AI and Tech News, 19 Oct 2026: Anthropic Fund, Nscale, Samsung

Anthropic wants to commit 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund, and that's just one of today's headlines. Here are the nine biggest tech and AI stories, from that fund and Microsoft's exit from an Nscale data center deal to World's identity tools for banks.

1. Anthropic pledges 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund

A few details worth knowing. Stockholders have to approve it, and the board may add 2% for every 50% rise in value above a baseline. Anthropic also says none of the fund's equity will go to lobbying or political giving.

2. The Telegraph: Microsoft pulls out of Nscale's planned UK data center

Microsoft had been the anchor tenant at the Loughton, Essex site, where grid officials reportedly don't expect power until the 2030s. Nscale, for its part, says it's still committed and is exploring alternative power sources.

3. Samsung will reportedly use TSMC's 3nm process for Nvidia memory base dies

The Seoul Economic Daily, citing industry sources, says Nvidia asked Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron to use TSMC for custom HBM base dies. If so, it would be the first time Samsung has used TSMC in HBM production.

4. Bloomberg: some Nscale investors want a $16B to $19B IPO valuation

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the Nvidia-backed AI cloud firm has been seeking about $30B. It's still responding to SEC comments on its filing, and no final decision has been made.

5. Kospi opens 3.17% lower on Monday after a US tech selloff

By 9:15 a.m. local time, South Korea's index had trimmed its loss to 1.69%, with SK Hynix down 2.83%. That followed the steepest weekly drops for Samsung and SK Hynix since 2008.

6. Gurman: Apple is planning a November 6 store reset for new products

Per Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, an overnight reset like this points to new Macs, a new iPad mini, or both going on sale on a Friday. Apple hasn't announced which products it'll be.

7. The FT says Anthropic is asking law firms how AI agents should negotiate

Two people familiar with its thinking said Anthropic is studying how lawyers balance their clients' interests against fair outcomes. That includes how often agents should check in with users. Anthropic declined to comment.

8. Apple is reportedly building a HomeView with a 360-degree robotic arm

According to Gurman, the higher-end model, code-named J595, has a roughly 9-inch screen and could arrive in 2027 or 2028. It would use voice recognition to turn toward whoever's speaking.

9. World launches a World ID suite for banks and opens its Zoom check to everyone

World unveiled the bundle at Money20/20 in Las Vegas. It combines the World ID app, World ID for Zoom and World ID for Agents to fight deepfake fraud. No bank customer or pricing was named, though.