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Microsoft Considers $10 Billion Investment in ChatGPT Creator

As per a report from Semafor, Microsoft intends to invest 10 billion USD in OpenAI, the venture behind the prevalent artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT.

According to Semafor, who cited individuals with knowledge of the matter, the contract is the portion of a funding round with some other investors which would appreciate OpenAI at a hefty $29 billion.

Although it is unclear if the deal has been set in stone, term sheets sent out to potential investors demonstrated that the proposal seemed to be to seal the deal by the finish of 2022, according to Semafor.

Microsoft will supposedly receive 75 percent of OpenAI profits until it recoups its investment, at which point the firm will own 49 percent of OpenAI.

When CNBC got in touch with Microsoft and OpenAI, neither company responded immediately.

ChatGPT has become the talk of the tech sector for several weeks. The software is a natural-language processing model, which means it is designed to produce content that looks like it was written by a human.

Quora introduces Poe, a way to talk to AI chatbots like ChatGPT

The AI model, which is a modified version of the GPT-3 group of large language models, was utilized for including everything from code development to university essay writing.

A hope on ChatGPT could aid Microsoft’s attempts in web search, which is ruled by Google. Although the firm’s Bing browser has a comparatively tiny share of the worldwide search engine market, it is hoped that the deal will assist the business chip away at Google’s supremacy by providing more innovative search capabilities.

Morgan Stanley issued a report in December analyzing whether ChatGPT could pose a threat to Google. Language models, according to Brian Nowak who is the bank’s lead Alphabet analyst, might capture market share and destabilize Google’s stance as the entrance for individuals who use the Internet.

OpenAI, founded in 2015 by Sam Altman who is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, made its ChatGPT available to the general public in late November. Despite its prospects, the project is losing money because of the massive amount of stress on its servers as a result of its virality. Altman announced that ChatGPT had reached 1 million users five days after it was released by OpenAI.

Suhani Jain

I am a student pursuing my bachelor’s in information technology. I have a interest in writing so, I am working a freelance content writer because I enjoy writing. I also write poetries. I believe in the quote by anne frank “paper has more patience than person

COD gamers sue Microsoft to stop the Activision merger

A lawsuit was filed by gamers to prevent Microsoft from Activision Merger, claiming that doing so would decrease consumer choice and impede competition.

A private consumer lawsuit was filed against Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday in a U.S. court, alleging that the technology corporation’s $69 billion offer to buy Activision Blizzard Inc., the company behind the video game “Call of Duty,” will unjustly stifle competition in the sector.

About two weeks ago, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit with an administrative law judge to prevent Microsoft, the company that owns the Xbox system, from completing the biggest-ever acquisition in the video-gaming industry.

The gamers want to exert pressure on Microsoft in order to stop it from completing “the largest tech deal ever in the video gaming market and absorbing its main rival in the sector, which is similar to many of the FTC’s worries. Prior to filing suit, the FTC stated that it did so to prevent Microsoft from controlling a leading independent game studio.

The organization said that the Activision Merger would hurt competition between competing gaming platforms from Sony Group Corp. and Nintendo Co Ltd.

Ten video game gamers from California, New Mexico, and New Jersey filed the lawsuit. The plaintiffs identify Activision Blizzard as a significant rival that promotes industry-wide innovation and pricing competition in their lawsuit.

Consumers can object to acquisitions like this through the Clayton Antitrust Act, which gives courts the opportunity to consider the anti-competitive harms argued by consumers. The gamers who are suing Microsoft for potentially breaking antitrust laws are extremely concerned that the pricing of their favorite games may soon rise while the quality of those games may decline.

They claim that if the Activision Merger is approved, Microsoft would be in a position to monopolize the greatest talent and the most well-liked games in order to perhaps obtain “far-outsized market power.”

Microsoft to Offer Call of Duty on Nintendo Devices if Activision Deal Closes

In a statement on Tuesday, a Microsoft spokesman justified the agreement and said that it would boost competition and generate more options for gamers and game creators. Microsoft President Brad Smith stated, “We have complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court,” following the FTC’s lawsuit.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Joseph Saveri in San Francisco stated in a statement, “as the video game industry continues to grow and evolve, it’s critical that we protect the market from monopolistic mergers that will harm consumers in the long run.”

The lawsuits offer a distinctive viewpoint to the discussion around Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision, which Microsoft intends to conclude in 2023. They claim in their case that because Microsoft is aware that gamers are unlikely to switch to other games in place of their favorites, they are especially susceptible to price increases.

This means that Microsoft might block access to platforms or services outside of its gaming ecosystem and take popular games—like Call of Duty games, which are played by all plaintiffs.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Microsoft bans cryptocurrency mining on cloud services

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

According to media sources, Microsoft has prohibited cryptocurrency mining from using its internet services in order to protect all of its cloud users.

