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☆ Apple and Google could face a competition probe over their huge mobile ecosystems in the UK
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Apple and Google could face a competition investigation into their dominance of mobile web browsers and apps in the U.K. The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority issued a report Friday with a provisional decision from an independent inquiry group tasked by the regulator with carrying out an in-depth review of the mobile browser markets. In the report, the group recommended that the CMA investigates Apple and Google's activities in mobile ecosystems under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), a new U.K. law coming into force next year which seeks to prevent anti-competitive behavior in digital markets. The DMCC is akin to the Digital Markets Act in the European Union. The group also said it found a revenue-sharing agreement between Google and Apple to make Google the default search engine on iPhone "significantly reduces their financial incentives to compete in mobile browsers on iOS."

Organizations: Apple, Google, Markets Authority, CMA, Markets, Competition, Consumers, Digital, European Union

☆ Activist ValueAct is poised to trim fat and help boost profits at Meta Platforms. Here’s how
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Now, ValueAct has engaged another titan of the market, Meta Platforms, announcing an approximately $1 billion dollar position in the company. With the stock price up about 56% in 2024, ValueAct still sees significant untapped value in Meta. ValueAct has shown at Microsoft and Salesforce that it is very good in helping companies trim fat and build muscle. The AI spending, while concerning to some in the market, can be the muscle that strengthens Meta's core FoA business. It should more than justify Meta's AI spend.

Persons: ValueAct, Mason Morfit, Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI's GPT, Meta, Martha Stewart Living, Ken Squire Organizations: Reality Labs, Facebook, Microsoft, Meta, RL, Spotify, OpenAI, Adobe, New York Times, Expedia, Century Fox, KKR, 13D Locations: Salesforce

☆ Is this the world's 'coolest hotel room' for baseball fans? Go inside to see the view
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Oliver Horovitz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Es Con Field Hokkaido is a stadium on the Japanese island of Hokkaido with a grass field, retractable roof and space for 35,000 spectators. Es Con Field Hokkaido says it's the world's first baseball stadium with a natural onsen overlooking the field. Ohtani's old teamThe Hokkaido Fighters, founded 78 years ago, compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, or the NPB. A room with a view at Es Con Field Hokkaido, a stadium built in Japan in 2023. Extra inningsFans routinely arrive at Es Con Field Hokkaido well before the first pitch to partake in pre-game festivities.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, sleepover, There's, Oliver Horovitz Organizations: Ham Fighters, Fighters, Major League Baseball, Travelers, Es, HKS Architects, Hokkaido Fighters, Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, NPB, Es Con Field Hokkaido, Los Angeles Angels, Japan, Es Con Field Locations: Con, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Nippon, Sapporo, Japan, Es Con, Dallas, Es Con Field Hokkaido

☆ I worked in China's brutal 996 tech culture. I'm relieved they laid me off.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

When I first learned I'd be subject to China's infamous 996 hours, I was actually excited. At that point, I'd worked for nearly two years in Guangzhou as an English-Chinese interpreter at a local tech giant. I had this idea that those work hours meant I was on a serious, valuable team and that my productivity mattered. Then, I'd work until 12:30 p.m. when it was time for lunch. My dream is still to make games in China, but I'm not sure if any company could ever entice me to work 996 hours again.

Persons: Jack Forsdike, it's, —, I'd, Forsdike, didn't, he'd, I've, I'm, There's Organizations: Service, Labor Locations: British, Guangzhou, Manchester, Harbin, China

☆ California governor vetoes contentious AI safety bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters —California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday vetoed a hotly contested artificial intelligence safety bill, after the tech industry raised objections, saying it could drive AI companies from the state and hinder innovation. The AI industry is growing fast in California and some leaders questioned the future of these companies in the state if the bill became law. Developers of AI software operating in the state would have also needed to outline methods for turning off the AI models, effectively a kill switch. Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Meta Platforms, all of which are developing generative AI models, had expressed their concerns about the proposal. Newsom separately signed legislation requiring the state to assess potential threats posed by Generative AI to California’s critical infrastructure.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Newsom, Scott Wiener, Wiener, ”, ” Newsom, Biden, “, Nancy Pelosi, Elon Musk, Anthropic Organizations: Reuters, Democratic, Congress, Google, Microsoft, U.S, Tesla Locations: California, U.S, ”

