Google Archives - Page 2 of 3

September 10, 2024September 12, 2025

Google’s advertising business goes on trial

The U.S. government is targeting the heart of Google’s vast wealth – its highly profitable monopolising advertising technology business

A trial scheduled to begin on Monday 9th September 2024 will scrutinise the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) claims that Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is unlawfully sustaining a monopoly in the marketplace.

In the previous year, the firm amassed over $200 billion (£152 billion) through the placement and sale of online advertisements.

Alphabet attributes its success to the ‘effectiveness’ of its business. Conversely, prosecutors contend that the company has leveraged its market control to stifle competition.

The legal action, launched by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and several states in 2023, charges Google with dominating the digital advertising market and employing its influence to obstruct innovation and competition.

Google asserts that it is simply one of numerous companies that arrange digital advertisement placements for consumers.

The corporation argues that the digital advertising industry is increasingly competitive, citing the growing advertising revenues of entities like Apple, Amazon, and TikTok as proof, as mentioned in a blog post responding to the DoJ’s lawsuit in 2023.

The contentions will be laid out before the U.S. District Judge who is expected to deliver a verdict.

This trial comes on the heels of a notable decision in a separate antitrust lawsuit against Google by the Justice Department last month. Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had illegally stifled competition in its online search services.

He reportedly stated that, “Google is a monopolist and has acted as such to maintain its monopoly.”

Alphabet one year chart

August 29, 2024September 12, 2025

Company says it can cut data centre energy use by 50% as AI boom places increased strain on power grids

Major technology corporations such as Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta are channelling billions into data centre infrastructures to bolster generative AI, which is causing a spike in energy demand.

Sustainable Metal Cloud has announced that its immersion cooling technology is 28% less expensive to install compared to other liquid-based cooling methods and can cut energy use by up to 50%.

The surge in artificial intelligence has increased the need for more robust processors and the energy to cool data centres.

This presents an opportunity for Sustainable Metal Cloud, which runs ‘sustainable AI factories’ consisting of HyperCubes located in Singapore and Australia.

These HyperCubes house servers equipped with Nvidia processors immersed in a synthetic oil known as polyalphaolefin, which is more effective at dissipating heat than air. The company claims this technology can reduce energy consumption by as much as 50% when compared to the conventional air-cooling systems found in most data centres.

Additionally, the Singapore-based company states that its immersion cooling technology is more cost-effective to install by 28% than other liquid cooling options. The HyperCubes are modular and can be integrated into any data centre, utilising spaces that are currently unoccupied within existing facilities.

What is a Hypercube?

Structure: A hypercube topology connects nodes in a way that each node is connected to others in a manner similar to the geometric hypercube. For example, in a 3-dimensional hypercube (a cube), each node is connected to three other nodes.
Scalability: This structure allows for efficient scaling. As the number of dimensions increases, the number of nodes that can be connected grows exponentially.
Fault Tolerance: Hypercube networks are known for their robustness. If one connection fails, there are multiple alternative paths for data to travel, ensuring reliability.

Benefits in data centres

High Performance: The multiple pathways in a hypercube network reduce latency and increase data transfer speeds, which is crucial for big tech companies handling vast amounts of data.
Efficient Resource Utilisation: The topology allows for better load balancing and resource allocation, optimising the performance of data centres.
Flexibility: Hypercube networks can easily adapt to changes in the network, such as adding or removing nodes, without significant reconfiguration.
Big Tech Companies: Companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft likely use hypercube topologies in their data centres to ensure high performance and reliability.
High-Performance Computing (HPC): Hypercube networks are also used in supercomputers and other HPC environments where efficient data transfer is critical.

August 7, 2024September 12, 2025

Judge ruling says Google’s monopoly of online searches is illegal

Too much monopolistic power held by too few

A U.S. judge has ruled that Google illegally maintained a monopoly in online searches and related advertising. The lawsuit, brought by the Department of Justice, charged Google with controlling around 90% of the online search market.

It was reportedly noted by the judge that Google’s billions of dollars in investments to become the default search engine on smartphones and browsers could be anticompetitive.

The decision, issued on Monday 5th August 2024, could potentially change how tech giants operate.

It was reported that in his extensive 277-page decision, Judge Mehta remarked, “Google has acted as a monopolist and engaged in anticompetitive practices to maintain its monopoly.”

