Apple has unveiled plans to invest $500 billion in the United States over the next four years. The investment will include the construction of a large facility in Texas for the production of AI servers, as well as the creation of 20,000 research and development jobs nationwide. This pledge highlights Apple’s continued commitment to strengthening its presence in the US, despite many of its products being assembled overseas.
Part of the investment will also go towards enhancing Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which will grow from $5 billion to $10 billion. This fund will support the production of advanced silicon chips at a facility in Arizona, alongside a collaboration with Foxconn to build a 250,000-square-foot server assembly plant in Houston.
Additionally, Apple will open a new manufacturing academy in Michigan to help local businesses improve their processes and skills. These initiatives follow a similar commitment made in 2018, further cementing Apple’s role in the US economy and its ongoing expansion in research and manufacturing.
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Microsoft has reportedly scrapped leases for significant data centre capacity in the United States, raising concerns about a potential slowdown in its AI infrastructure expansion.
TD Cowen analysts revealed that the company cancelled leases amounting to “a couple of hundred megawatts” with at least two private data-centre operators. The move has added weight to investor worries that the AI-driven market surge may be losing momentum.
Despite the lease cancellations, Microsoft maintains its commitment to invest over $80 billion in AI and cloud capacity this fiscal year.
A company spokesperson confirmed the investment plan remains intact, noting that adjustments to infrastructure are part of strategic planning rather than a broader scale-back.
Analysts suggest the lease cancellations might reflect a shift in Microsoft’s data centre strategy following years of aggressive expansion to meet AI demand.
Supply chain constraints had previously forced the company to secure excess capacity, sometimes at premium rates.
However, with growing investor scepticism around the costs of AI infrastructure and emerging competition from low-cost Chinese firms like DeepSeek, Microsoft’s recalibration has intensified concerns about the long-term sustainability of the AI boom.
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On Valentine’s Day in San Francisco, the NBA Tech Summit took place ahead of the NBA All-Star weekend, showcasing the latest trends in sports, media, and technology. With the help of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and legendary Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, the audience was introduced to the evolution of event broadcasting, companies set to make significant investments in the coming years, and the future of basketball as a sport.
The panels also included renowned basketball experts, media figures, and former NBA players. A common consensus emerged: robotics and AI will reshape the sport as we know and significantly help athletes achieve far better results than ever before.
However, this is not exactly a novelty, as many innovations were presented ahead of the Paris Olympics, where certain programmes helped analysts and audiences follow their favourite events in greater detail.
The future of the NBA and the role of fans during matches
The same idea applies to the NBA, particularly with the integration of augmented reality (AR) and a feature called ‘Tabletop’, which allows the display of a virtual court with digital avatars tracking player movements in real time.
A feature like this one generated the most interest from the audience, as it enables viewers to watch matches from various angles, analyse performances in real-time, access interactive player data, and simulate alternative outcomes—essentially exploring how the game would have unfolded if different decisions had been made on the court.
An important aspect of these innovations is that fans have the opportunity to vote for competition participants, ask real-time questions, and take part in virtual events designed to keep them engaged during and after match broadcasts.
AI plays a crucial role in these systems, primarily by analysing strategies and performances, allowing coaches and players to make better-informed decisions in key moments of the game.
Player health as a priority
With a packed schedule of matches, additional tournaments, and extensive travel, professional basketball players face daily physical challenges. To help preserve their health, new technologies aim to minimise potential injuries.
Wearable health-tracking sensors embedded in equipment to collect data on physical parameters were introduced at the NBA Summit. This technology provides medical teams with real-time insights into players’ conditions, helping prevent potential injuries.
Basketball spirit through cutting-edge technology: What did the NBA Tech Summit deliver? 5
Biometric sensors, motion-analysis accelerometers, injury-prevention algorithms, dehydration and fatigue tracking, and shoe sensors for load analysis are just some of the innovations in this field.
Ultra cameras, ultra broadcasts, ultra experience
For fans of high-resolution and interactive matches, the latest technological advancements offer new viewing experiences. While still in the final development stages, fans can already enjoy Ultra HD 8K and 360-degree cameras, along with the highly anticipated ‘player cam’ perspective, which allows for close-up tracking of individual players.
It is also possible to independently control the camera during matches, offering a complete view of the court and arena from every possible angle. Additionally, matches can be broadcast as holograms, providing a new dimension in 3D space on specialised platforms.
The integration of 5G technology ensures faster and more stable transmissions, enabling high-resolution streaming without delays.
