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Reuters
20 minutes ago
- Reuters
Artificial Intelligencer: Cloud wars 2.0
Aug 7 (Reuters) - (This was originally published in the Artificial Intelligencer newsletter, which is issued every Wednesday. Sign up here to learn about the latest breakthroughs in AI and tech.) One of the most anticipated AI releases of the year is finally nearly here: OpenAI's GPT-5. Early testers told my colleague Anna Tong that they are impressed with GPT-5's coding and problem-solving abilities. Still, some whisper that the leap from GPT-4 isn't as jaw-dropping as the monumental jump from GPT-3 to GPT-4. The stakes for OpenAI are high. A source told me the company is now seeking to let employees sell shares at a staggering $500 billion valuation—up from $300 billion earlier this year—as it races toward $20 billion in annualized revenue by the end of 2025. Whether GPT-5's new capabilities will become a catalyst for further growth remains to be seen. GPT-5 is a hybrid: the result of massive pre-trained architecture combined with new reasoning techniques like test-time compute. It's a test of whether AI's progress down the reasoning path can keep pace with our sky-high expectations, and whether OpenAI can maintain its edge as the world's most-watched AI lab. Exclusive - Alphabet's CapitalG, Nvidia in talks to fund Vast Data at up to $30 billion valuation Exclusive - Intel struggles with key manufacturing process for next PC chip OpenAI eyes $500 billion valuation in potential employee share sale, source says Palantir shares jump as soaring AI demand powers forecast upgrade Google to curb power use for AI data centers to ease strain on US grid when demand surges OpenAI's long-awaited GPT-5 model nears release Generative AI has been the shot of adrenaline the cloud market didn't know it needed. Three years ago, enterprise spending on cloud infrastructure hovered around $55 billion per quarter. Now we're staring down $100 billion in Q2 alone—a leap that would have seemed unthinkable in the era of predictable and stable cloud growth. For years, the cloud story was all about Amazon's dominance. But recent earnings reports from the major cloud providers show everybody is getting an AI lift, and AWS' throne isn't quite as secure as it once was. The changing dynamics didn't go unnoticed in the eyes of investors, as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy defended AWS' standing in the AI arms race at last week's earnings call when asked about the perception that it was behind in AI. The company reported Q2 sales up 17.5% to $30.9 billion. Jassy touted Amazon chip Trainium's cost and performance advantages, especially for inference, and highlighted AWS' role in serving models from partners like Anthropic. This week, Amazon also became one of the first cloud providers to serve OpenAI's new open-weight models. The rapid adoption of AI is benefiting the entire industry, with more businesses seeking access to advanced models and AI tools through cloud platforms. Among the giants, the market share dynamics are evolving. Back in the second quarter of 2022, AWS commanded 34% of the global enterprise cloud infrastructure market, with Microsoft at 21% and Google Cloud at 10%, according to Synergy Research Group. Fast forward to this year: AWS has slipped to 30%, Microsoft holds steady at 20%, and Google Cloud has inched up to 13%. The top three still account for a combined 63% of the market, but the distribution of power is slowly changing. This demand has also created opportunities for a new generation of 'neocloud' companies like CoreWeave, which specializes in Nvidia GPU-powered infrastructure. Do cloud giants need their own in-house AI technology to win the race? The jury might still be out for the long term, but Google's growth already stands out. With a 32% year-on-year jump in revenue to $13.6 billion in the second quarter, driven by its strength in full-stack AI research from Gemini models to TPU chips, Google Cloud is outpacing its larger rivals. Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud segment saw revenue grow 26% year-over-year to nearly $30 billion, as the company continues to benefit from its partnership with OpenAI—though questions remain about how its exclusive access to OpenAI's models will evolve. All three tech giants are investing in their own models and custom chips to better control costs and infrastructure. Microsoft and Amazon are trying to play catch-up with self-developed tech in a bid to maintain margins, while hanging tight to external partners such as OpenAI and Anthropic. Fast growth is spurring investment and more data center buildouts, from signing leases to building infrastructure and securing power. Even tech giants long known for self-funding growth are grappling with the soaring cost of AI. Expect cloud companies to get more creative with financing the cost of such investment, perhaps engaging third-party partners in their data center buildouts. Average U.S. electricity prices in cities have surged sharply in recent year s, climbing from $0.14 to $0.19 per kilowatt-hour since 2021 . Among many factors, AI data centers and power-hungry chatbots are dri ving up demand faster than new plants can be built. The increase in power costs is far outpacing overall inflation, highlighting how the AI boom is straining America's largest power grid and impacting everyday consumers . OpenAI is finally putting the 'open' back in its name. Months after China's DeepSeek made waves with its open-source model, OpenAI has released its new open-weight models, opens new tab , gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b—marking its biggest open-weight launch since GPT-2. These models are built for complex reasoning and agent-like tasks, yet they're efficient enough to run locally on a high-end laptop. OpenAI has said that the goal is to empower individuals and foster innovation, giving developers, researchers, and enthusiasts more control over their AI tools without restrictive licenses. Within hours of release, the models soared to the top spot on Hugging Face's trending models—a clear signal of how eagerly the AI community has been waiting for transparent, powerful models they can run and fine-tune themselves. Still, some early testers are finding that while the models excel at tough reasoning challenges, they sometimes make mistakes on simpler prompts or 'hallucinate' answers. This seems to reflect a focus on advanced reasoning, possibly at the expense of everyday versatility.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
