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☆ How the U.S. Stumbled Into Using Chips as a Weapon Against China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Henry Farrell | Abraham Newman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Last October, the Biden administration unleashed one of its biggest countermeasures to date against China’s military ambitions: export controls on, among other things, cutting-edge semiconductors used for AI systems. The new rule restricts not just U.S. companies but any manufacturer that uses specified U.S. software or technology to build their products. As Kevin Wolf , who ran the U.S. export-control regime from 2010 to 2017, put it, foreign dependence on U.S. equipment means that every such chip “on the planet” is now subject to U.S. controls.

Persons: Biden, Kevin Wolf Locations: U.S

☆ There's a little-known way to invest in the AI revolution: real estate. Bank of America breaks down the opportunity to profit from the under-the-radar stocks powering it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Mark Reeth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Data centers are perfectly positioned to take advantage of this trend, according to BofA. David Barden breaks down the opportunity for data center REITs, and which companies will profit. 2 data center giants ready for liftoffWith data centers poised to profit from the AI explosion, the only question remaining is which data center providers make the best investments now. "DLR's business model should, however, position it to develop facilities with the power density required to host large AI model Training," Barden wrote. While Equinix can capitalize on AI sooner rather than later, Digital Realty Trust's larger capacity makes it perfect for "larger, longer-dated AI training model environments," Barden wrote.

Persons: David Barden, Haim Israel, Barden, EQIX Organizations: Semiconductors, Software, Bank of America, Realty Trust, Digital Realty Trust, Digital Realty

☆ Meta's VR technology is helping to train surgeons and treat patients, though costs remain a hurdle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesJust days before assisting in his first major shoulder-replacement surgery last year, Dr. Jake Shine strapped on a virtual reality headset and got to work. Kettering Health Dayton is one of dozens of health systems in the U.S. working with emerging technologies like VR as one tool for helping doctors to train on and treat patients. Since the beginning of last year, Meta's Reality Labs unit, which develops the company's VR and AR, has lost over $21 billion. Meta Quest 3 VR headset. "The first virtual reality headset that I used was this big clunky headset that had all these wires it had to be connected to a laptop to function."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, David Paul Morris, Jake Shine, Shine, Zuckerberg, didn't, Jan Herzhoff, Brennan Spiegel, Spiegel, Caitlin Rawlins, Rawlins, there's, Brent Bamberger, Reem, she's, it's, Daboul, PrecisionOS, Danny Goel, Richard Miller, he's, Miller, They're, It's, Goel, Kettering's Bamberger, Rafael Grossmann, Grossmann, Glass, Hollie Adams Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Kettering Health Dayton, CNBC, Meta, VR, Facebook, Labs, Apple, Elsevier Health's, U.S . Department of Veterans Affairs, Spiegel, Software, Doctors, PrecisionOS, University of Rochester, Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Google, of Fine Locations: San Jose , California, U.S, Ohio, Sinai, Los Angeles, Cedars, New Hampshire, Mayfair , London

☆ Cash in or lose out: Banks are turning to AI, cloud computing, and Web3 to gain competitive advantage and customer loyalty
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Nicholas Fearn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AI and cloud tech are giving some banks an edge over competitors and enticing brand loyalty. Traditional banks that ignore this reality risk losing loyal customers to digital banks that have emerged over the past few years, research suggests. Digital transformation is a must for banksWith online banking now the norm, digital transformation is no longer optional for banks. Legacy banking systems were not designed to provide the banking experience that people expect today," she said. As a result, banking customers and employees can view transactions in real time and deliver "a more seamless and personalized experience" for all stakeholders, she added.

Persons: Banks, Victoria Newton, Newton, Laura Merling, Merling, Jay Venkateswaran, WNS, Eno, Goldman Sachs, Nigel Vaz, Publicis, Publicis Sapient Nigel Vaz, Venkateswaran, Vaz, James Whybrow Organizations: Service, Starling Bank, Arvest Bank, Banking, Capital One, Microsoft, Bank of America, Amazon Web Services, Google, Economist Intelligence Unit, Arvest, Software AG, Software Locations: Wall, Silicon, It's, Starling, WNS, Morgan

☆ Tech IPOs are coming back — now they have to perform
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It's been 20 months since a notable venture-backed tech company went public in the U.S., and the chatter in Silicon Valley has centered around who will break the ice. The three companies have very little in common, but collectively they represent a test of the excitement level among public market investors for new opportunities. Depending on how they perform out of the gate, their offerings could propel others to follow in the fourth quarter. By "yesteryear," Buyer is referring to the kinds of valuations tech companies were achieving in 2020 and 2021, which were record years for tech IPOs. DoorDash, which is probably Instacart's closest public market comparison, currently trades at 3.8 times revenue.

