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

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon will lay off tens of thousands of office workers as the e-commerce and tech giant trims costs amid ramped-up investments in artificial intelligence, according to US media reports. Some 30,000 positions will be cut in a belt-tightening move expected to begin on Tuesday, multiple news outlets reported. The reduction will represent nearly 10 percent of the approximately 350,000 office jobs at Amazon, but is reported not to affect the distribution and warehouse workforce that makes up the majority of the company&#39;s more than 1.5 million employees. Seattle-based Amazon did not reply to AFP queries regarding the planned cuts reported by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other outlets citing anonymous sources. Amazon shares ended the formal trading day up slightly as word of the potential cost-cutting move spread. Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy has lauded the potential of AI to streamline workplace operations, from engaging with customers online to making offices more efficient. &quot;Our conviction that AI will change every customer experience is starting to play out,&quot; Jassy said during Amazon&#39;s last quarterly earnings call. Amazon will next report earnings on Thursday, and is among the tech titans under pressure to show the merit of huge investments in AI. &quot;AWS will be under pressure to both show revenue acceleration and operating margin improvement in light of its massive AI investments,&quot; Emarketer principal analyst Sky Canaves said, referring to Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit. Amazon will also likely be pressed for details about a recent AWS outage. Popular internet services ranging from streaming platforms to messaging services to banking were offline for hours last week due to an outage in Amazon&#39;s crucial cloud network, illustrating the extent to which internet life depends on the tech titan. The disruption affected streaming platforms, including Amazon&#39;s Prime Video service and Disney+, as well as Perplexity AI, the Fortnite game, Airbnb, Snapchat and Duolingo. Mobile telephone services and messaging apps Signal and WhatsApp were affected in Europe, according to Downdetector. People also reported problems reaching websites, including Amazon&#39;s own e-commerce shop.Some banks, such as Lloyd&#39;s were also impacted and pointed to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing platform as the source. Amazon said it identified the &quot;trigger of the event&quot; as an issue involving the Domain Name System (DNS), which acts as an internet address book directing data traffic. AWS leads the cloud computing market, followed closely by Microsoft Azure, with Google Cloud in third place. Businesses, governments and consumers worldwide rely on their infrastructure for online activities.

Amazon to cut 30,000 office jobs: media reports

London: The Bank of England on Wednesday warned that technology firms focused on artificial intelligence could be overvalued, posing a risk to financial stability. Its financial policy committee also said the economy was at risk from threats to the independence of the Federal Reserve caused by interference by US President Donald Trump. Its quarterly update cited US tariffs, elevated government debt worldwide and geopolitical unrest as other risk factors. &quot;On a number of measures, equity market valuations appear stretched, particularly for technology companies focused on artificial intelligence,&quot; the report said. &quot;This, when combined with increasing concentration within market indices, leaves equity markets particularly exposed should expectations around the impact of AI become less optimistic,&quot; it added. The price of gold on Wednesday topped $4,000 an ounce for the first time. Analysts said support for the safe-haven asset was in part due to investor concerns about stock markets regularly reaching all-time highs as tech company valuations soar. AI progress could be hit by &quot;material bottlenecks... from power, data, or commodity supply chains&quot;, the BoE warned. Other threats to AI included &quot;increased competition which could drive a re-evaluation of currently high-expected future earnings&quot;, it added. On the Fed, the BoE said: &quot;A sudden or significant change in perceptions of Federal Reserve credibility could result in a sharp repricing of US dollar assets, including in US sovereign debt markets, with the potential for increased volatility... and global spillovers.&quot; And it added that &quot;risks associated with geopolitical tensions, global fragmentation of trade and financial markets, and pressures on sovereign debt markets remain elevated. &quot;The risk of a sharp market correction has increased,&quot; the BoE warned. &quot;A crystallisation of such global risks could have a material impact on the UK as an open economy and global financial centre,&quot; it added.&nbsp;

Europe

The Bank of England warned that technology firms focused on artificial intelligence could be overvalued, posing a risk to financial stability

