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A Tsinghua Professor's Stealth LLM Startup Hits $1.4 Billion Valuation — Daily Fintech News

Saturday, September 19, 2026 · 1:04 AM ET

AI

1.A Tsinghua Professor's Stealth LLM Startup Hits $1.4 Billion Valuation

A stealth large language model startup founded by a Tsinghua University professor has reached a $1.4 billion valuation, underscoring continued investor appetite for Chinese AI model developers.

AI

2.SoftBank Boosts Credit Line to $6.5 Billion as AI Debts Mount

SoftBank expanded a credit line to $6.5 billion as it takes on more debt to bankroll its rapidly expanding artificial-intelligence infrastructure ambitions.

$SFTBY
$SFTBY Close$20.37-3.69%
1Y +31.2% Rev QoQ +10.9% EPS QoQ -17.8% 52wk $10.55–$28.97 P/E 7.5 Mkt Cap $232.06B

Markets

3.Software Stocks Get New Life From Strong Earnings, AI Warnings

Software stocks are regaining momentum on the back of strong quarterly earnings, even as several companies flag risks from AI disruption to their businesses.

AI

4.AI Startup Manus Seeks to Raise $500 Million and Weighs Hong Kong IPO

Chinese AI agent startup Manus is seeking to raise about $500 million in a funding round that could value it near $4 billion, and is weighing a Hong Kong IPO.

AI

5.Meta, Google Invest in Long-Duration Batteries to Power AI

Hyperscalers Meta and Google are investing in long-duration battery technology that can store energy for many hours or even days, as they race to secure reliable power for their fast-growing AI data centers.

$META$GOOGL
$META Close$665.75-2.43%
1Y -14.5% Rev QoQ +28.0% EPS QoQ -13.4% 52wk $520.26–$785.73 P/E 25.7 Mkt Cap $1.70T

AI

6.Nvidia-Backed Data Center Startup Nscale Files Publicly for U.S. IPO

Nscale, the Nvidia-backed U.K. data center and cloud provider that won a large deal to supply computing power to Anthropic, filed publicly to list on the NYSE under the symbol NSCL, disclosing a sharp revenue jump alongside steep losses; reports peg the sought valuation near $35 billion.

AI

7.Meta-Tied Data Center Prices Junk Bond Amid Blowout Demand

A data center project tied to Meta priced a high-yield (junk) bond that drew blowout investor demand, underscoring Wall Street's strong appetite to finance the debt behind the AI infrastructure buildout.

AI

8.Anthropic Moves Ahead With IPO Plans Amid AI Safety Debate

Anthropic is moving ahead with plans for an initial public offering, with the AI lab expected to reach roughly $100 billion in annualized revenue this year, even as CEO Dario Amodei publicly calls for slowing development of some advanced AI models.

Markets

9.Investors Come Back to AI Stocks, Snapping Market Out of Inflation Gloom

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted their biggest one-day gains in six weeks as investors rotated back into AI and tech stocks, shaking off inflation and interest-rate worries.

AI

10.OpenAI Sees Burning Through $278 Billion by 2030: FT

OpenAI expects negative free cash flow of about $278 billion from 2026 through the end of 2030, according to a private company presentation reported by the Financial Times, as it invests heavily in AI infrastructure and faces price pressures.

Markets

11.Accenture Shares Climb Aftermarket on Anthropic Safety Partnership Announcement

Accenture shares rose in aftermarket trading after it announced a partnership with Anthropic to embed evaluators for AI safety testing, having closed lower on the day.

$ACN
$ACN Close$181.29-4.73%
1Y -24.4% Rev QoQ +5.6% EPS QoQ +9.0% 52wk $118.15–$291.09 P/E 15.2 Mkt Cap $110.94B

AI Infrastructure

12.Oracle's $18bn Data Centre Debt Under Strain Amid Local Pushback

Investors are growing wary of Oracle's roughly $18 billion in data centre debt as permitting and construction delays mount amid local opposition in New Mexico.

$ORCL
$ORCL Close$147.61-1.98%
1Y -52.2% Rev QoQ +29.6% EPS QoQ +54.5% 52wk $114.5–$329.5 P/E 23.6 Mkt Cap $446.33B

Markets

13.Netflix Stock Sinks as Analyst Bemoans Lack of Breakout Hits

Netflix shares fell after an analyst flagged a lack of breakout hit titles weighing on the streaming company's near-term outlook.

$NFLX
$NFLX Close$71.79-4.67%
1Y -41.5% Rev QoQ +13.4% EPS QoQ +11.1% 52wk $65.08–$124.86 P/E 23.7 Mkt Cap $298.93B

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