[8/14 03:00] Pony.ai and Uber to deploy over 2,000 robotaxis in Europe / LG and NVIDIA form physical AI alliance, humanoid reveal set for Q1 2027

AI News Flash for August 14, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. Topics: 1. Pony.ai and Uber to deploy over 2,000 robotaxis in Europe https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/14/uber-partners-with-chinas-ponyai-for-2000-robotaxis-in-europe.html 2. LG and NVIDIA form physical AI alliance, humanoid reveal set for Q1 2027 https://www.unite.ai/lg-to-unveil-next-gen-bipedal-humanoid-robot-built-on-nvidia-isaac-gr00t/ 3. Databricks closes $5 billion round at $190 billion valuation https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/13/databricks-funding-round-190-billion-valuation.html 4. SMIC Q2 earnings surge on AI spillover effects https://www.yuantalks.com/smic-and-hua-hong-semiconductor-post-strong-q2-results-as-ai-demand-and-mature-node-tightness-drive-foundry-recovery/ 5. Writer launches Palmyra X6 and upgraded harness to cut AI costs up to 50% https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/13/writer-introduces-new-ai-model-and-upgraded-harness-to-contain-token-costs/