Video Generation

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Google DeepMind invests $75M in A24, signaling shift from video tools to content

   Google DeepMind invested $75 million（約120億円） in indie film studio A24 this week, with the two companies partnering to develop AI tools for filmmakers. Investment in AI video and media tech startups has more than tripled over the past five years, reaching $5.6 billion（約9000億円） this year, up over 43% from 2025's annual total. The market is shifting beyond competition over video-generation technology itself. Video generation is becoming easier to build, with new models from China rivaling US and European products, and incumbents developing their own AI capabilities. This means the real value may now lie in content creation and end products, not just the software layer—a change that opens opportunities for creative studios alongside tech companies.

   VCs are beginning to fund AI-native or AI-powered studios. Promise has raised funding from backers including Andreessen Horowitz and Google's AI Futures Fund, and London-based Wonder raised $12 million（約19億円） from investors including Atomico and LocalGlobe.

2. 2

   DeepSeek R1 tops reasoning benchmark, challenges OpenAI lead

   DeepSeek R1, an open-weights reasoning model, achieved the highest score on the AIME 2024 benchmark (olympiad math problems), outperforming OpenAI's o1 model which held the previous record. Open-weights models are freely available for anyone to use and modify, unlike closed proprietary systems. DeepSeek's breakthrough suggests the frontier of AI reasoning capability is now accessible beyond closed labs, which may reshape how businesses and developers can access state-of-the-art AI.

   The model is available for use now. DeepSeek R1 is the #2 open-weights reasoning model overall, with other top performers also now in the open-weights space.

3. 3

   ByteDance launches Seedance 2.5, extends AI video generation beyond 30 seconds

   ByteDance introduced five new AI models at Volcano Engine's FORCE conference, with Seedance 2.5 as the centerpiece—a video generation model set to launch in early July that breaks the previous 30-second limit. Longer video generation capabilities could expand use cases for businesses and creators relying on AI-produced video content, potentially reducing manual production time and cost for short-form and medium-length video projects.

   Seedance 2.5 is scheduled to launch in early July; the model's actual performance and ease of use will determine whether it gains adoption against competing video generation tools.

4. 4

   The Breakthrough for On-Site DX is Here. SORACOM Discovery 2026 Featured Sessions & Exhibitions

   The Breakthrough for On-Site DX is Here. SORACOM Discovery 2026 Featured Sessions & Exhibitions

5. 5

   Alibaba's AI video model rises to #2 as OpenAI Sora, ByteDance Seedance exit

   Alibaba Cloud released HappyHorse 1.1, an upgraded AI video generation model now available on Alibaba Cloud Model Studio with full API access for enterprise customers and developers, at a 40% sitewide launch discount for the first two weeks. OpenAI discontinued Sora after it proved financially unsustainable, and ByteDance indefinitely shelved the international rollout of Seedance 2.0 following copyright complaints from Hollywood studios. For enterprise teams integrating video tools into marketing, advertising, and content production workflows, the competitive landscape has contracted sharply, opening space for Alibaba to compete.

   The model is described as delivery production-ready video synthesis across core content creation scenarios; it is live now on Alibaba Cloud Model Studio with API access for enterprises.

6. 6

   Micron earnings test AI spending momentum this week

   Market strategists on CNBC argued this week that the AI capital-spending cycle still has runway, with Micron Technology's fiscal Q3 2026 earnings (due Wednesday, June 24) positioned as the most important data point on the calendar. Micron's prior quarter delivered revenue of $23.86 billion（約3.8兆円）, beating consensus by 22.28%, with management guiding next-quarter revenue to $33.5 billion（約5.4兆円） and gross margins near 81%. The stock has risen 297.5% year-to-date and now trades at a forward P/E multiple of 11x. High-bandwidth memory chips—Micron's core product—are now described as strategic assets for AI training and inference (the step where an AI produces an answer), making Micron's earnings a proxy for whether structural demand for AI infrastructure is real or speculative. Separately, investors are watching whether the Federal Reserve will hold rates steady despite core inflation running at levels described as roughly double what the Fed would prefer, and whether geopolitical risk from Iran talks will continue to be absorbed by equities without triggering sharp corrections.

   Polymarket traders are pricing a 97.35% probability of another earnings beat from Micron. The panel also flagged that Iran-related energy costs and other transitory factors are expected to fade, which could ease inflation pressure on Fed decision-making by the July meeting.