The competition between Elon Musk and Mukesh Ambani is intensifying as they vie for dominance in India’s emerging satellite broadband market. After India’s government decided to allocate satellite spectrum administratively, rather than through auction, the stage is set for a fierce battle. Musk’s Starlink, which uses low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, is poised to enter the Indian market, while Ambani’s Reliance Jio has already partnered with Luxembourg-based SES, utilising medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites.
The stakes are high as satellite broadband promises to bring internet access to remote areas of India, helping to bridge the country’s digital divide. Both billionaires have taken opposing views on how the spectrum should be allocated, with Ambani pushing for an auction, while Musk argues for the administrative model, aligning with international standards. India’s telecom regulator has yet to announce spectrum pricing, but projections indicate that satellite internet could reach two million subscribers by 2025.
This rivalry underscores the vast potential of the Indian market, where nearly 40% of the population still lacks internet access. Both Musk and Ambani are vying to capture this untapped segment, but pricing will be critical, especially in a country where mobile data is among the cheapest globally. Analysts predict a price war, with Musk’s deep pockets potentially giving Starlink a competitive edge, though challenges remain due to Starlink’s higher costs compared to local providers.
A group of major tech companies, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon, has proposed new terms for how data centres in Ohio should pay for their energy needs. This comes in response to a previous proposal by AEP Ohio that required pre-payments from data centres and cryptocurrency miners due to their large electricity demands.
Ohio has experienced a surge in power requests from data centres as tech companies expand their infrastructure for technologies like generative AI. AEP Ohio paused new data centre contracts, citing the overwhelming number of requests. The state’s power industry now faces regulatory battles that may shape how future energy demands are managed across the US.
Several companies, including power suppliers like Constellation Energy and One Energy Enterprises, initially opposed AEP’s proposal. They have now offered an alternative, suggesting a broader application of AEP’s rules to include industries requiring over 50 megawatts of power at one site. This proposal aims to modify when new customers would have to cover costs like transmission upgrades.
Any settlement between Big Tech and the power companies would need approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which will play a crucial role in the outcome of this energy dispute.
The future of the .io domain may be uncertain following a new treaty in which the UK agreed to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territory, to Mauritius. The .io domain, widely used by tech startups and cryptocurrency platforms, originates from this territory, and the transfer of sovereignty calls into question whether the domain will remain in use.
The .io domain was assigned to the Chagos Islands in 1997, though the British government collected some of the revenue from its sales, much to the surprise of the Chagossian people, who were forcibly displaced in the 1960s to make way for a US military base. Now that the UK has agreed to give up the islands, it’s unclear if the domain will continue or be retired, as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) typically phases out country code domains after political changes.
While no official decision has been made regarding the .io domain, its potential retirement follows precedents set with domains like .yu, which was phased out after Yugoslavia’s breakup. The .io domain’s future remains in limbo as Mauritius takes control of the Chagos Islands.
American Water, a major US utility, has disconnected parts of its computer network following a cybersecurity incident. The company, which serves over 14 million people, paused billing and customer service as a precaution.
The utility detected unauthorised activity on its systems on 3rd October, prompting the immediate disconnection of several systems. This step was taken to safeguard customer data and prevent potential damage to the environment.
Based in New Jersey, American Water has not yet provided further details about the nature of the breach. However, the US has faced numerous cyberattacks in recent years, often from criminals seeking cryptocurrency ransoms.
At the 79th annual UN General Assembly, 18 nations, including the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, and several Pacific nations, endorsed a joint statement addressing the security and resilience of undersea cable infrastructure. The statement highlights the indispensable role of these cables and underscores the pressing need to safeguard them against emerging threats, both natural and manufactured.
Earlier this year, undersea data cables in the Red Sea reportedly were damaged, and large parts of West and Central Africa were left without internet services in March 2024 because of failures on four of the fibre optic cables that run below the world’s ocean. The joint statement begins by acknowledging communications networks’ central role in modern society, with undersea cables being critical infrastructure for global data transmission.
The nations stress that the rapid expansion of undersea cable networks has led to greater interdependence among countries, making the protection of this infrastructure a priority. They advocate for adopting policies to ensure that the infrastructure remains efficient, secure, resilient, and redundant to mitigate risks posed by its vulnerability.
The joint statement outlines key principles for a unified global approach to securing undersea cable infrastructure, focusing on building resilient and secure systems while incorporating cybersecurity best practices. Nations highlighted the importance of promoting secure cable providers, improving government-industry coordination, providing transparent ownership, and emphasising careful planning to prevent disruptions. Additionally, they outlined the need to consider regular risk assessments and compliance with international laws.
Google has restricted the creation of new accounts for Russian users, according to Russia‘s digital ministry. The move follows mounting pressure on the tech giant over its failure to remove content deemed illegal by Moscow and for blocking Russian media channels on YouTube following the invasion of Ukraine. Telecom operators have also reported a sharp decline in the number of SMS messages sent by Google to Russian users.
