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Why are Facebook and Instagram ending news access in Canada?

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Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, plans to block access to news content on its platforms for all users in Canada when a new law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers comes into effect.

The Canadian parliament passed “Bill C-18,” known as the Online News Act, which mandates platforms like Facebook and Google to negotiate commercial deals and compensate news publishers for their content. Both Meta and Google had previously warned that they would restrict access to news articles if the legislation was passed without amendments.

Facebook
Image Source: dailytimes.com.pk

Facebook argues that news articles constitute less than 3% of the content on users’ feeds and claims that news has no economic value for the company since its users do not primarily rely on the platform for news consumption. They also highlight the benefits journalists receive from posting their work on the social media platform.

Google, on the other hand, contends that Canadian law is broader than similar laws in Australia and Europe, as it places a monetary value on news story links displayed in search results and can potentially apply to outlets that do not produce news.

Google proposed revisions to the bill, suggesting that payment should be based on the display of news content rather than links and that only businesses producing news and adhering to journalistic standards should be eligible for payments.

Also Read: Can the iPhone 16 be cheaper than the iPhone 15 Pro?

In Australia, both Google and Facebook initially threatened to limit their services when similar laws were enacted in 2021. However, they reached agreements with Australian media companies after amendments were made to the legislation. As a result, Meta and Google have been paying around A$200 million ($134 million) annually to Australian news outlets.

Lawmakers in Meta’s home state of California and the U.S. Congress are pushing for similar rules, as they see a need to empower news organizations to negotiate collectively with platforms like Google and Facebook.

Meta generates 40% of its revenue from the United States and considers Australia and Canada among its significant markets. If Meta fails to obtain exemptions or modify the rules in Canada, it could potentially face similar challenges in the United States.

In 2022, U.S. lawmakers introduced a revised version of a bill aimed at facilitating collective negotiations between news organizations and platforms. Additionally, the New Zealand government announced its intention to introduce a law requiring major online companies to compensate local media companies for the appearance of their news content on digital feeds.

Nasdaq

Nasdaq to sell debt worth $5 bln to fund Adenza deal

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To pay for its acquisition of the software business Adenza, which is controlled by Thoma Bravo, Nasdaq stated on Thursday that it wants to dispose of its debt for $5.07 billion.

The exchange provider will become a financial tech business as part of the $10.5 billion acquisition, which was disclosed a few weeks ago. It includes $5.75 billion in currency and 85.6 million units of Nasdaq stock in common.

Nasdaq
Image Source: freemalaysiatoday.com

Based on a release, Nasdaq plans to offer senior bonds for $4.25 billion as well as 750 million euros which is about 821.33 million USD.

The business, which is based in New York, announced that it has entirely pledged to provide bridge funding for the cash portion of the purchase agreement and aims to put out around 5.9 billion USD of loans between the agreement’s signature and closure.

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Nasdaq and several of its competitors have been transitioning into fintech (financial technology) companies, mostly through acquisitions, as regulatory as well as nationalist opposition successfully prevented significant international trade acquisitions and as the amount of trading decreased during the financial crisis between 2008 and 2009, limiting revenue based on the transaction.

The U.S. exchange operator acquired OMX, a holding company of the Nordic markets, for 3.7 billion USD in the year 2007, ISE (International Securities Exchange) for a price tag of 1.1 billion USD in 2016, alongside Verafin, an exporter of applications designed to combat illicit financial activity, for a total of $2.75 billion in 2020.

The first digital trading platform in the world, Nasdaq is an online worldwide platform for purchasing and selling securities.

In the US as well as Europe, it runs 29 markets, one clearinghouse, along with five primary securities storage facilities.

The Nasdaq is home to most of the largest technology companies worldwide.

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Nasdaq began as a division of NASD which stands for the National Association of Securities Dealers, which is now referred to as FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), and its name started as an abbreviation for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, also known as the SEC, pushed NASD to centralize the marketplace for stocks that aren’t listed on an exchange, which led to the creation of Nasdaq. The first computerized trading platform was the outcome along with starting its operations in 1971 on February 8.

iPhone

Can the iPhone 16 be cheaper than the iPhone 15 Pro?

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According to a recent rumor, there will be significant differences between the initial and future versions of Apple’s A17 Bionic chip, which is expected to debut in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year.