Bank of England warns on high AI company valuations

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The University of Oxford has become the first institution in the United Kingdom to provide its students and staff access to ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT built for universities that includes enterprise-level security and controls.&nbsp;&nbsp;In a press release, the university said the decision was made after a successful year-long trial period. The initiative is part of a five-year partnership between Oxford and OpenAI.&nbsp;&ldquo;This university-wide rollout follows a successful year-long pilot involving around 750 academics, research staff, postgraduate research students and professional services staff in a wide range of roles across the University and Colleges,&rdquo; the university said.&nbsp;Professor Anne Trefethen, the University of Oxford&rsquo;s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Digital, called the move &ldquo;an exciting step in our ongoing process of digital transformation.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;There is huge potential for us to harness this to accelerate high-impact, curiosity-led research and innovation, and to facilitate breakthroughs that could address major global challenges,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;He added that the tool would be accessible to all students, supporting personalised learning and encouraging exploration and creativity in academic work.&nbsp;Jayna Devani, OpenAI&rsquo;s international education lead, praised Oxford&#39;s initiative as &quot;setting a new standard&quot; for AI integration in higher education.&nbsp;&ldquo;By making ChatGPT Edu available to everyone, Oxford is equipping all its students, academics, and staff with the AI skills, tools, and training they need to truly benefit from this transformative technology and succeed in the AI era,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;The rollout will be accompanied by comprehensive training on using ChatGPT Edu and other generative AI tools, with a focus on ethical use, critical thinking, and responsible application.

ChatGPT Edu, Oxford University, artificial intelligence

The initiative is part of a five-year partnership between Oxford and OpenAI and follows a year-long trial involving students and staff.

Oxford gives students access to ChatGPT Edu

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a test of an attack drone and ordered greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the technology, state media said Friday.&nbsp;Images shared by the official Korean Central News Agency showed the unmanned vehicle taking off and then destroying a target.&nbsp;State media reported that the exercise demonstrated the &quot;excellent combat effectiveness of Kumsong-series tactical attack drones,&quot; stating that Kim expressed &quot;great satisfaction&quot; with the result.&nbsp;Drones are emerging as a &quot;major military activity asset, raising it as a top-priority and important task in modernizing the armed forces of the DPRK,&quot; Kim reportedly said, using the acronym for North Korea.&nbsp;He also ordered &quot;efforts to rapidly develop the newly-introduced artificial intelligence technology&quot; as well as the &quot;expanding and strengthening&quot; of drone production capabilities.&nbsp;Analyst Hong Min at Seoul&#39;s Korea Institute for National Unification said Kim sees drone technology as critical to securing &quot;great power status.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;The drones raise concerns because they offer low-cost, high-efficiency threats: autonomous mission execution, improved accuracy and lethality, suitability for mass production, and enhanced tactical flexibility,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Lessons from RussiaPyongyang unveiled its first attack drones last year, and experts have warned its new capability in this area could be linked to its budding alliance with Russia.&nbsp;Analysts also say North Korean troops sent to fight for Russia will be gaining modern warfare experience, including how drones are used on the battlefield.&nbsp;And Lim Eul-chul at South Korea&#39;s Kyungnam University said AI could allow North Korean drones to &quot;operate even if GPS or communications signals are jammed, relying on pre-trained algorithms.&quot;&nbsp;North Korea has tested GPS jamming attacks on the South Korean assets &mdash; an operation that affected several ships and dozens of civilian aircraft.&nbsp;&quot;The AI drive has gained momentum since 2024, drawing on Russian technology transfers and lessons from the war in Ukraine,&quot; Lim said.&nbsp;South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have said the North sent over 10,000 soldiers to Russia in 2024 &mdash; primarily to the Kursk region &mdash; along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems.&nbsp;Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, Seoul has said.

Asia

Kim Jong Un emphasizes the military importance of AI-powered drones and calls for increased production, likely with technological support from Russia.


North Korea's Kim oversees drone test, orders AI development

Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Meta Platforms launched its first consumer-ready smart glasses with an integrated display on Wednesday, building on the success of its popular Ray-Ban smart glasses in the AI era.&nbsp;&nbsp;The company&rsquo;s CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses along with a new wristband controller at Meta&rsquo;s Connect event, despite some technical difficulties during the demonstration.&nbsp;Zuckerberg highlighted the glasses as an ideal way to achieve &ldquo;personal superintelligence&rdquo; by enabling users to stay engaged with their surroundings while accessing AI tools that apparently improve communication, memory, and senses.&nbsp;&nbsp;The new glasses feature a small digital display on the right lens for simple tasks like notifications and will be priced at $799, available in stores starting September 30.&nbsp; <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/c4d42edf-7c68-40a2-bf05-98acb744a011.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Meta Platforms launched its first consumer-ready smart glasses with an integrated display on Wednesday, building on the success of its popular Ray-Ban smart glasses in the AI era. (Meta.com)"> &nbsp;The package includes a wristband that converts hand gestures into commands such as replying to texts and calls.Meta also introduced Oakley-branded Vanguard glasses designed for athletes, priced at $499. These glasses integrate with fitness platforms and offer nine hours of battery life, with availability beginning October 21. The company also refreshed its Ray-Ban glasses without displays, enhancing battery life and camera quality, priced now at $379, up from $299.&nbsp;The glasses were unveiled at Meta&rsquo;s annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, California. Although Meta has been a pioneer in smart glasses technology, it still trails competitors like OpenAI and Google in releasing advanced AI systems.&nbsp;Zuckerberg has initiated efforts to recruit top engineers from competitors and pledged substantial investments in cutting-edge AI hardware.Although analysts don&rsquo;t expect strong initial sales for the Display model, it is seen as a step toward Meta&rsquo;s future &quot;Orion&quot; glasses scheduled for 2027, a prototype of which was shown last year.&nbsp;&nbsp;Industry experts compare the new glasses to Apple&rsquo;s launch of the smartwatch as a new wearable tech category, recognizing the potential of glasses as a practical, everyday device despite the need to convince consumers of their value.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Meta faces scrutiny over its handling of child safety issues on its social media platforms, including reported controversial interactions between chatbots and children, and concerns about virtual reality&rsquo;s impact on young users.&nbsp;