The best laptop deals this August, chosen by a tech expert
We've rounded up the best laptop deals in the UK right now to help you grab a portable PC or MacBook at a great price. If it's time for an upgrade, you'll be happy to learn that some of the best laptops of 2025 won't break the bank. When shopping around for a new laptop, it's important to know how to spot a good budget option. There are plenty of cheap, obscure brands floating around on Amazon that you should avoid. Instead, stick to trusted names to ensure you're buying a laptop you can rely on. We only include laptops we've tested and from brands we trust. Of course, you can also save a lot by opting for a refurbished laptop — hundreds, according to our research. Make sure you choose a reputable retailer, read reviews and always avoid deals that seem too good to be true. You still have the right for an item to be as described, even if it's second-hand or refurbished. If it's not, you can send it back and request a full refund. We would always suggest paying for purchases over £100 with a credit card, which can protect you if things go wrong. If you're wary of shopping on the second-hand market, Apple, Microsoft and Dell all sell refurbished versions of their products. The prices are likely to be beaten elsewhere, but it's worth a look. So, on to the models. From lightweight notebooks to two-in-one tablets and dedicated gaming setups, we've scoured the internet for the best laptop deals in the country. Why you can trust us to find the best laptop deals As IndyBest's laptops expert, I'm constantly scouring the internet for discounts on the best laptops that I've tried and tested, from brands I know and trust. These deals include the best available prices on the most popular laptops, such as the MacBook Air, as well as discounts on laptops to suit a range of users. I won't recommend a laptop simply because it's cheap. I'll also factor in quality, durability, reliability and security when collating the top laptop deals, so you can be sure you're getting a good deal on a great device. The best laptop deals for August 2025 in the UK are: The Asus Zenbook pro 14 OLED was one of my best laptops of 2025. In my review, I said it 'packs impressive performance into a slim and lightweight 14in ultrabook package'. It doesn't come cheap, but if you've had your eye on it, now's a good time to save £150 on it. For an even bigger saving, you can sign up to AO's membership scheme for £39.99 a year and get the Asus Zenbook pro for £1,095. You'll save more than the price you'll pay for the membership, plus you'll get free shipping and exclusive discounts for the next year. The catch is that you have to ring to cancel, otherwise it'll auto-renew in a year's time. If the price goes up at AO, or it goes out of stock, it's available on Very for £1,149 too. The capable MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo runs on the powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chip with a massive 32GB of RAM, making it ideal for the most processor-intensive workloads such as high-resolution video editing. A premium magnesium-alloy chassis keeps the weight down – the laptop weighs less than a kilo – while the Quad HD OLED display offers brilliant vibrancy and contrast. This laptop has now become even more affordable with this Currys deal that slashes the price by almost 35 per cent. If it goes out of stock, you can get it for nearly the same price on The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is one of a new generation of Microsoft-endorsed devices running on a fast Snapdragon processor. Designed to tackle everyday workloads, you get a lot of value at this price, with enough performance for most tasks, a decent FullHD display and all-day battery life. The cheapest price you'll find the laptop for right now is at Very. This isn't the lowest price I've seen this laptop, as it was on sale for £499 at Currys back in May and £599 at Samsung in July. If you're keen to make an even bigger saving, it could be worth holding off for now. A Chromebook designed by trusted brand Asus, this basic model runs on the lightweight Chrome operating system, meaning it can't run regular Windows software but boots up almost instantly and doesn't get bogged down in unnecessary software as time goes on. The Intel i3 processor is powerful enough to handle plenty of open apps, while the slim design and large 14in display is spacious enough for work and watching entertainment on the go. There are only a few left in stock on Amazon, so if you miss out, Currys has it on sale for a slightly higher £269.00. Students, if you're shopping for the new school year, don't miss out on an extra 10 per cent off by verifying your student status. There isn't much in the way of Macbook deals right now, with the exception of its thinnest model, which is on sale at Currys. In our tech critic, David Phelan 's, review of the laptop, he