This represents a significant victory for federal antitrust enforcers who have pursued similar cases against other leading technology companies for illegal monopolistic behaviours.

Companies like Meta Platforms, which operate Facebook and WhatsApp, as well as companies like Amazon and Apple., have also faced lawsuits from federal regulators.

The judgment comes after a 10-week trial where it was argued that Google’s substantial payments to remain the primary search engine have impeded the competition’s ability to challenge effectively.

This is a seismic shift in the way search engines and advertising may operate in the future. Already with the advent of AI, search engines look and feel different.

Recently, OpenAI launched ‘SearchGPT’ – and Microsoft have named it a competitor in the world of search engines.

Times are changing.

August 6, 2024September 12, 2025

$1 trillion rout as Markets punishes tech stocks

The seven most valuable U.S. tech companies experienced a combined loss of $1 trillion in market value at the start of Monday’s trading session – 5th August 2024

The Nasdaq declined over 3% following its sharpest three-week drop in two years.

Nvidia’s shares fell approximately 6%, while Apple’s dropped more than 4%.

On Monday, as the U.S. markets commenced trading, the market capitalization of the largest tech companies plummeted by about $1 trillion, exacerbating a decline that pushed the Nasdaq into correction territory the previous week.

Markets go up and markets go down

In early trade Nvidia’s market cap decreased by over $300 billion, but it swiftly regained about half of that loss. The chipmaker’s shares ultimately closed down 6.4%, equating to a $168 billion loss. Apple and Amazon saw their valuations fall by $224 billion and $109 billion at market open. Apple’s market cap finished 4.8% lower, a $162 billion decrease. Amazon’s valuation fell by 4.1% at closing, a $72 billion reduction.

Including significant drops in Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Tesla, the top seven tech giants saw a $995 billion loss in market value in the initial moments of trading, although they did recover somewhat as the day went on.

July 30, 2024September 12, 2025

Microsoft shares drop on cloud miss as Azure revenue disappoints

Microsoft reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for Q4

In extended trading on 30th July 2024, the stock experienced a quick decline as attention was drawn to the less-than-expected Azure revenue, despite management’s forecast for growth in the upcoming quarters.

The company’s total revenue saw a 15% increase compared to the previous year.

Despite surpassing earnings and revenue expectations, Microsoft’s shares dropped by up to 7% in extended trading on Tuesday, with investors concentrating on the underwhelming cloud revenue. However, executives offered a positive outlook, anticipating an acceleration in cloud growth during the first half of 2025.

Microsoft one day chart 30th July 2024

Microsoft’s cloud division holds significant interest for investors, as it competes with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google in the artificial intelligence (AI) work arena. These three tech giants are pouring substantial resources into enhancing AI capabilities, aiming to attract both startups and established companies as generative AI technology swiftly progresses.

For Amazon, AWS has served as a vital profit centre for the past ten years.

July 26, 2024September 12, 2025

OpenAI announces a search engine called SearchGPT

OpenAI on Thursday 25th July 2024 announced a prototype of its search engine, called SearchGPT, which aims to give users “fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.”

The company has announced plans to eventually incorporate the tool, presently in testing with a select user group, into its ChatGPT chatbot.

The introduction of ChatGPT could have significant implications for Google’s search engine dominance. Since ChatGPT’s debut in November 2022, there has been growing concern among Alphabet’s investors that OpenAI may capture a portion of Google’s market share by offering consumers innovative methods to obtain information on the internet.

Alphabet three month share price as of 25th July 2024

OpenAI’s ChatGPT was incorporated into Microsoft’s search engine Bing as Copilot and the companies have kept market dominance with this shrewd AI move. Google, on the other hand, has struggled to keep up in the AI race and may now be suffering the effects.

This announcement could have implications for Microsoft’s Copilot as well.

July 25, 2024September 12, 2025

U.S. stocks slip as Nasdaq tumbles for worst day since 2022 – Tesla and Alphabet fall

Stocks sold off Wednesday 24th July 2024, blighted by underwhelming reports from Tesla and Alphabet – leading the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 to post their worst sessions since 2022.

The S&P 500 index dropped to closing at 5427, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq slid around 3.65% to end at 17342. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 504 points closing at 39853.

