Alphabet’s self-driving unit, Waymo, has announced plans to expand testing of its autonomous driving technology into over 10 new cities by 2025. The company highlighted successful adaptation of its Waymo Driver system in diverse environments, encouraging this expansion. Current test sites include destinations such as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Tokyo, with new testing set to include San Diego and Las Vegas, among other yet-to-be-revealed locations.
The testing process will begin with manual driving through high-traffic and complex areas, including city centres and freeways. Trained human specialists will oversee the vehicles during this phase. Each city will host fewer than 10 vehicles for several months to collect data and refine the technology. Waymo previously expanded its autonomous ride-hailing service to Miami, Florida, as part of its broader strategy to capture market share in the competitive autonomous vehicle industry.
Waymo’s growth comes as the firm faces heightened scrutiny from regulators following incidents involving autonomous driving systems. In October, the company secured $5.6 billion in funding led by parent company Alphabet, aimed at bolstering its technological advancements and operational expansion.
Google has quietly launched its latest AI model, Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental, through a changelog update for its Gemini chatbot app. The new model, now available to Gemini Advanced subscribers, promises improved accuracy and performance, particularly in coding and mathematics-related tasks.
The release comes as competition in the AI space intensifies, with Chinese startup DeepSeek gaining attention for its high-performing models. Unlike previous Gemini versions, Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental does not support real-time data access and may exhibit unexpected behaviours as it remains in an early preview phase.
Alongside this update, Google has also rolled out its Gemini 2.0 Flash model to all users of the Gemini app. The company continues to iterate rapidly on its AI technology, positioning Gemini as a key player in the evolving AI market.
Apple has announced that its AI suite, Apple Intelligence, will support additional languages starting in April, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese. The update will also introduce localised English versions for India and Singapore, broadening access to the technology beyond its initial US English release.
The expansion follows a December update that brought support for various English dialects, including those used in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. However, Apple has yet to confirm when its AI suite will be available in the EU or mainland China.
CEO Tim Cook also revealed that the next version of Siri, which will feature improved on-screen contextual understanding, is expected to launch in the coming months. The update marks Apple’s latest effort to strengthen its AI ecosystem and compete with rivals in the artificial intelligence space.
Intel has received $2.2 billion in federal grants as part of the US CHIPS and Science Act, supporting its efforts to boost domestic semiconductor production. The funding, awarded by the Department of Commerce, is part of a total $7.86 billion grant announced last November, aimed at expanding Intel’s manufacturing and advanced packaging operations across several states.
While an additional $5.66 billion is still to be disbursed, concerns have emerged over the future of the US CHIPS Act under the Trump administration. A proposed federal funding freeze, currently blocked by a judge, could impact the Commerce Department’s work on semiconductor subsidies. Despite this uncertainty, Intel’s leadership remains optimistic, citing ongoing discussions with the new administration.
Intel executives have expressed confidence in continued government support, highlighting shared goals of strengthening US semiconductor production. The company plans to use the funds to enhance its facilities in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon, reinforcing America’s position in the global chip industry.
ABB is optimistic about the growth of the data centre market despite recent concerns over the rise of energy-efficient AI models such as DeepSeek. The Chinese AI system, which requires fewer chips to run, recently triggered a selloff in tech stocks, raising fears that demand for high-power data centre infrastructure could decline. However, ABB CEO Morten Wierod said key customers have confirmed their investment plans remain unchanged.
The company has benefited significantly from the expansion of data centres, with orders in this segment rising by 23% annually between 2019 and 2023. The sector now accounts for 15% of ABB’s electrification business, up from 8% in 2022. While Wierod declined to give a forecast for 2025, he expressed confidence in continued demand, particularly in China.
ABB sees further opportunities in helping data centres reduce energy consumption. Its technology, including motors and power management systems, can improve efficiency by up to 60%. With AI infrastructure investments accelerating, spurred by a $500 billion commitment from the US government, the company believes the sector will remain a key driver of growth in the coming years.
The US Commerce Department is investigating whether DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company that recently launched a high-performing assistant, has been using US chips in violation of export restrictions. These chips are prohibited from being shipped to China, raising concerns about DeepSeek’s rapid rise in the AI sector. Within days of launching, its app became the most downloaded on Apple’s App Store, contributing to a significant drop in US tech stocks, which lost around $1 trillion in value.
The US has imposed strict limits on the export of advanced AI chips to China, particularly those made by Nvidia. These restrictions aim to prevent China from accessing the most sophisticated AI processors. However, reports suggest that AI chip smuggling from countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and the UAE may be circumventing these measures. DeepSeek has admitted to using Nvidia’s H800 chips, which were legally purchased in 2023, but it is unclear whether it has used other restricted components.
