Cisco faces fallout from a massive data leak exposing critical files, while China accuses the U.S. of cyber espionage amid rising tech tensions. AI governance sparks debate as Europe enforces strict rules, and ASIC sues HSBC for $23M scam failures. Global cyber affairs take center stage this week.
ASIC is suing HSBC Australia over $23M in scam losses, alleging systemic failures in fraud detection and delays in resolving complaints. Meanwhile, Singapore's proposed anti-scam law aims to freeze accounts of scam victims to prevent further losses, sparking debate on privacy and autonomy.
Broadcom joins Nvidia in the $1 trillion club, reshaping the AI chip race with a 51% revenue surge in Q4 2024 and VMware's $69B acquisition. As China invests $25B to boost semiconductor self-reliance, U.S.-China tensions escalate, redefining global innovation and geopolitical power dynamics.
Microsoft's Build conference will showcase AI in Windows, featuring tools like Copilot. With Google's Gemini AI and OpenAI's GPT-4o, Microsoft aims to stay ahead in AI, drive PC upgrades, and introduce AI PCs with Neural Processing Units (NPUs).
This week, join us again with the AI Arms Race series as we cover Microsoft’s Build developer conference, kicking off on Tuesday.
This event provides Microsoft an opportunity to showcase its latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).
One of Microsoft’s distinct advantages is its ownership of Windows, which commands a massive PC user base.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlighted this during a keynote, stating, "2024 will mark the year when AI becomes a first-class part of every PC".
The company already integrates its Copilot chatbot assistant in the Bing search engine and offers it as a premium feature in its Office productivity software. Now, users will learn how AI will be embedded in Windows, transforming the capabilities of new AI PCs.
Just days before Microsoft’s conference, Google’s I/O event unveiled its most powerful AI model yet, demonstrating how its Gemini AI will enhance both computers and phones.
"Our advancements with Gemini signify a new era of intelligent, personalised computing" Google CEO Sundar Pichai remarked.
The search giant also revealed "GEMS" - its answer to OpenAI's custom AI models that can be finetuned for specialised tasks like being a "yoga bestie or calculus tutor."
With Gemini being deeply integrated into Google Workspace, Chrome, and even Search itself , one thing is clear: Google is going all-in on a future where AI assistants become our primary way of interacting with computers.
"Imagine being able to summarise a 500-page report with a single prompt or generate insightful visualisations from complex datasets," said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet. "Gemini 1.5 Pro empowers users to accomplish more in less time, unlocking new levels of productivity."
Prior to Google’s event, OpenAI announced its new GPT-4o model. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman emphasised the transformative potential of their new model, stating, "GPT-4o sets a new standard for what AI can achieve, and we’re just scratching the surface".
As OpenAI’s lead investor, Microsoft’s Copilot technology is based on OpenAI’s models. The challenge for Microsoft is maintaining its prominent position in AI while also boosting PC sales, which have seen a downturn following the pandemic-induced upgrade cycle.
"We remain bullish on the PC market recovery due to positive customer feedback and recent upward revisions to notebook ODM builds" Erik Woodring, a Morgan Stanley analyst, noted in a recent report.
Gartner reported a 0.9% increase in PC shipments in the last quarter, marking a slight recovery from a multi-year slump. Microsoft CFO Amy Hood noted, "Demand for PCs was slightly better than expected," during the company’s quarterly earnings call.
New AI tools from Microsoft could incentivize both enterprise and consumer customers to upgrade their ageing computers. Bernstein analysts wrote, "While Copilot for Windows does not directly drive monetization, it should increase Windows usage, customer stickiness, and likely search revenue".
A key addition to AI PCs is the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), designed to handle AI tasks beyond the capabilities of traditional CPUs.
While Microsoft has not detailed the offline capabilities of AI PCs, examples from Google’s Pixel 8 Pro show potential uses like summarising and transcribing recordings and recommending text responses.
Intel’s latest Lunar Lake chips with NPUs are expected by late 2024, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip mid-year, and AMD’s latest Ryzen Pro this quarter.
Apple has been using NPUs for years, with its new M4 chip expected to debut in the next round of Macs.
Qualcomm, unlike Intel and AMD, offers Arm-based chips, which boast longer battery life and thinner designs.
Microsoft’s Build conference will discuss thenext generation of Windows on Arm, emphasising how Windows operates on Qualcomm chips compared to Intel and AMD versions.
Microsoft will also host sessions like “AI Everywhere” to explore accelerating generative AI models on cloud-based devices.
An “Azure AI Studio” session will delve into how developers can create their own Copilot chatbots, potentially transforming how companies interact with their employees.
As the AI arms race continues, Microsoft’s strategic moves in integrating AI with its vast PC ecosystem could set new benchmarks in the industry, positioning the company as a pivotal player in the future of intelligent computing.
Broadcom joins Nvidia in the $1 trillion club, reshaping the AI chip race with a 51% revenue surge in Q4 2024 and VMware's $69B acquisition. As China invests $25B to boost semiconductor self-reliance, U.S.-China tensions escalate, redefining global innovation and geopolitical power dynamics.
The week saw cyber threats shadow Black Friday’s $70B sales, AI reshaping banking, and Meta’s nuclear energy ambitions. ByteDance and Nvidia clashed in the U.S.-China tech war, while Australia pushed Big Tech to fund journalism. A turbulent digital landscape sets the stage for 2025.
The Pacific tech war intensifies as Trump's return to power amplifies U.S. export bans, targeting China’s AI progress. ByteDance, Nvidia's largest Chinese buyer, counters with bold strategies like crafting AI chips and expanding abroad. A fragmented 2025 looms, redefining tech and geopolitics.
Australia pushes tech giants to pay for local journalism with new laws as Meta faces a global outage, raising concerns over platform reliability. Meanwhile, Meta joins hyperscalers like Google and Amazon, exploring nuclear energy to power AI ambitions and unveils a $10B AI supercluster project.