Nasdaq Comp one day chart 24th July 2024

Shares of Google parent company Alphabet fell 5% for their biggest one-day drop since 31st January, when they dropped 7.5%. Although Alphabet reported good numbers, YouTube advertising revenue came in below the consensus estimate causing share to dip.

Alphabet one day chart 24th July 2024

Tesla shares declined around 12% – their worst day since 2020 – on weaker-than-expected results and a 7% year-on-year drop in auto revenue.

Tesla one day chart 24th July 2024

June 26, 2024September 12, 2025

Nvidia rebounds after half a trillion market cap slump

To put this figure into some perspective, the loss is comparable to the GDP output of a small country, such as Norway, Singapore, or the UAE, for example.

Global semiconductor stocks experienced volatility on Tuesday following a decline in Nvidia’s shares from the previous trading sessions.

Shares of chip firms in Europe and Asia fell in early trade as investors reacted to Nvidia losing more than $500 billion in market capitalization over three trading days. Some of the stocks recouped losses, however, as shares in the U.S. chipmaking giant recovered around 6 – 6.5% as of Tuesday 25th June 2024.

This follows a significant drop in Nvidia’s share value, which fell 13% over three consecutive sessions from the record highs achieved on Thursday 20th June 2024.

On Monday 24th June 2024, Nvidia’s stock closed down 6.7%, marking its second-largest decline of the year, yet the shares began to recover in early trading on Tuesday 25th June 2024.

Last week, the company surpassed Apple and Microsoft to become the most valuable U.S. company, achieving a market capitalization of over $3.4 trillion. However, by the end of Monday, Nvidia’s market value had declined by more than $540 billion from its intraday record on Thursday 20th June 2024.

Nvidia reported that the demand for its highly sought-after artificial intelligence graphics processing units (GPUs) continues to be strong.

Companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta are investing billions of dollars in these chips to enhance their data centres and cloud services.

June 19, 2024September 12, 2025

Nvidia passes Microsoft in market cap – should investors be concerned about the meteoric rise?

Nvidia, traditionally recognised within the gaming community for its graphics chips, has become the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.

On Tuesday 18th June 2024, Nvidia’s shares rose by 3.6%, increasing its market cap to $3.34 trillion and overtaking Microsoft, now valued at $3.32 trillion. Earlier in the month, Nvidia’s valuation reached $3 trillion for the first time, surpassing Apple.

Nvidia $3.34 trillion market cap

So far this year, Nvidia’s shares have surged over 170% and saw further gains after announcing first-quarter earnings in May 2024. Since the close of 2022, the stock has increased more than ninefold, paralleling the rise of generative artificial intelligence.

Apple’s shares dropped by 1.1% on Tuesday, resulting in a market value of $3.29 trillion for the tech giant.

Nvidia commands roughly 80% of the market share for AI chips in data centres, a sector that has expanded rapidly as companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta have competed to acquire the necessary processors for constructing AI models and managing growing workloads.

In the latest quarter, Nvidia’s data centre business saw a 427% increase in revenue from the previous year, reaching $22.6 billion and comprising approximately 86% of the company’s total sales.

Established in 1991, Nvidia initially focused on hardware, selling gaming chips for running 3D games. The company has also ventured into cryptocurrency mining chips and cloud gaming services.

However, in the last two years, Nvidia’s stock has soared as investors recognised its pivotal role in the AI boom, a trend that continues to accelerate. This surge has increased the net worth of co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang to an estimated $117 billion, ranking him as the 11th richest individual globally, according to Forbes.

But is the rise too fast and is it time for a share price valuation adjustment in its meteoric rise, to bring it back down to Earth?

Nvidia share price one year chart 18th June 2024

June 7, 2024September 12, 2025

Is this German chipmaker about to gain more traction in the AI race

While Nvidia continues to dominate the AI chip market headlines, Infineon, a German semiconductor company, is also making waves.

Infineon is capitalizing on the AI surge, aiming to generate billions in revenue through the sale of premium chips.

As AI applications proliferate, encompassing data centre servers and integrated chipsets for PCs and mobile devices, the demand for AI chips is skyrocketing. This trend has only one direction, and that is up.

Infineon is certainly one to watch – it may just become the next major player in the industry.

