An internal email disclosed on Tuesday as part of the Justice Department’s antitrust case against Google revealed that Microsoft Corp. was driven to invest significantly in and collaborate with OpenAI due to a perceived lagging behind Google. The Windows software maker’s chief technology officer, Kevin Scott, was “very, very worried” when he looked at the AI model-training capability gap between Alphabet Inc.’s efforts and Microsoft’s, he wrote in a 2019 message to Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and co-founder Bill Gates.

The exchange shows how the company’s top executives privately acknowledged they lacked the infrastructure and development speed to catch up to the likes of OpenAI and Google’s DeepMind. The email was released late Tuesday after media organizations including the New York Times and Bloomberg intervened in the landmark antitrust suit to push for greater public access. The US Justice Department has argued that OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other innovations may have been released years ago if Google hadn’t monopolised the search market. Scott, who also serves as executive vice president of artificial intelligence at Microsoft, observed that Google’s search product had improved on competitive metrics because of the Alphabet company’s advancements in AI.

The Microsoft executive wrote that he made a mistake by dismissing some of the earlier AI efforts of its competitors. “We are multiple years behind the competition in terms of machine learning scale,” Scott said in the email. Significant portions of the message, titled ‘Thoughts on OpenAI,’ remain redacted.

Nadella endorsed Scott’s email, forwarding it to Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood and saying it explains “why I want us to do this.” Microsoft has poured more than $13 billion into its partnership and backing of OpenAI, tapping the startup’s generative-AI technology to enhance its Bing search service, Edge internet browser and, most notably, integrate an AI Copilot service into Windows. Nadella has elevated the AI race to a priority at the company, also recruitrial last fall. “As it relates to search, we wanted to sort of ensure that we could think about innovation in the search category with” large language models like those developed by OpenAI, Nadella said.

The first India-made semiconductor chips will roll out from Micron Technology’s packaging unit in Gujarat’s Sanand in the first half of 2025.

The initial batch of India-made semi-conductor chips is slated to emerge from Micron Technology’s packaging unit in Sanand, Gujarat, during the first half of 2025, as conveyed by Micron India Managing Director Anand Ramamoorthy in an interview with Mint. Ramamoorthy expressed, “We anticipate the early release of products next year, within the first half, which signifies a commendable turnaround considering our announcement of this entire initiative in the midst of last year.”

Highlighting the export orientation, Ramamoorthy indicated that a significant portion of the chips manufactured in Sanand will be destined for international markets, potentially positioning the unit as a pivotal player in the global semiconductor arena. Ramamoorthy said the chips would be used for data centres, smartphones, notebooks, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. However, the specific allocation of the chips will be determined closer to the final production stage, based on factors such as demand dynamics, pricing considerations, and customer requirements. Micron is also eyeing new opportunities in emerging sectors such as two-wheeler electric vehicles and government contracts unique to the Indian market.

Rama Moorthy hinted at potential partnerships with Tata Electronics’ semiconductor fabrication units in Assam and Gujarat, citing existing collaborations with Tata Group companies and the possibility of expanding product lines into their factories. Micron is engaged in bringing its semiconductor supply chain to India, with key suppliers such as Simmtech beginning to set up operations in Gujarat. Ramamoorthy said the company is collaborating with the government and suppliers to leverage opportunities presented by India’s semiconductor ecosystem. Under the government’s $10 billion financial incentive scheme for semiconductor fabrication and assembly, Micron is establishing an assembly, testing, monitoring, and packaging (ATMP) plant in India.

The project, supported by significant financial backing from central and state governments, is poised to generate thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities, further bolstering India’s semiconductor landscape. Earlier this week, Reported that Micron Technology may receive a $6.1 billion in grants from the United States’ Commerce Department to bring semiconductor production back to the US. The company has reportedly pledged to open up to four factories in the New York state, and one in Idaho, however, has cited they would require a combination of Chips grants, investment tax credits and local incentives to make up cost differences between the US and overseas units. The company has projects in China and Japan, along with India.

Banks worldwide, including those in India, have a significant opportunity to enhance productivity and boost revenues by integrating generative AI (GenAI) into their operations, according to a report by IT consultancy firm Accenture. The study analyzed publicly available employee data to assess the impact of GenAI on banking tasks and modeled the financial implications for over 150 large banks globally over a three-year period.

The research findings suggest that banks implementing GenAI swiftly across their organizations could potentially increase revenues by up to 600 basis points (bps) within three years. Effective adoption and scaling of GenAI could also lead to a substantial 30% increase in employee productivity by streamlining various language-related tasks. Additionally, the study highlighted that operating income could see a significant uptick of around 20%, while return on equity levels might rise by 300 bps. Moreover, GenAI could drive cost savings of 1-2% by enhancing operational efficiency, with cost-to-income ratios potentially declining by up to 400 bps.

Accenture emphasized the critical importance of optimizing the usage of GenAI applications by banks, alongside upskilling existing employees and attracting specialized AI and data talent to support scaling and operationalization efforts. The report identified that 41% of all banking occupations have high potential for automation, indicating substantial scope for leveraging AI technologies in the sector.

Manoj Singodia, MD and Lead-Financial Services at Accenture in India, stressed the necessity for banks to adopt a holistic and long-term strategy to unlock the full potential of GenAI. This strategy involves integrating AI into banks’ value chains, reimagining traditional processes, and building a robust foundation of data and digital capabilities powered by cloud technology.

In summary, the Accenture report highlights the transformative potential of generative AI in the banking sector, offering a pathway for banks to enhance productivity, drive revenue growth, and optimize operational efficiency. As banks in India and globally navigate the evolving digital landscape, the strategic adoption of AI technologies like GenAI is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of banking operations and customer experiences.

