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| Hey Insiders, Today we are bringing you stories covering Google's potential forced breakup of its ad business, AMD's new AI chip to rival Nvidia, and AI making the "final" Beatles song. Scroll down for some quick hits and our "question of the week," then let us know which tech topics you'd like to see more of in future issues! Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Google may be required to sell part of its ad-tech business to address concerns about anti-competitive practices, according to European regulators. The EU's executive arm, the European Commission, has lodged a formal antitrust complaint against Google's ad business, citing alleged abuse of its dominant position in the digital advertising market. More: - The European Commission claims that Google has unfairly favored its own ad exchange, AdX, through its popular ad tools for publishers and advertisers.
- In preliminary findings, the commission suggests that selling off certain tools, such as Google's ad server that works with site publishers and its ad exchange, may be the only way to resolve the "conflicts of interest."
- While the EU has previously fined Google, this is the first time it has suggested breaking up a tech company to address antitrust violations.
- Margrethe Vestager, the EU's antitrust chief, said in a tweet that Google controls "both sides of the adtech market: sell & buy."
- If Google is abusing its dominance in favor of AdX, this if illegal, she said.
Response: - Google now has the opportunity to respond to the complaint, after which the commission will determine if antitrust laws were breached.
- If found guilty, the company could face fines of up to 10% of its global sales.
- In response, Google stressed the highly competitive nature of the digital advertising sector and said its ad-tech tools help fund content and help businesses reach new customers.
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| 2 | | The news: Amazon Web Services (AWS) is weighing the possibility of using Advanced Micro Devices's (AMD) new AI chips in its cloud services, according to an AWS executive. What happened: On Tuesday AMD, unveiled the MI300x, its most sophisticated GPU yet, which will serve as the company's flagship product for high-performance AI tasks, competing with Nvidia's offerings. AWS, the world's largest cloud computing provider, is considering partnering with AMD as a potential supplier of the chips, though no final decision has been made yet. Why it matters: Such a contract could elevate AMD to a similar echelon as Nvidia, which dominates the AI computing market with 80%-95% share, as reported by analysts. AWS has declined the chance to collaborate with Nvidia on the DGX Cloud offering, its all-inclusive AI supercomputer in the cloud. AMD's AI processors, which could power AI services similar to ChatGPT, could offer another option. Quotable: "We're betting that a lot of people are going to want choice, and they're going to want the ability to customize what they need in their data center," AMD Chief Executive Lisa Su told Reuters. What the numbers show: The market for powerful AI data processors is projected to see substantial growth due to high demand. In 2020, the revenue generated from AI processors for cloud and data centers was around $4B, a figure that could surge to $38B by 2026. 
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| 3 | | Hundreds of Reddit communities, including popular sites like r/videos and r/futurology, are planning to go dark indefinitely as part of a protest against the platform's API pricing changes. The blackout, which began as a two-day protest, has now extended into its third day with over 6,000 subreddits remaining inaccessible. More: - Reddit moderators have locked their groups to protest Reddit's new steep fees for data access.
- The increased API pricing for third-party apps is expected to result in shutdowns of several major Reddit apps, including Apollo and RIF, pushing users toward Reddit's less popular native app.
- While some subreddits plan to reopen on Wednesday, others said they will remain private until changes to the pricing are made.
Zoom out: - On Monday, Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman defended the decision, saying that the company needs to be profit-driven.
- Huffman addressed the ongoing blackout of subreddits in an internal memo, reassuring employees that the protest will eventually "pass."
- While the blackout caused a brief outage on Monday, Huffman said it had not significantly impacted revenue.
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| 4 | | A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday issued a temporary block of Microsoft's $68.7B acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The ruling is in response to a request from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a longer-term injunction, which the court will consider at a hearing later this month. More: - Tuesday's order prevents the companies from finalizing the deal while awaiting a decision on the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction.
- The FTC says that a lengthier pause is needed to prevent harm and determine if the merger violates antitrust laws.
- The agency argues that Microsoft gaining control of Activision's content could harm competition.
- The buyout has also faced opposition from U.K. competition regulators, with Microsoft recently appealing a decision to block the deal.
Zoom out: - Despite facing the FTC's lawsuit, both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard said they are optimistic about the merger and believe that the injunction request will actually accelerate the legal process.
- "We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," Microsoft president Brad Smith said.
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| 5 | | Tesla doesn't expect to start higher-volume production of its electric semi-truck until late 2024 due to battery supply constraints, according to CEO Elon Musk. While Musk didn't offer specific details, he previously said that Tesla had aimed to produce 50,000 units of the Semi annually starting in 2024. More: - Tuesday's announcement suggests that large-scale production of the semitrailer truck will be delayed.
- Tesla delivered its first Semi trucks to PepsiCo in December, after having first revealed the prototype in 2017.
- Tesla estimates that with a per-mile efficiency under 2 kWh, its customers could save up to $70,000 in fuel costs per year.
- As part of its preparations for truck production, Tesla is currently expanding its production facility in Nevada.
Credit:Tesla | | | |
| 6 | | Paul McCartney revealed that producers used artificial intelligence to create what he refers to as the final Beatles song. McCartney confirmed in an interview with BBC Radio 4 that the song will be released later this year. More: - Using AI technology, producers were able to extract and isolate John Lennon's vocals from an old demo, completing a long-unfinished track.
- The track is potentially the unfinished song titled "Now and Then," which Lennon recorded before his death in 1980.
- The inspiration for the reconstruction arose from Peter Jackson's documentary "Get Back," where AI was used to separate the Beatles' voices from background noise.
- Thanks to this AI technology, McCartney had the opportunity to "duet" with Lennon during his recent tour and create new mixes of the Beatles' album "Revolver."
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a writer and editor at Inside.com covering artificial intelligence and daily technology news. She has written the Inside AI newsletter since 2019. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@inside.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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