Nvidia’s shares plummeted nearly 9% on 3 March following an announcement by US President Donald Trump confirming new tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, set to take effect on 4 March. The decline contributed to a broader market downturn, with the Dow Jones falling by 800 points and the Nasdaq dropping by over 3%. Nvidia’s market value took a sharp hit, losing around $265 billion and falling to $2.79 trillion, a steep drop from its previous $3 trillion valuation.
Despite reporting strong earnings, with revenue surging 78% year-over-year to $39.33 billion, Nvidia’s stock has lost 13% since 26 February. The 25% tariffs could affect the company’s operations, particularly as some of its systems are manufactured in the US and Mexico. However, CEO Jensen Huang remains optimistic, highlighting Nvidia’s AI advancements and the upcoming Blackwell chips, which he says will drive strong performance in the next quarter.
Nvidia also plans to play a key role in Taiwan Semiconductor’s $100 billion expansion in the US, a project mentioned by Trump. While the company faces short-term market volatility and policy challenges, its long-term strategy remains focused on technological growth and innovation.
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A new proposal by the UK government to alter copyright laws has sparked significant concern among artists, particularly in Devon. The changes would allow AI companies to use the content found on the internet, including artwork, to help train their models unless the creators opt-out. Artists like Sarah McIntyre, an illustrator from Bovey Tracey, argue that such a shift could undermine their rights, making it harder for them to control the use of their work and potentially depriving them of income.
The Devon Artist Network has expressed strong opposition to these plans, warning that they could have a devastating impact on creative industries. They believe that creators should retain control over their work, without needing to actively opt out of its use by AI. While some, like Mike Phillips from the University of Plymouth in the UK, suggest that AI could help artists track copyright violations, the majority of artists remain wary of the proposed changes.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has acknowledged the concerns and confirmed that no decisions have yet been made. However, it has stated that the current copyright framework is limiting the potential of both the creative and AI sectors. As consultations close, the future of the proposal remains uncertain.
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Google has urged the Trump administration to reconsider efforts to break up the company as part of ongoing antitrust lawsuits.
The meeting with government officials took place last week, according to a source familiar with the matter. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is pursuing two cases against Google, focusing on its dominance in search and advertising technology.
Executives at Google have expressed concerns that proposed remedies, including the potential divestment of the Chrome browser and changes to search engine agreements, could negatively impact the American economy and national security.
The DOJ has not yet commented on the discussions. A trial to determine appropriate remedies is set for April, with a final ruling expected in August.
President Trump’s administration is expected to take a softer approach to antitrust enforcement compared to his predecessor.
Industry experts believe this could lead to adjustments in the DOJ’s stance on breaking up Google, potentially reshaping the legal battle over its market power.
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China has announced plans to increase support for AI development and boost venture capital investment as part of its broader strategy to drive technological breakthroughs and self-reliance.
The initiative was outlined in a government report presented at the annual National People’s Congress, highlighting AI, biomanufacturing, quantum technology, and 6G as key areas for future growth.
Authorities plan to encourage the application of large-scale AI models and the advancement of next-generation intelligent terminals and smart manufacturing systems.
The report also emphasised the importance of creating an environment that supports innovation, allowing for exploration and tolerating failure. Young scientists and engineers will be given significant roles in national laboratories to accelerate progress in emerging industries.
China intends to improve its data infrastructure and facilitate cross-border data flows to strengthen its technological capabilities.
The inclusion of AI in the government’s work report for the first time comes amid growing interest in Chinese AI startups such as DeepSeek, signalling Beijing’s intent to remain at the forefront of AI development.
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The Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Russia are leading discussions on the initiative, which aims to establish a regulated space for crypto trading.
Whilst the project remains in its early stages, it would allow professional investors to engage in the market under government supervision.
Currently, Russians can own crypto but cannot use it as legal tender, and there is no centralised exchange for digital assets in the country, forcing traders to rely on foreign platforms.
Despite the ban on domestic exchanges, Garantex, a Russian-based platform sanctioned by the US and the EU, remains operational.
The exchange, headquartered in Moscow, enables rouble transactions through major Russian banks, raising concerns over regulatory oversight and enforcement.
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Amazon has created a new division focused on agentic AI to enhance automation for users and businesses. The initiative will be led by AWS executive Swami Sivasubramanian.
WS CEO Matt Garman described agentic AI as a potential multi-billion-dollar business, with the goal of enabling systems to take proactive actions without user prompts.