☆ Microsoft's GitHub gives clients option to keep sensitive code in EU only, in data sovereignty push
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Firms will be able to control the "data residency" of software code stored on GitHub — effectively meaning they can decide which regions the data is kept in. GitHub Enterprise Cloud is a paid product the firm only offers to businesses. "The EU has been in the center of this [data residency] movement since the beginning of the cloud days." Going forward, GitHub plans to roll out data residency within its GitHub Enterprise Cloud across other regions, including Australia, Asia, and Latin America. EU push for digital 'sovereignty'GitHub's data residency push ties into a broader political and regulatory theme within the EU around so-called digital "sovereignty."

Persons: GitHub, Jonathan Raa, —, Thomas Dohmke, Dohmke, Shelley McKinley, Mario Draghi, Draghi, GitHub's Dohmke, it'll Organizations: Microsoft, Nurphoto, Getty Images Microsoft, European Union, EU, Companies, CNBC, European Central Bank Locations: Europe, Australia, Asia, America, EU, China, France, Finland

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Fed signals rate cut; U.S. stocks soar; oil gains as Middle East tensions rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Kevin Lim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Rate cut on horizonThe Federal Reserve expectedly kept its benchmark rate steady at 5.25% to 5.50% on Wednesday, but Chairman Jerome Powell signaled the U.S. central bank could cut the rate in its September meeting. U.S. stocks rallyU.S. stocks jumped after Powell said a rate cut in September was "on the table." Oil gainsU.S. crude oil futures rose 4% on Wednesday after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran. Asian stocks mixedAsian markets were mixed on Thursday with Japan stocks tumbling while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 touched a new all-time high. [PRO] Rate cut beneficiariesCNBC Pro screened for stocks in the S&P 500 that tend to rise the most when short-term rates start to decline.

Persons: expectedly, Jerome Powell, Powell, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Oil Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Wall, CNBC, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Nvidia, Devices, Boeing, Treasury, Facebook, Google, Meta, Oil, West Texas Intermediate, Nikkei, Developers, Bank of, Singapore Airlines, U.S Locations: New York City, U.S, Tehran, Iran, Israel, Beirut, Japan, Shanghai

☆ The Voices of A.I. Are Telling Us a Lot
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Amanda Hess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

developers are cribbing from the movies, crafting voices for real machines based on dated cinematic fantasies of how machines should talk. She was agreeable and self-effacing; she sounded like she was game for anything. After Sky’s debut, Johansson expressed displeasure at the “eerily similar” sound, and said that she had previously declined OpenAI’s request that she voice the bot. The company protested that Sky was voiced by a “different professional actress,” but agreed to pause her voice in deference to Johansson. Bereft OpenAI users have started a petition to bring her back.

Persons: OpenAI, Scarlett Johansson, Spike Jonze, ”, Johansson, Sky

☆ Tech giants bet next-generation optical networks will reduce AI's climate impact, aid 6G transition
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

IOWN Global Forum is a global group aiming to develop technical standards for all-photonics networks. "Mobile traffic is growing more and more every day," Katsuhiko Kawazoe, chair of the IOWN Global Forum, told CNBC via email. "Data centers are becoming bigger and bigger, and hyperscale data centers are a struggle for societies' carbon reductions," Kawashima said. "To deploy antennas, we need optical fiber to connect antennas to radio data centers," Kawashima explained. For now, the IOWN Global Forum is working toward achieving its main goals by 2030.

Persons: —, Kawazoe, Gonzalo Camarillo, OpenAI's, Kawashima, Banks, NTT's Kawashima Organizations: Getty, Microsoft, Google, Intel, Sony, IOWN, photonics, NTT, Ericsson, Nokia, SK Hynix, CNBC, IOWN Global, NTT Corporation, Mitsubishi, Netflix, Amazon, 5G

☆ Neighbors Fight Affordable Housing, but Need Libraries. Can’t We Make a Deal?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Michael Kimmelman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s the second library in town during the past year or so to try something clever and innovative: partnering with a 100 percent affordable housing development. These days, NIMBYs are always fighting affordable housing projects. One obvious solution is the twofer — building housing and a library together — because there’s strength in numbers. Libraries pairing with housing developers can trim construction costs. Developers can leverage city-owned property to finesse both the not-in-my-backyard types and the byzantine economics of affordable development.

