Meta's chips, Anthropic upgrades & more (February 18, 2026)

Good morning,

AI is tightening the loop between chips, models, and hardware. Big Tech is locking in supply, upgrading defaults, and racing to own the interface layer. Let’s dive in 👇

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A note from the author, David:

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🔥 Big Tech Bets on Chips, Models & Interfaces

🖥️ Meta strikes major Nvidia chip deal

Meta signs new multiyear deal with Nvidia to secure advanced AI data center chips as it ramps up model training and inference capacity. The agreement underscores how critical GPU supply remains, with hyperscalers competing aggressively for next-gen silicon. Meta’s strategy is clear, control compute to control AI output at scale.

🤖 Anthropic makes Claude Sonnet 4.6 the default

Anthropic rolls out Claude Sonnet 4.6 as the new default model for both free and paid users, tightening competition with OpenAI and Google. The upgrade focuses on stronger reasoning, coding, and reliability improvements. Making it the baseline raises the floor for consumer AI performance across the board.

🎨 Figma integrates Anthropic for code generation

Figma partners with Anthropic to turn designs into code as AI-assisted development becomes native inside creative tools. Designers can now translate UI mockups directly into production-ready output. It signals a shift, design platforms becoming AI-powered engineering surfaces.

🌍 AI Goes Global, Political & Wearable

🇮🇳 India asks university to exit AI summit

India tells university to leave AI summit after a Chinese robot was reportedly presented as domestic innovation. The incident reflects rising geopolitical sensitivity around AI sovereignty. As models and robotics advance, national attribution is becoming a political flashpoint.

👓 Apple fast-tracks AI wearables

Apple is accelerating work on AI smart glasses alongside a pendant camera and upgraded AirPods. The company appears focused on building ambient AI interfaces beyond the phone. If successful, Apple could anchor AI directly into daily physical interactions.

📱 Sarvam targets feature phones and cars

India’s Sarvam aims to bring its AI models to low-cost devices, vehicles, and wearables, not just smartphones. The approach prioritizes accessibility in emerging markets. It highlights a different growth thesis, AI scale through ubiquity rather than premium hardware.

🛠️ Tools of the Day

→ Claude 3.5 Sonnet – High-performance reasoning model for coding and analysis
→ Moda – AI-powered fashion and design assistant
→ Omnia – Unified AI workspace for documents and collaboration

⚡ Quick Hits

→ Apple ramps up glasses, pendant, and camera AirPods push
→ AI toy maker adds political control switch
→ Mistral AI buys Koyeb to boost cloud ambitions
→ SpaceX veterans raise $50M for data center connectivity

🧠 TLDR

Meta is locking in Nvidia chips to secure compute dominance, while Anthropic upgrades Claude and pushes performance into the default tier. Apple is accelerating its AI hardware roadmap with glasses, pendants, and camera-equipped AirPods. Meanwhile, India’s AI ecosystem reflects both geopolitical friction and ambitious expansion beyond smartphones.

Cheers,
David