AI Funding, Identity, Shadow Tools, and Water
Sarvam's funding, NewCore's identity layer, workplace AI use, layoff claims, phishing infrastructure, and data-center water pressure all came with evidence still worth separating from claims.
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Sarvam raised $234 million in the first close of a planned $300 million Series B at a $1.5 billion valuation. HCLTech announced a strategic investment in the Bengaluru company, and Moneycontrol also reported the round and investor group.
HCLTech described the investment as part of a strategic partnership. Sarvam says it builds full-stack generative AI systems for Indian languages, including models, inference infrastructure, and enterprise applications.
Featured source: TechCrunch , HCLTech , Moneycontrol .
Other Stories
NewCore Launches AI Agent Identity Platform
NewCore launched from stealth with $66 million and said its platform manages humans, machines, and AI agents in one identity system. The company described lifecycle controls, revocation, split-key architecture, and coding-agent integrations; those product details come from company materials.
Filed from: TechCrunch , NewCore .
PagerDuty Survey Reports Public AI Tool Use at Work
PagerDuty’s commissioned survey said 43% of surveyed non-IT office professionals entered work-related correspondence into public AI tools. Smaller shares reported entering customer data, financial information, confidential documents, or company strategy; the sample is vendor-sponsored survey evidence, not a universal workplace census.
Filed from: TechRadar , PagerDuty , PagerDuty analysis .
Companies Cite AI in Layoff Reports
TechCrunch reported on companies citing AI while cutting tech jobs, while TrueUp listed 389 tech-company layoffs and 151,998 affected workers for 2026 as of June 15. Challenger, Gray & Christmas said AI was cited in 38,579 May cuts, 40% of all May cuts; employer-cited layoff reasons do not by themselves prove direct automation replacement.
Filed from: TechCrunch , TrueUp , Challenger, Gray & Christmas .
Google and the FBI Disrupt Outsider Enterprise
Google said it sued a phishing-as-a-service operation tied to roughly 9,000 fake websites, more than 1 million fraudulent URLs, and nearly 3.9 million stolen credit cards. The company said it coordinated with the FBI, carriers, and other partners; CyberScoop also reported on the China-linked takedown.
Filed from: TechRadar , Google , CyberScoop .
Planned Data Centers Appear in Drought-Affected Areas
TechRadar covered reporting that many planned U.S. data centers sit in drought-affected regions, while the Guardian mapped planned facilities against drought exposure. Xylem and GWI estimated that AI’s water demand will rise sharply by 2050; the forecast comes from industry research.
Filed from: TechRadar , The Guardian , Xylem .
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