The key distinction lies in the manufacturing process, with the initial A17 chip utilizing TSMC’s N3B process, while a later version will transition to the N3E process in 2024. The switch to N3E is primarily motivated by cost-cutting measures, potentially compromising some efficiency gains.

iphone
Image Source: notebookcheck.net

TSMC’s N3B process, developed in collaboration with Apple, represents the original 3nm node and has been ready for mass production for a longer period than N3E. However, N3B exhibits a lower yield and is not compatible with TSMC’s upcoming successor processes.

On the other hand, N3E is a more accessible node with fewer EUV layers and lower transistor density. While N3E may sacrifice some efficiency, it can offer improved performance. Apple had originally planned to use N3B for the A16 Bionic chip but had to settle for N4 due to time constraints.

Therefore, it is possible that the initial A17 chips will adopt the N3B CPU and GPU core design intended for the A16, before transitioning to the original A17 designs with N3E in 2024. Apple will likely continue refining this architecture through TSMC’s future nodes for subsequent chips like the “A18” and “A19.”

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Considering the drastic nature of such a change, it is highly unlikely that Apple would introduce such a significant alteration to the A17 Bionic chip during the product cycle of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Therefore, it is more plausible that the N3E version of the chip will be incorporated into next year’s standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models.

This aligns with past practices where Apple has introduced variations in chip configurations across different iPhone generations while still utilizing the same chip base.

The source of this rumor is a Weibo user claiming to be an integrated circuit expert with 25 years of experience working on Intel’s Pentium processors.

This individual has previously made accurate predictions, such as the inclusion of a Lightning-like authenticator chip in the USB-C port and charging cables of the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, a rumor that was later supported by established sources.

They also correctly indicated that the standard iPhone 14 models would feature the A15 Bionic chip, while the A16 would be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models.

In summary, the rumor suggests that Apple’s A17 Bionic chip will undergo significant changes, with an initial version utilizing TSMC’s N3B process and a subsequent version transitioning to N3E for improved cost efficiency.

However, it is unlikely that these changes will occur within the product cycle of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, making it more probable for the N3E version to appear in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models next year. The source of the rumor has a track record of accurate predictions, adding credibility to these claims.

intel

Intel spends $33 billion in Germany in landmark expansion

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As a portion of its ambition for development in Europe, Intel (INTC.O) will invest over thirty billion euros (approximately 33 billion USD) in developing two chip-making facilities in Magdeburg. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the agreement on Monday as the most significant overseas investment that Germany has ever received.

Intel
Image Source: freetimelearning.com

According to an individual who is acquainted with the situation, Berlin has decided to assist the worth of up to 10 billion euros to the American chipmaker, above the 6.8 billion euros it had previously given Intel to construct two advanced manufacturing plants in the eastern metropolis.

The government along with the territory of Saxony-Anhalt, where Magdeburg is situated, were thanked by the CEO of Intel Pat Gelsinger for achieving the goal of a lively, environmentally friendly, leading-edge semiconductor sector in Germany as well as the EU.

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To regain its position as the industry leader in chip manufacturing and more effectively rival AMD Nvidia (NVDA.O), (AMD.O), alongside Samsung, Intel has invested billions in constructing plants on three different continents.

“Today’s agreement is an important step for Germany as a high-tech production location – and for our resilience,” Scholz said after Monday’s signing.

“With this investment, we are catching up technologically with the world’s best and expanding our own capacities for the ecosystem development and production of microchips.”

Source: reuters.com

It’s the third significant deal of Intel in just a few days with the German transaction. Whilst Israel announced that Intel will invest a total of $25 billion in manufacturing there on Sunday, Poland, an additional member of the European Union (EU), received proposals for a 4.6 billion USD chip facility on Friday.

As Per McKinsey, the global semiconductor manufacturing market is predicted to grow from 600 billion dollars in 2021 to an estimated trillion-dollar sector by 2030.

having Germany anxious about dropping its appeal as an investment destination, both the United States along with Europe are working to entice major manufacturing companies with a combination of government support and advantageous laws.

Berlin’s authorities are spending millions of euros on incentives to entice technology companies, despite rising concern over the supply chain’s frailty and its reliance on South Korea as well as Taiwan for semiconductors.

“The size of Intel’s reaffirmed and increased commitment to its expansion in Magdeburg speaks louder than words about Germany’s appeal as a high-tech business location,” said Robert Hermann, CEO of government agency Germany Trade & Invest.

