Technology News
Latest technology news and updates
Total: 297
Google Doubles Down on AI Compute: $175–185bn CapEx, Gemini Adoption, and a Cloud Surge
Alphabet reported strong 2025 results and announced a dramatic increase in 2026 capital expenditure — $175–185 billion — to scale AI compute and data‑centre capacity. Gemini 3 adoption, a 48% jump in cloud revenue, and falling model service costs underpin management’s argument that the spending is necessary to meet surging AI demand.
Google’s AI Bet: Gemini Hits 750m Users as Alphabet Pledges Up to $185bn in Capex
Alphabet beat earnings expectations but stunned markets by guiding $175–185bn of capital expenditure for the year, roughly double 2025’s outlay. Google Cloud’s 48% revenue growth and Gemini’s rapid user adoption — helped by a new Siri partnership with Apple — underpin the company’s aggressive push for AI infrastructure, even as investors fret about near‑term returns.
Pichai: Google’s Gemini Is a Force Multiplier for SaaS, Not Its Death Knell
On Alphabet’s earnings call Sundar Pichai said Gemini will empower SaaS companies by being embedded into workflows rather than replacing them. His comments highlight both an opportunity for software vendors to add AI-driven value and a strategic shift that increases dependence on major cloud and model providers.
When AI Moves In: Desktop ‘Agents’ from Claude to QoderWork Promise Productivity — and New Risks
Desktop AI agents—software that gives large language models permission to read, write and operate a user’s local applications—have transitioned from experiments to commercial products. Anthropic’s Claude Cowork and open-source projects like OpenClaw have catalysed a market response in China, where Alibaba’s QoderWork, MiniMax’s Agent2.0 and Step’s desktop partner offer competing approaches. The shift promises productivity gains and clearer monetisation but raises substantial security, privacy and regulatory challenges.
China’s Cloud Firms Brace for an AI-Driven Price Shock as Competition Moves Up the Stack
China’s major cloud providers are integrating open‑source AI assistants like OpenClaw while confronting rising upstream costs and surging enterprise demand. Expect selective price increases for AI GPU services, a tighter focus on packaged AI applications, and competition shifting from raw compute to full‑stack offerings.
As Cloud Giants Duel, China’s Mianbi Pushes a 9‑Billion‑Parameter Multimodal ‘Brain’ for Edge Devices
Mianbi Intelligence has launched MiniCPM‑o 4.5, a 9‑billion‑parameter multimodal model that can ingest continuous audio, video and text while producing simultaneous outputs, and introduced a Jetson‑based developer board called Pinea Pi. The company positions the stack as an early example of on‑device, embodied AI aimed at robotics, automotive and personal devices, arguing that hybrid cloud‑edge deployments will better meet latency, privacy and stability needs than cloud‑only approaches.
Amazon Circles a Custom OpenAI Model to Supercharge Alexa as Talks of a Large Equity Deal Advance
Amazon is negotiating with OpenAI on a commercial agreement that could include a multibillion-dollar equity investment and the creation of bespoke OpenAI models for Amazon products such as Alexa. The arrangement would deepen technical collaboration but raise strategic and regulatory questions about control, vendor lock-in and market concentration in AI.
Chongqing Offers Millions to Drive Industrial AI: Grants for Data, Vertical Models and ‘Intelligent Agents’
Chongqing has launched a targeted subsidy programme to accelerate AI adoption in manufacturing, offering up to RMB5 million per project with specific rewards for industrial datasets, trusted data spaces and vertical AI models. The measures align municipal incentives with Beijing's national push for industrial AI, prioritising domain-specific data and applications while raising governance and coordination questions.
Chinese Startup Says the Dawn of Truly Natural Human–Machine Interaction Is Two to Three Years Away
Mianbi Intelligence’s founders say multi‑modal, embodied human–machine interaction is entering a decisive phase: rapid improvements in compact, dense models could bring meaningful advances within two to three years. The transition will be incremental, hinging on better on‑device models, cloud–edge integration, and solutions to privacy and power constraints.
Turkey Opens New Antitrust Front Against Google over Android Defaults and Anti‑Fork Rules
Turkey’s Competition Authority has opened a new probe into Google, alleging that financial incentives and contractual clauses tied to Android effectively preserve Google’s pre‑installation and default positions for search and browsers. The inquiry examines anti‑forking provisions and developer verification rules to assess whether Google’s revised contracts perpetuate anti‑competitive effects despite earlier enforcement actions.
China Issues 88 Mandatory Auto-Safety Standards, Tightening Rules for EV Batteries and Autonomous Features
China has issued 88 mandatory national standards targeting vehicle safety, tightening requirements for EV batteries and introducing compulsory rules for automatic emergency braking and in-vehicle emergency calls. The reforms aim to raise safety baselines as the country’s auto production and NEV market expand, but will raise compliance costs and influence who can compete in China’s rapidly evolving EV and autonomous-driving sectors.
China Opens AI + Virtual-Production Lab to Build a Domestic Film-Tech Stack
China has launched an AI and virtual-production laboratory in Zhejiang to domesticise key film technologies, incubate pilot projects and set industry standards. The effort reflects a broader push for technological self-reliance and could lower costs, reshape labour in the film sector and create export opportunities, while raising governance and ethical challenges.