According to sources, the Federal Trade Commission is preparing to investigate Microsoft’s cloud computing business over allegations of anti-competitive practices. The probe will focus on claims that Microsoft uses restrictive licensing terms to deter customers from moving data from its Azure cloud service to competitors.
Reportedly, Microsoft has been accused of tactics such as raising subscription fees for departing customers, imposing steep exit charges, and making its Office 365 products incompatible with rival cloud platforms. These practices could potentially leverage the company’s market power in productivity software to stifle competition.
While the FTC declined to comment on the investigation, Microsoft has yet to respond to the allegations. The Financial Times was the first to report on the probe.
The global cryptocurrency market has surged past $3 trillion, fueled by a resurgence in interest following Donald Trump’s recent presidential election win, which many investors believe could usher in favourable US regulations. This milestone marks a new peak, eclipsing even the 2021 boom fueled by pandemic-era investments, as the total market value reached nearly $3.2 trillion in early November, according to CoinGecko. Bitcoin, the market’s leader, hit a record high of $93,480, with other cryptocurrencies like Ether and Dogecoin also seeing significant gains.
Trump’s election and pro-crypto lawmakers in Congress appear to have injected optimism by easing concerns over regulatory uncertainty. Bitcoin has doubled in value this year and jumped 30% since Election Day to $90,000, while Ether rose to $3,220, and Dogecoin gained 140%, supported by endorsements from Trump ally Elon Musk. Institutional interest has also grown, with increased buying in crypto exchange-traded funds hinting at broader adoption from financial entities.
Yet, the overall value of cryptocurrencies remains modest compared to traditional assets like gold or the US stock market. Some segments of the crypto market, such as NFTs, remain subdued. However, industry insiders suggest that sustained high market values could lead to further exploration of blockchain applications, including decentralised finance and real-world asset tokenisation, signalling that crypto’s current momentum might spark broader financial innovations.
Europe’s largest tech company, ASML, projected an annual sales growth of 8% to 14% over the next five years, driven by strong demand for its advanced chip-making tools amid a global boom in AI. ASML’s CEO Christophe Fouquet highlighted the company’s advanced EUV technology as pivotal in meeting the growing AI demand, positioning the firm well for continued profitability.
Ahead of its investor day in the Netherlands, ASML forecasted revenue between €44 billion and €60 billion by 2030, with stable gross margins between 56% and 60%, reassuring analysts who had been concerned by recent earnings shortfalls. The company’s shares rose by 2.6% in early trading, buoyed by its steady outlook on AI-driven growth despite weaker demand in other chip segments.
ASML faces challenges in China, where US and Dutch export restrictions prevent it from selling its most advanced EUV and certain DUV tools. However, ASML continues to supply older DUV models to Chinese buyers, even as China’s share of ASML’s total sales has dropped significantly.
Indonesia‘s top telecom company, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, and tech giant GoTo Gojek Tokopedia launched Sahabat-AI, a new large language model ecosystem designed to support AI-based services in Indonesian languages. This initiative aims to empower local developers to create applications that reflect Indonesia’s diverse languages and cultural nuances.
The Sahabat-AI project is supported by AI Singapore and India’s Tech Mahindra, using Nvidia’s AI Enterprise software and the Nvidia NeMo platform for robust language processing capabilities. Contributions from universities and media groups will further tailor the model to Indonesia’s unique context.
In its initial phase, Sahabat-AI will offer 8-billion and 9-billion parameter models, highlighting Indonesia’s growing AI sector, which has already drawn significant investment interest, including a recent data centre pledge from Microsoft.
London-based startup Tessl has raised $125 million in funding, achieving a valuation exceeding $500 million. Led by founder and CEO Guy Podjarny, the company aims to address challenges in managing software created by both humans and AI. Podjarny, known for his work with Snyk and Akamai, brings deep industry expertise in software security and scalability to this new venture.
Tessl plans to launch its AI-driven platform early next year, designed to simplify code creation and maintenance. The system will enable developers and non-technical team members to provide specifications in natural language or code, with Tessl generating code to meet those requirements. This approach allows users to test and adjust code in a secure sandbox environment before it’s deployed, with the AI automatically identifying and fixing potential issues to keep software running smoothly.
The platform is envisioned as open and adaptable, intended to work alongside other AI coding assistants. This flexibility has attracted significant investor interest, with Index Ventures, Accel, GV, and Boldstart among the backers. Tessl will initially support Java, Javascript, and Python, with plans to expand to more languages over time.
The name ‘Tessl’ reflects its goal of creating a seamless ‘tessellation’ of code, preventing overlaps and inconsistencies that often arise in software development. By streamlining the code lifecycle, Tessl aims to alleviate the increasing complexity in software engineering, particularly as AI-generated code continues to proliferate.