In a recent report on cloud complexity, NetApp, the intelligent data infrastructure company, highlights a distinct division between countries leading the way in artificial intelligence (AI) and those lagging behind. The report offers global insights into the advancement, preparedness, obstacles, and momentum surrounding AI adoption, emphasizing the crucial role of unified data infrastructure in achieving AI success. According to the NetApp report nations such as India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States are leading the charge on AI adoption and innovation.

Conversely, countries like Spain, Australia, and Germany are identified as laggards in this technological advancement The report, conducted in collaboration with Savanta, surveyed over 1,300 executives across ten countries to gauge AI implementation status in various industries. It revealed that 60 per cent companies in leading countries like India, Singapore, UK and USA, have AI projects up and running or in pilot. In contrast only 36 per cent of companies in AI-lag-ging countries like Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Japan have embarked on similar AI initiatives. The report also suggests that, both AI leaders and AI laggards show a difference in their approach to AI. Globally, 67 per cent of companies in AI-leading countries report having hybrid IT environments, India leading with 70 per cent and Japan lagging at 24 per cent.

AI leaders are also more likely to report benefits from AI, including a 50 per cent increase in production rates, 46 per cent in the automation of routine activities and 45 per cent improvement in customer experience. “The rise of AI is ushering in a new disrupt-or-die era,” said Gabie Boko, Chief Marketing Officer at NetApp. “Data-ready enterprises that connect and unify broad structured and unstructured data sets into an intelligent data infrastructure are best positioned to win in the age of AI.”

The report suggests AI-laggard countries to must swiftly innovate and adopt AI if they want to remain competitive. About 42 per cent companies in AI-lagging countries have optimised their IT environments for AI. In Germany 67 per cent companies and in Spain 59 per cent companies have optimized their IT environment for AI. “AI is only as good as the data that fuels it,” said Pravjit Tiwana, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Cloud Storage at NetApp. “Both the AI leaders and AI laggards show us that in the prevailing hybrid IT environment, the more unified and reliable your data, the more likely your AI initiatives are to be successful.”

The report says that, IT cost and data security are major challenges for AI adoption and innovations, but it won’t stop the progress of AI. The report concludes that the disparity underscores the growing importance of AI in driving economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness on a global scale. Nations that are proactive in embracing AI technology are likely to enjoy significant advantages in various sectors, including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. However, those slower to adopt risk will fall behind in the race for technological supremacy and the associated benefits it brings.

The acquisition is expected to aid AMD compete better against American chipmaker Nvidia.

The acquisition of Nod. ai by American Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will increase the company’s open AI capabilities. The chipmaker claimed the partnership clearly aligns with AMD’s AI growth strategy, which is focused on an open software environment, as part of its statement on Wednesday. Nod.ai’s inclusion will provide it access to a skilled crew.

Top hyperscalers (large-scale data centers), businesses, and startups receive optimized AI solutions from Nod.ai. For more than 50 years, AMD has been into computing graphics and visualisation technologies. “The acquisition of Nod.ai is expected to significantly enhance our ability to provide AI customers with open software that allows them to easily deploy highly performant AI models tuned for AMD hardware,” said Vamsi Boppana, senior vice president, of the Artificial Intelligence Group at AMD.

“The addition of the talented Nod. ai team accelerates our ability to advance open-source compiler technology and enable portable, high-performance AI solutions across the AMD product portfolio. Nod.ai’s technologies are already widely deployed in the cloud, at the edge and across a broad range of endpoint devices today,” Boppana added. According to Anush Elangovan, co-founder and CEO, of Nod.ai, “By joining forces with AMD, we will bring this expertise to a broader range of customers on a global scale.”

The American multinational semiconductor Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in July this year announced it would invest approximately USD 400 million in India over the next five years.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Threads, Meta’s text-based conversation app, boasts over 150 million monthly active users, positioning it as a competitor to Elon Musk’s X (formerly known as Twitter). The monthly active user count for Threads surged from around 100 million users in October last year to 130 million in February.

At an earnings meeting for Meta, Zuckerberg said: “[Threads] continues to be on the trajectory that I hope to see.” He said in July that he expected Threads to become the next billion-user social network in Meta’s apps suite which also includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Since Threads’ launch last year, Meta has been working on creating a range of new features like a fully functional web application, keyword search, trending topics, edit button, voice posts, and the ability to support multiple accounts.

Additionally, the company has been boosting Threads’ posts on its video and photo-sharing platform, Instagram, in order to expand its social network .In March this year, Meta took a significant stride towards fulfilling its commitment to enhance interoperability for Threads. It started allowing users in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Japan to share their posts to the ‘fediverse’. The fediverse comprises decentralised social networks, such as Mastodon, that can interact with one another using the ActivityPub protocol.

The feature will be available to all users with public profiles above the age of 18 in these countries. Meta is testing a Threads API, aiming to empower creators, developers, and brands to construct their own distinctive integrations, efficiently manage their Threads presence, and distribute content to their communities. Meta’s API empowers developers to authenticate, publish posts, and retrieve their own content. Additionally, the company has recently introduced reply management capabilities, enabling users to access responses to their posts, configure reply settings, and conceal or reveal specific replies.

In a blog posted earlier this month, the company said, “Insights are one of our top requested features for the API, so we are making it possible for people to fetch key metrics for their posts, including the number of likes or views. We are also working on webhooks, which will allow developers to receive real-time notifications when certain events occur on the platform, such as a reply to a given post.” Meta said it is currently working with companies such as Grabyo, Hootsuite, Social News Desk, Sprinklr, Sprout Social, and Techmeme, with plans to make the API available by the end of June this year.