Manus on markets: A new deadline and message to Putin - prepare to deal or risk major escalation
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Nvidia defends GPU sales to China amid criticism from Democratic senators
Nvidia has defended itself against recent criticism over a decision by President Donald Trump's administration to grant licences to the company to sell its H20 graphics processing unit (GPU) to China. The response comes after a group of Democratic senators on Monday urged the Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who largely crafts export policies, to reverse course on the licences. The lawmakers said a decision to sell H20 chips to China was "an abrupt departure" from the administration's position in April that Beijing's access to the processors posed a serious national security risk. "And it undermines the administration's recent Al Action Plan, which purports to strengthen export control efforts on Al compute,' the letter states, referring to Mr Trump's AI strategy that included 90 federal policy actions. The senators also warned that such policy reversals would bolster China's push to use AI to 'strengthen military systems'. The letter is the latest in a back-and-forth battle over how to best protect and promote US AI technology. 'The H20 helps America win the support of developers worldwide, promoting America's economic and national security,' an Nvidia representative told The National. 'It does not enhance anyone's military capabilities, and the US government has full visibility and authority over every H20 transaction.' Shortly after a trip to Beijing this month, Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang highlighted the Trump administration's assurances about resuming sales of the H20 to China, and said deliveries would begin soon. The H20 is designed to comply with US regulations that seek to prevent powerful AI technology from being used by countries it views as adversaries. But in recent years, and particularly during former president Joe Biden's administration, the US has sought to clamp down on the export of AI technologies to a greater degree, especially CPUs and GPUs, which have become critical for countries seeking to build up AI infrastructure. Nvidia came out in January against the stronger export controls proposed by Mr Biden, saying these undermined US leadership in AI with a 'regulatory morass'. Since his inauguration, Mr Trump has taken a softer approach to AI-related export controls. Recent deals announced with the UAE to build an AI data centre, which also included security stipulations to prevent the potential diffusion of US technology to adversarial countries, was widely seen as a win for US technology companies that have largely opposed strict export policies. Despite efforts in recent years to prevent the diffusion of US AI technology, some analysts have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the overall policy. A new report from Jefferies, an investment banking and capital market firm based in New York, indicated that strict US export policies had prompted China to recalibrate and build up its own chip-making capability, with companies like Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation making strides. Regardless, in their letter to Mr Lutnick, the senators maintained that 'restricting access to leading-edge chips has been the defining barrier for China's efforts to achieve Al parity', expressing concern that the Trump administration would make further exceptions to loosen various export policies it once advocated. 'This administration is permitting adversaries access to technologies critical to national security as part of trade discussions without consultation or input from Congress,' they wrote. A spokesperson with the US Department of Commerce said Biden administration didn't impose 'any restrictions on the H20 whatsoever and they flowed freely into China,' adding that the Trump White House was the first to implement a licence requirement for the exports to Beijing. 'The Trump administration will consider any H20 licence applications carefully, accounting for both the benefits and the costs of potential exports from America and considering the views of experts across the US Government,' the Commerce Department spokesperson told The National. White House officials have recently indicated that policies seeking to prevent the export of US AI technology might ultimately backfire.
Broadcast Pro
11 hours ago
- Broadcast Pro
Hadley Gamble joins IMI as Chief International Anchor
Former CNBC and Al Arabiya English anchor takes on a new cross-platform role to strengthen the media group's editorial collaboration and engage broader audiences. IMI, the privately owned global media group headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has appointed Hadley Gamble to the newly created role of Chief International Anchor. In this strategic position, Gamble will lead the development of high-profile interviews and original features across IMI's network of premier media brands, including The National, Sky News Arabia, CNN Business Arabic and Al-Ain News. A seasoned journalist and anchor, Gamble brings extensive expertise in political and economic reporting, having interviewed heads of state, business leaders and cultural figures over a notable career spanning two decades. Some of her high-profile interviews include Russian President Vladimir Putin, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates, among many others. Based in London, she will represent IMI internationally and lead a new slate of cross-platform content. Hadley Gamble, Chief International Anchor at IMI, commented: 'I am excited to be joining a media group with global reach and a clear editorial vision across its media outlets. I look forward to working closely alongside The National, Sky News Arabia, CNN Business Arabic and Al-Ain News to deliver distinctive journalism that informs and engages audiences around the world.' Gamble's appointment aligns with IMI's broader strategy to expand its international content footprint and continue to grow its global audience base. With operations in 15 countries and a team of more than 400 journalists across the UAE, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Kingdom and the United States, IMI continues to invest in original content, world-class talent and impactful journalism.
Khaleej Times
11 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Microsoft's AI edge under scrutiny as OpenAI turns to rivals for cloud services
Microsoft investors head into Wednesday's earnings with one big question: is the company's artificial intelligence edge at risk as partner OpenAI turns to rivals Google, Oracle and CoreWeave for cloud services? Exclusive licensing deals and access to OpenAI's cutting-edge models have made Microsoft one of the biggest winners of the generative AI boom, fueling growth in its Azure cloud business and pushing its market value toward $4 trillion. In the April-June quarter, the tie-up is expected to have driven a 34.8% increase in Azure revenue, in line with the company's forecast and higher than the 33% rise in the previous three months, according to data from Visible Alpha. But that deal is being renegotiated as OpenAI eyes a public listing, with media reports suggesting a deadlock over how much access Microsoft will retain to ChatGPT maker's technology and its stake if OpenAI converts into a public-benefit corporation. The conversion cannot proceed without Microsoft's sign-off and is crucial for a $40 billion funding round led by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group, $20 billion of which is contingent on the restructuring being completed by the end of the year. OpenAI, which recently deepened its Oracle tie-up with a planned 4.5 gigawatts data center capacity, has also added Google Cloud among its suppliers for computing capacity. UBS analysts said investor views on the Microsoft–OpenAI partnership are divided, though the software giant holds an upper hand. "Microsoft's leadership earned enough credibility … such that the company will end up negotiating terms that will be in the interest of its shareholders," the analysts said. Some of that confidence is reflected in the company's stock price, which has risen by more than a fifth so far this year. In the April-June period, Microsoft's fiscal fourth quarter, the company likely benefited from a weaker dollar, stronger non-AI Azure demand and PC makers pulling forward orders for its Windows products ahead of possible U.S. tariffs. Revenue is expected to have risen 14% to $73.81 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG, its best growth in three quarters. Profit is estimated to have increased 14.2% to $25.16 billion, slightly slower than the previous quarter as operating costs rose. Capital spending will also be in focus after rival Alphabet raised its annual outlay by $10 billion last week. Microsoft has repeatedly said it remains capacity constrained on AI, and in April signaled continued growth in capex after planned spending of over $80 billion last fiscal year, though at a slower pace and on shorter-lived assets such as AI chips. Dan Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust who owns Microsoft shares, said the spending has been paying off. "Investors may still be underestimating the potential for Microsoft's AI business to drive durable consumption growth in the agentic AI era."