Fewer mistakes, less stress
Refereeing mistakes have always been part of the sport, influencing match outcomes and shaping the history of one of the world’s most popular games. In response, the NBA has sought to minimise errors through Hawk-Eye technology for ball and boundary tracking.
A multi-camera system monitors the ball to determine whether it has crossed the line, touched the boundary, or shot on time. AI also analyses player contact in real time, suggesting potential fouls for referees to review.
Beyond these features, the NBA now operates a centralised Replay Centre, offering detailed analysis of controversial situations where AI plays a crucial role in providing recommendations for quicker decision-making. Additional innovations include hoop sensors, audio analysis for simulating unsportsmanlike fouls, and more.
Environmental sustainability and awareness
As an organisation reliant on cutting-edge technology, the NBA is also focused on environmental awareness, which is increasingly becoming a key aspect of the league. Modern arenas utilise solar energy, energy-efficient lighting, and water recycling systems, reducing electricity consumption and waste.
Digital tickets and contactless payments contribute to sustainability efforts, particularly through apps that enable quicker and more eco-friendly entry to arenas and access to various services.
Partnerships with environmental organisations are a crucial part of the NBA’s sustainability initiatives, with collaborations including the Green Sports Alliance and the NRDC. These efforts aim to reduce the environmental impact of events while enhancing the fan experience.
For basketball fans (and followers of other sports adopting similar advancements), the most important takeaway is that the fundamental rules and essence of the game will remain unchanged. Despite the inevitable technological progress, the core spirit of basketball, established in Springfield in 1891, will continue to be preserved.
More than 1,000 musicians have joined forces to release a silent album as part of a protest against the UK government’s proposed changes to copyright laws. The changes would allow AI companies to use artists’ work to train models without needing permission, a move critics argue would undermine creators’ rights. The silent album, titled ‘Is This What We Want?’, features empty studios and performance spaces, symbolising the potential loss of control over their work.
The changes have sparked outrage from high-profile artists such as Kate Bush, who warned that this could lead to the exploitation of musicians by tech companies. The protest album, which includes contributions from other major artists like Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa, aims to highlight the negative impact of such reforms on the livelihoods of creators.
The UK government argues that these changes will help boost the AI and creative industries, allowing them to reach their full potential. However, the controversy over copyright law is growing, with many in the music industry urging a rethink before any new regulations are finalised.
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to make a significant $40 billion investment in Italy, covering sectors such as energy, technology, and defence. This follows the first-ever state visit by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Italy. The investment will span various projects, including data centres, AI, renewable energy, and subsea activities.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasised that this partnership will strengthen bilateral relations, with a focus on mutual economic growth and collaboration. The investment aligns with the Mattei plan, aimed at boosting African development and reducing migrant arrivals to Italy. One notable project involves transporting electricity through an undersea cable between Italy, Albania, and the UAE, further enhancing regional cooperation.
In addition to economic and energy initiatives, both nations agreed to ramp up defence and security collaborations, including joint military production, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, and disaster response efforts. The partnership will also support advanced research and development, contributing to sustainable development and digital growth.
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Google has launched a new free AI tool aimed at helping developers with code completion and assistance. Gemini Code Assist for Individuals allows users to interact with a Google AI model through a chat window, helping to fix bugs, complete code, or explain parts of a codebase. The tool can be integrated into popular coding environments like VS Code and JetBrains, and supports a range of programming languages. It offers impressive capabilities, with 180,000 code completions per month—90 times more than GitHub’s free Copilot plan—and 240 daily chat requests, well beyond the limits of competing tools.
In addition, Google unveiled Gemini Code Assist for GitHub, a tool that automatically scans code in pull requests to identify bugs and provide helpful suggestions. These tools highlight Google’s increasing efforts to compete with Microsoft and GitHub in the developer space. Both tools leverage Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI model, fine-tuned for coding tasks, and offer a context window four times larger than similar models, enabling the AI to process more complex code.
The launch marks a strategic move by Google to attract developers, especially those early in their careers, with the hope that some will eventually transition to premium plans. Gemini Code Assist for Individuals is available through a free public preview, with Google planning to roll out additional enterprise features soon, including integration with third-party tools and more advanced customisation options for businesses.
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DeepSeek, an up-and-coming AI startup from China, is rapidly pushing forward the release of its latest AI model, R2, following the remarkable success of its predecessor, R1. The company’s roots in Hangzhou drew global attention when R1, a budget-friendly AI reasoning tool, sparked a $1 trillion market sell-off last month. Namely, it only demonstrated R1’s ability to excel over more costly Western alternatives, emphasising that true innovation does not necessitate a steep price. With R2’s launch being expedited from its planned release in May, DeepSeek aims to enhance its lead with improved capabilities, including advanced coding skills and multilingual reasoning.