The digital ministry warned there is no guarantee that two-factor authentication SMS confirmations will continue functioning for Google services. It advised users to back up their data and consider alternative authentication methods or domestic platforms. Google had already deactivated AdSense accounts in Russia in August and halted serving ads in the country in March 2022.
Google has blocked over 1,000 YouTube channels linked to state-sponsored Russian media, as well as more than 5.5 million videos. Slower speeds on YouTube in Russia have been recorded recently, with Russian lawmakers blaming the issue on Google’s equipment, a claim the company disputes.
America’s Three Mile Island energy plant, infamous for the worst nuclear accident in US history, is preparing to reopen after Microsoft signed a 20-year deal to purchase power from the facility. The plant is scheduled to restart in 2028 following upgrades and will supply clean energy to support Microsoft’s growing data centres, especially those focused on AI. The agreement is pending regulatory approval.
Constellation Energy, the plant owner, confirmed that the reactor set to restart is separate from the unit involved in the 1979 accident, which, while not fatal, created significant public fear surrounding nuclear power. This deal represents a revival of interest in atomic energy, driven by increasing concerns about climate change and rising energy needs. The CEO of Constellation described this move as a “rebirth” of nuclear power, highlighting its potential as a dependable source of carbon-free energy.
The plant’s reopening is projected to create 3,400 jobs and add over 800 megawatts of carbon-free electricity to the grid, driving significant economic activity. Although the revival has faced some protests, it underscores a growing trend among tech companies, with Amazon also exploring nuclear energy to meet its expanding energy demands.
In 2024, the storage market is seeing notable advancements, especially in NAND flash technology, as key players like Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix innovate to meet rising demands. Samsung has recently begun mass production of its 9th generation QLC V-NAND, boasting impressive enhancements in bit density and performance. This new model improves data retention and significantly lowers power consumption, addressing the growing need for efficient storage solutions in AI applications. Micron and SK Hynix are also pushing forward with their high-performance SSDs, reflecting a broader trend toward optimising storage for increased data demands.
Micron and SK Hynix are advancing their storage solutions as well, with Micron’s latest SSDs featuring 9th-generation TLC NAND technology that delivers impressive data transfer speeds. Meanwhile, SK Hynix is developing high-performance SSDs tailored for data centres. As the demand for storage continues to surge due to AI applications, there is a growing preference for higher-capacity SSDs, leading manufacturers to prioritise both TLC and QLC technologies in their offerings. This shift reflects the industry’s response to the increasing need for efficient and powerful storage solutions.
Market research forecasts that the demand for AI-related SSDs will surpass 45 exabytes in 2024, with the share of AI SSDs in the NAND flash market expected to grow significantly. Despite facing challenges in the PC and smartphone sectors, NAND flash revenue has risen, driven by strong demand from the AI industry. As companies ramp up production capacity, they are well-positioned to meet the increasing needs of data centres and AI applications. This trend underscores a transformative period for the NAND flash market, reflecting its critical role in supporting advancements in technology.
Lenovo has announced plans to begin manufacturing AI servers at its plant in Puducherry, southern India, and has opened an AI-focused research and development lab in Bengaluru. The company intends to produce 50,000 AI rack servers and 2,400 GPU servers annually, designed for machine learning and other resource-intensive tasks.
These servers will not only serve local demand but also be exported, according to Amar Babu, Lenovo’s Asia Pacific president. Although no specific investment or hiring targets were disclosed, Lenovo already manufactures laptops, notebooks, and personal computers at the Puducherry plant.
The demand for AI chips has surged following the rise of generative AI in late 2023, with AI hardware expected to capture 12% of the global AI market by 2027. Lenovo, which now earns nearly half its revenue from non-PC businesses, is joining other tech giants like Apple and Dell in boosting production in India, partly to reduce reliance on China.
India has attracted global companies with manufacturing incentives, although Lenovo’s AI server production is not tied to any such scheme. However, its collaboration with Dixon Technologies on PC and Motorola phone production does benefit from these incentives.
Slack is undergoing a major transformation as it integrates AI features into its platform, aiming to evolve from a simple messaging service to a ‘work operating system.’ CEO Denise Dresser said Slack will now serve as a hub for AI applications from companies like Salesforce, Adobe, and Anthropic. New, pricier features include AI-generated summaries of conversations and the ability to interact with AI agents for tasks such as data analysis, web searches, and image generation.
This shift follows Salesforce’s 2021 acquisition of Slack and its broader move toward AI-driven solutions. Slack’s AI integration seeks to enhance productivity by offering tools to catch up on team discussions, analyse business data, and create branded content, all within the chat environment. However, questions remain about whether users will embrace and pay for these premium features and how this change aligns with Slack’s core identity as a workplace communication tool.
Concerns around data privacy have also surfaced as Slack leans further into AI. The company faced criticism earlier this year for handling customer data, which was used for training purposes, but maintains that it does not use user messages to train its AI models. As Slack continues integrating AI, it must address growing scepticism around managing and safeguarding data.