Persons: It's, Japan's SoftBank, Lise Buyer, yesteryear, DoorDash, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Nasdaq, V, Software, Sequoia Locations: U.S, yesteryear

☆ I'm an engineering director at Google. Here are the 5 biggest lessons I learned climbing the corporate ladder in tech.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Daniel Rizea | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

I then joined a new startup and two acquisitions later, I became director of engineering in one of the biggest European wearable offices of Google. Here are five things I learned — I hope that they will help you grow in your career as well. AdvertisementAdvertisementEvery time your stakeholders, manager, job changes or enough time passes by, you need to prove your worth again. Get your manager to partner with you on your career growth and they will most likely help you identify opportunities. Daniel Rizea is a director of engineering at Google who writes about management and leadership in tech.

Persons: Daniel Rizea, Rizea, me, Daniel Organizations: Google, Management

Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. The carve-out is designed to not upset a deal with Brussels for Microsoft to license content to rival cloud services. The CMA's block in April drew fury from the merging parties, with Microsoft saying that Britain was closed for business. It said on Tuesday that it had not felt any political pressure over its handling of the deal. The CMA will also avoid having to defend its original block in court, and Microsoft finally looks set to secure its deal.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ronan Scanlan, Arthur Cox, Gustaf Duhs, Scanlan, Antony O'Loughlin, Setfords, Tom Smith, there's, Smith, Kate Holton, Paul Sandle, Martin Coulter, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, REUTERS, Markets Authority, U.S, Ubisoft Entertainment, European Union, U.S ., CMA, Reuters, Stevens & Bolton, Ubisoft, European, Geradin Partners, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: Britain, U.S, Brussels, Dublin, United States, European Union, China, London

☆ These are Goldman Sachs' favorite AI plays for the long haul
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Artificial intelligence may only be in its early innings, but Goldman Sachs is naming its favorite stocks to benefit from this disruptive technology over the long haul. To find the winners and the company-specific earnings boosts from AI, Goldman first calculated the share of wage bill exposed to AI automation. Goldman found the potential earnings change from AI adoption by averaging the results from two scenarios. Outside the technology sector, Goldman Sachs highlighted Walmart and Walgreens Boots Alliance as potential winners within the consumer staples sector. AI could boost baseline earnings 44% overtime at Walmart, which last week lifted its full-year outlook due to heightened grocery and online spending.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Russell, Andy Jassy, Twilio, Jeff Lawson, CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Amazon, CNBC, Software, Walmart, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Illumina, Occidental Petroleum

☆ Activists back off Salesforce after share price recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The changes in ownership came after significant overhauls at Salesforce helped push its share price higher. Inclusive Capital Management, one of four activists closely involved with Salesforce in early 2023 along with Starboard, Elliott Investment Management and ValueAct Capital, exited even earlier, according to filings. ValueAct's ownership stake remained unchanged at 3.5 million at the end of the second quarter, its filing shows. Sachem Head Capital Management cut its stake by 20% after Salesforce made up nearly 5% of its portfolio. During the second quarter the stock price moved to $211 a share from $199 a share.

Persons: Mike Segar, Salesforce, Marc Benioff, Mason Morfit, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Salesforce, U.S ., LLC, Inclusive Capital Management, Elliott Investment Management, ValueAct, Inclusive, Sachem, Capital Management, Farallon Capital Management, Light, Capital, Svea, Thomson Locations: New York, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Salesforce, Polen

[1/2] The logo of U.S. software company Palantir Technologies is seen in Davos, Switzerland January 22, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File PhotoAug 7 (Reuters) - Palantir Technologies (PLTR.N) raised its annual revenue forecast on Monday and said it would buy back shares worth up to $1 billion as the data analytics software maker enjoys "unprecedented demand" for its artificial intelligence platform. The company launched the platform, which includes an AI assistant that can help enterprises make decisions about their operations, in April. Its second-quarter sales and third-quarter revenue forecast were also above estimates, according to Refinitiv data. Still, the company expects full-year 2023 revenue to come in above $2.21 billion, compared with its earlier forecast of $2.19 billion to $2.24 billion.

