Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Anthropic have announced new strategic partnerships to expand access to Anthropic’s rapidly growing Claude AI models. Claude will scale on Microsoft Azure with NVIDIA support, offering enterprise customers broader model choices and enhanced capabilities.
Anthropic has committed to purchase $30 billion of Azure compute capacity and additional capacity up to one gigawatt. NVIDIA and Anthropic will optimise Claude models for performance, efficiency, and cost, while aligning future NVIDIA architectures with Anthropic workloads.
The partnerships also extend Claude access across Microsoft Foundry, including frontier models like Claude Sonnet 4.5, Claude Opus 4.1, and Claude Haiku 4.5.
Microsoft Copilot products, including GitHub Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Copilot Studio, will continue to feature Claude capabilities, providing enterprise users with integrated AI tools.
Microsoft and NVIDIA have committed $5 billion and $10 billion respectively to support Anthropic’s growth. The partnership makes Claude the only frontier AI model on all three top cloud platforms, boosting enterprise AI adoption and innovation.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
AI systems are increasingly becoming the primary source of global information, yet they rely heavily on datasets dominated by Western languages and institutions.
Such reliance creates significant blind spots that threaten to erase centuries of indigenous wisdom and local traditions not currently found in digital archives.
Dominant language models often overlook oral histories and regional practices, including specific ecological knowledge essential for sustainable living in tropical climates.
Experts warn of a looming ‘knowledge collapse’ where alternative viewpoints fade away simply because they are statistically less prevalent in training data.
Future generations may find themselves disconnected from vital human insights as algorithms reinforce a homogenised worldview through recursive feedback loops.
Preserving diverse epistemologies remains crucial for addressing global challenges, such as the climate crisis, rather than relying solely on Silicon Valley’s version of intelligence.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
ZTE has won the Best Mobile/5G Service Innovation award at the 2025 Global Connectivity Awards for its work on Malaysia’s CelcomDigi dual-network convergence. The project integrates network assets across four regions and six operators, marking the largest deployment of its kind in the country.
The company introduced an intelligent, integrated, and connected management model built on big-data platforms for site deployment, optimisation, and value analysis. Eight smart tools support planning, commissioning, and operations, enabling end-to-end oversight of project delivery and performance.
Phase-one results show a 15 percent rise in coverage, 25 percent faster downloads, higher traffic, and a more than 60 percent reduction in complaints. ZTE also deployed AI-based energy-saving systems to reduce emissions and advance sustainability goals across the network.
The project incorporates talent-building measures by prioritising localisation and working with Malaysian universities. ZTE says this approach supports long-term sector resilience alongside near-term performance gains.
CAPACITY’s Global Connectivity Awards, held in Malaysia, evaluate innovation, execution, and industry impact. ZTE states that it will continue to develop new project management models and partner globally to build more efficient, intelligent, and sustainable communications networks.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Massive new data centres, built to power the AI industry, are being blamed for a dramatic rise in electricity costs across the US. Residential utility bills in states with high concentrations of these facilities, such as Virginia and Illinois, are surging far beyond the national average.
The escalating energy demand has caused a major capacity crisis on large grids like the PJM Interconnection, with data centre load identified as the primary reason for a multi-billion pound spike in future power costs. These extraordinary increases are being passed directly to consumers, making affordability a central issue for politicians ahead of upcoming elections.
Lawmakers are now targeting tech companies and AI labs, promising to challenge what they describe as ‘sweetheart deals’ and to make the firms contribute more to the infrastructure they rely upon.
Although rising costs are also attributed to an ageing grid and inflation, experts warn that utility bills are unlikely to decrease this decade due to the unprecedented demand from rapid data centre expansion.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
A landmark partnership between ALX, Anthropic, and the Government of Rwanda has launched a major AI learning initiative across Africa.
The program introduces ‘Chidi’, an AI-powered learning companion built on Anthropic’s Claude model. Instead of providing direct answers, the system is designed to guide learners through critical thinking and problem-solving, positioning African talent at the centre of global tech innovation.
An initiative, described as one of the largest AI-enhanced education deployments on the continent, that will see Chidi integrated into Rwanda’s public education system. A pilot phase will involve up to 2,000 educators and select civil servants.
According to the partners, the collaboration aims to ensure Africa’s youth become creators of AI technology instead of remaining merely consumers of it.
A three-way collaboration that unites ALX’s training infrastructure, Anthropic’s AI technology, and Rwanda’s progressive digital policy. The working group, the researchers noted, will document insights to inform Rwanda’s national AI policy.
The initiative sets a new standard for inclusive, AI-powered learning, with Rwanda serving as a launch hub for future deployments across the continent.
Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
HTX has signed a new memorandum of understanding with France’s Mistral AI to accelerate joint research on large language and multimodal models for public safety. The partnership will expand into embodied AI, video analytics, cybersecurity, and automated fire safety systems.