Persons: It’s, John Ronan, Brian Lee Locations: Inwood, Manhattan, Chicago, Boston, . New York

☆ Mistral, a French A.I. Start-Up, Is Valued at $6.2 Billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Adam Satariano | More About Adam Satariano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mistral, a French artificial intelligence start-up, said on Tuesday that it had raised 600 million euros, or about $640 million, from investors, a sign of robust interest in a company seen as Europe’s most promising rival to OpenAI and other Silicon Valley A.I. Mistral is now valued at €5.8 billion, according to a person familiar with the investment, an eye-popping sum for a company founded just one year ago by alumni from Meta and Google. Since OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022, investors have poured money into generative A.I. Two weeks ago, Elon Musk raised $6 billion for his start-up, xAI. OpenAI has raised roughly $13 billion from Microsoft, while another California start-up, Anthropic, has raised more than $7.3 billion.

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, Elon Musk, OpenAI Organizations: Meta, Google, Catalyst, Lightspeed Ventures, Nvidia, Samsung, Salesforce, Cisco, IBM, BNP, Microsoft Locations: California

☆ Golden Age for Rich Renters: Deals Make It Better Than Buying a Home
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The result is that class A units account for more than half the apartment market, compared with one-third in the early 2000s, according to Moody's Analytics. High-end apartments that offer amenities up the wazoo — and rent breaks, to boot — represent a tantalizing alternative to the for-sale market right now. But as with all good things, the golden age for America's wealthy renters must also come to an end. Nations told me she still hoped to buy a home one day. "I know how challenging it is to rent in Nashville, especially on your own," Nations told me.

Persons: Emily Nations, she's, Nicole Bachaud, Rich, Joel Sanders, Sanders, Doug Ressler, David Brasington, Ressler, they're, — Organizations: Trinity, cabana, Nations, Analytics, University of Cincinnati, Census Locations: Nashville, downtown, Nations, New York, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, America, Houston, Austin, Phoenix, Charlotte, North Carolina, Raleigh , North Carolina, Tampa , Florida

☆ Databricks acquires data optimization startup Tabular in fresh challenge to Snowflake
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Data analytics software maker Databricks said in a statement on Tuesday that it's acquiring Tabular, a startup that helps optimize data stored in the cloud. The gesture could help Databricks more quickly bring out products as it faces competition from Snowflake and other entities. Databricks is paying over $1 billion to buy Tabular, Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi said in an interview. Snowflake was also bidding on Tabular, as was Confluent , a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. Focusing more on Iceberg tables might allow Databricks to take business from Snowflake clients that embrace the format.

Persons: Ali Ghodsi, Databricks, Snowflake, Ryan Blue, Dan Weeks, Okta, Mike Scarpelli, Morgan Stanley, Ghodsi, Andreessen Horowitz, Frank Slootman's, Jefferies, Brent Thill Organizations: Databricks, Summit, Street Journal, CNBC, Developers, Netflix, Salesforce, Amazon, Services, Monday, Zetta Venture Partners Locations: San Francisco, Snowflake, Delta

☆ What to Know About the Open Versus Closed Software Debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Mike Isaac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Few debates have raged longer and more contentiously in the computing industry than one: Is “open source” better than “closed” when it comes to software development? Source code makes up the underlying building blocks of the apps you use. Developers can write tens of thousands of lines of source code to create programs that will run on a computer. Open-source software is any such computer code that can be freely distributed, copied or altered to a developer’s own ends. The nonprofit Open Source Initiative, an industry organization, sets other stipulations and standards for what software is considered open source, but it is largely a matter of the code’s being free and open for anyone to use and improve.

Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Initiative

☆ Denmark's Orsted wins $680 million JPMorgan backing for U.S. solar and battery projects
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Pippa Stevens | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Aerial view of Eleven Mile Solar in Coolidge, Az. Put simply, large financial institutions provide part of the financing for a renewable energy project, in exchange for the project's tax credits. Smaller developers don't always have the means to enter into these partnerships, and the appetite from large financial institutions to take stakes in renewable energy projects is limited. That's "[s]till far short of what is needed in the post-IRA clean energy investment landscape," the investment bank Evercore ISI noted. Aerial view of Eleven Mile Solar in Coolidge, Az.

Persons: Az, Van Applegate, Orsted, Biden, —, Applegate Organizations: JPMorgan, U.S, Orsted's, IRA, American Council, Renewable Energy Locations: Coolidge, U.S, Coolidge , Arizona, Mineral , Texas, Nextracker

☆ America's Surge of Dumb Neighborhood Names, Real-Estate Rebrands
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Neighborhood names are also shorthand for your rent or mortgage payments. In 2017, real-estate brokers in the historically Black New York neighborhood of Harlem sparked backlash when they tried to rebrand its south end as SoHa. At their best, new neighborhood names bring people together over a shared sense of pride in their little corner of the world. Along the way, these neighborhood names have veered into parody territory. I'm not saying that neighborhood names should be set in stone — in fact, I think it's natural for them to evolve alongside their populations.

Persons: you've, MoRA, Nashville's, they're, Let's, Gill Holland, Holland, Nestor Davidson, David Fagundes, Grant McKenzie, McKenzie, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, Davidson, They're, Bob Dylan's, Marshall, Lily, I'm, Willy, Dirtbag, Little Italy — Organizations: Market, McGill University, University of Maryland, Houston, Financial, Tribeca, McGill, Google, Democratic, New York State Assembly, New York Times, Apple, North Arts District, Congress, Little Locations: Denver, Charlotte , North Carolina, LoSo, Boston, Louisville , Kentucky, NuLu, Austin, America, New York City, Louisville, Holland, North Carolina, Greenwich, Louisville's, Phoenix, Holland's, York, New York, Manhattan, Side, Chelsea, Maryland, Harlem, SoCo, Soho, Dowisetrepla, Charlotte, East Williamsburg

☆ China pledges $42 billion in a slew of measures to support the struggling property sector
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

China announced "historic" steps to stabilize the crisis-hit property sector on May 17, 2024, allowing local governments to buy "some" apartments, relaxing mortgage rules and pledging to deliver unfinished homes. These and other measures announced Friday marked Beijing's latest efforts to address issues in the massive real estate sector. The real estate companies can then use funds earned from those sales to complete construction on other apartments, the central bank said. Pre-sold, unfinished homesFor years, many apartments in China tended to be sold before construction was finished. Nomura estimated last year there were around 20 million such pre-sold, unfinished apartments in China.

Persons: Zhu Ning, Tao Ling, Xiao Yuanqi, Larry Hu, Dong Jianguo, Lifeng, Zhu, Nomura Organizations: China, Nurphoto, Getty, Tsinghua University, People's Bank of China, National Financial Regulatory, Macquarie, CNBC, of Housing, Housing, Future Publishing Locations: BEIJING, Wanxiang City, Huai'an City, East China's Jiangsu, China

☆ News publishers sound alarm on Google’s new AI-infused search, warn of ‘catastrophic’ impacts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In other words, users will soon no longer have to click on the links displayed in search results to find the information they are seeking. Why spend time clicking on a link when Google has already scoured the internet and harvested the relevant information with its A.I.? Coffey, whose organization represents more than 2,000 news publishers and has taken an aggressive posture toward A.I. This time with a product that directly competes with our content, using our content to fuel it. Most recently, it drew scorn after temporarily blocking some California news outlets from search results in response to a bill that would force it to pay publishers.

Persons: —, ” Danielle Coffey, Coffey, newsrooms, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Mark Zuckerberg, “, we’ll, ” Marc McCollum Organizations: New York CNN, Google, News / Media Alliance, Big Tech, The New York Times Locations: New York, California

☆ Apple's new iPad Pro is thin and fast, but the software needs an update
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Todd Haselton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

I've been testing the new iPad Pro for several days and what I found is that it's a very nice iPad. The game will look better once Activision Blizzard releases an update enabling improved graphics for the M4 iPad Pro. 2024 13-inch Apple iPad Pro Todd Haselton | CNBCThe new iPads Pro support Apple's updated $350 Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (the 11-inch version is $300). 2024 13-inch Apple iPad Pro Todd Haselton | CNBCThe updated Apple Pencil Pro is also a lot of fun. What's bad2024 13-inch Apple iPad Pro Todd Haselton | CNBCHere's my biggest gripe about the Pro models: The software, iPadOS, is what you'll get on any other iPad.