Persons: Arnd, Alexander Karp, Palantir, David Glazer, Glazer, Chavi Mehta, Shinjini Organizations: Palantir Technologies, REUTERS, Investors, Central Intelligence Agency, Thomson Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ These are the most overweighted and underweighted stocks by socially conscious funds, according to Bernstein
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A handful of the most well-known technology stocks are being somewhat ignored by socially conscious funds, according to Bernstein. Big technology names including Apple , Amazon , Meta , Microsoft and Alphabet were among the most underweighted stocks by North American funds that consider environmental, social and corporate governance factors when screening investment ideas. Big Tech has roared back to life this year, coming off 2022's selloff as investors bet on a better interest rate environment. Here are the 10 most underweighted stocks by North American funds: On the flip side, a wide swath of stocks accounted for the most held, relatively. Barclays analyst Craig Rye said the stock could actually benefit if hurricane season is worse than was previously expected.

Persons: Bernstein, Danaher, Craig Rye, Rye, —, Michael Bloom Organizations: Apple, Meta, Microsoft, North, Big Tech, Software, Nvidia, Insurance, Barclays, Fisher, Deere

☆ These 'uber crowded' trades from hedge funds are up nearly 30% this year, according to Jefferies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hedge funds and other professional investors' favorite bets are crushing the market, posting a near 30% rally this year, according to Jefferies. The Wall Street firm looked at recent regulatory filings from hedge funds and long-only fund managers and found the most-popular holdings among both groups, calling them "uber crowded" trades. A number of stocks tied to artificial intelligence showed up in the "uber crowded" portfolio. Alphabet is also well-loved by hedge funds and long-only mutual funds. Software company Adobe and health care name Elevance Health are also on the list of crowded trades.

Persons: Jefferies, Bill Ackman, Stanley Druckenmiller, Dan Loeb Organizations: Microsoft, OpenAI, Nvidia, YouTube, Adobe

☆ Tech's done well this year — and Goldman Sachs says these 6 stocks have even further to go
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tech stocks have already had a strong year, but one corner of the sector has more "appealing" opportunities in store for investors, according to Goldman Sachs. Software stocks that Goldman covers have already soared 37% in the year to date, said the bank in a July 21 note. Goldman added that software companies are more "adequately set up to outperform" in the second quarter and for the rest of the year. This sets the stage for a potential return to the more normalized beat-and-raise cadence typically associated with software companies," the bank's analysts said. Six software stocks Goldman said these stocks still offer strong investment opportunities: Adobe , Salesforce , Monday.com , Microsoft , ServiceNow , Workday .

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman, they'll, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Software, Microsoft, Adobe

☆ UK regulator aims for decision on Microsoft-Activision deal by Aug. 29
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) - Britain's antitrust regulator on Monday opened up its inquiry into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal for comments as it aims for a final decision by Aug. 29 on a $69 billion takeover it had previously blocked in April. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also on Monday published Microsoft's arguments explaining why the deal should be re-evaluated, as the U.S. software giant battles to win UK approval to buy "Call of Duty" maker Activision. A court involved in the case had already published Microsoft's argument that the binding commitments accepted by the European Union shortly after Britain had blocked the deal had now changed the situation. Any persons wishing to comment on the new version of Microsoft's takeover should do so by Aug. 4, the CMA said in its statement. It is aiming to make a final decision on the deal by Aug. 29, the CMA said.