Others to watch: ARM Holdings, AMD and Intel

June 4, 2024September 12, 2025

Intel unveils new AI chips as it seeks to reclaim market share

Intel announced its new Xeon 6 processors at the Computex tech conference in Taiwan on Tuesday 4th June 2024.

This announcement coincides with the recent launches of new artificial intelligence chips by rivals Nvidia and AMD on Sunday and Monday 2nd and 3rd June 2024 – as they compete for dominance in the rapidly growing industry.

Intel is making efforts to catch up with Nvidia and AMD, having been relatively absent from the AI surge that led tech giants such as Meta, Microsoft, and Google to purchase a significant number of Nvidia chips.

This comes half a year after Intel’s release of its 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors for data centre workloads and a couple of months following the announcement of the Gaudi 3 processor for AI model training and deployment.

Intel also disclosed that the Gaudi 2 and Gaudi 3 AI accelerators are priced lower than those of its competitors.

Furthermore, Intel shared architectural details of its forthcoming Lunar Lake processors, aimed at expanding the AI PC category. These processors, slated for release in the third quarter, are set to rival Nvidia’s and AMD’s offerings tailored for AI PCs.

While Nvidia and AMD focus on chip design, Intel stands out by both designing and manufacturing its chips. Nevertheless, Intel’s foundry business has faced challenges, with its operating loss widening to $7 billion in 2023 compared to the previous year.

May 24, 2024September 12, 2025

Wall Street is in love with Nvidia as results beat estimates – but can the stock maintain these meteoric gains?

Nvidia’s shares surpassed $1,000 for the first time during extended trading on Wednesday 22nd May 2024, following the chip manufacturers report of fiscal first-quarter (Q1) earnings that exceeded analysts’ expectations.

Investors have been using Nvidia’s performance as a barometer for the AI industry’s growth, which has captivated the market over the past year. The robust results indicate that the demand for Nvidia’s AI chips continues to be strong. However, there may be an argument that it is time to take some profits from these massive gains. Can it continue its meteoric climb?

It was also announced that revenues from the upcoming next-generation AI chip, ‘Blackwell‘, are expected later in the year.

In extended trading, the stock increased by around 7%. Additionally, Nvidia announced a 10-for-1 stock split. Given the post-market activity, the shares are on track to reach a new high on Thursday 23rd May 2024.

Nvidia one year share price

Earnings Per Share: $6.12 vs. $5.98 – (Nvidia financial reports)

Revenue: $26.04 billion vs. $24.65 billion – (Nvidia financial reports)

Nvidia anticipates sales of $28 billion for the current quarter, surpassing Wall Street’s expectations of $26.61 billion sales, as reported – (Nvidia financial reports)

The company declared a net income of $14.88 billion, or $5.98 per share, a significant increase from $2.04 billion, or 82 cents per share, in the same period last year. (Nvidia financial reports)

Over the past year, Nvidia’s sales have surged, driven by purchases from tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI, which have invested billions in Nvidia’s GPUs. These high-end, expensive chips are essential for the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Nvidia’s primary business segment, data center sales, encompasses AI chips and other necessary components for operating large AI servers.

The revenue for Nvidia’s data centre sector soared over 400% compared to the previous year. This growth was attributed to the delivery of the company’s ‘Hopper’ graphics processors (GPU’s), including the H100 GPU.

It was also reported that Meta’s Lama 3, their newest large language model utilizing 24,000 H100 GPUs, as a notable income stream this quarter.

May 16, 2024September 12, 2025

Google Unveils AI Chatbot Gemini 1.5 Flash as competition from OpenAI heats up

Google is advancing the frontiers of artificial intelligence (AI) with its new release, Gemini 1.5 Flash, which is set to transform our online information interactions.

Unveiled at Google I/O 2024, this latest model enhances sophisticated features with rapid performance and efficiency. The new AI Chatbot was unveiled on 15th May 2024.

The unveiling comes a day after OpenAI announced its newest artificial intelligence (AI) model, GPT-4o.

Google Gemini 1.5 Flash

The Gemini 1.5 Flash is engineered for exceptional speed, processing queries with reduced latency, which makes it perfectly suited for real-time applications.

Context Understanding

Similar to its forerunner, Gemini 1.5 Pro, Flash is adept at contextual understanding. It is capable of interpreting user prompts through multiple modalities such as text, images, video, and speech.