At the heart of DeepSeek’s ascent is its visionary founder, Liang Wenfeng, a billionaire known for creating the High-Flyer hedge fund. Liang has built a research-centric, agile enterprise distinguished by a culture of flexibility and collaboration. Situated near Beijing’s top academic institutions, the company draws a young workforce eager to escape the infamous ‘996’ culture, focusing instead on collaborative and innovative projects. This unique approach, combined with High-Flyer’s prior investment in infrastructure like the Fire-Flyer II cluster packed with Nvidia A100 chips, allowed DeepSeek to create its R1 model using less costly, commercially available tech, setting new efficiency standards for AI development.
Why does it matter?
The launch of R2 is poised to reshape the AI landscape, potentially breaking the dominance of a select few market leaders and sparking a global move towards more affordable AI innovations, as industry figure Vijayasinha Alilughatta suggested. However, this shift alarms some in Washington, wary of China’s increasing AI foothold, possibly leading to tighter US controls on chip exports. Despite this tension, Beijing supports DeepSeek, with significant Chinese tech entities integrating its models, although Liang remains intentionally low-profile to avoid unwanted attention.
While DeepSeek prepares for R2’s launch, challenges arise, including global app stores removing their products due to privacy concerns and navigating chip embargoes. Despite these hurdles, Liang’s unique leadership and strategic approach have ignited competition in the AI sector and exemplified how innovative underdogs can disrupt the industry. As circumstances develop, DeepSeek stands at the forefront of inspiring affordable, potent AI solutions globally, challenging established norms and potentially exacerbating US-China tech tensions.
Recent weeks have seen a surge in AI-generated videos that transport viewers to historical eras, from the medieval streets during the Black Death to the dramatic eruption of Vesuvius. Creators Dan from the UK and Hogne from Norway, behind the accounts POV Lab and Time Traveller POV, have produced these first-person narratives to bring history to life in a unique and engaging manner.
While the videos have attracted millions of views and sparked widespread fascination, several historians have raised concerns over their historical accuracy. Experts such as Dr Amy Boyington and Dr Hannah Platts point out numerous inaccuracies, including anachronistic details like modern bread rolls and train tracks in medieval scenes, that risk misrepresenting historical facts. They caution that such artistic interpretations, though visually striking, could mislead young viewers and distort their understanding of history.
The creators defend their work as a means to spark curiosity and encourage further research, openly acknowledging that their videos are not intended to be strict documentaries. They label their content as AI-created and urge audiences to verify historical details independently. Despite the debate, these innovative videos are opening up new ways for the public to engage with the past, even as calls for greater accuracy and transparency grow louder.
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Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has announced plans to release five new code repositories next week, reinforcing its commitment to open-source artificial intelligence.
The company, which gained global attention with its R1 reasoning model rivaling Western AI systems, described the release as ‘small but sincere progress’ towards full transparency. These repositories, tested in real-world applications, will provide essential infrastructure to support the AI models DeepSeek has already made public.
DeepSeek has set itself apart in China‘s AI sector by embracing open-source practices, a rare move in a market that typically favours closed-source models.
Founder Liang Wenfeng has emphasised the cultural significance of open-source over commercial gains, highlighting the satisfaction that comes from driving innovation and earning industry respect.
His approach has sparked global interest, particularly after the release of the R1 model, known for its strong performance and cost efficiency.
The company has also recently introduced a new algorithm, Native Sparse Attention (NSA), designed to improve efficiency in long-context training and inference.
DeepSeek’s popularity has surged, becoming China’s leading chatbot service with 22.2 million daily active users, surpassing long-established platforms like Douban. The growing user base and commitment to open-source are positioning DeepSeek as a major player in the global AI landscape.
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AI search startup Genspark has secured $100 million in a Series A funding round, raising its valuation to $530 million as it aims to disrupt Google’s dominance in the search engine market.
Backed by United States and Singapore-based investors, the Palo Alto-based firm now boasts over two million monthly active users. The funding follows a $60 million seed round last June, continuing Genspark’s rapid growth.
Led by CEO Eric Jing, formerly head of Baidu’s AI-powered Xiaodu unit, Genspark is positioning itself as a major contender in the AI-driven search space. Its platform uses multiple AI models working together to conduct detailed online research, aiming to provide users with streamlined, citation-backed answers—an approach that contrasts Google’s traditional list of links.
Google is also testing AI-enhanced search results, highlighting the growing pressure to innovate in the industry. Genspark’s latest funding positions it to expand its technology and user base as the battle for AI-powered search heats up.
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