It’s Monday, November 10th: This week, open-source models outthink their closed rivals, Google takes compute off-planet with solar-powered satellites, and builders compete for $70K at the Scoop Hackathon.
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This Week’s AI News Roundup
The AI news you need to know: weekly 🤝 by AJ Green
📶 Kimi K2 Thinking raises the bar for open-source
News: Moonshot AI, backed by Alibaba, has released Kimi K2 Thinking, an open-source reasoning model that rivals frontier players like GPT-5 and Claude Sonnet 4.5—trained for less than 1/200 the cost.
Details:
Surpassed GPT-5 and Sonnet 4.5 in key agentic reasoning benchmarks
Set a new record of 44.9% on Humanity’s Last Exam
Achieved major gains in code reasoning and autonomy
Handles 200–300 tool calls per task using chain-of-thought logic
Trained for under $5M—dramatically more efficient than U.S. rivals
Why it matters: We’ve reached the point where international open-source models aren’t just competitive—they’re superior in some cases. The real question now is adoption. With U.S. markets still dominating monetization, global AI players will need more than performance—they’ll need distribution. But if Kimi’s economics hold, it could redraw the map of who gets to play at the frontier.
🚀 Space-Powered AI Chips Are Coming…
News: Google unveiled Project Suncatcher, a space-based research initiative that would place AI chips on satellites powered by solar energy, enabling them to run AI workloads above Earth’s atmosphere.
Details:
Satellites in orbit can harness solar energy up to 8x more efficiently, operating 24/7 without reliance on terrestrial grids.
Google’s proprietary AI chips passed radiation simulations representing 5 years in space, overcoming a common failure point for traditional hardware.
A trial is set for 2027, in partnership with Planet, to launch two experimental satellites and validate feasibility.
Why it matters: The AI sector’s meteoric rise has placed an immense burden on Earth’s infrastructure. This move represents a bold new paradigm: decoupling AI scaling from the physical limitations of land, regulation, and power grids. If successful, this could lay the foundation for a solar-powered AI grid in orbit — immune to blackouts, protests, or real estate costs.
🎤 Scoop Hackathon Is LIVE — $70K Up for Grabs!
Builders, it’s go time. We’re teaming up with the Berkeley Emerging Technology Association to bring you the Scoop Hackathon — a two-day builder showdown pushing the frontier of AI innovation with a $70K PRIZE POOL!
Come build with the best — from SpoonOS, Google Cloud, Tree (Binance), OpenRutter, and Berkeley SkyDeck — and join hundreds of students, engineers, and founders turning breakthrough ideas into reality.
⚡ Registration is officially OPEN! Secure your spot below and get ready to ship, learn, and connect with the next generation of AI pioneers.
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About the Authors
About Noah Frank
Noah is a researcher, innovation strategist, and ex-founder thinking and writing about the future of AI. His work and body of research focus on aligning governance strategies to anticipate transformative change before it happens.
About AJ Green
AJ Green is a founder, writer, VC scout, chairman, and respected community leader in the AI and startup space. A former athlete turned tech entrepreneur, AJ is on a mission to make AI the great equalizer scaling startups, connecting ecosystems, and turning disruption into opportunity.