Arm Holdings, owned by SoftBank, recently considered acquiring UK-based semiconductor IP supplier Alphawave to bolster its artificial intelligence processor technology.
The focus was on Alphawave’s ‘serdes’ technology, essential for rapid data transfer in AI applications requiring interconnected chips.
Despite initial discussions, Arm decided against pursuing the acquisition. Alphawave had been exploring a sale after attracting interest from Arm and other potential buyers.
Alphawave’s joint venture in China, WiseWave, added complexity to the potential deal due to national security concerns raised by US officials.
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Guangdong is stepping up efforts to become a world leader in AI and robotics by offering generous subsidies to attract start-ups and top tech talent.
The province will grant up to 50 million yuan to major AI manufacturing hubs and millions more to smaller firms and developers.
Officials also plan to fund five open-source communities and ten industrial applications of AI each year, with up to 8 million yuan in support for each.
Local tech giants like Huawei and Tencent are expected to play a key role in the ecosystem.
The move follows the rise of AI firm DeepSeek in neighbouring province of China, Zhejiang, whose founder hails from Guangdong.
The government hopes to replicate that success at home by turning the region into a centre for innovation and global competitiveness.
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Hut 8 Corp. has unveiled the launch of American Bitcoin Corp., a new venture focused on large-scale Bitcoin mining. The venture is in collaboration with Eric and Donald Trump Jr.
The goal is to become the largest and most efficient pure-play Bitcoin miner, while also establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve. It marks a significant shift in Hut 8’s operations as it transfers most of its ASIC miners to American Bitcoin.
American Bitcoin is now the sole operator of Hut 8’s Bitcoin mining activities. Hut 8 remains serving as the exclusive partner for infrastructure and operations. The reorganisation is designed to support long-term growth.
The leadership of American Bitcoin includes Mike Ho as Executive Chairman, Matt Prusak as CEO, and Eric Trump as Chief Strategy Officer. Hut 8 will provide critical services such as ASIC colocation and managed services.
The partnership aims to significantly strengthen both companies’ positions in the rapidly growing Bitcoin sector.
Mati Greenspan, CFO of Quantum Expeditions, highlighted the significance of the Trump family’s involvement. He noted that it signals strong potential for investment in Bitcoin infrastructure.
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Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has emerged as the world’s fastest-growing AI tool, surpassing ChatGPT in new monthly website visits. In February alone, it recorded over 524 million fresh visits, edging past ChatGPT’s 500 million, according to analytics platform aitools.xyz.
Though still third overall behind ChatGPT and Canva in total traffic, DeepSeek’s market share rose sharply to 6.58%, with 792.6 million visits and 136.5 million unique users. India played a significant role, ranking fourth in traffic contribution with over 43 million monthly visits.
The report shows DeepSeek now holds over 12% of the global chatbot market. With the AI industry seeing more than 12 billion visits and 3 billion unique users last month, the rapid rise of DeepSeek signals intensifying competition in the AI space.
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Google has made its powerful Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model available to free users for the first time. Previously reserved for subscribers, the experimental version is now accessible via the Gemini app, web platform, and AI Studio.
The model is designed to handle complex prompts, showcase advanced reasoning, and assist with coding tasks. It performs strongly in maths and science benchmarks, and even created a working video game from just one line of text in a demo.
Though still experimental, Gemini 2.5 Pro supports tools like file uploads and app extensions. Users can also see how it breaks down a request before replying, offering deeper insight into the through process of the AI.
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TikTok is expanding its e-commerce push by launching TikTok Shop in France, Germany and Italy. Already active in Spain and Ireland, the feature allows users to buy products directly within the app via videos, livestreams and a dedicated shop tab.
Customers can now browse, order, and get personalised product suggestions without leaving TikTok. However, users under 18 won’t be able to access content linked to TikTok Shop, with the platform promising stricter moderation.
The move has sparked concern among French retailers, with trade groups calling on the government to act against what they see as unfair competition from platforms like TikTok, Shein and Temu. Lawmakers are also investigating TikTok’s impact on young users.
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Apple has been fined €150 million ($162.42 million) by French antitrust regulators for allegedly abusing its dominant position in mobile app advertising between 2021 and 2023. The fine is the first to be imposed on Apple over its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool.
While the tool, which allows iPhone and iPad users to control app tracking, is not criticised itself, the French competition watchdog claimed its implementation was excessive and not proportional to its goal of protecting personal data.
The French regulators stated that ATT particularly harmed smaller publishers, who rely heavily on third-party data for their business. Despite the fine, Apple was not required to modify the ATT tool.
The decision follows complaints from online advertisers, publishers, and internet networks, who accused Apple of misusing its market power. Apple expressed disappointment with the fine but noted that no changes to the tool were mandated.
The fine comes after a €1.8 billion penalty last year from the EU, which accused Apple of restricting music streaming competitors. Additionally, the German antitrust agency has launched a probe into Apple for allegedly giving itself preferential treatment with the same privacy tool.
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The US is just days away from imposing a ban on TikTok unless a deal is struck with its Chinese parent company ByteDance. The ban, set to take effect on Saturday, would affect 170 million American users of the popular app.
However, President Donald Trump has expressed confidence that an agreement will be reached in time. He extended the deadline from January to April 5 to give ByteDance more time to find a non-Chinese buyer for TikTok’s US operations.
Trump mentioned that there is significant interest from potential buyers, with private equity firm Blackstone reportedly evaluating a minority investment in TikTok’s US business.
The discussions are centred on ByteDance’s existing non-Chinese shareholders, including Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic. Washington’s main concern is that TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance allows the Chinese government to potentially influence the app and collect data on Americans.
Despite the pressure, TikTok has yet to comment on the situation. If no agreement is reached by the deadline, TikTok faces the risk of being banned, though the app would remain on users’ devices if already installed. However, new users would not be able to download it.
The app is already banned in countries like India over similar national security concerns.
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BlackRock’s launch of its European Bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) is considered a major moment in Bitcoin’s global adoption. Analysts, however, expect more modest inflows compared to its US counterpart.
The iShares Bitcoin ETP began trading on 25 March on Xetra, Euronext Amsterdam, and Euronext Paris, allowing European investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin.
Bitfinex analysts noted that the product is unlikely to mirror the success of the US-based iShares Bitcoin Trust exchange-traded fund (ETF). They pointed out that the US ETFs benefited from institutional demand and a larger capital market.
BlackRock’s global reputation and substantial assets under management may drive further interest in Bitcoin investment products across Europe.
Despite expectations of lower inflows, the company’s presence in the market may lead to long-term success. As regulatory clarity improves, more institutional capital may enter the crypto space.
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The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has proposed that insurance firms must fully back their cryptocurrency holdings with capital. The recommendations are intended to address the ‘inherent risks and high volatility’ associated with digital assets.
EIOPA presented four regulatory options, with its preferred choice requiring insurers to assume a total loss on crypto holdings. It would mean a far stricter standard than those applied to traditional assets such as stocks and real estate.
Stocks face capital charges ranging from 39% to 49% under existing solvency capital regulations. In contrast, real estate is subject to a lower charge of 25%.
The proposed measure aims to bridge a regulatory gap between the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). EIOPA stated that an 80% stress level for crypto holdings would not be ‘sufficiently prudent’.
Luxembourg and Sweden could be the most affected if the proposal is adopted. They account for the largest share of crypto-related insurance undertakings in Europe.
Despite crypto holdings currently making up just 0.0068% of total insurance-related assets in the EU, EIOPA stressed the potential for future growth and the need for stringent safeguards.
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