Microsoft and Google are making big investments in European AI infrastructure, with the Seattle-based software giant spending more than $10 billion to build a data hub in Portugal, and Alphabet investing $6.35 billion on new construction and expansion of an existing complex in Germany. The moves are the latest in U.S. tech’s push for a global AI footprint. Microsoft is working with Nvidia, the UK startup Nscale and data center building specialist Start Campus. Google is bringing green initiatives to its project in Deutschland, which it estimates will bring 9,000 jobs and nearly $1.2 billion to German GDP. Continue reading Microsoft, Google Spending Heavily on European Data Hubs

Google Cloud is rolling out its seventh-generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), Ironwood, and new Arm-based computing options that aim to meet exploding demand for AI model deployment in what the Alphabet company describes as a business shift from training models to serving end users. “Constantly shifting model architectures, the rise of agentic workflows, plus near-exponential growth in demand for compute, define this new age of inference,” explains Google Cloud. The company said that Anthropic — known for its Claude family of large language models — “plans to access up to 1 million” of the new TPUs. The deal is reportedly “worth billions.” Continue reading Google Unveils New AI Chips, Announces Deal with Anthropic

Amazon announced yesterday that its Prime Video service is introducing location-based interactive video advertisements in the U.S., allowing local businesses to reach target audiences in specific areas. The ad unit, Interactive Video Ads (IVA), will help advertisers customize national TV commercials with location-specific content such as local pricing and nearest business details based on state data and ZIP codes. The new format, expected to intensify the growing competition between streaming services and broadcasters, is part of a larger effort to bring more small businesses and local buyers to CTV. It also arrives as major streamers, including Prime Video, are pursuing new models such as pause ads. Continue reading Location-Based Interactive Video Ads Coming to Prime Video

Amazon Music announced a new beta feature called “Fan Groups” that enables users to build their own communities for sharing information and opinions about their favorite music genres and artists. The feature, testing now in Canada on iOS and Android, encourages music fans to listen to songs shared within the groups and interact via chat threads and user posts, while driving new music discovery in the process. Artists will also have the ability to join groups, providing an opportunity to share exclusive content and interact directly with their fans. “The new destination transforms music listening into an interactive community for fans without having to leave the app,” explains Amazon. Continue reading Amazon Music Touts Community with ‘Fan Groups’ Beta Test

Amazon Ads and iHeartMedia are expanding their partnership with a new programmatic audio offering that lets Amazon DSP advertisers access iHeart’s streaming audio portfolio. Advertisers using Amazon DSP can now extend their omnichannel campaigns across iHeart’s streaming audio portfolio to connect with listeners across devices like smartphones, smart speakers, tablets, game consoles and more. Access to iHeartPodcasts and broadcast radio stations will follow in 2026. The deal “brings Amazon’s trillions of shopping, streaming, and browsing signals together with iHeart’s millions of listeners across streaming audio for meaningful reach at scale,” Amazon says. Continue reading Amazon, iHeartMedia Target Programmatic Audio Streaming

Amazon’s generative AI voice assistant Alexa+ is coming to the Amazon Music mobile app for iOS and Android for customers across all subscription tiers in Alexa+ Early Access. Alexa+ was announced in February at Amazon’s Devices & Services event, and began rolling out in early access in the spring. It is reported to now have more than a million users. Customers were able to get early access by registering for it on the Amazon website or purchasing a compatible product. Adding generative AI to Amazon Music is seen as a competitive move following Spotify’s October integration with OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT. Continue reading Alexa+ for iOS and Android Now Available for Amazon Music

OpenAI has entered into a $38 billion cloud computing deal with AWS in a deal set to extend at least seven years, the hyperscaler says. The Monday news propelled Amazon stock to an all-time high of $254 per share, up 4 percent at close. After initially working exclusively with investor Microsoft for cloud services, OpenAI has negotiated expansively to meet increased demand. This year, the startup has signed with Oracle, Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom for storage and processing power as well as funding for data center construction plans of its own, here and abroad. The strategic alliance with AWS marks OpenAI’s first such arrangement with Amazon. Continue reading OpenAI Sets $38 Billion AWS Deal for Training and Inference

Amazon Q3 revenue was up 13 percent to $180.2 billion in the third quarter, compared with $158.9 billion in 2024. The AWS group that includes AI saw sales increase 20 percent year-over-year to $33 billion. The company reported that gross profit increased 38 percent to $21.2 billion for the quarter, due largely to consumer spending online and the demand for cloud computing. Amazon is the dominant player in the cloud space with about 30 percent of global share. However, investors have been cautious about AWS, which accounted for 65 percent of the company’s total operating income in Q3. Since 2022, competition has heated up with OpenAI’s ChatGPT signing on with Microsoft Azure. Continue reading AWS, Cloud and AI Help Drive Impressive Quarter for Amazon