praised its battery life, design and performance, but noted the lack of a touchscreen, which many Windows models offer. If you happen to be a student or a teacher, you can also save on a Macbook through Apple's education pricing. Right now, when you buy an eligible Macbook or iPad as a student, you'll also get a pair of AirPods included. How to know if a laptop deal is worth it Because most laptops can be configured with extra RAM, bigger hard drives and better displays, it can sometimes be hard to tell if a discount is actually worthwhile. Our team of IndyBest experts have decades of experience testing and reviewing laptops. We track prices over time and know how much you should expect to spend on the latest tech, and we know a misleading discount when we see one. Are there any key specs you should look for in a laptop? Start by looking at the processor (or CPU) – specifically the generation it belongs to. There are two major CPU brands. Intel's latest processors are 13th and 14th generation, while AMD recently launched its 9000-series processors. The best deals tend to be found on laptops using last-generation CPUs, which are still speedy enough for most users. Generally speaking, the rest of the laptop specs will be designed around the CPU. RAM is the next most important specification to look for. 16GB is ideal but expensive, while 8GB is fine for everyday purposes. Hard drive capacity isn't as important as it used to be, thanks to cloud-based storage and entertainment streaming. For the average user, 512GB will be plenty, and 256GB will do in a pinch. Your specific needs will determine which specs you should look for after that. For gaming and multimedia work such as video editing, a discrete GPU (a separate graphics processing unit, usually made by Nvidia or AMD) will give you an enormous performance boost. If you don't plan on using your laptop for demanding tasks, you'll save a lot of money by sticking with the standard option of an integrated GPU.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Sky TV users urged to act now if they have satellite dish on the side of house
Sky customers with a dish are able to access Freesat channels. While many people now use the internet to stream their favourite TV channels, there are still quite a few households in the UK who access their favourite shows through a satellite dish. However, while many providers are trying to get their customers to switch to streaming, a TV expert has shared that it is taking Sky"much longer" than originally expected to shift their dish customers over. This has been made harder as these customers have been told to ditch their subscriptions to watch many of their favourite channels for free thanks to Freesat. Sky has been pushing to move customers over to their internet streaming since 2021 and it now seems "highly unlikely" that the provider will be releasing a new satellite box, reports Birmingham Live. Expert Paolo Pescatore, from PP Foresight, says that despite many customers still using the Sky Q service - which requires a dish - many providers are preempting the eventual switch off of terrestrial TV, which will make streaming TV the only viable option. He explained: "The majority of its existing subscribers are still on the tried and trusted Sky Q platform which relies on a satellite dish. Converting this base is taking the company much longer than it originally expected. On this basis Sky Glass has not been as successful as the company had anticipated. "Despite this, the move in general made sense given the direction of travel with what I'm calling the big TV switch off; likely to happen now in the 2030s and to defend against the rise and threat of streamers by allowing Sky to control the experience and manage customer relationships which it has successfully been able to do." However, for those who currently have a Sky dish outside their home and aren't wanting to change to internet driven viewing, customers are able to freely switch to Freesat without having to change their dish. This means customers will no longer have to deal with subscriptions, and Freesat comes with the added bonus of having more channels available than Freeview. Freesat explained: "Yes, to use Freesat you need a satellite dish, but it doesn't need to be new! Even if it's a Sky satellite dish or an older model, all you need to do is plug the satellite cables into the back of your Freesat 4K TV Box and you're good to go." For those who don't currently have a satellite dish, households can go to to find a local satellite dish installer. Households will be able to enjoy over 100 channels with Freesat, with over 20 of them being in HD. Additionally, dish owners will be able to access all their favourite free and premium apps, such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix, ITVX, 5, Youtube and much more. The subscription free provider added: "If you're thinking about moving from Sky TV to Freesat you can use the same satellite dish! The dish you have will affect how many channels you can record at once on your 4K TV Box." However, while households can easily switch to the free service without having to change their satellite dish, those without the device may come into some trouble. If households are unable to position the dish to face the satellite without obstruction, they may not be able to access all of the channels and apps available. However, Sky themselves may not be happy with their customers making the switch as Pescatore says the provider is still "hugely reliant" on their Sky Q customers. He added that the provider must avoid upsetting these customers "as there are a slew of cheaper alternative TV platforms and services in the market". Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
