During that period, the worlds leading high-performance GPU maker has used its ballooning fortunes to significantly increase investments in all sorts of startups but particularly in AI startups.The chip giant ramped up its venture capital activity in 2024, participating in 49 funding rounds for AI companies, a sharp increase from 34 in 2023, according to PitchBook data. Its a dramatic surge in investment compared to the previous four years combined, during which Nvidia funded only 38 AI deals. Note that these investments exclude those made by its formal corporate VC fund, NVentures, which also significantly ramped up its investing in the last two years. (PitchBook says NVentures engaged in 24 deals in 2024, compared to just 2 in 2022.)In 2025, Nvidia has already participated in seven rounds.Nvidia has stated that the goal of its corporate investing is to expand the AI ecosystem by backing startups it considers to be game changers and market makers.Below is a list of startups that raised rounds exceeding $100 million where Nvidia is a named participant since 2023, including new ones it has backed so far in 2025, organized from the highest amount to lowest raised in the round.The billion-dollar-round clubOpenAI: Nvidia backed the ChatGPT maker for the first time in October, reportedly writing a $100 million check toward a colossal $6.6 billion round that valued the company at $157 billion. The chipmakers investment was dwarfed by OpenAIs other backers, notably Thrive, which according to the New York Times invested $1.3 billion.xAI: Nvidia participated in the $6 billion round of Elon Musks xAI. The deal revealed that not all of OpenAIs investors followed its request to refrain from backing any of its direct competitors. After investing in the ChatGPT maker in October, Nvidia joined xAIs cap table a few months later.Inflection: One of Nvidias first significant AI investments also had one of the most unusual outcomes. In June 2023, Nvidia was one of several lead investors in Inflections $1.3 billion round, a company founded by Mustafa Suleyman, who earlier founded DeepMind. Less than a year later, Microsoft hired Inflection AIs founders, paying $620 million for a non-exclusive technology license, leaving the company with a significantly diminished workforce and a less defined future.Wayve: In May, Nvidia participated in a $1.05 billion round for the U.K.-based startup, which is developing a self-learning system for autonomous driving. The company is testing its vehicles in the U.K. and the San Francisco Bay Area.Scale AI: In May 2024, Nvidia joined Accel and other tech giants Amazon and Meta to invest $1 billion in Scale AI, which provides data-labeling services to companies for training AI models. The round valued the San Francisco-based company at nearly $14 billion.The many-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars clubCrusoe: A startup building data centers reportedly to be leased to Oracle, Microsoft, and OpenAI raised $686 million in late November, according to an SEC filing. The investment was led by Founders Fund, and the long list of other investors included Nvidia.Figure AI: In February 2024, a $675 million Series B from Nvidia, OpenAI Startup Fund, Microsoft, and others. The round valued the company at $2.6 billion.Mistral AI: Nvidia invested in Mistral for the second time when the French-based large language model developer raised a $640 million Series B at a $6 billion valuation in June.Lambda: AI cloud provider Lambda, which provides services for model training, raised a $480 million Series D at a reported $2.5 billion valuation in February. The round was co-led by SGW and Andra Capital Lambda, and joined by Nvidia, ARK Invest and others. A significant part of Lambdas business involves renting servers powered by Nvidias GPUs.Cohere: In June, Nvidia invested in Coheres $500 million round, a large language model provider serving enterprises. The chipmaker first backed the Toronto-based startup in 2023.Perplexity: Nvidia first invested in Perplexity in November of 2023 and has participated in every subsequent round of the AI search engine startup, including the $500 million round in December, which values the company at $9 billion, according to PitchBook data.Poolside: In October, the$500 million led by Bain Capital Ventures. Nvidia participated in the round, which valued the AI startup at $3 billion.CoreWeave: Nvidia invested in the AI cloud computing provider in April 2023, when CoreWeave raised $221 million in funding. Since then, CoreWeaves valuation has jumped from about $2 billion to $19 billion, and the company has filed for an IPO. CoreWeave allows its customers to rent Nvidia GPUs on an hourly basis.Together AI: In February, Nvidia participated in the $305 million Series B of this company, which offers cloud-based infrastructure for building AI models. The round valued TogetherAi at $3.3 billion, and was co-led by Prosperity7, a Saudi Arabian venture firm, and General Catalyst. Nvidia backed the company for the first time in 2023.Sakana AI: In September, Nvidia invested inSeries A round of about $214 million at a valuation of $1.5 billion.Imbue: The AI research lab that$200 million round in September 2023 from investors, including Nvidia, Astera Institute, and former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt.Waabi: In June, the autonomous trucking startup raised a $200 million Series B round co-led by existing investors Uber and Khosla Ventures. Other investors included Nvidia, Volvo Group Venture Capital, and Porsche Automobil Holding SE.Deals of over a $100 millionAyar Labs: In December, Nvidia invested in the $155 million round of Ayar Labs, aKore.ai:$150 million in December of 2023. In addition to Nvidia, investors participating in the funding included FTV Capital, Vistara Growth, and Sweetwater Private Equity.Hippocratic AI: This startup, which is developing large language models for healthcare, announced in January that it raised a $141 million Series B at a valuation of $1.64 billion led by Kleiner Perkins. Nvidia participated in the round, along with returning investors Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst and others. The company claims that its AI solutions can handle non-diagnostic patient-facing tasks such as pre-operating procedures, remote patient monitoring, and appointment preparation.Weka: In May, Nvidia invested in a $140 million round for AI-native data management platform Weka.Runway: In June of 2023, Runway, a startup building generative AI tools for multimedia content creators, raised a $141 million Series C extension from investors, including Nvidia, Google, and Salesforce.Bright Machines: In June 2024, Nvidia participated in a $126 million Series C of Bright Machines, a smart robotics and AI-driven software startup.Enfabrica: In September 2023, Nvidia invested in networking chips designer Enfabricas $125 million Series B. Although the startup raised another $115 million in November, Nvidia didnt participate in the round.Editors note: Previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Nvidia is a backer of Safe Superintelligence and an investor in Vast Datas Series E round. Nvidia hasnt invested in Vast Data since the companys Series D.