Microsoft has amended the Universal License Terms for Online Services, which went into effect on December 1. Microsoft has restricted the use of online services for crypto-mining. It is implemented to safeguard its consumers and cloud services. The IT behemoth announced the latest changes earlier this month.

The update stated, “Neither Customer nor those that access an Online Service through Customer, may use an Online Service … to mine cryptocurrency without Microsoft’s prior written approval.”

Microsoft’s Summary of Changes to the license mentioned, “Updated Acceptable Use Policy to clarify that mining cryptocurrency is prohibited without prior Microsoft approval.”

Microsoft suggested requesting pre-approval authorization to use any of its online services for cryptocurrency mining in the ‘Acceptable Use Policy’ section of its website, which comes amid rising worries about cyberfraud and threats.

The company noted, “Cryptocurrency mining can disrupt or even impair Online Services and its users, and is often associated with unauthorized access to and use of customer accounts.

We made this change to further protect our customers and mitigate the risk of disrupting or impairing services in the Microsoft Cloud. Permission to mine crypto may be considered for Testing and Research for security detections.”

Cryptocurrency cloud mining enables users to mine without the need for additional hardware or equipment. According to statistics from the blockchain research firm, Blockchain Council, this aspect of no cost associated has piqued clients’ interest in cloud mining. Microsoft Online Services, a part of the company’s SaaS strategy, is its hosted software product.

One of these services is the Microsoft Azure cloud computing network, which offers cryptocurrency mining for several subscription kinds. As was reported earlier, Microsoft also tested out blockchain services on Azure, but in September of last year, the project abruptly ended.

According to sources, Microsoft cloud computing systems have experienced storage issues in recent years as a result of constraints in the ongoing supply chain. Microsoft issued a warning to users about a new cryptocurrency mining malware last year that has the ability to steal credentials, disable security measures, proliferate via emails, and eventually drop additional tools for human-operated operations.

The cryptocurrency mining malware known as “LemonDuck” is propagated by phishing emails, vulnerabilities, USB devices, and brute force assaults in a number of nations, including India. It targeted Linux and Windows systems. This is not the first time that a major IT company has prohibited cryptocurrency mining on its website.

Similar rules apply at Google, which forbids mining without explicit written consent from the company. A mining malware threat detection solution for hacked accounts in Google’s cloud service was added earlier in 2022. Google stated last year that the majority of “malicious actors” had utilized compromised cloud accounts to mine cryptocurrency.

Crypto mining is likewise not permitted during the 12-month free trial of Amazon’s AWS. If users decide to mine on AWS, they can be charged a fee and risk having their accounts suspended.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Microsoft to Offer Call of Duty on Nintendo Devices if Activision Deal Closes

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

Microsoft has entered a 10-year deal with Nintendo to release “Call of Duty” (CoD) on Nintendo devices if the Activision Blizzard merger goes through.

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that if its $69 billion takeover of the game’s developer, Activision Blizzard, is completed, it would bring the popular video game brand Call of Duty to Nintendo systems.

Call of Duty, an enduring brand in which players engage in combat in the past, present, and future, is Activision’s flagship product. It has brought in more than $30 billion in revenue for the company.

Antitrust authorities from all around the world are currently investigating Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, the biggest consumer technology transaction since AOL acquired Time Warner in 2000. Microsoft and Nintendo’s agreement may help allay concerns about the deal’s antitrust implications.

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft officials are meeting with USFTC chair Lina Khan as well as other members this week to present their final justification for the deal’s approval.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer noted, “Microsoft has entered into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to @Nintendo following the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King.

Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people, however, they choose to play. Microsoft has committed to continue to offer Call of Duty on @Steam simultaneously to Xbox.”

The action is being taken as Microsoft awaits the FTC’s regulatory review of its proposed merger, which has been vigorously contested by Sony, the rival manufacturer of the PlayStation console, who thinks that the possibility of Call of Duty becoming exclusively available on Microsoft platforms would provide the company an unfair competitive advantage in the video game industry.

Regulators in the European Union and the United Kingdom have launched antitrust investigations into the transaction to determine whether it will harm competition. The EU is worried that Microsoft would deny competitors access to titles like Call of Duty. Microsoft has made assurances related to Call of Duty in an effort to allay concerns this week.

The company claims that the Activision acquisition will benefit players and boost industry competition. According to reports, the FTC is likely to approve the acquisition. Previously, Microsoft and Activision stated that they anticipated the agreement to be signed before the mid of 2023.

International regulators assessing the deal have frequently questioned if Call of Duty, one of Blizzard’s most popular titles, will be made inaccessible to PlayStation fans.

Microsoft has consistently assured authorities that the series would remain available on all current platforms, which at the moment include Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, and claimed that stopping PlayStation publication would be fiscally irresponsible.