Persons: Sarah Young, Sam Tobin, Kate Holton Organizations: Activision, Markets Authority, European Union, CMA, Microsoft, Sony, NVIDIA, Boosteroid, Thomson Locations: U.S, European, Britain

☆ Microsoft-Activision deal back in hands of UK regulator after court pauses appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal is back in the hands of Britain's antitrust regulator after an appeals court granted an adjournment, and the grounds for why the UK should reconsider its block on the U.S. software giant's takeover were published. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) set out on Friday Microsoft's arguments for the reconsideration, as the U.S. battles to win UK approval to buy "Call of Duty" maker Activision. Explaining why the deal should now be given the green light, Microsoft argued that the binding commitments accepted by the European Union shortly after Britain had blocked the deal changed matters, court documents published showed. The CMA said it understood that Microsoft considered the recent licensing deal it agreed with Sony constituted a further material change of circumstance or special reason. Britain's Competition Appeal Tribunal provisionally approved the adjournment on Monday subject to further submissions from the parties.

Persons: Candy, Sarah Young, Paul Sandle, Sam Tobin, Alistair Smout, Louise Heavens Organizations: Microsoft's Activision, Markets Authority, Activision, CMA, Microsoft, European Union, NVIDIA, Boosteroid, Sony, Thomson Locations: U.S, European, Britain

☆ Exclusive: Microsoft hit with EU antitrust complaint by German rival
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, July 20 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) was hit with an EU antitrust complaint by German rival alfaview on Thursday, the second so far over its bundling of video app Teams into its Office product. The U.S. software giant has been on the EU competition enforcer's radar since 2020, when Salesforce-owned (CRM.N) workspace messaging app Slack complained about the tying of Teams with Office. Alfaview, based in Karlsruhe in south-western Germany and with a 500-strong workforce, said it had filed a similar complaint to the European Commission. Microsoft added Teams to Office 365 in 2017 for free, with the app eventually replacing Skype for Business. Alfaview urged the EU antitrust watchdog to open a formal investigation, saying remedies offered by its U.S. rival to the Commission were insufficient.

Persons: alfaview, Slack, Niko Fostiropoulos, Alfaview, Foo Yun Chee, David Evans, Emma Rumney Organizations: Microsoft, Regulators, EU, European Commission, U.S ., Skype, Business, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, U.S, Karlsruhe, Germany

☆ IBM reports earnings beat, but misses on revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

IBM reported second-quarter earnings on Wednesday that topped analysts' estimates as the company expanded its gross margin. Revenue: $15.48 billion, versus $15.58 billion expected, according to Refinitiv. Net income for the quarter rose 13% to $1.6 billion from $1.4 billion, or $1.72 per share, a year earlier. IBM reiterated on Wednesday that it expects between 3% and 5% revenue growth through the end of the year in constant currency. The company's infrastructure division, which includes its mainframe sales, declined 14.6% to $3.6 billion in revenue.

Persons: Arvind Krishna, James Kavanaugh, Krishna Organizations: IBM, Economic, Revenue, Intel's, Hat Linux, Health, Systems Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Refinitiv

☆ Citi shares its top A.I. picks in software, including two names 'unfairly categorized' as losers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Citi is sharing its top software names to play the booming artificial intelligence market, including two companies it views as "unfairly categorized" as losers. Alteryx shares are down more than 16% this year, while Nice has gained nearly 9%. Radke also said that strong momentum from expanded software and a growing product portfolio should offset fears that AI may hinder Alteryx. Recent analyst day announcements also highlighted ways the company is using AI and machine learning within its data analytics cloud platform, he added. The firm's $70 price target on shares suggests more than 65% upside from Thursday's close, — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting

Persons: Tyler Radke, MongoDB, Radke, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Citi, Nasdaq, Nice Locations: Covid, Israel

☆ Exclusive: Microsoft faces EU antitrust probe after remedies fall short, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft added Teams to Office 365 in 2017 for free, with the app eventually replacing Skype for Business. Slack alleged that its rival had unfairly integrated workplace chat and video app Teams into its Office product. Microsoft kicked off talks with the European Commission last year in a bid to stave off an investigation. It recently offered to cut the price of its Office product without its Teams app. The European Commission has been seeking a deeper price cut than that offered by the U.S. software giant, the people said.

Persons: Slack, Foo Yun, Mark Potter, David Evans Organizations: Microsoft, EU, Salesforce, Skype, Business, European, European Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, U.S

☆ UK regulator may refer Adobe's $20 bln Figma deal to deeper probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 30 (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator on Friday said Photoshop owner Adobe Inc's (ADBE.O) $20 billion buyout of cloud-based designer platform Figma may be referred to a deeper investigation as it could "reduce innovation". The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said unless the parties offer acceptable undertakings to address competition concerns, the deal would be referred to a Phase 2 investigation. CMA had said in May it was looking into the deal, announced in September last year. "Adobe has no meaningful plans to compete in the product design space," Adobe said in a statement. "We remain confident in the merits of the case as Figma's product design is an adjacency to Adobe’s core creative products."

