Alphabet’s Bold Spending Raises Eyebrows Investors were brimming with confidence ahead of the U.S. tech earnings season, expecting Alphabet and its peers to post strong sales and robust outlooks. That optimism quickly turned costly. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, released solid quarterly results after the bell but surprised analysts by signalling capital expenditures of $175 billion to $185 billion this year — far above Wall Street’s expectations. The announcement stoked fears about runaway artificial intelligence investment, particularly as some jobs in data analytics and software are already showing signs of AI substitution. Following the news, Alphabet shares swung sharply after hours,…
Author: Arushi Pandey
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India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday warned it could reimpose a ban on WhatsApp data sharing with other Meta-owned entities, saying the messaging platform’s privacy policy appeared designed to mislead users, according to two lawyers present during the hearing. The remarks come amid an ongoing legal battle between WhatsApp and India’s antitrust authorities over how user data is shared within Meta’s ecosystem, in one of the company’s most important global markets. Court Questions Clarity of Privacy Policy During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant sharply criticised WhatsApp’s privacy policy, describing it as “very cleverly designed to mislead users,” the lawyers said.…
The innovative applications of artificial intelligence (AI) were a central topic at the World Laureates Summit (WSL), taking place in Dubai from Sunday to Tuesday. On the opening day, WSL hosted two forums dedicated to AI science, focusing on how AI drives scientific discovery and its integration into practical, real-world uses. “The reason it has become so important is because of the applications in other disciplines: in agriculture, in medicine, in biology. But a lot of scientists are just focused on science, and that’s not where the real value of AI,” said John Hopcroft, 1986 Turing Award winner. Summit participants…
China Grants Conditional Approval For DeepSeek To Buy Nvidia H200 Chips China has granted its leading artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek approval to purchase Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence chips, although the regulatory conditions attached to the deal are still being finalised, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The approval places DeepSeek alongside several of China’s largest technology groups that have recently received similar clearance. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent had been given permission to buy more than 400,000 H200 chips combined. The latest approval suggests Chinese authorities are cautiously opening the door to wider…
Jensen Huang Seeks Approval for H200 AI Chip Amid U.S.-China Tensions Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang expressed hope on Thursday (January 29) that China will grant approval for the U.S. technology giant to sell its powerful H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chip in the country. He confirmed that the license for the chip is currently being finalised. Huang’s Visit to China and Taiwan Huang recently visited China, where he met with customers, partners, and government officials. After arriving in Taipei, Huang told reporters at Songshan airport that he would “wait patiently” for a “favourable decision” from the Chinese government regarding the H200…
The rumblings of a productivity boom are echoing through the United States economy and may now be spreading beyond its borders. Long associated with efficiency, flexibility and innovation, the U.S. economy has historically led technological advances. Artificial intelligence is widely expected to accelerate this trend. However, early indicators suggest that some of these gains may be appearing elsewhere too. Recent purchasing managers’ index data point to a strong start to the year for Britain. Figures released on Friday showed that business activity gained momentum, supported by solid demand at home and overseas. As a result, output expanded at its fastest…
California Governor Gavin Newsom accused TikTok on Monday of suppressing content critical of President Donald Trump, as he announced a review into whether the platform’s content moderation practices may have breached California law. TikTok, however, said the issue stemmed from a technical failure rather than deliberate action. Newsom’s comments followed a deal finalised last week by TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance. The agreement created a majority U.S. owned joint venture designed to secure American user data and avoid a nationwide ban of the video sharing app, which is used by more than 200 million people in the United States. ByteDance said…
Valve must face a 656 million pound lawsuit in Britain after a tribunal ruled that claims over its commission practices on the Steam online store can proceed. The decision marks another significant moment in a growing wave of mass legal actions targeting major technology platforms over their market power. The case centres on allegations that video game developer and distributor Valve charged excessive commissions to publishers using its Steam platform. The lawsuit was filed in 2024 on behalf of up to 14 million people in the United Kingdom who bought games or additional content through Steam or other platforms from…
TikTok Finalises U.S. Joint Venture Deal to Prevent Nationwide Ban TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, announced on Thursday that it has completed a deal to create a majority American-owned joint venture aimed at securing U.S. user data and avoiding a national ban on the app. The new entity, called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, will oversee the protection of American data through strengthened privacy and cybersecurity measures. Majority American Ownership The agreement marks a significant turning point after years of political and legal battles surrounding TikTok’s ownership and national security concerns. Under the deal, American and global investors will hold…
Apple Seeks to Block Indian Watchdog from Accessing Global Financial Data Apple has petitioned an Indian court to prevent the country’s antitrust authority from demanding its worldwide financial records during an ongoing investigation into its app store practices. The company is simultaneously contesting the validity of India’s penalty rules under competition law, according to court documents. Legal Battle over App Store Policies The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is investigating allegations that Apple abused its dominant position in managing its app store. Apple has firmly denied the accusations. The case forms part of a broader global scrutiny of the company’s…