Source: reuters.com
HPE

HPE to offer cloud computing service for artificial intelligence

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Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (HPE) announced the launch of a cloud computing service intended to support artificial intelligence (AI) systems similar to ChatGPT.

While the service is currently being used by a few customers, it is expected to be more widely available in North America by the end of this year and in Europe next year.

Image Source: reuters.com

This move puts HPE in direct competition with major cloud computing providers such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, as they all strive to adapt their data centers to the growing demand for AI-based services like chatbots and image generators.

The increasing focus on AI is reshaping the cloud computing market, as data centers must be designed differently to handle AI workloads. Traditional cloud computing data centers divide a single physical server into multiple virtual machines for rental to customers.

However, AI data centers take a different approach, aiming to connect hundreds or thousands of computers together to create a unified, powerful computing system.

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HPE has been working on such technologies for years, particularly in the development of supercomputers like the Frontier supercomputer, currently the world’s fastest.

Justin Hotard, Executive Vice President and General Manager of HPE’s high-performance computing and artificial intelligence unit, stated that the company will leverage its expertise in supercomputers to offer a service specifically tailored to large language models, which underpin services like ChatGPT.

Hotard emphasized that HPE’s offering is distinct from its cloud competitors, being neither easily accessible nor trivial in nature.

HPE’s entry into the cloud computing service for artificial intelligence (AI) places the company in direct competition with major industry players like Amazon.com, Microsoft, and Alphabet Inc’s Google.

These technology giants are all striving to adapt their extensive data centers to meet the increasing demand for AI-powered services such as chatbots and image generators, which have gained immense popularity and attracted millions of users.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is a global technology company that provides a wide range of enterprise solutions and services. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) already had a presence in the cloud computing market with its HPE GreenLake platform.

One of its prominent offerings, this platform is a hybrid cloud service that allows organizations to consume IT resources on-demand while maintaining control over their infrastructure.

HPE GreenLake is designed to provide a flexible and scalable cloud computing experience, allowing customers to leverage a variety of workloads and technologies. This includes traditional enterprise applications, virtualized environments, big data analytics, and more.

By adopting a consumption-based model, GreenLake offers a pay-per-use pricing structure, where customers only pay for the resources they actually consume.

Europe

Is Europe in Danger of Losing EV Battery Race?

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According to a report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA), Europe is at risk of losing the global battery race due to various challenges.

These include limited access to raw materials, increasing costs, and tough competition. The report highlighted that the European Union’s efforts to achieve its climate goals, which heavily rely on the adoption of electric vehicles powered by batteries containing metals like cobalt, nickel, and lithium, may be hindered.

Europe
Image Source: finance.yahoo.com

The ECA, an independent external auditor of the EU, stated that nearly 20% of new cars registered in the EU in 2021 were electric.

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With an estimated 30 million zero-emission vehicles expected on European roads by 2030 and a ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, the demand for batteries will soar. However, the EU’s strategy has not adequately addressed its ability to meet this growing battery demand.

Annemie Turtelboom, who led the ECA audit, expressed concerns about the EU’s ambition to become a global battery powerhouse, emphasizing that the odds of success are not favorable.

Turtelboom warned that if the EU fails to produce enough batteries domestically, it may either miss its emissions goals for 2035 or rely heavily on imported batteries, which could harm European industry and come at high costs from other countries.

The EU’s reliance on a few countries for raw materials poses a significant risk. The ECA highlighted that, on average, the EU imports 78% of five key materials. This concentration of supply brings geopolitical risks and potential shortages.

Turtelboom emphasized that the EU should avoid becoming as dependent on batteries as it is on natural gas from Russia.

The report revealed that a significant portion of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, while China dominates global battery production capacity and supplies 40% of natural graphite.

The EU relies entirely on imports of refined lithium. Although extraction in Europe is possible, it will take considerable time, with Portugal, holding the bloc’s largest lithium reserves, not expecting production to begin until 2026.

Furthermore, the ECA identified that the EU lags behind in terms of cost competitiveness, partly due to high energy prices. The EU Commission’s data was found to be outdated and incomplete, and public funding for battery projects remains uncoordinated, leading to overlaps and inefficiencies.

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In summary, the report from the European Court of Auditors raises concerns about Europe ability to become a global battery powerhouse. Limited access to raw materials, rising costs, intense competition, and an inadequate strategy pose challenges to the EU’s ambitions.

The report warns that failure to address these issues could result in missed climate goals or heavy reliance on imported batteries, which would harm European industry and come at a high price.