India is prepared to lower tariffs on over half of US imports worth $23 billion in a bid to ease trade tensions and prevent harsh reciprocal tariffs from Washington.
With US President Donald Trump set to impose new worldwide tariffs from 2 April, Indian officials fear the move could impact 87% of the country’s exports to the United States, prompting urgent negotiations between the two nations.
Trade talks are scheduled to begin this week, led by US Assistant Trade Representative Brendan Lynch.
While India is willing to make significant tariff cuts on a wide range of goods, government sources indicate that the concessions will depend on securing relief from US duties.
Sensitive items such as meat, wheat, maize, and dairy products remain off the table, but reductions may be possible for almonds, pistachios, and certain grains. India is also pushing for a phased reduction of its automobile tariffs, which currently exceed 100%.
Despite efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen ties with Washington, Trump has repeatedly criticised India’s tariff policies, labelling the country a ‘tariff abuser.’
The Modi administration is weighing broader tariff reforms but faces domestic political challenges in implementing sweeping reductions. Experts suggest that while external pressure from the US might drive some changes, major across-the-board cuts remain unlikely in the short term.
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Kyle Vogt’s new robotics startup, The Bot Company, has raised $150 million in a funding round led by Greenoaks, according to Reuters. Vogt, co-founder and former CEO of Cruise launched the company with Paril Jain, ex-Tesla AI tech leader, and former Cruise software engineer Luke Holoubek.
The startup, which aims to produce robots for household chores, raised its initial $150 million in May from notable investors including former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and Stripe executives Patrick and John Collison.
The latest funding round comes less than a year after Vogt founded The Bot Company, following his resignation as CEO of Cruise in October. Vogt left Cruise after an incident in which one of its autonomous vehicles hit a pedestrian.
The Bot Company’s focus on robotics for everyday tasks signals Vogt’s continued drive to innovate in the tech space following his departure from Cruise.
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US retailers Walmart and Target are engaged in tense negotiations with suppliers over proposed price increases on a wide range of products.
Manufacturers argue that rising costs, driven by tariffs imposed under former President Donald Trump, are making it difficult to maintain prices. Retailers, however, are pushing back to avoid losing market share and discouraging cost-conscious shoppers.
United States businesses such as Nordic Ware and Bogg Bag have seen production costs surge due to tariffs on aluminium and Chinese imports.
While some suppliers are attempting to raise prices, major retailers require a lengthy review process before accepting any increases.
Smaller manufacturers face the risk of having their products replaced with cheaper alternatives if they insist on higher prices.
Toymaker MGA Entertainment is among the firms negotiating price hikes with Walmart and Target, but retailers are resisting, citing concerns over strained consumers.
Some companies are absorbing losses to maintain shelf space, while others are seeking alternative production locations to reduce costs. The outcome of these pricing battles will determine how much shoppers ultimately pay for everyday goods.
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German software company SAP has become Europe’s largest firm by market capitalisation, surpassing Danish healthcare giant Novo Nordisk.
SAP’s market value stood at $340 billion on Monday, edging ahead of Novo Nordisk, according to Reuters calculations using LSEG Workspace data.
Novo Nordisk, known for its dominance in the diabetes and weight-loss drug market, had held the top spot for some time.
The rise of SAP reflects the growing influence of the European tech sector, with the company benefiting from strong demand for its enterprise software and cloud-based services.
SAP’s achievement marks a significant moment for the region’s corporate landscape, signalling the increasing importance of technology firms in the European economy.
The shift in rankings highlights the evolving competition between industries as technology continues to drive market growth.
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Oracle has launched its AI Agent Studio, a new platform designed to let businesses orchestrate and customise AI agents within its Fusion Applications suite.
Announced during the OracleCloud World Tour in London, the studio enables companies to coordinate teams of AI agents that handle tasks across enterprise resource planning, HR, supply chain, and customer experience systems.
The AI Agent Studio allows businesses to adapt prebuilt Oracle agents to suit their own processes. Users can modify agents by adjusting logic, integrating external tools, or adding custom prompts.
It also offers flexibility in choosing from a range of large language models optimised for Oracle or industry-specific use cases, such as Llama and Cohere.
Oracle’s move builds on earlier AI deployments in its cloud applications, where agents have been embedded to manage routine operations like invoice processing or recruitment steps.
The new platform advances that effort by allowing these agents to operate collaboratively and be tailored to more complex workflows.
Industry leaders including Accenture, Deloitte, and PwC have praised the development, calling it a significant step toward smarter enterprise automation.
Analysts echo this sentiment, noting that Oracle’s approach allows businesses to maximise AI efficiency across departments without added cost, offering a powerful edge in today’s rapidly evolving digital workplace.
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FuriosaAI, a South Korean startup specialising in AI chips, has reportedly turned down an $800 million acquisition offer from Meta.