Meta launches AI-powered smart glasses with gesture control

Gadgets

The company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses along with a new wristband controller at Meta’s Connect event, despite some technical difficulties.

ISLAMABAD: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Thursday he appointed the world&rsquo;s first AI government minister to oversee public procurement to ensure transparency, eliminate corruption, and resist bribery. The bot named &lsquo;Diella&rsquo;, named after the Albanian word for &ldquo;sun,&rdquo; will manage and award all government contracts to private companies through public tenders. Diella was first introduced as a virtual assistant to help citizens access documents and services through the government&rsquo;s e-Albania platform.&nbsp; The digital avatar, depicted as a woman in traditional Albanian attire, has so far issued 36,600 documents and facilitated nearly 1,000 services, the Guardian reported. The AI-generated bot uses voice commands with the full range of bureaucratic tasks they need to perform in order to access about 95% of citizen services digitally.&nbsp; Diella&rsquo;s launchRama started his fourth consecutive government at the ruling Socialist party conference in Tirana, Rama said Diella would become &ldquo;the servant of public procurement&rdquo;. &ldquo;Diella is the first government member who is not physically present, but virtually created by artificial intelligence,&rdquo; Rama told party members.&nbsp; Corruption-free processRama said that entrusting the assistant with procurement decisions would make the process &ldquo;100-percent corruption-free and every public fund submitted to the tender procedure will be perfectly transparent.&rdquo; Public tenders have long been a source of corruption scandals in Albania. Local media described the addition of Diella as &ldquo;a major transformation in the way the Albanian government conceives and exercises administrative power, introducing technology not only as a tool, but also as an active participant in governance.&rdquo; Rama is expected to formally present his cabinet to lawmakers in the coming days.

social media underage ban, Australia social media curbs

Albania appoints Diella, the world’s first AI government minister, to oversee public procurement and combat corruption. Prime Minister Edi Rama says the digital avatar will ensure transparency and manage tenders via the e-Albania platform.

AI bot “Diella” appointed to avoid corruption in Albania

BEIJING: Pakistan and China signed bilateral agreements worth $8.5 billion on Thursday across various sectors, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif describing it as a &ldquo;long march of economic growth.&rdquo; Chinese and Pakistani companies signed $7 billion in memoranda of understanding (MoU) and $1.54 billion in joint ventures at the Second Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Beijing. Sectors covered include agriculture, electric vehicles (EVs), solar energy, health, chemicals, petrochemicals, iron, and steel. In his address, the Pakistani PM announced the launch of CPEC 2.0, aimed at attracting investment into diverse sectors and creating job opportunities. He assured Chinese investors that bureaucratic delays would be eliminated. Describing the forum as a reflection of the &ldquo;iron-clad brotherhood&rdquo; between Pakistan and China, Mr. Shehbaz stated that Pakistan was committed to investor facilitation and security for Chinese nationals. &ldquo;The safety of Chinese citizens is paramount,&rdquo; he said. The Pakistani PM praised China&rsquo;s transformative influence on Pakistan&rsquo;s energy and infrastructure. He noted that Pakistan overcame severe power outages thanks to China&rsquo;s support.He also pledged to focus CPEC 2.0 on business-to-business investments in agriculture, IT, artificial intelligence, minerals, and industrial relocation. Highlighting the importance of special economic zones for attracting investment, Sharif called for Chinese partnerships to modernize Pakistan&rsquo;s agriculture. Over 60% of the country&rsquo;s population is employed in the agriculture sector. The Pakistani PM recalled his first visit to China in 1982. He lauded China&rsquo;s economic rise and leadership under President Xi Jinping, stating he was committed to replicating China&rsquo;s development model to transform Pakistan&rsquo;s economy. The conference was attended by senior Chinese and Pakistani officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Pakistan&rsquo;s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, and Chinese trade representatives.

Economy

The deals aim to boost investment, job creation, and economic growth 

Articles tagged with "artificial intelligence"