Japan’s Fair Trade Commission has raided Amazon Japan over allegations of anti-monopoly violations. The company is suspected of pressuring sellers to reduce prices in exchange for favourable product placement on its e-commerce platform, a government source revealed.
The investigation comes amid growing global scrutiny of Amazon’s practices. In Europe, regulators are preparing a case to examine whether Amazon favours its branded products on its marketplace under new antitrust rules.
This is not the first time Amazon Japan has faced such scrutiny. In 2018, authorities accused it of shifting discount costs onto suppliers. The case was resolved after Amazon agreed to improve its business practices, but the latest allegations suggest ongoing concerns about its market conduct.
IMAX is adopting AI technology to bring its original content to more global audiences. The company has partnered with Dubai-based Camb.ai to use advanced speech and translation models for content localisation. With non-English content growing in popularity, including in English-speaking markets, the initiative aims to increase accessibility and reduce costs.
Camb.ai’s AI platform, DubStudio, supports over 140 languages, including lesser-known ones. Its specialised models, Boli and Mars, ensure accurate text-to-speech translations while preserving nuances like background audio and tone. The startup’s technology has been previously deployed for live events like the Australian Open and Eurovision Sport, showcasing its ability to handle high-pressure scenarios.
IMAX plans a phased rollout of the AI localisation, starting with widely spoken languages. Early tests of Camb.ai’s technology on IMAX’s original documentaries proved promising. The company expects the collaboration to reduce translation expenses while boosting the global appeal of its immersive experiences.
Camb.ai, founded by former Apple engineer Akshat Prakash and his father, recently raised $4 million and is securing additional funding to expand its team and operations. The startup avoids controversial data scraping methods, relying instead on ethically licensed datasets and input from early partners, positioning itself as a reliable choice for AI-driven content solutions.
Phantom, a leading crypto wallet, has expanded its multi-chain functionality by introducing support for Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum-based Layer 2 blockchain. The integration, now fully released after its beta phase, allows users to seamlessly access Base’s ecosystem. Phantom wallet users can now purchase ether and USDC on Base, as well as swap tokens across Base, Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon.
Initially developed as a Solana-exclusive wallet, Phantom transitioned into a multi-chain platform in May 2023 by adding support for Ethereum and Polygon. Co-founder and CEO Brandon Millman has stated that cross-chain interoperability is essential to the future of digital asset management. The company remains committed to providing its users with streamlined tools for navigating and transacting across multiple blockchain networks.
Base has emerged as the largest Layer 2 blockchain in terms of total value locked (TVL), currently holding $3.4 billion. It surpasses competitors such as Arbitrum, which has a TVL of $3 billion. Despite trailing major Layer 1 blockchains like Ethereum, Solana, and Bitcoin, Base ranks sixth overall in the blockchain network hierarchy. Its inclusion in Phantom’s portfolio further cements the wallet’s position as a versatile platform in the crypto space.
Google has announced further changes to its search results in Europe in response to complaints from smaller competitors and looming EU antitrust charges under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The tech giant has faced criticism from price-comparison sites, hotels, and small retailers over a 30% drop in direct booking clicks caused by earlier search tweaks.
The DMA, introduced last year to curb Big Tech dominance, prohibits Google from favouring its services. To comply, Google plans to offer expanded and uniformly formatted options for users to choose between comparison sites and supplier websites, along with new ad formats and tools for competitors to display prices and images.
As part of a test in Germany, Belgium, and Estonia, Google will temporarily remove hotel location maps and associated results to assess user interest in a simpler “ten blue links” layout. While reluctant to cut features, Google says these measures aim to strike a balance between user needs and regulatory requirements.
The European Commission has been scrutinising Google since March, with DMA violations carrying potential fines of up to 10% of global annual revenue. Google’s compliance efforts reflect its attempt to navigate the demands of regulators and rival businesses while maintaining its services’ usability.
Huawei has launched its Mate 70 smartphone series, signalling a major step in its comeback to premium devices while showcasing HarmonyOS NEXT, its Android-free operating system. Priced from 5,499 yuan ($758), the Mate 70 challenges Apple’s iPhone 16 in China, boasting features like satellite paging, an advanced processor, and a 40% performance boost over previous models.
HarmonyOS NEXT represents Huawei’s bid for software independence after US export restrictions cut off access to Google services. The company announced that all new devices starting in 2025 will run the new system, while current Mate 70 users can choose between HarmonyOS 4.3 (Android-compatible) and the new HarmonyOS NEXT 5.0. Despite this shift, Huawei has retained Android compatibility as a backup while growing its app ecosystem, which already includes 15,000 applications.
The Mate 70 also highlights China’s advancing chipmaking capabilities, reportedly featuring SMIC-produced Kirin 9100 processors in higher-end models. This achievement underscores Huawei’s resilience despite ongoing US export controls and the addition of Chinese firms to trade blacklists. Huawei’s rebound is reflected in its rising market share, now ranked as China’s second-largest smartphone vendor with over 10 million units shipped in recent quarters.
