big tech

Big Tech companies are rapidly expanding the use of guarantees to back debt for AI datacentres and chips, issuing up to $300bn in commitments in under a year while recording little of that exposure on their balance sheets. The off-balance-sheet structure of these guarantees is drawing scrutiny over hidden financial risk in the AI buildout.

Google is mounting a legal challenge against European Union regulatory orders that would force it to give AI companies and rival search engines greater access to its services and data. The dispute is the latest clash between Big Tech and Brussels over competition rules, with regulators arguing open access is needed to level the playing field for emerging AI and search competitors.

Google is appealing European Union regulatory demands concerning access to Android's AI features and the sharing of search data with rivals. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the company is contesting requirements imposed under EU digital competition rules, arguing over how its Android platform and search data should be opened to third parties. The appeal sets up a fresh confrontation between the tech giant and European regulators.

Google is preparing to launch an experimental satellite into orbit, marking the first concrete move by a Big Tech company toward building AI data centers in space. The plan signals how far major technology firms are willing to go to find new infrastructure for power-hungry AI computing, with the New York Times reporting the news and drawing wide attention.

France has suggested that fines imposed by the European Union on Google should be used to lower member states' contributions to the EU budget, according to Reuters. The proposal would redirect revenue from antitrust penalties against the US tech giant into the bloc's finances rather than national coffers. The idea is likely to fuel ongoing debates over how EU competition fines should be shared and spent.

Anthropic says a biology lab it runs has already made a significant discovery, according to a report picked up widely on tech news sites. The company, best known for its AI models, has not yet published detailed results, and scientists are awaiting specifics on what exactly was found. Discussion so far centers on what the announcement could mean for AI-driven biological research.

Reuters reports that Amazon and GoodRx are launching subscription-based prescription drug services aimed at US consumers as health insurance coverage slips. Both companies are positioning discounted medication plans as an alternative for households facing rising premiums, reduced employer benefits, or gaps in coverage, deepening Big Tech and digital pharmacy competition in the American healthcare market.

Bloomberg Tech reports that AMD has acquired World Labs, the spatial-intelligence startup founded by AI researcher Fei-Fei Li, in a deal valued at $8.2 billion. The move signals AMD's push beyond chips into AI systems that understand 3D space and the physical world, a technology many see as a possible stepping stone toward more general artificial intelligence and advances in robotics.

A broad wrap of the trading day highlights major movers including Apple, Meta, Iovance, Carnival, Fair Isaac, Bloom Energy and SpaceX. The roundup frames these companies' share moves as the key to understanding the market's overall direction, spanning big tech, biotech, cruise lines, consumer credit and clean energy.

Alex Kantrowitz, who runs the Big Technology newsletter and podcast, says OpenAI is taking bigger risks and making bolder moves in artificial intelligence than Meta. His comments come as the two companies compete to shape the next generation of AI products, with OpenAI advancing new models while Meta pushes its own open-source alternatives.

A French-language essay argues that RSS feeds are essential to digital sovereignty, positioning the open web standard as a way to follow publications without depending on large platforms. The piece, shared with hashtags critical of Big Tech, frames RSS as a simple tool for reclaiming control over how people read the web, resonating with audiences concerned about digital independence.

A wave of new AI assistant launches is drawing attention, with Microsoft, Meta, Google and xAI each releasing products — Microsoft Autopilot, Meta Muse, Google Gemini Spark and Grok Bot — and OpenAI now joining with a tool called Dots. Commenters say the entire industry is rushing to stake out ground in the assistant space, with competition between the big AI players intensifying week by week.

Google has filed an appeal against a European Commission decision requiring the company to share search history data with rivals under the Digital Markets Act. The dispute centres on whether the EU's competition rules can force the search giant to hand over sensitive user data. The case adds to Google's long-running regulatory battles with Brussels over its market power.

More than a dozen Premier League media outlets have joined a network designed to operate independently of Silicon Valley-controlled distribution channels. The move signals a push by football clubs and affiliated publishers to take direct control of how their content reaches audiences, reducing reliance on major US tech platforms for distribution.

Google is suing the European Union, refusing a requirement to share search data with AI rivals including OpenAI. The company has filed a legal challenge, calling the rules an overreach that would hand valuable data to competitors. The dispute marks a new front in tensions between Big Tech and European regulators over control of data used to train AI models.

Huawei has unveiled the Mate 90 smartphone, featuring large camera systems and chips developed in-house rather than sourced from Western suppliers. The company has no plans to launch the device in Western markets, keeping availability focused on China and select regions. The phone highlights Huawei's continued push toward self-reliance in semiconductors despite ongoing export restrictions from the United States.