Which? is taking legal action against Apple, alleging the company breached competition law by pressuring customers to use its iCloud service. Which? argues that Apple encouraged users to store their data on iCloud, making it challenging to switch to other providers, and then charged users when they exceeded the free 5GB limit. This practice, they claim, led to overcharges, costing consumers up to £13.36 ($16.98) this year in subscription fees.
Apple denies any wrongdoing, stating customers are not required to use iCloud and often choose third-party alternatives. However, if Which? succeeds, around 40 million Apple customers in the UK who have used iCloud over the last nine years could be entitled to compensation.
Which? CEO Anabel Hoult emphasised that the action aims to secure refunds for consumers, prevent future anti-competitive behaviour, and promote a fairer market. The group plans to file the claim with the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Swisscom has moved a step closer to finalising its €8 billion acquisition of Vodafone Italia after receiving approval from Italy’s communications regulator, AGCOM. The deal, announced in March, aims to merge Vodafone Italia with Swisscom’s Fastweb subsidiary, potentially granting Swisscom a 30% share of Italy’s fixed broadband market. However, the transaction still faces scrutiny from Italy‘s antitrust authority, AGCM, which is conducting a detailed review to assess its impact on competition.
AGCM has expressed concerns that the merger could reduce competition in Italy’s already concentrated broadband market, potentially disadvantaging residential customers. In response, Swisscom has proposed several concessions, including access to Fastweb’s fiber network for competitors and protections for existing wholesale contracts.
Competitors were invited to provide feedback on these concessions by early November, and the AGCM is expected to conclude its review by mid-December. If approved, Swisscom aims to complete the acquisition by early 2025.
FutureMain, Sensoteq, Al Bahlaq Trading, and Colonel have formed a strategic partnership at ADIPEC 2024 to accelerate the global expansion of FutureMain’s ExRBM industrial predictive maintenance solution, particularly in the Middle Eastern market. That collaboration integrates Sensoteq’s advanced wireless sensor technology with FutureMain’s AI-powered ExRBM solution, enabling real-time monitoring of equipment conditions and proactive maintenance through precise diagnostics.
As a result, the sensors help detect potential failures early, minimising downtime and reducing maintenance costs. Moreover, Colonel and Al Bahlaq Trading, UAE-based companies with expertise in data development, IoT, and security systems, will support the local implementation and market entry of ExRBM in the region.
By leveraging their extensive networks, they will provide customised solutions that address specific industrial needs. Together, these partnerships aim to improve operational efficiency, enhance equipment reliability, and offer tailored solutions that reduce equipment failures, optimise productivity, and create long-term customer value in the Middle East.
Additionally, the collaboration highlights the tangible benefits that clients will experience, including cost savings and productivity gains. Furthermore, the partnership reaffirms the commitment to advancing technology and expanding global partnerships, ultimately delivering differentiated value to the industrial sector. That will create a stable environment for regional customers to adopt ExRBM effectively and achieve long-term operational improvements.
California’s sole remaining nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, is adopting artificial intelligence to navigate the complex challenges of staying operational. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has partnered with Atomic Canyon, a local startup, to deploy an AI system called Neutron Enterprise. The tool will help manage the plant’s decades-old infrastructure by analysing and organising millions of historical documents, a task critical for meeting federal licensing requirements to keep the facility running for another 20 years.
Located on the coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles in the US, the Diablo Canyon facility was commissioned in 1985 and once slated for closure. However, in 2022, California reversed course to meet its ambitious carbon-reduction targets. The plant’s vice president, Maureen Zawalick, revealed that the facility stores over 9 million records, many originating from outdated formats like microfiche, making data retrieval and management a daunting task.
Using NVIDIA-powered systems, Atomic Canyon’s software can process these archives in natural language, significantly improving document accessibility and usability. According to the startup’s founder, Trey Lauderdale, the AI will streamline data searches, saving time and resources. Over time, the technology may also optimise maintenance schedules, an effort-intensive process that requires careful coordination of the plant’s aging systems.
NatWest Group has prohibited the use of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Skype on company devices in the UK. The decision aims to prevent employees from using unapproved platforms to discuss business matters, enhancing oversight and compliance. These platforms, known for disappearing messages, raise concerns over accountability and record-keeping.
The bank’s updated policy comes as regulatory scrutiny over ‘off-channel’ communications intensifies. UK and US regulators have fined banks billions in recent years for failing to retain such communications. NatWest emphasised that all work-related discussions should occur on approved, retrievable channels to ensure transparency.
The Financial Conduct Authority is reportedly considering a broader investigation into the use of private messaging in UK banks. Beyond banking, similar issues have arisen in government, including the loss of key WhatsApp messages during the UK Covid-19 pandemic, raising questions about accountability in public affairs.