Microsoft president Brad Smith had earlier this week announced that Microsoft had made a 10-year deal with Sony to make future Call of Duty games available on the PlayStation.

Sony has protested Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, claiming that doing so would limit the options available to players. Microsoft’s initial proposal to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation for “several more years” was rejected by Sony as “inadequate on many levels.”

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Microsoft eyes “super app” to challenge Apple and Google’s dominance of mobile search

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Suhani Jain

Microsoft wants to boost its mobile efforts with a new “super app” for the iPhone that combines a variety of features into a single app. According to The Information, Microsoft hopes that such an app will assist it in breaking into the mobile search market, which itself is dominated by Apple and Google as of now.

This one “super app” would integrate purchasing, texting, internet research, newsfeeds, and other features into a single iPhone and Android app.

According to the report, this would resemble a mobile strategy that has worked for Tencent, referring to the hugely popular WeChat app. WeChat, on the other hand, combines messaging, buying stuff, news articles, and various games into a single app.

The report goes on to say that it’s not clear “whether Microsoft will ultimately launch such an app,” but it’s something that’s been internally considered. Microsoft’s push to better integrate into mobile products is being led by CEO Satya Nadella, who is particularly focused on “pushing the Bing search engine to work better with other Microsoft mobile products.”
Source: 9to5mac.com

Due to a major multibillion-dollar agreement between Apple and Google, Microsoft’s Bing is at an obvious disadvantage on Apple platforms. Apple has made Google’s search engine the default on its every platform as a result of this agreement.

The Information reports that Microsoft has previously bid on this deal but has always been beaten out by Google. “The negotiations have typically taken place directly between Nadella and top Apple executives behind closed doors,” the report says. This leaves “many top Microsoft executives in the dark about the process.”
Source: 9to5mac.com

The Google-Apple deal, on the other hand, is coming under increasing antitrust scrutiny. According to the report, an agreement between Microsoft and Apple may not garner as much regulatory attention because Bing’s contribution to the web search market is tiny in comparison to Google’s.

However, there is currently no evidence that Microsoft intends to aggressively pursue a deal with Apple to make Bing the default search engine on the iPhone. Instead, the company’s efforts are focused on enhancing Bing’s compatibility with current Microsoft services and considering the possibility of a super app.

Suhani Jain

Google and Microsoft announce new pacts to use renewable energy in the data center

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

Both Microsoft and Google have made fresh commitments to use renewable sources of energy in their data centers, reducing the carbon impact of their IT operations.

Microsoft and Google have made new commitments to reduce the carbon footprint of their IT operations through the use of renewable sources of energy in their data centers. In order to power its facilities in the UK, Google has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the French utility company Engie for 100 MW of energy produced by the Moray West offshore wind farm.

According to Google, the new agreements would help the business to nearer to its goal of completely running its cloud regions and UK offices on carbon-free energy by 2030. According to Matt Brittin, president of Google EMEA, consumers in the UK and Europe are growing more concerned about energy sources and climate change.

He stated that Google has similar worries and thinks technology will be crucial in resolving the energy crisis by lowering emissions both internally and externally.

Microsoft, meanwhile, publicly disclosed PPAs in Ireland that encompass more than 900MW of brand-new renewable power capacity to operate its data centers there. Microsoft did not identify the providers for its renewable power contracts, but other media has named two of them as Statkraft of Norway and Energia Group of Ireland.

The energy is derived from a combination of solar and wind projects. The Redmond powerhouse predicted that by 2025, all of the energy used in its Irish data centers would be renewable and sourced from new initiatives backed by PPAs like these. Microsoft already agreed to a 20-year contract with AES Corporation to operate its data centers in California using renewable energy.

The action follows past agreements by both businesses to purchase US renewable energy. While Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with AES Corporation earlier this year to supply renewable power to its data centers in California from a portfolio of 110MW solar and 55MW four-hour storage projects, Google struck a deal with SoftBank subsidiary SB Energy for 900MW of solar energy for a datacenter in Texas.

Although these initiatives have admirable goals, they won’t necessarily reduce the carbon emissions of these megacorps, particularly if they are growing more quickly than they are acquiring carbon credits or making investments in renewable energy.

For instance, Microsoft acknowledged in its sustainability reports report for 2021 that although its personal CO2 emissions had decreased by around 17% year over year, its carbon emissions had increased due to considerable expansion during the same time. Microsoft stated that in addition to growing its data centers to accommodate customers’ requirements, it has also increased its commitment to decreasing carbon use and assisting in the bigger climate change challenges.

The series of announcements is a boost for the commercial power purchase agreement (PPA) market in Europe, which wind and solar industry organizations claimed last month had experienced a year-over-year decrease during the first three quarters of 2022.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

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