Tech brief: Microsoft's $1B OpenAI Investment Prompted by Google AI Advancement Fears

TECH BRIEF

Microsoft's $1B OpenAI Investment Prompted by Google AI Advancement Fears (3 minutes read)

Microsoft's 2019 $1 billion investment in OpenAI was driven by concerns that Google was far superior in escalating its AI prowess according to an internal email involving Microsoft top brass. Their fear, exposed during the ongoing antitrust case against Google, underlines the competitive edge Google had achieved with its early AI models. Since then, Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI, integrating its models into various software and making AI and security key areas of focus.

Amazon-Backed Anthropic Unveils Enterprise Plan, iPhone App to Rival OpenAI's ChatGPT (10 minutes read)

Amazon-backed AI startup, Anthropic, has unveiled an iPhone app and a business plan dubbed 'Team' to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT. The firm, also backed by Google and Salesforce, offers its Claude chatbots to businesses for in-depth conversations and long documents processing. The company's updated products reportedly outperform their OpenAI and Google equivalents on industry tests and have won clients such as Pfizer, Asana, and Zoom.

TikTok and Universal Music Reach Deal, Ensuring AI Protects Artists' Rights (2 minutes read)

Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have signed a multi-dimensional agreement resolving earlier disputes. The deal will address generative AI concerns, protect artist revenues, and aim to remove unauthorized AI-generated music. The partnership also offers new monetization strategies, leveraging the social media platform's extensive user base and rising e-commerce capabilities. Both firms are swiftly reinstating artists to the platform.

Microsoft CEO Commits $2.2Bn for Malaysian AI Expansion, Targets Southeast Asia (4 minutes read)

Microsoft plans to invest $2.2 billion over four years in Malaysia to build infrastructure for cloud computing and artificial intelligence services. This investment aims to train 200,000 locals in AI technology and enhance national cybersecurity capacities. This move is the latest strategic bid to seize Asia's booming tech market, with Southeast Asia acting as a new growth area.

Amazon, Google & Microsoft Ramp Up CapEx as Cloud Growth Soars (3 minutes read)

Amazon's Web Services saw a 17% annual growth, contributed by a significant increase in capital expenditure (CapEx) investments in data centers, power plants, and GPUs. They invested $14 billion in Q1, paralleled by Azure's $14 billion and Google Cloud's $12 billion. High demand for Amazon's custom silicon, Trainium and Inferentia, suggests potential competition for Nvidia GPUs, promising improved margins. Currently, AWS is a $100 billion business, growing 17% annually.

Google Shells Out $20B to Remain Apple's Default Search Engine (4 minutes read)

Google shelled out $20 billion to Apple in 2022, ensuring its continued status as the default search engine for Safari. Uncovered in the US Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit against Google, the substantial payment marks an increase of $5 billion from 2021. The deal, started in 2002, contributes a significant 36% of Google's online ad revenue, demonstrating its critical nature for both companies.

Tesla to Axe Advanced Supercharger Team amidst Broad Layoffs (17 minutes read)

Tesla continues to lay off employees, including key executives and project heads, even after slashing over 10% of its global workforce. The most notable ones to be let go are the entire supercharging team and the senior director of EV charging, Rebecca Tinucci. This comes after Tesla's disappointing quarterly earnings showed a rare reduction in year-over-year sales.