Hello everyone! AITX Team here with more updates this week.
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Connect you with like-minded peers passionate about AI.
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Before we jump into the regular news, a few housekeeping items:
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Austin AITX Community Monthly Meetup | sign up here!
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Announcing Meta's New Open Source Models
As part of Mark’s vision for personal superintelligence, Meta has released the weights for Muse Glimmer, a 30B parameter dense model that runs on a laptop or a single consumer GPU — one of the highest performing models of its size.
In the coming weeks, Meta will also open the weights for a version of Muse Spark 1.2, one of the leading foundation models in the world.
Read more in Mark Zuckerberg's long-form piece or watch the video laying out his vision for a world where personal superintelligence is available to everyone, not just a few. If you build something awesome with Muse Glimmer, email [email protected].
AITX Community Member Survey
As we head into the summer, we wanted to take the time to ask how we can help y’all better.
Please fill out this survey to tell us how we can better help you (takes less than 2 minutes) 👇
State of AI in Texas Report Survey Live!
Howdy! The State of AI in Texas Report (STAR) has been finalized.
AITX Community and UT School of Law is excited to hear what the community has to say! By mapping the AI landscape and understanding stakeholder interactions, we hope to identify key businesses involved with AI development in Texas.
And by learning about AI product usage and how to support needs of new AI developers, we aim to provide a report that will both inform smart AI policy and serve as a guide for businesses on AI development.
THE WHO – We Want to Hear From You: If you’re based in Texas and work at Startups, Scaleups, or Enterprises, this survey is for you.
This is your chance to have your voice heard.
In this week’s edition you’re getting:
5 Upcoming Events
3 AI Community Stories
So let’s jump in!
Community Events
When: Saturday, August 8 | 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM CDT
Where: Houston, Texas
What: Join 30 builders in Houston on August 8 for an all-day hackathon at the intersection of AI and energy, where you'll compete for $1,750 in prizes by creating agents, copilots, data tools, or automation solutions using provided datasets and starter prompts. No energy background required-just bring your laptop, collaborate solo or in teams of up to 3, and enjoy free meals while you build something innovative in the world's energy capital.
When: Tuesday, August 11 | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM CST
Where: Antler VC Austin, TX
What: We'll build a self-improving research loop that turns your own Claude Code session logs into a map of what you actually use, and what you're missing. You point an Apify Actor at the session files sitting on your disk, and it extracts a structured usage taxonomy from every run: the tools you call, the MCP servers you connect, the packages you import, the domains you touch. Then it cross-references that against what you already have installed, so you leave with a list of the gaps in your tooling rather than a list of things you own.
When: Saturday, August 15 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM CDT
Where: Austin, Texas
What: Join us for an all-day hackathon where you'll build innovative projects using Cursor and Grok-solo or in teams of up to four-across three tracks: AI Agents, Tools & Automations, or anything that surprises us. Compete for prizes up to $1,500 per team member, with top winners presenting their creations and taking home cash rewards.
When: Monday, August 18 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CST
Where: Capital Factory, Austin, TX
What: Join Hack AI, a monthly meetup for Austin-area builders to explore and create with cutting-edge AI technology-featuring expert presentations, hands-on hacking sessions, AI trivia, free food and drinks, and plenty of networking opportunities for both technical and non-technical enthusiasts. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just curious about AI, come build, learn, and connect with fellow innovators in the Austin tech community!
When: Thursday, August 20 | 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM CDT
Where: 801 Travis, Houston, TX
What: Join Houston's generative AI community for an exciting meetup featuring deep dive tech talks on AI, LLMs, and Agents, hands-on code labs, and networking with industry speakers and fellow developers. RSVP required on the AICamp event website for admission.
COMMUNITY STORIES
Riot Platforms has pivoted from struggling bitcoin mining operations to the lucrative AI infrastructure market, securing a massive $9.1 billion, 20-year lease with an unnamed frontier AI lab at its Rockdale, Texas facility. The deal provides 191 megawatts of computing capacity and is projected to generate an average of $457 million annually through June 2048-four times Riot's bitcoin mining revenue from last quarter.
Why it matters: This landmark deal demonstrates the massive demand for AI computing infrastructure and highlights how existing energy-intensive facilities can be repurposed to serve the rapidly expanding AI industry.
Need to know:
The 20-year lease covers 191 megawatts of computing capacity at Riot's Rockdale, Texas campus, with two five-year extension options that could push total value to $16.1 billion
The contract is expected to generate $457 million annually-four times the $113.7 million Riot's bitcoin mining business produced last quarter, when mining costs ran at 126.5% of coin value
The tenant is described only as 'one of the world's leading frontier AI labs,' with the deal running through June 2048 according to SEC filings
Texas Wesleyan University is introducing a groundbreaking Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Artificial Intelligence this fall, merging technical AI expertise with ethics, culture, and human values. The interdisciplinary program aims to create graduates who can bridge the gap between technical teams and organizational leadership in an increasingly AI-driven business landscape.
Why it matters: This program addresses the critical need for professionals who can navigate both the technical capabilities and ethical implications of AI implementation, a skillset increasingly vital for responsible AI adoption across industries.
Need to know:
Students can choose between two tracks: a computer science track or a cross-disciplinary humanities track, both built on a humanities core curriculum
The program is designed to prepare graduates to serve as bridges between technical AI experts and organizational leaders as businesses integrate AI into operations
The degree launches fall 2024, combining studies in AI, ethics, culture, politics, and human values to develop both technical fluency and ethical grounding
UT regents are preparing to vote on the timeline and budget for an ambitious $1 billion AI-integrated hospital in North Austin, with completion targeted for 2030. This groundbreaking project represents a major milestone in healthcare innovation, positioning Austin as a leader in AI-driven medical facilities.
Why it matters: This project demonstrates the real-world application and massive investment in AI healthcare infrastructure, signaling growing institutional confidence in AI's transformative potential for medical care delivery.
Need to know:
The proposed hospital carries a $1 billion price tag and is expected to be completed by 2030
UT regents will vote to finalize both the project timeline and budget allocation
The facility will be located in North Austin and will integrate AI technology throughout its operations
That’s all for now, folks!
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