Smaller Scaled Version

Google also introduced a scaled-down version called Gemini 1.5 Nano, which runs locally on devices.

AI quick answers

A prominent feature of Gemini 1.5 Flash is the AI Overviews integration. These ‘precis’ summaries deliver rapid responses to intricate inquiries. Users are presented with a topical overview and pertinent links for additional research. The AI Overviews feature is currently being introduced to U.S. users, with worldwide availability anticipated by the end of the year.

Future of Google search

Gemini 1.5 Flash is Google’s latest endeavour to improve search experiences. Whether it’s for research, planning, or brainstorming, this AI model simplifies the process. With the advent of generative AI, Google Search is becoming increasingly potent, enabling users to effortlessly access reliable information.

April 26, 2024September 12, 2025

Alphabet shares climbed 15% after issuing first-ever dividend

Alphabet announced on Thursday 25th April 2024 that it is issuing its first-ever dividend of 20 cents per share and that its board has authorised a stock repurchase of up to $70 billion.

This announcement follows Meta’s board authorising its own inaugural dividend in February. As of 31st March 2024, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, had $108 billion in cash and marketable securities.

After the announcement, which coincided with the release of first-quarter earnings that surpassed expectations, shares surged by 15% in after-hours trading.

Alphabet trading chart 25th April 2024

April 19, 2024September 12, 2025

Meta’s new AI Chatbot has arrived

Meta’s complimentary artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, known as Meta AI, is being introduced across its social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.

The assistant is reportedly designed to respond to queries, craft animations, and produce ‘high-quality’ images, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a recent video posting.

Zuckerberg also noted that the company has integrated ‘real-time knowledge’ from Google and Microsoft’s Bing to enhance the assistant’s responses.

The development of Meta AI is based on the company’s most advanced large language model, Meta Llama 3, which was unveiled on the same day – Thursday 18th April 2024.

March 18, 2024September 12, 2025

Apple and Alphabet reportedly in Gemini AI talks

Apple playing AI catchup

Apple is reportedly engaged in negotiations to acquire a licence for Google’s Gemini, a generative AI platform, with the intention of integrating it into iPhones. These ongoing discussions may result in Gemini enhancing iPhone software with new features later this year.

The terms, branding, and implementation details have not been finalised. This potential partnership could significantly impact the AI capabilities of future iPhones.

February 28, 2024September 12, 2025

Google’s woke AI needs fixing!

Google’s ‘Woke’ AI Problem needs attention

In recent days, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool, Gemini, has faced intense criticism online. As the tech giant’s answer to the OpenAI/Microsoft chatbot ChatGPT, Gemini can respond to text queries and even generate images based on prompts. However, its journey has been far from smooth.

The AI answer is wrong

The issues began when Gemini’s image generator inaccurately portrayed historical figures. For instance, it depicted the U.S. Founding Fathers with a black man, and German World War II soldiers included both a black man and an Asian woman.

Google swiftly apologized and paused the tool, acknowledging that it had “missed the mark.”

It gets worse

But the controversy didn’t end there. Gemini’s text responses veered into over-political correctness. When asked whether Elon Musk posting memes was worse than Hitler’s atrocities, it replied that there was “no right or wrong answer.” In another instance, it refused to misgender high-profile trans woman Caitlin Jenner, even if it meant preventing nuclear apocalypse. Elon Musk himself found these responses “extremely alarming.”

Nuance

The root cause lies in the vast amounts of data AI tools are trained on. Publicly available internet data contains biases, leading to embarrassing mistakes. Google attempted to counter this by instructing Gemini not to make assumptions, but it backfired. Human history and culture are nuanced, and machines struggle to grasp these complexities.

Political bias

Google now faces the challenge of striking a balance: addressing bias without becoming absurdly politically correct. As Gemini evolves, finding this equilibrium will be crucial for its survival.

After all, it’s not just about AI, is it? It’s about navigating the delicate intersection of technology, culture, and ethics.

Definition of nuance – I asked ChatGPT for its definition…

Nuance refers to the subtle, intricate, or delicate aspects of something. It encompasses the fine distinctions, shades of meaning, and context-specific interpretations that add depth and complexity to a situation, conversation, or piece of art. In essence, nuance recognizes that not everything can be neatly categorized or expressed in black-and-white terms; rather, it acknowledges the richness and variability of human experiences and ideas. Whether in literature, politics, or everyday interactions, appreciating nuance allows us to navigate the complexities of life with greater understanding and empathy.