Instead of selling, FuriosaAI plans to continue developing its AI chips. Disagreements over post-acquisition business strategy and organisational structure were reportedly the cause of the breakdown in negotiations, rather than issues over price.
Meta, which has been trying to reduce its reliance on Nvidia for chips specialised in training large language models (LLMs), unveiled its custom AI chips last year. The company also announced plans to invest up to $65 billion this year to support its AI initiatives.
FuriosaAI, founded in 2017 by June Paik, who previously worked at Samsung Electronics and AMD, has developed two AI chips—Warboy and Renegade (RNGD).
The startup is also in talks to raise approximately $48 million and is planning to launch the RNGD chips later this year, with LG AI Research already testing them for use in its AI infrastructure.
FuriosaAI’s decision to focus on expanding its chip production signals its confidence in competing with giants like Nvidia and AMD in the rapidly growing AI hardware market.
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Anthropic has added web search functionality to its Claude chatbot, marking a major step forward for the AI assistant. The feature is now available in preview for paying users in the US, with plans to expand to free users and more countries in the near future. Once enabled via profile settings, Claude will automatically pull information from across the web to help respond to queries, complete with source citations.
The capability is limited to the newest version of Claude, the Claude 3.7 Sonnet model. According to Anthropic, the goal is to combine Claude’s conversational skills with up-to-date information, allowing it to deliver more accurate and relevant AI responses. Early testing suggests the web search doesn’t always activate, particularly for current events, but when it does, it sources from a range of platforms including social media and news outlets.
This move brings Claude in line with competing chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Le Chat, all of which already integrate web access. Anthropic had previously resisted the feature, insisting that Claude was meant to be self-contained, but market pressure appears to have shifted that stance.
Despite the new functionality, concerns persist over accuracy. Studies have shown that leading chatbots regularly produce incorrect or misleading responses when sourcing from the internet. Anthropic acknowledges these risks but believes that providing clear citations and structured output will help mitigate confusion and improve user trust.
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Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit in the United States over delays in delivering its much-promoted Apple Intelligence features.
The legal action, filed in a US based San Jose federal court, claims the company misled customers by advertising advanced AI tools that have yet to materialise on supported devices.
The complaint argues that buyers of new iPhones and other Apple products were promised ‘transformative’ AI capabilities at launch, only to find these features were either severely limited or completely absent.
According to the plaintiffs, Apple’s marketing created a “reasonable consumer expectation” that was ultimately not met.
This legal challenge adds to mounting pressure on the company, which has struggled to roll out its next-generation AI tools.
A recent Bloomberg report suggested internal tensions, revealing that CEO Tim Cook has reportedly lost confidence in AI chief John Giannandrea’s ability to deliver on the company’s ambitions.
The case reflects growing scrutiny of tech firms’ promises around AI, especially as consumer trust becomes more closely tied to the reality behind flashy announcements.
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The competition between AMD and Intel remains intense, despite Intel’s larger market share. In recent years, AMD has emerged as the preferred choice for gamers, often topping sales charts, including Amazon’s CPU best-sellers list.
Just yesterday, AMD dominated the top 15 spots instead of Intel. Surprisingly, the top processor was AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D, a high-end gaming chip, priced at $480, despite its occasional stock shortages.
The top 15 list featured a mix of older and newer AMD processors, such as the Ryzen 5 5500 and Ryzen 5 5600X, indicating that AMD has successfully kept older hardware relevant and in demand.
However, today’s best-seller list paints a slightly different picture, as Intel has managed to secure several spots, with older models like the Alder Lake chips offering more affordable alternatives to current AMD processors.
Interestingly, Intel’s latest Arrow Lake processors did not make it to the top 50 best-sellers on Amazon. This suggests that many customers prefer the more affordable Intel options or turn to AMD, which has shifted the market dynamics significantly in recent years.
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The European Commission has urged EU nations to fund Ukraine’s access to satellite internet through European commercial providers, amid growing concerns over the country’s reliance on Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The call, outlined in a newly published defence white paper, comes as Ukraine faces potential service disruptions unless it agrees to a minerals deal with the US. European satellite operators are now in talks with the EU to explore alternative solutions.
Brussels has proposed granting Kyiv access to the EU’s space programme to ensure stable connectivity for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The initiative aims to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience by diversifying its satellite-based services. Poland, which partially funds Ukraine’s Starlink access, has also backed the need for alternative providers.
Spain’s Hisdesat has confirmed plans to expand its coverage over Ukraine, while other European satellite firms, such as Eutelsat and SES, have been approached for potential involvement.
The move reflects Europe’s broader strategy to secure independent infrastructure for Ukraine and reduce dependence on private or non-EU providers.
The Commission’s proposal, if implemented, could mark a significant shift in how Kyiv maintains vital communications during the ongoing conflict.
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