Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges has urged Germany and Europe to invest more in artificial intelligence and data centres to stay competitive with the US and Asia. Speaking after the release of the company’s annual results, Hoettges stressed the need for Europe to increase its computing power, citing a growing demand for data centres that he expects to rise by at least 30%. Deutsche Telekom is already expanding its infrastructure with plans to build four new data centres in Europe, aiming to create one gigawatt of capacity.
Hoettges also emphasised the importance of AI for Europe’s economic growth and sovereignty in the digital age. His comments come as Europe strives to catch up with major AI investments made by the US, with the European Commission pledging to mobilise 200 billion euros for AI development. This contrasts with the US, where private companies have committed up to $500 billion to AI infrastructure.
The call for greater AI investment follows a wave of AI advancements, such as China’s DeepSeek model, which has begun to challenge Western competitors. Hoettges warned that Germany must act quickly or risk falling behind in the global AI race.
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Inception, a Palo Alto-based startup founded by Stanford professor Stefano Ermon, has unveiled an innovative AI model based on diffusion technology. Unlike traditional large language models that generate text sequentially, Inception’s diffusion-based model can produce large blocks of text in parallel, making it up to 10 times faster and more cost-efficient. The company claims its model offers similar capabilities to existing LLMs but with significantly improved performance.
The diffusion model operates differently from the typical approach of LLMs, which generate text word by word. Instead, it starts with a rough estimate and refines the output all at once, allowing for faster processing. Ermon, who has been researching this technology for years at Stanford, believes it will revolutionise AI by enabling more efficient use of computational resources, particularly GPUs. Inception already boasts several Fortune 100 companies as clients, attracted by its promise to reduce AI latency and costs.
Inception’s model can handle various tasks, including code generation and question answering, and is designed for flexible deployment options such as API, on-premises, and edge devices. This breakthrough technology is expected to lead to more accessible and scalable AI solutions, positioning Inception at the forefront of AI development.
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Amazon has unveiled Alexa+, a major upgrade to its voice assistant, integrating advanced AI to enhance interactions.
The new version can process multiple prompts in sequence, store user preferences, and manage tasks such as making reservations and sending reminders. AI-powered improvements aim to make Alexa more conversational and responsive.
The company has invested heavily in the technology, incorporating AI models through its Bedrock platform. Startup Anthropic contributed to development, with its Claude AI underpinning Alexa+.
The service will be free for Amazon Prime members, while non-Prime users will pay $19.99 per month. A phased rollout begins in March.
Alexa+ will integrate seamlessly with Amazon devices, including Ring doorbells, allowing users to access video recordings and control smart home features. It can also analyse documents, helping users understand contracts and regulations.
Industry competition remains strong, with Apple and Google also enhancing their voice assistants through AI.
Amazon hopes the overhaul will boost engagement, as Alexa usage had declined due to limited advancements. The company’s stock rose 1.7% following the announcement, reflecting investor confidence in the AI-driven update.
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Apple is under renewed pressure over its diversity policies after President Donald Trump urged the company to abandon them. His call came a day after shareholders overwhelmingly voted to keep the initiatives, despite growing opposition from conservative groups.
Trump took to Truth Social to demand the complete removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, calling them a ‘hoax’ that has harmed the country.
Major US corporations, including Meta and Alphabet, have scaled back DEI efforts since Trump’s return to office. He has argued these policies are discriminatory and has suggested that the Department of Justice could investigate their legality.
His administration has already moved to end DEI initiatives in federal agencies and the private sector, citing concerns over fairness and merit-based hiring.
Apple has defended its approach, stating that it does not impose quotas but focuses on broader inclusion efforts. CEO Tim Cook reaffirmed the company’s commitment to diversity while acknowledging potential adjustments in response to changing legal landscapes. He emphasised that Apple’s core values of dignity and respect would remain unchanged.
Shareholder support for DEI policies at Apple contrasts with recent corporate trends, as many companies have been scaling back such programmes.
Critics warn that continuing these efforts could expose businesses to legal challenges, while supporters argue they are essential for addressing long-standing inequalities. Apple has yet to comment on whether it will revise its policies following Trump’s latest remarks.
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Canada’s telecommunications regulator, the CRTC, announced on Wednesday that it will impose a fee on Google to cover the costs of enforcing the Online News Act, which requires large tech platforms to pay for news content shared on their sites. The levy, which will be implemented from April 1, will vary each year and has no upper limit. This move comes amid rising tensions between Canada and the US over issues like trade and a digital services tax on American tech firms.
The CRTC stated that most of its operations are funded by fees from the companies it regulates, and the new charge aims to recover costs related to the law. Google, which had previously raised concerns about the fairness of such a rule, had argued that it was unreasonable to impose 100% of the costs on one company. Despite this, Google has agreed to pay C$100 million annually to Canadian publishers in a deal that ensures its search results continue to feature news content.