Amazon wants to save customers time shopping by helping them reach an informed decision more quickly using AI. The new “Help Me Decide” feature aims to pair people with the right product “with the tap of a button” that produces “one clear recommendation.” This includes an explanation of why the product is right for you “based on your specific needs and preferences,” ascertained via analysis of your browsing history. If you’ve been perusing similar products but haven’t yet purchased, the “Help Me Decide” button will appear at the top of the product detail page. It can also be accessed by tapping “Keep shopping for” on the homepage if you want to pick up where you left off in a previous browsing session. Continue reading Amazon: ‘Help Me Decide’ Uses AI to Help Shoppers Choose

Amazon Web Services is building-out its programmatic ad offerings with AWS RTB Fabric, designed to optimize the high-speed, high-volume real-time bidding (RTB) auctions that power programmatic advertising for Amazon Ads and the company’s AdTech partners. The product has been in beta testing with select partners for months and now becomes “generally available,” deployed from North Virginia and Oregon in the U.S. East and West, and Singapore, Tokyo, Germany and Ireland, serving nearby areas with what AWS says is “single-digit millisecond latency” through a private, high-performance network. The idea is to make programmatic ad-buying cheaper and more efficient. Continue reading Amazon Bows AWS RTB Fabric for Programmatic Advertising

Amazon has developed smart glasses to help its delivery drivers navigate the world more efficiently, improving navigation, identifying hazards and having instant access to cargo data. The wearable was “designed and optimized with input from hundreds of Delivery Associates (DAs), drivers who work for Delivery Service Partners (DSPs)” and use “advanced computer vision processing and AI integration for seamless driver experiences,” according to Amazon. The eyewear helps DAs scan packages, follow turn-by-turn walking directions and capture proof of delivery — all without the help of a phone, creating a hands-free documentation experience. Continue reading Smart Glasses Use AI to Help Amazon Drivers with Deliveries

OpenAI has expanded its alliance with Broadcom, announcing a plan to create enough custom AI accelerator chips to consume 10 gigawatts of power. News of the custom chip collaboration leaked out last month. Now that it is ready to go public, OpenAI says designing its own chips and systems will allow the startup to leverage directly into the hardware what it has learned from developing frontier models. The racks, scaled entirely with Ethernet and other connectivity solutions from Broadcom, will be deployed across OpenAI’s facilities and partner data centers beginning in the second half of 2026. Continue reading OpenAI & Broadcom Developing Custom AI Accelerator Chips

Amazon is updating its AI business toolkit with a new automation subscription designed to speed office work. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is rolling out Quick Suite, an agentic AI application that connects across internal repositories and, via the model context protocol (MCP) to more than 1,000 third-party business apps. The result aims to transform how employees “find insights, conduct deep research, automate tasks, visualize data, and take actions across apps,” according to AWS. “Working with an AI agent is now as simple as chatting with a teammate,” Amazon suggests, explaining that “Quick works to help you go from insight directly to action.” Continue reading AWS Quick Suite a One-Window AI Integration and Agent Tool

Google is launching new subscription AI services that aim to help businesses build agents. Gemini Enterprise starts at a monthly fee of $30 per user for large organizations, while the $21 per person monthly Gemini Business is aimed at smaller clients. Premade Google agents are packaged with the new subscriptions to pave the way for automated software development, data science and customer engagement efforts. Access to agents from Workday and others is also provided, and they can draw on data from Microsoft, Salesforce and Box. The Google launch was announced just a few days after OpenAI revealed that tools from third-party apps can now be accessed in ChatGPT. Continue reading Google Launches No-Code AI Agent Tools for Enterprise Users

Amazon is bringing new levels of immersion and interactivity to the NBA on Prime, with features including opt-in personalized bet tracking with FanDuel, customizable Multiview, and AI-powered Key Moments and Rapid Recap. Tipping off on its 11-year agreement with the NBA on October 24, viewers will experience “personalization, engagement and broadcast quality with a comprehensive suite of interactive features and AI-powered enhancements,” according to Amazon. The NBA is also teaming with AWS and harnessing AI to bring live stats and in-depth analytics to fans during games. AWS becomes the official cloud partner of the NBA, WNBA, and others via the multiyear partnership. Continue reading Amazon Teams with NBA, FanDuel to Offer AI Stats, Features