Persons: I've, Apple hasn't, Christoph Dernbach, Diablo, it's, Todd Haselton, hasn't, Apple, Slack, you've, Tim Cook Organizations: Apple, Getty, Pro, Activision Blizzard, CNBC, CNBC Here's, Conference, WWDC Locations: It's, 10hz

☆ Saudi Arabia's Neom is looking to fill 262 job vacancies. The roles show just how futuristic the megacity could be.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Saudi Arabia's sprawling megacity, Neom, is billed as a chance to live in the "new future." AdvertisementOfficials say Neom will be a "cognitive city." The chosen candidate will control and operate the fish laboratory, ensuring high standards of fish welfare and supporting surveillance and investigation activities into fish health and disease control. Developers have said they want the island resort Sindalah to act as an "exclusive gateway to the stunning Red Sea." An image showing a nighttime view of mountains in the region in northwest Saudi Arabia where planners say Neom will be built.

Persons: —, Neom, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, Neom's Organizations: Service, Tech, NEOM Community School Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Sindalah, Gulf, Aqaba, Neom, Oxagon

☆ Neom wants to build a 1,500-foot infinity pool that's almost 4 times longer than one in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia is planning to build the world's longest infinity pool in Neom's Treyam region. The plans dwarf Dubai's 393-foot-long infinity pool that's suspended between twin skyscrapers. AdvertisementSaudi Arabia is planning a spectacular infinity pool that will be almost 1,500 feet long. #Treyam #NEOM pic.twitter.com/syJG7hCZ34 — NEOM (@NEOM) March 20, 2024In a statement, Neom said the design "represents a harmonious fusion of contemporary design and minimal environmental impact while promising guests an unparalleled retreat to unwind and rejuvenate amidst breathtaking natural vistas." NeomIf completed, the pool would dwarf nearby Dubai's offering — a 393-foot-long infinity pool suspended between twin skyscrapers.

Persons: —, Neom, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Organizations: Service, Planners Locations: Saudi Arabia, Treyam, Neom's Treyam, unwind, Aqaba, Neom's, Saudi

☆ Miami is 'ground zero' for climate risk. People are moving to the area and building there anyway
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +20 min

South Pointe Beach in Miami Beach, Florida. Climate risk is "always on our thoughts," said Habibian, 39, who moved to Miami-Dade County about six years ago. Despite that risk, 66% of Miami-Dade County residents said they'd never leave, according to a study published in the journal Climate Risk Management. "We try to be smart about it, try to be proactive as best we can," Arditi said of climate risk. Juxtaposed at left was one of the last remaining patches of mangroves in the urban Miami area, a living memorial to a once-thriving population.

Persons: Greg Iacurci, Daniel Habibian, Harold Wanless, Sonia Brubaker, Saul Martinez, Andrew Rumbach, Rumbach, Joe Raedle, Irma, Al Diaz, they'd, Steven Bustamante, Bustamante, Jeff Greenberg, There's, David Arditi, Arditi, Aria's, Jeff Bezos, Goldman Sachs, Douglas Sacks, Ken Griffin, Brubaker, Biscayne Bay . Miami Worldcenter, Chandan Khanna, Dion Williams, Williams, Dion, Todd Crowl, Crowl, We're, Erik Salna, Chris Baraloto, Rita Teutonico, Amy Knowles, Knowles, it's, City of Miami Beach Greg Iacurci Miami Organizations: Greg Iacurci MIAMI, University of Miami, City, CNBC, Cumming Group, Florida Department of Transportation, Bentley, Bloomberg, Getty, Urban Institute, Organisation for Economic Co, Miami, Volunteers, Florida Keys, Miami Herald, Tribune, Service, Dade, Risk, Yale University's School of, Finance, SEC, Miami Beach, Universal, Group, Aria Development, National Association of Realtors ., Miami Realtors, Amazon, Citadel, Resorts, Bloomberg News, Dade County's, Getty Images, Residences, Pointe Park, Fifth, Afp, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Management, Sunshine, Insurance, Institute, Florida International University Institute of Environment, Hurricanes, University of Pennsylvania, International Hurricane Research, of, Florida International University, City of Miami Beach Locations: Pointe Beach, Miami Beach , Florida, Miami, South Beach, Dade, City of Miami, Dade County, New York, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm, South Florida, Florida, Tampa, St . Petersburg, Miami , Florida, Southeast Florida, Miami Beach, City, Aria's Miami, U.S, California , New York, New Jersey, America, Caribbean, New York City, Biscayne Bay . Miami, Pointe, It's, Surfside, . Florida, Biscayne Bay, Miami's, Bermuda, Kampong, Coconut Grove, Brittany Bay, South Pointe, City of, Brittany Bay Park