The law, which is part of a global trend to make internet giants pay for news, was introduced last year in response to concerns that tech firms were crowding out news businesses in the online advertising market. While both Google and Meta were identified as major platforms required to make payments, Meta chose to block news from its platforms in Canada instead. Google, however, has continued to negotiate with the Canadian government, although it has yet to comment further on the CRTC’s decision.
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Microsoft has made an undisclosed equity investment in Veeam Software as part of an expanded partnership to develop AI-powered data protection tools.
The deal will strengthen Veeam’s ability to help customers recover data after cyberattacks, ransomware incidents, or accidental loss. The company’s core technology ensures immutable backups, preventing hackers from modifying or deleting critical files.
With Microsoft‘s support, Veeam plans to enhance research and development, integrate AI-driven capabilities into its software, and expand design collaboration.
The move follows Microsoft’s previous investment in cybersecurity firm Rubrik, another company specialising in data backup and recovery.
Veeam, which was acquired by private equity firm Insight Partners for $5 billion in 2020, was valued at $15 billion after a secondary sale last year.
Founded in 2006, Veeam serves over 550,000 customers globally, including major corporations such as Deloitte and Canon. The partnership with Microsoft underscores the growing demand for advanced data security solutions as businesses face increasing cyber threats.
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Quora has unveiled a new feature on its Poe platform that allows users to create custom AI-powered applications. Named Poe Apps, the tool enables users to describe the app they want to build, and it generates the necessary code, powered by Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet. The apps can integrate various AI models, such as OpenAI’s o3-mini or Google’s Veo 2, allowing for personalised functionality.
Once created, these apps can be run alongside Poe’s chatbot window or function as standalone web apps, with the option to adjust the underlying code manually. Poe Apps can currently be shared with other users on the web, with iOS and Android versions expected soon. While free users get a daily points allotment to use the models, premium subscribers have access to more flexible packages.
Quora has also hinted at future monetisation options for app creators, expanding the potential of Poe Apps. With this new feature, Quora is not only enabling the creation of unique apps but also setting the stage for users to earn from their AI-driven innovations.
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Apptronik, a leading developer of humanoid robots, has announced a new partnership with Jabil, a global supply chain and manufacturing firm. This deal follows a recent $350 million funding round and comes just over a year after Apptronik’s collaboration with Mercedes-Benz. The partnership will see Apollo, Apptronik’s humanoid robot, tested on Jabil’s manufacturing floors, performing repetitive tasks such as sorting and transporting parts.
Once Apollo’s commercial potential is validated, Jabil will begin producing the robots in its factories, a crucial step towards the eventual goal of self-production. Although the vision of robots building themselves is still distant, this deal represents significant progress. Apptronik plans to begin commercial manufacturing of Apollo by 2026.
The partnership with Jabil adds to Apptronik’s growing portfolio of alliances in the humanoid robotics space, which includes collaborations with companies like Google DeepMind. Despite stiff competition from other robotics firms, Apptronik’s decade of experience, combined with substantial funding, positions it strongly in this emerging market.
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Dassault Systèmes has collaborated with Apple to integrate its industrial 3D software with the Vision Pro headset. Widely used across manufacturing, life sciences and urban planning, the software allows engineers and designers to create precise digital twins of real-world objects.
The French company serves hundreds of thousands of customers designing cars, aircraft and factories.
A new app called 3DLive is set for release this summer, enabling real-time collaboration on 3D models. Engineers and designers will be able to work remotely on industrial projects, detecting potential issues early in the design process.
The technology aims to streamline workflows, particularly for manufacturing, where maintenance challenges often arise too late.
Deep integration with Apple’s Vision Pro will allow 3DLive to leverage its advanced sensors and computing power. The software’s high level of scientific accuracy ensures it can be used for complex applications such as aircraft design, where precision is crucial.
Apple executives highlighted its potential to reduce costs and rework by facilitating earlier design decisions.
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Alibaba has made its AI model Wan 2.1 publicly available, enhancing competition in video and image generation. The move aligns with growing interest in open-source AI, following the recent rise of cost-effective models from firms such as DeepSeek.
The company introduced four variants of Wan 2.1, capable of generating images and videos from text and image input. Each model supports varying levels of complexity, with the most advanced handling 14 billion parameters for improved accuracy.
In January, the company unveiled an upgraded version of its AI model, later rebranded as Wan, with a focus on generating highly realistic visuals. The model has achieved top rankings on VBench, a leaderboard assessing video generative AI capabilities.
A preview of Alibaba’s reasoning model, QwQ-Max, was also released, with plans for an open-source launch.
The firm announced a $52 billion investment in cloud computing and AI infrastructure over the next three years. The commitment highlights its long-term focus on advancing AI and maintaining a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving sector.
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