The announcement follows Amazon’s recent unveiling of an upgraded Alexa, which incorporates similar AI capabilities.
As part of a broader restructuring within AWS, senior vice president Peter DeSantis also outlined leadership changes, including the realignment of AI units Bedrock and SageMaker under the compute organisation.
The company believes these shifts will accelerate innovation and improve customer experience.
Amazon has been investing heavily in AI to maintain its competitive edge in cloud computing and e-commerce. The restructuring signals a stronger push toward AI-driven automation, which the company sees as central to the next wave of technological progress.
Shares of Amazon fell slightly following the announcement, closing at $204.81.
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Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance is set to introduce a legal framework for digital assets and cryptocurrencies, with plans to launch a state-licensed digital currency exchange.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Duc Chi confirmed the initiative, highlighting the government’s goal to bring oversight and legal protections to the growing sector.
The move follows Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s call for clear regulations to manage digital assets. The Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Vietnam are working on rules to ensure investor safety whilst fostering innovation.
The proposed exchange would allow individuals and businesses to trade digital assets under state supervision, whilst companies may soon be permitted to issue virtual assets for financial mobilisation.
Vietnam lacks formal legal definitions for digital assets, pushing many blockchain firms to register abroad. The absence of clear rules has led to lost tax revenue and limited domestic oversight.
However, with Vietnam ranking among the world’s top three countries for digital asset ownership, seeing $120 billion in inflows in 2023, the government aims to regulate and harness the sector’s potential.
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Malaysian authorities are investigating whether local laws were breached in the shipment of servers that may have contained advanced AI chips subject to U export controls.
The case is linked to a fraud investigation in Singapore, where three men were recently charged over transactions involving servers supplied by US firms. The equipment was allegedly transferred to Malaysia and may have included Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips.
The Malaysian government confirmed it is working closely with the United States and Singapore to determine whether US-sanctioned chips were involved. Authorities aim to find effective measures to prevent such transactions from violating trade regulations.
Singapore has not specified whether the chips in question fall under US export restrictions but acknowledged they were used in servers that passed through Malaysia.
US officials are also examining whether DeepSeek, a Chinese AI firm whose technology gained attention in January, has been using restricted US chips.
Washington has tightened controls on AI chip exports to China, and any unauthorised shipments could lead to further scrutiny of supply chains in the region.
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Microsoft’s UK boss has warned that many companies are ‘stuck in neutral’ when it comes to AI, with a significant number of private and public sector organisations lacking any formal AI strategy. According to a Microsoft survey of nearly 1,500 senior leaders and 1,440 employees in the UK, more than half of executives report that their organisations have no official AI plan. Additionally, many recognise a growing productivity gap between employees using AI and those who are not.
Darren Hardman, Microsoft’s UK chief executive, stated that some companies are caught in the experimentation phase rather than fully deploying AI. Microsoft, a major backer of OpenAI, has been promoting AI deployment in workplaces through autonomous AI agents designed to perform tasks without human intervention. Early adopters, like consulting giant McKinsey, are already using AI agents for tasks such as scheduling meetings.
Hardman also discussed AI’s potential impact on jobs, with the Tony Blair Institute estimating that AI could displace up to 3 million UK jobs, though the net job loss will likely be much lower as new roles are created. He compared AI’s transformative impact on the workplace to how the internet revolutionised retail, creating roles like data analysts and social media managers. Hardman also backed proposed UK copyright law reforms, which would allow tech companies to use copyright-protected work for training AI models, arguing that the changes could drive economic growth and support AI development.
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South Korea has announced the creation of a $34 billion policy fund to support companies in key industries such as semiconductors, automotive, and advanced technologies, in response to growing global competition and protectionist policies.
The state-run Korea Development Bank will manage the fund by providing low-interest loans and other financial support over the next five years to businesses involved in national strategic industries.
The government stressed that maintaining competitiveness in these strategic sectors has become crucial to the country’s economic security, particularly amid the uncertainties caused by the new US administration.
South Korea has identified 12 industries, including semiconductors, AI, and biopharmaceuticals, as critical for its future economic stability and will offer targeted financial support to strengthen these sectors.
In addition to the fund, South Korea also unveiled new policies to attract skilled global talent in cutting-edge fields. These measures include offering top-tier visas and permanent residency to professionals with experience at major international firms, aiming to enhance the country’s workforce in strategic industries.
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