February 23, 2024September 12, 2025

Google halts Gemini AI image generator after it created inaccurate historical content

Google on Thursday 22nd February 2024 said it is pausing its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) image generation feature after saying it offers ‘inaccuracies’ in historical pictures

Users had been reporting that the AI tool generated images of historical figures, like the U.S. Founding Fathers as people of colour, calling this inaccurate.

Google posted a statement on Thursday 22nd February 2024, saying that it will pause Gemini’s feature to generate images of people and will re-release an ‘improved’ version soon.

Is Google struggling to keep up with the AI race?

The image generator tool was launched at the start of February 2024 through Gemini, which was orignally called Bard.

It is facing challenges at a time when Google is trying to catch up with Microsoft-backed OpenAI project, Copilot.

February 2, 2024September 12, 2025

AMD enters AI-powered PC race as artificial intelligence demand grows

U.S. microchip giant Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is investing in AI PCs to take on the likes of Nvidia and Intel and Arm as the AI race gains momentum.

As the AI market expands so too will AI powered personal computer (PC). These are personal computers embedded with processors specifically designed to perform AI functions such as real-time language translation. Intel has already announced its AI powered chip for the PC.

Tech research firm Canalys in a December report said the boom in generative AI is expected to boost PC sales as consumers are seeking devices with AI features, predicting that 60% of the PCs shipped in 2027 will be AI-capable.

AI tech interest explodes

An explosion of interest in AI was sparked by the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 as the chatbot went viral for its ability to generate human-like responses to users’ prompts.

Microsoft was quick to adopt the Technolgy and incorporate AI into its Bing search engine. Other companies such as Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Arm, Meta, Tesla and Apple are all heavily involved in AI development too.

February 1, 2024September 12, 2025

Microsoft and Alphabet report good numbers but Nasdaq slides.

Nasdaq 100 futures declined around 0.75%. S&P 500 futures were also down around 0.4%

In after-hours trading, shares of Alphabet dropped more than 5%, while Microsoft slipped 2% after the tech giants, part of the Magnificent Seven posted quarterly earnings. However, both companies achieved on both top and bottom lines. However, advertising revenue for Alphabet came short of analysts’ expectations.

Tech powerhouse

The tech sector powered the market rally from 2023 into 2024 and is now trading at a relatively high valuation of nearly 29 times its 2024 earnings, according to recent figures. Investors will need to see earnings expansion in order for the tech companies to be able to maintain their elevated levels.

Results were good but not good enough according to Wall Street as stocks were priced for perfection and that wasn’t delivered.

Even though the results were better-than-expected, investors are likely selling because they just want to take some money off the table.

Absolute perfection comes at a price on Wall Street.

January 23, 2024September 12, 2025

A new powerful AI is coming but the techies have no clue as to what it will look like

That’s reassuring then, and they are creating it

Leaders at some of the world’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies are expecting a form of AI on a par with, or even exceeding human intelligence to arrive sometime in the near future. But what it will eventually look like and how it will be applied are unknown.

Artificial General Intelligence or AGI is coming soon

Leaders from OpenAI, Microsoft and Google’s DeepMind, and many other major tech companies debated the risks and opportunities presented by AI at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2024.

AI has become the talk of ‘town’ around the world through 2023, mainly due to the success of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s popular generative AI chatbot, brought to us by Microsoft. Generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, are powered large language models, algorithms trained on vast quantities of data, but are not AGI.

Executives at some of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies see ‘artificial general intelligence,’ or AGI, a hypothesized form of AI with intelligence on a par or better than humans. This prospect is both exciting and worrying.

Concern

AI and AGI have created concern among governments, corporations and public consultation groups worldwide, owing to the risks around the lack of transparency of AI systems; social manipulation through computer algorithms; job losses due to increased automation; surveillance; and data privacy and worse… the lack of human control!

Extinction event possible

Many industry leaders in technology have warned that AI could lead to an ‘extinction-level’ event where machines become so powerful they get out of control and wipe out humanity.

**A new powerful AI is coming but the techies have no clue as to what it will look like**

Several prominent technology leaders, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak for example, have called for a pause in AI development, stating that a moratorium would be beneficial in allowing society to catch up.

