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Digital Public Goods Alliance roadmap incorporates UNESCO Open Solutions

UNESCO announced that its Open Solutions have been included in the Digital Public Goods Alliance’s roadmap as part of its membership.

Roadmap activities focus on Open Solutions supporting knowledge ecosystems and information resilience by advancing Open Educational Resources as digital public goods, mainstreaming equitable open access to knowledge ecosystems, unlocking open data for research and learning, and strengthening Free and Open Source Software, according to UNESCO.

Mariya Gabriel, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, said: ‘The inclusion of UNESCO’s Open Solutions— Open Educational Resources, Open Access, Open Data and Free and Open Source Software— in the Digital Public Goods Alliance roadmap, underscores our commitment to knowledge as a public good and to multilateral cooperation. Through these open systems, UNESCO supports Member States in expanding access to information and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.’

UNESCO said its Open Solutions support the discovery, use, and adaptation of digital public goods that help reduce structural barriers to knowledge. It added that they prioritise multilingual access, equitable participation, and the reuse of educational, scientific, and public-interest resources.

UNESCO described the Digital Public Goods Alliance as a multistakeholder initiative that supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by advancing the discovery, development, use, and investment in digital public goods. It said these include open source software, open data, open AI models, and open content that adhere to applicable laws and best practices, are designed to do no harm, and contribute to sustainable development.

Liv Marte Nordhaug, Chief Executive Officer of the Digital Public Goods Alliance Secretariat, said: ‘Through its Open Solutions, UNESCO is advancing open and inclusive knowledge ecosystems while strengthening the development and adoption of digital public goods that expand access to shared, interoperable resources and enable equitable participation in the digital age.’

UNESCO also said its engagement in the alliance contributes to implementing the UN Global Digital Compact and the United Nations Pact for the Future, reaffirming that knowledge, and the digital systems that underpin it, must remain a global public good, governed in the public interest, anchored in international human rights standards, and accessible to all without discrimination.

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Eurasian Development Bank Fund expands digital cooperation with Uzbekistan

A delegation from the Fund for Digital Initiatives (FDI) of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) visited Uzbekistan to enhance cooperation in digital transformation and AI technologies. Tigran Sargsyan, Vice Chairman of the EDB Management Board, met with Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies and National CIO.

The meeting highlighted ongoing initiatives, including solutions in water management, labour markets, jewellery trade, and air quality monitoring. Uzbekistan’s Ministry representatives expressed interest in evaluating FDI-supported projects and presenting their own digital solutions.

Both parties agreed to develop a joint roadmap for implementing the projects and strengthening long-term collaboration. The FDI delegation also toured IT Park Uzbekistan to understand its role in innovation and startup development.

The visit marked a step toward accelerating Uzbekistan’s digital transformation and expanding economic and technological ties with the EDB Fund. Planned projects aim to integrate AI and digital tools to support sustainable growth and innovation.

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Adobe launches a free AI learning tool for students

The US software company, Adobe, has introduced Student Spaces, a free AI study tool within Acrobat designed to help students generate learning materials efficiently.

Users can create flashcards, quizzes, mind maps, podcasts, and editable presentations from PDFs, Docs, PowerPoint, Excel, URLs, and handwritten notes.

The tool builds on Acrobat’s AI features, now allowing students to interact with a chat assistant grounded in uploaded documents, reducing errors.

Tested with 500 students from universities including Harvard, Berkeley, and Brown, Adobe emphasises convenience, letting students generate study materials without constantly moving files.

The goal is to simplify study workflows and support learning across multiple document types.

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MIT system boosts data centre storage efficiency

Researchers from MIT have developed a software-based system designed to improve the efficiency of data centre storage by addressing performance variability across pooled solid-state drives (SSDs). The approach targets inefficiencies that persist when multiple devices are shared across applications in large-scale environments.

The Sandook system identifies and manages three key sources of SSD variability, including hardware differences, read-write interference, and unpredictable garbage collection. Instead of treating these issues separately, the method addresses them simultaneously to improve overall throughput.

Sandook uses a two-tier architecture combining a global controller, which assigns workloads across the storage pool, and local controllers on each device that respond in real time to performance slowdowns. The design enables the system to redistribute tasks and reduce strain on underperforming drives dynamically.

Testing on workloads such as machine learning training, databases, and image compression showed performance gains of up to 94 percent compared with traditional methods, along with higher overall storage utilisation.

The approach could extend the lifespan of existing infrastructure and reduce the need for additional hardware investment. The shift may improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness while making more sustainable use of existing computing resources and limiting the pace of hardware replacement.

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UK Research and Innovation review calls for reform at The Alan Turing Institute

An independent review by UK Research and Innovation has assessed the performance of The Alan Turing Institute. The evaluation examined whether the institute meets expectations as a national centre for AI and data science.

Findings recognise scientific excellence, strong partnerships and valuable contributions within the UK research system. However, the review identifies the need for a clearer strategic purpose and stronger delivery.

The panel concludes that alignment with national priorities and value for money is not yet satisfactory. Recommendations include improved governance, clearer prioritisation and renewed external scientific scrutiny.

Additional proposals call for stronger stakeholder engagement and a defined mission focused on resilience, security and defence. A framework for value for money is also expected to be agreed with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

UK Research and Innovation will work with the institute’s leadership and partners to implement the changes. A development plan is expected by September 2026, with further assessment to follow.