Persons: We're, Sorcha O'Carroll, Adobe, Eva Mathews, Radhika Anilkumar, Chavi Mehta, Janane Venkatraman, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Adobe, Markets Authority, CMA, Regulators, Big Tech, Activision, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Microsoft president goes to Europe to shape AI regulation debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Together with Twitter-owner and Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk, Smith has sought to court regulators and lawmakers with calls for regulating AI, a technology that has drawn massive public interest with the arrival of Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT. Big Tech has shared suggestions on how best to regulate AI, which could help to blunt some of the impact of such rules on their business. "Our intention is to offer constructive contributions to help inform the work ahead," Smith said in a blogpost. He said Microsoft's five-point blueprint for governing AI, which includes government-led AI safety frameworks, safety brakes for AI systems that control critical infrastructure and ensuring academic access to AI aligns with the EU's proposed legislation. Smith also urged the EU, the United States, G7 countries, India and Indonesia to work together on AI governance in line with their shared values and principles.

Persons: Brad Smith, Elon Musk, Smith, Foo Yun Chee, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Microsoft, Twitter, Big Tech, European, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, U.S, Brussels, Washington, United States, India, Indonesia

☆ Salesforce to invest $4 billion in UK on AI innovation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - Salesforce (CRM.N) will invest $4 billion in its UK business in the next five years, the U.S. software company said on Thursday, thanks to strong demand for digital transformations and artificial intelligence. The company said the plan builds on a previous five-year injection of $2.5 billion it set out in 2018. Salesforce said it would work with the government to drive the next wave of digital transformation "in this new AI era." "A clear pro-innovation regulatory framework that compels safe and responsible use of AI is vital, and Salesforce is fully focused on bringing secure, trusted, enterprise ready generative AI to UK businesses," Salesforce UKI boss Zahra Bahrololoumi said. Earlier in June Salesforce blamed an uncertain U.S. economy and weaker demand from financial services and tech companies for its disappointing quarterly results.

Persons: Brad Smith, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Salesforce, Zahra Bahrololoumi, Muvija, Sarah Young Organizations: U.S ., Activision Blizzard, NYSE, Thomson Locations: U.S, Britain, British

☆ There is 'a lot of room' for Oracle to take market share in Cloud Infrastructure: Citi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThere is 'a lot of room' for Oracle to take market share in Cloud Infrastructure: CitiTyler Radke, Research Director & Co-Head U.S. Software at Citi Research says there's a lot of momentum in Oracle's Cloud Infrastructure business, and thinks the company can benefit from the AI wave.

Persons: Citi Tyler Radke Organizations: Oracle, Cloud Infrastructure, Citi, U.S, Software, Citi Research

☆ ChatGPT, AI Tech Will Worsen America's Loneliness Crisis, Friendship Recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Daniel Cox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

And there are definitely areas where AI chatbots could be useful — especially when it comes to business. Artificial IntimacyThe shift toward AI relationships isn't just a theoretical possibility: Some entrepreneurs and companies are already working to create chatbot-driven connections. While it has garnered a lot of attention, CarynAI isn't the first attempt at providing people with companionship through an AI chatbot. Snap recently deployed its own AI chatbot, called My AI, aimed at supplementing social interactions on the app. In researching new AI chatbots, I was struck by the missed opportunity for disconnected people to forge new connections.

Persons: ChatGPT, Derek Thompson, —, you've, Eric Klinenberg, Jenny Leigh, isn't, Caryn Marjorie, Marjorie, Caryn, CarynAI, Replika, Evan Spiegel, Joshua Bote, Zers, Brent Orrell, Daniel Cox Organizations: Pew Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Software, New York, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Brown University, Hasbro, Science Foundation, Survey Center, American Enterprise Institute Locations: New York City

☆ AI Tech Like ChatGPT Will Make Americans More Lonely
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Daniel Cox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

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