Turing test

AI chatbots like ChatGPT have passed the Turing test, a test called the ‘imitation game,’ which was developed by British computer scientist Alan Turing to determine whether someone is communicating with a machine and a human. The one big area where AI is lacking is common sense.

It has been reported on many occasions, that the tech world is taking steps to ensure that the AI race doesn’t lead to a ‘Hiroshima moment.‘

Will AGI be created in the image of humans?

Let’s hope not.

January 11, 2024September 12, 2025

The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven is a term coined to describe the seven most valuable and popularly owned tech companies in the U.S. stock market.

It was also a 1960’s movie…

The Seven

Apple (AAPL)

The world’s largest software company, known for its iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and other devices, as well as its services such as iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and App Store.

Microsoft (MSFT)

The world’s largest software company, known for its Windows operating system, Azure cloud services, LinkedIn social media platform, Office professional software suite, and Xbox gaming brand.

Alphabet (GOOGL)

The parent company of Google, the world’s leading search engine, as well as other businesses such as YouTube, Google Cloud, Google Maps, Google Ads, and Waymo.

Amazon (AMZN)

The world’s largest online retailer, as well as a leading provider of cloud computing services through Amazon Web Services (AWS), and a major player in digital entertainment through Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, and Kindle.

Meta Platforms (META)

The former Facebook, the world’s largest social media network, as well as the owner of other popular platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Oculus.

Nvidia (NVDA)

The world’s leading manufacturer of graphics processing units (GPUs), which are used for gaming, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cryptocurrency mining, as well as other products such as Nvidia Shield, GeForce Now, and Omniverse.

Tesla (TSLA)

The world’s most valuable automaker, known for its electric vehicles, battery products, solar panels, and self-driving technology, as well as its visionary founder and CEO, Elon Musk.

Market dominance

These seven companies are not only dominant in their respective fields, but also at the forefront of innovation and growth in the tech sector. They collectively make up some 30% of the S&P 500 index and more than half of the Nasdaq 100 index.

They have also delivered impressive returns for investors over the past five years, with Nvidia and Tesla leading the pack with more than 800% gains. The Magnificent Seven are often compared to the FAANG stocks, which include four of the seven companies, but exclude Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla, and include Netflix instead.

Some analysts suggest that the Magnificent Seven capture the current state and future potential of the tech industry. But is it now time to rotate out of tech into other areas that have been neglected. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the bull market charge on but with other ‘less’ loved companies leading the way.

It has been calculated that the combined market cap value of these seven companies is some $9 trillion.

December 15, 2023September 12, 2025

Intel unveils new AI chip

Intel’s new chip will go head-to-head with Nvidia and AMD

Intel unveiled new computer microchips on Thursday 14th December 2023, including Gaudi3, a chip for generative AI software.

Intel also announced Core Ultra chips, designed for Windows laptops and PCs, and new fifth-generation Xeon server chips. Intel’s server and PC processors include specialized AI parts called NPUs that can be used to run AI programs faster.

AI race

AI models, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, run on Nvidia GPUs in the cloud. It’s one reason Nvidia stock has been up nearly 230% year to date while Intel shares have risen 68%. And it’s why companies like AMD and, now Intel, have announced chips that they hope will attract AI companies away from Nvidia’s dominant position in the market.

Gaudi3 will compete with Nvidia’s H100, the main choice among companies that build huge factories of the chips to power AI applications, and AMD’s forthcoming MI300X, when it starts shipping to customers in 2024.

CEO Gelsinger

‘We’ve been seeing the excitement with generative AI, the star of the show for 2023,’ Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger reportedly said at a launch event in New York where he announced Gaudi3 along other chips focused on AI applications.

**Intel upping the anti with its Gaudi AI chip. The AI PC to become the new AI start of 2024 and beyond!**

‘We think the AI PC will be the star of the show for the upcoming year,’ Gelsinger added. And that’s where Intel’s new Core Ultra processors, also announced on Thursday, will come into play.

Let the battle commence.

December 8, 2023September 12, 2025

Meta and Microsoft say they will buy AMD’s new AI chip – Wall Street loves Artificial Intelligence

Meta, OpenAI, and Microsoft said they will use AMD’s newest AI chip, the Instinct MI300X.