The deal builds on earlier work co-developing Phoenix, HTX’s internal LLM series, and a Home Team safety benchmark for evaluating model behaviour. The organisations will now collaborate on specialised models for robots, surveillance platforms, and cyber defence tools.
Planned capabilities include natural-language control of robotic systems, autonomous navigation in unfamiliar environments, and object retrieval. Video AI tools will support predictive tracking and proactive crime alerts across multiple feeds.
Cybersecurity applications include automated architecture reviews and on-demand vulnerability testing. Fire safety tools will use multimodal comprehension to analyse architectural plans and flag compliance issues without manual checks.
The partnership forms part of the HTxAI movement, which aims to strengthen Home Team AI capacity through research collaborations with industry and academia. Mistral’s flagship models, Mistral Medium 3.1 and Magistral, are currently among the top performers in multilingual and multimodal benchmarks.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
A new study led by Yale University confirmed that Abridge’s ambient AI scribe significantly reduces burnout for medical professionals. Clinicians who used the documentation technology experienced a sharp decline in burnout rates over the first thirty days of use.
AI may offer a scalable solution to administrative demands faced by practitioners nationwide. The quality study, published in ‘Jama Network Open’, examined 263 practitioners across six different healthcare systems.
Burnout rates dropped from 51.9 percent to 38.8 percent after the one-month intervention programme. Secondary analysis showed the AI scribes reduced the odds of burnout by a substantial seventy-four percent.
The ambient AI scribe also led to substantial improvements in the clinicians’ cognitive task load. Practitioners reported they were better able to give undivided attention to patients during their clinical consultations.
High documentation demands are increasing clinician attrition, whilst physician shortages multiply across the sector. Reducing the burdensome administrative load is now critical for maintaining quality patient care and professional well-being.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron will host a Berlin summit to reduce Europe’s reliance on US tech platforms and to shape a more independent EU digital strategy. The meeting coincides with planned revisions to EU AI and data rules.
The push for digital independence reflects growing concern that Europe risks falling behind the US in strategic technologies. Leaders argue that regulatory changes must support competitiveness while maintaining core privacy and safety principles.
Germany is also hosting a two-day European security conference in Berlin, featuring German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. The parallel agendas highlight how digital strategy and geopolitical security are increasingly linked in EU policy debates.
The German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, has meanwhile backed the EU enlargement in the Western Balkans during a visit to Montenegro, signalling continued geopolitical outreach alongside internal reforms.
The Berlin discussions are expected to shape Europe’s stance ahead of upcoming AI and data proposals, setting the tone for broader talks on industrial policy, technology sovereignty, and regional security.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
The UK is harnessing AI to combat the growing threat of drug-resistant infections, a crisis often called ‘the silent pandemic’. The Fleming Initiative and GSK will invest £45m in AI research to speed up new antibiotics and combat deadly bacteria and fungi.
The project targets Gram-negative bacteria, such as E. coli and Klebsiella, which resist treatment due to their protective outer layers. Researchers will test different molecules and use AI to identify which can penetrate and persist in these bacteria.
The goal is to shorten years of laboratory work into rapid computational predictions that guide the design of effective antibiotics.
AI will predict how resistant infections emerge and spread, helping scientists anticipate threats early. The initiative will also target deadly fungal infections, such as Aspergillus, which threaten people with weakened immune systems.
Experts hope the approach can outpace bacterial evolution and reduce the human toll from untreatable infections. Fleming Initiative director Alison Holmes emphasised the vital role of antibiotics in modern medicine and warned that overuse has squandered this critical resource.
Tony Wood, GSK’s chief scientific officer, said the project will open new avenues for discovering antibiotics while anticipating resistance, transforming the treatment and prevention of serious infections worldwide.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
Bitcoin has slipped into negative territory for the year after a sharp retreat that pushed the price below $90,000 for the first time in seven months. The cryptocurrency has now fallen more than 28% from its peak above $126,000, erasing over $600 billion in market value.
Investors have been rotating out of speculative assets, with concerns around potential Federal Reserve decisions adding to the risk-off sentiment.
Market analysts note that long-term holders have been taking profits following the extraordinary rally that carried Bitcoin to new records in October. Uncertainty around monetary policy, tightening liquidity, and broader macroeconomic pressures have fuelled the downturn.
The impact of the October flash crash, triggered by renewed US-China trade tensions, continues to weigh heavily as thinner order books leave Bitcoin more vulnerable to abrupt price swings.
Bitcoin had rallied strongly throughout the year, supported by optimism over pro-crypto policies under President Donald Trump and the rollout of new digital-asset regulations. Yet the cryptocurrency has now surrendered its gains, underperforming major benchmarks such as the S&P 500 and gold.
Analysts say the market is approaching a pivotal moment, with some fearing a deeper reset while others view the current consolidation as an opportunity for strategic accumulation.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