The launch of the Mate 70 marks Huawei’s increasing competition with Apple and other global players in the world’s largest smartphone market, fueled by patriotic support for its technological breakthroughs.
Bernard Looney, the former CEO of BP, has been named chair of Prometheus Hyperscale, a US-based data infrastructure company. Looney, who stepped down from BP in 2023 after not fully disclosing details of past relationships with colleagues, will now oversee the strategic growth of the company. Prometheus Hyperscale is focused on advancing data center infrastructure to meet growing technological demands.
In his new role, Looney will support the development of the US-based Prometheus’s $10B data center project in Evanston, Wyoming. The company emphasised that his leadership will be critical in shaping its long-term goals in the rapidly evolving data-driven industry.
Prometheus Hyperscale has already made strides in innovation, partnering with Oklo, a nuclear energy company backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Looney described the opportunity as an exciting new chapter, expressing optimism about contributing to the data infrastructure sector after his tenure at BP.
Samsung R&D Institute, Noida (SRI-Noida), and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have entered into a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive innovation in critical areas such as AI, digital health, and other emerging technologies. That collaboration highlights Samsung’s commitment to strengthening industry-academia ties for technological advancements.
The MoU establishes a framework for joint research projects, where IIT Bombay students and faculty will collaborate with Samsung engineers. This initiative enhances students’ industry readiness and facilitates the publication of joint research papers, promoting knowledge sharing that will accelerate technological progress and industry-aligned innovation.
In addition to research collaboration, the partnership offers specialised training and certification programs for Samsung engineers in cutting-edge fields like AI and digital health. This expertise exchange ensures that academia and industry professionals benefit from the partnership.
Through this partnership, Samsung and IIT Bombay aim to foster innovation and push the boundaries of next-generation technologies. By combining industry expertise and academic knowledge, the collaboration seeks to inspire future breakthroughs and set the foundation for sustained technological progress.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has partnered with TikTok under the ‘Safer Together’ initiative to enhance digital safety and literacy in Nigeria. That collaboration, announced at the TikTok Online Safety and Digital Awareness Programme in Abuja, reflects Nigeria’s leadership in Africa’s digital transformation, supported by a growing tech ecosystem and increasing connectivity.
The partnership addresses key challenges such as misinformation, cyberbullying, and digital exploitation while aligning with NITDA’s regulatory framework, emphasising awareness, innovation, and inclusivity. NITDA aims to achieve 70% digital literacy by 2027, fostering digital inclusion and empowering youth to drive the country’s digital economy. TikTok’s safety features, including screen time management and anti-bullying tools, are integral to educating parents, teachers, and stakeholders on safe and responsible digital practices.
The programme highlights the importance of collective efforts in creating a secure digital environment, requiring collaboration between the government, private sector, and civil society. Through initiatives like this, the partnership aims to inspire creativity, build trust, and shape positive digital experiences for millions in Nigeria while addressing the risks associated with technological advancement.
Saab, Thales, and ST Engineering have formed a strategic partnership to advance Singapore’s Air Traffic Management (ATM) infrastructure. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on 20 November during the Sweden–Singapore Royal Business Forum, focuses on modernising and innovating Singapore’s ATM system. The collaboration will integrate global technologies with local expertise to support ATM operations from en route services to gate management.
The partnership’s key contribution is Saab’s fully integrated Digital Tower Suite (i-DTS), which combines Advanced Surface Movement Guidance & Control Systems (ASMGCS) with Digital Tower functionality. That integration enhances situational awareness for airport controllers, allowing them to manage traffic effectively in all weather and visibility conditions, from any location. The collaboration aims to set a new global standard for ATM and may extend to other regions worldwide.
A groundbreaking AI model was introduced by Nvidia, showcasing advanced capabilities in audio and music generation. Known as Fugatto, the model can create novel sounds, modify voices, and even transform existing audio. Unlike other AI tools, it can take a piano melody and convert it into a human voice or adjust accents and emotional tones in spoken recordings.
Fugatto builds on generative AI’s potential to reshape creative industries like music, film, and gaming. Nvidia’s vice president of applied deep learning, Bryan Catanzaro, highlighted how computers have already revolutionised music through synthesizers, suggesting AI will usher in even greater innovation. While promising, the technology is not yet slated for public release due to concerns over ethical misuse and potential copyright issues.
The model was developed using open-source data and joins a growing trend of tools from companies like Meta and Runway, which also generate audio and video from text prompts. Nvidia’s innovation stands out for its focus on transforming existing recordings into entirely new formats, a feature that could significantly enhance creative possibilities.
Generative AI remains under scrutiny as industry leaders grapple with ethical concerns. The entertainment industry, already wary after disputes involving voice imitation, is debating how to integrate such technologies responsibly. Nvidia and others have acknowledged the risks of misuse, prompting a cautious approach to public rollouts.