An indication that tech companies want alternatives to the expensive Nvidia graphics processors that have been essential for artificial intelligence (AI).

If the MI300X is good enough and inexpensive enough when it starts shipping early next year, it will likely lower costs for developing AI models.

AMD CEO Lisa Su projected the market for AI chips will amount to $400 billion or more in 2027, and she said she hopes AMD has a sizable part of that market.

Wall Street rallies on AMD and Google AI news

Wall Street resumed its rally after a short break as technology giants intensified their AI race, pushing up tech stocks.

When you witness Google launching a new AI model (Gemini) and AMD chasing a slice of the hot AI chip market, you know a pre-Christmas cheer will wash over investors.

To think, just a handful of years ago, other than in Science Fiction novels, the term ‘artificial intelligence’ didn’t exist in our vocabulary and now it is becoming more and more integrated with our day-to-day lives.

Stock markets love it. AI is fast becoming a business necessity and not just an option.

AI chip image — Wall Streets love affair with AI – how long will it last?

December 7, 2023September 12, 2025

Google releases Gemini, its latest AI venture

Pressure mounts on the Google to demonstrate how it plans monetize AI.

Google has launched its largest and most capable (by its own admission) artificial intelligence (AI) model on Wednesday 6th December 2023 pressure mounts on the company to answer how it’ll monetize AI.

Gemini

The large language model Gemini will include a suite of three different sizes: Gemini Ultra, its largest, most capable category; Gemini Pro, which scales across a wide range of tasks; and Gemini Nano, which it will use for specific tasks and mobile devices.

Cloud

Google is reportedly planning to licence Gemini to clients through Google Cloud to use in their own applications. Developers and enterprise customers can access Gemini Pro via the Gemini API in Google AI Studio or Google Cloud Vertex AI.

Android

Android developers will also be able to build with Gemini Nano. Gemini will also be used to power Google products like its Bard Chatbot and Search Generative Experience, which tries to answer search queries with conversational-style text.

Ultra

Gemini Ultra is reportedly the first model to outperform human experts on MMLU (massive multitask language understanding), which uses a combination of 57 subjects such as math, physics, history, law, medicine and ethics for testing both world knowledge and problem-solving abilities, the company said in a blog post Wednesday 6th December 2023.

It can supposedly understand nuance and reasoning in complex subjects.

Advanced

The company gave examples demonstrating Gemini being able to take a screenshot of a chart and analyse hundreds of pages from research and then updating the chart.

Another example was analyzing a photo of a person’s math homework and identifying correct answers and pointing out incorrect ones.

The future is artificial.

Definition of the word Gemini: Constellation, Astrological Sign or Twins in Latin.

November 7, 2023September 12, 2025

IBM pivots to AI – STOCK WATCH

An old well established and trusted tech brand pivoting to AI that has a high dividend yield is IBM, which has been around for more than a century and is known for both its hardware and software products.

IBM is investing heavily in AI, cloud computing, and quantum computing, and has recently acquired several AI start-ups, such as Instana, Turbonomic, and Waeg.

IBM also has a partnership with OpenAI, one of the leading AI research organizations, to provide cloud infrastructure for its AI models.

Investors who love IBM expect the company to grow its earnings by around 10% annually over the next five years. Investors were also impressed with IBM’s dividend yield, which is currently around 4.5%. Dividends are a great way to generate passive income.

IBM is not the only tech company that is pivoting to AI. Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic are competing in the field of generative AI, which can create text, images, music, and more from natural language prompts.

Integrate generative AI

These companies are attempting to integrate generative AI into their products and services, such as search engines, maps, word processors, office applications, chatbots, and more. Generative AI is seen as a game-changer for many industries and applications, and could potentially disrupt the dominance of Big Tech.

Legacy companies can pivot to a platform model, which is a business strategy that connects producers and consumers of value through a digital interface. Platform companies like Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Tencent have created value at stunning rates, and have grown rapidly and own large market shares.

Legacy companies can leverage their existing systems, such as customer relationships, data, and brand recognition, to create platforms that offer impressive and immersive products and services.

Other successful platform pivots are Disney+, which transformed Disney from a media producer to a media platform; Nike+, which connected Nike’s physical products with digital services; and John Deere, which created a platform for precision agriculture.