{"id":58689,"date":"2026-02-18T00:38:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T04:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/nvidia-secures-2b-india-ai-deal-as-gold-hits-4924-and-ukraine-peace-talks-advance\/58689\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T00:38:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T04:38:31","slug":"nvidia-secures-2b-india-ai-deal-as-gold-hits-4924-and-ukraine-peace-talks-advance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/nvidia-secures-2b-india-ai-deal-as-gold-hits-4924-and-ukraine-peace-talks-advance\/58689\/","title":{"rendered":"NVIDIA Secures $2B India AI Deal as Gold Hits $4,924 and Ukraine Peace Talks Advance"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>NVIDIA (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) and Yotta Data ink a landmark $2 billion deal<\/strong> to deploy 20,736 liquid-cooled Blackwell Ultra GPUs in India, set to go live by August 2026.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">Gold prices<\/a> surged approximately 1% to reach $4,924.30 per ounce<\/strong>, marking a significant milestone as investors continue to seek safe-haven assets.<\/li>\n<li><strong>U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed progress in Ukraine-Russia peace talks<\/strong> following a third trilateral meeting aimed at pursuing a formal agreement.<\/li>\n<li><strong>JPMorgan issued several price target updates<\/strong>, notably raising Labcorp (<a href=\"\/stock\/LH\">LH<\/a>) to $330 and Valmont Industries (<a href=\"\/stock\/VMI\">VMI<\/a>) to $510.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Japan\u2019s transport ministry will ban in-flight phone charging from battery packs<\/strong> starting in April 2026 to mitigate fire risks, according to NHK.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a massive expansion of India&#39;s sovereign AI capabilities, <strong>Yotta Data Services<\/strong> has entered into a four-year engagement with <strong>NVIDIA<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) valued at over <strong>$2 billion<\/strong>. The deal involves the deployment of <strong>20,736 liquid-cooled NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs<\/strong> at Yotta\u2019s Greater Noida data center. This infrastructure is expected to be fully operational by <strong>August 2026<\/strong>, positioning the facility as a central hub for high-performance AI compute in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Financial markets saw significant movement as <strong>Gold climbed roughly 1% to $4,924.30 per ounce<\/strong>. The precious metal continues to benefit from <em>heightened global uncertainty and inflationary pressures<\/em>, maintaining its status as a primary hedge for institutional and retail investors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JPMorgan<\/strong> analysts were active this morning, revising price targets across several sectors. The firm lifted its target for <strong>Labcorp<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/LH\">LH<\/a>) to <strong>$330<\/strong> from $319 and raised <strong>Valmont Industries<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/VMI\">VMI<\/a>) to <strong>$510<\/strong> from $480. Conversely, the bank lowered its target for <strong>Novonesis<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NSIS-B\">NSIS-B<\/a>) to <strong>DKK 540<\/strong> from DKK 560, while slightly increasing the target for <strong>InterContinental Hotels Group<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/IHG\">IHG<\/a>) to <strong>$162<\/strong> from $160.<\/p>\n<p>On the geopolitical front, <strong>Steve Witkoff<\/strong>, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy, announced that the United States facilitated a <strong>third trilateral meeting<\/strong> between representatives from <strong>Ukraine and Russia<\/strong>. Witkoff noted that both nations have agreed to update their respective leaders and continue pursuing a formal agreement. The talks, held in Geneva, represent a <em>critical diplomatic effort<\/em> to de-escalate the ongoing conflict as its fourth anniversary approaches.<\/p>\n<p>In the technology and media sector, <strong>Perplexity AI<\/strong> has reportedly decided to <strong>drop its advertising program<\/strong>. According to the <em>Financial Times<\/em>, the company warned that integrating ads could damage user trust in AI-generated search results. This pivot marks a significant shift in the startup&#39;s monetization strategy as it prioritizes user experience over traditional ad revenue models.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, aviation safety regulations are set to tighten in <strong>Japan<\/strong>. The transport ministry, as reported by <strong>NHK<\/strong>, will ban the use of <strong>portable battery packs<\/strong> for in-flight phone charging starting in <strong>April 2026<\/strong>. The move follows a series of incidents involving lithium-ion batteries overheating and aims to drastically reduce the risk of cabin fires during flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways NVIDIA (NVDA) and Yotta Data ink a landmark $2 billion deal to deploy 20,736 liquid-cooled Blackwell Ultra GPUs 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