Say Yes to OpportunitiesWhy the Best Jobs Find YougettyWhat if you just turned down a golden career opportunitywithout even realizing it?Theres an old parable about a man stranded at sea, praying for God to save him. A boat appears, but he declines help, saying, "No thanks, Im waiting for God to save me." Another boat comes, then a helicopter, but he refuses them all. Eventually, he drowns. When he reaches heaven and asks God why he wasnt saved, God replies, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter."This is exactly how career opportunities appear in todays world of work. The question is: are you recognizing them for what they are, or are you saying no to something that could have been a transformative yes?Opportunities Dont Always Look Like OpportunitiesThe best career moves rarely come as neatly defined job postings. More often, they emerge in conversations youre not inwhen people discuss a need and consider who might be the right fit. These moments dont follow structured hiring processes. They happen through projects, assignments, emerging teams, industry connections, and sometimes entirely new roles.What makes these opportunities valuable is that they reflect a deeper, more nuanced understanding of skills and potential than a resume ever could. People dont always present them as job offers. Instead, they come as, You should talk to this person or I have a feeling youd be a great fit. A colleague might invite you to contribute to a high-visibility project that seems outside your skill set. A leader might suggest you take on a stretch assignment before you feel ready. Or someone might connect you with an opportunity you hadnt even considered. These connections arent random; they happen because someone sees something in yousomething you may not even recognize in yourself.Yet, too often, we hesitate. The opportunity doesnt look like a traditional next step, it doesnt fit into the career path weve envisioned, or it requires stepping into something unfamiliar. And so, we say no. But by doing so, we risk missing career-defining moments that could shape our future in ways we never anticipated.What I Learned From Saying YesSome of the most significant career moments dont happen through careful planningthey happen when we say yes to something unexpected. Embracing uncertainty has led to opportunities I never would have considered.Over a decade ago, a colleague encouraged me to start a blog. My first reaction? "I dont know how to write," and "Who would read this?" But I took the leap and discovered not only a platform for my ideas but also a distinct professional voicesomething many professionals uncover when they step beyond their defined roles.Later, when a newspaper invited me to turn that blog into a weekly column, I hesitated again. It was a big commitment, and I wasnt sure I had the time. But by pure coincidence, I was too busy at that moment to respond, so I asked them to check back later. Having given it more thought, I realized I had more to say than I initially believed. That column, which started with a hesitant yes, is now celebrating a decade.The same happened when I was invited to join a podcast team covering the hi-tech ecosystem. It didnt seem like a logical next step but by then, I had learned to question my instinct to say no. That decision didnt just expand my understanding of technology and innovationit broadened my network and perspective, ultimately preparing me to launch my own podcast years lateran opportunity I never could have predicted.What Ive learned from saying yes is this: opportunities rarely arrive in familiar packaging or perfect timing. But when we trust that others sometimes see our potential before we do, we open doors we never planned forand often, those are the most valuable ones.How To Start Saying Yes More OftenThe best career moves often arrive disguised as something uncertain. Learning to say yes starts with recognizing them for what they are. Instead of assuming youre not the right fit, ask:Why did you think of me for this?What skills or qualities made you believe I could contribute?How does this connect to what I door where I want to grow?Over time, patterns will emergepeople will repeatedly associate you with strengths outside your formal job description. If you frequently hear, This team needs someone who asks the right questions or You always bring people together to create a shared vision, those are signals about how others perceive your unique value.If your first instinct is to say no, pause. Instead, respond with: "Ill think about it and get back to you tomorrow." Then, ask yourself:Whats the worst that could happen?What could I learn from this?If I actually went for it, what would that look like?In most cases, youll realize you already have what it takes, and you may even start to feel excited about the challenge. And remember, saying yes doesnt mean committing forever. It means being open to possibilities and giving yourself permission to explore.Saying Yes To The FutureAs technology reshapes industries, the definition of expertise is shifting. The most valuable skills today arent just technical knowledge, but the ability to navigate change, connect ideas, and embrace new challenges.The reality is, we dont yet have a structured way to capture the nuances of our most valuable human skillslike adaptability, strategic thinking, and leadershipon a resume. But even if we cant always define them, we recognize them in each other. We know who to turn to when we need someone to challenge our thinking, who can break down complex ideas, or who can bring diverse teams together.And because we recognize those skills in others, we also make connections based on human value, not just job titles.So, the next time an unexpected opportunity comes your way, dont dismiss it too quickly.It may be exactly what your career needs.