Fintech
1. PayPal to allow cryptocurrency buying, holding and selling for US merchants
PayPal Holdings announced on Wednesday it is enabling U.S. merchants to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency from their business accounts. (Aol)
IT infrastructure
2. Google complains to EU over Microsoft cloud practices
Google files an antitrust complaint to the European Commission against its competitor on the cloud market. (EuroNews)
Tech trends
3. Social media platform X set to request restoration of service in Brazil, sources say
Elon Musk’s social media platform X will file documents requested by Brazil’s Supreme Court and ask by this Monday that service be restored in the country, according to two people familiar with the situation. (Yahoo Finance)
4. Uber, Chinese self-driving tech startup announce partnership to launch robotaxis in UAE
WeRide’s first collaboration with a global ride-hailing platform will help the company expand its reach beyond China, while Uber takes another towards incorporating robotaxis into its platform. (Economic Times)
AI
5. Exclusive: OpenAI to remove non-profit control and give Sam Altman equity
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is working on a plan to restructure its core business into a for-profit benefit corporation that will no longer be controlled by its non-profit board, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, in a move that will make the company more attractive to investors. (Yahoo Finance)
6. OpenAI’s technology chief Mira Murati to leave
OpenAI’s board is considering plans to restructure the firm to a for-profit business, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous because the talks are ongoing. (CNBC)
7. Blackstone confirms $13 billion investment in Britain for AI data centre
U.S. private equity firm Blackstone has confirmed a 10 billion pound ($13.3 billion) investment for an artificial intelligence data centre in northeast England, the British prime minister’s office said on Wednesday. (Aol)
8. US FTC announces crackdown on deceptive AI claims, schemes
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced actions against five companies on Wednesday that it said used artificial intelligence in deceptive and unfair ways. (Reuters)
9. Meta’s top five announcements at ‘Connect’ event
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday unveiled an affordable mixed reality headset and the prototype of its first augmented reality glasses at the company’s annual “Connect” conference. (Market Screener)
10. Micron forecasts upbeat first-quarter results as AI boom boosts demand for memory chips
Micron Technology shares surged roughly 14% in after-hours trading after the memory maker forecast higher than expected first-quarter revenue due to the thirst for its memory chips used in artificial intelligence computing. (Yahoo Finance)
11. Split from Russia’s Yandex, Nebius plans $1 billion AI infrastructure investment
Amsterdam-based Nebius Group, which emerged from a deal to split the assets of Russian tech giant Yandex, plans to invest more than $1 billion in infrastructure in Europe for artificial intelligence (AI) by mid-2025, the company said on Wednesday. (MSN)
12. US nuclear plants won’t power up Big Tech’s AI ambitions right away
Constellation Energy and Microsoft plan to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant to meet increasing energy demands from AI data centers. However, the project faces challenges like regulatory hurdles, supply-chain issues, and local opposition due to the plant’s history of a partial meltdown. (Indian Express)
13. Meta will not immediately join EU’s AI Pact ahead of new law
Meta Platforms will not immediately join the European Union’s AI Pact, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. (US News)
14. Microsoft to spend $1.3 bln in Mexico on cloud, AI tech
Microsoft is expanding its data center footprint in Mexico. (Data Center Dynamics)
AR/VR
15. Meta unveils AR glasses prototype, Zuckerberg’s ‘time machine’ to future
Facebook owner Meta Platforms showed off its first working prototype of augmented-reality glasses, called Orion, during its annual Connect conference on Wednesday, as the California company sketched out its aspirations for products that would bring the virtual world into the real one. (Reuters)
