LISBON: Microsoft said Tuesday it intends to invest $10 billion from early next year in a mega data centre in Portugal dedicated to developing artificial intelligence infrastructure.&nbsp;The project, in partnership with British firm Nscale, which specialises in AI data centres, and with Start Campus, which has begun construction of a major data centre near the southern port of Sines, will see Microsoft install 12,600 of Nvidia&#39;s latest-generation chips.&nbsp;The company in a statement termed the scheme &quot;one of the largest investments in AI computing capacity in Europe&quot;.&nbsp;In an interview with the Portuguese business daily Jornal de Negocios, Microsoft President Brad Smith said Portugal has emerged as a key European destination for data centre construction and investment.&nbsp;Smith is currently in Lisbon for the Web Summit, a key annual event in the hi-tech calendar, dubbed &quot;Davos for geeks&quot;.&nbsp;In addition to a data centre powered by renewable energy, the Sines site has the advantage of being a link point for important submarine telecommunications cables linking the Americas to Europe.&nbsp;Regarding data centres, &quot;demand in the AI field, particularly over the last five months, has become quite crazy,&quot; Nscale&#39;s product director, Daniel Bathurst, told AFP.&nbsp;For a player like Microsoft, &quot;it&#39;s a race against time,&quot; he added.&nbsp;&quot;We have the expertise, we have access to the energy, and we can implement this for them on time,&quot; he added in an interview on the sidelines of the Web Summit.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft will invest $10 billion in a mega AI data centre in Portugal’s Sines, partnering with Nscale and Start Campus. The site, powered by renewable energy, will host 12,600 Nvidia chips, meeting surging AI demand.

Microsoft says to invest $10 bn in Portugal AI data centre

SYDNEY: Australian police are working on an AI prototype that will help them decipher Gen Z slang and emoji-laden messages written by online predators, a top official said on&nbsp;Wednesday. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said social media had become a breeding ground for bullying, sexual exploitation and radicalization. Police were working with software giant Microsoft to develop a tool that would unravel sinister messages hidden by seemingly innocuous emojis and slang, she said. Clever AFP members, with Microsoft, are developing a prototype AI tool that will interpret emojis and Gen Z-and-Alpha slang in encrypted communications. &quot;This prototype aims to make it quicker for our teams to save children from harm much earlier.&quot; Barrett also warned about the rise of so-called &quot;crimefluencers&quot; -- online predators who used their social media savvy to target young and vulnerable users. &quot;They are crimefluencers, and they are motivated by anarchy and hurting others, with most of their victims pre-teen or teenage girls,&quot; she said. Australia will from December 10 force social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to remove users under the age of 16. There is keen interest in whether Australia&#39;s sweeping restrictions can work, as regulators around the globe wrestle with the dangers of social media.

Australian police, in partnership with Microsoft, are developing an AI tool to decode Gen Z slang and emojis used by online predators. The initiative aims to detect hidden abuse, counter “crimefluencers,” and protect children online.

Australian police build AI to decode Gen Z slang in predator chats

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Former Blizzard Entertainment President Mike Ybarra has publicly criticized Microsoft&rsquo;s decision to announce a second price increase for its Xbox Series consoles in the United States within just two weeks. Microsoft attributed the price hike, effective October 3, to &ldquo;macroeconomic conditions&rdquo; but did not mention any new tariffs. Ybarra challenged this explanation, accusing Microsoft of using tariffs as a pretext to boost profits. The new pricing raises the Xbox Series S 512GB to $399.99 and the 1TB version to $449.99. Prices for the Xbox Series X have also increased, with the standard model now $649.99 and the 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition at $799.99. While the initial price increase earlier this year was linked to new US tariffs, no new tariffs have been introduced since then, prompting questions about the justification for the recent hike. Ybarra acknowledged that the first increase could be explained by tariffs but argued the second hike focuses on profit. On Twitter, he stated that console price rises are &ldquo;not tariff issues, they are profit issues,&rdquo; adding that the underlying problems affecting profits go beyond tariffs. He called the recent price increase &ldquo;an excuse to continue raising prices, with no new increase in tariffs,&rdquo; warning that consumers will bear the cost. The rising cost of gaming has been a concern for both consumers and developers, with hardware, games, and accessories becoming more expensive. Despite tariff-related impacts, Microsoft reported an 18% revenue increase in its latest financial results. Gamers on platforms like Reddit have expressed scepticism about the stated reasons, some accusing companies of masking corporate greed behind tariff claims and fearing prices may stay high even after economic conditions improve. Ybarra&rsquo;s remarks have reignited debates about pricing transparency and fairness in the gaming industry. Some gamers have also considered switching to PC gaming as consoles become less affordable. Microsoft maintains it is focusing on delivering value and expanding gaming options but has not offered further comments.

Former Blizzard president criticizes Microsoft over Xbox price hike

Gadgets

Microsoft attributed the second price hike to “macroeconomic conditions” but Mike Ybarra challenged this. 

Articles tagged with "Microsoft"

Microsoft says to invest $10 bn in Portugal AI data centre

Australian police build AI to decode Gen Z slang in predator chats

Former Blizzard president criticizes Microsoft over Xbox price hike