☆ Microsoft will unveil new Windows and cloud AI features in May
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft has reported significant revenue growth from clients running AI models in its Azure public cloud, and the company wants to keep the trend going by rolling out new AI features for developers. The new head of Microsoft AI, Mustafa Suleyman, will take the stage alongside CEO Satya Nadella and other longtime executives during the show's opening keynote in Seattle. Suleyman — a cofounder of DeepMind, the AI startup that Google acquired in 2014 — joined Microsoft last month from startup Inflection AI. The software maker will also talk about new AI features "that allow users deeper interaction with their digital lives on Windows," according to one session description. At Build, Microsoft plans to discuss how Windows apps will be able to tap Arm-based neural processing engines, or NPUs, for AI.

Persons: Mustafa Suleyman, Nadella, Satya Nadella, Suleyman —, —, Dan Ives Organizations: Ltd, Economic, Microsoft, Microsoft's, DeepMind, Google, Windows, Intel Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Seattle

☆ Bangalore water crisis: India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ is running dry as residents urged to take fewer showers, use disposable cutlery
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

As layers of tarmac swept through the city, Bengaluru lost its ability to absorb water, Ramachandra said. One woman begins to hit the vessel to check its water levels. No one sparedWhile the city’s poorest are bearing the brunt of Bengaluru’s water crisis, it hasn’t spared the upper middle class either. Activists and BJP members hold empty water pots during a protest against the state government over the severe water crisis, in Bengaluru on March 12, 2024. Idress Mohammed/AFP/Getty ImagesYet, for the city’s residents, the tit-for-tat arguments mean little as they experience the worst of the shortages.

Persons: ”, Ram Prasat Manohar, Ramachandra, “, Karnataka Raj Bhavan, Arijit Sen, D.K, Shivakumar –, Vishwanathan, Idrees Mohammed, Kumkum, Idress Mohammed, Geeta Menon, hasn’t, India’s, Maher Taj Organizations: India CNN, Infosys, Wipro, Ecological Sciences, Bengaluru –, “, Hindustan Times, Getty, Private, Authorities, Susheela, CNN, Management, won’t, Reuters, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Congress Locations: Bengaluru, India, India’s, Bandepalya, Bengaluru –, Bangalore, ”, Karnataka Raj, Karnataka, Whitefield, AFP

☆ Big Tech goes from 'teenager' to 'grown-up' under landmark EU law. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Justin Tallis | AFP via Getty ImagesAn EU law that seeks to rein in large digital companies has officially kicked in, spelling big changes for primarily U.S. tech giants. CNBC runs through how the law impacts large U.S. tech companies — as well as consumers in the EU. The EU Digital Markets Act primarily impacts U.S. tech giants — the likes of Alphabet , Amazon , Apple , and Meta . The rules have already sparked big changes for tech giants in how they serve customers in the EU. It's likely more adjustments will come, as competitors to Big Tech firms aren't happy with the proposals put in place so far.

Persons: Justin Tallis, Bill Echikson, Echikson, ByteDance, Apple Organizations: Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Getty, Digital Markets, European Commission, Center for, CNBC, Big Tech, EU Digital Markets, Meta, Google, Companies, EU, Spotify Locations: EU, U.S, iPhones

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