In a significant move towards bolstering AI infrastructure in Asia, Japan’s KDDI and Sharp have initiated discussions with Super Micro Computer Inc. and Datasection to establish the region’s largest AI data centre. The ambitious project will be situated at the soon-to-be-closed Sharp Sakai Plant in Osaka, marking a strategic repurposing of the unprofitable facility slated to shut down in September.
Global revenue from AI semiconductors is projected to reach $71 billion in 2024, marking a 33% increase from the previous year, according to a recent Gartner report. Gartner also anticipates that AI-equipped PCs will constitute 22% of total PC shipments in 2024. By the end of 2026, all enterprise PC purchases are expected to feature AI capabilities.
Telefónica, a leading telecommunications operator, has sealed a fresh agreement with tech giant Google Cloud aimed at turbocharging Telefónica’s journey into cloud adoption and AI-driven innovation. The deal, which extends the strategic collaboration between the two entities for another three years, is poised to usher in a wave of advancements across various fronts.
Leading tech companies Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce have announced the formation of the “Symbiosis Coalition,” a collaborative effort aimed at reducing their carbon footprints through nature restoration projects. The coalition has pledged to secure up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits by 2030.
Verizon launches AI-driven apps to improve customer service by streamlining interactions. The European Commission designates Booking.com as a ‘gatekeeper’ and plans antitrust charges against Microsoft for bundling Teams with Office. Telstra establishes a regional network hub in Guam at GNC iX data center. GlobalData underscores US telcos’ struggle to stand out in the B2B channel.
In a significant move to bolster its presence in Europe, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a substantial investment of €7.8 billion into the AWS European Sovereign Cloud project, extending through 2040. This initiative, unveiled last October, aims to establish an autonomous cloud infrastructure within the European Union (EU), operated independently to ensure data sovereignty for European customers.
At Avaya Engage, its premier customer experience event, Avaya, a global leader in Customer Experience solutions, unveiled a series of important enhancements to the Avaya Experience Platform™ (AXP),that further Avaya’s leadership in Enterprise CX as well as its commitment to delivering Innovation without Disruption. Avaya’s robust and comprehensive CX platform, trusted by large Enterprises globally, empowers customers to maintain their core capabilities while evolving through flexible innovation paths, including on-premises, private cloud, public cloud, or hybrid deployment models.
UK-based autonomous vehicle startup Wayve has announced a significant investment of $1.05 billion aimed at advancing its development of self-driving cars powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The funding round was led by SoftBank, a Japanese multinational conglomerate, with substantial contributions from tech giants Nvidia and Microsoft.
In response to the escalating demand for cloud services across public and private sectors in Italy, TIM, the leading telecommunications provider, has announced a strategic collaboration with Oracle. This partnership aims to integrate Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) into TIM’s managed cloud services, marking a significant step towards meeting Italy’s evolving cloud requirements.
Meta is ambitiously positioning itself to become the world’s top AI company, co-aligned with an increase in AI spending. The tech giant’s latest earnings reveal a climbing revenue and expenses, inciting mixed responses from investors. The landscape of optimistic forecasts and increased capital expenditures seems less rosy weighed against lower than expected Q2 revenue forecasts and significant investments into AI infrastructure. CEO Mark Zuckerberg points to an aggressive AI research expansion being instrumental in the fierce race against competitors OpenAI and Microsoft.