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CNN develops agent infrastructure for AI media trading

CNN is developing an internal agent infrastructure as part of a plan to begin AI-driven media trading by early 2027. The company aims to complete protocol scoping by the end of the second quarter before moving into testing phases later in the year.

Testing will focus on how properties are interpreted by large language models and how buyers allocate budgets to agent-based systems. Executives say the timeline may change as the technology and market conditions continue to evolve.

The initiative combines in-house development with external technology partners, while aligning with industry frameworks to ensure compatibility. CNN is also working with standards bodies to ensure agent communication produces accurate outcomes for buyers.

Agentic protocols enable systems to exchange information, negotiate pricing, and manage tasks autonomously between buyers and sellers. The company is prioritising consistent communication to support efficient and reliable transactions.

Early efforts are centred on learning and experimentation, even without immediate revenue generation. Initial use cases are expected to focus on performance-driven campaigns before expanding into broader advertising activities.

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South Korea-France partnership reshapes AI and technology cooperation strategy

The recent state visit between South Korea and France signals a deepening of bilateral cooperation that extends beyond diplomacy into long-term technological and cultural alignment.

Agreements endorsed by President Lee Jae-myung and President Emmanuel Macron reflect a coordinated effort to strengthen shared capabilities in emerging sectors, while reinforcing institutional ties across research, education, and industry.

A central policy dimension lies in the expansion of cooperation in AI, semiconductors, and quantum technologies, areas increasingly tied to economic security and global competitiveness.

Partnerships between institutions such as KAIST and CNRS highlight a shift towards structured research integration, enabling joint innovation and knowledge transfer.

Such collaboration between South Korea and France is positioned not as an isolated scientific exchange, but as part of broader strategies to secure technological sovereignty and resilient supply chains.

Cultural and educational initiatives complement these ambitions by supporting long-term people-to-people engagement and workforce development. Expanded exchanges in creative industries and language education aim to cultivate talent pipelines that can operate across both economies.

Rather than symbolic diplomacy, these measures serve as enabling mechanisms for sustained cooperation in high-value sectors where human capital remains critical.

From a policy perspective, the agreements illustrate how economies are increasingly forming strategic partnerships to navigate global technological competition.

Instead of relying solely on domestic capacity, coordinated international frameworks are being used to manage innovation risks, diversify supply dependencies, and strengthen regulatory alignment.

The outcome will depend on implementation, yet the direction suggests a model of cooperation that blends economic, technological, and societal priorities.

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Anthropic scales AI compute to meet rising global demand

AI company Anthropic has announced a major expansion of its compute infrastructure through a new partnership with Google and Broadcom, securing multiple gigawatts of next-generation TPU capacity expected to come online from 2027.

The increased compute supply is intended to support its frontier Claude models and meet rapidly growing global demand.

The company said the expansion reflects a continued strategy of scaling infrastructure to match accelerating customer growth. Demand for Claude has increased sharply in 2026, with revenue run-rate surpassing $30 billion and the number of high-spending business customers doubling in a short period.

Most new computing capacity will be based in the United States, aligning with broader investment plans in domestic AI infrastructure. The partnership builds on collaborations with Google Cloud and Broadcom, alongside continued use of multiple hardware platforms to improve performance and resilience.

Anthropic stated that diversifying compute across different providers helps optimise workloads and maintain reliability for enterprise users. Claude remains available across major cloud platforms, supporting its position in a competitive and rapidly scaling AI market.

The expansion reflects how rapidly growing demand for advanced AI systems is driving large-scale investment in underlying compute infrastructure, with potential implications for capacity, reliability, and the global distribution of AI development resources over time.

It also suggests how access to computing resources is becoming a key factor shaping competitiveness and innovation across the AI ecosystem.

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Kazakhstan positions AI at heart of industrial strategy

Addressing the Digital Qazaqstan 2026 forum on 27 March, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov positioned AI as foundational infrastructure comparable to energy and transport networks, with three priorities centring on institutional foundations, digital infrastructure and human capital.

The government plans to develop sector-specific datasets and specialised AI language models for energy, mining, agriculture and logistics industries throughout 2026.

Kazakhstan is establishing a dedicated university focused on AI and rolling out the national AI-Sana programme to build an education ecosystem spanning schools, professional training and tech entrepreneurship.

Prime Minister Bektenov concluded by highlighting Kazakhstan’s competitive advantages, including affordable electricity and low latency for high-performance computing systems.

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Microsoft commits $10 billion to Japan’s AI future

Microsoft Corporation announced a $10 billion investment in Japan over four years to expand AI infrastructure and strengthen cybersecurity partnerships with the government. The investment aligns with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s strategy for economic growth through advanced technologies.

The company will collaborate with Japanese firms SoftBank and Sakura Internet to develop domestically-based AI computing capacity, allowing Japanese businesses and government agencies to store sensitive data locally whilst accessing Microsoft Azure services.

Why does it matter?

Microsoft plans to train 1 million engineers and developers by 2030 as part of the initiative to build Japan’s digital workforce in AI and emerging technologies. The investment addresses Japan’s growing demand for cloud and AI services as part of the company’s Asia-wide expansion strategy.

The announcement, made on 3 April, reflects Microsoft’s commitment to supporting Japanese technological advancement whilst maintaining data security. Sakura Internet’s share price jumped 20 percent following the news, signalling strong market confidence in the partnership.

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