Xilinx (NASDAQ:XLNX) is sitting on a massive opportunity thanks to the growing demand for its chips in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The chipmaker controls the majority of the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) market -- chips that are finding traction in AI applications -- by successfully keeping rival Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) at bay on the back of solid product development moves. But AI is just one of the reasons why you should consider Xilinx for your portfolio. The chipmaker pays a dividend that's well above the tech sector's average yield of 1.11%, and it has been increasing every year since 2011. But with Intel breathing down its neck, will Xilinx be able to sustain the growth of its dividend?

Microsoft today announced it has acquired Lobe, creator of a platform for building custom deep learning models using a visual interface that requires no code or technical understanding of AI. Lobe, a platform that can understand hand gestures, read handwriting, and hear music, will continue to develop as a standalone service, according to the company's website. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. People have only started to utilize the full potential of AI, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott said today in a blog post announcing the acquisition. "This in large part is because AI development and building deep learning models are slow and complex processes even for experienced data scientists and developers. To date, many people have been at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing AI, and we're committed to changing that," he said.

Disruption today is constant, and it's changing the way the world works. Some trends catch on for a short time but then fade from our attention, while others are so profound that they transform every aspect of our world and how we work and live in it. As we head into 2019, here are five technology megatrends that I believe will disrupt every industry over the next five years. Advancements in microprocessor technology, the sheer abundance and explosive growth of data, and improvements in algorithms have caused the artificial intelligence (AI) market to explode in recent years as industries are leveraging AI as a key tool for improving quality, increasing speed and driving revenue growth. From imaging and diagnostics in health care to demand planning in retail, it's now commonplace to hear terms like deep learning, computer vision and natural language processing bandied about in mainstream business.

While the media is full of stories of retail woe, actual year-on-year retail sales are up in the UK. What does Artificial Intelligence (AI) add to this picture? It could help UK retailers reduce stock inventory by £23 billion. Or grow sales 30% faster. Or increase gross profit margins by 50%.

Forter, a company that uses machine learning to detect and prevent fraud in online retail transactions, announced today that it has raised $50 million in a series D funding round led by March Capital Partners, bringing its total financing to $100 million. Salesforce Ventures joined the round, along with previous investors including Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Global online retail sales amounted to more than $2 trillion in 2017, and this number is projected to reach more than $4.5 billion by 2021. But as online retail grows, so does online fraud. Account takeover attacks are on the rise, as are high-volume automated "bot" attacks and so-called policy attacks like coupon abuse.

Netradyne, an artificial intelligence startup founded by two former Qualcomm executives, has raised $21 million in new funding Thursday to push forward the company's technology for commercial fleets. The new round of cash was led by Microsoft's corporate venture arm, M12, along with Reliance Industries, and Point72 Ventures. Reliance, based in India, previously invested $16 million in Netradyne's Series A. The San Diego company, founded in 2015, makes a sophisticated monitoring technology that can keep an eye on commercial vehicle fleets while on the road. The startup's small device mounts behind a rear-view mirror and acts as a computerized command center to capture 360-degree video of a vehicle's surroundings. The tool uses Netradyne's AI software to figure out if drivers are operating safely or not, picking up things like tailgating, speeding and getting in accidents.

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These and many other fascinating insights are from CB Insight's report, Google Strategy Teardown (PDF, 49 pp., opt-in). The report explores how Alphabet, Google's parent company is relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to capture new streams of revenue in enterprise cloud computing and services. Also, the report looks at how Alphabet can combine search, AI, and machine learning to revolutionise logistics, healthcare, and transportation. It's a thorough teardown of Google's potential acquisitions, strategic investments, and partnerships needed to maintain search dominance while driving revenue from new markets. CB Insights found Google is experiencing rising TAC in their core ad and search businesses.

The companies are UiPath Inc., Blue Prism Group PRSM 3.81% PLC and Automation Anywhere Inc. They were all founded in 2005 or earlier, but it wasn't until the past few years that they took off after hitting on their current business automating simple back-office tasks and dubbing it "robotic process automation." UiPath on Monday completed a new funding round at a $3 billion valuation, said a person familiar with the process, six months after a prior round valued it at $1.1 billion. In July, rival Automation Anywhere raised its first round of financing at a $1.8 billion valuation. Shares in Blue Prism, a public company in the U.K., have risen nearly 30 times since they were listed in March 2016.

The maverick of personal computing is looking for its next big thing in spaces like healthcare, AR, and autonomous cars, all while keeping its lead in consumer hardware. With an uphill battle in AI, slowing growth in smartphones, and its fingers in so many pies, can Apple reinvent itself for a third time? Get the detailed analysis on Apple's trove of patents, acquisitions, earnings calls, recent product releases, and organizational structure. In many ways, Apple remains a company made in the image of Steve Jobs: iconoclastic and fiercely product focused. But today, Apple is at a crossroads. Under CEO Tim Cook, Apple's ability to seize on emerging technology raises many new questions. Looking for the next wave, Apple is clearly expanding into augmented reality and wearables with the Apple Watch and AirPods wireless headphones. Apple's HomePod speaker system is poised to expand Siri's footprint into the home and serve as a competitor to Amazon's blockbuster Echo device and accompanying virtual assistant Alexa. But the next "big one" -- a success and growth driver on the scale of the iPhone -- has not yet been determined. Will it be augmented reality, auto, wearables? Apple is famously secretive, and a cloud of hearsay and gossip surrounds the company's every move. Apple is believed to be working on augmented reality headsets, connected car software, transformative healthcare devices and apps, as well as smart home tech, and new machine learning applications. We dug through Apple's trove of patents, acquisitions, earnings calls, recent product releases, and organizational structure for concrete hints at how the company will approach its next self-reinvention. Given Apple's size and prominence, we won't be covering every aspect of its business or rehashing old news. There's strong evidence Apple is once again actively "cannibalizing itself," putting massive resources behind consumer tech that will render its own iPhone obsolete. Augmented reality is the company's biggest bet.