The controversy deepened when Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei commented that DeepSeek’s AI chip fleet likely includes both legal and smuggled chips, some of which were shipped before restrictions were fully enforced. While DeepSeek has claimed to use only the less powerful H20 chips, which are still permitted to be sold to China, the investigation continues whether these practices undermine US efforts to limit China’s access to cutting-edge AI technologies.
Chinese state-backed social media accounts played a key role in amplifying the launch of DeepSeek’s AI models last week, according to an analysis by the firm Graphika. These accounts, including those of Chinese diplomats and media outlets, used platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and Weibo to highlight DeepSeek’s challenge to US dominance in the AI sector. This online activity coincided with a significant drop in US tech stocks, including a record one-day loss for Nvidia, shedding $593 billion in market value.
Graphika’s report suggested that this was part of a broader strategy by China to use AI to enhance its global influence and counter American leadership in critical technological fields. The surge in online discussion about DeepSeek’s AI capabilities was noticeable, especially on X, where it surpassed US rival ChatGPT in downloads from Apple’s app store shortly after its release. DeepSeek’s AI assistant also claimed to have been developed at a much lower cost than US competitors, raising concerns about a potential price war in the sector.
While China celebrates DeepSeek’s advancements as a victory over US efforts to limit its tech growth, the US has raised suspicions about whether the company improperly accessed American technology. The Commerce Department is investigating whether DeepSeek used banned US chips in its models, further intensifying tensions between the two countries over AI and tech competition. Meanwhile, major US companies like Microsoft and Meta continue their AI investments despite the challenges.
India has scrapped import duties on key mobile phone components to support local manufacturing, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the annual budget. The move benefits major firms such as Apple and Xiaomi and is expected to strengthen India‘s position as a global smartphone manufacturing hub. The country has more than doubled its electronics production in six years, reaching $115 billion in 2024, making it the world’s second-largest mobile phone producer.
Key components such as printed circuit board assemblies, camera module parts, and USB cables, which previously faced a 2.5% tax, are now exempt from import duties. The cuts aim to enhance India’s competitiveness against China and Vietnam in the smartphone export market. The Indian IT ministry had previously warned that maintaining high tariffs could cause India to fall behind in the race to attract global companies.
Sitharaman’s budget follows a broader review of India’s customs duty structure to simplify trade and remove tariff inconsistencies. With global trade uncertainty driven by United States President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, India is positioning itself to capitalise on shifts in global supply chains. Experts believe that a more efficient tariff system will encourage further investment in local production and exports.
The Nigerian Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy signed a $10 million MoU with WIOCC to launch fibre-to-home internet connectivity targeting three million homes in the first phase of the project with plans to expand as the rollout progresses.
The government, led by Dr Bosun Tijani, emphasises the importance of digital technology in driving productivity and economic growth, with a goal of building a $1 trillion economy. However, balancing sustainable investment by telecom providers with affordable services for citizens remains a challenge, as highlighted by the recent approval of a tariff hike.
Currently, most Nigerians rely on mobile internet, which lacks the speed and reliability of true high-speed broadband. The fibre-to-home project seeks to address this gap, creating a more connected environment that supports individuals, businesses, and institutions. By improving internet infrastructure nationwide, the initiative aims to foster a more inclusive digital economy, ensuring that more Nigerians benefit from the opportunities offered by high-speed internet.
Why does it matter?
In the long term, the project is designed to scale up, with additional capital being raised and invested to connect more people across Nigeria. As the initiative evolves, it will re-evaluate its targets and expand its reach, ensuring that high-speed broadband becomes accessible to a larger portion of the population.
That effort aligns with the government’s vision of making connectivity a cornerstone of economic development, supporting small businesses and enabling Nigerians to stay connected both at home and on the go. Through this partnership, Nigeria is taking a critical step toward transforming its digital landscape and achieving its economic goals.
Germany’s SAP is seeing increasing global demand for software that helps companies manage and document sustainability efforts, despite weakening climate protection targets in the US. SAP’s CFO, Dominik Asam, stated that the need for reliable sustainability data and analysis tools will remain strong, especially with growing investor focus on the issue. This comes as the US formally announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, a decision set to take effect in January 2026.
Despite the shifting political landscape, Asam remains optimistic about the future of sustainability initiatives. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, he spoke with many investors who continue to show strong interest in sustainability efforts. SAP is focusing on its Green Ledger software, which aims to make sustainability reporting as verifiable as financial reporting. This will become a requirement under the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in 2028.
While currently used mainly by SAP and chemical company Covestro, the software is expected to see broader adoption. Asam anticipates a surge in contracts in the latter half of this year, highlighting the growing importance of sustainability reporting for businesses worldwide.
